The already cramped space became even more crowded.
Li Yang was forced to tilt her head back as she looked at him.
Xie Zongxu did not answer immediately.
He took something out of the inner pocket of his suit and held it out to her.
It was an envelope.
A delicate yet understated envelope, sealed with wax. Pressed into the wax was a plum blossom.
Li Yang froze.
“What is this?”
“Open it and see.”
She accepted the envelope. After hesitating for a moment, she finally broke the seal.
Inside was a folded sheet of paper, made of fine material with elegant embossed patterns.
She unfolded it.
There were only a few lines written on it.
The Li and Xie families have enjoyed friendship for generations. Today, there is Li family daughter Yang, and Xie Corporation’s son Zongxu. Equal in age and appearance, compatible in character and temperament, they are willing to enter into a Marriage Alliance. This agreement is hereby established, and a good union shall be formed together.
Li Yang stared at those few lines.
Xie Zongxu watched her and spoke.
“Finished reading?”
She looked up, her expression somewhat dazed.
“What is this?”
“A marriage contract.”
Li Yang’s brows furrowed.
Xie Zongxu looked at her.
The emergency light flickered across her face, making her eyes shine brightly.
He said: “The marriage contract was drafted this morning. It was the wish of the elders from both families. We were supposed to meet first, and if both of us were satisfied, the arrangement would be officially settled.”
Li Yang’s mind buzzed.
Both satisfied?
Officially settled?
“Are you joking?”
The words escaped her mouth.
Xie Zongxu raised an eyebrow.
“Do I look like I’m joking?”
Li Yang did not believe him.
How could she possibly believe him?
He was Xie Zongxu, Chairman of Xie Corporation, worth hundreds of billions, the youngest business tycoon in Beijing City.
And what about her?
She was just an ordinary university student. Her family might have some standing, but compared to the Xie Family, they were not even in the same league.
Didn’t families like this always seek equally matched partners for marriage alliances?
Why would they choose her?
She tried hard to calm herself.
“President Xie, I think you’ve made a mistake. Someone with your status should be forming a marriage alliance with…”
“With whom?”
He interrupted her.
Li Yang was stumped.
That was right. With whom?
She did not know either, but she was certain it should not be her.
Grinding her teeth, she brought up the topic she had not dared mention.
“If this is because of what happened that night and you think you need to take responsibility, there’s really no need. We’re both adults. It was consensual. Can’t we just pretend it never happened?”
Xie Zongxu looked at her.
His gaze was deep and unreadable.
A few seconds later, he stepped back, retreating beyond a safe distance, and lowered his head to straighten his cuff.
“The affairs of the Xie Family are not decided by me alone. If Miss Li has any thoughts on the matter, she may bring them up directly.”
Li Yang: “…”
Pressing her lips together, she spoke uneasily.
“Hasn’t Mr. Xie ever thought about refusing? Before today, we’ve barely even met a few times.”
Refuse?
Xie Zongxu did not answer.
He had been brought into Family Head meetings as an observer at the age of ten. At fifteen, he had started following projects. At twenty-two, he had officially taken over the family business.
Over the years, he had seen countless people fight until they were bloodied over profit. He had also witnessed countless so-called relationships shatter the moment interests were involved.
To him, marriage alliances were merely a method of resource integration—efficient, clean, and mutually beneficial.
Families of equal status, backgrounds known to each other.
Far more reliable than those fleeting feelings of attraction.
And while marriage alliance was indeed the main reason for choosing her, what had happened that night had also played a role.
Xie Zongxu lifted his eyes to her.
His tone was gentle yet distant.
“Of course, if Miss Li truly doesn’t wish to proceed, the Xie Family won’t force the issue.”
Li Yang did not know whether to call him overly rational or overly cold.
Such a major matter as marriage sounded so weightless when it came from him, as though he were discussing a business deal.
If the conditions were suitable, sign the contract.
If not, find another partner.
The area around the Xie Family Ancestral Home was quiet despite being in a bustling district. Tall French plane trees lined both sides of the road, their swaying shadows revealing glimpses of the red brick walls of an old luxury estate.
The dense canopy blocked out the noise of the city.
It suited the suffocating silence inside perfectly.
The night breeze slipped in through the half-open window, carrying the cool dampness of late spring.
Li Yang closed her eyes and suppressed the frustration clogging her chest.
Inwardly, she could not help condemning Li Luqian.
What era was this?
Who still arranged marriages?
Was he insane?
…
Li Yang and Li Luqian returned forty minutes later.
Neither father nor daughter showed much emotion when they entered.
One loosened his tie and sank into the sofa.
