Chapter 1 Marriage Agreement Monday morning at 9:00 AM, Jiang's...
At 9 a.m. on Monday, the Jiang Group gradually became busy. The marketing manager, dressed in a suit and carrying an egg pancake in his mouth, rushed into the elevator.
"Shen Zhu, good morning. I just put He Yu's information on your desk." High heels clicked crisply on the clean, bright floor tiles, and a capable female voice rang out.
The man subtly tilted his hand as he took the coffee, his thick eyelashes fluttering slightly. He looked up and smiled, saying, "Okay, I understand, thank you."
Zhang Na hesitated for a moment, then subconsciously glanced at the door. She then seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, casually looked away, and left the tea room with her empty cup in two quick steps.
Seeing this, the man lowered his slightly raised eyes, his gaze falling on the steaming coffee, and a self-deprecating smile appeared on his lips.
...It's always like this.
He had been working at Jiang's for nearly two years, but the interpersonal relationships in the workplace could only be described as disastrous. When he first joined the company, people would chat with him for a few minutes, but gradually fewer and fewer people talked to him. Until one day he suddenly realized that everyone was intentionally avoiding him, so he gave up on the idea of making friends.
It's okay, I'm used to being alone.
The man placed the freshly brewed coffee on the large desk and turned back to his workstation.
Today is not a good day.
The gloomy sky outside the window made Shen Li take a deep breath, forcing herself to focus her attention on He Yu's information.
"bite"
The elevator arrived, and the next second, a greeting came from the secretary's office: "President Jiang."
Jiang Huaichuan, President of the Jiang Group.
Jiang Huaichuan wore a black suit, with his shirt buttoned up to the top, revealing his sexy Adam's apple. Paired with a silver-gray tie, his noble air was undeniable.
"President Jiang." Shen Li stood up and followed behind Jiang Huaichuan, her voice gentle and unhurried as she recounted today's schedule: "There's a departmental meeting at 9:30 this morning, where the Business Department will submit a cooperation evaluation plan with Heyu; at noon, President Liu from Haiya has invited you to lunch at Linxianju; in the afternoon, you need to meet with President Fang from Fanghuan Group to discuss the land in the west of the city."
Jiang Huaichuan took a sip of coffee and nodded slightly to indicate that he understood.
A few seconds later, seeing that Shen Li was still standing in front of the table, Jiang Huaichuan paused, looked up and asked, "What's wrong?"
Shen Li's throat bobbed up and down, feeling as if a thorn was stuck in her throat. Suddenly meeting Jiang Huaichuan's sharp pupils, she could only hastily look away, her gaze lingering on the green plants to the side, trying her best to keep her tone steady: "Are you free tonight? How about we have dinner together?"
tonight?
Jiang Huaichuan subconsciously glanced at the time in the corner of the computer screen.
He doesn't remember what special day it is.
but……
Jiang Huaichuan's gaze returned to Shen Li's trembling fingertips hanging by her side. His eyes darkened, and he nodded, "Okay, wait for me after get off work, let's go together."
"Hmm." Shen Li breathed a sigh of relief, subconsciously grabbed the edge of the table, paused for two seconds, and then turned to leave.
After Shen Li left, the assistant general manager Song An came in carrying documents.
Assistant Song: "President Jiang, President Shen said he would like to invite you to dinner."
Shen Wenyuan, Shen Li's elder brother.
As one of the few people who knew the inside story, Song Zhu often felt that he was a messenger who could be completely optimized.
From the company's perspective, the Shen family and the Jiang family are partners. As the two biggest bosses of their respective companies, many collaborations require the assistance of their assistants.
Okay, I understand. Bosses need to project a certain image and don't usually get involved easily.
But! Why is it a one-sided assistant?! Why doesn't Shen's general assistant have any screen time?!
Song An, the one-sided assistant, thought about how his wonderful day had started when Shen Wenyuan's abstract Kapi Bala avatar slammed into his eyes like a pollutant. He felt a sharp pain in his head and wished he could rush to the company, grab his boss by the neck, shake him violently, and roar: "Reply to my message! Reply to one!"
Oh dear, impulse makes people lose their minds.
After all, while the oxen and horses are at work, the boss is still in bed...
But then again, from a personal perspective, Mr. Shen is Mr. Jiang's brother-in-law, and there is also Assistant Shen in between. Wouldn't it be more convenient to ask Assistant Shen than to ask him?
Song An stood in front of his desk, eyes downcast, inwardly cursing, waiting for the usual answer.
"Reject it." A cold voice came from ahead.
"Okay, I'll order right away... um?" Song An answered subconsciously, then realized something was wrong and suddenly looked up, his eyes wide with surprise and confusion.
"Is there a problem?" Jiang Huaichuan snorted, his gaze sweeping over like a laser cannon.
Song An quickly straightened his back and said seriously, "No."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Huaichuan withdrew his gaze with satisfaction, signed his name on the document with a wave of his hand, and waved for everyone to leave.
Song Zhu didn't understand how wealthy families handled things, but he still followed their instructions.
