After the Arranged Marriage, I Was Pampered by the Powerful Tycoon - Chapter 2

Cheng Ruan only just realized that his understanding of his future marriage partner was, in truth, not very deep at all.

He clasped his hands together, asking somewhat nervously, “So, she’s actually willing to marry me? Won’t this… hold her back or something?”

Wu Zhou looked at him with a smile. “It’s a political marriage; does orientation even matter anymore? No matter how unwilling she might be, if Luo Mingzhi speaks, she wouldn’t dare refuse to marry.”

Cheng Ruan thought about it and breathed a sigh of relief. “True.”

Better not to dwell on it, then.

“And…” Wu Zhou seemed to think of something, leaning in with great interest to stare at Cheng Ruan. “From what I know, although your future father-in-law is a bit of a ‘smiling tiger,’ he has always presented himself as refined and calm. Since this is an important collaboration, as long as you don’t continue to create a messy persona after the wedding, he shouldn’t make things difficult for you.”

“So… just focus on your marriage and your career. Get a solid foothold in Jincheng, thoroughly clean up that mistress and the illegitimate son, and later on, a peaceful divorce isn’t out of the question.”

Cheng Ruan was half-skeptical of Wu Zhou’s words. “You’ve never been in a strategic marriage; why do you sound like such an expert?”

Wu Zhou choked for a second, then drained his glass in one gulp. “I haven’t eaten pork, but haven’t I seen a pig run? My parents, my aunt, and uncle—aren’t they all arranged marriages? Now they all just play around on their own. My sister and brother-in-law were a match too, but once their goals were achieved, they got a divorce. A marriage of convenience is just a bargaining chip; relax.”

Hearing Wu Zhou’s words, Cheng Ruan felt slightly less tense. He clenched his fist as if cheering himself on and said, “Fine, then I’ll go all out this once. This marriage—I’m definitely doing it.”

It was around seven in the evening when Cheng Ruan returned to the Cheng residence. Noticing the lights in the grand reception hall were still on, he casually asked the male servant greeting him, “Do we have guests today?”

The servant nodded. “Yes, sir. Mr. Luo is here.”

Cheng Ruan’s heart skipped a beat. He looked toward the hall. “Then… what about Miss Luo?”

The servant replied, “Miss Luo did not come.”

Cheng Ruan nodded thoughtfully. Just then, the butler walked quickly toward him and said in a low voice, “Sir, the Master would like you to come over.”

“Alright.” Cheng Ruan stepped into the hall.

At a single glance, he saw the man sitting on the antique sofa.

The man was facing away from him in profile. His posture was upright, and his black shirt perfectly outlined the muscular lines of his shoulders and arms. Every gesture exuded gentlemanly grace and sophistication. Even from a distance, Cheng Ruan could see the man’s elegant yet deep facial contours.

The old master spotted him immediately. “Xiao Ruan, come here quickly. This is Mr. Luo.”

“Mr. Luo, this is my grandson, Cheng Ruan.”

Sensing the man’s gaze land on him, Cheng Ruan had no choice but to walk over and say, “Hello, Mr. Luo.”

Luo Mingzhi parted his thin lips, his voice slightly cold. “Hello, Mr. Cheng.”

His eyes swept over Cheng Ruan, a flash of nonchalant indifference flickering in the depths of his gaze, though his lips held a warm smile. “Mr. Cheng is not quite as the rumors suggest.”

Cheng Ruan instinctively looked down at his pink T-shirt and jeans, thinking ‘Oh no.’ Then he heard Luo Mingzhi say, “Seeing Mr. Cheng today puts my mind at ease. Let’s hold the wedding first; we can finalize the formalities later.”

The old master stood up with a smile. “That works.”

“Please, stay seated,” Luo Mingzhi nodded politely. “We will be family from now on.”

“Mr. Luo is right.” The old master turned to look at the dazed Cheng Ruan. “Xiao Ruan, see Mr. Luo out.”

Cheng Ruan nodded and led Luo Mingzhi toward the exit.

The two were silent the whole way. Fortunately, the butler and servants followed behind. Cheng Ruan felt awkward deep down, but he maintained a polite smile on his face.

It wasn’t until the servant pressed the elevator button that Cheng Ruan’s internal tension relaxed by half. However, after about two minutes, the elevator still hadn’t ascended.

