Chasing the Light (Zong Qing & Jiang Mingxu)
The moment Zong Qing stepped onto the red carpet, the entire Golden Phoenix Awards venue seemed to be muted.
The flashes of cameras were like a blizzard, blinding everyone. A slight smile played on her lips as she gently brushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear. Her flowing, golden fishtail skirt swayed with each step, as if she were wearing the Milky Way.
"Zong Qing! Look this way!"
"Sister Qing! You're in amazing shape today!"
The media area erupted in chaos, with photographers shoving and jostling to get a perfect shot of her from any angle.
Zong Qing was already used to this kind of scene.
She turned slightly to the side, revealing her signature half-profile smile—an angle voted number one for "most captivating moment" by fans. The hem of her skirt curved gracefully as she turned, the rhinestone-studded fabric reflecting shimmering light under the lamplight, like real starlight draped over her.
The red carpet host's voice came through the microphone: "Now walking towards us is Zong Qing, the nominee for Best Actress at this year's Golden Phoenix Awards!"
As she was about to walk toward the autograph board, she caught a glimpse of a tall, slender figure at the end of the red carpet.
Jiang Mingxu.
He stood in the sponsors' section, dressed in a perfectly tailored black suit with a tie tied impeccably. Despite being in the heart of the hustle and bustle, he seemed to possess an inner shield, isolating himself from the surrounding noise.
Zong Qing's smile froze for half a second.
It's been three years. They haven't met privately since that absurd "blind date banquet."
She quickly adjusted her expression, but her nails dug deeply into her palms.
---
In the backstage dressing room, Zong Qing ripped off a diamond earring worth millions and casually tossed it into a jewelry box.
"Sister Qing, please be gentle..." Assistant Xiaolin caught it nervously, "This was borrowed from the brand..."
"If it breaks, it's on me." She waved her hand impatiently and grabbed a cotton pad to wipe her mouth hard.
The woman in the mirror had exquisite makeup, with tiny rhinestones at the corners of her eyes, glistening like teardrops. But only she knew how much cold sweat had broken out on her back on the red carpet.
"Um..." Xiaolin held a bouquet of white roses, hesitating to speak, "...it was sent by President Jiang..."
Zong Qing stopped moving.
The roses were pure white, the packaging so simple it was almost cold, even the ribbon was the most ordinary beige. She didn't need to look at the card to know what it said—
Congratulations on winning the award. — Jiang Mingxu
Same as last year.
Same as the year before last.
Just like every time in the past decade!
“Throw it away.” She sneered. “The same old-fashioned aesthetic that’s been around for ten years.”
Kobayashi hesitated: "But..."
"I said I threw it away!"
The dressing room fell silent instantly. The staff members tacitly lowered their heads and pretended to be busy, only the manager, Sister Wang, sighed and waved for everyone to leave.
The moment the door closed, Zong Qing grabbed the bouquet and slammed it against the wall. Petals scattered and fell, a few clinging to her skirt like drops of blood blooming in the snow.
The phone vibrated at that moment.
Brother: "Grandpa wants you to come home for dinner this weekend, and the Jiang family will be there too."
Zong Qing stared at the screen and suddenly burst out laughing.
How ironic. Everyone in the circle knows that the young princess of the Zong family and the heir of the Jiang family are childhood sweethearts, a model of family friendship, and the most well-matched golden couple in the elite circles—
But no one knows that she has a crush on Jiang Mingxu since she was sixteen.
He always looked at her with the same eyes he used to look at the girl next door.
---
The winner of this year's Golden Phoenix Award for Best Actress is—
The presenter deliberately dragged out his words, and the camera switched back and forth between the faces of the nominees. Zong Qing maintained a polite smile, but her nails were already digging into the soft flesh of her palms.
"—Spring Days Without Sleep, Zong Qing!"
Thunderous applause erupted.
She rose gracefully, and out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jiang Mingxu clapping, a familiar, polite smile on his lips.
Zong Qing suddenly stopped midway through her acceptance speech.
Because Jiang Mingxu stood up.
He bowed slightly and spoke to the person next to him, and then—left the venue.
