Bowing to Arranged Marriage [Rebirth] - Chapter 17

Zheng Xiyun’s face flushed crimson the moment she spoke, whether from embarrassment or anger was unclear. Her chest heaved with indignation as she glared at Mu Qing and spat out, “You’re absolutely despicable!”

Mu Qing was taken aback, never expecting to be cursed at like this, which only made Zheng Xiyun seem even more adorable in her eyes. Instead of getting angry, she smiled even more brightly and half-threatened, “So, are you going to sign or not?”

Zheng Xiyun gritted her teeth, her fists clenched tightly at her sides, her back pressed firmly against the wall. The corners of her eyes gradually reddened, filled with humiliation and fury.

Noticing that tinge of red, Mu Qing wiped the smile from her lips, softening with remorse. “Alright, I’ll stop teasing you. I brought this contract for you, just sign it. I won’t ask for anything in return. You won’t lose out.”

Only then did Zheng Xiyun’s breathing steady slightly. She remained wary of Mu Qing, though her refusal lacked its earlier cold sharpness. “I really don’t handle this. Go find Zhang Yi instead.”

Seeing her still tense against the corner, Mu Qing took two steps back and perched on Zheng Xiyun’s desk. She had her own stubbornness too. “If I were willing to sign with her, I wouldn’t have come to you in the first place.”

The two locked eyes in a standoff. Mu Qing couldn’t understand it. “You’re turning down easy money! Ah-Yun, if you keep this up, your company will go under.”

But was this really just a contract for Qin Nan’s endorsement and not a contract selling herself into bondage?

Zheng Xiyun kept these thoughts to herself. She still harbored resistance toward the agreement, even though Qin Nan’s endorsement would undoubtedly yield better results than that celebrity from her past life.

“Don’t be afraid of me!” Mu Qing sighed helplessly, never expecting her boldness to scare Zheng Xiyun like this.

Zheng Xiyun froze, realizing she truly was afraid. Even with Mu Qing now leaning against the desk, even without further teasing or threats, she still instinctively pressed herself against the wall.

Forcing herself to calm down, Zheng Xiyun’s heart continued to pound violently, but her gaze turned icy. She met Mu Qing’s eyes and said coolly, “I’m not afraid of you.”

Mu Qing’s heart melted at her stubbornness. She desperately wanted to rush over and ruffle her hair but restrained herself. Pushing off the desk, she stood straight and clasped her hands together pleadingly. “Then will you sign it, please?”

Zheng Xiyun remained unmoved, watching her warily. Mu Qing pressed on, “I was wrong, I was wrong! I’ll never say things like that again. Just sign it, okay?”

A flicker of hesitation crossed Zheng Xiyun’s eyes. Sensing an opening, Mu Qing seized the moment. “Really, once you sign, I’ll go straight back to the company to confirm Qin Nan’s schedule.”

“You’ll leave once I sign?” Zheng Xiyun twisted her words, questioning.

Mu Qing didn’t want to leave but feared pushing her too far. She nodded quickly. “Mhm, I’ll leave as soon as you sign!” With that, she retreated step by step until she reached the other side of the office, sitting in a chair and watching Zheng Xiyun.

As the distance between them grew, Mu Qing’s posture—sitting on the chair, looking up at her—was indeed different from before. Finally relenting, Zheng Xiyun slowly walked to her seat, sat down, and opened the contract Mu Qing had given her.

Mu Qing propped her head on her hand, watching her while mentally berating herself half to death. When her family first proposed that she marry Zheng Xiyun, she should have agreed immediately! All that nonsense about arranged marriages being unreliable. That Taoist priest had excellent taste! If she hadn’t been so stubborn, she wouldn’t have wasted over half a year and could have met Zheng Xiyun as early as the beginning of this year!

Thinking back to the flutter in her heart when she first saw Zheng Xiyun on the high-speed train at the end of summer, Mu Qing was utterly convinced that they were meant to be together. The bond between them was anything but ordinary!

Seizing the last few moments, she gazed longingly at Zheng Xiyun as she flipped through the contract, wishing she would take hours to review it so Mu Qing wouldn’t have to leave.

Zheng Xiyun, however, had the opposite thought. She wanted to sign immediately but feared there might be traps in the contract, forcing her to scrutinize every word carefully.

When she reached the end, Zheng Xiyun looked up in disbelief. “The endorsement fee is this low?”

Mu Qing raised an eyebrow smugly. “Of course. Otherwise, why would I come to you personally?”

Zheng Xiyun grew even more reluctant to sign. “Won’t this affect you and your company? Are you sure Qin Nan would agree to this?”

“Are you worried about me?” Mu Qing’s triumphant expression deepened at the corners of her eyes.

Zheng Xiyun picked up the pen beside her, flipped to the last page of the contract, and firmly signed her name, coldly stating, “I’m not worried about you. Don’t misunderstand.”

Mu Qing automatically ignored her words.

When Zheng Xiyun handed the contract back, she expected Mu Qing to refuse it. Instead, Mu Qing cheerfully took it without further fuss, stood up, waved goodbye, and left though she glanced back several times after turning away. Zheng Xiyun pretended to be engrossed in her documents, paying her no attention.

Mu Qing sighed faintly in disappointment and slowly wandered toward the elevator.

