Chapter Four

Chapter Four

In less than half an hour, Bai Chen, ignoring his agent's incessant calls, got out of the car with Xie Yilin at the city hall entrance.

Actually, getting married nowadays doesn't require such a dedicated trip. One can simply fill out an application online and verify their identity, but that would take up to thirty working days to process the application, which is quite slow.

So they chose to come directly to get their marriage certificate, so they could get it done the same day.

It was a little past eight in the morning, and the marriage registration office had just opened. There weren't many people on a weekday, so they easily got their queue number and started filling out personal information on the self-service machine.

Name: Bai Chen, Age: 21, Gender: Male... Second Gender: Omega, Personal ID Number... Bai Chen filled out the straightforward sections one by one, and in the optional occupation field, he wrote "Actor."

By the way, he couldn't help but glance curiously to the side.

...He thought Xie Yilin probably wouldn't list his title as the Crown Prince of the Empire. Sure enough, from his angle, he saw the man's handsome profile, looking serious, entering "Military Serviceman" as his occupation.

A military serviceman, that's how Xie Yilin identified his occupation.

Bai Chen completed all the sections he could, pressed confirm, and couldn't help but glance to the side again. At that moment, the man also finished filling out his form, turned slightly toward him, and their eyes met.

The light gray eyes paused unconsciously, apparently affected by the situation. Bai Chen instinctively flashed a dimpled smile, "Your Highness, I'm done."

After filling out the information, the information needed to be reviewed. Bai Chen followed Xie Yilin to sit in the last row of the waiting area, suddenly feeling a little nervous.

So, this is what getting married feels like.

Although it's fake, because they came to register, it still felt quite ceremonial.

Moreover, it seemed like there were loving couples all around, flirting and chatting about their hopes and dreams for the future. Xie Yilin and Bai Chen, sitting here in silence, might be mistaken for having pre-wedding nerves.

The Omega kept looking around, looking here and there, and before he knew it, his gaze fell back on Xie Yilin.

The man was sitting next to him, silently waiting.

He was wearing a well-pressed military uniform, the crisp fabric making him look even more upright like a pine tree. But the man's aura was still cold, like a pine tree standing unyielding in the snow. His hat brim was not removed, and his light gray eyes were mostly hidden, obscuring his expression. But Bai Chen couldn't resist and leaned slightly closer.

At that moment, the atmosphere around Xie Yilin seemed even colder, or maybe it was just an illusion.

"Your Highness."

Bai Chen lowered his voice and whispered, "Are you feeling hot?"

Xie Yilin: ...

The man's eyes moved slightly, shifting to look at him.

But Bai Chen didn't intend for him to answer, and said incoherently, "It's a bit hot."

"It's strange." He exaggeratedly stuck out his tongue, "I know it's fake, but it feels a bit magical."

Previously, he was overwhelmed by such a large sum of money, but now that he was actually sitting here waiting to complete the formalities, he felt a sense of reality.

This was different from the usual banter with friends about finding a rich Alpha—not to mention, Xie Yilin wasn't just any ordinary rich Alpha.

Although Bai Chen didn't plan to remarry. But marrying and divorcing a future emperor was still quite thrilling.

Bai Chen changed his posture, feeling restless. The man beside him suddenly raised his hand and lightly placed a hand on his shoulder.

"No need to be nervous."

The Alpha's light gray eyes seemed to radiate a calming energy, with a faint scent of patchouli wafting through the air, exuding a presence that could soothe anyone. Bai Chen involuntarily inhaled deeply and felt his mind clear up significantly.

It dawned on him that in ancient herbal medicine, patchouli was a widely used medicinal herb.

Though it was bitter.

The kind of bitterness that good medicine is known for.

Suddenly, he felt at ease.

"Buzz, buzz, buzz..."

Song Lei's call rang again. Bai Chen glanced at it, thought for a moment, and finally stepped aside to answer.

On the other end, his agent's angry voice exploded.

"Bai Chen, tell me, what is going on?"

"I’m just getting married."

The Omega's tone was completely nonchalant, as if he wasn't talking about a lifelong commitment but rather going downstairs to buy a cabbage.

"Yesterday was too late at night, and today you came too early in the morning, so I didn't have time to tell you..."

"You..."

Song Lei was dumbfounded, almost collapsing right then and there, "When... when did you start seeing each other?!"

More importantly, when did Bai Chen meet an Alpha like that? Such an... Alpha?

It was obvious this wasn't an ordinary person, right? When did you two start sneaking around? Why didn't I, as your agent, have any idea? Not a single clue?!

"Hmm..."

Bai Chen hesitated for a moment, stealing a glance at Xie Yilin.

He covered his mouth with his hand, whispering the most explosive part to Song Lei.

"My spouse is His Highness the Crown Prince. So..."

*Marriage partner. His Highness the Crown Prince.*

Song Lei was stunned. Like a glitching robot, he froze for a long time, "You... you two are..."

