Chapter 4

Chapter 4

When they arrived at the Civil Affairs Bureau, Rong Yuan’s eyes were still red. The clerk wondered if the couple might be coerced and asked, concerned, “Is this a voluntary marriage?”

Rong Yuan nodded. “Yes.”

The clerk glanced at Gu Shenhan. He looked strangely familiar—then it clicked: she’d seen him online countless times. She double-checked his name—no mistake. This was indeed the second son of Lianshan Group.

She dared not ask further, yet couldn’t help stealing a few more glances at Rong Yuan.

The longer she looked, the more he seemed to be under duress. He was strikingly handsome—could this Gu fellow be using underhanded methods? Rong Yuan was only twenty-one—still a university student, wasn’t he?

Annoyed by her staring, Gu Shenhan asked, “Is there a problem?”

The clerk quickly replied, “No. Please go take your photo, then bring the prints back here. Also, fill out these two forms and sign them before handing them to me.”

Gu Shenhan led Rong Yuan to the photography booth. The young man was unnaturally pale; when he cried, his face flushed deep red, as though he’d been roughed up.

The photographer said, “Could you two wait a moment?”

Wait? Wait for what?! Gu Shenhan asked, “Can you retouch the photo afterward?”

“Sure,” the photographer replied. “Then come over here. Take off your suits and stand together—yes, closer… Don’t look so serious. A small smile, please.”

Gu Shenhan tilted his head slightly toward Rong Yuan; Rong Yuan leaned in just a little too.

The photographer said, “A bit closer.”

Both remained silent.

Gu Shenhan edged in a little more. Rong Yuan didn’t budge.

The photographer urged again, “Closer.”

Gu Shenhan simply slung his arm around Rong Yuan’s shoulders and pulled him in.

Click!

The photo was instantly transferred to the computer. A few quick retouches erased the redness—though his eyes remained faintly reddened, which wasn’t a concern.

Gu Shenhan guided Rong Yuan aside to complete the forms. But another issue arose: Gu Shenhan had already filled in half the fields, while Rong Yuan held the pen, staring intently at how Gu Shenhan gripped it.

Gu Shenhan nearly snapped the pen in half. Glancing behind them to ensure no one was watching, he whispered, “Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten how to write Chinese.”

“I can write,” Rong Yuan replied, “but I’ve never… I don’t remember how to use this kind of pen.”

Of course he could write—but poorly. What if he made a mistake? Would they need to start over with fresh forms?

Utterly exasperated, Gu Shenhan took Rong Yuan’s ID and filled in everything himself, leaving only the signature blank for Rong Yuan. As for forgetting how to hold a fountain pen—well, he lacked the energy to complain.

Rong Yuan had brought his household registration booklet. It listed only him as alive. In this world, Rong Yuan’s parents had perished in an accidental fire fourteen years earlier.

While completing the forms, Gu Shenhan noticed the household registration contained only one name.

His pen paused mid-stroke, leaving an ink blot.

Rong Yuan, impressed by how swiftly and elegantly Gu Shenhan wrote—his strokes sharp and assured—also spotted the blot and quickly reminded him, “Brother Han, that character!”

Gu Shenhan glanced down. “It’s fine.”

His tone softened, almost involuntarily.

He finished writing and gestured for Rong Yuan to sign. Worried about making an error, Rong Yuan asked if he could practice first on scrap paper. Gu Shenhan fetched some. Rong Yuan carefully wrote out the characters—the character “荣” appeared in its traditional form—and his handwriting resembled a child’s. Gu Shenhan ended up rewriting it for him.

Rong Yuan felt embarrassed, but he simply wasn’t accustomed to this pen. With no alternative, he painstakingly traced each stroke.

Still, they managed to finish.

Gu Shenhan paid the fee and soon received their certificates—two small, crimson booklets. As Rong Yuan gazed at the photo, the tips of his ears turned pink.

His parents had once commissioned a portrait of themselves together—but only after more than a decade of marriage. He and Gu Shenhan had met for the first time mere hours ago, yet now stood married, their photo showing them nearly pressed shoulder-to-shoulder. The people and customs of this world truly defied imagination.

“What are you looking at?” Gu Shenhan asked.

“Nothing,” Rong Yuan replied. “Brother Han, you mentioned going to the Notary Office earlier—shall we head there next?”

