Did That Doctor Successfully Remarry Today?
Chapter 19 - 18 Love at First Sight?

Chapter 19: Chapter 18 Love at First Sight?

I’ve shunned all infatuations just to be by your side. — Xicheng Tears

At early dawn the next day, it was bright as daylight.

The hazy mist gradually faded away, the breaking dawn scattered its light in all directions, and the dim glow gently fell upon the girl’s pristine face. Her delicate eyelashes fluttered slightly as Jiang An climbed out of bed, opened her sleepy eyes, and turned her gaze towards the bright window. From the sixteenth floor, at a desirable vantage point, the brilliant morning glow drifted in the east, with the crimson rays embellishing the entire city. The girl slightly lifted her hand, and the tender sunlight streamed through her fingers straight to her eyes.

Just as Jiang An stepped out of the bedroom, Gao Chuan had returned from buying breakfast. Seeing the girl who had just left her room, he called her to wash up and eat. Rubbing her sleepy eyes, Jiang An walked into the bathroom. Her gaze fell upon the two toothbrush cups on the vanity, her eyes blankly staring, looking at her own half-confused reflection in the mirror, a hard-to-describe feeling welled up in her heart.

This was the first time in her twenty-four years she was living with a man, and furthermore, he was her... lawful husband.

Every movement was tinged with awkwardness. As Jiang An brushed her teeth while staring at the mirror, she suddenly thought that she and Dr. Gao were like business partners. Although their marriage had nothing to do with love, living together like this for half a year and facing Dr. Gao every day, she feared she might die!

Sitting by the dining table, Gao Chuan had already opened the breakfast he bought—simple congee and buns. The man set out bowls and chopsticks, and seated himself then watched as Jiang An dragged her feet coming out of the bathroom, sitting across from him with a restrained expression.

"Dr. Gao, what do auntie and uncle like? I’ll go buy some things later," Jiang An said, thinking of the tough battle ahead today. She felt nervous since last night. Although from a young age she had always been the type to deftly earn the elders’ affection, this time was different. She was meeting Shen Mei and Gao Lin as their daughter-in-law and had to prepare to make a decent impression.

Gao Chuan looked up at her nervous appearance yet continued to eat undisturbed, instructing her, "There’s no need for formalities when you meet them."

It was that same nonchalant tone, meaning that it was fine as long as she showed up. Jiang An verbally agreed on the surface but was still panicking inside.

"Should we... rehearse our lines? Like when we met, how long we’ve been dating, why we suddenly decided to get married," Jiang An thought. She had to play her part well, recollecting her previous poor acting skills when she had been dragged over by Shen Mei that filled her with fear.

Gao Chuan slowly lifted his head, his dark pupils falling upon Jiang An, watching her seriously discuss matters with him. He felt a little better inside and languidly asked, "How do you want us to have met?"

Jiang An didn’t expect Gao Chuan to throw the question back at her, and she suddenly found herself at a loss for words.

Gao Chuan put down his spoon, reminding her, "Just answer the way Ms. Shen asked you last time."

Jiang An’s mind raced, recalling the scene of that day. Indeed, Shen Mei had pulled her aside for a barrage of inquiries, to which Jiang An had hesitantly parried with denials, insisting that she was not Gao Chuan’s girlfriend, that they were only simple friends. Shen Mei had looked incredulous, saying that Gao Chuan was particular about cleanliness and would never lend his coat to someone unless they were in a romantic relationship. Afterward, she was led around by the nose by Shen Mei, barely enduring until Gao Chuan came back to explain for her. Yet now, they ended up getting married.

Embarrassment overwhelmed Jiang An as these thoughts filled her mind.

"Feel free to say whatever you fancy; it’s entirely up to you," Gao Chuan elegantly expressed, possibly because, for him, these fabricated lies were insignificant; what he really desired was the outcome—that he was married.

Jiang An scratched her forehead while pondering and then said, "Well... we can say that we met at the hospital, fell in love at first sight, dated for a month, and in a rush of passion, had a flash marriage." She concocted the story strenuously, and after finishing, she looked up at the silent man across her, who offered no reply. Feeling that her tale was a stretch, she shyly lowered her head and continued to eat her porridge.

"Acceptable," Dr. Gao responded tersely.

"Then who fell in love at first sight with whom?" Jiang An asked, lifting her doe eyes to gaze at the calm Gao Chuan, the question slipping out without a thought, catching even Gao Chuan by surprise, as a flicker of astonishment crossed his face.

After asking, Jiang An realized her blunder and buried her head in shame, internally berating herself fiercely. Are you insane, have you been reading too many romance novels, oh Jiang An, you hopeless romantic.

Several seconds later, the man elegantly spoke, "Me, I fell in love with you at first sight."

The girl had been using the act of eating porridge to mask her inner turmoil. Upon hearing his voice, she slowly looked up to meet Gao Chuan’s gaze; his magnetic voice tingling soothingly in her ears and making them itch.

"Oh." Jiang An pretended to be calm and continued eating her porridge. Only when the man rose and left the dining table did she put down her spoon. Her face flushed red, she covered her wildly thumping heart, patted her own cheek to regain her senses, whispering to herself, "Wake up, Jiang An, wake up!"

After breakfast, Jiang An returned to her room and stood in front of the wardrobe she had just organized the night before, wearing a worried expression. She thought back to the results of her Baidu search from yesterday on "what to wear when meeting the parents," which suggested dressing in a gentle and elegant manner. After much deliberation, she chose a nude, apricot-colored V-neck dress. After trying it on and checking herself out in the mirror, she found it satisfactory—even if just barely.

Carrying the dress, the girl walked to the bed and slowly began to remove her pajamas to change into it. The dress had a back zipper which she tried to pull up, but her arms weren’t long enough to zip it all the way up. Despite her struggles, the zipper remained stuck. After several failed attempts and thinking of removing the dress, she gently tugged and realized her hair had gotten tangled in the pull. Perhaps her prior rough handling contributed to the painful tangles at any movement.

"Ah," Jiang An exclaimed as she struggled with her hair when a knock at the door interrupted her. Without thinking, she carelessly replied, "Come in."

Gao Chuan, now dressed in a black suit, had knocked wanting to see if Jiang An was ready. Pushing the door open, he was greeted by the frantic girl at the bed’s edge, her fair back exposed, the dainty butterfly bones capturing the attention of his dark eyes. The handsome, cool composure of the man froze, his gaze turning inscrutable.

Jiang An, noticing the man at the door and no longer concerned with propriety between the sexes, turned her head and pleaded pitifully, "Dr. Gao, could you help me with my hair? It’s caught in the dress."