"We actually met online."

The agreement had to be kept secret from Song Lei, as it was also for his protection. Bai Chen didn't even blink, lying through his teeth, "It was unexpected, right? On a niche website, by chance, we added each other's chat accounts and slowly started talking... You know, online dating. Otherwise, how would I have time to meet a single Alpha?"

Song Lei: He understood... understood nothing!!!

He could bet his life that this wasn't true!

But, but what era was this? Even as an agent, he couldn't interfere with an artist's private life.

Thankfully, Bai Chen wasn't a pop idol, or else how many fan girls would have their hearts broken?

No, no, no! As his agent, he's heartbroken too, you know?

"Hey, Brother Song?"

Song Lei was silent for a while. Bai Chen felt a twinge of guilt, "Brother Song, don't worry, this won't affect my work."

"...I know."

Song Lei seemed to come to his senses and sighed, "It's just... it's just so sudden."

Bai Chen is very committed to his work, and he isn't worried that his future development will be affected by marriage. What worries him is something else entirely.

And how... how could it be His Highness the Crown Prince?

With all those bad reputations and terrible rumors, even as a Beta, he just wants to steer clear.

How could Bai Chen, an Omega, possibly...

If he hadn't known Bai Chen for years and understood him a bit, he might have thought Xie Yilin had forced himself on him.

Overall, he's not too hopeful about this marriage.

As if already picturing the Omega's future filled with sorrow and exhaustion, Song Lei was almost frightened by his own imagination. He stammered, hesitated, but couldn't find a good reason to stop it.

After mulling it over for a while, Song Lei finally asked, "So, are you planning to go public?"

For an Omega, going public has its perks, and keeping the marriage under wraps has its own advantages. It all depends on Bai Chen's own choice.

Bai Chen smirked.

His dimples seemed to glow with spring light, the Omega blinked, and put his index finger to his lips: "Shh, it's up to His Highness."

"I think it'll probably go public."

If it's not going public, then why bother with a fake marriage? So that big sum is just part of the deal. Other costs are separate.

For him, it's a pretty good deal.

Probably?

Song Lei was really losing it.

This isn't Bai Chen!!!

Bai Chen... Bai Chen isn't like this!

But, but... well, people who elope suddenly aren't thinking straight.

He hung up in despair. Not far away, someone seemed to notice something and peeked over curiously.

Bai Chen recently had a TV drama airing, in which he played a very popular male supporting role, earning unanimous praise.

If it weren't for Qiu Pinglu suddenly turning hostile, he would be in the rising phase of his career. He would be recognized on the street.

So, although there weren't many people at the registration office at this time, there were still some who came early to get things done quickly. A certain entertainment reporter, dragged by his wife to get a divorce, looked up and saw Bai Chen and a man who was clearly an Alpha, waiting in the marriage line.

His eyes lit up, he quietly activated the camera function and pressed the shutter repeatedly. He sent it to the editor of his media outlet, who thought: Bai Chen is currently trending, hurry and publish it!

...However, unsure of the Alpha's identity, they only released a few clear shots of Bai Chen's face.

This explosive piece of gossip quickly caught some attention.

Bai Chen's scandal was still making waves, and with no other hot topics online recently, some haters were still keeping an eye on him. When they saw this big revelation, they immediately took screenshots, reposted, and commented, all while mocking him extensively.

"Isn't this Bai Chen? Getting married early in the morning? Sneaking around? Could there be some inside story?"

"Hahaha, you really have a vivid imagination. I guess there isn't that much of an inside story. It must be that the person he's marrying is someone he can't show off, so he's rushing to get the paperwork done, afraid of going through the public announcement step online."

"Is it really Bai Chen? Yesterday he was ridiculed for not having an Alpha who would want him, and today he's quickly tricked some Alpha who hasn't been online recently... impressive, still the smooth operator."

"Now that you mention it, Bai Chen seems quite decisive."

"Not bad, he must be really struggling, feeling bitter, right? Sleeping alone, right? So he quickly found an Alpha. Tsk, tsk, tsk..."

"This is hilarious. What kind of catch could he possibly get at the last minute? Did he just grab someone off the street?"

Meanwhile, the final step of the marriage was quickly completed. As soon as the personal information was updated, Bai Chen's marital status in his profile changed to married.

Bai Chen repeatedly enlarged the electronic certificate to examine it, following Xie Yilin back to the car. In the front seat, Xiao Ling turned to look at them—mainly at Xie Yilin—and asked, "Sir, where are we going now?"

The man tilted his head slightly, glancing at the Omega still examining the new certificate. Bai Chen seemed to sense something and turned to look, suddenly saying, "Sir?"

Xie Yilin's fingertips touched the seatbelt release beside the back seat, his gaze shifting.

The Omega blinked, hesitated for a moment, and then said with a serious tone, "Do I need to..."

"Should I call you 'husband'?"