Chapter 86 Thank you everyone for your concern. That was the day Wen Qi proposed...
In stark contrast to the uproar online, Zhu Qingzhi, at the center of the storm, remained silent.
The number of comments under her latest Weibo post is growing at an astonishing rate:
Aren't you going to respond? Is what Liu Xiaoning said true? Did you really interfere in someone else's relationship?
This isn't the first time you've had a sex scandal. Didn't you have that sugar daddy rumor before? I knew it, flies don't land on eggs without cracks...
[Just a passerby, what kind of people are upstairs? Are they crazy for gossip? Are they really going to adopt a victim-blaming mentality?]
However, the fans' artwork was quite unique, all revolving around New Year's gift boxes, but with differing attitudes.
Some were so happy they forgot themselves:
Thank you, daughter, for the New Year's gift! The chocolate is really delicious!
The chocolate was sweet, but it left a slightly bitter taste in my heart. But as long as my wife is happy, that's all that matters.
[I can't bear to eat it, and I'm even more afraid that if I do, tears will fall. I don't have any other requests, baby, you just need to act!]
Some people are disappointed that their children are not living up to their potential.
[I had a pretty good idea of what was going on, but I was still taken aback when I received the chocolates. I was a little taken aback and found it hard to accept. Best wishes for the future.]
[Does this really have to happen during your rise to fame? Even if you almost disappeared from the public eye before, does it have to be this easy to give up? Couldn't you have just been a little more patient?]
[I'm quite disappointed. If you're not going to follow the path of a popular young actress, you need to achieve something first. But so far, you haven't even won any of the three major awards. Do you really think the Yunshuiyao IP will bring you both fame and fortune?]
Aside from the fans, every netizen had a big question mark above their head until Zhu Qingzhi's live stream clips from half a year ago were dug up.
In the video, Zhu Qingzhi, dressed in comfortable loungewear and without makeup, sits in front of the camera, unpacking and eating snacks.
At this time, she was deeply embroiled in the "casting change controversy," and all her resources disappeared overnight. She had plenty of time to chat with fans every day.
Everyone tacitly asked a lot of questions.
What would you do if your daughter hadn't entered the entertainment industry?
She read the comment aloud, tilted her head and thought for a moment, then her eyes suddenly curved into a smile: "Be a food connoisseur, fly around every day, don't diet, just eat!"
She even framed her face with her hands and puffed out her cheeks, looking like a cute, round Hello Kitty.
【If—and I mean hypothetically! Ugh!—my daughter didn't want to act anymore, what would she do?】
She took a sip of her milk tea and blurted out without thinking, "I'll probably get married."
At that time, Zhu Qingzhi felt that the entertainment industry was really boring. She had already agreed to the marriage alliance, and the next step was naturally to get the marriage certificate.
The live chat immediately erupted, filled with comments like "This is a tonic!"
Zhu Qingzhi looked at the rapidly scrolling screen and suddenly laughed: "I fly around everywhere, I'm never going home anyway."
This remark sounded like a lighthearted joke, and most fans just laughed it off. However, some people played along.
[Hahahaha, remember to send out wedding candy to women who don't come home!]
"Absolutely! We'll give them chocolates!"
Zhu Qingzhi casually unwrapped a piece of chocolate, then suddenly gasped in surprise.
She knew Wen Qi's name, but didn't think much of it. Now she discovered that his name was exactly the same as the Chinese translation of her favorite chocolate brand.
“Let’s use this brand.” She tore open the packaging and showed it to the camera, revealing a hint of delightful surprise: “72% concentration, that’s my favorite.”
At the time, fans just took it as a joke. After all, which female celebrity would publicly talk about getting married? And even specify a particular brand of wedding candy?
But at this moment, combining the short essay and the unexpected New Year's chocolate, all the clues can only lead to one conclusion.
That is, Zhu Qingzhi is really in love, no, she is really married.
Even so, nothing happened under the official Weibo post from Wen's Group stating, "[Wen's Group terminates all business cooperation with Liu's Group and its affiliated companies effective immediately, and the original contracts are terminated according to the terms.]".
It was all because of the Lu family's wealth and Wen Qi's married status that no one dared to speculate that a third party would appear in the marriage between the Wen and Lu families, so everyone excluded him immediately.
The trending topic had been going on for several days, and the popularity of "Zhu Qingzhi's marriage partner" only increased, without anyone involving Wen Qi.
Wen Qi felt inexplicably depressed about this, and this depression broke down when Ji Cen sent him an "insulting" message of condolence.
[Brother Wen, they've already tied me and my sister-in-law together, I'm sure it'll be your turn soon!!!]
As soon as this WeChat message popped up, he didn't hesitate to call Ji Ran and demand that Ji Cen be sent to Africa immediately.
Night had fallen, but the city center remained bustling. The neon lights of the skyscrapers crisscrossed and reflected on the huge floor-to-ceiling windows, like a sophisticated time machine cutting through time.
Wen Qi stood quietly by the window, pressing his knuckles hard against his throbbing temples. The office was dark, and the city's dim light outlined his tense profile.
At this moment, Yang Qing knocked twice on the door and pushed it open to enter. He then repeated the Liu family's sincerity: "President Wen, Chairman Liu and his family are still waiting in the reception room, hoping to apologize in person."
"No need," Wen Qi said coldly. "Let them take care of themselves."
Yang Qing noticed that he didn't look well, but it shouldn't be because of Liu Dong's matter. Although he didn't know what had happened, at this time, running away was the best solution.
He barely lingered, leaving the space to Wen Qi.
