Claire almost bit her tongue. “Get the marriage certificate?What marriage certificate?!"

On the other end of the phone, Ethan replied calmly, “You

accepted my proposal."

“I did accept, " Claire said, “bu…but you never said we'd get the certificate today.”

There was a brief pause.

“Since we're already planning to get married, it doesn't matter whether we get it sooner or later."

Claire wanted to say something else but Ethan spoke again.

“Are you backing out?”

“I'm not!”

Claire truly wasn't backing out. Things were just moving too fast, and she wasn't used to it yet. She scratched her head.

Oh well.

She had already agreed, so they would have to get married sooner or later anyway.

Let Ethan decide when to register the marriage.

Once they became husband and wife, if Ethan wanted to be

with the female lead later, he would have to pay her more money.

After all, divorce was far more troublesome than breaking up.

"Wait for me ten minutes. I'll change my clothes!"

Then she hung up.

Claire got up, washed her face, and changed into a white knitted dress with a shirt collar. Over it, she put on a black down jacket.

She could take off the jacket when taking photos.

She braided her long black hair into a fishtail braid and applied light makeup.

Then she picked up her phone and asked her boss for half a day off.

The original owner of this body had majored in English and had fairly average grades.

After graduation, she worked as a salesperson at a foreign trade company that manufactured tools, dealing mainly with overseas clients.

Coincidentally, Claire had studied the same major in her previous life. She had obtained a Level-8 English certificate in college and had won numerous awards in English and translation competitions.

She had also minored in computer science. Before transmigrating, she had worked at a large internet company with a high salary but the workload had been brutal.

She had died from overwork.

Then she transmigrated into the novel she had just finished

reading.The one about chasing after a runaway wife.

After a long round of nagging, her manager finally agreed to grant her half a day off.

Claire found her ID card, grabbed her phone, and headed downstairs.

As soon as she stepped out of the apartment building, she saw Ethan standing beneath a tree.

Broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and a tall, straight figure.

He wore a white shirt with black trousers and a black down jacket oveı them.

Simple, clean, and pleasing to the eye.

As Claire approached, she caught the faint scent of laundry detergentand jasmine

Ethan looked at her deeply.

“Let's go."

He was still holding the cloth bag she had left at his place the night before.

Claire reached out

“Give it to me.”

“I’ll carry it for you” Ethan said. Claire raised an eyebrow.

Hehe.

So now she had someone to carry her bag when she went out. The two walked out of the residential complex.

Ethan hailed a taxi.

After they got in, he said to the driver,

“Civil Affairs Bureau!" The driver was a chatty middle-aged man.

“Going to get your marriage certificate?", he asked with a grin.

“Yes",Ethan replied casually.

“Congratulations! Today's a good day!"

Ethan turned to look at Claire.

Afraid he might misunderstand and think she was reluctant,

Claire quickly grinned.

“Do I look good today?"

Ethan pursed his lips and nodded.

"You look good.’

Claire smiled.

"You look handsome today too!"

She thought that since she would probably only get married once in her life, she might as well dress nicely.

After divorcing Ethan in the future, she had no plans to marry again.

Even before transmigrating, marriage had never been part of her life plan. But now that she was experiencing it once, it wasn't bad.

Ethan stared at her for a moment, a faint smile appearing at the corner of his lips. They soon arrived at the Civil Affairs Bureau.

After getting out of the car, they went inside together. They had arrived early and barely needed to wait in line before receiving their marriage certificates.

Claire looked at the photo.

The couple in it looked very good together.

There was just one small flaw.

“Ethan, you're not smiling"

Ethan was about to say something. Claire waved her hand.

“Never mind, never mind. Considering how handsome you are, I won't hold it against you."

She slipped the marriage certificate into her bag. Just then, her stomach growled.

Claire glanced at Ethan awkwardly.

She had rushed out in the morning and hadn't eaten breakfast. Ethan took her hand.

“Let's go eat."

Claire stiffened, staring at their clasped hands.

“What's wrong?" Ethan asked, turning his head.

Claire shook her head.

In her heart, she silently chanted: My idol is holding my hand!

My idol is holding my hand!

There were no food stalls near the Civil Affairs Bureau, so they walked two blocks before finding a small breakfast shop in an alley.