The smile on Cheng Ruan’s face was about to break.

There were several elevators leading to the underground garage of the Cheng estate. The nearest one was right next to the reception hall, while the other relatively close one required a bit of a walk toward the main entrance. Usually, this elevator was the most reliable, but as luck would have it, the servant said—while sweating profusely—that the elevator had malfunctioned.

Cheng Ruan, who had just come down using this very elevator earlier: Talk about terrible luck.

Cheng Ruan had no choice but to apologize regretfully to Luo Mingzhi. “I’m sorry, Mr. Luo. Please follow me to the other elevator; it’s about a five-minute walk.”

His micro-expressions couldn’t hide from Luo Mingzhi’s eyes. Luo Mingzhi let out a narrow, teasing laugh and looked at Cheng Ruan. “Lead the way.”

Cheng Ruan numbly escorted Luo Mingzhi to the garage. Finally, as Luo Mingzhi sat in the back seat of the black car and Cheng Ruan was about to wave goodbye, he was called back.

Luo Mingzhi slowly rolled up his stiff sleeves, revealing a low-key, luxurious watch on his left wrist. He looked up at Cheng Ruan. “I heard Mr. Cheng just returned from a club.”

Cheng Ruan was a bit surprised. “Did you have someone follow me?”

Luo Mingzhi didn’t deny it. “Didn’t you also find someone to look into Luo Zhen? Marriage is no joking matter; mutual probing is just common courtesy.”

Hearing this, Cheng Ruan stopped pretending. He shoved his hands into his jeans pockets. “It’s just a strategic marriage. Don’t tell me you want to turn it into something real?”

Luo Mingzhi retracted his gaze. “True or false doesn’t matter, but you must do what you are supposed to do. Luo Zhen is very innocent; do not ruin her reputation.”

Cheng Ruan pointed at himself, his face full of shock. “Me?”

He almost wanted to ask Luo Mingzhi if he knew his daughter didn’t like men at all.

Luo Mingzhi’s smile was deeply meaningful. He stared at Cheng Ruan’s fair, slender neck, his fingers curling slightly.

For some reason, Cheng Ruan felt a chill on his collar. The second level of the underground garage was drafty. He touched his neck, and the words he was about to say suddenly changed their tone. “Understood.”

Only then did Luo Mingzhi nod in satisfaction. The car window rolled up, and the black extended Bentley sped away. Cheng Ruan stomped his foot and pulled out his phone to call Wu Zhou.

“I am seriously done!” Cheng Ruan sat down angrily in Wu Zhou’s gaming chair. “Luo Mingzhi actually told me not to ruin Luo Zhen’s reputation.”

“Am I really someone with such a bad reputation?”

Wu Zhou was fully focused on his Switch, his eyes glued to the giant LCD screen. He said dismissively, “Don’t you know what your image is to the outside world?”

Cheng Ruan crossed his arms in a rage. “You tell me! What image!”

Wu Zhou listed his “achievements” as if they were second nature: “At eighteen, you stayed out all night and flew a helicopter to the roof of my house just to show off. At twenty, when your father passed away, you ran to the funeral hall in your pajamas to scold his mistress. This year, right after joining the group, you took down your half-brother’s business and turned a perfectly good art gallery into a bar, even mocking him in front of the media by saying ‘a mountain pig can’t eat fine husks’…”

Cheng Ruan: “…”

“You’ve said enough. Don’t say it again.”

Wu Zhou rolled his eyes. “And then there’s the time you gathered eighteen handsome waiters at my place in one night, just to have them stay with you while you watched horror movies to build your courage. Do you have any idea what people are saying out there?”

“If I didn’t know that you secretly only watch ‘Makka Pakka,’ I’d really think the young master of the Cheng family was some kind of formidable character.”

Cheng Ruan almost spat out his lemon water. He walked over and kicked Wu Zhou. “Stop mocking me! That was just my strategy!”

Wu Zhou laughed. “Right, right, right. Whatever you say.”

Cheng Ruan took the controller from Wu Zhou’s hands and started controlling the character to fight recklessly. “I don’t care. When we get married, I must negotiate with Luo Zhen. As soon as the Muyao Town project is finished, we get a divorce.”

Wu Zhou: “We’ll see when the time comes. What if Luo Zhen runs away?”

