Three ex-husbands and a marriage

Another marriage proposal

"Marriage? I don't understand," I mumbled. Marriage proposals seem to be coming out of my ears nowadays. I remembered back to my original single life and sighed. I miss those good old days where people just left me alone to read my romance books. Study, work, read, sleep, rinse and repeat.

"Last night my son visited me in my dreams. He said that the aura of your White Spirit Pearl is strong but because you are not tied together, he cannot absorb it and wake up. I'm so sorry to have to bring this up, please bear with this grieving mother," said Madame Bai.

I was speechless. I have read about these type of marriages before in the novels, where the bride marries in to bring luck to the family and heal the sick person. Never would I have imagined that it would happen to me one day. Especially as a villianess in this novel's world, I never expected that this situation could befall me. But then again, my experience so far has been too surreal that this development seems like a matter of course.

"He cried and begged me to help him. This is the only hope we have had since the accident. Rui An, I am sorry. He said that a marriage will create an invisible and unbreakable tie between you too so that the healing properties of the White Spirit Pearl can be absorbed into his body. It will repair his soul so that he can return to us."

I stared at her. The beloved mother has always been composed and dignified, but now, she looked a mess. The bags under her eyes and the lined forehead are telling signs that she had overthought this.

"Madame Bai, this is such a shock. Are you sure it was Second Young Master who came to you in the dream? I'm not trying to imply anything but perhaps, it could be the deep yearning you have manifested into a dream," I replied cautiously.

Madame Bai shifted uncomfortably in her seat and then bursted into tears. I have never seen her lose her composure let alone sob uncontrollably like this. I was truly at a lost on what to do.

"No...no...I know it is him. I have had dreams where he recovered and returned back to me. Uncountable number of times I have woken up to emptiness and disappointment. At one stage I was in the depths of despair. But this time it is different. I know with a mother's instinct, he has spoken to me through the dream," she said between muffled sobbing.

"I see...what would you like me to do?" I asked.

Her red eyes glistening with tears is both endearing and calculating. I sighed. A heavy disappointment and uncertainty weighed down my chest.

"An An...I know that this is too much to ask, but can you...can you marry my son?" she asked. Her eyes pleading with me. Behind the weak and sincere facade, I could see the glimpse of the calculating mother of a villianness who will stop at nothing to save her child.

"Can I think about it? Marriage is a big deal and with my situation, once my family catches wind of my location, they will bring a whole lot of pain to anyone who dares ruin their plans," I replied.

"We will protect you. With the power and resources of the Bai family, you will be safe here. If the marriage works and Bai Han wakes up, we will release you of the marriage, on a no fault basis. Actually, no, we will dissolve the marriage and claim that there was a misunderstanding and you were not married in the first place. That way it won't affect your reputation."

"Ah...my reputation? I don't care about it, Madame Bai, I care about freedom and that I don't have to go back to my family," I replied sincerely.

She gave me a look that borders on the edge of pity.

"Mingling, I promise you that we will be better than your family. We will try to protect you to the best of our abilities," she said. She placed her hand on top of mine and remained silent after that.