1 A normal couple

Chapter 1

…

City A, in a famous hotel of the city

The most prestigious award ceremony for people in the entertainment industry is being held and a red carpet is spread on the ground with many famous stars arriving. The atmosphere in the air is festive and sparkling as many celebrities began walking down the aisle under the blinding flash of the cameras.

The cheers of the crowd who are watching this scene reverberated through the air as fans cheered for their idols and the paparazzi busily flash their cameras.

At this moment, a white van from a well-known entertainment company stopped. When the people saw the white van everyone has expectant eyes as they look in the vehicle's direction.

When the sliding door opens, everyone saw a dazzling scene as a beautiful woman slowly got off from the vehicle while being assisted by her manager.

"Waaah… It's Ma Liling!"

"Oh my, Oh my... my goddess has arrived!"

"Ma Liling! I love you!"

"Goddess Liling, I love you!"

The shouts of the rowdy crowd were ear-piercing followed by the flash of the cameras which erupted like fireworks.

Meanwhile, on the stand where other stars are walking, many could not help but turn their gaze in this direction.

Featuring a crisp white hue to the elongating silhouette and paired with an elegant asymmetrical cape, the woman stood at 5'10 feet with her high heel stilettos, she wears light make-up which insinuates her natural beauty and youthfulness. She confidently stood on the red carpet as people began taking her pictures.

Ma Liling has been grabbing attention from everywhere ever since she appears in the entertainment industry 5 years ago. Starting as a model of a small unknown brand which she then carried until the brand became famous, then she became a singer with her golden voice and went to the limelight as an idol, and after two years she entered the screen for her top-notch acting ability which made a lot of people be awed with her acting performances in her movies and drama series.

She is known as the one-take princess, as she could nail her parts and scripts in just one take. She is also known to carry the emotion of a scene and affect those who would act alongside her. Which made many want to partner with her in scenes, and this ability of her, made her famous in her circle.

This is the reason why she became really famous as an actress and won a lot of awards in the span of 3 years in her acting career.

As she walks down the red carpet, the cameras did not stop taking her picture.

"Look, it's Liling… she has once again captured everyone's attention. Sigh, I really don't like that girl." One of the celebrities whispered to the woman beside her as they walk towards the crowd of reporters.

"Hush… She is hard to deal with… do not intimidate her…" her companion said as the two smiles towards the crowd while showing a gentle appearance.

…

As the most prestigious awards ceremony where many celebrities are aiming to win started the program, Ma Liling is not paying attention and is busy looking at her phone which is filled with messages. She could not help but smile wryly. She dare not reply as it might cause her some rumors.

Soon, her name was suddenly called as she seems to have won an award. She was distracted for a moment, and after going up the stage, she discovers the plaque which has a written best actress award on it.

She was a bit frozen and did not expect the award. She was not informed by her agency about this.

Her reaction was too precious that the camera caught her innocent and angelic face with a surprised expression.

As she held the award… her mind works immediately and she suddenly smiled. As one of her quirks as an actress she already has full control of her emotion at an instant.

She smiles at the crowd which almost takes everyone's breath away.

"This… this is truly a great honor for me. My feelings right now… is something that is hard to explain. It's like… I'm preparing to get married tomorrow… Hihi…"

When she chuckles, everyone in the crowd also laughed with her. They didn't know why but it seems that it was her charisma.

"I'll marry you Liling!"

"Yeah, me too!"

Someone from the crowd shouted which made everyone laugh more.

…

Meanwhile, within the crowd, a tall and handsome man sits quietly while busily looking at his phone. He has sent a couple of messages but did not receive any reply.

When the young man beside him saw him frowning, cold sweat suddenly covered his forehead. This man is a well-known self-made billionaire who became very rich while very young and hiding his true identity. Only a few people know this, and those people are his trusted friends and close acquaintances, and the sweating young man is one of them.

"Mr. Yu… is… is there anything not to your liking?" the young man asked with a fearful tone.

The man frowns but did not answer.

"Why is she not answering? Hmm… Maybe she is busy with work… but tomorrow…" Mr. Yu muttered which made the young man subconsciously wipe the sweat on his forehead.

When Yu Bai noticed the expression of the young man beside him, he patted the young man's shoulder.

"Hey, take it easy… I'm just thinking about something." Yu Bai said with a smile.

When Yu Bai smiled, the young man felt like his troubles seem to have gone out of the windows. He and many others produced this award ceremony every year and Mr. Yu is their biggest investor, so how could he neglect him.

Yu Bai lifted his gaze and saw the beautiful woman on the stage. Seeing her fresh and youthful face with less make-up, made Yu Bai appreciate her beauty. But he frowns and tilted his head and shifted his attention back to his phone while muttering.

"Beautiful women… very troublesome…"

When the young man beside him heard those words of Yu Bai, he just showed a sheepish smile. How could he not know that Mr. Yu has a preference for ordinary-looking women? In fact, he knew that tomorrow is a very special day for his boss.