Inside, Ethan ordered two bowls of noodles and two pastries. After sitting down, he took out a tissue and wiped the table in front of Claire.

The small table wasn't very clean; a layer of oil stained the tissue black. He used two more tissues to wipe it again before cleaning the space in front of himself.

The shop owner called out that the noodles were ready and that customers should pick them up themselves.

The tiny shop only had one owner, and he was too busy to serve everyone. Ethan stood up and walked to the window to get the noodles .

Claire followed him, intending to carry hers. Ethan turned around.“Sit down. I'll bring them!”

“They're too hot. You can't carry both by yourself", Claire said.

She had been independent since childhood and didn't like troubling others.

Her motto had always been: self-reliance is the key to success.

Ethan simply turned around, pushed her gently back to her

seat, and said firmly, "Sit properly.”

Claire: “.."

She watched as the tall figure walked to the counter, holding a bowl of noodles in each hand.

Wow.

This guy really doted on his girlfriend.

Ah-no.

She should say wife now.

They had already received their marriage certificate.

Of course, the male lead's kindness toward his ex-girlfriend was only temporary. It was controlled by the plot.

Once he met the female lead, he would fall deeply in love with her, and the two of them would eventually live happily ever after.

But now that the original owner had been replaced by Claire, the plot had alreadv changed.

No one knew how things would develop when the male lead met the female lead again.

Would he still have to go through the painful journey of chasing her back?

“What are you thinking about?"

Ethan's voice pulled Claire back to reality. He tore open a pair of disposable chopsticks and handed them to her.

“Eat?”

“Thank you."

Ethan went to get the pastries. Claire noticed that Ethan's bowl of noodles had cilantro, while hers didn't.

She liked cilantro too.

So she got up and went to get some.

When Ethan turned around, he saw her scooping cilantro onto a small dish and looked puzzled.

Claire returned to her seat, poured the cilantro into her bowl of noodles, and sniffed happily.

Noodles tasted much better with cilantro.

“Don't you dislike cilantro?" Ethan asked. Claire froze with noodles halfway into her mouth.

The original owner didn't eat cilantro?

Her mind raced.

Then she remembered—it was true.

The original owner hated cilantro.

Oh no.

How was she supposed to explain this sudden change?

After thinking for a moment and failing to come up with a good excuse. She simply said, “I've never really tried cilantro before. I didn't know it tasted good. I tried it recently and found it pretty nice.”

Whether Ethan believed it or not didn't really matter. After all, he would never imagine that the soul inside this body had been replaced.

Ethan suddenly remembered something his college roommate had once said: Women were fickle.

He decided not to dwell on it and continued eating his noodles.

Claire finished her noodles but didn't touch the pastries as she was already full.

Ethan ate both pastries himself. They walked out of the shop together.

Ethan said, “There's still some time. I'll help you cary your things.”

Claire dragged her feet as she followed Ethan out of the alley.

She couldn't come up with a reason to refuse moving in with him.

They were already married. If she acted shy and hesitant now, wouldn't it seem strange?

What if Ethan misunderstood again and thought she had ulterior motives?

She had already noticed that Ethan was quite sensitive. But that wasn't surprising.

The original owner really had been a scoundrel-two-faced and manipulative, playing people like fools.

Oh well. She had to move in sooner or later anyway.

Still..

The progress was way too fast!

She had only transmigrated yesterday, and today she was already married —and about to sleep in the same bed as a man.

If her mother in her previous world found out, she would probably go сгаzу.

Of course, the mother in this world would go crazy too.

So for now, the marriage absolutely had to remain a secret.

The two took a taxi back to the apartment they shared.

When they arrived, Ethan stopped at the door instead of entering.

“Call me when you're ready" he said.

Claire quite appreciated his sense of propriety.She used to have roommates who would bring their boyfriends back to the apartment without any warning and sometimes the guys would even stay overnight.

She had always hated that.

The clothes on the balcony weren't fully dry yet.

Claire took them down and placed them in a separate bag.

The unwashed bedding was packed separately as well.

The original owner had a lot of belongings.

In the end, she packed two large suitcases and another oversized bag.

She dragged the suitcases to the door for Ethan.

Then she turned to carry the large bag. But just as she reached the door, Ethan took it from her hands.

Claire froze for a moment.

She had been used to doing everything herself. Suddenly having someone treat her so thoughtfully felt... strange.

