Wen Yining’s fingers tightened around the curtain.
She watched as the leading Maybach stopped in front of the Wen family’s gate. The car door opened, a pair of black leather shoes stepped onto the ground, followed by straight suit trousers, and then the face she hadn’t seen for three days.
Xi Yu was dressed in a black suit, his shirt collar buttoned up tightly, his hair meticulously combed.
His expression was cold, and he exuded an aloofness that seemed to emanate from his very bones, like a moving sculpture—exquisite but devoid of warmth.
Behind him followed Assistant Lin and four attendants in black suits, each carrying items in their hands. Bright red gift boxes were stacked together, glaringly conspicuous under the sunlight.
Mother Wen had already gone out to greet him, her voice loud enough to be heard throughout the entire street: “Oh, Young Master Xi is here! Please come in, come in!”
Wen Yining stood on the second floor, watching as Xi Yu crossed the courtyard and entered the Wen family’s main door.
His steps were quick, his face devoid of any expression. He didn’t even glance up toward the second floor.
But she noticed that the moment he stepped through the door, his jaw tightened slightly.
Only she knew what that subtle gesture meant—he didn’t want to be here.
He didn’t want to come.
But he had come anyway.
By the time Wen Yining changed her clothes and went downstairs, the living room was already filled with people.
Xi Yu sat in the seat of honor, holding a cup of tea in his hand. He didn’t drink it, just held it.
Father Wen sat opposite him, his face creased with smiles as he said, “For Young Master Xi to come all the way here, it’s truly an honor for my daughter.”
Polite words flowed one after another, but the listener’s expression remained cold and distant.
Mother Wen sat beside Father Wen, her eyes constantly darting toward Xi Yu’s face, a smile she couldn’t suppress curling at the corners of her mouth.
Wen Nanxing was also there, unusually dressed in a decent shirt. He sat in a corner, head bowed as he played on his phone, occasionally looking up before lowering his head again.
The moment Wen Yining entered the living room, everyone’s gaze turned toward her.
Xi Yu glanced at her too.
Just a glance, and then he looked away.
Wen Yining sat down opposite him, her hands resting on her knees, her back straight.
She wore a light blue dress, her hair loose, with very light makeup.
It wasn’t that she wanted to wear makeup—Mother Wen had rushed into her room before she came downstairs, pressed her down, and applied a layer of foundation and lipstick.
“Sit,” Father Wen said with a smile, gesturing to the seat beside Xi Yu.
Wen Yining didn’t move.
She was already sitting opposite Xi Yu, and Father Wen’s intention for her to move closer was all too obvious.
Xi Yu picked up his teacup, took a sip, and set it down. His voice was neither loud nor soft: “Uncle Wen, you should already know the purpose of my visit today.”
Father Wen was taken aback, probably not expecting Xi Yu to be so direct.
He forced a dry laugh: “Yes, yes, Young Master Xi is too polite. For matters like this, you could’ve just sent someone to inform us. There was no need to come in person.”
“Uncle Wen,” Xi Yu interrupted him, his tone still calm, but with something simmering beneath that calmness that made Father Wen’s smile freeze on his face. “There’s no need for polite words. I’m here today on behalf of the Xi family to propose marriage to the Wen family.”
The living room fell silent for a moment.
Mother Wen immediately covered her mouth, her eyes instantly reddening.
Whether it was genuine emotion or sheer excitement was unclear.
Father Wen repeated “good, good, good” three times in a row, his voice trembling.
Even Wen Nanxing, who had been playing on his phone in the corner, looked up and stared wide-eyed at Xi Yu.
Only Wen Yining remained motionless.
She watched Xi Yu, but he did not look at her.
As he spoke, his eyes were fixed on Father Wen, his tone as if he were reading out a contract: “I will marry Wen Yining and publicly announce that our families have long been engaged, though it was never disclosed before.”
“This incident was an accident. Announcing the marriage publicly will provide an explanation for Yining and the outside world.”
Long been engaged.
Upon hearing these four words, Wen Yining suddenly understood everything.
The Xi family was turning the tables.
This idea must have come from The Old Master.
When the news broke, public opinion overwhelmingly claimed that she had schemed and maneuvered her way into Xi Yu’s bed.
Now, with the Xi family taking the initiative to propose marriage and stating that there had long been an engagement, the nature of the entire incident would change.
It was no longer a one-night stand or a calculated scheme, but a marriage arranged long ago by the two families, which just happened to be captured by the media.
Once public opinion shifted, the stock price would stabilize.
And just like that, Xi Yu’s crisis would be resolved.
As for her…
Wen Yining lowered her head and looked at her hands resting on her knees.
Her nails were painted with a faint nude pink polish, which Mother Wen had insisted on applying for her this morning.