The other casually set her bag down at the entrance, changed her shoes, and headed toward the living room.
Seeing his daughter walking straight upstairs, Li Luqian called out to stop her.
“You came back this early with me? Not planning to chat a little longer with that young man from the Xie Family?”
Li Yang halted and turned around.
“What is there to talk about? Talk about when we’re going to get engaged?”
A slight movement appeared between Li Luqian’s brows.
Patting the sofa beside him, he gestured for her to sit.
“What part of Xie Zongxu isn’t good enough for you? You said it yourself—you wanted someone clean-cut, from a compatible family background, and without a messy romantic history. This young man from the Xie Family just returned from America. He controls the entire supply chain of Huadong District, and not a single scandal has ever followed him. What more could you possibly want?”
Yes, Xie Zongxu was practically flawless.
But that was exactly what irritated Li Yang.
The whole world thought he was perfect, so she was expected to smile and nod in agreement.
“Dad, I’m not being picky about the person.”
Li Yang remained standing beside the sofa instead of sitting down.
“I’m asking whether you ever discussed this with me. Did you ever consider whether I was willing to spend the rest of my life with someone I’ve barely spoken to?”
Li Luqian looked at her.
His tone darkened.
“So now you’re saying you look down on Xie Zongxu?”
“I’m saying you never treated me as—”
Li Yang stopped herself and suppressed the emotions surging inside her.
“Forget it. Just assume I look down on him.”
“That’s fine.”
Li Luqian leaned back.
His fingers tapped lightly against the armrest.
“You can gradually come to like him after you marry him.”
Li Yang: “…”
Taking a deep breath, she looked at her father.
Li Luqian did not continue arguing. Instead, he rubbed his forehead, his tone softening.
“The Xie Family has been close to ours for twenty years. Grandpa Xie personally brought this up. I met that boy Zongxu today. He’s steady, dependable, and perfectly suited to you. Trust your father. I wouldn’t harm you.”
“So what now?”
Li Yang let out a laugh, though there was no amusement in her eyes.
“Is this matter already decided?”
Originally, Li Luqian had not planned to bring up the engagement so soon.
But two months earlier, during a Chamber of Commerce banquet, Father Xie had pulled him aside and mentioned that both children were now of age.
He had said that Zongxu had spent all these years overseas and had now returned.
It was time for him to start a family.
The two families knew each other well. Li Yang had practically grown up under his watch.
There could not be a more suitable match.
The Li Family had been established in Capital City for three generations. They had started in traditional industries and gradually shifted toward investment over the years, progressing steadily.
But the Xie Family was different.
Since the generation of Xie Zongxu’s grandfather, the family had been engaged in import and export trade. Later, they expanded into ports and logistics.
By now, they had become one of the most untouchable elite families in the entire Beijing Elite Circle.
Xie Zongxu’s maternal side possessed even stronger connections.
His grandfather had been a retired Senior Executive within the commerce system, and several of his uncles still held positions within the government structure.
What the Xie Family valued was the Li Family’s clean reputation.
They valued Li Yang’s upbringing.
She had been well-educated since childhood, free of the spoiled temperament common among wealthy young ladies, and she was exceptionally attractive as well.
Li Luqian understood perfectly well that, in the eyes of others, this marriage was the Li Family reaching above their station.
But he also knew that traditional industries were becoming increasingly difficult to sustain.
Investment depended heavily on market trends.
The trade enterprise that the Li Family had spent twenty years building was ultimately unable to withstand the decline of print media. Circulation numbers had fallen off a cliff, and the entire group was struggling through a difficult transformation.
Li Luqian was a traditional businessman.
In his eyes, his daughter’s happiness was far less important than the foundation of the family.
He hoped to secure the most stable future possible for Li Yang while also bringing benefits to the group.
Yet she was still the daughter he had cherished and raised.
He did not want to speak too harshly and drive a wedge between father and daughter.
After several seconds of tense silence, he sighed.
“I’ve already discussed things with your Uncle Xie. The engagement will take place in a month. Before then, you can spend more time getting to know Zongxu. You’re young people. Feelings can develop gradually.”
If they truly could not get along, then after marriage they could simply live separate lives.
After all, what a marriage alliance required was that marriage certificate.
But Li Luqian did not say those words aloud.
Her stepmother, Jiang Lan, also chimed in.
“Zongxu is flying to Singapore tomorrow morning to discuss a cooperation project. Why don’t you go see him off and accompany him? On the way, you could…”
“I’m not going.”
Li Yang cut her off directly.
She turned around and went upstairs.
A loud bang echoed through the house as her bedroom door slammed shut.