Gu Shenhan checked the time. It was still feasible. Though furious earlier, he’d since calmed down—and realized this step was necessary. Perhaps Rong Yuan was naive, but Old Master Rong and Second Uncle Rong were untrustworthy.

Rong Yuan was the sole heir of the Rong family’s main branch. His parents—the eldest couple—had died young. From what Gu Shenhan had heard, his late in-laws had been upright, honorable people. Yet Old Master Rong favored his unreliable younger son, despite the latter’s incompetence in business—so much so that, to save the company, he’d even offered up his own nephew as a male bride.

Did Rong Yuan even know him? Wasn’t he afraid Gu Shenhan might exploit Rong Yuan?

Seeing Rong Yuan reach again for the rear door, Gu Shenhan stopped him. “Sit in the front. Who do you think you are—expecting me to chauffeur you?”

Rong Yuan didn’t understand. They were both inside the car—there were no horses to drive. What difference did seating position make?

Still, he obediently sat in the front seat.

“Buckle your seatbelt.”

“Seat… belt.” Rong Yuan recalled being reminded on the plane. He fumbled, located the strap, and clumsily fastened it.

“How did you remember that?” Gu Shenhan hadn’t recalled needing a seatbelt in the backseat. Where had he learned it?

“On the plane. Bodyguard Xiao taught me.”

“Bodyguard what?”

“Bodyguard… Xiao.” Rong Yuan replied. “The one who protects you—isn’t he? He said he’s usually responsible for your safety. Isn’t he a bodyguard?”

Gu Shenhan sighed. “Call him Xiao Ke—or Lao Xiao. Never ‘Bodyguard Xiao.’”

Rong Yuan said, “Okay, Brother Han. I’ll remember.”

They proceeded to the Notary Office. Though they’d missed their appointment time, it was still manageable. They waited briefly. During the wait, Gu Shenhan borrowed paper and a pen so Rong Yuan could practice signing.

Rong Yuan sat obediently, writing stroke by stroke—earnest, focused, like a child learning to write.

Gu Shenhan said, “Keep practicing here. I’m stepping out for a smoke—I’ll be right back.”

Rong Yuan hesitated, glancing around, then nodded. He didn’t grasp the concept of “smoking,” though he’d seen others do it outside. He’d once asked Second Aunt, who’d told him it was called “smoking.” He couldn’t see the point—wouldn’t it choke people?

The notary staff conducted preliminary checks and preparations. Gu Shenhan went to the smoking room and lit a cigarette. From there, he could still keep Rong Yuan in view.

Rong Yuan maintained the same upright posture. Occasionally, he set down the pen and shook his hand—perhaps due to soreness or sweat. Yet every time he laid the pen down, his movements were unusually gentle. His grandmother used to place her brush down the same way. People like that tended to possess calm, steady hearts.

Gu Shenhan called Xiao Ke. “Did he say anything unusual on the way?”

Xiao Ke said, "He didn't say much. But I feel that Little Young Master Rong's situation can't be explained in a few words. He seems to be more than just experiencing amnesia."

If someone after losing memory isn't just experiencing memory loss but completely changing as a person, then other reasons might need to be considered.

For instance, whether there's a mental issue or psychological problem. Or else, they might be pretending.

Gu Shenhan understood Xiao Ke's meaning: "I'm at the notary office. Come over. Is Liang Zheng with you?"

Xiao Ke said, "No. He treated me to a meal and got nothing out of it. Said it was boring and went to Baoyan Studio."

Gu Shenhan called Liang Zheng: "Still at Baoyan Studio?"

Liang Zheng said, "That bastard Lao Xiao, he's quick to say it now. I treated him to Kunlun Bao Fu (a premium abalone dish) at Qiantang and he didn't tell me a single word!"

Gu Shenhan said, "I'll tell you later. Help me pick out some good stuff, and also prepare another set of the Four Treasures of the Study, have Old Qian pick them personally."

"What for? You don't like writing with a brush."

"Why ask so much?" Gu Shenhan stubbed out his cigarette and continued watching Rong Yuan. "I suddenly want to learn, can't I?"

"Hey, you should have had this realization long ago. If you'd put in the effort on this earlier, your eldest cousin wouldn't have won your grandmother's favor with those chicken scratch characters. Wait, I'll set it up for you, man."

Just then, Rong Yuan stood up and looked toward the smoking room, as if he had something urgent.

Gu Shenhan went out: "What's wrong?"

