Chapter 1 "Are you really going to get married?"
"Do you think you can decide your own marriage all by yourself?!"
With a "crack," the teacup fell to the ground and shattered.
Cheng Hexi dodged in time, and only a little tea stain got on her high heels.
She glanced down at it, not caring much, and casually straightened her cuffs before offering a half-hearted attempt to comfort her: "Grandma, please calm down."
"How can we calm down? How could our He family produce someone like you...! Are you so desperate to get married? You've completely disgraced your father and me!!"
The finger wearing the jade thumb ring pointed at her and trembled twice.
Upon hearing this, Cheng Hexi remained calm and even smiled slightly.
The scene before her gave her a tremendous sense of absurdity, as if she were watching some kind of dark comedy.
She asked in bewilderment, "If I can't decide my own marriage, then you can?"
"Don't you hate it when I cause trouble? Now that I've solved a major problem myself, you're still unhappy."
She is a classic beauty with striking bone structure, her features striking yet possessing a touch of aloofness.
The beauty mark at the corner of her eye when she smiles is captivating, but if you look into her eyes, you can't detect a single emotion.
"You must know what's been going on about this grandson of unknown origin all these years, right? Do you think I should embarrass you and Dad?"
"you!!!"
Aunt Zhou stepped forward to pat the old lady on the back and bent down to comfort her.
Cheng Hexi, too lazy to pretend anymore, picked up her bag and turned to leave.
She was wearing high heels, but her steps were very steady, and the sound of her thin heels tapping the ground was crisp.
The He family's old house is built halfway up the mountain, nestled against the slope. The courtyard is like a garden, with red bricks and gray tiles, winding corridors and a fish pond. The old lady is quite particular and has done a lot of work on the courtyard over the years.
Cheng Hexi's driver was waiting outside the courtyard.
Just as I walked past the fishpond, my phone rang in my bag.
Very few people knew her private number, and Cheng Hexi vaguely guessed who it was. When she checked the caller ID, it was indeed her.
He answered, holding the receiver close to his ear, his tone much more relaxed than before: "Hello, Zhu Meng."
"Knock knock knock—" A clear female voice came from the other end, sweeping away the gloom in her heart, "How are you? Did you miss me?"
Cheng Hexi smiled and replied, "I've thought about it."
Then she changed the subject: "What's the point of thinking about it? You can't come back anyway."
"You're mistaken," Xu Zhumeng said calmly on the other end of the phone. "We've wrapped up filming ahead of schedule!"
"Hmm? I haven't given you the wrap-up gift yet." Cheng Hexi laughed, "How come so soon?"
"What are you sending me? I'll just sleep in the hotel and fly back tomorrow morning."
She kept saying, "This time I worked with a female director. The atmosphere on set was great. She was very easygoing and filmed incredibly fast. We wrapped up filming several days earlier than expected..."
"How long can you rest?" Cheng Hexi asked, concerned about this.
Xu Zhumeng sighed softly on the other end and said, "I was supposed to take a few days off, but we have to shoot some additional material the day after tomorrow."
Although she sighed, her tone was normal, without any hint of complaint. She was used to it and just felt a little regretful.
She had barely finished speaking when she added with a smile, "Mr. Cheng, are you free tomorrow night or the day after? At least spare half an hour for me!"
Cheng Hexi ignored her teasing and smiled slightly: "I have something to do tomorrow night and can't change it at the last minute, but the day after tomorrow is fine."
Xu Zhumeng knew that Cheng Hexi was busy; given her status, her schedule couldn't be changed at will.
"Hmm... then let's have lunch together the day after tomorrow at noon."
“Okay,” she said, “I’ll come pick you up.”
“No, no,” Xu Zhumeng refused decisively, with a valid reason: “I don’t want to be photographed getting into a luxury car in front of my house.”
Cheng Hexi chuckled.
The two chatted about other things, and before hanging up, she said, "Tomorrow night isn't about work. I need to meet with You Yue before we get our marriage certificate."
"You finally brought this up, Cheng Hexi!" Xu Zhumeng gritted her teeth, looking ready to settle scores, and said, "Tell me properly, are you really going to get married?"
-
"Are you really going to get married?"
Hongsheng General Manager's Office.
Jingyao took out a cigarette, stared in astonishment for a moment, and before even lighting it, repeated, "Really??"
You Yue grunted in response, picked up the freshly made coffee, and walked back to the table. As she passed by, she snatched the cigarette from his hand and threw it into the trash can at her feet.
"The sound of smoke is loud and clear."
Jingyao asked in surprise, "You don't smoke at the company either?"
The emphasis was on the first word.
He was openly questioning him.
You Yue glanced at him.
On his turf, Jingyao had no choice but to resign himself to stuffing the cigarette pack back into his pocket.
