I Want a Lifetime with You
Chapter 40

Time came to a standstill. Shi Nuan's heart was beating quickly and uncontrollably. She suddenly regretted being so impulsive. No matter what, she shouldn't have said that. Blushing and keeping her head down in embarrassment, Shi Nuan couldn't bring herself to look at Fu Chengyan. How could a girl ask such a shameless question?

Fu Chengyan had been staring at Shi Nuan the whole time. Seeing her chain of reactions from saying those words, a smile slowly worked its way into his eyes. He tapped his slender fingers on the table, one after another, as though knocking on Shi Nuan's heart.

Shi Nuan bit her lip, feeling even more awkward. She had been placed in a completely passive position. No matter what she said, everything seemed to sound very passive. "Uhh... Feel free to ask anything. Don't take me seriously!"

"But I already did!"

Fu Chengyan's voice had a hint of jest in it.

Initially, Shi Nuan had already planned to give up. Being embarrassed once was not a big deal, but she never expected Fu Chengyan to respond this way. Instantly surprised, she looked up and stared at him in disbelief. "Huh?"

She thought Fu Chengyan wasn't being serious. Moreover, from the way he had acted just now, she hardly had much hope. "I... beg your pardon?"

"You heard me," Fu Chengyan said with smiling eyes. "I'm a person who keeps my word and doesn't joke around. I said I'd give you time to consider, but since you've made up your mind, there'll be no turning back."

As he spoke, he was in control of both the situation and her heart from beginning to end.

For some reason, Shi Nuan felt a moment of fear, although that feeling disappeared shortly after.

Shi Nuan tried to force a smile but couldn't. "I... I just wanted to..."

"You don't have to tell me your reasons, Ms. Shi," Fu Chengyan interrupted her. "I'm not concerned about what changed your mind or sped up your decision-making. Things are turning out the way I want and that's good enough."

Shi Nuan had no idea how to describe her feelings. Should I entrust my life to him just like that?

"Don't worry, Ms. Shi. As I've said before: marry me and I'll give you the happiness you want," Fu Chengyan said as he tapped on the dining table. "If you agree, you can request anything!"

Shi Nuan pursed her lips and thought for a moment. "Can I ask you something, Mr. Fu?"

Fu Chengyan raised a brow and stopped tapping the table. He then spread out his hand slightly, indicating Shi Nuan to speak. Shi Nuan bit her lower lip. "It's the same question as before: why me?" Fu Chengyan did not respond and the atmosphere became tense.

He fixed his cold gaze on Shi Nuan, as though trying to search for something, only to retract it in the end. He laughed softly. "Do you really want to know the answer, Ms. Shi?"

Shi Nuan gave it a thought and nodded.

"Of course. If we get married, I'll be sure to manage things well. My wants are simple and I don't like anything complicated, so I've never considered a divorce."

Shi Nuan figured that since she was going to marry Fu Chengyan, she naturally had to convey her thoughts to him clearly.

Fu Chengyan raised an eyebrow. "That's great. We both think alike. I won't initiate a divorce if that's what you wish. But of course, just let me know whenever you wish to end this marriage!" he said with a smile. "So do you have any more questions, Ms. Shi?"

"You still haven't answered my question." Shi Nuan was persistent, almost to the point of paranoia.

Fu Chengyan remained silent then said with a smile, “There's no reason in particular. It just so happened that you appeared at the right time and place, and that makes you the right person.”

Shi Nuan stared into Fu Chengyan's eyes, as though trying to replace something within them. Fu Chengyan also looked at her, and their gazes locked. Feeling rather discouraged, Shi Nuan retracted her gaze. "Alright."

"So what's your answer, Ms. Shi?"

Shi Nuan bit her lip. "You already know it. My position in the Shi household doesn't give me access to any of the family's shares, nor do I have a place in the Shi family's business. You're aware of this, right?" Fu Chengyan nodded. "Only a worthless man would depend on his woman like this."

"But what's what a lot of men do," Shi Nuan laughed.

"Do you have any more questions, Ms. Shi?" Fu Chengyan seemed very patient. He had always been patient when it came to work, but he had never had this much patience for a woman.

Shi Nuan thought for a long while in silence before speaking. "My relationship with the Shi family is very complicated. You've also heard from last night that my father...gave me to Yun Shen in exchange for two hundred million worth of funding, so once they..."

"You don't have to worry about this, Ms. Shi. I'll take care of these matters once we're married. Don't you trust me?"

Fu Chengyan raised his tone slightly and said in confusion, "I thought you'd talk more about issues relating to your benefits, Ms. Shi!"

"Benefits?" Shi Nuan felt rather uncomfortable for some reason. "There's no need. I trust you, Mr. Fu!" She didn't want her marriage to involve such things.

Fu Chengyan curled his lips. "Since you have no other questions... When do you want to get married, Ms. Shi?" He was being such a gentleman in this regard.

Shi Nuan felt complicated as her eyes dimmed slightly.