At the most important moment.
On the moment when she lifted the Golden Phoenix trophy for the third time in her life.
Zong Qing gripped the trophy tightly, her fingertips turning white. Her smile was flawless, but her voice trembled with a tremor only she knew: "Thank you to everyone who has supported me."
The seat that belonged to Jiang Mingxu was empty in the audience.
---
Congratulations to our triple-crowned Best Actress!
In front of the champagne tower, Su Man swayed her hips as she walked over. This rising starlet had always seen Zong Qing as a thorn in her side, but now she smiled unusually warmly.
Zong Qing swirled her wine glass, not even bothering to offer a fake smile: "What is it?"
"I heard that the Jiang family is going to arrange a marriage with the Lin family?" Su Man lowered her voice, her red lips almost touching her ear. "Miss Lin just returned from Paris and had dinner alone with President Jiang."
Click.
The slender stem of the goblet broke in Zong Qing's hand.
Champagne spilled all over her hands, cold and sticky, like some kind of silent mockery.
"Oh dear, I'm so sorry," Su Man feigned surprise. "Did I say something I shouldn't have?"
Zong Qing slowly wiped her hands, then suddenly smiled: "Miss Su."
"ah?"
"Do you know why you're always relegated to supporting roles?" She leaned close to Su Man's instantly frozen face and whispered, "Because of your acting skills—"
"It's completely rotten."
As she turned to leave, she heard Su Man scream in exasperation: "Zong Qing! Don't be so smug! Jiang Mingxu would rather marry that bookworm from the Lin family than you!"
---
Zong Family Villa, 3 a.m.
When the study door was kicked open, Zong Ye didn't even look up: "The Golden Phoenix Trophy is for smashing doors?"
"Brother!" Zong Qing slammed the trophy on the table, her eyes red. "I'm going to pursue Jiang Mingxu!"
Zongye finally looked up from the financial statements. He slowly took off his glasses and looked his younger sister up and down—
Her dress was wrinkled, her makeup was smudged on one side, and she reeked of alcohol.
"Have you finally gone mad?"
"I'm serious!" She slammed her hand on the table. "He's almost been stolen away by that scheming woman from the Lin family!"
Zongye raised an eyebrow: "So?"
"So I'm going to take the initiative!" Zong Qing gritted her teeth. "Drug, kidnapping, or forcing the issue—you choose one!"
The air froze for three seconds.
Zong suddenly laughed. He opened a drawer and threw out a document: "Jiang Mingxu will be flying to Paris next week for an inspection tour. Itinerary."
Zong Qing's eyes lit up.
“However—” Zongye deliberately dragged out the word, “I heard that Miss Lin is also going.”
The next second, his dear sister grabbed the car keys and rushed out the door.
Zong Qing stood at the exit of Charles de Gaulle Airport, the cold wind swirling fine snow into the collar of her coat. She hunched her shoulders, but her eyes behind her sunglasses shone with an astonishing light.
"Sister Qing, are you sure you want to do this?" Agent Chen Lu rubbed her hands, looking utterly devastated. "The VOGUE cover shoot starts the day after tomorrow. If you fly to Paris now, the brand will kill us!"
Zong Qing looked down at her phone, which displayed Jiang Mingxu's schedule—she had spent a lot of money to get it from inside the Jiang Group.
“He’s checking into the Ritz Hotel tonight and going to the Louvre for an art exhibition at 10 a.m. tomorrow.” She smiled slightly. “And I happen to have been invited to the same exhibition.”
Chen Lu closed her eyes in despair: "When did you become interested in art?"
“Starting today.” Zong Qing pushed her sunglasses up her nose and strode towards the waiting van in her high heels. “Let’s go to the hotel.”
---
Ritz Hotel, 9 p.m.
Zong Qing changed into a nude pink satin gown from Dior, her hair loosely tied up, revealing her slender neck. She touched up her lipstick in front of the mirror and took a deep breath.
“Remember, it was a ‘chance encounter’,” she told herself.
As the elevator descended into the lobby, she deliberately slowed her pace, her gaze sweeping over every corner of the lounge area—
Found it.
