Bowing to Arranged Marriage [Rebirth] - Chapter 19

Exiting the police station, Zheng Xiyun saw a crowd of people, with Mu Qing standing at the forefront, her expression icy. Mu Qing rarely wore such a look when facing her, yet Zheng Xiyun still walked toward her.

She would rather be with Mu Qing than face her father and his picture-perfect family.

Mu Qing had been frowning at Zheng Xiyun the whole time. As Zheng Xiyun approached, Mu Qing reached out, grabbed her wrist, and pulled her close. The coldness in her eyes faded, replaced only by deep concern. “Why didn’t you let me come with you?”

Zheng Xiyun felt the heat radiating from where Mu Qing held her wrist. Her hand, still in Mu Qing’s grasp, subtly clenched into a fist. “It wasn’t anything good. Why would I call you for that?”

Mu Qing laughed at her words, her eyes brimming with delight. “If it were something good, would you have asked me to come with you?”

“No,” Zheng Xiyun replied coldly before shifting her gaze toward her father and his family. Strangely, they hadn’t come over to question or berate her.

Mu Qing gave her wrist a gentle shake, drawing her attention back. “Are you going home with your dad?”

Before Zheng Xiyun could answer, Mu Qing glanced indifferently in their direction and said, “I asked at home. My parents and brother have always wanted to connect with you. It’s your stepmother who’s been the one constantly calling my mom, trying to force a relationship.”

“I already guessed as much.” Zheng Xiyun pulled her wrist free. “I drove myself here. You can go back.”

Mu Qing followed her, waving off the car that had brought her. “I’ll go with you.”

Zheng Xiyun wanted to refuse, but past experience told her that no matter what she said, Mu Qing would shamelessly stick around. Fine. It wasn’t like she’d lose a piece of flesh over it. With that thought, Zheng Xiyun let Mu Qing get into her car without asking for her opinion and drove to a mall for dinner.

On the way, Mu Qing asked, “How did the report go?”

Zheng Xiyun replied, “The evidence is solid. They’ve already contacted the Shanghai police. They’re probably arresting Kang Minghong now.”

Mu Qing nodded. “Good.” From today onward, A-Yun is single again!

Though she had avoided her father’s questions outside the police station, Zheng Xiyun received a call during dinner, summoning her back to the family estate that night.

The matter needed to be settled. Zheng Xiyun wasn’t planning to run. The moment she stepped through the door upon returning home, Zheng Yoaquin hurled an ashtray at her. Zheng Xiyun sidestepped the projectile but couldn’t avoid the torrent of curses. “Zheng Xiyun, you bitch! So, you broke up just to push Minghong into ruin! So, what if he hired someone to kill you? You should’ve died long ago!”

Zheng Xiyun tilted her head, smiling coldly. “I recorded that. Perfect! Now you can join him in prison as star-crossed lovers.”

“You—!” Zheng Yoaquin’s face flushed crimson, but she didn’t dare say another word.

Zheng Xiyun’s father, Zheng Jiangling, regarded his indifferent daughter with equal coldness. “Xiyun, the one waiting for you outside the police station today was the eldest daughter of the Mu family, wasn’t it?”

Zheng Xiyun nodded. “Yes.”

Zheng Jiangling studied her for a moment before asking, “So, are you planning to marry her?”

Zheng Xiyun met her father’s gaze without a trace of emotion. “No matter what happens between us in the future, none of you will gain even the slightest benefit from the Mu family.”

Zheng Jiangling’s jaw clenched instantly, his voice strained. “Do you really hate me that much?”

Zheng Xiyun shook her head. “It’s not hatred.” There was simply no emotion left. How could a stranger be worthy of her kindness?

With a deep sigh, she addressed Zheng Jiangling and Zheng Yoaquin, “The reason I came back today is to make things clear. I will definitely sue Kang Minghong. Zheng Yoaquin, my advice to you is to find another man. And Dad, no matter what happens between Mu Qing and me, it’s between the two of us and has nothing to do with the Zheng family.”

Both Zheng Yoaquin and Zheng Jiangling trembled with anger at her words, yet they dared not act against her. Even when Zheng Yoaquin had thrown the ashtray earlier, she had deliberately avoided hitting Zheng Xiyun. Even if she had the nerve to confront Zheng Xiyun directly, she wouldn’t dare provoke the Mu family.

“Ah! Don’t just stand there. Xiyun rarely comes home—come and eat. Xiyun, Auntie had the kitchen prepare your favorite dishes,” Zhang Meiyan interjected at just the right moment, emerging from the kitchen with a warm smile.

Zheng Xiyun shook her head and headed upstairs. “I’ve already had dinner.” Without another word, she left them behind.

On Monday, Zheng Xiyun received a notice to attend a meeting at the headquarters—the Zheng Corporation’s monthly review session. Many of the family’s shareholders were present. Zheng Quanfeng, Zheng Xiyun’s uncle and acting CEO of the parent company, summarized the performance of each department and subsidiary before outlining future tasks.