Rong Yuan said quietly, "Han Ge, I need to... I need to go to the restroom."

Gu Shenhan looked at the bright WC sign on the restroom door and was speechless. But he had no choice but to take him there, to avoid him going into the wrong one.

He waited outside. Rong Yuan was in there quite a while, and after not coming out for some time, Gu Shenhan walked back to the spot where Rong Yuan had been practicing calligraphy and picked up the sheet full of "Rong Yuan" to look at.

It was obvious his writing was improving; he was actually thinking rather than just mindlessly repeating.

He sent Rong Yuan a WeChat message: "Did you fall in?"

Rong Yuan was using Little Dolphin to search: "Teacher, can you explain the laws about buying and selling people? If I sign my name or put my fingerprint, will I be sold?"

Rong Yuan saw a new message on WeChat and fumbled to open it. Seeing it was from Gu Shenhan, he replied, "Han Ge, I'm coming out."

After replying, he switched back to the answer from Teacher Dolphin.

Wow, so it turns out buying and selling people is actually against the law here! That's awesome! It's not just that commoners can't be sold—nobody can be sold at all! Being sold is the saddest thing in the world, so this is really good.

Rong Yuan felt more at ease; earlier when Gu Shenhan said things like "not afraid to sell him," he had still felt uneasy.

He washed his hands and saw someone holding their hands under a machine that blew warm air to dry them. He watched for a while and then imitated the action.

After his hands were dry, he marveled at how convenient and amazing these local contraptions were as he walked out.

Gu Shenhan saw him turning his hands over with an amazed expression and figured out what he'd just done. He took Rong Yuan to another notary room. On the way, he said, "The notary will ask whether you agree—just say yes. If they ask you to confirm something, just take a look at what they show you. If they ask if you have any objections, say no. Got it?"

Rong Yuan said he understood.

In the notary room they entered, there was a male notary and a female notary, plus Gu Shenhan and Rong Yuan. They sat facing the two notaries.

The female notary said, "The notarization process will be recorded throughout with audio and video. Do either of you have any objections?"

Gu Shenhan said no. Rong Yuan followed a moment later, saying, "No."

The female notary nodded. Then she explained each document one by one. After each explanation, she asked if they confirmed, and then they signed.

They signed multiple times and stamped lots of official seals.

Rong Yuan could understand some characters but not others. But from her explanations, he could roughly grasp some parts—Gu Shenhan owned many houses and cars. There was also something about "ancient stocks and chicken tendons"? He had no idea what that meant.

Gu Shenhan saw Rong Yuan cooperating obediently and not asking any questions. After thinking for a moment, he stopped the notary and said, "Skip this last stock one. No need to notarize it."

The notary asked, "Are you sure?"

Gu Shenhan said, "I'm sure."

That document was withdrawn. After signing the remaining ones, Gu Shenhan paid the fees and took Rong Yuan out of the notary office. These documents would still need secondary review; the whole process would take at least a week to complete.

In August, the days were long and the nights short; it was still far from evening. Rong Yuan asked Gu Shenhan, "Han Ge, where to next?"

Gu Shenhan had originally planned to have Liang Zheng take Rong Yuan to another one of his villas to get settled, and then wait until his grandmother got back to discuss things further.

But after seeing how things were, he was worried that if he left Rong Yuan out in the world, someone would trick him—and he'd even help them count the money. In the end, Gu Shenhan would be the one losing out. So he had to say, "Let's go back to my place first."

The car pulled into Cui Xi Yuan, a community with woods lining both sides of the road. It was late summer, and entering felt like being embraced by lush greenery, with the fresh scent of plants filling the nostrils, as refreshing as deeply inhaling.

After driving a bit, they came upon a three-story house. Rong Yuan was amazed at how see-through the house was—it looked much cleaner than any building he had seen on the road.

But at the same time, it felt cold, and he shivered without realizing it.

Gu Shenhan asked him, "What's wrong?"

Rong Yuan shook his head: "Nothing."

In his other world, when he married into the Marquis of Anguo's residence, his family had sent many servants as dowry, and they lived in the same city. So although the marquis's mansion was large, he never felt lonely.

But here, he was alone, and this wasn't his home. He absolutely must not get too attached to any place, like he did at the Marquis of Anguo's residence.

It was more important to learn pinyin and Arabic numerals well—they would be the true skills to help him survive here alone!