Chapter 2 Transfer of Ownership

There was a direct high-speed train from South City to Jing City. After buying her ticket, Qin Miaoyu began packing her things. She didn’t have much to bring—everything fit neatly into a small suitcase. She hadn’t yet closed the suitcase when she heard the door open and quickly shut again.

She assumed it was her mother coming in to persuade her. Standing up after zipping her suitcase, she said, “Mother, you don’t have to try and talk me out of this. I’ve already registered my marriage. You don’t need to go to such lengths—”

Before she could finish, a strange premonition surged within her. She instinctively stepped aside, narrowly avoiding a fat, grasping hand.

Startled, she spun around and saw a face even uglier than Young Master Wang’s photograph, and with his current expression, he looked positively lecherous.

“Miss Qin, I heard you’re married? No matter, that only adds to the thrill!” Wang Quanxi grinned, closing in on her.

Forced back into a corner, Qin Miaoyu watched as Wang Quanxi reached out, trying to touch her face. In the next instant, he howled in pain—his fingers struck by a tennis racket.

Qin Miaoyu wielded the racket fiercely, swinging it at Wang Quanxi. As he tried to retaliate, she tripped him, grabbed her suitcase, and rushed downstairs.

Her face was clouded with disappointment as she saw her father, mother, and younger sister seated calmly on the sofa.

“Did you tell Wang Quanxi which room was mine?”

Qin Shengyi, seeing only Qin Miaoyu come down, hurried upstairs to check if anything had happened to Young Master Wang.

Su Yaqing and Qin Lianzhu avoided her gaze.

Qin Miaoyu’s heart went cold. Without looking back, she picked up her suitcase and left.

By the time she returned to her rented apartment, it was already eight in the evening. As she expected, her phone hadn’t rung once—after all, all she’d done was thrash Wang Quanxi with a tennis racket and make her escape while he was still reeling.

She set down her suitcase and went to search for the property deed. Once she found it, she called Lu Qi’an.

“When will you be back in South City? I’m free these next two days. Let’s arrange a time to transfer the apartment.”

This apartment was a key reason they were getting married.

Two days ago, she’d run into Lu Qi’an at a teahouse. She’d just learned from her only good friend in South City what kind of person Young Master Wang really was, and was fuming over it. At that moment, she overheard Lu Qi’an on the phone at the next table, separated by only a partition.

From his fragmented conversation, she gleaned that Lu Qi’an worked at Anhe, across from her company. His family was pressuring him to go on blind dates and get married, and he was considering finding someone to deal with them. He also wanted to quickly save up to buy an apartment in Tianxiang Garden.

A rebellious idea sprang up in her mind. She approached Lu Qi’an about a marriage agreement. After some hesitation, he was finally persuaded—thanks to the offer of one of her apartments in Tianxiang Garden.

One of the clauses in their marriage contract was that, after registering their marriage, she would transfer ownership of her three-bedroom, two-living-room apartment in Tianxiang Garden, Jing City, to him.

“You’ve already returned to Jing City?” she asked.

“Yes.” Lu Qi’an set down his glass. He’d planned to call Qin Miaoyu first thing in the morning and return to Jing City together, but she’d left ahead of schedule.

“Let’s discuss this when I’m back in Jing City. I’ll contact you then.”

Qin Miaoyu agreed and hung up.

After her phone screen darkened, Lu Qi’an picked up his glass and drained it in one gulp, his expression unreadable.

“Hey, Lu! What’s on your mind, drinking like that all of a sudden?” Yang Linxue, who had organized the gathering, sidled over.

Lu Qi’an hadn’t been in the mood to chat, but remembering Yang’s knack with women, he asked, “Suppose a friend of mine suddenly married his longtime crush. Before they divorce, he wants to win her over—what’s the best way?”

“Come on, Lu. Whenever someone says ‘a friend of mine,’ it’s always about themselves... Wait, are you serious? You rushed into marriage with someone you’ve been secretly in love with? Who is she, some fairy descended to earth?”

Yang Linxue’s astonishment was genuine. Lu wasn’t like the typical rich young masters—he was exceptionally capable, had managed the family company from a young age, and his private life was impeccably clean. No woman had ever managed to catch his eye.

“Are you serious? Would Uncle Lu even agree to this?”

“That’s not your concern. Just tell me—what’s the best way to pursue someone?”

“Honestly, Lu, you’ve got everything—money, looks, a good temper. Getting her to fall for you should be a breeze.”

“But none of that matters to her...”

That very night, Lu Qi’an flew back to Jing City.

When Qin Miaoyu woke the next morning, she saw two missed calls from him.

Lu Qi’an, meanwhile, was in the office, instructing his assistant on the follow-up for the South City partnership. Seeing Qin Miaoyu’s call, he signaled his assistant to step out and answered.

“You’re awake?”

Qin Miaoyu held the phone a little farther away—there was an inexplicable gentleness in his voice that made her slightly uncomfortable.

“Mm. Was there something you needed?”

“I’m back in Jing City.”

“Oh, is this about the apartment transfer? I checked online—we’ll need an application letter, a notarized document, and some other materials. It might take a while. It was late yesterday, so I didn’t want to disturb you.”

Lu Qi’an rubbed his forehead. To him, the apartment transfer was merely a means to an end—aside from facilitating their marriage, it meant nothing. But it was clear Qin Miaoyu took it very seriously.

Yet, if they completed the transfer quickly, perhaps she’d have no reason to bother with him anymore.

“There’s no rush. Let’s take our time. Do you live in Tianxiang Garden? If it’s convenient, could I come by and have a look at the place?”

“I don’t live there, but I can take you to see it.”

“Alright. I’ll drive over in a bit—borrowing a friend’s car. It’s a long way from here to Tianxiang Garden; driving’s easier.”

They agreed on a time. Qin Miaoyu immediately got up to tidy her place, and cleaned the spare room as well.

She was renting a small two-bedroom apartment for two thousand three hundred a month. Originally, she’d shared it with a college roommate, but two months ago, her roommate’s elder had a sudden health scare. Though things turned out fine, her roommate decided to stay in her hometown just in case.

Her roommate had offered to pay half the rent until Qin Miaoyu found someone new, but Qin Miaoyu was comfortable there, her job paid well, and she had some side income. So she stayed on, posting an online ad for a housemate.

No one had inquired yet, but for the sake of future tenants, she cleaned the spare room every so often.

Lu Qi’an called again, and after a brief exchange, Qin Miaoyu grabbed her bag and hurried out.

Seeing her approach, Lu Qi’an got out of the car, holding a bouquet he’d bought at a flower shop near his office—not too expensive, fitting his “ordinary office worker” persona.

The sight of the flowers soothed her annoyance at having to go to Tianxiang Garden. “These are for me? Thank you!”

“As long as you like them.”

“I do. Can you wait a moment? I’ll put them upstairs first.”

Lu Qi’an nodded. When she returned, he drove her to Tianxiang Garden.

It was quite a distance from her current apartment—nearly an hour’s drive.

They arrived at Building 3, Unit 2, Apartment 602 on the sixth floor. Qin Miaoyu tried the door code several times, but none worked.

Lu Qi’an joked, “Can’t remember the code to your own apartment?”

She took out the key. “My mother changed the code. I’ve never actually lived here, so I don’t remember it.”

Lu Qi’an found this odd. Hadn’t her family bought this place for her three years ago? She’d attended Jing City University, just ten minutes away, yet she’d never moved in?