“This way, sir.”

Today was a Jincheng Tourism Industry Exchange Conference. Following the guidance, Cheng Ruan sat down in front of his nameplate. He glanced at the nameplate across from him; it bore the name Luo Mingzhi.

“…”

Cheng Ruan tugged at his tie, suddenly feeling a bit irritable. Looking to his right, he happened to lock eyes with his long-time rival.

Cheng Ruan took a sharp breath—he was literally surrounded by enemies. Maintaining a neutral expression, he scooted over slightly and sent a message to Wu Zhou.

“Guess who I ran into at the meeting?”

Wu Zhou’s status showed ‘Typing…’ and then: “Don’t tell me you ran into Ren Han?”

Cheng Ruan: “Bingo! Ren Han on the right, Luo Mingzhi across from me. A Super Double.”

Wu Zhou said sympathetically: “Hang in there. You can do it.”

Cheng Ruan replied with a ‘vomiting blood’ emoji. Suddenly, he noticed the person next to him leaning in closer. He frowned. “What are you doing?”

Ren Han gave him a sinister smile. “I heard you’ve had some good news lately. You look quite radiant.”

Cheng Ruan looked disgusted. “What’s it to you?”

Ren Han leaned into his ear to provoke him. “Don’t think that just because you’ve aligned with the Luo family, everything is fine. Marriage is just an exchange of interests. Luo Mingzhi will do anything for profit. Be careful you don’t get swallowed whole without even knowing it.”

Cheng Ruan found it somewhat funny. He leaned in just like Ren Han, provocatively putting an arm around his shoulder and retorting, “Then you’re going to be disappointed. After all, you haven’t beaten me once since we were kids. Don’t worry about my family matters, Young Master Ren.”

Ren Han’s face turned bright red. “You!”

Cheng Ruan shamelessly made a face at him, then suddenly felt a chill down his spine. Looking up, he saw that Luo Mingzhi had taken his seat at some point.

Luo Mingzhi seemed to favor black; today he was also in a black suit, looking steady and dignified.

Cheng Ruan’s body stiffened. He lowered his head, pretending to look at work messages and keeping a safe distance from Ren Han.

After the meeting ended, Luo Mingzhi’s secretary invited him to walk with them.

Cheng Ruan glanced at Lu Ling, gesturing for her to wait, and followed the secretary through the long corridor to a terrace at the end.

A spark of red glowed and faded between fair, slender fingers. Seeing Cheng Ruan approach, Luo Mingzhi calmly stubbed out the cigarette in the ashtray and turned to gaze at him.

Cheng Ruan walked over. “Mr. Luo, you were looking for me?”

Luo Mingzhi said, “Now that today’s meeting is over, the cooperation between our two families is officially on track. Luo Zhen returned to the country last night. You can begin preparing for the wedding.”

A scent of oud and sandalwood drifted into his nose on the wind. Cheng Ruan gave a small “Mhm,” feeling a sudden itch in his nose.

He rubbed his nose and asked, “Any other instructions?”

Luo Mingzhi looked down at him. “Behave yourself.”

Cheng Ruan was imitating Luo Mingzhi’s expression and tone, putting on a dramatic performance for Wu Zhou in their private room.

“‘Behave yourself.’ What did I even do today to deserve a ‘behave yourself’? And he wants me to prepare the wedding as soon as possible. Fine! I’ll have people arrange it immediately. We’ll have the wedding next week and I’ll marry his daughter. Happy now?!”

Wu Zhou was busy teasing a handsome young college student nearby. He brushed Cheng Ruan off. “Don’t be so anxious, Xiao Ruan. Maybe he’s just worried about Luo Zhen. He’s afraid you’ll act out and hurt his precious daughter.”

Cheng Ruan: “…But his precious daughter doesn’t even like men.”

Wu Zhou shrugged. “What if he doesn’t know? Such is the heart of a parent.”

Cheng Ruan said as he pulled open the door to leave, “He doesn’t even know what his own daughter likes. I think he’s just in it for the profit and his reputation. All that ‘refined and graceful’ talk—pah!”

Just as he finished speaking, Cheng Ruan realized a group of people was standing in the shadows outside the room.

At the head of the group was the very man he had just finished roasting from top to bottom, inside and out: Luo Mingzhi.