You Yue returned to the table, sorted the signed contracts together, and dialed the internal line to call his assistant to come in and retrieve them.
In this prime commercial district, the floor-to-ceiling windows offer expansive views and excellent natural light, overlooking a corner of the bustling elevated highway.
It was sunset, the sun was gradually sinking, and the last rays of its afterglow shone on the towering CBD buildings, a scene of twilight stretching for miles.
After answering the phone, the assistant quickly came in to retrieve the contract, and the door closed again. You Yue leaned back in his chair, crossing his long legs.
Finally, he asked Jingyao, "Where did you hear this news from?"
“You’ve already informed the board of directors, so you didn’t intend to hide it. There are rumors in the media too. You know how well-informed I am.”
The marital status of major shareholders of listed companies must be made public, and You Yue's identity is directly related to Hongsheng's stock price, so theoretically there is no possibility of him being secretly married. For him, there is no need to be secretly married.
Jingyao stared at him.
The man casually toyed with the pen he had just signed, his peach blossom eyes slightly lowered, showing no extra expression, as if he wasn't the main character in the conversation just now.
"What's going on? You actually gave in."
"Because of your maternal grandmother?"
You Yue hummed in agreement.
Jingyao wasn't surprised.
Knowing his temperament, only his maternal grandmother could handle him.
The old lady had always been concerned about You Yue, and she had talked about him so many times that she couldn't even remember how many times she had mentioned him.
In the past two years, I just kept urging him, but this year I introduced him directly to him, probably because I realized that he wouldn't take the initiative to like anyone.
“The old lady still wants me to get married, so why not grant her wish sooner rather than later?” You Yue said casually. “I can tell that she likes Cheng Hexi quite a bit.”
“This is a lifelong matter,” Jingyao said, leaning back on the leather sofa, his eyes wider than before. “What good is it if the old lady likes it?”
You Yue glanced at him, a look that carried a teasing tone and a subtle smile.
"What about marriage? Do you think I can find love?"
"..."
It didn't sound out of place coming from him.
Friends all know You Yue. This young master has always disdained romance since childhood, and they've never seen him have any worldly desires. The You family's wealth and status in the capital mean he doesn't need any external help. For him, it probably really doesn't matter who he marries.
However, his fiancée is quite remarkable.
She was the daughter of He Chongguang's first wife. After graduating from high school, she left Beijing to study for her undergraduate degree in the United States. After completing her bachelor's and master's degrees, she worked on Wall Street for three years. Jingyao had even heard of one of the famous cases she handled at the time.
A year ago, He Chongguang was involved in a car accident in the country, and she quickly returned to China to take over Xilin.
Currently, she holds a powerful position in the Xilin Group, and her abilities are evident to all; she is very skilled in negotiation and interpersonal communication.
But Xilin was ultimately not hers.
Perhaps that's why she decided to get married.
After calming down from this explosive news, Jingyao, having nothing better to do, started gossiping again: "What did the old lady say this time?"
You Yue took a sip of coffee and recalled, "My grandmother told me that she had someone calculate that my birth chart and this Miss Cheng's were compatible, and that we were destined to be together."
"She's the same age as me, and she also did her bachelor's and master's degrees in the US. The old lady even asked me if I had seen her when I was studying there, and I said no. Later, I remembered and became a little curious, so I specifically looked her up, and guess what?"
You Yue is like two different people when she's at work and when she's not.
His tone was languid at the moment, and it was clear that he didn't believe in this stuff at all; he was just saying it because he thought it was interesting.
Jingyao's interest was piqued: "Hmm?"
He scoffed, "They're studying at Columbia, which is on the East Coast, while Stanford is on the West Coast. Where would they find them?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Jingyao laughed with genuine emotion.
After laughing, he thought of something.
"You're getting married soon, what about the rumors from a few days ago?"
At this point, You Yue finally frowned: "What scandal?"
Having known each other for so long, Jingyao naturally knew that those so-called media gossips were all fake, but his attitude showed that he didn't take them seriously at all.
Jingyao sighed and resignedly offered a hint: "President Tan's precious daughter, the one who's been chasing after you since high school, her name is..." He pondered for a moment, then remembered the name: "Oh, Tan Moru!"
There was a commotion on the other side, but the person involved seemed completely detached from it.
"Is that so?"
"……Yes, I have!"
"Mr. Tan knows his daughter likes you and wants to benefit from the You family's fame, so naturally he doesn't care what gossip is about. You've never cared about these things either... Look at Zeqing, which media outlet would dare to fabricate stories about him?"
You Yue lifted his eyelids and said perfunctorily, "I have no personal relationship with Miss Tan. I ran into President Tan at dinner last time, and she was there too."