Jiang Mingxu sat on the sofa by the window, his long, slender fingers holding a document, his eyes behind his gold-rimmed glasses cold and aloof. He wore a black bespoke suit, the cufflinks gleaming subtly under the light, making him look like a classical oil painting, noble and distant.
Zong Qing's heart suddenly raced.
She adjusted her breathing, pretended to casually walk past his seat, and then "accidentally" bumped into the waiter's tray.
"oops!"
The champagne glass shattered on the floor, the crisp sound drawing the attention of those around them. Jiang Mingxu looked up, his gaze pausing slightly when it met hers.
"Zongqing?"
She turned around, feigning surprise: "Mingxu-ge? What are you doing here?"
Jiang Mingxu closed the file, his brows furrowing slightly: "That's what I should be asking you."
Zong Qing blinked: "I'm here to shoot an advertisement, and I also have to attend that art exhibition at the Louvre tomorrow..."
His gaze lingered on her thin dress for a second, then he suddenly took off his suit jacket and handed it to her: "Wearing so little, are you looking for trouble?"
The familiar scent of cedarwood enveloped her, and Zong Qing's ears burned. She obediently put on her coat. The first step of the plan: creating an opportunity to be alone was complete.
---
At two o'clock in the morning, Zong Qing tossed and turned in bed.
"He clearly cares about me, so why does he still want to marry into the Lin family?" She stared at the ceiling, her mind filled with the image of Jiang Mingxu slightly frowning as he draped a coat over her shoulders.
My phone suddenly vibrated. Chen Lu had sent me a message: "Ms. Lin just checked into the Ritz, room number 2208."
Zong Qing sat up abruptly. 2208? Right next to Jiang Mingxu's room!
She jumped out of bed, spun around barefoot on the carpet twice, then suddenly grabbed a pillow and rushed out of the room.
---
The doorway of room 2207.
Zong Qing took a deep breath and raised her hand to knock on the door.
Ten seconds later, the door opened.
Jiang Mingxu was wearing a bathrobe, his hair still dripping wet, clearly having just showered. His gaze moved from her bare ankles to the pillow in his arms, his voice slightly hoarse: "Is something the matter?"
Zong Qing's eyes instantly reddened: "There are mice in my room..."
In fact, she had her assistant secretly put the electric mouse toy in there.
Jiang Mingxu was silent for a moment, then stepped aside and said, "Come in."
She dashed into the room at lightning speed, but froze when she saw the large bed—how was she supposed to continue this act?!
Jiang Mingxu closed the door, crossed his arms, and leaned against the wall: "The rats at the Ritz Paris know how to pick their time."
Zong Qing reluctantly climbed into bed and pulled the covers tighter around her: "I'm sleeping here tonight anyway!"
The room suddenly plunged into darkness. Jiang Mingxu turned off the overhead light, leaving only a dim wall lamp. He walked to the other side of the bed and lay down, a clear boundary separating them.
Zong Qing secretly turned to look at him.
The warm light outlined his high, straight nose and tightly pursed lips, his Adam's apple standing out prominently in the shadows. She suddenly remembered when she was sixteen, he had stayed by her side all night when she had a fever, just like this.
"Jiang Mingxu," she asked softly, "are you really going to arrange a marriage between you and the Lin family?"
In the darkness, he paused for a moment: "It's just a business collaboration."
Zong Qing suddenly sat up: "So you didn't deny it?!"
The next second, everything spun around, and Jiang Mingxu rolled over, pinning her down. His body heat burned through her bathrobe, his eyes terrifyingly deep:
"Zong Qing, by what right do you ask this question?"
The next morning, when Zong Qing sneaked out of room 2207, she ran into a paparazzi holding a camera.
Click!
The moment the flash went off, only one thought remained in her mind: It's over.
At noon, Weibo crashed.
#Zong Qingjiang and Mingxu spend a spring night together# (explosive)
#Jiang Group Statement# Hot
Zong Qing huddled on the hotel sofa, scrolling through the Jiang Group's official Weibo post that read, "It's a complete misunderstanding. President Jiang and Miss Zong are family friends." Her nails dug deeply into her palms.
