After the divorce, my ex-husband's cousin tricked me into getting a marriage certificate.

Zhao Mengmeng was getting increasingly anxious seeing Qiao Ran's slow-wittedness.

He grabbed Qiao Ran's hand and hooked it around Qi Muci's arm. "Ranran, these heels are a bit thin. Hold onto Brother Qi and walk carefully, don't twist your ankle."

Qiao Ran was both amused and exasperated. No matter how thin the heels were, she could walk briskly without needing any support.

Ding Ding gave Fu Chao a wink and said with a smile, "Let's go, let's go eat."

Fu Chao quickly went ahead to open the door.

Qiao Ran linked arms with Qi Muci as they walked carefully. As soon as they got into the car, she quickly pulled her hand away because it was so sore.

Qi Muci saw her rubbing her hands and asked with a smile, "Are your hands sore?"

Qiao Ran was embarrassed, her face flushed red, "A little."

Qi Muci instructed Fu Chao to drive, and continued, "Ding Ding and I just chatted for a bit about your contract. What have you thought about it? Do you want to come to Xingyun?"

Qiao Ran thought for a moment and decided to tell the truth: "Can you give me some time? I want to wait until the divorce procedures are completed before signing."

Qi Muci nodded, "I understand. But if you're interested, you can go to the company first and talk to my brother. The company will also arrange a lawyer for you to assist you with the divorce."

Qiao Ran was surprised, "Is that possible? Can the lawyer help me communicate with the Lin family?"

Qi Muci: "Of course, you can bring up any needs you have. The company will do its best to solve all your problems, including your accommodation and we'll also arrange an assistant for you."

Qiao Ran: "I thought arrangements could only be made after the contract was signed."

Qi Muci: "As long as you are willing to sign a contract with the company, we can arrange it."

Qiao Ran bit her lower lip and thought for a moment, "I want to sign. Then I'd like to trouble Brother Qi to arrange for me to meet with Chairman Qi."

Qi Muci breathed a sigh of relief. "Okay, I'm on break right now, so I can help you with these things. I'll arrange it and then contact you... Fu Chao, go back and make arrangements to find a clever assistant for Miss Qiao."

“Okay, Brother Qi,” Fu Chao replied.

Qi Muci frowned and thought for a moment, "I might need to assign you two bodyguards."

Qiao Ran quickly shook her head, "I don't need bodyguards. I've been out of the entertainment industry for two years and many people have forgotten me."

Qi Muci raised an eyebrow at her. "It's not to appease your fans, but to appease the Lin family. Of course, if your divorce proceedings go smoothly, you don't need to arrange bodyguards."

“Lin Mengchuan won’t bother me,” Qiao Ran emphasized. “He can’t wait to get a divorce. He wants to give that woman a proper status. She’s pregnant, so they’re even more anxious than I am.”

Qi Muci gazed at Qiao Ran, his eyes filled with heartache and worry. Fu Chao had thoroughly investigated everything about Qiao Ran's two years in the Lin family, as well as Lin Mengchuan's affair with Lin Fei abroad.

"Are you alright?" Qi Muci asked softly.

Qiao Ran was stunned for a moment, then smiled calmly and said, "I'm fine, thank you, Brother Qi. I never had any feelings for him, I was just a little angry. That woman is my childhood friend, she deliberately stole Lin Mengchuan away."

"Because she has always liked to compare herself to me since she was a child, I never expected that she would even want to compete with men."

Seeing the bitter smile on Qiao Ran's face, Qi Muci's heart clenched. "A man who can be stolen away is not a good man. The one who truly loves you cannot be stolen away."

Qiao Ran raised her bright, dark eyes to look at Qi Muci, who was also gazing at her.

In that instant, her heartstrings seemed to be plucked by his gaze, a feeling she had never experienced before.

Qiao Ran's face flushed red to the roots of her ears.

When she came to her senses, she quickly lowered her head and gripped her handbag tightly with both hands.

My heart is racing, faster and faster.