Scandals involving the wealthy have always been a source of fascination, and the media loves to sensationalize them.
These casual conversations don't affect the stock price, much less his mood, so You Yue doesn't care and is too lazy to expend manpower and resources on them.
“Ying Zeqing takes it seriously because he has someone on his mind.” You Yue countered, “Don’t you already know all that?”
As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly realized that he was no longer alone.
Marriage means binding, at least in terms of shared interests at this stage.
Although he didn't care, from Cheng Hexi's perspective, even a loveless marriage would probably feel offended.
After chatting for a while, Jingyao called out to him, "Shall we go for a drive around Yungang?"
Hongsheng recently tackled a tough challenge—the acquisition of an American company, which was finally finalized yesterday. The investment department has been busy all week, and You Yue was still in a meeting in the early hours of the morning; they haven't had a break in a long time.
You Yue straightened his cuffs and stood up: "Let's go."
Jingyao prepared to have someone clear the area.
“Ah Yao,” he called to someone, “there’s no need.”
Jingyao put down his phone.
You Yue is decisive. After realizing that the so-called rumors he had overlooked might upset Cheng Hexi, he instructed his assistant Qi Xuan to contact public relations to deal with these unfounded "rumors".
Remembering that he was to meet Cheng Hexi at seven o'clock tomorrow night, You Yue took a few steps and then turned back:
"Contact President Cheng's assistant and ask them what President Cheng likes to eat, then book her favorite restaurant tomorrow."
"Yes, Mr. You."
Jingyao walked beside him and pressed the button for the president's private elevator. The doors slid open, and the two stepped into the car.
"I sense that you treat that Miss Cheng differently." Jing Yao asked curiously, "What's so special about her that you specifically asked Qi Zhu to help her?"
After all, when it comes to business negotiations, others always have to accommodate President You's tastes.
You Yue glanced at him and said, "She's the one the old lady has chosen, my fiancée."
Both emotionally and logically, he shouldn't ignore her feelings.
"that's all?"
You Yue: "Otherwise what?"
Jingyao chuckled.
The old lady was the eldest daughter of a scholarly family when she was young. You Yue was taught by her from a young age. Even though he was proud and arrogant, he still had excellent manners in his bones.
-
Both the racing club and the Yungang racetrack are under Jingyao's name, and those who come here are either rich or powerful.
When the mood strikes, I might occasionally organize a racing game, but most of the time it's just for fun.
You Yue took off his watch and changed into a black racing suit.
This outfit makes his broad shoulders, long legs, and upright posture even more striking.
His records from last month were still hanging at the top of the high-hanging recording screen.
The helmet concealed the man's high, straight nose, but his seemingly affectionate peach blossom eyes were alluring.
The Yungang track is 5 kilometers long with 16 curves, offering a wide field of vision, and the high-hanging lights illuminate the track as bright as day.
You Yue got into the car and fastened his seatbelt.
He felt his adrenaline surge as he heard the deafening roar of the engine.
The black supercar shot off like an arrow.
The unique feature of this track is that it has four consecutive turns; after you finish one turn, there will be another one immediately.
In racing, cornering is where the most skill is tested.
Youyue likes winding roads.
He enjoys the thrill of extreme sports and loves the feeling of leaving everyone else behind.
However, this time, a red supercar was keeping up very closely with his car, drifting through four corners without slowing down at all.
The sound was deafening.
After the last bend, You Yue no longer cared about the car; his eyes were only on the end of the track.
After crossing the finish line, the two supercars activated their braking systems under immense kinetic energy, their tires gripped the ground, and they drove straight through the deceleration zone before stopping and turning off their engines in the designated area at the end of the straight.
Deep marks were left where the wheels had rolled over.
As night fell, the sky was starless, the entire track was brightly lit, and the atmosphere was lively.
You Yue tapped his cheek with his tongue, took off his helmet, and got off the vehicle.
The red supercar next to it is a modified Ferrari.
He looked up at the recording screen and saw the English words below his name—Ivy Cheng.
The difference in time was only two seconds.
The Ferrari's door opened, and the driver had taken off his helmet and was holding it with one hand.
Her long hair fell behind her, there was a slight sheen of sweat on her forehead, and her eyes were bright as she looked at him.
With her other gloved hand resting on the roof of the car, the woman tilted her head slightly, glanced at the recording screen, and then gave You Yue a very slight smile.
She looks different when she's smiling and when she's not.
You Yue squinted and recognized her.
Cheng Hexi.
A note from the author:
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Hooray for the first chapter! Three chapters today, every other day until it becomes a paid chapter~ Thank you everyone for your support! Thank you to everyone who donated nutrient solution before the story started! I will try my best to update regularly ^ ^
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