As she got closer, Tong Yue could see him more clearly—his looks were truly beyond reproach.
A man this handsome couldn’t find a single woman willing to marry him? After all, there was a million yuan on the line!
Could he have some hidden illness?
He Jingchen walked up to her.
Tong Yue reached out and pointed at the seat across from her.
“Have a seat.”
He Jingchen sat down.
Their eyes met, then darted away. The air froze.
He Jingchen was 28 years old and had inherited He Group from his father two years ago.
He didn’t like appearing in public, and his public image was shrouded in mystery, so the outside world knew very little about him.
After his father passed away, he had thrown himself entirely into work, leaving no time for his personal life—especially not for romance.
Tong Yue—he had heard Grandpa He mention her several times, and more and more frequently lately, until the old man was outright clamoring to arrange a blind date between them.
He Jingchen could never understand it. The Tong family had gone bankrupt, so why was his grandfather forcing him to marry this woman?
He was deeply wary of her.
Tong Yue greeted him first. “Hello, my name is Tong Yue.”
He Jingchen looked up at her.
Was she blushing?
An act.
He regarded her coldly. “Hello, my name is He Jingchen.”
He Jingchen didn’t want to waste words on her either, so he got straight to the point. “We’re meeting with marriage in mind. You should be mentally prepared.”
A flicker of panic crossed Tong Yue’s eyes.
So soon.
She had still been hesitating, but after a moment’s thought, she agreed anyway. “Mr. He, before we register our marriage, shouldn’t we get to know each other a little?”
He noticed how earnest she looked.
He Jingchen gave a soft laugh and nodded.
He already knew her situation pretty well.
But he wanted to see how she would present it.
Tong Yue took a sip of water and began introducing herself. “My name is Tong Yue. I’m 25 this year. I have a younger brother and a younger sister. Right now I’m unemployed…”
“Your family went bankrupt?”
He Jingchen cut her off without mercy.
Tong Yue stopped awkwardly.
The wound in her heart was torn open again.
No matter what, she felt it was necessary to make these things clear before marriage.
Her voice dropped to a mosquito’s whisper. “Grandpa He should have told you, right?”
“Your family’s bankruptcy? The whole city knows about it.” He Jingchen’s gaze was meaningful.
There was a chill in his words.
Tong Yue froze, then forced out a bitter smile. “It’s true. My family went bankrupt, and I don’t have a job right now. That’s my situation.”
So He Jingchen did mind, quite a bit.
He Jingchen smiled.
Skirting the real issue. Quite the schemer.
He absolutely had to keep his true identity hidden, lest she set her sights on it.
After all, a beautiful woman like Tong Yue was materialistic, and now that her family was bankrupt, she’d be all the more eager to find a man to leech off.
He Jingchen gave a cold laugh and said, “My name is He Jingchen. Your Grandpa He is my grandfather. My parents are both alive, and I have a younger brother. I also have an uncle, who has two children.”
“I currently work in sales at a company, with a monthly salary of thirty thousand.”
His words were half true, half false, but Tong Yue listened intently.
She nodded, satisfied and full of admiration.
“That’s wonderful. It shows you’re really capable—thirty thousand a month. Very impressive.”
But He Jingchen smiled dismissively.
He earned more than thirty thousand every single minute, and a mere thirty thousand a month could satisfy her this much.
Thirty thousand wasn’t even enough for her to buy one handbag.
He would just have to see how long she kept up the act.
He Jingchen continued, “We’re going to get the marriage certificate right now. Before we do, I have a few points to make. First, you don’t interfere in my private affairs—and of course, I won’t meddle in yours either.”
“Second, all assets, before and after marriage, remain each person’s own property. After we’re married, I’ll give you twenty thousand a month from my salary for everyday expenses.”
“Third, after six months, if either party asks for a divorce, the other may not object.”
Tong Yue’s heart surged with excitement.
She asked eagerly, “You’re giving me twenty thousand a month?”
He Jingchen narrowed his eyes.
So the fox’s tail was showing?
“Is that not enough?”
Afraid he’d misunderstand, Tong Yue shook her head quickly. “No, no, twenty thousand is plenty. In Jingshi, twenty thousand a month is more than enough.”
He Jingchen was at a loss for words.
Staring at the bag in her hand—though he knew nothing about luxury brands, one look told him it wasn’t cheap.
