Chapter 3, Chapter 03: "Arranged Marriage."...
Here it comes!
She knew it wouldn't be that easy to get away with it.
If Lin Chaoyue hadn't answered Li Cong's call, she would have thought Pei Shuwen was just asking casually, but what opinion could she possibly have now? What opinion could she possibly have!
So Lin Chaoyue promptly shut up.
Grandpa Fang joked from the side, "Your brother Shuwen also has a law firm in China. If you're interested, you can go there and visit him. Ask him to pull some strings for you."
Lin Chaoyue's hands, hidden under the table, were clenched tightly with nervousness, and her smile was somewhat forced.
However, what she didn't expect was...
Pei Shuwen was the one who came to the rescue once again.
Pei Shuwen said calmly, "Grandpa, everyone has their own ideas. This matter should be decided by Chaoyue herself."
Fang Wanli laughed: "Alright, alright, young people should indeed become independent early and have their own ideas, which is a good thing. But now, we old folks don't have any other wishes. The only thing we want is to see you settle down and start families soon. Being independent in your career isn't enough; ultimately, you still need a complete family..."
Lin Tenghui glanced at his daughter and nodded in agreement: "Indeed, speaking of which, our Yue'er is almost of marriageable age..."
The conversation took a sudden turn, shifting from work and career to children's marriages.
At first, Lin Chaoyue was just a little embarrassed.
But when she heard Ms. Zhong say she wanted her to get married soon, Lin Chaoyue almost choked on the mouthful of juice she was holding...
Later, Uncle Chen even joked a few times that she and Pei Shuwen were a good match.
Throughout the meal, Lin Chaoyue felt extremely uncomfortable, while Pei Shuwen, who was in the same situation as her, remained calm and composed, as if she hadn't heard a thing.
never mind.
She pretended not to hear anything; she'd already been pretending for so long, what difference would a little more make?
...
I endured the ordeal for two hours.
The dinner party was finally drawing to a close.
Lin Chaoyue breathed a sigh of relief as soon as she stepped out of the private room. While the adults were still exchanging pleasantries, she made an excuse to slip away, but after searching around, she couldn't find Assistant Xu. When she went to the lounge by the door, she discovered that all the luggage she had left was gone.
If she hadn't been on Uncle Chen's property, she would have thought she had been robbed again.
Lin Chaoyue was a little confused for a moment.
Although she was reluctant, seeing that Ms. Zhong was about to leave, she lingered and moved closer to her car.
Lin Chaoyue knocked on the half-open window of the car behind her: "Mom, where's Assistant Xu? Where am I staying tonight?"
Zhong Ling had been working since she got into the car, and didn't even look up when she knew it was Lin Chaoyue: "Your father is flying to Melbourne tonight, and he and Assistant Xu are on their way to the airport. The luggage driver has already taken you to your accommodation. Your brother Shu Wen has also arranged everything for your return to Ningcheng. You'll be in his car in a little while, so remember to be good."
Go with Pei Shuwen?
But she had just met Pei Shuwen today. Her childhood memories were already hazy. The conversation she and Pei Shuwen had just had was only superficially pleasant; the two of them were not actually familiar with each other. There was even an element of acting in her performance at the dinner table...
Lin Chaoyue hesitated.
Seeing that her daughter hadn't said a word, Zhong Ling finally looked up at her.
Lin Chaoyue's fair skin had a faint pinkish tint, and her eyes, beneath her curled eyelashes, were always sparkling. Her high ponytail fell beside her cheeks as she lowered her head, making her look beautiful even when she wasn't smiling.
Her daughter inherited the good looks of both the Zhong and Lin families, but not their sharpness and decisiveness.
He is always hesitant when faced with problems. His IQ is not low, but he lacks social experience and is somewhat lazy.
Zhong Ling took a breath: "This is not only my idea, but also your father's. We've been busy with work lately, your father needs to deal with overseas assets, and I need to go there as soon as I finish dealing with things in China."
"We don't have time to investigate what happened at school right now, but not investigating doesn't mean it didn't happen. We've thought this through carefully before deciding to entrust you to Shuwen. Your brother Shuwen is excellent. Cherish this opportunity. We hope that when your father and I return, you can correct your bad habits and not disappoint us again..."