She glanced once more at the shared apartment behind her, then closed the door and stepped into the elevator.

After she entered, Ethan pressed the button for the first floor.

When they reached the ground level, Claire reached for the large bag again.

Ethan stopped her.

“I’ll take it"

He tied the bag securely to the suitcase handle, then walked ahead, dragging a suitcase in each hand.

Claire watched him for a moment, a faint smile appearing on her lips.

Even if it was temporary, enjoying Ethan's attentive care wasn't bad at all.

Her suitcases were huge, and when they loaded them into the taxi, the trunk wouldn't close properly.

As the car drove, the trunk kept making loud thumping noises.

The sound gave Claire a headache, and she frowned.

“Are you okay?" Ethan asked.

He placed a hand gently on her head. Claire tilted her head to look at him.

His dark eyes were gentle, and for some reason, her irritation gradually subsided.

“I'm fine"

She glanced at the time She still needed to go to the company.

“When we get to the apartment building, can you help me carry my things upstairs? I'll go straight to work."

Ethan nodded.“Okay"

He lowered his head and began tapping on his phone. A moment later, Claire's phone chimed.

She opened it and saw that Ethan had sent her a message that contained a string of numbers. She tilted her head to look at him.

He was already watching her.

“Apartment password?"

He nodded and then sent another message with the building number and unit number.

He probably thought she might not be able to find it otherwise.

After all, this apartment had just been rented by Ethan, and yesterday had been her first time visiting.

“How much is the rent here each month?” Claire asked.

"Seven thousand."

Claire was startled.

“Where did you get the money?"

Seven thousand per month, plus the deposit and three months' rent upfront-that was already $28,000.

Add the diamond ring, and it was close to $40,000.

For Ethan in the future, that would be pocket change. But for him right now, it was a huge sum.

Ethan looked a little embarrassed. After a long pause, he said quietly, “Borrowed it from Kyle…"

Claire knew Kyle Robb.

He was Ethan's college roommate. He was a City A local from a fairly wealthy family and also one of his business partners.

She still didn't understand why Ethan was in such a rush to get married.

He had just graduated.

No money.

No house

Yet he had borrowed money just to get married.

If it were anyone else, she would have suspected they were trying to scam her.

Ethan suddenly took her hand. His gaze was firm.

“Claire, our current difficulties are only temporary. I promise I'll give you a good life'"

Claire already knew that.

After all, he was destined to become the heir of a top-tier wealthy family

“Mmm…I believe you."

Ethan felt both guilty and moved. He leaned slightly closer, wanting to pull her into an embrace.

Claire hurriedly interrupted, “We're here!”

Ethan paused and turned to look outside. Sure enough, they had arrived downstairs at the apartment building.

He could only give up.

The car stopped

Ethan got out, walked to the trunk, and carried the suitcases

and bags out.

Standing by the roadside, he looked at Claire. Claire smiled and waved.

“Driver, Dao Food Company!"

The taxi drove away.

Claire let out a long sigh of relief.

What should she do?

She still couldn't get used to being intimate with Ethan.

Just thinking about sharing a bed with him tonight made her unbearably nervous.

The original owner's company was located in an industrial park quite far away.

Normally, she would take the subway and then ride a shared bike for about a kilometer.

Claire glanced up at the taxi meter and gasped in shock.

$200!

And the ride wasn't even over yet.

Oh my god!

She hadn't been paying attention earlier. She should have asked the driver to drop her off at a subway station.

This whole day's wages were practically gone!

The original owner had only recently graduated, earning a monthly salary of $5,000.

After deducting social insurance and housing funds, there was barely enough left for food and rent.

Claire wanted to cry.

Her heart ached.

Her phone rang.

She looked down and saw that Ethan had transferred $1,000 to her.

She was about to accept it but then she remembered that Ethan was heavily in debt and might have sent her all the money he had.

In the end, she didn't accept it.

---

After getting out of the taxi, she tried negotiating the fare with the driver, "Sir, could you give me a discount? l just graduated and I'm very poor."

The driver glanced at her and waved impatiently. “Fine, I'll round it down. It's $252-just give me $250.”

Claire:"..."

It would've been better if he hadn't rounded it at all.

“Sir…”

The driver immediately grew impatient.

