marriage alliance
Finally, after experiencing Qu Shiyao's incredible face-changing act, this group of uninvited friends were able to squeeze into Yi Yu's not-so-spacious apartment.
The home-style dishes prepared by Yi Yu and the five-star hotel meal brought by Su Wanwan were pieced together and filled the small table.
A group of people sat together, and the atmosphere unexpectedly became lively.
After eating and drinking their fill, the ladies unceremoniously occupied the sofa area in the living room.
Some people were eating fruit, some were scrolling through their phones, and some were even watching dramas on their YiYu tablets.
They treated this place as their own home, showing no intention of leaving.
"Shiyao, are you just going to sit here and do nothing? Aren't you going to help?"
Jin Yuxi watched as Qu Shiyao calmly nestled in the single sofa, while Yi Yu cleaned up the mess on the dining table, rudely ordering Qu Shiyao to do the work.
"Big sister! I suggest you use your phone less and protect your eyes!" Qu Shiyao crossed her legs and looked at Jin Yuxi with an expression as if she were an idiot.
"Didn't you see the conspicuous cast on my left hand? I'm injured!"
"So you still remember you had a cast on?" Lin Weiwei stared at her left arm, which was wrapped in a cast, her tone full of suspicion.
"I was just wondering, who was the person who fought us the most fiercely for the meat and who was the most skillful with chopsticks than anyone else?"
"I only have a cast on my left hand, I'm not paralyzed and unable to take care of myself, okay?"
Qu Shiyao was self-righteous and showed no shame whatsoever for her table manners.
She naturally turned to Su Wanwan, who was sitting on the beanbag chair next to her, her tone as familiar as that of an old friend:
"Wanwan, now that you've eaten and drunk your fill, we can talk about you and President Si."
Their attitude was so natural, as if they had completely forgotten who had blocked them at the door and refused to let them in not long ago.
Su Wanwan raised an eyebrow slightly, thinking that Qu Shiyao was indeed an interesting person. She could quickly close the distance with Qu Shiyao in just one meal, without any pretense.
The system exclaimed in Qu Shiyao's mind: [Host! You're suddenly being so enthusiastic, could it be that you've got your eye on Su Wanwan's wallet?!]
It knows its host all too well: any unsolicited favor is either a trap or a thief's motive! Either it's after money! Or it's after sex!
"Don't worry about it!" Qu Shiyao shut the system up, but still smiled brightly at Su Wanwan.
"It's just a family marriage." Su Wanwan shrugged, not trying to hide it.
"However, as the eldest daughter, I have more options than the other collateral branches. I can choose someone I like. Si Cheng is quite capable and good-looking, so I'll choose him."
She spoke casually, as if she were talking about which cat or dog was cute.
"Then you might have picked the wrong person." Qu Shiyao took the orange juice that Yi Yu had just squeezed, took a sip, and poured cold water on the idea without any politeness.
"Our CEO has a crush on someone he loves, and he's studying abroad."
"I know," Su Wanwan said nonchalantly.
"But we only need the marriage as a formality to complete the family mission. As for whether he continues to think about his white moonlight or finds a substitute after marriage, that's his business and won't affect the cooperation."
After hearing the gossip this morning, she asked Tan Zhendong to investigate in the afternoon. By digging a little deeper into Si Cheng's student days, these old stories were not difficult to find.
"Hasn't your Su Group already entered the Fortune Global 500?" Qu Shiyao asked, voicing her question.
“CAQ Group has only risen to prominence in the last decade, so it shouldn’t be on your list of core marriage partners, right?” This was something she felt was illogical in the original novel.
Su Wanwan accepted the warm teacup handed to her by her bodyguard, Tan Zhendong, at the opportune moment. She gently smelled the aroma of the tea, took a sip, and then slowly said:
"We value his development potential and his control over emerging markets."
"I see." Seeing that she couldn't get any more information, Qu Shiyao wisely stopped pressing the matter and instead asked:
"So, what is President Si's attitude towards the marriage alliance?"
Upon hearing this, the people nearby who were pretending to watch TV, play on their phones, or eat fruit immediately perked up their ears and even lowered their breathing.
"He didn't explicitly agree, but he didn't refuse either," Su Wanwan said calmly, putting down her teacup.
"However, judging from his recent business moves and the signals he has given to the Su family, he does have this intention."
"Oh~~ playing hard to get~" Jin Yuxi drawled out the words, her face full of ambiguity.
Wang Qian nodded in agreement.
[Host, according to this theory, if it weren't for the original female lead and her "white moonlight" interfering, their marriage would have had a pretty high success rate.] The system quickly flipped through the original work and came to this conclusion.
"It's possible now; I've already messed up most of the original plot," Qu Shiyao responded to the system in her mind.
"And my relationship with the CEO is purely professional, I'm completely innocent. So, it seems there's a real possibility that Su Wanwan and Si Cheng could actually get together?"
The system nodded in agreement.
“So…” Qu Shiyao gently stroked the rim of the glass with her fingers, looked up at Su Wanwan, and smiled with a hint of slyness.
"Miss Su, you've graced us with your presence today. You wouldn't happen to want me to act as your love consultant and help you win over President Si, would you?"
"No!" Su Wanwan was stunned for a moment before remembering her initial thought.
She looked at Qu Shiyao, her expression becoming very serious:
"I genuinely believe that with your abilities, you can achieve greater self-worth by staying by my side! I've done my research, and the salary and benefits I offer are definitely several times higher than Si Cheng's!"
"Besides, I'm really safe around here, and you basically don't need to use force. Why aren't you willing to consider it?"