Lin Chaoyue knew that she would definitely not be able to escape Ms. Zhong's "criticism" today.
She had been pretending to be well-behaved for so long, thinking that everything was fine, but she still couldn't avoid being scolded.
When I saw Pei Shuwen again, she looked rather disheveled.
Pei Shuwen wasn't surprised at all, and simply asked, "Can you drive?"
"Yes," she said listlessly.
Pei Shuwen handed over his car keys: "I have a video conference later, would you like to drive it?"
"Huh? Me?"
"Okay, get in the car."
By the time Lin Chaoyue realized what was happening, she was already sitting in the driver's seat of Pei Shuwen's car. It was an Aston Martin with a low-key color scheme.
It's in very good condition, probably a newly purchased car, so I'm not worried about her damaging it.
Seeing that she was looking around, Pei Shuwen seemed to have figured out what she was thinking. Before the video conference started, he gave his location and then added, "You can break the car, but be careful of pedestrians at night."
Lin Chaoyue was in a bad mood and couldn't help but want to argue, but Pei Shuwen, contrary to his 'gentlemanly' behavior at the dinner party, fastened his seatbelt and didn't look at her anymore.
So they're treating her like a heartless driver?
Although she wasn't very happy, Lin Chaoyue's actions spoke louder than words. After hesitating for a long time, she finally followed Pei Shuwen's directions and navigated to Tianhe City, a residential area in the center of Ningcheng City.
Pei Shuwen was in a meeting the whole time on the way.
Pei Shuwen only temporarily silenced the meeting after the car drove into the residential area.
Is this the place?
"Okay, keep driving straight, turn left at the first fork and go into the garage."
As Lin Chaoyue passed through the gate, she looked around and found that although the community was in the city center and the environment was nice, it was not as good as she had imagined, at least not the ultra-high-quality residence she had envisioned.
Pei Shuwen comes from a good family and must be making a good living as a popular partner at a law firm. Why is he living here?
Curious as she was, she didn't ask. She and Pei Shuwen weren't close enough for her to pry into his private life.
He skillfully directed her to park the car and then let her get in as well.
Lin Chaoyue asked in confusion, "Go to your house? Aren't you going to take me home first?"
"Are you in a hurry?" Pei Shuwen asked back.
"No, not really..."
"That's good, let's go upstairs," Pei Shuwen interrupted.
She wasn't in a hurry! She just suddenly had some bad premonitions, but since she had already come all this way, and given Ms. Zhong's 'warning' beforehand, she had no choice but to bite the bullet and go upstairs.
Pei Shuwen lived on the fourth floor. Her place was much better than she had expected. The decoration was simple and elegant, but the cool and understated color stripes showed that a lot of effort had been put into it. It was very special, but the only problem was that it lacked human warmth.
Pei Shuwen's conference call is still ongoing.
He went straight to the study as soon as he entered the room, leaving her alone in the living room.
"The meeting ends in ten minutes. Please make yourself at home and wait for me."
"Ah, okay."
She sat on the only black leather sofa in the living room, waiting.
After looking around for a while, I noticed a document on the coffee table next to the sofa when I looked away.
She didn't have a habit of prying into other people's privacy. She initially wanted to look away, but after seeing her own name printed on the cover, she hesitated and picked it up to read it anyway.
Lin Chaoyue was initially just puzzled, but after quickly flipping through a few pages and catching a glimpse of the words on them, she gradually became alarmed...
She squinted and pursed her lips, the paper in her hand crumpled, clearly indicating that she had used considerable force.
Pei Shuwen had just come out of the study when he saw Lin Chaoyue like this.
He sat down opposite her, his gaze sweeping over the 'cohabitation agreement' on the table, and calmly asked, "Have you read it all?"
"What is this?" Lin Chaoyue was still somewhat incredulous.
Pei Shuwen explained patiently, "As you can see, Aunt Zhong and Uncle Lin entrusted you to me, and you will be staying with me temporarily for the next period of time."
Her gaze swept over the words 'cohabitation', and considering the laughter and conversation at the two families' tables earlier, Lin Chaoyue immediately misunderstood.
