There was no response from the other end of the phone, so Ji Niandong asked again, "Hello, are you still there?"
"Are you still at the hospital?" A hoarse, magnetic voice came from the other end.
"Yes, your assistant is also here!" Ji Niandong replied honestly.
"Okay, I’ll be there soon!"
The phone hung up with a beep, and suddenly Ji Niandong felt light-headed and started to become nervous.
She glanced at her father, who was still unconscious in the hospital bed, and instinctively tightened her grip on the household registration book in her bag.
Within less than fifteen minutes, the female assistant came over and said, "Miss Ji, the Boss is waiting for you at the hospital entrance and asked me to help you get there."
"Oh, okay!" Ji Niandong stood up, exhaled nervously, and leaned on the assistant’s arm, limping as she went down.
The black business Cayenne was parked conspicuously at the hospital entrance. Ji Niandong could even feel the man inside the car watching her, making her footsteps somewhat hesitant and shy.
The assistant opened the car door, helped her into the car, and after explaining things to Lu Beichen, she left.
"Boss, where to?" Li Yi, who was driving, asked from the front.
"There are forty minutes left until the civil affairs bureau closes, so you know what to do!" Lu Beichen said as he moved a little closer to Ji Niandong, who was leaning against the car door.
Li Yi didn’t have time to be surprised and quickly drove straight to the civil affairs bureau.
In no time, they arrived at the entrance of the civil affairs bureau. Li Yi raised his wrist and said, "Boss, there’s still twelve minutes!"
Ji Niandong had not yet recovered from the thrilling ride when Li Yi got out of the car, opened the door, and waited respectfully for her to step out.
Clutching her bag, Ji Niandong hesitated for a moment. Lu Beichen asked, "Are you having second thoughts?"
"No... not at all!" She shook her head, pressed her lips together, and summoned the courage to close the car door. She then turned and asked, "I won’t go back on my word, but can I ask you two things before we register for the certificate?"
"Go ahead." Lu Beichen replied calmly.
She breathed a slight sigh of relief, "You said before you’d help me achieve my dreams, is that true?"
"Do you think I would go back on my word, or lack the ability?" Lu Beichen stared steadily at her.
Ji Niandong shook her head, "No, I trust you. I just want to know, since you clearly know my dreams, do you know where Tong Lu is?"
"I don’t!" Lu Beichen answered decisively, "She was quite famous once, but now there’s no news about her at all, which means she’s avoiding this circle herself. If anyone knew where she was, wouldn’t it have been reported already?"
What he said was indeed true, and Ji Niandong’s expression darkened.
"What’s the second question?" Lu Beichen asked patiently, seeing her reaction.
Ji Niandong took a deep breath and asked softly, "Can we not announce our marriage?"
Agreeing to register but not wanting anyone to know she’s become Mrs. Lu? Doesn’t that mean she’s unwilling to be his wife?
"Don’t misunderstand," seeing his silence, she quickly explained, "It’s not that I’m unwilling to marry you. As you know, our social statuses are very different, and I don’t want to be constantly talked about and become the subject of easy conversation."
"As Lu Beichen’s wife, who dares to gossip?" Lu Beichen replied indifferently.
"I understand, but my dad is still in the hospital. I don’t want him to know I got married without saying a word; I’m afraid of causing him any additional stress now," she said sincerely. "Rest assured, I will work hard to be a good Mrs. Lu! Besides, you just said you would help me achieve my dreams. I want to achieve my dreams through my own efforts, not because I have the title of Mrs. Lu!"
Her eyes were firm and defiant, and Lu Beichen understood her immediately.
"Alright! I promise you!" Lu Beichen gently held her still slightly swollen hand and whispered softly by her ear, "Then, I hope you become a top diva one day, able to stand alongside Lu Beichen and be Mrs. Lu openly and with honor!"