" Say them ," Yichen said quietly.
Xinyi placed the contract on the table again.
Her hands were still shaking, but her voice… steadied.
"If I have to pretend to be your wife…
I need rules too."
Secretary Wen blinked.
Even Madam Lu looked surprised.
Yichen leaned back slightly, studying her.
"Rules?"
Xinyi nodded.
She took a breath.
1. "You must protect my identity."
Her voice was quiet, but firm.
"If the truth comes out, I don't want the world calling me a liar… or a thief who stole someone else's wedding."
Yichen's jaw tightened.
He understood exactly what she feared.
"I will handle that," he said.
His tone was serious.
A promise.
---
2. "I will not do anything… inappropriate."
Xinyi swallowed before adding:
"No physical contact. No pretending beyond what is necessary in public."
Wen almost choked.
Yichen raised an eyebrow, amused but not mocking.
"You think I plan to flirt with my temporary wife?"
Xinyi's ears turned pink.
"I'm serious."
Yichen's eyes softened for half a second.
"Fine."
---
3. "You will tell me the truth."
She looked directly into his eyes for the first time.
Strong.
Determined.
Braver than she felt.
"Everything.
Every time.
No secrets about this situation."
Yichen's eyes sharpened.
Most people were afraid to meet his gaze.
But this girl…
She was telling Lu Yichen, one of the most powerful men in the city, that he couldn't hide things from her.
A pause filled the room.
Then he nodded once.
"…Agreed."
Secretary Wen stared at her with new respect.
---
4. "And lastly…"
Xinyi hesitated.
This was the hardest one.
"When your real bride is found…
you must clear my name."
Her voice broke slightly.
"I don't want to be remembered as someone who stole another girl's place."
A long silence.
Yichen looked at her—really looked at her.
Under her fear,
her innocence,
her trembling hands…
…there was dignity.
Strength.
A girl who didn't choose this,
but refused to let it destroy her.
Finally, he spoke:
"I will make sure your reputation stays clean.
No matter what."
His voice was low, steady, absolute.
A promise with weight.
Xinyi exhaled shakily.
She opened the folder again, her fingers hovering over the page.
Madam Lu touched her shoulder gently.
"Child… thank you."
Xinyi blinked rapidly to hold back tears.
Secretary Wen uncapped the pen and placed it in front of her with both hands, like she was signing something sacred.
Yichen watched her quietly.
Not pushing.
Not rushing.
Just waiting.
After a long moment…
Xinyi signed.
Her name flowed across the paper,
sealing her fate with the Lu family.
When she finished, Yichen reached out and turned the contract toward him.
Their fingers brushed—
a small, accidental touch.
Xinyi pulled back instantly, heart racing.
Yichen's expression didn't change…
…but for the first time since she arrived,
his eyes softened.
Just a little.
A flicker.
A silent acknowledgment.
This girl wasn't just a substitute.
She was something else.
Something unexpected.
Xinyi placed the pen down slowly.
Her heart was beating too fast.
Secretary Wen reached for the contract, relieved—
But Xinyi suddenly spoke.
Softly.
Carefully.
"President Lu… there is one more thing."
Wen froze mid-movement.
Madam Lu blinked.
Yichen turned his head slightly, eyes narrowing.
"What?"
Xinyi swallowed.
This was the question she had been holding inside…
the one that scared her the most.
She clasped her hands together and forced the words out:
**"What should I do…
if I find my real husband?"**
The room went still.
Even the bodyguards outside seemed to stop breathing.
Yichen's expression didn't crack—not at first.
But something flickered in his eyes.
Something sharp.
Possessive?
No.
Not yet.
Something else—
A strange, unexpected annoyance.
As if the idea of her belonging to someone else
didn't sit well with him.
He straightened slightly.
"Your… husband?"
Xinyi nodded, cheeks warm.
"I know there was a mix-up.
So the man I was actually supposed to marry…
he must be out there, confused too."
Yichen's jaw tightened… just a little.
Madam Lu looked puzzled.
Secretary Wen's pen almost slipped from his hand.
Xinyi continued softly:
"If he appears one day…
if he asks for me…
what do I do then?"
The question hung heavy.
Fragile.
Honest.
Dangerous.
Yichen finally spoke, voice low and controlled:
**"When that time comes…
you will not handle it alone."**
Xinyi blinked.
He leaned forward slightly, eyes steady on hers.
"This situation was not your fault.
So if that man comes looking for you…
I will deal with it."
Xinyi's breath hitched.
Deal with it?
Meaning what?
She opened her mouth to ask,
but Yichen added calmly:
"Until this contract ends, you are under my protection.
Whoever your real groom is…
will speak to me first."
Secretary Wen nearly gasped.
Madam Lu's eyes sparkled with approval.
Xinyi stared at Yichen—confused.
Why did he sound…
so certain?
So serious?
Like the thought of another man claiming her
was unacceptable?
Yichen stood up then, ending the topic.
"For now," he said,
"you are Mrs. Lu."
His tone left no room for argument,
and Xinyi felt her heart flutter—
not from romance,
but from the weight of what she'd just agreed to.
What she'd asked.
And the unsettling possibility that…
the moment her real husband appears,
might become even more complicated than the wedding mix-up itself.