——
Time quickly came to the end of the workday.
With the arrival of the rainy season, even with the ventilation system running continuously, there is still a slight dampness in the air.
Shen Li shut down his computer 10 minutes early. Eight hours of intense concentration had left him feeling dizzy. He slumped into his office chair, gazing absently at the raindrops outside the window.
He and Jiang Huaichuan were married off in an arranged marriage, and the weather that day was the same as it is now.
Five years ago, Mr. Jiang and his father went abroad to inspect projects, but they never expected to return. The plane flew over mountains and crashed vertically in a deserted mountain in a foreign country. All seven people on board, including a vice president, assistant, secretary, doctor, and the captain, perished.
Upon hearing the devastating news, Jiang's mother fell seriously ill. Some unscrupulous individuals on the board of directors quickly formed cliques, intending to take advantage of the situation and seize control of the Jiang family business.
In an instant, the Jiang family was thrown into turmoil. Previously signed cooperation agreements were terminated, and assets were divided up at an astonishing speed. Shareholders who realized things were going wrong tried their best to salvage the situation, but to little avail.
Unfortunately, Jiang Huaichuan, who was studying for his master's degree abroad and had less than half a month left before graduation, was urgently called back and put in the spotlight.
The shares of Jiang's parents were transferred to Jiang Huaichuan, but the old man Jiang passed away unexpectedly. His last notarized will clearly stated that the shares would be inherited by his grandson Jiang Huaichuan, but with an additional condition: he would inherit half of the shares upon marriage and the remaining shares after five years.
This additional condition was originally written by Grandpa Jiang to urge his grandson to get married as soon as possible so that he could have a great-grandson. Unexpectedly, it became a huge obstacle on the road to saving the Jiang family.
Because of the lack of Mr. Jiang's shares, Jiang Huaichuan's shareholding does not exceed 50%, and even with the support of the other shareholders on the board, he still faces difficulties.
With internal strife and external troubles, even if Jiang Huaichuan was highly capable, he couldn't fight against overwhelming odds. Moreover, the vice president, assistant president, and secretary, who were originally most familiar with the company's situation, had all died in the plane crash.
In just one month, Jiang Huaichuan lost a lot of weight and was rushed to the hospital twice. Jiang's mother felt sorry for her son, but she didn't know anything about business and had no other choice but to worry.
Until one day, she heard some news—the Shen family's youngest son had been found.
Jiang's mother and Shen's mother were close friends, and their relationship remained strong over the years. They became pregnant around the same time and jokingly arranged a marriage between their children. Unfortunately, both gave birth to sons, and Jiang's mother often lamented to Shen's mother that their in-laws were destined to be apart. Unexpectedly, four years later, Shen's mother became pregnant again. Jiang's mother frequently brought her tonics, pleading with heaven and earth for a daughter-in-law, but it was another boy.
Twenty years ago, the Shen family's business grew, and Shen Wenyuan, the eldest son of the Shen family, was kidnapped when he was only 5 years old. Shen's father and mother went to the agreed location with the ransom. On the way, Shen's mother, who was in a state of emotional turmoil, unexpectedly went into premature labor. The couple had to separate. Shen's father went to rescue his eldest son, while Shen's mother stayed at the nearby town hospital to prepare for childbirth.
The town hospital at that time did not have the same treatment as hospitals in big cities. The best ward was only a double room. On the same day, another woman in the same ward was giving birth. Seeing that Shen's mother was dressed richly, she had a wicked idea. Taking advantage of Shen's mother's weakness and the fact that no one was around, she secretly switched the baby and left overnight.
Because the baby was premature, and because the mother's emotions were too volatile, the baby was seriously injured at birth and kept getting sick. The woman, who was alone, found it troublesome and abandoned the baby, who was only six months old, at the gate of the orphanage.
Twenty years have passed, and with the progress of the times, marriage between men is no longer a niche affair. Seeing that her son was still single, Jiang's mother began to have second thoughts. Shen's mother was an open-minded mother. She thought that since her son was her best friend and had watched him grow up, she knew him well. So, she took advantage of her youngest son Shen Ci's winter vacation at home to subtly probe him.
To everyone's surprise, Shen Ci was so frightened that he didn't dare to go home for the entire holiday.
Upon hearing this, Jiang's mother gave up.
It wasn't until Shen Ci's junior year of college, when he was in a car accident on his way back from a competition and was in critical condition, that it was discovered he wasn't a member of the Shen family. Shen Ci's parents were kind-hearted people, and since they had raised him for nearly 20 years, they continued to raise him. However, Shen Ci himself felt guilty and, unlike before, stopped being clingy and affectionate, and moved to the school.
Shen Li was found a few months later. During his junior year summer vacation, he was looking for an internship. As a student of a top university, he had companies recruiting on campus during his junior year. Among them was the Shen Group. Coincidentally, Shen Wenyuan, who had just taken over the group's work at the time, became an interviewer.
As soon as Shen Li submitted the initial screening data, it was intercepted by Shen Wenyuan.
