Accidentally Marked My Ex’s Crush, the Ice-Cold Goddess O - Chapter 13: Mutual Consent

Chapter 13: Mutual Consent

“How do you want to talk?”

Gu Feiran leaned lightly against the edge of the table, arms crossed.

Her cold, proud aura surged, making her seem untouchable.

Jiang Ci suddenly felt like she was back in school facing the headteacher, a chill running down her spine. “You said before, wait until I handled the broken engagement, then come talk to you. Now that it’s mostly settled, I came.”

Gu Feiran said, “Hmm.”

Jiang Ci hesitated a bit, then said, “You’re an S-class omega. According to the rules, once an alpha fully marks someone, the two must marry, but only if both agree. That night at the hotel, we were…”

It counted as mutual consent, right? Only if it counted could they keep talking. If not, there was no need to continue.

“It counts as mutual consent,” Gu Feiran said.

Hearing this, Jiang Ci let out a big sigh of relief.

Good thing it counted as mutual consent. If it didn’t, she could head straight to the police station, confess, and end up in jail sewing clothes.

After all, in today’s society, S-class omegas were rare, and the laws about marking were very strict.

Jiang Ci stepped forward, placing the milk tea on Gu Feiran’s desk, getting a bit closer. “So, by the rules, since I fully marked you, we either get married or I pay you a million a year as compensation. Which do you choose?”

Gu Feiran looked up at her, her expression cold and proud. “You came to talk to me. Shouldn’t you decide?”

“I’ll give you three million a year.”

She had thought this through before. Though the law said one million was enough, she wanted to give more.

Gu Feiran countered, “Is that why you ask me every time we meet if I’m pregnant? You don’t want to marry me, and you don’t want a child to affect your life later?”

“Of course not,” Jiang Ci denied immediately.

The frost in Gu Feiran’s eyes grew colder. “If it’s not that, does Miss Jiang have other reasons?”

Jiang Ci didn’t catch the chill in her tone and explained seriously, “There are two reasons I’m not choosing marriage. First, Dr. Gu, you’re so outstanding, beautiful, and a top-tier omega. An alpha like me, a failure, doesn’t deserve you. Even if I fully marked you, plenty of people still genuinely like you. Second, I just got dumped, and it’s all over the internet, everyone talking about it. If we announced a marriage now, people would insult me, fine, but I don’t want to drag you down.”

Though she was the one dumped, the internet was full of people saying she didn’t deserve Qiao Yunchi. Announcing a marriage now would just invite another round of insults.

Marriage was fine, but not right now.

“You’ve got a lot of reasons,” Gu Feiran said calmly. “But in summary, it’s just four words.”

Jiang Ci asked, “Which four words?”

Gu Feiran said clearly, “Don’t want to take responsibility.”

Jiang Ci froze on the spot.

Gu Feiran lowered her arms, lightly resting them on the desk, leaning closer to Jiang Ci. As she spoke, her warm breath hit Jiang Ci’s face. “You say you don’t deserve me, but Qiao Yunchi is also a top-tier omega. When you dated and got engaged to her, did you ever think you were a failure alpha who didn’t deserve her?”

“And…” Gu Feiran leaned closer, almost whispering in Jiang Ci’s ear, “You say you just got dumped and don’t want to drag me down. Can I take that to mean you still have feelings for your ex, so you don’t want to marry me so soon?”

Jiang Ci stayed silent.

The office fell into a strange quiet.

Gu Feiran stepped back, ignoring Jiang Ci’s reaction. She turned, grabbed her coat and bag from the rack, draped them over her arm, and said calmly, “Before we register the marking information next Monday, we’ll sign a compensation contract. I’ll take it to the staff and say we’ve agreed not to marry, and you’ll pay me a million a year. That settles things between us. But I won’t take the money, and you don’t need to pay. In a couple of days, I’ll get a checkup. If I’m pregnant, I’ll get rid of it. If not, then I’m not.”

Gu Feiran laid everything out clearly, then walked past Jiang Ci, stopping at the door with her hand on the handle. “Take the milk tea and leave. I’m done for the day.”

Jiang Ci, still dazed, said, “Oh,” and picked up the milk tea to leave.

Gu Feiran locked the office door, sent a message to her driver, then put away her phone and headed to the elevator.

Jiang Ci followed behind.

The elevator came quickly this time.

When the doors opened, Gu Feiran stepped inside, pressed the button for the first floor, and moved to the corner.

As she turned, Jiang Ci appeared right in front of her, very close.

“Anything else?” Gu Feiran asked in a low voice.

Jiang Ci looked down, took the milk tea out of the bag, inserted the straw, and handed it to her. “Here.”

Gu Feiran didn’t take it, not understanding what she meant.

Jiang Ci curved her lips into an awkward smile and said, “You’re right about a lot of what you said. I don’t deny it. But what I said wasn’t fake either. If you’re really okay with marrying me, can we wait until I graduate? It’s almost the end of July, just over a month away. By then, the gossip should be gone, and I’ll be done with school. Right after I graduate, we can get married. What do you think?”

