Crossing the Line – Chapter 29

Went and Got Married Together?

When they came out of the Civil Affairs Bureau, the last daylight was closing in from all sides. Traffic, voices, and the gradually flickering streetlights were slowly painting the summer evening.

A perfectly ordinary day. July 6. The sunset was no different from any other.

            

Yet for Jiang Siyi, everything felt strangely unreal.

Looking at the marriage certificate in her hand, she felt as if she were still dreaming.

In the certificate photo, two women stood shoulder to shoulder—one with a faint smile like a goddess, the other with a stiff smile like a puppet.

            

Jiang Siyi was, naturally, the one with the stiff smile.

She glanced again at Lin Ji beside her. The smile was faint but genuine, a true brightness shining through her eyes.

This was their first photo together. If someone had told her before today, she could have guessed ten thousand times and never gotten it right: their first photo together would be on a marriage certificate.

            

I’m really married?

Jiang Siyi thought in disbelief.

Just like that, a flash marriage?

            

And the person she’d flash-married was…

She stole a sideways glance at the woman beside her.

The woman in the marriage certificate photo was right here. Her overwhelming presence chased away some of the dreamlike haze.

            

Except the two of them didn’t look like newlyweds. They looked more like strangers who happened to cross paths coming out of the Civil Affairs Bureau, standing far enough apart to fit two more people between them.

Lin Ji seemed to be looking for something. She gazed ahead for a moment, then checked her phone. Finally, she said to Jiang Siyi:

“Come with me somewhere.”

            

“Mm? Okay.”

There was a shopping mall nearby. Lin Ji led Jiang Siyi into a jewelry store.

“I didn’t prepare anything, but married couples need rings,” Lin Ji said. “Let’s pick something for now. See anything you like? If not, we’ll try another store.”

            

Jiang Siyi looked at the rows of couples’ rings before her, momentarily at a loss for words.

The clerk saw a great beauty and a small beauty walk in together to pick out wedding rings. The sight was almost too gorgeous. She admired them on the sly.

The small beauty holding the reins of choice was dazzled, unable to decide which pair she liked. That was when the clerk spoke up:

            

“First, congratulations on your marriage.”

Jiang Siyi replied with a hint of guilt: “Thank you.”

“Take a look at these styles—they’re our best sellers.”

            

The clerk then launched into an enthusiastic pitch about the design philosophy behind each ring.

But Jiang Siyi’s attention was caught by a pair of rose gold plain bands in the corner.

Lin Ji’s gaze followed. She said to the clerk: “Let’s see these plain bands.”

            

Jiang Siyi hadn’t expected that one brief glance would be enough for Lin Ji to notice.

The clerk brought them out to try on. The little plain band rolled between her fingers—simple, yet beautiful. It was exactly the style Jiang Siyi liked.

She wondered if Lin Ji would find it too plain. She sneaked a glance at Lin Ji—and found that Lin Ji had already slipped it directly onto her right ring finger.

            

Jiang Siyi’s heart stirred. Ring finger. Married. Lin Ji wore a size 10 perfectly.

The clerk watched Lin Ji’s perfectly proportioned knuckles wearing her brand’s plain band and felt the brand had instantly acquired the air of ultra-luxury.

Jiang Siyi had picked up the same size and was about to follow her lead, slipping it onto her own left ring finger.

            

Lin Ji: “You need a size smaller than me.”

Jiang Siyi: “Is that so…”

She didn’t have a habit of wearing accessories and didn’t know her own ring size.

            

Lin Ji had figured it out just by looking.

She tried the size 10, and sure enough, it was a bit loose. The clerk brought out a size 9. It slipped onto her ring finger—just right.

The clerk kept gushing about how well-proportioned and beautiful their fingers were.

            

“Your hands are so perfect together.”

All those remarks about being a “perfect match” had Jiang Siyi’s breathing growing uneven.

Lin Ji asked from beside her: “This one okay?”

            

Jiang Siyi nodded without turning to look at her.

