Chapter 810
Chapter 810
The next morning, Nan Chen, who was usually dressed in black, made an exception and wore a light- colored suit.
It was rare to see him wear light-colored clothes, and it made him look bright and bubbly.
Ning Ran knew what his action meant—wearing light colors would make the wedding photo look more cheerful.
“Should I ask Jiang Zhe to make a reservation for us? I heard there'd always a long line of people waiting there,” Nan Chen asked.
“I don't see a need for that. I think it's fine to line up with everyone else.”
“All right, then. I respect your decision,” Nan Chen agreed.
Alas, when they arrived at the office, they found out there was already a long line of people.
Nan Chen and Ning Ran went there early in the morning, yet the hall was already crowded with people.
Not all of them came to register their marriage, though. Some were there to file for divorce.
Indeed, it was a place where people began their new chapter of life and let go of the past.
Once Nan Chen and Ning Ran entered the main hall, they immediately became the center of attention before they could even take a ticket.
Only then did Ning Ran realize she had made a terrible mistake by not allowing Nan Chen to make a special reservation.
She did not want to make use of any privileges. Instead, she wished for them to be like an ordinary couple—get a ticket, finish all the procedures, then take their marriage certificate.
However, she had forgotten that Nan Chen was not an ordinary person but the most influential man in the business world of Flower City.
As soon as he made his appearance, any man would feel the pressure from his attractive facial features.
All the women could not help but fix their eyes on Nan Chen.
Then, they shifted their gaze to Ning Ran beside him and were amazed by her beauty.
Even though Ning Ran had gotten tanned in the highland of Livingsfill and was no longer fair as before, she looked much healthier.
Besides, she had been paying more attention to her image since joining the entertainment industry. With a better sense of style, she looked much prettier than when she had just returned to the country last year.
The handsome man and gorgeous lady formed a stunning sight, causing the crowd to marvel at them.
It was no big deal if the crowd only surrounded the duo to admire their looks as though they were peacocks in a zoo.
What caused them headaches was someone had recognized their identities.
“Isn't that the young and handsome boss of Nanshi Corporation?” a woman suddenly exclaimed.
“Yes, it's him! I've seen him on the television before.”
“The one next to him is Ding Mi, the actress, right?”
“Absolutely! It's her!”
“It was rumored that they have children together. Are they having a shotgun marriage now?”
“Well, it's up to them and has nothing to do with you. Look. They didn't even make any special arrangements beforehand and lined up just like everyone else.”
Not only did the crowd talk about the duo, but they also started taking pictures and posting them on social media.
Ning Ran got alarmed upon seeing that. If things went on and the news spread on the internet, reporters would rush over there.
One could not belittle the power of reporters. There was a strong possibility that a crowd would gather at the entrance in ten minutes.
Moreover, many people did live broadcasts in the present climate. Everything could be shared on the internet with a phone, and it was simply impossible for them to let go of such an excellent opportunity to gossip.
Nan Chen, too, sensed that something was amiss. “Let's leave,” he whispered.
The two of them then exited the hall. Still, some people followed them from behind.
Luckily, the driver was quick-witted and drove the car over. The couple quickly got into the vehicle and fled the scene.
Ning Ran subsequently burst into a fit of hearty laughter.
“What's so funny?” Nan Chen shot her a glare.
“It's hilarious! I didn't expect this at all. It seems our Sir Chen is the idol of middle-aged and elderly women. The first person to recognize you is a not-so-young lady.”
He scoffed, “This wouldn't have happened if we had asked Jiang Zhe to arrange it in advance.”
“So you're blaming me for this now, huh? I didn't know it would turn out like this. Besides, it would be a difficult task for Jiang Zhe. This is a government office, not a hotel or restaurant. You can't vacate the place at your will.”
“We can request them to come to work earlier or overtime. There won't be so many people around if we come outside normal working hours,” he said with a straight face.
“That's a good idea! Nonetheless, everything happens for a reason. Since we can't get it done today, let's come another day. There's no rush. It's only a certificate that can't guarantee or restrain a thing, anyway.”
Nan Chen notably agreed with her last sentence. Indeed, people could breach an agreement, much less a marriage certificate.
Just then, Ning Ran's phone suddenly rang. It was Cheng Xiangyun.
Everyone had been resting since the movie was officially wrapped up. Hence, Ning Ran could not help but wonder why Cheng Xiangyun called her.
She answered the phone and asked, “What is it, Cheng?”
“I'm sending you a photo. You'll understand when you see it.” Cheng Xiangyun spoke anxiously on the other end of the line. Copyright Nôv/el/Dra/ma.Org.
“Photo? What do you mean?”
“It's hard for me to explain now. You will know when you see the photo.”
Cheng Xiangyun sent a photo to Ning Ran after hanging up the phone.
In the photo was a newspaper, a traditional media of which the demand was declining in the current era of new media.
Though newspapers had not wholly disappeared, as print media agencies were still publishing them, they had long lost their former glory.
Cheng Xiangyun had taken a snap of the front page of Flower City Daily that day.
The first half of the front page was some social news, whereas the bottom part, taking up almost two- thirds of the page, was a missing person advertisement.
When print media predominated back in the day, publishing a missing person advertisement in the newspaper was a normal thing people did, and it was efficient.
It was rare to see a missing person advertisement in the newspaper in the current digital era, not to mention the ad had occupied more than half of the front page.
Furthermore, the name of the missing person was Ding Fei.
The photo posted in the advertisement was the new appearance of Luo Fei, that was, Ding Fei.
The content of the advertisement was also intriguing: Our daughter has been missing for days, and we are extremely worried about her. If you have any information, please get in touch with us— Ning Ziqiang (father) or Luo Yi (mother).
Pictures of Ning Ziqiang and Luo Yi were also enclosed in the advertisement.
Enclosing the missing person's photo in such an advertisement is normal, but I've never seen the person publishing the ad enclose their own photo like this before. It's so strange...
After Ning Ran forwarded the photo to Nan Chen, she called Cheng Xiangyun to ask how she got it.
Cheng Xiangyun told Ning Ran that she took the photo herself. When she went to the newsstand that morning to buy fashion magazines, she saw a familiar name in the newspaper, which she thought was the latter's father. Thus, she took a snap of it and sent it to her.
As for the whole situation, she, too, was equally clueless.
Nan Chen furrowed his eyebrows when he saw the photo.
Then, he exchanged a look with Ning Ran and mentioned a name in unison, “It's Ruan Anxi!”
It was evident that Ning Ziqiang was not the person who had posted the missing person advertisement. If he did, he would have looked for Luo Fei, not Ding Fei. The photo in the advertisement would also be Ding Fei's photo before she had had plastic surgery.
Besides, it seemed absurd for Ning Ziqiang to enclose a picture of himself and Luo Yi in the advertisement.
As such, Ning Ran and Nan Chen were sure that the advertisement was posted by Ruan Anxi, who found out about Luo Fei's parents' whereabouts and took control of them to force Ding Fei to show up.
Why he chose to use outdated media like a newspaper was beyond Nan Chen and Ning Ran.