With a face that bore a 70% resemblance to his own, and smiling peach blossom eyes that were exactly like Shen's mother's, coupled with the fact that she shared the same birth year as his younger brother, all these coincidences made Shen Wenyuan unable to help but suspect Shen Li's background.
So, right after the interview, Shen Li was taken to the hospital by CEO Shen and met with her father, who had been waiting for a long time.
The paternity test results came back quickly, confirming that Shen Li was indeed the Shen family's real child.
After returning home, Shen's mother felt that the character "Li" sounded bad and had an unpleasant meaning, so she let Shen Li choose a character himself and changed it to "Li". From then on, Shen Li, who grew up in an orphanage, became the youngest son of the Shen family, Shen Li, and had two older brothers, one named Shen Wenyuan and the other named Shen Ci.
At that time, only two months had passed since the turmoil in the Jiang family. When Jiang's mother heard the news, she, who was over fifty years old, suddenly had an extremely absurd idea. She came to the Shen family with her head down and sat down next to Shen's mother for the first time with such unease.
She said, "Shen Li isn't close to you guys. Why don't you marry Huai Chuan? I heard the Shen family is thinking of expanding into the entertainment industry. The Jiang family happens to have an entertainment division, and I can get Huai Chuan to transfer that resource to you. Besides..."
As Jiang's mother was speaking, she suddenly couldn't continue. She covered her face with her hands and broke down in tears.
Jiang's mother felt utterly despicable for trying to use financial benefits to get her best friend's newly found son to marry into the family, all so that her son could obtain shares.
Chen's mother's eyes also reddened, and she didn't say anything. Deep down, she couldn't bear to see her child, who had suffered for so long, have his life tied down again because of this. So she could only silently tear off a tissue and hand it to her friend, patting her on the shoulder.
Jiang's mother cried for a long time that day, releasing all the emotions she had suppressed for two months. Finally, she stood up to say goodbye, smiling apologetically: "Aya, just take it as a joke. I'm sorry, I have to go now."
But this smile inevitably carries the bitterness of old age.
Shen Li returned home at this time. He stood at the door and looked at his mother with a puzzled expression.
Mother Shen shook her head and said nothing.
At night, Shen Ci returned from school, which was rare for him. Shen Wenyuan and Shen's father went into the study to talk, while Shen Ci and Shen Li sat on the sofa playing on their phones, and Shen's mother was making cookies in the kitchen.
The Shen family home was as warm and peaceful as ever, if one ignored the burnt cookies and the cigarette butts scattered on the balcony floor.
The next day, Jiang Huaichuan and his mother went to the Shen family's house. Shen Li took the household registration book and ID card and followed Jiang Huaichuan out.
When they returned, the Shen family's household registration book showed four people again.
Shen Li, who had only been registered in the Shen family's household register for eight days, was transferred to Jiang Huaichuan's name.
When they got their marriage certificate, Shen Li and Jiang Huaichuan secretly signed a marriage agreement behind their families' backs. The agreement stipulated that after five years of marriage, Jiang Huaichuan would acquire all of Old Master Jiang's shares, and the two would voluntarily divorce and never interfere with each other again.
Just last Friday, Jiang Huaichuan acquired all the shares, and the Jiang family officially became his sole authority.
As her thoughts drifted to this point, Shen Li's eyes stung, and she tilted her head back and gently closed her eyes.
Their marriage ended.
His dream should end.
A lucid dream that I've had alone for five years.
A note from the author:
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The Imperial Tutor's Love-Obsessed Husband
A handsome, powerful, and tragic imperial tutor (bottom) * A wealthy family romance with a brainless seme (bottom transmigrates)
Song Liang was awakened by a glass of ice water. When she opened her eyes, she saw a dimly lit room and a familiar face on the face of the man holding the glass.
A deep, cold voice echoed in the room.
"Who sent you?"
"This is the same question again." Song Liang opened his eyes wearily, and a sharp pain in his chest made him gasp.
Zhou Jinlu leaned forward slightly, looking at the boy in front of him who was half-supporting himself with a mocking expression in his eyes. He wanted to see what kind of sophistry he could come up with.
The next second—
A boy's listless voice rang out, tinged with curiosity: "Why did Your Majesty cut your hair?"
Zhou Jinlu choked, took a few steps forward, squatted down, grabbed the boy's collar, and sneered with a raised eyebrow: "Calling me 'Dad' won't help, you're going to be stuck in jail for good."
No sooner had he finished speaking than the boy in front of him coughed up a mouthful of blood.
Warm blood dripped onto his arm. Zhou Jinlu's pupils dilated suddenly, and he turned his head: "Holy crap?! You tortured him?! I'm a law-abiding citizen!!!"
After a long while, Song Liang lay on the hospital bed, watching the man bustling around beside him fall into deep thought for the nth time. It seemed that his emperor had lost his mind.
This is the story of an imperial tutor who, after exhausting his efforts and being framed and imprisoned, comes to the modern era and encounters a woman obsessed with love.
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