Lin Ji said to the clerk: “We’ll take these.”

The clerk absolutely loved customers like these—decisive in their selection and quick to pay.

            

“Great! Would you like to wear them out, or should I wrap them up for you?”

Lin Ji brought up her payment code. “We’ll wear them.”

The clerk’s eyes curved into a smile. “Of course.”

            

Just as the clerk came over to scan, she saw the smaller beauty pull up her own payment code too. For a moment she was stumped, not sure whose to scan.

Why did it feel like they weren’t even that close?

She’d never heard of splitting the bill on wedding rings.

            

Lin Ji glanced over. “I’m paying.”

Jiang Siyi: “That wouldn’t be right.”

The rings looked simple, but each one cost over 20,000 yuan. She’d spent a fair amount buying Lin Ji a gift, but she could certainly afford a ring for herself.

            

Lin Ji: “It’s fine. My money is my wife’s money.”

The “wife” in question—Jiang Siyi—was struck speechless for a moment.

The clerk scanned, bagged, and slipped in the receipt in one smooth motion.

            

Jiang Siyi said nothing more, turning her head slightly away, her face hidden from view. Only the back of her curled fingers was faintly flushing red.

The flush on her face was probably deeper than that.

For someone who never wore accessories, suddenly having a ring on her ring finger—even one as minimalist as a plain band—carried a presence impossible to ignore at any moment. Even without clenching a fist or holding anything, the sensation of her finger being encircled was vivid and real.

            

When they emerged from the store, the sunset glow had faded completely. The heat unique to summer nights pulsed beneath the deep blue darkness.

The newly married pair stood on the street corner. For a moment it seemed as if there was nowhere to go and nothing to do—or perhaps a thousand words were crowding forward, none of them the right one to say.

“Oh…”

            

Jiang Siyi suddenly remembered the birthday gift she’d brought for Lin Ji, still in her bag.

Lin Ji didn’t celebrate her birthday for some reason, but the gift had been bought for her—she should still give it.

She pulled out the pretty gift box and held it out to Lin Ji.

            

She couldn’t bring herself to say “Happy birthday,” so she’d say something else instead.

“I hope you’ll be happy no matter which day it is.”

The darkness hid the stirring in Lin Ji’s eyes. She accepted the gift, her long, slender hands holding the small box steady.

            

“I didn’t prepare a gift.”

Jiang Siyi was confused. Today was Lin Ji’s birthday—why would she be preparing a gift for someone else?

Then it dawned on her. Lin Ji was treating it as a wedding token.

            

Come to think of it, today was indeed a big day. For anyone, the day you registered your marriage was an anniversary worth celebrating properly. It made perfect sense to exchange gifts.

But wasn’t their situation rather unique?

Lin Ji had been about to say she’d set the wedding banquet for autumn, giving her some time to prepare properly. Before she could get the words out, she heard Jiang Siyi say: “It’s fine. It’s just a marriage alliance anyway—don’t worry about it.”

            

Lin Ji: …

How understanding of her.

Sensing Lin Ji’s silence, Jiang Siyi suddenly realized her reassurance might have carried an unintended implication. But wasn’t that exactly what a compliant, hassle-free wife should do? No trouble. Whatever the other person says, goes.

            

While Lin Ji contacted Fan Qing, Jiang Siyi was calling a rideshare.

Lin Ji: “I’ll take you home.”

“No need. I already got a car.”

            

So saying, Jiang Siyi looked toward where the car would arrive.

As she turned, the pair of wings tattooed on the back of Jiang Siyi’s neck came clearly into Lin Ji’s view.

Lin Ji didn’t know why Jiang Siyi’s attitude toward her had suddenly grown more distant. Before, she’d simply been afraid of her. After the flash marriage, there was something more—a deliberate keeping of distance.

            

It probably had to do with her sudden decision to go through with the marriage alliance.

Seeing the wings she’d tattooed with her own hands, Lin Ji recalled asking Jiang Siyi why she’d chosen this design.