When it came to Zheng Xiyun, Zheng Quanfeng remarked, “Xiyun, the investment company has been under your management since your return. Although it has been profitable these past two years, the returns are far from sufficient for the corporation. I’ve heard you have a promising internet company project in hand. If it proves lucrative, you must manage it well. But don’t rest on your laurels. I understand some of your project funds have been recovered. Leaving money in the bank yields minimal interest.”

Zheng Xiyun nodded but offered no further response.

Zheng Quanfeng was entirely self-taught in corporate management, yet he possessed remarkable talent.

Years ago, under the guidance of Zheng Xiyun’s maternal grandfather, her parents had established a real estate company that thrived until her mother’s death, becoming a leader in the industry. After her mother passed away, Zheng Quanfeng took full control of the company’s operations, sidelining Zheng Jiangling. Having lost his earlier ambition, Zheng Jiangling was content to step back. Since the majority of Zheng Real Estate’s shares remained in his and Zheng Xiyun’s hands, he still considered the company his own.

Zheng Quanfeng’s tenure coincided with the rapid rise of China’s real estate sector. After Zheng Corporation reaped substantial profits, Zheng Quanfeng established several smaller subsidiaries under the real estate umbrella, one of which was the investment company now managed by Zheng Xiyun.

By the time these subsidiaries began to flourish, signs of saturation and decline had emerged in the real estate market.

Though Zheng Xiyun admired Zheng Quanfeng’s vision and management, she had no desire to live under the constant scrutiny of those coveting control of the Zheng Corporation. After the meeting, she drove back to the investment company.

She pondered in the office for a long time before deciding to make a major investment. Why was Zheng Quanfeng, a person who held only a minuscule share, able to wield such significant influence at the shareholders’ meeting? Because with him, the company developed better, and the dividends for shareholders increased year after year. Shareholders didn’t care whether the company was being run by its founder, they only wanted sufficient profits.

So, as long as she could bring them greater benefits than what Zheng Quanfeng had created, reclaiming control of the company would be much smoother. Otherwise, she might one day end up like her father. Stripped of real authority.

But good projects weren’t always readily available, and Zheng Xiyun wasn’t in a hurry. After her rebirth, she understood better than ever the principle of “rather go without than settle for less.” Recalling the projects that had been sabotaged in her past life still sent chills down her spine. She couldn’t afford to be too aggressive. In her previous life, in pursuit of greater profits, she had signed projects and then handed them over entirely to others while seeking new opportunities, leaving loopholes for exploitation that ultimately ruined her accounts.

Yet she also knew she couldn’t afford to be overly cautious. People still had to be utilized just not in the same way as before. Fortunately, Kang Minghong had already shown his true colors, and the assistant he had introduced in her past life hadn’t appeared by her side this time.

Aside from company affairs, Zheng Xiyun also had her independent investment projects to manage. Zhang Yi had put it bluntly: “Since she insists on your presence, you might as well go to Katou Films. With more people around during contract negotiations, it’s better than being alone with her in an office, right?”

Zheng Xiyun thought her reasoning made sense. Since she couldn’t stop Mu Qing from meeting her, she might as well go to Katou.

Once Zheng Xiyun made her decision, Zhang Yi swung by to pick her up. On the way, they talked about Mu Qing. “I heard she waited for you outside when you went to file the police report?”

“Mhm.” Zheng Xiyun rested her elbow against the car door, pressing her index finger lightly against her temple. “And she ditched her driver to have lunch with me, then insisted on dinner too.”

Zhang Yi let out an unkind chuckle. “I’ve seen you get pursued before, but she’s probably the most persistent, isn’t she?”

“Mhm—” Zheng Xiyun sighed helplessly. In the past, the men who pursued her would back off after a few clear rejections. But Mu Qing had been relentless ever since that first loan.

“Someone like her is so annoying. How did she even grow up like this?” Zheng Xiyun recounted her encounters with Mu Qing to Zhang Yi.

Zhang Yi was equally puzzled. “Well, if she acted like this toward men, most of them would probably eat it up. But you said she’s into women, shouldn’t women find this kind of persistence irritating?”

“Exactly. But she has zero self-awareness and just keeps clinging to me.” Zheng Xiyun wholeheartedly agreed with Zhang Yi’s assessment, lamenting her own misfortune.

Zhang Yi asked, “So, would you marry her?”

Keeping her eyes on the road, Zhang Yi heard Zheng Xiyun hesitate before answering, “Probably not.”

“You hesitated,” Zhang Yi pointed out.

Zheng Xiyun sighed, resting her hands on her lap as she leaned back against the seat. “I don’t even know anymore. These past couple of days, I’ve even started thinking. If she keeps harassing me like this, what’s the difference between marrying her and the way things are now? Besides, she’s a woman too. What could two women even do together?”

Zhang Yi fell silent for a moment before saying, “There are quite a few things two women can do together.”

Zheng Xiyun, though completely inexperienced, could imagine certain scenarios. Her ears gradually turned red as she muttered in feeble protest, “At least we wouldn’t get pregnant from it.”