Sure enough, no sooner had Yang Qing left than Wen Qi took out his phone and dialed Zhu Qingzhi's number.
"Why are you taking it out on Ji Cen?" The call was quickly answered, and Zhu Qingzhi's cheerful voice broke the silence in the room.
Wen Qi was surprised that Ji Cen's complaint had reached Zhu Qingzhi's ears so quickly. So when did their relationship become so close?
A more unbearable restlessness, as resilient as a blade of grass in a strong wind, intensified despite repeated pressure on the chest.
He lowered his head, roughly loosened his tie, and reluctantly responded with a "hmm" from his dry throat.
She seemed to be hiding a hint of grievance, as if she wanted to conceal it.
Zhu Qingzhi was lying on the bed reading the script when she suddenly noticed Wen Qi's fleeting emotions, and the corners of her lips unconsciously curved into a smile.
The southern part of the city is remote, with few tall buildings in sight. As night falls, the stars are numerous and the view is unobstructed.
Looking at the starry sky, Zhu Qingzhi almost immediately guessed why Wen Qi was unhappy.
"You have to look at things from a different perspective," she said softly into the microphone. "Netizens think I wouldn't interfere in a married person's life—that's such high praise!"
"Netizens must recognize your noble character and that you would never cheat on your spouse. You should be happy."
Wen Qi was silent for a moment, then objected to Zhu Qingzhi's "noble qualities": "If it comes out later that I was a marriage fraudster, wouldn't that be considered immoral?"
"Hmm... does it count? No!" Zhu Qingzhi pondered, seemingly trying to comfort him, but actually not. She rested her chin on her hand and slowly turned a page of the script. "We signed an agreement."
She finally tasted the sweetness of verbal suppression from Wen Qi. The other end of the phone was silent, but after listening for a while, you could hear the mechanical sound of the clock ticking on the office wall.
Tick-tock, time passed, and for some reason, Zhu Qingzhi felt a pang of reluctance.
She suddenly realized that Wen Qi's question wasn't a joke he was making, but a serious one. His silence at that moment was a sign of insecurity and shamelessness at his own despicable behavior.
In that instant, the dense text on the script blurred and merged, looking more like a blot of ink in her eyes, so she simply stopped looking at it.
She sat up straight and said seriously, "Wen Qi, I was just kidding."
"I..." Wen Qi's breathing broke the rhythm of a clock, becoming intermittent and coming closer.
His unease, his hesitation, his nervousness... these were emotions that Zhu Qingzhi was experiencing for the first time.
"Actually, I... have thought about a lot of things. When you were in college, I considered the possibility of getting closer to you as a senior and becoming familiar with each other. I also considered the possibility of taking care of you as Lu Yao's friend and taking our relationship to the next level. But I knew that at that time, you wouldn't want to get to know me."
"I'll wait until you graduate and enter the entertainment industry. I've considered the possibility of getting to know you as an investor, deepening our understanding and relationship. I've also considered the possibility of binding you to my company as a leader, relying on each other."
"But I'm not confident in either role. Because when I was in school, I wanted passionate freedom. In the entertainment industry, I wanted the highest glory."
“Until the day Lu’s overseas branch went bankrupt and Wen’s invested, I suddenly thought of a marriage alliance, and I was certain that once I proposed a marriage alliance, the possibility of you agreeing was one hundred percent.”
Zhu Qingzhi listened quietly without offering any opinion, because she knew that Wen Qi was right.
When I was in school, all I wanted was to cherish the exhilarating freedom; when I'm working, all I want is to get what I want. No matter what identity Wen Qi appears in, it will all come to nothing.
She wasn't some clueless fool. She knew from a young age that marriage was both important and unimportant to a family like hers.
The important thing is that only by finding the right target and combining strengths can the family prosper.
What's unimportant is the choice based on personal feelings.
Fortunately, she wasn't a promiscuous person; she could control herself, and even if a spark occasionally ignited, she could always nip it in the bud. Therefore, she hadn't had anyone she liked in the past twenty years. Consequently, she wasn't opposed to arranged marriages.
Zhu Qingzhi didn't think Wen Qi was despicable at all. In fact, she often felt that if she met him one day, she might actually have the urge to "go up and ask for his contact information".
There was another long silence on the other end of the phone. Zhu Qingzhi looked out at the deep night and suddenly sighed softly.
She didn't say anything.
The sigh struck Wen Qi's eardrums, calming his restless heartbeat.
There are things that both parties may know in their hearts, but as long as they don't say them out loud, they can maintain their dignity. But today, he suddenly doesn't want to maintain his dignity anymore.
Perhaps it was a fear of loss, or perhaps it was nervousness, but he was unusually insecure today. He never imagined that one day he would feel nervous about being "public."
"Wen Qi." Suddenly she called his name softly.
Wen Qi instinctively gripped his phone tighter, his fingertips turning slightly white.
"Hmm." His voice was a little strained, but it sounded particularly clear in the empty office.
"Take a look at Weibo." A soft rustling sound came from the receiver, as if she had adjusted her posture, and her tone was relaxed, even a little playful.
Wen Qi was slightly taken aback. With her left hand still holding the phone to her ear, her right hand had already subconsciously turned on the tablet.
A notification popped up from my favorites: 【Zhu Qingzhi v: Thank you everyone for your concern, and thank you to someone for the surprise. //Just let me know if you need anything v: My day.】
That day was the day Wen Qi proposed.
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Author's note: Kiyoshi [starry-eyed]: I'll do it.
Wen Qi [bursts into tears]: Mm.
Ah Mei [starry eyes]: Me too!
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