—”Of course, the higher the better. But even if it’s not that high, I just want to go wherever I want to go.”

            

—”Freedom—doesn’t everyone want that?”

The car was still over 800 meters away. Behind her, Lin Ji spoke slowly.

“Miss Jiang.”

            

Jiang Siyi turned slowly.

Lin Ji stood in the evening breeze. Cold eyes, red lips. Her dark hair was caught by the wind, sweeping across her face. Her presence was calm and still, yet her features were painted in bold, vivid strokes.

“All the previous promises still stand. After we’re married, you’ll receive everything you’re owed.”

            

A comfortable life. A fair life. A loyal partner.

Jiang Siyi looked at the tips of her shoes and gave a low “Mm.”

“One more thing I didn’t mention before. If you ever want a divorce, you can do it anytime.”

            

Lin Ji’s words came as a surprise, but they made sense. After all, they hadn’t married out of love. Once they’d each achieved their goals, they’d go their separate ways. She should be grateful. Whatever Lin Ji’s purpose was, she was a reasonable person at heart. She had no intention of keeping Siyi bound to her side for life.

But for some reason, this time that “Mm” was hard to get out.

Lin Ji wasn’t necessarily asking for a response. She just needed Jiang Siyi to know. After all, when—or even whether—her own psychological issues could be fully cured was an open question.

            

Jiang Siyi might not even like her, and she yearned for freedom. So she would give her everything she wanted, and leave a window open for her to come and go as she pleased.

The rideshare arrived quickly. Just before getting in, Jiang Siyi turned back, as if she wanted to say something. She wanted to bring up her elder sister’s situation. She hesitated, then decided to save it for WeChat, where it would be easier to say.

Lin Ji could read her thoughts as clearly as ever.

            

“I’ll take care of your sister’s situation.”

Jiang Siyi’s eyes widened slightly. “You know?”

“I didn’t mean to overhear, but I did hear it.”

            

Jiang Siyi fell silent for a moment. Amid everything she could have said, she settled on two words: “Thank you…”

“Of course.”

Five minutes after the car carrying Jiang Siyi drove away, Fan Qing arrived.

            

Fan Qing saw Lin Ji standing by the roadside—a quiet, solitary figure. She had always been reserved, but tonight she carried an extra layer of quiet preoccupation.

As Lin Ji got in the car, the understated plain band on her ring finger caught Fan Qing’s eye. Fan Qing’s gaze froze. Her pupils dilated.

A ring? On her ring finger?

            

BOSS had vanished from the banquet without warning. Plenty of people were asking where she’d gone. Fan Qing had been observing discreetly and noticed that Jiang Siyi was gone too. She figured they might have left together to handle something.

Turns out… they’d gone and gotten married?

Fan Qing sat in silence for a moment.

            

But if they’d really gotten married, shouldn’t they be together? Never mind spending the night together—at the very least they should go home together. Where was Miss Jiang? Why was BOSS alone?

She’d been so distracted the entire time that even after Lin Ji had been in the car for a while, Fan Qing still had her hands on the steering wheel, having forgotten to start the engine.

In the rearview mirror, BOSS’s gaze appeared, fixed on her.

            

Fan Qing: “Ahem. Back to the banquet?”

“Home.”

“Okay.”

            

Fan Qing didn’t dare ask more. She drove Lin Ji toward the villa.

On the way, Lin Ji made a phone call, speaking English the entire time. After landing her job as Lin Ji’s assistant, Fan Qing had studied English for two years. BOSS’s conversation was peppered with complex commercial vocabulary, but she could follow most of it.

It was about a West 5th District modern art company.

            

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When Jiang Siyi got home, she kept spacing out while walking Xueqiu. She turned around to find Xueqiu glaring at her with resentment.

All four of his little snow-white legs were evenly coated halfway up in mud, looking like ladyfingers dipped in chocolate sauce.