“Yining,” Father Wen’s voice pulled her back to reality, “Young Master Xi is speaking to you.”
Wen Yining looked up and found Xi Yu watching her.
His eyes were dark and cold, devoid of anger, disgust, or any emotion at all. They resembled a frozen lake, reflecting nothing.
“Miss Wen,” Xi Yu’s voice was indifferent, “do you have anything to say?”
Wen Yining opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but she saw Mother Wen behind Xi Yu giving her a meaningful look—a look she knew all too well.
It was a signal for her to obediently agree and not ruin things.
She closed her mouth and shook her head.
Xi Yu watched her for two seconds before turning back to continue speaking with Father Wen.
For the next hour, Wen Yining sat on the sofa like a decorative piece, listening as Xi Yu and Father Wen finalized the engagement process.
The date for the betrothal gifts, the scale of the wedding, when to announce the engagement publicly, and when to issue a joint statement.
Each detail was laid out clearly, as if discussing a business deal.
And in fact, it was exactly that.
Father Wen wanted a backer, and the Xi family wanted to preserve their reputation.
As for her, she was the commodity placed on the shelf in this transaction.
When Xi Yu left, Mother Wen held Wen Yining’s hand and escorted him to the door, beaming with joy.
Before getting into the car, Xi Yu glanced back at Wen Yining and said only one thing: “Assistant Lin will bring the contract over tomorrow.”
Contract?
She wanted to ask what contract, but the window of the black Maybach had already rolled up.
Wen Yining stood at the doorway, watching the long procession of cars slowly drive down the tree-lined road. Their taillights lit up in the dusk, like a string of red eyes.
She turned and went back inside. Mother Wen was still excitedly discussing with Father Wen whom to invite to the wedding banquet, while Wen Nanxing had already returned to his room to play games. The liveliness in the living room had nothing to do with her.
She went upstairs, closed the door, sat on the edge of the bed, and stared blankly at the oil painting she had made when she was fifteen.
Her phone vibrated.
She picked it up and saw a text message from an unfamiliar number, containing just one line: “Tomorrow at 10 a.m., Assistant Lin will come to the Wen residence to discuss the contract in person.”
Wen Yining stared at the message for a long time. She didn’t ask what contract it referred to, simply typing three words in reply: “Understood.”
Just as she sent the response, another notification popped up on her phone.
It was from Tangtang: “Yining, I heard Xi Yu went to your house to propose??? Is it true??”
Wen Yining typed two words: “It’s true.”
Tangtang’s voice messages immediately flooded in, several in a row, each one sixty seconds long.
Wen Yining opened them one by one, though she already knew what Tangtang would say without listening.
“Baby, are you crazy? Are you really going to listen to your mom and marry that ice block? How many times have you even met him?”
She didn’t know how to respond, her mind a tangled mess.
Placing her phone on the nightstand, she lay down and stared at the ceiling.
She remembered what The Old Master had said to her three days ago at the Xi family’s old residence, just before sending her off in the car.
She had asked him then, “How did you know Xi Yu would definitely come to propose?”
The Old Master smiled, a smile that held something indescribable, as if he were looking at a chess move already set in place.
“In three days, you’ll know.”
Today, she knew.
During the three days of the public uproar, Xi Yu had been cornered by shareholders and pressured by The Old Master from both sides—the family business and familial bonds.
Three days later, he had no choice but to walk through the doors of the Wen family.
Fate had never intended to give her a choice, nor had it intended to give Xi Yu one.
This marriage had been a predetermined move by the Wen family from the very beginning.
She thought she had only learned of it at fifteen, but perhaps long before that, before she even knew who Xi Yu was, this game of chess had already begun.
Wen Yining turned over, burying her face in the pillow. She closed her eyes, her thoughts chaotic, and it took a long time before she finally fell asleep.
The next morning at 9:55 a.m., Wen Yining sat in the living room of the Wen residence, a cup of cold black tea placed before her.
Mother Wen had wanted to stay and observe, but Wen Yining gently declined with a single sentence: “The Xi family said they would only speak with me alone.”
Mother Wen wasn’t pleased to hear this but didn’t dare insist on staying.
She wouldn’t dare defy something the Xi family had specifically instructed.
At exactly ten o’clock, the doorbell rang.
Assistant Lin appeared at the door right on time, carrying a black briefcase, his expression as serious yet polite as ever.
“Miss Wen, my apologies for the intrusion.”
Wen Yining ushered him into the living room, and the two took their seats on the sofa.
Assistant Lin pulled a document from his briefcase, A4-sized, with the words “Marriage Agreement” printed on the cover in standard Song typeface, without any flashy embellishments.
He slid the document toward Wen Yining and handed her a pen.
“Miss Wen, this is what Mr. Xi asked me to deliver to you. Please review it. If there are no issues, kindly sign on the last page.”