The official announcement was released at exactly nine o’clock in the morning.
The official statement from the Pei Group was brief, maintaining its usual concise and clear wording—Mr. Pei Huaijin, CEO of the Pei Group, and Ms. Shen Qingyu, daughter of the Shen family, have recently confirmed their marriage. Both families have expressed their blessings, and the specific wedding date will be announced separately. Thank you for your concern.
As soon as the news broke, it immediately caused a stir in the business and legal circles of Jingbei, as well as across the entire social media landscape.
At 9:03, the first wave of financial media outlets pushed the news: “Pei Group President Pei Huaijin Marries Shen Family Heiress.” The comments section exploded within thirty seconds.
“Is the crown prince of Jingbei finally getting married?” “Which Shen family?” “The largest law firm in Jingbei belongs to the Shen family. They’re a legal dynasty.” “With these two families united, who else in Jingbei can compete?”
At 9:05, the first related hashtag appeared on Weibo: “Pei Huaijin Marriage.” Clicking into the hashtag, the view count surpassed 50 million within ten minutes. In the real-time discussion section, thousands of new comments poured in every minute, as if the feed was on fast-forward.
“That’s Pei Huaijin, who’s been on the ‘Most Eligible Bachelor in Asia’ list for three consecutive years!” “My dream of marrying Pei Huaijin is shattered…” “Who is Shen Qingyu? Can someone dig up her background?” “She’s Shen Huaiting’s daughter, a Stanford Law School Ph.D.” “A Stanford Law Ph.D.? What kind of legendary resume is that?” “She’s definitely a match for Pei Huaijin.”
At 9:15, the morning news on the financial channel abruptly changed its topic.
The anchor sat in the studio, looking professional and serious, but speaking slightly faster than usual. “At nine o’clock this morning, the Pei Group released an official statement confirming that Mr. Pei Huaijin, the group’s president, will marry Ms. Shen Qingyu, daughter of the Shen family. Following this news, Pei Group’s stock price opened higher in the morning session, with gains exceeding four percent and trading volume significantly increasing. The market generally believes that the union between the Pei and Shen families will bring more stable family governance and broader social resources to the Pei Group, constituting a major positive for the company’s long-term development.”
At 9:20, the name “Shen Qingyu” trended on Weibo. The most-liked post featured two photos—one of Shen Qingyu in her Stanford graduation photo, wearing a black doctoral gown, smiling beautifully in front of the law school building; the other of Pei Huaijin at a business forum, standing tall and handsome on stage. The two photos were placed side by side, and the comments and reposts surpassed ten thousand within ten minutes.
“Such a handsome man and beautiful woman—they’re a perfect match.” “A Stanford Law Ph.D. and so good-looking? Life is just unfair.” “Is this what they call a marriage of equals?”
At 9:30, the official website of Shen Huaiting Law Firm experienced a surge in traffic, causing the server to lag at one point. The homepage had no information about the marriage, but the “About Us” page was repeatedly screenshotted—featuring the firm’s introduction and partner profiles. Shen Huaiting, a Ph.D. in law from Jingbei University, has over thirty years of experience as a lawyer, specializing in commercial litigation and corporate governance. Manlin Jiang, also a Ph.D. in law from Jingbei University, focuses on cross-border mergers and acquisitions and family wealth management.
“Both parents are top-tier lawyers, what kind of fairy-tale family is this?” “Pei Huaijin isn’t just marrying Shen Qingyu; he’s marrying the Shen family’s connections and resources.” “Who would dare to go up against the Pei Group in court from now on?” “No one dared to go up against the Pei Group in court in the first place, okay?”
At 9:40 PM, an entertainment gossip account posted a lengthy Weibo post titled “The Fiancée of the Beijing North Prince: What Exactly Is Shen Qingyu’s Background?”
The article started from Shen Qingyu’s high school years—Beijing North Affiliated High School, where she consistently ranked in the top three of her grade and effortlessly won first prizes in various national competitions.
