Scheming husband

It shouldn't come to that, him standing her up.

Moreover, she was in need, so she reluctantly suppressed her discomfort.

The afternoon sunlight streamed through the window, quietly laying on the floor as the melodious piano music with a tinge of sadness echoed in the cafe.

Ophelia sat in a corner, impatiently glancing at her phone.

She detested people who didn't keep to their promises, and now this person she had never met had committed her pet peeve - being late!

"I hope I'm not getting stood up," Ophelia muttered to herself, shaking her head. "It shouldn't happen!"

During their WeChat conversation, "Connor" seemed reliable, so hopefully, he wouldn't stand her up.

Moreover, she was in need, so she reluctantly suppressed her discomfort.

As Ophelia sipped her second cup of coffee, she noticed a man entering the cafe from outside.

He was wearing a white striped casual shirt paired with straight black pants, giving off a mature and dignified vibe. However, his demeanor seemed somewhat intimidating, making people feel inclined to keep their distance.

Was he the "Connor" from the chat software who claimed to help her?

Ophelia hesitated for a moment, then stood up and waved at him. "Connor, over here!"

After entering, Connor listened to Ophelia's call and his gaze fell on her... with a hint of hesitation and surprise in his expression.

Seeing Connor's hesitation, Ophelia walked over to him and politely said, "I'm the one you're meeting with!" She glanced at the time. "It's already 4:18, let's get down to business quickly."

Ophelia then pulled Connor to sit down.

Once seated, Ophelia became serious. "I've explained my situation to you in detail, and I'm grateful that you're willing to help me." She paused for a moment, feeling conflicted. "But now, there have been some changes. I not only need you to pretend to be my boyfriend... I also need you to marry me." Her voice lowered as she reached the end.

Initially, they agreed on just pretending to be boyfriend and girlfriend, but now she was asking him to marry her. It seemed absurd, but she had no other choice!

Connor was taken aback. First, this girl dragged him here, and now she was saying... get married?

Seeing that Connor seemed startled by her words, Ophelia quickly added, "At first, I thought just having you pretend to be my boyfriend would be enough. But my parents are not easy to fool. They saw through my brother's fake girlfriend before. To prevent them from suspecting our relationship, the best way is to provide evidence, and a marriage certificate is the best evidence I can think of."

Connor understood Ophelia's reasoning after hearing her explanation.

She would rather remain single for the rest of her life!

But her parents were adamant about solving her life's major issues, and Ophelia had no choice. She could only play a bigger game, fake a marriage to fool her parents, and enjoy a few years of peace and quiet.

Ophelia tried to explain, "I know this is different from what we discussed before, and getting a marriage certificate might complicate things a lot. If you feel uncomfortable with this, you don't have to help me..." After all, they were just acquaintances from WeChat, and Ophelia was already grateful that he was willing to assist her!

Ophelia sighed deeply, feeling somewhat helpless. She muttered quietly, "I know I'm putting you in a difficult position... I'll see if there's anyone else who can help me..."

Listening to Ophelia, Connor furrowed his brow slightly. This girl had some nerve; did she really think she could find help from other strangers?

Connor touched his forehead and said coldly, "There's no need to look for anyone else." Pausing for a moment, he explained, "I also need a woman to help me deal with things."

Ophelia listened, her eyes widening. "You have needs too?" It made sense then; otherwise, how could a stranger she met online be so kind to help her? Turns out he had needs too!

Glancing up and down at Connor, Ophelia muttered, "Well, you do look like you're not young anymore, are you around thirty? Nowadays, not getting married after thirty is considered a sin in the eyes of elders."

Hearing Ophelia's blunt words, Connor coughed.

Ophelia also realized she had said something inappropriate, "Um... actually, you're not old!" Seeing him dressed in such an old-fashioned way, he must be a bit older than her unreliable older brother, right? Probably around thirty?

But aside from being a bit older, despite looking a bit emotionally distant... his face was still handsome, with a mature and restrained charm. A man like him should have many women interested in him, right? So why is he still single?

Well, being single must have its reasons after all. Now that their goals are the same, maybe this time things will work out!

Ophelia didn't hesitate any further, "Since we both have these needs, what I mentioned earlier... are you considering it?"

Connor glanced at his watch and said solemnly, "Let's make good use of our time. We can get the marriage certificate today."

Ophelia couldn't believe how smoothly things were progressing!

She had thought it would take much longer, but seeing the other party agree so readily, Ophelia smiled, "We still have time, the Civil Affairs Bureau is just across the street, and I've got all my documents ready..." She glanced at Connor again, "Do you have your documents and household registration with you?"

Connor nodded, "Just in time, I have all my documents with me!"

...

It didn't take long before Ophelia and Connor had their marriage certificate sorted out.

Looking at everything being sorted, Ophelia said to Connor, "I snuck out from work, so I should head back to the office first." She took out her business card from her bag, "We've been in touch through WeChat before, here's my number. If there's anything, we can contact each other on our phones!" With that, she hurriedly left.

Connor looked at the business card in his hand, then glanced at the freshly minted marriage certificate, and his lips curled slightly.

"How coincidental!"

Connor was genuinely surprised to meet this little girl again under such circumstances, and to re-establish a connection with her in this way!

So it goes to show...

What you owe, always needs to be repaid!