"What a 'family friendship'!" She slammed her phone down.
——
The torrential rain pounded on the tin roof of the old school building, sounding like ten thousand drums beating at the same time.
Seventeen-year-old Zong Qing huddled in a corner of the rooftop, her school uniform shirt soaked through by the rain, her long hair clinging to her pale face. She still clutched the notification of her failed audition in her hand, the words "role already cast" faintly visible on the rain-soaked paper.
Hurried footsteps echoed in the hallway.
"Zongqing!"
When Jiang Mingxu rushed up, holding a long-handled black umbrella, his white shirt was already mostly soaked through. His chest heaved violently, clearly indicating that he had searched the entire school to find this place.
Zong Qing buried her face in her knees: "Go away."
The umbrella tilted, completely shielding her head. Jiang Mingxu crouched down, pausing when his fingers touched her icy wrist: "Why are your hands so cold?"
"What's it to you!" She suddenly looked up, her eyes red-rimmed. "Anyway, you all think I can only act because of my family!"
When she left school today, she overheard the girls in the drama club talking about it: "Zong Qing got to play the lead role? It's only because her dad is from the Zong Group!"
Through the rain, Jiang Mingxu's gaze suddenly sharpened. He took off his school uniform jacket and wrapped it around her, his voice extremely low: "Who said that?"
Zong Qing struggled but couldn't break free; instead, he picked her up and carried her horizontally.
"Jiang Mingxu! Put me down!"
The boy ignored her and carried her down the stairs. His heartbeat was heavy and rapid, coming through his soaked shirt.
At the school gate, the Jiang family's driver was so startled he almost dropped his umbrella: "Young Master! This..."
"Go through the back door." Jiang Mingxu shoved Zong Qing into the car, pulled a dry towel from the trunk and tossed it to her. "Clean yourself up."
The rain outside the car window was getting heavier. Zong Qing secretly peeked at him through the gap in the towel—water droplets rolled down his jawline, and his eyelashes cast a small shadow under his eyes as they drooped.
"What are you looking at?" He suddenly turned his head.
Zong Qing choked on her saliva in a panic: "Who, who looked at you!"
By the time the car stopped in front of the Zong family villa, the rain had subsided a bit. Jiang Mingxu got out of the car first and turned to carry her, but Zong Qing jumped barefoot into a puddle: "I can walk by myself!"
The next second my foot slipped—
Jiang Mingxu grabbed her wrist, the momentum causing her to crash into his arms. Both of them froze at the same time.
Zong Qing smelled the scent of rain mixed with cedar on him, and heard a soft sigh from above her head: "Ancestor."
He squatted down with his back to him: "Get on."
It took twelve streets to get from the school gate to the Zong family villa. Jiang Mingxu carried her across puddles, past food stalls lit by streetlights, and past her favorite video store—the window was showing the trailer for the movie she had secretly auditioned for last week.
Zong Qing buried her face in the crook of his neck, tears silently soaking his collar: "Jiang Mingxu, will you always stand by my side?"
The boy paused almost imperceptibly.
"Um."
Zong Qing's fingertips hovered over the drawer handle for three seconds.
"Miss Zong, President Jiang is really having a party—" The secretary's attempt to stop her was thwarted by a single glance from her.
The sandalwood drawer makes a slight sound when pulled open.
The first thing that catches the eye is a stack of movie ticket stubs tied together with rubber bands. The top one is yellowed and curled at the edges—"Spring Day," her debut film when she was eighteen, was such a box office flop that they didn't even have a celebration party.
There is a line of faded pen writing on the back of the ticket stub:
"My star has started to shine."
Zong Qing suddenly found it difficult to breathe.
Her hands trembled as she flipped through the ticket stubs below. Midnight screenings of "Neon Border," IMAX screenings of "Glass Tower"... even last year's widely ridiculed flops, "Love Wholesaler," every single one was recorded.
Deep inside the drawer lay a velvet box. The moment she opened it, Zong Qing's knee slammed against the desk—
Those were buttons from her costume when she filmed "Spring Days".
