Chapter 7: Sham Marriage

```

"With a sputter, a mouthful of tea sprayed out from Chen Feng's mouth, almost landing on Lin Guodong. He had just lifted the teacup to take a sip when, caught off guard by Lin Guodong's words, he couldn't help but spew out all the tea.

"Ouch! Dad, we've known each other for less than a day. Give us some more time to get along, to understand each other. It won't be too late to get married then," Lin Xinru was no less shocked than Chen Feng, in fact, her shock was perhaps even greater. Her face had drained of color at the thought of marrying Chen Feng, a thug, ruffian, and lecherous jerk. The thought made her want to die.

Just thinking about marrying Chen Feng and living together made Lin Xinru feel terrible. Chen Feng was not at all the type she liked. How could they possibly get along in the future?

"What's there to get along with? Won't you have plenty of time after you're married? You're going to be together for a lifetime. Are you worried you won't understand each other?" Lin Xinru's dad said directly.

"But Dad, we..." Lin Xinru still wanted to resist a bit. Although she saw her father's fondness for Chen Feng, she really couldn't muster any interest. Being forced into marriage, who knew what would happen!

"What 'but'? Are you trying to defy my orders? Little Xin, you're the only one left in the Lin Family. I'm doing this for your own good. Look at Grandma, what does the old lady want? She just hopes you can have a complete family, get married, and have children. To tell you the truth, my health has been declining year by year. If I don't see my grandchild before I die, I tell you, I will not die in peace!"

Lin Xinru's dad's words were accompanied by tears welling up in the corners of his eyes. Lin Xinru felt her heart ache as she watched from the side. Her father loved her the most, and then there was her grandmother, already over eighty years old. The more Lin Xinru thought about it, the worse she felt inside; in the end, she could only grit her teeth and say, "Okay, I agree. We'll get married tomorrow, alright?"

Upon hearing Lin Xinru's agreement, Chen Feng was also drawn in. This woman, who seemed so cold, was willing to make such sacrifices for her family. Chen Feng began to see her in a new light.

After Lin Xinru finished speaking, she immediately went to her grandmother's side and said, "Grandma, Xinru will definitely not disappoint you. I shall marry Chen Feng tomorrow, and in a few days, I'll strive to let you hold a great-grandchild."

At these words, Lin Xinru's grandmother laughed.

"Hehe... silly girl, having a child isn't that quick. It takes ten months to bear a child. When I was carrying your dad, it was a full ten months, over three hundred days. Only after having a child did I realize the beauty of marriage."

Lin Xinru blushed with embarrassment, realizing she had completely skipped over the process of pregnancy by suggesting she'd have a child immediately after getting married.

Seeing that Lin Xinru was no longer resistant, Lin Guodong then continued, "Afeng, I know you've just returned from abroad and haven't had time to buy a house here. Well, I happen to have a vacant villa in Yile Garden. It's big enough, and the environment is quiet and elegant. I think there's no need for you to buy a house. Just move in with Little Xin. The villa is fully furnished with household items and servants, ready for you to move in immediately."

"Hehe... Uncle, as long as Little Xin doesn't object, I have no problems here." Chen Feng, who had effortlessly gained a beautiful wife, was already overjoyed inside. How could he possibly object? He had long forgotten the words that Lin Xinru had said to him, as if they had been blown away to Java State.

"You're still calling me uncle," Lin Guodong said, turning his face to feign displeasure.

```

"Yes, father-in-law..." Chen Feng went along with the cue, the old and the young, two foxes, happily started chatting, leaving Lin Xinru almost stomping her little feet to pieces by their side.

"Hmph! Chen Feng, come out with me!"

Lin Xinru seized an opportunity, pinched Lin Feng's waist hard, making him cry out with tears and snot, looking pitiful as she dragged him out to a quiet, undisturbed place.

"Wife, is there something you want to talk about? I still need to chat with my father-in-law." Chen Feng said with a mischievous grin.

"Who's your wife? And stop with the 'father-in-law' stuff, calling him that so affectionately. I never agreed to marry you, so don't flatter yourself," Lin Xinru said with a look of disgust on her face.

"Didn't you just say you were going to marry me?" Chen Feng asked, somewhat puzzled.

"You wish, Chen Feng. Let me tell you, I would marry a chicken or a dog before I married you. I don't like you at all, and you're not my type. The only reason I agreed is for my father and grandma, just so they wouldn't be sad," Lin Xinru stated bluntly.

"Er! Since you don't want to marry me, how are you going to explain to them? Just to let you know, I don't really care. I can get plenty of women. If I just call out, there'll be lots of them flocking to me," Chen Feng boasted arrogantly.

"Blowhard! Keep dreaming," Lin Xinru said disdainfully. "Chen Feng, let's not beat around the bush, you're just after the money. If that's the case, then let's make a deal. I need you to agree to a fake marriage with me, to cope with my father and grandma, but don't get it twisted—we are going to be nothing more than a fake husband and wife in name only. Once the agreed time is up, there will be no relationship between us whatsoever," Lin Xinru proposed an idea.

"Uh… but I'm an honest man," Chen Feng scratched his head, looking genuinely troubled.

Lin Xinru snorted coldly, pulled out a checkbook, wrote a few numbers on it, then with a snap, tore it off and placed it in front of Chen Feng with a disdainful look.

Chen Feng picked up the check with a smile, and when he saw the string of numbers, his eyes nearly popped out, showing Lin Xinru's resolute attitude about this whole matter. She would rather throw money at the problem to get rid of him than marry him. The corners of Chen Feng's mouth curled up as he whistled lightly at the check and said, "Deal."

The undisguised greed in Chen Feng's eyes infuriated Lin Xinru to the brink of insanity. This rotten guy actually preferred money over her beauty. Didn't he know that with her, what would this sum of money count for? The hearts of women are sometimes strange; when you care about her, she doesn't give a damn, but once you stop caring, it disturbs her inner balance.

Watching Lin Xinru's angry and beautiful profile, Chen Feng smiled with interest, finding this woman quite unique, totally unlike any woman he had encountered before. Perhaps... occasionally leading a peaceful life might not be such a bad choice.