She was directly admitted to the Law School of Beijing North University for her undergraduate studies, ranking in the top three of her entire college in GPA. For her master’s degree, she received offers from Harvard, Yale, and Stanford simultaneously, ultimately choosing Stanford. During her Ph.D., she published three papers in top-tier journals, and her graduation thesis defense was praised by the committee as “one of the most outstanding international business law papers in the past three years.”
At the end of the article, the blogger wrote, “There’s only one conclusion—Shen Qingyu has no scandals. From childhood to adulthood, she has been a top student, a well-behaved girl, the ‘other people’s child’—all the labels are true.”
The comments below were filled with envy and jealousy.
“What kind of fairy-tale life is this? Beautiful, top-tier education, prestigious family background, and now she’s about to marry the richest man in Beijing North?” “Which window did God close for her?” “The window for browsing gossip, probably. She’s likely busy dating Pei Huaijin right now and has no time to scroll through Weibo.” “Stop it, I’m so jealous.”
Shen Qingyu came across this comment while sitting on her bed in her room.
No time to scroll through Weibo? She was wearing pajamas, her hair a mess, leaning against the headboard, the light from her phone screen illuminating her face as she scrolled through Weibo until her fingers ached.
She truly hadn’t expected things to blow up this much.
Just then, a WeChat message suddenly popped up on her screen, with the contact name “Xu Yunshu.”
She tapped to open it—
[Shen Qingyu!!! You can’t be serious!!]
[What’s going on with you?? Why didn’t you tell me?? I had to find out online!! I thought it was fake news, but when I clicked in, oh my god, it’s a major official announcement.]
Shen Qingyu quickly typed: Yunshu, sorry, I didn’t mean to keep it from you. Pei Huaijin and I only decided to get married yesterday. His family was in a hurry, so they made the announcement today. I didn’t know it would be this fast. I was planning to tell you today, really.
[Alright, I forgive you. But seriously, your arranged marriage is moving so fast! Weren’t you dead set against coming back for an arranged marriage before?]
[And now? You’re actually marrying Pei Huaijin so soon! Tell me, was it love at first sight? Did you think Pei Huaijin was too handsome and got completely swept off your feet, willingly agreeing to marry him?]
Love at first sight? How could that be…
A one-night stand, on the other hand, was real…
Shen Qingyu’s face flushed slightly.
She continued typing: Oh, it’s not like that. There are all sorts of reasons, and it’s hard to explain in a short time.
Xu Yunshu replied instantly: [Then take your time and tell me. Are you free tonight? Let’s meet for dinner and talk.]
Shen Qingyu thought about it. She really had no plans for the day, and she genuinely wanted to see Xu Yunshu. She needed someone to talk to—too much had happened these past few days, from that night in San Francisco until now, and her mind hadn’t stopped racing.
She typed: “Sure, let’s go for hot pot tonight, my treat.”
[“Of course it’s your treat! You didn’t even tell me about such a big thing—I’m definitely going to make you pay big time. How about the usual place? The one near the school.”]
Shen Qingyu replied: “Okay, see you at six tonight.”
[“Great! You have to give me all the details then! Don’t leave out a single word!”]
Shen Qingyu put down her phone, leaned back against the headboard, and let out a long sigh.
All the details? How could she possibly give all the details? Start from her one-night stand with Pei Huaijin in San Francisco…
If Xu Yunshu heard that, she’d probably fall right off her chair.
Shen Qingyu shook her head—not a chance she could say any of that.
When Shen Qingyu finished washing up and went downstairs, her mother was sitting in the living room scrolling through her phone, a smile on her face that she couldn’t hide—probably browsing Weibo.
“Mom, I’m going out for dinner tonight, with Yunshu,” Shen Qingyu said.
“Alright, go ahead,” Manlin Jiang looked up at her, beaming. “It’s been a while since you two hung out, but don’t stay out too late. Come back early.”
“Mm, I know.”