The elevator was ascending and, coincidentally, stopped on the same floor. The doors opened, revealing two women likely mother and daughter. One wore light makeup but with an excessive layer of powder, while the other, a middle-aged woman, had a face full of fillers.

Mu Qing stepped aside to let them pass. As they brushed by her, the heavily powdered woman declared, “I don’t care what you say. I want them to break up!”

Behind their backs, Mu Qing rolled her eyes, thinking this woman was undoubtedly a mistress.

The mistress, Zheng Yoaquin, batted her long fake eyelashes and whined to her mother, Zhang Meiyan, “What’s so great about that woman? Why won’t Minghong break up with her?”

Zhang Meiyan sneered, “Stop crying. You know the Mu family has been directly approaching Zheng Xiyun lately. There’s a high chance she’ll marry the Mu heiress. Once that happens, Kang Minghong will be yours anyway!”

“But I want them to break up now!” With that, the two marched to Zheng Xiyun’s office door and, without knocking, turned the handle and barged in.

Zheng Xiyun was on the phone with Zhang Yi, discussing the endorsement contract. Zhang Yi was even more concerned about her than she was herself, and Zheng Xiyun had intended to chat longer. But upon seeing Zheng Yoaquin and Zhang Meiyan, she quickly explained the situation to Zhang Yi and hung up.

“What are you doing here?” Zheng Xiyun asked coldly, her gaze icy as it landed on Zheng Yoaquin.

Zheng Yoaquin lifted her chin and thrust out her chest. “Zheng Xiyun, I came to tell you that Kang Minghong and I have been together for a long time. He loves me, not you. Since you can’t satisfy him, stop clinging to him!”

Zheng Xiyun turned her gaze to Zhang Meiyan, observing her aggressive demeanor with curiosity. She wondered, Is it normal for a mother to have no reaction when her daughter is discussing whether she can satisfy a man with someone else?

Perhaps such a thing would be normal in other families, but not when it involved Zheng Yoaquin because Zhang Meiyan had risen to her position by selling herself.

“I’m talking to you!” Zheng Yoaquin snapped. “Why are you looking at my mom? Let me tell you, don’t you dare have any ill intentions toward her, or I’ll make sure you regret it!”

Zheng Xiyun had never enjoyed conversing with Zheng Yoaquin. She stared coldly at her and said, “Oh, don’t worry. I have no interest in your mother whatsoever.”

“What about Kang Minghong, then?” Zheng Yoaquin returned to her original question. “When are you going to break up with him?”

Zheng Yoaquin didn’t notice anything unusual, but Zhang Meiyan did. When Zheng Yoaquin mentioned that Kang Minghong had been with her for a long time, Zheng Xiyun showed not a trace of anger! That was impossible. Even if there were no feelings between them, as a girlfriend, how could she not be upset or jealous that her boyfriend was with someone else?

“I’ll break up with him right now.” As Zheng Xiyun spoke, she picked up her phone from the desk and dialed Kang Minghong’s number.

Zhang Meiyan suddenly strode toward her and commanded sharply, “Zheng Xiyun! Hang up that call!”

But before she could finish, the call connected. Zheng Xiyun pressed the speakerphone button. “Kang Minghong, Zheng Yoaquin is in my office right now.”

The words made Zhang Meiyan freeze in her tracks, plunging both the office and the other end of the line into silence.

Zheng Xiyun lifted her eyes to Zheng Yoaquin and Zhang Meiyan, thoughtfully angling the phone toward them before speaking again. “Zheng Yoaquin wants to know when we’re breaking up. Kang Minghong, give her a definite answer, or I think she might just kill me in this office.”

Kang Minghong remained silent for a moment before replying, “Break up? Why would we break up? I’m going to spoil you for the rest of your life!”

Zheng Yoaquin nearly lost it. She rushed forward, snatched the phone from Zheng Xiyun, and shrieked, “The rest of your life?! Kang Minghong, who are you planning to spend your life with?!”

Kang Minghong said, “Second Miss, stop fooling around.”

“I’m fooling around?!” Zheng Yoaquin grew even angrier. “You never told me to stop fooling around when we were in bed! Do I have to send her our videos before you’ll finally dump her?”

Kang Minghong fell silent again before his low, furious voice came through. “Zheng Yoaquin, I don’t know what you’re talking about. If you’ve misunderstood our relationship, then stop misunderstanding it. Xiyun, don’t take anything she says seriously.”

Zhang Meiyan grabbed Zheng Yoaquin’s arm, afraid she might do something reckless in her rage.

“Then what should I take seriously?” Zheng Xiyun said coldly to Kang Minghong. “Kang Minghong, do you need Zheng Yoaquin to get pregnant before you’re willing to marry her?”

But Kang Minghong refused to take the bait. “Xiyun, let me explain.”

Zheng Xiyun sneered. “I don’t want to hear your explanations. You and Zheng Yoaquin are so well-matched. How could you possibly separate? The ones who should break up are us.”

“Zheng Xiyun!” Kang Minghong said sternly. “You owe me the right to explain and at least a basic level of respect!”

Zheng Xiyun’s smile turned even icier. “Where was your basic respect for me when you were rolling in the sheets with Zheng Yoaquin? When you were two-timing, why didn’t you just break up with me directly? Kang Minghong, you genuinely disgust me a little!”

Yet Kang Minghong still refused to give up. Zheng Xiyun could even hear the pleading in his tone. “A-Yun, wait for me. I’ll be right there.”