She used to picture her own marriage. Marrying Fu Xicheng would have been the happiest moment of her life. They loved each other so much that she was sure that Fu Xicheng would give her an unforgettable wedding. But in the end, Fu Xicheng left behind nothing but painful memories that would last a lifetime.

Her hopes for a beautiful, dream-like wedding had been dashed, and now she was going to marry Fu Chengyan. They had only met a few times and barely understood one another, let alone love each other. "The sooner the better!"

Since she couldn't marry the person she loved most, she wanted to at least have a say in her marriage now. Even if it were to end in failure, she would have no regrets.

"I don't want my marriage to be tacky," she said. "If I don't marry you, I won't be able to run away from my parents' schemes."

Fu Chengyan's eyes shone with a slight chill. "OK, then today it is!"

"Today?" Shi Nuan was rather dumbstruck. "But... My household register is still at the Shi family home!"

Even though she wanted to get married as soon as possible, she didn't expect Fu Chengyan to be in such a hurry. "Can it wait a few more days?" It wasn't going to be easy to get the household register from her previous home. Shi Jingzheng and Jiang Yu would definitely not approve of her marriage if they were to replace out about it.

Shi Nuan was in a bind. "It's impossible for me to get the household register from the Shi family by today!"

"You don't have to worry about this!" Fu Chengyan raised his hands and interrupted Shi Nuan. "Leave it to me!"

Shi Nuan look at him with suspicion, but Fu Chengyan merely glanced at her. "Let's eat before the food turns cold."

Fu Chengyan served Shi Nuan another bowl of porridge before getting up and walking to the living room to make a phone call. Judging from his tone, he was probably speaking to Zhou Zheng. "Head to the Civil Affairs Bureau! Yeah, bring them over!"

Fu Chengyan hung up the phone, then turned to see Shi Nuan looking at him. Meanwhile, he was leaning against the edge of the couch with his long legs folded, looking relaxed. "Done eating?"

Shi Nuan nodded and got up to clean the table. Fu Chengyan merely watched instead of going over to help her.

He looked at her figure. The sun rays seeped in through the window and shone onto her body, giving her a relaxed and cozy vibe.

His life had always been very peaceful. All these years, he had been the only person living in the Wutong Residence. With one more person around now, it actually didn't seem too bad.

He wasn't uncomfortable with this woman's arrival. Perhaps, it would even be nice to have her by his side in the future. However...

Fu Chengyan's eyes narrowed slightly and his smiling eyes turned cold.

Zhou Zheng was highly efficient, arriving at the Wutong Residence in less than half an hour. As Fu Chengyan opened the door, Zhou Zheng straightened his back and took a peek inside. He saw Shi Nuan watching TV inside the living room.

Shi Nuan seemed like she was enjoying she show, and she was laughing uncontrollably. Her sweet voice sounded particularly beautiful inside the huge Wutong Residence.

Fu Chengyan raised a brow and cast an unhappy glance at Zhou Zheng, causing the latter to immediately retract his gaze. “They're here, Mr. Fu.”

"Mm. Come in!"

Zhou Zheng quickly invited the Civil Affairs Bureau personnel in. "Please come in!"

It was their first time visiting such a place. Furthermore, it belonged to the second master of the legendary Jiang City's Big Four. The residence looked rather different from what they had imagined, and the elegant decorations didn't seem to match this cold-looking man.

"Is this the lady you're marrying, sir?" The older-looking personnel glanced at Fu Chengyan and Shi Nuan, thinking that the two looked perfect for each other.

Fu Chengyan narrowed his eyes and nodded.

Shi Nuan stopped watching TV. She looked at Fu Chengyan before turning to look at the other three people inside the living room.

She knew who Zhou Zheng was. As for the other two, she already had a rough idea of who they were from eavesdropping on their conversation just now. What surprised Shi Nuan was the fact that Fu Chengyan had actually invited them here. She couldn't quite believe her eyes.

She glanced at Fu Chengyan. "Is it OK even if my household register isn't with me?"

"It's fine, it's fine," the staff said with a smile. "The two of you haven't had your pictures taken yet, right?" Of course it'd be fine even without the document.

With Fu Chengyan's power, he could have everything he wanted with just a few words.

But they were curious as to who on earth this woman was. Fu Chengyan, who was rumored to turn all women down, was marrying her?

"Go take pictures of Mr. Fu and this lady here, Liu!"

After they had their photos taken, they filled in all their necessary information and obtained their marriage certificates shortly. The entire process took only a few minutes.

As Fu Chengyan stared at Zhou Zheng, the latter immediately returned to his senses and turned to the staff with a smile. "Thank you for coming all the way here. Please let me buy you a meal."

After Zhou Zheng had left with the other two, Fu Chengyan and Shi Nuan were the only ones remaining in the Wutong Residence. Shi Nuan squeezed the little red book in her hand. With her palm feeling rather warm, she stared at the book in disbelief. "So I'm married now?"