Because tomorrow Mr. Yu's special day is his marriage to his childhood sweetheart.

He and only a few of those close to Mr. Yu knew of the unique relationship he has with his wife to be.

The two have dated each other for many years but without physical interaction. And they have both loved each other even in that situation, and tomorrow is their special day.

…

The next day at 2 in the afternoon, in front of the marriage registration office, a simple-looking old blue sedan stops in its parking lot. Two people alighted from the vehicle and have smiles on their faces.

Yu Bai and Ma Mian held each other's hand as they happily walk inside the marriage registration office.

This morning, they had a simple marriage ceremony officiated by a priest and witnessed by their close kin. Ma Mian's mother is her only family in that ceremony, while Yu Bai only has his friends and uncle to attend.

The ceremony was simple and pleasant, yet everyone was happy.

As the couple happily walks they soon feel a bit shy, they realized that they are about to register their marriage officially.

Ma Mian is currently wearing a big pair of glasses, with some prickles on her forehead and some on her cheeks and her hair is partly covering her face. This made her look like an ordinary girl with low self-esteem. Coupled with her baggy T-shirt and her long skirt, she truly looks like someone from the countryside.

Meanwhile, Yu Bai has his hair covering his forehead and looking like an introverted young man. He is wearing a loose white T-shirt and loose jeans.

The two looks like they are really from the countryside which made some people look at them in disdain especially the couple who is sitting near them.

"Honey… I want our honeymoon to be romantic, okay?" the woman coquettishly said to the handsome-looking young man beside her as she hugs his arms.

The young man looks pleased with his future wife and has a look of pride in his heart.

"Don't worry; I will take you to Ma-Jives… We will spend our sweet time in that place."

"Really! That's abroad right? We can have a great time at the beach and see some scenery… Hihi… I really like that place… Ma-Jives…"

Hearing his wife, the young man's expression suddenly changes as he felt speechless.

Ma Mian who heard the woman, could not help but snicker as she could not control herself from laughing.

"What Ma-Jives… Did she mean the Maldives? Is she stupid or something?" Ma Mian thought.

But her snicker did not escape the young woman's ears. She frowns and suddenly glared at Ma Mian.

"Are you mocking me?" the woman said while pointing at Ma Mian.

Yu Bai who did not expect such a reaction from the young woman suddenly held Ma Mian's hand and move in front of her like a protective wall.

Ma Mian feels really touched by her husband's protective gesture. She knew that she made a mistake and just lowered her head. Seeing her reaction, the haughty young woman sneered.

When the young woman noticed Yu Bai's face, she suddenly showed a faint blush on her face. This is because, although Yu Bai hides his appearance, if one looks at him directly they could notice his handsome features.

Behind that normal-looking appearance and out-of-fashion clothes, is a very handsome man.

Seeing his wife seem to be frozen, the young man showed a bit of confusion in his eyes.

Suddenly, Yu Bai turns around as he noticed the one in charge of their papers walking towards them. He suddenly grabs Ma Mian's hands and approaches that person, then everything happened quickly and smoothly.

The two did not linger inside the registration hall and immediately left.

Meanwhile, the haughty woman is still in a daze with her husband looking at her in confusion.

"Honey... Are you okay?"

"Very... very handsome..."

...

That night, after a simple dinner, the two shyly sit beside the bed, it was as if they are feeling each other's presence.

It is their first night together, a very memorable night for a couple especially for those who only saw each other a few days ago after a long relationship online and suddenly got married today.

"Are… Are you scared?" Yu Bai asked shyly.

Ma Mian just nodded her head and a faint blush could be seen on her freckled face. Her timid appearance truly made Yu Bai feel attracted to her.

She might not be the most beautiful woman in the world, but to him, she is his world.

Ever since they were younger, she has already taken a part of his heart and has been in his mind. And now, the woman in his heart is his wife. He could help but feel excited.

He carefully moves closer towards her, which almost made Ma Mian jump up as if she was a scared cat. But she realized her blunder and showed a sorry expression.

Yu Bai is the one she likes ever since they were young. She considered him as the man who will not hurt her and would love unconditionally. He has been her ideal man since young.

As the two drew closer together, they could both feel the heavy breathing and the fast heartbeat in each other's hearts.

When their lips both touch each other, they feel ecstatic and mesmerized, and they could not help but deepen their kiss further.

Soon they were both out of breath, and Yu Bai carefully pushes Ma Mian on the bed.

He could not help but feel aroused by her beautiful scent as he could not wait any longer.

"Wait… I'm… I'm not ready… can you… can you please turn off the light? I'm really not confident with myself." Ma Mian suddenly said.

Yu Bai looks at her in confusion, and when he turns off the light, the room is covered in pure darkness that he could see anything.

What happened next after that made Yu Bai feel that everything is just a dream.