“No less than that. Hurry up and pay. I've got passengers to pick up!"

Biting her lip, Claire paid with tears in her eyes. Two Dollars saved was still two dollars saved.

She swiped her card to enter the company building and took the elevator upstairs.

The company had several hundred employees. The sales department was located on the third floor.

Claire found her workstation. She had barely sat down when a woman wearing black-rimmed glasses walked over and tapped on her desk.

“Come to my office.”

From the original owner's memories, Claire recognized her

immediately.

Sales Manager Holly Wales.

Without waiting for a response, Holly turned and walked toward her office.

As Claire stood up, she noticed several colleagues looking at her with sympathy.

It seemed this sales manager was not easy to deal with.

Taking a deep breath, Claire walked over and knocked on the office door.

After receiving permission, she pushed the door open and stepped inside.

The moment the door closed behind her, Holly began scolding her.

“Claire, this company isn't run by you. You can't just take leave whenever you feel like it!”

“Don't think you can do whatever you want just because you're pretty.”

"If you don't show professionalism and responsibility while working under me, you'd better leave right now!”

Claire hadn't expected that after transmigrating into a novel, she would still have to endure workplace humiliation.

But she was just a newcomer. No matter how harsh her boss's words were, she had to endure them. She couldn't just quit.

Ethan's wedding expenses had already left him buried in debt, and she herself didn't have much money either.

For now..

It was better to endure it.

Claire returned to her workstation with a dark expression.

The round-faced girl at the neighboring desk leaned over, “Claire,stop taking so many days off. If this keeps up, the 'Extinction Master’ might really fire you.”

“Extinction Master" was the nickname everyone privately gave Holly. Her reputation was terrifying.

The original owner's dream had always been to marry into a wealthy family, so she had never taken work seriously.

Even after finally becoming a regular employee, she was often late, left early, and frequently took time off.

In just the past month, she had taken leave four times for blind dates.

She had taken half a day off yesterday, and another half day this morning.

No wonder the “Extinction Master" was furious.

Claire suspected that after this month's salary arrived, there probably wouldn't be much left.

The round-faced girl was named Sandra Lewis.

“Claire,what did you do this morning? Another blind date?"

Claire sighed.

The original owner had told Sandra about all those blind dates. “No. I had something to do."

Sandra looked confused. “You just graduated. Why are you in such a rush to go on blind dates?"

Claire felt awkward.

This was all the original owner's doing. It has nothing to do with me.

With an embarrassed laugh,she explained, “My mom forced me to!"

Sandra looked at her with sympathy.

Claire didn't want to continue the conversation. it felt too awkward.So she lowered her head and focused on work.

Although she had complained countless times about not wanting to work such a lousy job, the moment she sat at her desk, she instinctively became absorbed.

The work itself wasn't dlifficult.

By the afternoon, she had already figured out most of the tasks and even organized the customer service data, categorizing and archiving it for easier follow-up later.

At 5:30 p.m., it was time to get off work.

Claire packed her belongings and prepared to leave. But when she stood up, she noticed none of her colleagues had moved.

She glanced toward the office door. Holly hadn't left either

Then she looked over at Sandra.

A small window was open on Sandra's computer screen.

She was secretly reading a novel on Tomato.

Um...

Claire glanced around again and saw a male colleague playing Zuma.

She sighed inwardly.

Hidden overtime culture again.

She had no intention of wasting time here with everyone else.

Picking up her bag, she walked out openly and confidently. A group of colleagues watched her from behind.

Claire pretended not to notice.

After leaving the industrial park, she found a shared bike and rode it toward the subway station.

She checked her phone to see which line would take her back to the apartment.

Line 4 went directly there.

Ethan's apartment was right beside the subway station which was much more convenient than the shared apartment she used to live in.

It was rush hour, and the subway was packed.

Claire was squeezed into a corner.

Half an hour later, she finally arrived at her stop.

She walked toward the apartment building but hesitated before going inside.

Going upstairs meant facing Ethan.

She felt a little nervous.

Maybe she should have just stayed at the company.

She lingered downstairs for ten minutes before slowly heading upstairs.

Just as she was about to enter the door password, the door suddenly opened from inside.

Ethan's tall figure appeared in the doorway, his back framed by the warm yellow light.

Claire looked up and froze

So handsome!

