After dinner, Li Yang followed Xie Zongxu upstairs. With nothing else to do, she casually looked around without drawing attention to herself.
Xie Zongxu’s study did not resemble an ordinary home office. It felt more like a private library.
Three walls were lined from floor to ceiling with walnut bookshelves, packed densely with books arranged according to some rigorous classification system.
Literature, history, philosophy, art—every shelf was filled to the brim. Some book spines had turned slightly pale from frequent handling.
Although Li Yang was hardly an expert when it came to books, she was at least a proper university graduate and possessed a basic level of appreciation.
The books on Xie Zongxu’s shelves were definitely not decorative props.
That edition of The Twenty-Four Histories published by Zhonghua Book Company was a first edition that had gone out of print years ago.
That copy of In Search of Lost Time was an original edition from Gallimard.
And the complete works of Shakespeare were the Oxford edition that Li Yang had only ever seen listed online at astronomical secondhand prices.
Everything on Xie Zongxu’s shelves was the real deal.
Li Yang now had a rough understanding of the situation.
Acting casual, she walked over, intending to use books as a conversation starter and shorten the distance between them.
“Mr. Xie, do you usually enjoy reading?”
Xie Zongxu lifted his gaze from the book in his hand and glanced at her indifferently.
“Just a way to pass the time.”
His casual answer immediately led Li Yang to a misunderstanding.
Wealthy people often liked surrounding themselves with books to create a scholarly image, showing that they possessed not only money but also culture.
The heavy volumes before her were probably just another way for Xie Zongxu to display his taste.
And that was where her opportunity lay.
“I minored in literature during university.”
Li Yang naturally continued,
“If we have time someday, we can exchange some thoughts about the books we’ve read.”
The statement was merely polite conversation, but it would subtly reinforce her intellectual image and remind Xie Zongxu that the drunken woman from last night had only suffered a momentary lapse of judgment and was not her true self.
Xie Zongxu seemed to accept the suggestion. Lowering his head, he let out a faint laugh.
“Sure.”
Whether it would help or not, at least she had done her best to repair her collapsed image.
Li Yang pointed toward the door.
“Then I’ll head back to my room first.”
She had just turned around when she suddenly remembered something and looked back at him.
“I still haven’t thanked you.”
Xie Zongxu looked up.
“For what?”
“For the clothes you prepared for me beforehand.”
Li Yang lowered her eyes, and her voice softened slightly.
“And for this ring.”
Although they were only in a trial marriage at the moment, Xie Zongxu had never neglected her role as Mrs. Xie in daily life. He had given her the dignity she deserved.
He was even willing to share something as precious as a ring—a symbol of commitment.
“No need to thank me.”
Xie Zongxu replied calmly.
“It’s what I should do.”
Li Yang: “…”
That sounded so official.
Returning to her room, Li Yang closed the door and leaned her entire body against it, letting out a long breath.
She lowered her head and looked at the ring on her finger.
Under the light, the diamond sparkled brilliantly.
She raised her hand and thought about taking it off for a closer look. Her fingers touched the band, but she stopped midway.
Forget it.
She was already wearing it. Why bother taking it off?
Walking to the window, she gazed at Singapore’s nighttime skyline.
Her thoughts were a tangled mess.
Just then, the sound of a doorbell suddenly came from downstairs.
Li Yang froze.
She had not heard Aunt Zhou go to answer it.
After hesitating for a moment, she opened the door and went downstairs.
In the living room, two men in uniforms were carrying things inside while Aunt Zhou stood nearby with a bewildered expression.
“What is this…?”
“Madam.”
Seeing her, Aunt Zhou quickly explained,
“These gentlemen said they’re delivering something. They said Sir ordered it.”
A delivery?
Li Yang walked down the stairs and finally saw what they were carrying.
A sound system.
Not a small Bluetooth speaker, but a complete professional setup—an amplifier, speakers, a mixing console—everything arranged neatly and obviously high-end.
Beside it sat an elegant box bearing the logo of a famous microphone brand.
Li Yang was puzzled.
Why would Xie Zongxu order these things?
