MWCBTC Chapter 1: Marriage Registration at the Civil Affairs Bureau
“Newlyweds, get a little closer.”
“Can you smile? It's such a joyful day.”
Click click…
The photographer looked at the photos on the camera and clicked his tongue in disappointment—it could have turned out better.
This couple looked decent, but their poses were stiff, and they neither smiled nor showed any intimacy. There was no trace of joy on their faces for such a happy occasion like marriage.
Forget it. If he kept trying, they’d probably just get annoyed.
The photographer nodded and gave them an “OK” hand signal before going off to develop the photos.
Red background, white shirts—traditional, auspicious colors.
The couple was photogenic. Even though they didn’t smile, the photos turned out pretty well.
As he handed the photos over, the photographer said, “Congratulations on your marriage!”
Qiao Chen reached out to take the photos and replied, “Thank you,” but there wasn’t a trace of happiness on his face.
Beside him, Qin Shen looked even more gloomy. When he saw the photos were ready, he turned and walked upstairs—towards the registration office.
The Civil Affairs Bureau was bustling as usual, with a long line of couples waiting to register. Today was especially crowded, the room packed with people.
Seeing the crowd and hearing the surrounding laughter and chatter made Qin Shen irritable. He snapped, “You queue up. Call me when it’s our turn.”
Without waiting for Qiao Chen’s response, he walked off.
Qiao Chen blinked a few times, then obediently queued up at the end of the line.
Because of the crowd, by the time it was Qiao Chen’s turn, two hours had already passed.
He opened his phone and sent Qin Shen a message on WeChat: We’re up.
No reply—maybe Qin Shen hadn’t seen the message.
After holding the spot for ten minutes, the staff finally prompted him: “Are you registering or not?” Voices of complaint rose from the waiting couples behind him.
Qiao Chen suddenly found himself in a difficult position. Biting his lip, he sent another message: It’s our turn.
Still no reply from Qin Shen.
Left with no choice, Qiao Chen stepped aside and let the couple behind him go first.
Some might say Qiao Chen was an idiot—if the message wasn’t getting a response, why not just call?
Of course he thought of that—he just didn’t have Qin Shen’s phone number.
Unlike the other couples there marrying for love, Qiao Chen and Qin Shen had no feelings for each other. They were basically strangers.
Strangers might not even be this awkward, but the reason for that came from something else entirely…
Qiao Chen’s thoughts were cut short—Qin Shen had finally returned.
Once the couple ahead of them finished, Qiao Chen and Qin Shen sat down to begin the registration process.
It was a simple procedure: submit the prepared documents and photos, then fill out the registration form.
Name, gender, ID number, birthplace, household registration—everything went smoothly until the signature line, where Qiao Chen nearly wrote the wrong name.
He scratched out the water radical and finally signed, solemnly, “Qiao Yu.”
The Civil Affairs Bureau was efficient. Once the forms were stamped and the processing fee paid, the marriage certificates were issued on the spot—two copies.
When the certificates were handed over, Qin Shen made no move to take them, just watched coldly from the side.
In the end, Qiao Chen reached out and accepted both certificates. Bright red covers, gold lettering.
In China, red and gold symbolize happiness and prosperity.
But such joyful colors felt like molten lava in Qiao Chen’s hands—burning hot.
By the time they left the Civil Affairs Bureau, the sky had grown dark. An early autumn breeze carried a slight chill.
Qiao Chen followed Qin Shen closely, not daring to make a sound, and cautiously got into the front passenger seat. Before he could fasten his seatbelt, the car sped off like a rocket.
The speed remained dangerously fast. Even at intersections, the car didn’t slow down, weaving through traffic, honking aggressively—just like the owner's current mood: irritable and furious.
Qiao Chen already had a tendency to get carsick. Today, he hadn’t eaten anything, and with the crazy speed, his stomach churned, and he almost threw up.
Thankfully, just before he did, they arrived.
With a sharp screech of the tires, the car stopped in front of a villa.
“Get out,” Qin Shen said coldly from the driver’s seat.
Qiao Chen nodded, pale-faced, unbuckled, and got out.
As soon as his feet touched the ground, the car sped off again.
Qiao Chen stood there for a while. Once he had recovered, he made his way into the villa.
This was Qin Shen’s house. Qiao Chen didn’t dare touch anything. He just sat quietly on the sofa and stared blankly at the two marriage certificates on the coffee table.
Unbelievable—he was married today.
No, not him.
Qiao Chen’s gaze landed on the certificate.
Name of Holder: Qiao Yu.
He hadn’t gotten married. He’d just married someone on someone else’s behalf.
And not just anyone—he had married as his identical twin brother, Qiao Yu.
From returning to the country to getting married, it had all happened in just three days—so fast it left Qiao Chen disoriented.
Three days ago, the moment he stepped off the plane, he was picked up by his parents. But instead of joy, their faces were filled with worry.
Only then did he learn that just before the wedding, Qiao Yu had eloped with his piano teacher.
Where had they gone? No one knew.
Marriage is no joke, especially since the Qiao and Qin families had arranged this match over a decade ago. This wedding had been announced to the entire business world.
You can't just back out of something like that.
So Qiao Chen's parents panicked—and since Qiao Chen had just returned from the U.S. for the wedding, he became the perfect scapegoat.
After all, they were twins. Their appearances were identical. As for what's inside—most people couldn’t tell the difference.
In short, they just needed to get through the ceremony.
But in the end, Qiao Chen not only took the blame—he was stuck with it.
His mother had tearfully begged him not to tell the Qin family—especially Qin Shen—that Qiao Yu had eloped with his teacher, for the sake of preserving Qiao Yu’s reputation.
And what could Qiao Chen do? When Qin Shen questioned him, he had no choice but to remain silent.
That silence, along with his parents’ evasiveness, made Qin Shen wrongly assume that Qiao Chen had caused all the trouble.
So their relationship ended up in this miserable state.
Qin Shen didn’t know the truth. His attitude, Qiao Chen could understand.
And the Qiao family’s decision to sacrifice him for Qiao Yu—Qiao Chen understood that too.
He was used to it. That’s how things had always been.
Whatever.
Time always flies when you're lost in thought. When Qiao Chen snapped out of it, it was already 1:00 a.m.
Why wasn’t Qin Shen back yet? Was he even coming home tonight?
Just as the thought crossed his mind, the doorbell rang.
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