The wedding was held in silence.
No vows.
No guests.
No warmth.
Just two signatures on a paper in an empty registrar's office, under flickering fluorescent lights.
Tang Yueru wore a white dress—but it wasn't a wedding gown. It was a simple piece borrowed from a stylist on Lu Shenyan's team. Her makeup was flawless, her lips pale pink, her eyes hollow.
He wore black, of course. Black like every part of this transaction.
"Sign here," the registrar said, oblivious to the tension that thickened the air.
Lu Shenyan didn't hesitate. His pen scratched the paper as if he were signing off on a deal—because to him, that's all it was.
Then it was her turn.
Yueru hesitated only for a second.
This is for Father. For Mother. For Tang Corporation.
Feelings are for fools.
She signed.
"Congratulations," the registrar said awkwardly, not even lifting his head.
There was no kiss. No holding hands.
The car waiting outside was long, black, and sterile. Lu Shenyan opened the door, waited for her to step in, and then sat beside her. Still not speaking.
"Where are we going?" she asked finally.
"To my penthouse. You'll stay there."
"And after that?"
"You'll play the role of my wife in front of my grandfather and business partners," he said, his voice low. "Beyond that, stay out of my life."
Yueru turned to the window, watching the city lights blur past like ghosts of the future she would never have.
"And if I don't?"
His jaw tightened. "Then the contract ends, and so does your chance of saving Tang Corporation."
Ah. There it was. The reminder. The threat wrapped in silk.
"I see," she murmured.
She didn't cry. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction.
But her chest ached.
Not because she loved him—she didn't even know him. But because this wasn't how a girl was supposed to get married. Not like a pawn. Not with her heart locked in a box and the key thrown away.
---
The penthouse was as cold as the man who owned it.
Everything was steel, marble, and glass. No color. No warmth. It screamed of power and control.
"This is your room," he said, opening the door to a guest suite. "You'll sleep here. My room is down the hall. Don't enter it unless I call for you."
She stared at the room. It was large. Perfect. And completely impersonal.
"Do you treat all your guests this way, Mr. Lu?" she asked without turning.
"I don't marry my guests."
His words cut deep—but she didn't show it.
Instead, she turned to him with a faint smile.
"Then let's make sure this marriage doesn't become more than it has to be."
His eyes narrowed.
"I don't plan on getting attached."
"Good. Neither do I."
He left without another word.
She sat on the edge of the bed, letting the silence wrap around her like a shroud.
Outside the city buzzed, alive and free.
Inside, she was a bride with no ring, no family, and no tears left to shed.
But in that moment, Tang Yueru made herself a promise:
If I can marry Lu Shenyan to save my family, I can endure anything.
And one day… I'll walk away stronger than before.
---