She’d absentmindedly stepped over a small muddy puddle earlier. Her legs were long enough to clear it. Xueqiu’s, however…

            

Xueqiu stood in the wind, the fur on his head blown into a mess, covering his little bean eyes. He gave a pitiful woof.

Brimming with guilt, she brought out Xueqiu’s personal bath tub, filled it with warm water, and gave him a thorough scrubbing, followed by an extremely attentive full-body massage. Xueqiu loved baths. The moment he saw the tub, he got excited and claimed it before the water was even ready. Belly-up, legs splayed in the tub, he stretched and loosened under his owner’s nimble hands, so comfortable he nearly fell asleep.

After his bath and blow-dry, he’d long forgotten his grudge about the mud puddle. Xueqiu slept in his owner’s arms until his little tongue poked out.

            

Jiang Siyi stroked Xueqiu’s head absently, eyes on some show she wasn’t really following, and murmured:

“Xueqiu, it looks like you’ve gained another mom.”

Xueqiu, deep in dreamland: “Snore?”

            

Before the bath, Jiang Siyi had sent a WeChat message to her elder sister, Jiang Siling. It wasn’t until she’d finished her shower and was lying in bed that her elder sister replied.

【I have something I need to deal with. You go to sleep first. Goodnight, baby.】

Jiang Siyi didn’t bother her again. She went online to research other contemporary art agencies in the West 5th District, and after filtering through the options, sent her sister’s portfolio and past résumé to the inboxes of various brokers and companies.

            

The West 5th District didn’t only have NEXT. Song Hui had spent years abroad, but she couldn’t possibly control every resource. There were always competitors.

Jiang Siyi peeled off her face mask and got ready for bed. Lying there with no particular urge to sleep, she touched her earlobes and rolled over.

Her elder sister had said she needed a little more time. Jiang Siyi wondered what she was planning.

            

She rolled back.

Yan Yu’s words—”Don’t you remember?”—really nagged at her.

Could Lin Ji’s refusal to celebrate her birthday have something to do with her? Had she done something earth-shattering at one of Lin Ji’s birthday parties, leaving Lin Ji traumatized?

            

No—she’d never even attended one of Lin Ji’s birthday parties. Not once. How could she have caused any trouble?

Jiang Siyi racked her brain and couldn’t figure it out. It wasn’t like she’d lost her memory.

Overthinking before bed made falling asleep especially difficult. After tossing and turning for who knows how long, Jiang Siyi finally drifted off.

            

She didn’t have work the next day, and slept until past ten, waking from a tangle of dreams.

Before she even opened her eyes, the first thing she did was reach for her ring finger.

The ring was still there. Her marriage to Lin Ji wasn’t a dream.

            

The rise and fall in her chest gradually settled. She couldn’t say whether it was relief or melancholy.

Lin Ji probably hadn’t slept well last night either. Jiang Siyi thought so. After all, flash-marrying someone you barely knew—anyone would find that a little unsettling.

At this moment, inside ECHO Club.

            

It had been a while since she’d played badminton with friends. Early that morning, Cen Lu had booked ECHO’s badminton hall, invited Lin Ji, and dragged Yan Yu over for a game to blow off some steam.

With three players, they were one short for doubles. Cen Lu invited Fan Qing to join them for a 2v2 match. Cen Lu and Yan Yu on one side; Lin Ji and Fan Qing on the other.

Fan Qing barely broke a sweat the entire game. All she could hear behind her was Lin Ji cracking the shuttlecock with her racket like a whip—thwack, thwack—her footwork nearly striking sparks from the floor. Fan Qing stood there gripping her own racket, too intimidated to move.

            

Cen Lu could barely fend off a few shots, while Yan Yu got knocked flat several times, her backside nearly battered to pieces.

Frustrated, Yan Yu turned to Fan Qing. “Ah Qing, how about you come over to our side? Three against her one.”