Along the way, she didn't dare to look up again, nor did she speak on her own initiative. Fortunately, Qi Muci didn't say anything more either.

In fact, Qi Muci had already noticed Qiao Ran's nervousness, which is why he deliberately remained silent.

Fortunately, the restaurant they had booked was not far away, and it only took about ten minutes to drive there. Qi Muci got out of the car first, then handed his hand to Qiao Ran and helped her out of the car.

Because of their special status, it was inconvenient for the two to linger at the restaurant entrance. Qi Muci instructed Fu Chao to wait for Zhao Mengmeng and Ding Ding at the entrance after parking the car, while he led Qiao Ran into the restaurant to the reserved private room.

As soon as the two entered the restaurant, a manager came over to greet them.

Manager: "Teacher Qi, welcome. The private room has been reserved for you. Please follow me, be careful of the slippery floor."

Upon hearing this, Qi Muci naturally offered his arm to Qiao Ran.

Qiao Ran hesitated for a moment, then took his arm.

After walking a dozen steps, a man and a woman walked towards them. Their eyes met, and all four of them froze.

Lin Mengchuan's gaze fell on the hand that Qiao Ran was holding onto Qi Muci's arm, and a flash of anger appeared in his eyes. He suppressed the anger in his chest and turned his gaze to Qi Muci, "Cousin, it's been a long time."

Qiao Ran's lips twitched slightly, her eyes filled with surprise.

Qi Muci ignored Lin Mengchuan and turned to Qiao Ran to explain: "My mother and his mother are sisters, but they had some conflicts in their early years, so they broke off their relationship and have no contact with each other."

Qiao Ran responded with a soft "Mmm" and then fell silent.

Lin Fei was surprised to find that the famous actor Qi Muci was actually Lin Mengchuan's cousin, and even more surprised to find that Qiao Ran had such a close relationship with Qi Muci in private. The jealousy in her heart began to rise again.

Lin Mengchuan scrutinized Qiao Ran. Her outfit today was outstanding. The purple ensemble gave her an ethereal, otherworldly air, making her a completely different person from the girl in the white T-shirt and jeans he had seen at the Lin family's house yesterday.

With the addition of makeup and her long, wavy hair, she was simply captivating.

Lin Mengchuan felt a bit parched. He irritably tugged at his collar and said to Qiao Ran in an annoyed tone, "What are you standing there for? Come over here."

Qiao Ran looked up at Lin Mengchuan in astonishment. "Are you talking to me?"

Lin Mengchuan: "Am I talking to a ghost? You're my wife. If you won't come with me, are you going to go with another man? Don't you have any sense of decency or shame?"

Qiao Ran laughed mockingly, "Lin Mengchuan, did you get your brain slammed in a door?"

Lin Mengchuan was taken aback; this woman actually dared to speak to him like that.

Lin Mengchuan: "Qiao Ran, we haven't gotten a divorce certificate yet, so we're husband and wife. As a wife, you should keep to your proper duties, instead of dressing like this and getting your hair permed like a bird's nest while walking around with other men."

"Have you fulfilled your duties?" Qiao Ran interrupted, pointing at Lin Fei. "You cheated on me with my childhood friend, had a child with her, and then brought her back to force me to divorce you. Is this what you call your duties?"

Lin Fei gritted her teeth and glared at Qiao Ran, feeling that Qiao Ran had ruined her image in front of Qi Muci.

Lin Mengchuan glanced at Qi Muci, paused for a moment, and replied to Qiao Ran, "I've already torn up that divorce agreement. We're not getting a divorce."

Qiao Ran had anticipated Lin Mengchuan's response, so she immediately exposed his and his father's scheme, saying, "Is it because your company is going to issue bonds in two months? And you need the support of the company's shareholders?"

"Divorcing at this time will affect the shareholders' impression of you, Lin Mengchuan. You and your father have really thought this out. Two women serving one husband, how could you and your father come up with such a thing?"

"Do you really think I, Qiao Ran, am a simp who can't live without your Lin family?"