Chapter 8 - Registration and Marriage

The 'wedding' took place at a beautiful, ornate building. Song Luli gazed at the tall ceilings of the halls, fascinated.

Long Jie picked her up from work, where she took a half-day off for this occasion.

It took three hours for approval of registration after applying and providing all of their information.

Afterward, Song Luli and Long Jie stood next to each other to take three photos.

Long Jie wore a black suit; his Auburn hair sleeked to the side. Song Luli wore a white dress that ended at her kneecaps, hugging her waist tightly. When the photo snapped, both of their expressions were neutral, soft. It didn't reveal happiness or dread. It simply meant business.

There was no celebration after. But it was solely two people registering for marriage in his household registry office and echoing standard vows.

Her brother was present.

Song Zhen wanted to witness it just before he left to go back to school. Some part of Song Luli wished her sister was there, too, but she bit back the disappointment.

When they finished, they received red marriage certificates.

Song Zhen then shook Long Jie's hand and hugged Song Luli after, saying stuff like in her ear like: "Take care of yourself."

Song Luli nodded in response, offering him a smile.

Her twin then walked out of the hall and left the now-married couple behind.

There was no doubt that the path set for her was going to be whirlwind. She had grown up as an elite, but Long Jie was more affluent, wealthy, and well-adapted to a rich, high society. She only wondered if she could get on his level without feeling like she oddly stood out.

Long Jie stepped to her side and motioned her to follow him.

Song Luli released a breath before descending the steps from the registration office, walking towards the car Long Jie prepared for them. He opened the back door for her where Song Luli slipped into the back seat of the vehicle while Long Jie walked around, sitting on the other side.

The driver of the car started, and on their way, she watched as Long Jie pulled out a tablet from one of the compartments and began working.

Song Luli gazed out the window. It was quiet and awkward, but she figured that staring at people walking down the cross-walks, or staring at the names of stores was better to think about than the thick silence between them.

Twenty minutes in, Song Luli felt conscious of the fact that the atmosphere was tense, and it could be because she felt nervous, or it could be the fact that Long Jie wasn't saying a word.

"Where are we going?" she blurted out.

Long Jie didn't look up from his work; he continued to respond to emails as he said, "Our house."

Song Luli glanced at him. "But what about my stuff?" she asked.

Long Jie looked up from his work and said, "There are things already bought for you. But if you wish to bring any of your things, then we can do so tomorrow."

Song Luli nodded.

Not long after, the driver pulled up to a wide gate opening to let them through. It was big enough for a neighbourhood block, but as the driver rode down a long path, Song Luli did not see any house nearby, only fields of neatly trimmed grass. There were gardens in other places and a large pond nearby. It took five minutes until they finally drove up to a house.

It stunned her. She wondered how big the entire property was.

"10 acres," Long Jie said, reading the question from her expression.

Song Luli faced him with widened eyes. From the looks of it, they were was just at the border of the city, right next to acres of unoccupied lands.

"I like my privacy," he said.

"I figured," Song Luli responded sarcastically.

Long Jie smiled.

The two of them got out of the car. Massive, towering trees shaded the house with canopies of leaves, but in between sunrays peered through. It was beautiful and private. Song Luli wasn't much of a city girl herself, but she wondered why Long Jie desired the privacy.

Was it an escape from the business world? A temporary relief from the struggles and weight of his job?

Song Luli followed Long Jie indoors.

The house was just like the Long main house. It was traditional with a contemporary touch.

People walked down the halls, greeting them as they passed by. She wondered if they worked for him. Long Jie acknowledged them by giving them curt nods and referring them by their names.

Up the stairs, she followed him down the hall, until he opened up a door, leading her in. "This is your bedroom," he said.

Song Luli gazed around the room; it was grand: there was a Queen-sized bed with the headboard against the wall; a bookshelf filled with some decorative ornaments and books rested against another wall. Fake plants stood by a large window, and a television screen hung on the wall in front of the bed, and there was a bathroom next to it.

Song Luli was impressed by the arrangement for her, but it wasn't something that she's not seen before. But it was comfortable, and she saw herself staying here, even though she had never moved before.

Her old home was her childhood home. Her parents built the house just before her mother's first pregnancy with Song Meiling. Therefore, it was a place she had grown up in, and to come here, at Long Jie's, gave her a bit of anxiety, but she felt like this could be made into her home, should she let it.

From behind her, Long Jie said, "When you have settled. Dinner will be ready downstairs."

Song Luli nodded. She gave him a small smile before he shut the door, exiting the room.

Song Luli approached her new bed, slumping on the soft sheets. She released a breath before observing the room. In the closet, she found clothes arranged for her size and body type. She felt astonished at how it was her perfect size.

But she shouldn't be surprised. Long Jie's mother, Xue Guangli, was a well-known Fashion Designer across the country. He must have picked up some tricks from her.

Afterward, Song Luli stepped inside the bathroom and realized it was a shared bathroom. There was a double sink, a toilet, and a large bathtub, next to a separate shower. There was a door on the other side of the bathroom.

She stepped forward, opening the door and unlocking it. The room next to hers was unoccupied. There was some furniture blanketed with white sheets. There was no dust accumulated; Song Luli wasn't sure if people had come in to maintain it, or it belonged to someone else. But it looked like no one slept on it.

Turning around, she left the room, re-entering hers, walking towards the hall and following the smell of food.