She had to admit that Ethan, the male lead, was truly good-looking.

Almost as handsome as her idol.

Ethan took the cloth bag from her hand.

Then he bent down and placed a pair of white rabbit-fur slippers in front of her.

“Come in."

Claire stared at the slippers.

They were the same ones she had worn yesterday.

Ethan had clearly prepared them in advance for the original

owner.

How thoughtful…

She changed into the slippers and stepped inside, closing the door behind her.

Ethan hung her bag on a hook and turned toward the kitchen.

The moment Claire smelled the aroma of food, she nearly drooled.

Leaning sideways against the kitchen doorway, she watched as Ethan carried out plate after plate and set them on the table.

The meal was surprisingly lavish as it was probably meant to celebrate their marriage.

Ethan was a man of few words, but he showed care through actions.

He glanced at her.

“Go wash your hands and eat"

Claire didn't hesitate. She quickly washed her hands and returned to the dining table.

Ethan served her a bowl of rice.

“Thank you," she said.

Then she asked, “Can I start eating?’

Ethan nodded.

“No need to be so formal. Eat whenever you're hungry!”

Claire smiled and immediately began devouring the food. She was truly starving.

All she had eaten today was a single bowl of noodles.

And at the company, Sandra had given her a small packet of cookies.

Ethan watched her eating speed and was slightly startled.

“Slow down. No one's going to take it from you."

Claire's mouth was full as she mumbled, “I'm starving."

Ethan quietly placed fish and vegetables into her bowl.

After she had eaten her fill, Claire took a sip of water from the bowl Ethan handed her.

“Thank you.!"

Ethan frowned slightly.

She had already said “thank you’ to him many times.

After the meal, Claire offered to wash the dishes.

Ethan stopped her.

“I'Il do it.”

Claire realized this man was somewhat... traditional.

She didn't insist.

Instead, she prepared to grab her clothes and take a shower.

Only then did she notice the damp clothes hanging on the balcony.

Even the bedsheets she had changed earlier had been washed and clipped to dry, fluttering in the wind.

The apartment balcony wasn't enclosed; a sliding door separated it from the living room.

Without a doubt, Ethan had done all of this.

What a diligent male lead!

She couldn't help but think that the motherin-law she had never met must have been a gentle and virtuous woman to have raised someone as outstanding as Ethan.

Good at studying, capable, intelligent, hardworking...She had never seen such a perfect man.

Sure enough, men this perfect only existed in novels.

Then the next second-

Claire suddenly realized something.

Her mind went blank.

She rushed to the balcony and pulled the sliding door open.

Sure enough, several thin pieces of fabric were hanging there, swaying in the air.

Her bra.

Her panties.

Claire's face instantly flushed bright red, all the way to her ears.

The image of Ethan solemnly hanging her undergarments on the clothes rack flashed through her mind.

No! She was going insane!

She immediately began brainwashing herself.

These aren't mine. They belong to the original owner. Not mine... not mine...

"What are you doing on the balcony?'

Ethan's voice sounded behind her as he walked over,

Claire hurriedly jumped back inside and slammed the sliding door shut.

Ethan stopped walking, staring at her flushed face. Then he seemed to realize something.

He coughed awkwardly.

“I saw your clothes were wet, so I hung them outside to dry!"

Claire didn't dare look at him and had no intention of discussing the matter further.

“I-I'm going to shower. Where's my suitcase?" she stammered.

“Under the bed”

Claire was about to crouch down to pull it out when Ethan grabbed her arm and lifted her up.

Looking at her blushing face, he said quietly, “Your clothes are in the closet."

“Oh..."

Claire quickly shook off his hand, turned around, and opened the closet.

Her clothes were neatly hung inside.

No need to ask.

Ethan must have done it. Then a deep, magnetic voice sounded behind her.

“Your underwear is in the drawer."

Claire opened the drawer.

Her bras and panties were neatly folded inside. Bras on the inside, panties stacked on the outside.

Her vision darkened.

She wanted to cry.

Male lead... why are you being so virtuous?

She doesn't need this level of service!

Closing her eyes, she grabbed a bra at random, snatched a set of pajamas, and dashed straight into the bathroom.

The door slammed shut

Behind her, Ethan's lips curled slightly into a faint smile.

Why is she so easily embarrassed?