Qu Shiyao sometimes really couldn't understand the thought process of this villainous female supporting character in the original work.
There are so many experts in the world, why focus on taking advantage of just her?
"I..." She opened her mouth, ready to refuse again, when her phone on the coffee table started buzzing.
Upon picking it up, I was surprised to see that the caller ID clearly belonged to Si Cheng.
Qu Shiyao's brows furrowed instantly.
What's going on? It's her sick leave time right now! Why would this domineering CEO call at this hour?
She glanced around at the listeners who had instantly perked up their ears, thought for a moment, and then simply pressed the speakerphone button to connect.
The call connected, but neither of them spoke; there was only a faint static and slightly heavier breathing than usual.
The people in the living room also subconsciously held their breath and listened intently, but apart from the sound of breathing, there was nothing else.
"Bad signal?" Qu Shiyao muttered in confusion, then hung up the phone decisively. "Probably a wrong number."
In the past, when CEOs called, they would immediately start by assigning work tasks. This was the first time I'd received a call with such silence.
She cleared her throat, preparing to continue the previous topic: "I think, well, I prefer An..."
Buzz—Buzz—Buzz—
My phone vibrated violently again, and the caller ID showed Si Cheng once more.
Now, everyone's attention was completely drawn to it, and they even forgot about the reasons for rejection they had originally wanted to hear, all staring intently at the phone.
Qu Shiyao felt that Si Cheng was definitely deliberately making things difficult for her today.
She took a deep breath, answered the call again, and this time took the initiative to speak: "Hello? Mr. Si?"
There was still silence on the other end of the phone, but some rustling sounds could be faintly heard, as if someone had stumbled and knocked over something.
Qu Shiyao looked up at the sky speechlessly, only to find that Jin Yuxi, Zhang Li, Lin Weiwei, Wang Qian, and even Su Wanwan had gathered around at some point, their heads forming a circle with wide eyes.
Even Yi Yu, who was pretending to be busy in the kitchen, was actually listening intently, seemingly wiping the table with his head down.
He kept glancing this way, and when Qu Shiyao caught him, he immediately lowered his head guiltily.
"Shiyao! Where are you now?!" Si Cheng's voice finally rang out, his tone filled with unusual panic and urgency, and he even changed his address to Shiyao.
Lin Weiwei immediately shot Qu Shiyao a suspicious look.
When did you start calling President Si so intimately? Isn't it usually Assistant Qu?
Jin Yuxi was even more direct, practically burying her face in the phone, and asked in a low but incredibly clear voice, "When did you two start having an affair?!"
Qu Shiyao pushed Jin Yuxi's head away, her face full of astonishment: "I was about to ask that too! Did he take the wrong medicine today?!"
Speaking into her phone in a businesslike tone, without any attempt to hide anything, she said, "Mr. Si, I'm currently on sick leave. Is there anything I can help you with?"
However, Si Cheng's reaction was completely off-track. He seemed not to have heard Qu Shiyao's words, only muttering to himself on the other end of the phone, "It's good that you're alright...it's good that you're alright..."
His voice carried a mixture of relief at having something lost and fear at having it back.
Now, everyone's gaze turned strange, focusing entirely on Qu Shiyao.
Qu Shiyao felt more wronged than Dou E, and her voice involuntarily rose:
"No! Mr. Si! Please look at the number carefully! This is Qu Shiyao! I'm on sick leave! What do you need?!"
"Are you sick?!" Si Cheng's voice instantly became tense again, and he asked incoherently:
"How serious is it? Which hospital? Who injured you? Tell me! I will never let this go..."
"Stop!" Qu Shiyao felt a chill run down her spine and quickly interrupted him.
"Mr. Si, if you have extra work that I need to handle during my sick leave, I should get extra pay according to labor law! Please get to the point!"
"Money? I'll give you as much as you want! As long as you're alright..." Si Cheng's voice carried an almost obsessive affection and an indescribable sense of relief.
This is very abnormal!
If it were a normal Sicheng, upon hearing about money, he would at most give an impatient snort, then briefly explain the task before transferring the money.
Qu Shiyao simply put her phone on the coffee table and huddled together with the heads that had gathered around.
"I seriously suspect that President Si was possessed by something unclean today, or that he got his brain slammed in a door?"
Qu Shiyao lowered her voice, her expression serious: "Did any of you hear anything unusual at the company today? Like President Si being in a car accident and hitting his head or something?"
"It sounds like someone's lost their mind..."
Jin Yuxi stroked her chin. She had initially wondered if something had happened between Qu Shiyao and President Si in private, but after hearing what they said next, she immediately dismissed the idea.
This is clearly a sign of mental instability!
"That's definitely unusual."
Even Lin Weiwei frowned, "He clearly knows why you were injured, and now he's asking these questions..."
"Ms. Su, didn't you go to the president's office this morning? Was there anything wrong with President Si at the time?"
Zhang Li remained calm and looked at Su Wanwan, who was already dumbfounded.
"He seemed perfectly normal when we talked this morning..."
Su Wanwan tried hard to recall, but couldn't figure out what was wrong, so she turned to the bodyguard and said:
"Adong, go and find out immediately what exactly happened in Sicheng this afternoon."
At that moment, the phone on the coffee table could still faintly transmit Si Cheng's incoherent voice.
Qu Shiyao grew impatient, exchanged a glance with the people around her, and then reached out and decisively pressed the hang-up button again.
The world is finally at peace.
An eerie silence fell over the living room, broken only by the sound of commercials playing on the television.
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