“Not great,” Gu Feiran refused.

Jiang Ci’s smile froze.

“Then what do you want me to do?” Jiang Ci asked softly.

Gu Feiran said, “Like I just said, bring a compensation contract next week. I’ll sign it, and we’re done.”

Jiang Ci slowly lowered her eyes.

*Ding.* The elevator stopped at the seventh floor.

Someone came in, and Jiang Ci stepped back to stand beside Gu Feiran.

“Hey, Xiao Ci, Dr. Gu, you two again?” Jiang Lan was waiting for the elevator to leave work and looked up to see them standing side by side.

“Little Aunt.”

“Dr. Jiang.”

They both straightened and greeted her.

Jiang Lan and a hospital colleague stepped into the elevator. She glanced at them curiously and asked, “Why are you two together again? Going on a date after work?”

Jiang Lan teased them.

Honestly, Dr. Gu was really great—good-looking, highly skilled, and an S-class omega, top-tier in every way.

Sure, their Xiao Ci didn’t quite match up, but she was family, so a little encouragement wouldn’t hurt.

And who knows, maybe Dr. Gu was into her.

Gu Feiran smiled lightly. “No, just happened to leave work at the same time.”

Jiang Ci handed the milk tea to Jiang Lan, explaining, “I stopped by Grandma’s room, talked about some work stuff, and ran into Dr. Gu on the way down.”

Jiang Lan took the milk tea, not doubting their words, but added with a grin, “Meeting once is chance, twice is fate. With how often you two run into each other, I’d say you’re destined to be a perfect match, meant to be.”

Jiang Ci gave a dry laugh. “Little Aunt, if you ever lose your job, you could set up a stall under the bridge as a fortune-teller.”

Jiang Lan tsked at her. “What are you talking about? If I lose my job, your Aunt Liu will take care of me.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Jiang Ci agreed.

Aunt Liu was not only perfect but also unmatched at spoiling her wife, treating Little Aunt like she was too precious to drop or let melt.

Gu Feiran didn’t pay attention to their conversation, but the doctor who came in with Jiang Lan did.

He looked at Jiang Ci, then at Gu Feiran, and finally turned to Jiang Lan, cautiously asking, “Um, is Dr. Gu dating anyone?”

All three turned to look at him.

Jiang Lan inwardly gasped. She’d been so focused on the two of them that she forgot the person beside her was Dr. Xu, the top suitor of Dr. Gu from the cardiology department.

When Dr. Gu first joined the hospital, she stunned everyone.

Single men and women from the whole hospital sent her flowers, but most stopped after a few days.

Only Dr. Xu kept it up for six months, until Dr. Gu wrote a resignation letter to make him stop.

He stopped sending flowers but still visited her in general surgery almost daily for three years, rain or shine, becoming a hospital legend.

“No, Dr. Gu is single,” Jiang Ci said, breaking the sudden silence in the elevator.

Xu Zhen nodded, looking relieved, and smiled. “Oh, I heard your conversation and thought Dr. Gu was already taken.”

Jiang Ci forced a smile. “She’s probably single.”

Jiang Lan stared at Jiang Ci, sipping her milk tea.

The elevator reached the first floor, and the four stepped out.

Jiang Lan and Xu Zhen walked ahead, while Jiang Ci and Gu Feiran followed behind. Xu Zhen wanted to walk with Gu Feiran but didn’t get the chance.

“Dr. Jiang,” someone called from the hospital lobby.

Jiang Ci didn’t need to look to know it was Aunt Liu.

Aunt Liu always came to pick up Little Aunt after work if she wasn’t busy. Sometimes, when she had nothing to do on her days off, she’d even spend the whole day at the hospital with her.

They bickered a lot, but their bond was real.

The four walked toward Liu Xiting.

Liu Xiting noticed the milk tea in Jiang Lan’s hand, then lifted the ones she was holding. “How do you have milk tea already?”

Jiang Lan said, “Xiao Ci bought it for me.”

“Oh,” Liu Xiting said, looking at Gu Feiran and Jiang Ci, her gaze flickering nervously.

She groaned inwardly—why was it these two troublemakers again?

Liu Xiting cleared her throat, handed the milk tea to Jiang Ci, and said, “Since Dr. Jiang already has milk tea, you and this doctor can take these two to drink.”

“Sure,” Jiang Ci said, taking them with both hands.

Little Aunt already had one, and they wouldn’t drink these two. Gu Feiran didn’t want any, so she’d give them to the driver later.

Liu Xiting lowered her hands, looked at the two again, and asked, “Xiao Ci, why are you always at the hospital, leaving work with this doctor? Are you two together?”

Jiang Lan couldn’t hold it in. “Pfft.”

Jiang Ci and Gu Feiran: “…”

Xu Zhen instinctively turned to look at Gu Feiran.