"You want to marry me?"
Gu Jun kept his eyes fixed on the hospital room window as he spoke to Xu Yao. Gu Haishan was his last remaining relative, and he didn't know if his grandfather would ever wake up.
Xu Yao shook her head. "Grandpa Gu misunderstood."
Xu Yao had indeed considered finding a shield to reassure her mother, Lin Meixian, while also making her ex-fiancé, Shen Yan, give up. But marriage wasn't child's play. She couldn't marry Gu Jun just because she needed it. She knew nothing about him, and likewise, he knew nothing about her!
Gu Haishan was still undergoing emergency treatment. Neither Gu Jun nor Xu Yao spoke another word.
Half an hour later, a doctor emerged.
"Mr. Gu's condition is critical. He may not make it through the night."
Gu Jun's eyes, like distant mountains, held a cold, desolate pain. "Spare no expense. Use the best medicine!"
The doctor hesitated. "The equipment and medication can sustain Mr. Gu's vital signs, but... I hope you'll consider carefully before making a decision."
Money could treat illness, but it couldn't buy life.
When lucid, Gu Haishan had repeatedly expressed his desire not to live hooked up to machines, his body riddled with tubes. Such an existence held no dignity.
Gu Jun and Gu Haishan had relied on each other for years. After falling ill, Gu Haishan's greatest regret was not seeing Gu Jun married. If Gu Jun had a wife, he would have new family. Then Gu Haishan could die with peace.
Gu Jun already knew Gu Haishan had secretly left the hospital yesterday.
What Gu Jun couldn't understand was why, after just one meeting with Xu Yao, Gu Haishan had become so certain about her?
Just as Xu Yao remembered Gu Jun, Gu Jun also had some recollections of Xu Yao—in his memory, Xu Yao had been arrogant and domineering at school, relying on her wealthy family. At that time, Gu Jun had been struggling in poverty and naturally disliked such a spoiled young lady.
Gu Jun's limited impression of Xu Yao was negative!
The doctor urged Gu Jun to brace himself. With time pressing, Gu Jun's emotions overrode his reason. His eyes reddened as he declared to Xu Yao, "Marry me. Name your terms."
Xu Yao took two steps back. "Senior, you've truly misunderstood!"
Had Gu Haishan not still been lying in the hospital ward, Xu Yao would have lashed out at Gu Jun with a torrent of scathing words.
Just as Gu Jun was about to speak again, Xu Yao's phone rang. Recognizing the number as her ex-fiancé Shen Yan's assistant, she cut the call without answering. Moments later, a new message arrived:
Miss Xu, Mr. Shen requests to meet you at the Red House at 7 PM.
The Red House was a restaurant Xu Yao and Shen Yan frequently visited.
So Shen Yan was back!
Xu Yao didn't reply to the message. Her phone rang a second time—this time it was Lin Meixian calling.
Xu Yao answered, and sure enough, Lin Meixian brought up Shen Yan's return to the country.
"You blocked him, yet he called me asking if his mom said something hurtful. He told you to stay out of it. Yao, have a proper talk with Shen Yan. Your happiness matters more than anything."
Xu Yao countered by asking why Lin Meixian postponed her wedding. Lin Meixian claimed the timing wasn't right.
Xu Yao knew the real reason.
Xu Yao glanced at Gu Jun, took a deep breath, and said, "Mom, Shen Yan and I did break up because our feelings grew distant. I've already met someone more suitable—my senior from high school."
Xu Yao's convincing explanation left Lin Meixian on the other end of the line stunned. "Is this person real?"
"Of course. I'll bring him over for you to meet another day."
After hanging up, Xu Yao felt rather embarrassed. "...Senior Gu, does your earlier proposal still stand?"
Gu Jun didn't mock Xu Yao for her fickleness.
Gu Jun needed a wife to leave no regrets for his grandfather, Gu Haishan. Xu Yao needed a husband to serve as a shield. The two found common ground.
Gu Jun asked what conditions Xu Yao needed to agree to the marriage. She did have terms: "I want to sign a prenuptial agreement."
Gu Jun readily agreed, "Fine!"
He made a call, and soon a lawyer arrived at the hospital with the agreement. Not knowing what clauses Gu Jun would draft, Xu Yao first presented her demands to the lawyer: "We'll each be responsible for our pre-marital debts, and our post-marital incomes will be managed separately. Don't misunderstand—I'm not trying to guard against you. I've accumulated significant debt and don't want to burden you."
Even though it was a whirlwind marriage, Xu Yao felt Gu Jun deserved to know about her financial obligations.
The lawyer hesitated, but Gu Jun's perspective on Xu Yao shifted slightly. "Frankness is the foundation of partnership. Since we have a prenuptial agreement, your debts won't become my burden."
With both parties in agreement, the lawyer wasted no time drafting the prenuptial agreement. After reviewing it, Gu Jun added a clause: "Should I initiate divorce proceedings, I will transfer my property in Shenghai Garden to Xu Yao."
Translated with DeepL.com (free version)