“Let’s go. We’re getting the certificate now.”
With that, He Jingchen stood up and headed outside. Tong Yue hurriedly grabbed her bag and followed behind him.
She had to admit, this man was tall. Like a wall. And his presence was genuinely impressive.
Though his expression was really sour.
Like someone owed him money.
But considering how handsome he was, plus that one-million bride price, Tong Yue decided to let it slide.
Her plan was to accept the million, and if they divorced, she’d write him an IOU and pay him back slowly.
The two of them went downstairs one after the other, walking toward the roadside.
He Zhiguo stepped out from the side, watching their retreating figures with secret delight, and quietly followed.
Just then, the couple from Wang Group—Ye Hui and Wang Yang—came down from the second floor.
Looking at the man and woman not far away, they both found the figures familiar.
Ye Hui: “Hey, look—that woman looks like Tong Yue! We waited for her all this time, and she stood us up! Well, at least she knew better than to keep trying—she wisely backed off!”
Wang Yang looked over. It really was her.
But why was there a tall man beside her?
He frowned. “That man looks like He Jingchen?”
Ye Hui rolled her eyes in annoyance. “Impossible. He Jingchen would never be that brainless. Tong Yue is a jinx now—what man would dare want her!”
He Jingchen kept a low profile in their circle; Wang Yang had only caught a glimpse of his back once by chance, and it had burned itself deep into his memory.
…
Tong Yue and He Jingchen arrived at the civil affairs bureau. Half an hour later, the two of them came out, each holding a little red booklet.
He Zhiguo had been waiting for a while. Seeing them come out, he immediately walked over with a smile.
“Yueyue, Hanchen, congratulations!”
The more He Zhiguo looked at them, the more well-matched they seemed!
With his grandson’s marriage settled, he could finally rest easy.
Tong Yue stole a shy glance at He Jingchen. Seeing his indifferent expression, she walked over to He Zhiguo, feeling a bit embarrassed.
“Grandpa.”
“Good, good, good.” He Zhiguo’s face was practically splitting with smiles. He immediately pulled out his phone.
A moment later, Tong Yue’s phone chimed twice. She picked it up and looked—one million had been transferred.
“Yueyue, this bride price is from my grandson’s savings. Take it and spend it however you like.” He Zhiguo couldn’t have been happier.
Standing to the side, He Jingchen was somewhat speechless. His grandfather was pushing him into a pit of fire and smiling so happily about it.
If it weren’t for his filial devotion…
“Grandpa.” Tong Yue remembered she still had things to take care of, so she said to him, “Grandpa, I have some errands to run. I’ll head out first.”
“Good, good.” He Zhiguo agreed with a smile, then shot He Jingchen a glare.
He Jingchen walked up to her, his attitude still cold. “Do you have a place to live? My lease is about to expire. The new house hasn’t been handed over yet.”
The smile on He Zhiguo’s face froze. This brat—can’t he even offer up a single house?
He had so many houses!
But Tong Yue wasn’t upset. “Yes, I have a house, though it’s a secondhand one. Move in two days from now.”
She felt uneasy inside. Her house was quite old—would he look down on it?
He Jingchen’s face was expressionless, his hands in his pockets. “Fine. We’ll be in touch then.”
They had added each other on WeChat while waiting in line at the civil affairs bureau. After saying goodbye to them, Tong Yue left.
Watching her retreating figure, you could even sense the joy in her heart. He Zhiguo patted He Jingchen on the shoulder and said with a smile, “Congratulations, you brat! You’ve found a treasure—such a wonderful wife!”
He Jingchen: “Grandpa, what kind of grandfather sets up his own grandson like this!”
He Zhiguo pulled a stack of documents out of his backpack and stuffed them into his hands. “These are the real details about Tong Yue and her family. Take them and read them. Once you’re done, your opinion of this girl will change.”
“I’m leaving. There’s still work at the company.”
He Jingchen impatiently took the documents and held them carelessly, hurrying out the door.
He had driven a car worth several million here. Afraid of giving himself away, he’d parked it outside the civil affairs bureau. Now he had to go get it and drive it away.
From behind came He Zhiguo’s parting words: “Brat, treat her well!”
He Jingchen didn’t look back, kicking a pebble at his feet.
He had married Tong Yue out of spite. He would prove to his grandfather with facts that the two of them were not suited for each other!
He would never fall in love with Tong Yue!