"Looking for this?"
A deep voice sounded behind her. Zong Qing turned around abruptly. Jiang Mingxu was standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, his expression obscured by the backlight.
She held up the button, her voice trembling: "Are you a pervert? You stole my button?"
Jiang Mingxu slowly loosened his tie: "I found it."
"And what about these?" She slammed the ticket stubs on the table. "Don't tell me President Jiang is so bored that he watches every bad movie three times!"
The air froze for a few seconds.
Jiang Mingxu suddenly stepped closer, trapping her between the desk and his chest. Zong Qing's back pressed against the edge of the desk, and she smelled the familiar scent of cedar on him, mixed with a faint bitterness of coffee.
"Zong Qing." He brushed his fingertips across her eye, finding a trace of moisture. "Why are you crying?"
She then realized her face was covered in tears, but stubbornly insisted, "I got mascara in my eyes!"
Jiang Mingxu chuckled softly and took out a folded piece of paper from the inside pocket of his suit jacket.
—This is a drama club application form from ten years ago.
In the casting list for Romeo and Juliet, "Zong Qing" is clearly written after Juliet, while Romeo's entry has been heavily crossed out with a pen.
Zong Qing recognized her own handwriting: "This is clearly what I filled in..."
"The day you submitted your application," Jiang Mingxu said, tracing the altered mark with his thumb, "I secretly changed Romeo to myself."
The office air conditioner hummed. Zong Qing clutched the application form, suddenly remembering an important question: "Then why did Senior Lin end up playing Romeo?"
Jiang Mingxu said expressionlessly, "Because I punctured his bicycle tire."
Zong Qing: "..."
The setting sun sank behind the financial building through the floor-to-ceiling windows, gilding Jiang Mingxu's silhouette with a golden edge. Zong Qing stared at the third button of his shirt—a small silver lapel pin pinned there, a birthday gift she had casually given him last year.
“So,” her throat was dry, “you could have explained what happened at the Paris hotel…”
Jiang Mingxu suddenly grabbed her wrist and pressed it against the French windows. The coolness of the glass seeped through her back, and his hot breath fell on her ear: "Because you're acting."
"I didn't!"
“The batteries for the toy mouse,” he gently nibbled at her earlobe, “are Panasonic 2025 models, the same as the ones on your assistant’s shopping list last week.”
Zong Qing's ears instantly burned: "You investigated me?!"
"Zong Qing." He suddenly called her by her full name, his eyes dangerous. "Why do you think I sponsor the Golden Phoenix Awards every year? Why is it that every time you're smeared, Jiang's legal department always 'coincidentally' sues the rumor-mongers? Why does your Ragdoll cat always 'accidentally' get pregnant by my Maine Coon?"
Her mind had stopped working: "So...so..."
Jiang Mingxu held the back of her head and kissed her. This kiss was ten times fiercer than the one in Paris, filled with a longing that had been suppressed for many years, until Zong Qing, breathless, pounded his shoulder before he let go.
"So I've liked you for ten years." He pressed his forehead against hers, panting, "From the day you cried like a cat on the rooftop when you were sixteen."
Zong Qing suddenly remembered something, grabbed his left hand, and rolled up his sleeve—
A pale white scar runs across the inside of my wrist.
"It really is you!" Her voice changed. "Those thugs in the alley during my senior year of high school..."
Jiang Mingxu frowned: "Zong Ye, that traitor."
That day, she was harassed after school. A masked boy rushed out and fought three people. As he was leaving, she grabbed his sleeve and scratched his wrist.
Zong Qing's tears fell onto the back of his hand: "Are you stupid?! What if they're carrying knives?"
"It's worth it." He wiped away her tears. "Now can you answer me?"
"What?"
Jiang Mingxu pulled a velvet box from the depths of a drawer, knelt down on one knee, and opened it—
A pear-shaped diamond ring sparkles in the sunset.
"Zong Qing." He looked up at her, his eyes sparkling. "How about spending your life with your number one fan?"
"You asked me about the arranged marriage that night—"
"I'll answer you now."