Fan Qing: …

            

Down 1-2, Yan Yu rubbed her backside and posed the soul-searching question to Lin Ji:

“You-jie, is it just me, or are you in a strangely good mood? What happy occasion has you this energized?”

Cen Lu nudged Yan Yu with her elbow while toweling off, signaling her to look more carefully.

            

“I’d say it’s a very happy occasion.”

With Cen Lu’s prompting, Yan Yu finally noticed that Lin Ji was wearing earrings today.

“Whose haute couture piece has earned your approval? Let me see!”

            

They weren’t haute couture. They were a market piece.

Yan Yu was speechless. She thought it over—and then it hit her.

“A gift from Miss Jiang for your birth—ahem—a gift?”

            

Lin Ji didn’t answer, which was as good as a yes.

As Lin Ji gathered her racket, her hand passed right through Yan Yu’s line of sight. Yan Yu sucked in a breath:

“A ring? What does that mean? What does it mean! On your ring finger, no less—is it the meaning I think it is?”

            

Lin Ji was indeed in a good mood.

“It’s the meaning you think it is.”

“You got married?! I knew it—yesterday you and Miss Jiang both vanished. Uncle Kong was looking everywhere for you and couldn’t find you. Turns out you ran off and got married!”

            

Cen Lu had suspected her old friend had good news, but she hadn’t expected the news to be this big.

“Miss Jiang? Who? Married? For real?”

Yan Yu: “My fault. I’ve been busy hiding from my mom lately, haven’t had time to gossip with you. Miss Jiang is Jiang Siyi.”

            

Cen Lu: “The Jiang Siyi I know?”

Yan Yu: “Yes, the Jiang Siyi you know. Our You-jie came back from overseas and announced she was getting married. The person she’s marrying didn’t even know about it—she’d already booked the autumn wedding banquet herself.”

Cen Lu: “Our You-jie is this scheming?”

            

Yan Yu: “Quietly slipped a ring on already—did she get the certificate too? Oh my god. An iron tree¹ that never blooms for an eternity—when it finally does, it sets off fireworks across the whole sky. I knew it—when she falls in love, she’s even crazier than me.”

Lin Ji, having been gossiped about right to her face: “I’m still right here, you know.”

Everything Fan Qing had been dying to ask but didn’t dare, Yan Yu and Cen Lu asked for her. She silently applauded them in her heart.

            

Truly BOSS.

Either solo since birth for twenty-eight years, or straight to marriage. Her dating efficiency matched her work efficiency.

The group left the badminton hall and headed to the club café for breakfast.

            

While Yan Yu was chatting about hosting Lin Ji’s wedding banquet at the autumn venue, Zhou Yanlin and his companions happened to walk over from the tennis courts and caught that last sentence.

Zhou Yanlin’s brain went “holy shit.” He immediately blocked his companions and made a “shh” gesture.

Only after Lin Ji and her friends had walked away did he exchange stunned glances with his companions.

            

“Lin Ji’s wedding banquet? She’s getting married?”

“Who? I haven’t heard anything about her dating anyone!”

“Maybe she met someone overseas?”

            

“No wonder none of the blind dates set up last night worked out.”

A pack of busybodies excitedly debated the identity of Lin Ji’s mystery romantic partner. They ran through nearly every eligible person in the entire second-generation circle—even Yan Yu and Cen Lu, Lin Ji’s closest friends, were named as possibilities—yet no one landed on the right answer.

Someone tentatively suggested: “Could it be Jiang Siyi?”

            

After all, Jiang Siyi had appeared at Lin Ji’s side in public twice already.

This drew a round of mockery.

“So just showing up next to Lin Ji means you can marry her? I’ve walked past her dozens of times—does that mean we’re engaged for three lifetimes?”

            

“Couldn’t be Jiang Siyi. Nice fantasy.” Zhou Yanlin scoffed. “If it really were her, I’d livestream myself cooking myself in an iron pot².”

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The author has something to say:

Lin Ji: Wife-pampering Step 1—my money and everything I have belong to my wife

            

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