Can a Christian marry an unbeliever?

Paul urged the Corinthian believers to be ambassadors for reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:20). As Christians, we have an obligation to reconcile the world to God. We are followers of Christ, in whom God reconciles the world to Himself (2 Corinthians 5:19). Therefore, Christians should try their best to reconcile the world to God. Consequently, it is inevitable for Christians to interact with non-believers because they are the very people who are in need of reconciliation. Nearly half way through the epistle, Paul began to quote the Old Testament.
At the acceptable time I have listened to you, and helped you on the day of salvation (2 Corinthians 6:2a, Isaiah 49:8).

I always wonder why Paul quoted so many passages from the Old Testament in letters written to Gentile believers, from the Prophets as well as the Torah. How much would these Gentiles know of the Old Testament? How much would they accept Paul's arguments based on these quotations from the Old Testament?
Take the example above, Paul made use of it to urge the Corinthians to keep an open heart to reconcile. Immediately after quoting the passage from Isaiah, he added his own commentary.
For he says, "At the acceptable time I have listened to you, and helped you on the day of salvation." Behold, now is the acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation (2 Corinthians 6:2).
Here and now, the Corinthians should make good use of this opportunity to reconcile to God. But what had prevented the Corinthians from reconciling to God? Paul thought that it was the obstacle which the circumcision party had tried to impose on the Gentiles. Paul opposed this.
We put no obstacle in any one's way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry (2 Corinthians 6:3).
If there were any obstacles, Paul did not put them there. Rather, Paul had made every effort to ensure that the Corinthians could reconcile to God through Jesus Christ. He did not mind suffering for the sake of the Corinthians.
but as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: through great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities,
beatings, imprisonments, tumults, labors, watching, hunger;
by purity, knowledge, forbearance, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love,
truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left;
in honor and dishonor, in ill repute and good repute. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true;
as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold we live; as punished, and yet not killed;
as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing everything (2 Corinthians 6:4-10).
He suffered affliction and hardship for them. He made use of God's power to serve them and he thought he was successful despite all apparent failures. In his words, "as having nothing, and yet possessing everything". His heart was wide and he urged them to widen their hearts to embrace all (2 Corinthians 6:11-13).
Abruptly, he reversed gears and told them not to marry with unbelievers! Did Paul really intend this interpretation?
Do not be mismated with unbelievers. For what partnership have righteousness and iniquity? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?
What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever?
What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God (2 Corinthians 6:14-16a);
Protestants like to quote these verses to forbid followers from dating/marrying with unbelievers.
The word "mismated ἑτεροζυγοῦντες " appears only once in the whole New Testament. It means "be yoked with an animal of a different kind" and the Chinese Bibles, Catholic as well as Protestant, translate it as 「共負一軛」. Surely it requires an imaginative leap of logic to apply this to marriage.
Can a Christian marry an unbeliever? The answer is affirmative.
In discussing divorce in the First Epistle to the Corinthians, Paul followed Jesus' line and forbade it. The only exception he allows is the divorce between a Christian and an unbelieving spouse. The divorce can only be initiated by the unbelieving spouse.
But if the unbelieving partner desires to separate, let it be so; in such a case the brother or sister is not bound. For God has called us to peace. (1 Corinthians 7:15).
The marriage between Christians and unbelievers must have been very common in those days as in today and Paul saw the value of this kind of marriage.
For the unbelieving husband is consecrated through his wife, and the unbelieving wife is consecrated through her husband. Otherwise, your children would be unclean, but as it is they are holy (1 Corinthians 7:14).
Of course, you may argue that Paul was discussing the case of one partner becoming a Christian after marriage. He was only considering whether they should divorce after the conversion of one partner. I think it is too narrow an interpretation. Why wait for unbelieving couples to convert? Why not allow Christians to marry unbelievers to consecrate them? It goes against his appeal to reconcile the world to God if we forbid Christians to marry unbelievers.

My Lord, I am not a marriage counsellor and I have stepped out of my tuff. Allow me to work as Your instrument of reconciliation. Amen.

Appendix:
At the acceptable time I have listened to you, and helped you on the day of salvation.καιρῷ δεκτῷ ἐπήκουσά σου κ αὶ ἐν ἡμέρᾳ σωτηρίας ἐβοήθησά σοι (2 Corinthians 6:2, Isaiah 49:8).

I will live in them and move among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.ἐνοικήσω ἐν αὐτοῖς καὶ ἐμπερ ιπατήσω καὶ ἔσομαι αὐτῶν θεὸς καὶ αὐτοὶ ἔσονταί μου λαός. (2 Corinthians 6:16b)
καὶ ἐμπεριπατήσω ἐν ὑμῖν κα ὶ ἔσομαι ὑμῶν θεός, καὶ ὑμεῖς ἔσεσθέ μου λαός (Leviticus 26:12).

Therefore come out from them, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch nothing unclean; then I will welcome you, διὸ ἐξέλθατε ἐκ μέσου αὐτῶν καὶ ἀφορίσθητε, λέγει κύριος, καὶ ἀκαθάρτου μὴ ἅπτεσθε· κἀγὼ εἰσδέξομαι ὑμᾶς (2 Corinthians 6:17)
ἀπόστητε ἀπόστητε ἐξέλθατ ε ἐκεῖθεν καὶ ἀκαθάρτου μὴ ἅπτεσθε, ἐξέλθατε ἐκ μέσου αὐτῆς ἀφορίσθητε, οἱ φέροντες τὰ σκεύη κυρίου, (Isaiah 52:11).

and I will be a father to you, and you shall be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.καὶ ἔσομαι ὑμῖν εἰς πατέρα κ αὶ ὑμεῖς ἔσεσθέ μοι εἰς υἱοὺς καὶ θυγατέρας, λέγει κύριος παντοκράτωρ. (2 Corinthians 6:18)
ἐγὼ ἔσομαι αὐτῷ εἰς πατέρα, καὶ αὐτὸς ἔσται μοι εἰς υἱόν, (2 Samuel 7:14a).