“Unless the bride is you, the Jiang family will never have any marriage alliances.”
Outside the window, the sunset painted the entire sky crimson. Just like that rainy night when she was sixteen, when the boy carried her across the long street and saw the last streetlamp.
---
Zong Qing sat in the dressing room, her finger hovering above the phone screen, hesitant to press the send button.
The Weibo editing page only has one line of text:
"Let me introduce you, my childhood sweetheart @Jiang Mingxu."
The accompanying photo was one she had carefully selected—when she was sixteen, she was wearing her school uniform and grabbing Jiang Mingxu's ear, while he looked helpless yet indulgent as he let her act up.
"Sister Qing, are we really going to release it?" Assistant Xiaolin nervously swallowed. "The PR department said it's best to warm things up first, otherwise the server might crash..."
Zong Qing smiled, her red lips curving upwards, and lightly tapped her fingertips.
send.
Three seconds later, her phone started vibrating wildly.
"??????"
"Holy crap! My favorite couple's relationship actually happened?"
"Childhood sweetheart romance novels become reality!!!"
The trending topics were climbing at a visible speed—
#Zong Qingjiang Mingxu's Childhood Sweethearts#
#Zong Qing goes public with her relationship#
#The Real Boyfriend of the Jiang Family's Heir#
Just as fans were frantically posting on social media, the official Weibo account of Jiang's Group suddenly reposted and commented:
"My fiancée, nice to meet you. @Zong Qing"
The accompanying photo is a previously unreleased picture—Jiang Mingxu during his university years standing under the stage, intently watching Zong Qing perform on stage, his eyes so tender they could drown you.
Zong Qing stared at the photo, her heart skipping a beat.
"Jiang Mingxu!" she dialed the number immediately, "Where did you get this photo?!"
The man on the other end of the phone chuckled softly: "It was taken secretly."
"you--"
"What, you're allowed to secretly keep my school uniform, but I'm not allowed to keep a few photos?"
Zong Qing's ears burned, but she stubbornly retorted, "Who...who collected your school uniform!"
Jiang Mingxu's voice was languid: "Do I need to remind you? During the second year of high school sports meet, you used the excuse that 'your clothes got dirty' to steal my jacket, and you never returned it."
"..."
The call was suddenly disconnected.
Five minutes later, Zong Qing's dressing room door was pushed open.
Jiang Mingxu stood at the door, impeccably dressed in a suit, holding a document in his hand.
Zong Qing raised an eyebrow: "President Jiang, what brings you here?"
He approached slowly and placed the document in front of her: "Prenuptial Agreement."
Zong Qing's expression changed instantly: "Jiang Mingxu, what do you mean?"
He chuckled softly and turned to the first page of the document—
"Term 1: All assets under Jiang Mingxu's name shall belong to Zong Qing."
Clause 2: In the event of a divorce, Jiang Mingxu will leave with nothing.
"Clause 3: Zong Qing may amend this agreement at any time, and Jiang Mingxu shall not object."
Zong Qing was stunned.
Jiang Mingxu leaned down and gently lifted her chin with his fingertips: "Sign or not?"
Her eyes welled up with tears. She grabbed a pen and scribbled down his name, then grabbed his tie and kissed him: "Jiang Mingxu, you're finished. You'll never get rid of me in this lifetime."
He held the back of her head and deepened the kiss: "I couldn't ask for more."
---
At the press conference for her new movie, Zong Qing appeared in a haute couture red dress, instantly becoming the focus of the entire event.
The host joked, "Sister Qing looks especially beautiful today, is there some good news?"
Zong Qing winked at the camera: "Guess?"
In the audience, Jiang Mingxu sat in the VIP section, dressed in a suit and tie, his gaze following her the entire time.
When the camera panned across him, the live stream chat exploded with comments—
"President Jiang's eyes are so full of affection!!!"
"Help! He was smiling when he looked at her!"
"Is this the power of childhood sweethearts? It's so sweet!"
When it was her turn to go on stage and stand in front of the microphone, she suddenly choked up.
