"Click."
The office door closed behind them, shutting off everything inside.
Lin Wan Yi clutched the brand-new little red book in her hand. Its warmth clearly transferred to her palm, yet made her feel as if she were dreaming.
She had become Gu Yanshen's legal wife.
These four words swirled in her mind, making her steps feel a bit unsteady.
Gu Yanshen walked silently ahead. His broad back was straight like a pine tree, the military uniform accentuating his perfect inverted triangle physique, every step steady and strong.
They walked one after another, with silence spreading through the air.
Finally, in front of a military-green jeep, Gu Yanshen stopped, opened the front passenger door. A silent gesture of "please."
Lin Wan Yi sat inside, and the door closed with a "bang."
Soon, the man also got into the car from the other side and started the engine.
The jeep left the military complex and merged into the traffic. Inside the tight space of the car, only the roar of the engine and the man's steady breathing could be heard.
Lin Wan Yi turned her head, looking at the man's profile focused on driving. His features were distinct, with a prominent nose and a tense jawline, exuding an imposing and distant aura.
If it continued to be this silent, it would be so dull.
She blinked, cleared her throat, and spoke softly with a sweet and sticky tone that even she found cloying.
"Husband."
"Screech—"
The jeep abruptly braked, the tires screeching against the ground.
Unprepared, Lin Wan Yi was thrown forward, her forehead nearly hitting the windshield.
Gu Yanshen's large hand quickly reached over, firmly pressing her shoulder, securing her to the seat. His palm was scorching, and the strength was astonishing.
"Sit properly." His voice was hoarse and taut, as if squeezed through his teeth.
Lin Wan Yi steadied herself and turned to look at him.
The man kept his eyes forward, his hands gripping the steering wheel tightly, the veins on the back of his hand popping up. His face remained an eternal iceberg, revealing nothing, but from the base of his neck to his ears, there was a suspicious flush.
Lin Wan Yi's smile grew more pronounced, like Columbus discovering a new world, determined to continue.
"Are you driving so fast to hurry me home?" She deliberately moved closer, her warm breath almost brushing his ear, "Is it to... fulfill marital duties?"
Gu Yanshen's entire body stiffened.
He turned his head abruptly, those sharp eagle eyes fixed on her, trying to see right through her.
Lin Wan Yi met his gaze fearlessly, her watery eyes filled with innocence and inquiry, as if her previous words were just a pure question.
They stared at each other for a full three seconds.
In the end, it was Gu Yanshen who looked away first.
He awkwardly averted his gaze and restarted the car, his voice more rigid than before, "We are legally married; the residence allocated to me by the military district will be your home from today."
He explained the most basic facts with the utmost seriousness.
Lin Wan Yi leaned back in her seat, watching the street scenes quickly retreating outside the window, feeling delighted inside.
This man was too interesting. Like an iron-clad, innocent big apple, waiting to be peeled layer by layer.
Finally, the car stopped in front of a red brick building, a family compound of the military district.
Gu Yanshen's residence was a suite on the first floor, with two bedrooms and a living room.
He took out a key and opened the door.
A mix of faint soap and tobacco scent greeted them.
The room was spotless. The concrete floor was clean, and the tables and chairs were neatly arranged, but there was nothing else.
White walls, wooden bed boards, a military blanket folded into tofu cubes, a green metal cabinet with peeling paint.
The entire room exuded a cold, hard, and simple military style, belonging to its owner.
This was worlds apart from the environment Lin Wan Yi had grown up in.
She stood in the center of the living room, surveying the place that was about to become her "home," without saying a word.
Gu Yanshen placed his briefcase on the table, his gaze landing on her.
Watching her petite body standing in the sparse and plain room, like a delicate rose mistaken for the desert, so out of place.
Was she... regretting?
This thought flashed by, inexplicably stifling Gu Yanshen's heart.
He looked at her pale little face and her quiet way of surveying the surroundings, thinking she was frightened by the harsh conditions.
Silence fermented in the room.
Just as Lin Wan Yi began planning in her mind where to put a rug and what flowers to place by the window, the man behind suddenly moved.
Gu Yanshen walked to the only desk in the room, bent down, and pulled out a key from the bottom drawer.
"Click."
He unlocked the adjacent drawer.
Then, he took out everything inside in one go and walked back to Lin Wan Yi.
"Bang."
Several items were heavily placed on the square table in the living room.
A green payroll booklet, a thick wad of neatly bundled cash, and a large stack of colorful coupons held together by rubber bands—food stamps, cloth tickets, meat vouchers, oil coupons, industrial vouchers... everything included.
Lin Wan Yi was stunned.
She raised her head, looking at the man before her in confusion.
Gu Yanshen lowered his eyes, not looking at her, but speaking in a low, hoarse voice, stiffly.
"My salary, allowances, they're all here."
"From now on, they'll be handed over to you on time every month."
"I have a lot of tasks and am not often home, so this home... from now on, you'll manage."