“Hello, Madam. This is Mr. Xie’s order. Please sign for it.”
One of the delivery men handed her a receipt.
Still dazed, Li Yang accepted the pen and signed her name.
By the time the men finished installing everything and left, she was still standing there staring blankly at the equipment.
The sound system stood alone beside the television cabinet, completely out of place with the minimalist décor of the room.
At some point, Xie Zongxu had come downstairs.
Leaning casually against the staircase railing, he looked completely relaxed.
“Try it.”
He said.
Li Yang looked at him.
“…What’s all this for?”
“Don’t you like singing?”
Li Yang stared at the two microphones.
Her mind went through seven or eight twists before she finally asked cautiously,
“So… this is for me?”
“Mm.”
Xie Zongxu walked over to the sofa and sat down. Picking up the remote control, he pressed a few buttons.
A karaoke interface appeared on the television screen.
“Don’t you like singing?”
Li Yang blinked.
She liked singing?
When had she ever told him that she liked singing?
She did enjoy singing. Back in university, she had even entered a campus singing competition. Although she had not reached the finals, she had never mentioned that to Xie Zongxu.
Looking at Xie Zongxu’s back as he adjusted the equipment, she wondered:
How did he know she liked singing?
Just as Li Yang was about to ask, her phone suddenly rang.
She glanced at the screen.
It was Lin Qingqing.
“Hello?”
“LI YANG!!!”
Lin Qingqing’s voice exploded through the receiver.
Li Yang instinctively moved the phone farther away.
“What is going on with you? Why did you suddenly run off to Singapore for a vacation? I went looking for you at your house, and your aunt told me you’d already flown away ages ago. Why didn’t you bring me with you? That’s completely unfair!”
Li Yang froze before laughing awkwardly.
“I forgot to tell you. Sorry, Qingqing.”
“As if that’s the only thing you’ve done to me! Xie Xinhang told me his Third Uncle is getting engaged, and it’s with the Li family. There are only a few prominent Li families in Capital City. Neither Xie Xinhang nor I ever imagined you’d been hiding so much from us! And that Li family just happens to be your family, Li Yang!”
Li Yang glanced at Xie Zongxu in the distance.
He was leaning back on the sofa scrolling through his phone as though he had heard nothing.
Holding her phone, she lowered her voice and walked a few steps away.
“Qingqing, listen to me.”
“Listen to what? This is way too much! In another month, you’ll be the wife of the person in charge of Xie Corporation. The whole world is about to know, and somehow I’m the only one who doesn’t!”
Li Yang fell silent.
“The whole world knows? What do you mean?”
“You don’t know yet? Wait, I’ll send you the link. It’s the headline in the financial section. It just came out!”
Her phone vibrated.
Li Yang opened the link Lin Qingqing had sent.
It was a financial news article, with a bold headline:
《First Public Revelation of Xie Corporation Leader’s Marriage News: Strategic Alliance with Capital City’s Li Family, Engagement Banquet to Be Held in One Month》
Li Yang’s finger paused.
She scrolled down.
According to informed sources this morning, Xie Corporation Chairman Xie Zongxu will soon become engaged to Li Yang, daughter of Capital City’s Li family. The engagement ceremony has been scheduled for one month from now.
…
The accompanying photograph showed Xie Zongxu attending a business forum.
Dressed in a tailored suit, he stood on stage delivering a speech. His profile was sharp and cold, and his presence was overwhelmingly commanding.
Beneath the photograph was a small caption:
It is reported that this leader of Xie Corporation rarely appears before the media. This engagement announcement marks the first public disclosure of his private life.
Li Yang stared at the screen.
Her mind buzzed.
Lin Qingqing’s voice continued exploding through the phone.
“Did you see it? Did you see it? One month from now, at Capital City Hotel! And you still kept it from me! Li Yang, are you even human?”
Li Yang lifted her head and looked toward Xie Zongxu on the sofa.
He was still looking at his phone, appearing completely at ease.
Holding her phone, she closed her eyes briefly and said to Lin Qingqing,
“Qingqing, I’ll call you back in a little while.”