“Actually… this year is very special for me.” She took a deep breath, her gaze passing through the spotlight and looking directly at Jiang Mingxu. “Ten years ago, when I filmed my first movie, it was a box office flop and I was ridiculed online as a ‘resource-backed actor’.”
The audience gradually quieted down.
That night, I was squatting on the set crying when someone found me and said—
She paused, her eyes slightly red.
"Zong Qing, you are a star, and a star won't stop shining just because of what others say."
The camera immediately cuts to Jiang Mingxu, who suddenly stands up, answers a phone call, and then strides out.
The audience erupted in uproar.
Why did he leave?
"You didn't fight, did you?"
Zong Qing was also stunned, her hand holding the microphone trembling slightly.
Just then—
The lights in the entire venue suddenly went out.
A spotlight shone on the stage entrance, and Jiang Mingxu walked onto the stage step by step, holding a diamond ring in his hand.
Zong Qing's eyes widened: "You..."
He knelt on one knee before her, his voice low and firm:
"Zong Qing, shall we get married?"
The entire venue was silent for three seconds, then erupted in deafening screams.
Zong Qing's tears fell down in a flash, and the trophy crashed to the ground with a thud.
"Jiang Mingxu!" she cried, laughing and crying at the same time, "You stole my lines!!!"
He chuckled and took her hand: "Then it's your turn to speak."
Zong Qing wiped away her tears, suddenly grabbed the microphone, and announced to the entire audience:
"Jiang Mingxu! I want to marry you!"
The next second, Jiang Mingxu picked her up and, under the gaze of millions of viewers, lowered his head and kissed her.
The live stream chat went completely crazy!
"Aaaaaah, I'm gone!!!"
"Is this an awards ceremony or a wedding?!"
"Childhood sweethearts!!!"
---
Three months later, on a private island in the Maldives.
Zong Qing, wearing a wedding dress and barefoot on the beach, glared angrily at Jiang Mingxu: "You actually kept the wedding a secret from me!"
Jiang Mingxu wrapped his arms around her from behind, resting his chin on the top of her head: "Surprised?"
"More like a shock!"
He chuckled softly and suddenly pulled a yellowed piece of paper from his pocket.
Zong Qing unfolded it and her eyes instantly welled up with tears—
That was her wish list when she was sixteen: to date Jiang Mingxu and then get married on an island.
"How...did you find it?"
Jiang Mingxu kissed her fingertips: "Your brother gave them to me."
Zong Qing froze, then gritted her teeth: "Zong Ye!!!"
In the distance, Zongye, who was drinking, suddenly sneezed.
Shen Tang, who was standing to the side, asked with a smile what was wrong.
As the sun sets, the waves gently lap against the beach.
Jiang Mingxu suddenly asked softly, "Zong Qing, when did you start liking me?"
She tilted her head and thought for a moment, then smiled and said, "It might be that rainy night when you carried me home, or it might be when you secretly helped me chase away the haters..."
She paused, her eyes shining like stars.
"Or, even earlier."
Jiang Mingxu lowered his head and kissed her.
"Me too."
Zong Qing smiled. Now, both the starlight and he were in the palm of his hand.
---
1:23 AM.
Jiang Mingxu closed the last document and rubbed his throbbing temples. Outside the window, the lights were dim; the cruise ships on the Huangpu River had long since stopped sailing, leaving only a few scattered navigation lights floating on the water.
The phone screen lit up; it was a message from Zong Qing that had been sent ten minutes earlier.
"Are you asleep?"
He paused for two seconds on the keyboard before replying:
"I just finished working, you should get some rest."
After sending it, I felt it was too cold, so I added a sentence:
"Video tomorrow."
The message shows as read, but the other party has not replied.
Jiang Mingxu frowned—usually at this time, Zong Qing would pester him to go to sleep via video call, but today she was unusually quiet.
Something's not right.
He dialed the number, and it rang three times before being hung up. Immediately afterwards, a voice message came through, with background noise like a film set: "I'm filming a night scene, the director's calling me, I'm hanging up now!"
The tone was light and cheerful, but the ending sounded a little ethereal.
Jiang Mingxu stared at his phone for a few seconds, then suddenly got up and grabbed his coat—
The doorbell rang.