Her tone became somewhat urgent.
"What do you mean? You want me to stay here? Isn't that too hasty? Why didn't you refuse? We don't even know each other."
"You must have misheard. My parents were just joking. It's not true. I'll call my mom right now..." Lin Chaoyue retorted as she dialed the number, but three seconds later, she received a busy signal.
It wasn't a normal hang-up; it was more like... being blocked.
Lin Chaoyue's eyes widened, her voice choked with emotion, even carrying a barely perceptible sob: "They really want to arrange a marriage..."
Pei Shuwen raised an eyebrow in surprise.
This little girl seems to have misunderstood.
Things didn't go as planned, but as a lawyer, Pei Shuwen's greatest strength was her ability to adapt to changing circumstances. So she didn't argue, but simply offered a reminder.
"I suggest you check your bank card balance."
Pei Shuwen was a little tired. After speaking, he crossed his legs, leaned back on the sofa, and closed his eyes to rest. When it was just the two of them, he was more unrestrained and casual than before.
However, Lin Chaoyue was no longer in the mood to pay attention to these things.
She moved mechanically, like a puppet, opening her phone and scrolling through her account. Upon seeing the frozen numbers and the canceled electronic room key, she froze on the spot, somewhat incredulous.
"how so?"
"My parents didn't tell me beforehand."
She looked down at Pei Shuwen, but her heart had already sunk to the bottom. Her eyes were also uncontrollably reddening.
Pei Shuwen opened her eyes: "There's always a price to pay for doing something wrong."
"That doesn't mean you have to just pack me up and send me away."
Lin Chaoyue sniffed, suddenly realizing that the price of her mistake this time was a bit too high.
Seeing that Pei Shuwen remained silent, Lin Chaoyue's nose stung even more: "Don't stay silent, are you also being forced into this? I heard you're quite capable at work, you don't need to sacrifice yourself for my family's business, you don't even like me."
Pei Shuwen said calmly, "Feelings are worthless in this circle. Even when two families unite, feelings are unnecessary. Feelings are the most useless thing."
Lin Chaoyue instinctively wanted to refute.
She wanted to say that her parents were a loving couple, but something flashed through her mind, and she shut her mouth.
Pei Shuwen is right.
In this circle, family background is far more important than feelings.
But how did this happen to her? She made a mistake, but she should be given a chance to make amends. At worst, she can save money in the future and earn back the money she was scammed out of...
Lin Chaoyue felt more and more aggrieved as she thought about it, and in just a short while, her eyes and nose were red.
"but……"
"But what?" Lin Chaoyue's eyes widened, and she forced back her tears, refusing to let the biggest little pearl roll down her cheeks.
Pei Shuwen: "However, I don't like to force things. I can give you another option. As for how to choose, you can decide for yourself."
He pushed another prepared document to Lin Chaoyue.
"have a look."
Lin Chaoyue quickly picked up the document and scanned its contents, unable to help but smile wryly.
Pei Shuwen seemed to have given herself a choice, but none of the options were what she wanted to choose.
Either live together or join Juntian Liangmu.
Lin Chaoyue: "Do I have any other choice?"
Pei Shuwen: "Think it over carefully."
Pei Shuwen left after saying that and went back to work.
Lin Chaoyue was left staring blankly at the newly added 'employment agreement' on the table.
It's really a tough choice...
Just as she was getting a little frustrated, Li Cong, who had been nowhere to be seen, finally popped up and sent a series of messages.
[I just went racing cars. You said you went to Pei Shuwen's house? Isn't that like throwing yourself to the wolves? But I heard he's quite a gentleman, so he probably didn't do anything to you, right?]
[Done.]
【Huh??? What did he do?! Did he take advantage of you and assault you? That bastard!!! I'll beat him to a pulp when I get back to China!】
They made me sign a contract of servitude.
[Huh? So you signed it?]
Of course she didn't want to sign, but what other options did she have? What's the difference between a rich second-generation with frozen credit cards like her and a helpless nobody?
Lin Chaoyue smiled wryly, holding two documents. She looked up at the doorway, and the thought of making a hasty escape crossed her mind again…
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