The cat's eyes were completely black.
Jiang Mingxu unbuttoned his suit jacket with one hand and reached for the self-defense baton behind the door with the other: "Who's there?"
There was a rustling sound outside the door, followed by a muffled thud, as if someone had bumped into the wall.
"hiss……"
The familiar voice made Jiang Mingxu's pupils shrink. He abruptly flung open the door—
Zong Qing was squatting on the ground, covering her forehead. Her baseball cap was askew, her mask was hanging on one ear, and she was holding a bulging canvas bag in her arms.
Their eyes met.
She blinked and gave a dry laugh: "Surprise?"
Jiang Mingxu's expression shifted from shock to gloom in a mere second. He dragged the man into the room and slammed the door shut: "Are you crazy? Do you know what time it is? Coming to a hotel all by yourself?"
Zong Qing was pinned against the entryway wall by him, her back pressed against the cold marble, but she smiled like a cat that had just stolen some fish: "President Jiang is so fierce."
She still carried the chill of the night breeze, her hair was damp with drizzle, and her eyelashes were wet. Jiang Mingxu then realized that she was only wearing a thin sweatshirt and hadn't even brought a jacket.
"Film set?" he sneered. "You flew all the way from Hengdian to Shanghai, a distance of 300 kilometers?"
Zong Qing shrank back guiltily, then suddenly shoved the canvas bag into his arms: "I brought you some late-night snacks! The pan-fried buns at that place next to the film set, you said they were delicious last time..."
The brown paper bag was still warm, and a fragrance wafted out through the gaps. Jiang Mingxu's Adam's apple bobbed, and his anger suddenly subsided by half.
"Just for this?"
"Of course not!" Zong Qing tiptoed closer to his ear, her warm breath brushing against his neck. "It's mainly because... I missed you."
Jiang Mingxu's breath hitched.
---
Zong Qing, wrapped in a bathrobe, lay on the bed scrolling through Weibo, her two fair legs dangling in the air. Jiang Mingxu sat on the edge of the bed, drying her hair, and suddenly paused as his fingertips ran through her hair: "You got a haircut?"
"Hmm, my new look for the movie." She rolled over and wrapped her arms around his waist. "Does it look good?"
Her hair was just past her collarbone, ten centimeters shorter than before. Jiang Mingxu didn't say anything, but lowered his head and kissed the top of her wet hair.
Amid the hum of the hairdryer, Zong Qing suddenly spoke up: "I finished work early today, and I was planning to video chat."
"Um."
"But the makeup artist said this look is perfect for nightclubs."
The hair dryer stopped working.
Zong Qing suppressed a laugh and continued to fan the flames: "So I was thinking, since someone's not here anyway, why not..."
His wrist was suddenly gripped. Jiang Mingxu loosened his tie with one hand, his eyes dark and frightening: "Not as good as what?"
She was pulled onto his lap, her bathrobe straps loosening. Zong Qing pretended to think, "How about we go for a drink? I heard there's a bar in Shanghai..."
Before she could finish speaking, the world spun around her. Jiang Mingxu pressed her down onto the mattress, biting her earlobe and sneering, "Mrs. Jiang, you've got some nerve."
Zong Qing giggled and dodged him: "Who told you to go on a business trip for five days and not come back!"
"So you dressed like this," he said, slipping his hand inside his bathrobe and giving his lower back a light pinch, "to scare me at one in the morning?"
She declared confidently, "I'm wearing a mask!"
"..."
Jiang Mingxu immediately covered her mouth with a kiss.
---
Three o'clock in the morning.
Zong Qing, half asleep in Jiang Mingxu's arms, suddenly poked his chest as if remembering something: "Were you about to go out just now?"
"Um."
Where to?
Jiang Mingxu pressed her head back against his chest: "Go to Hengdian to arrest them."
Zong Qing chuckled softly, then looked up and kissed his chin: "President Jiang, you're finished."
"how?"
"You can't live without me now."
As the night deepened, Jiang Mingxu tightened his arms around her.
He's long gone.
It started on that rainy night when I was sixteen.
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