Bowing to Arranged Marriage [Rebirth] - Chapter 24

Yu Xiaxi sat across from Zheng Xiyun, briefing her on the recent status of the online company. “The game promotion has been very successful, exceeding our projected data. However, our research indicates there’s still significant room for growth. This is the finalized promotional strategy we’ve discussed. What do you think, President Zheng?”

Zheng Xiyun studied the report in her hands with a serious and focused expression. After a long pause, she finally spoke, “Don’t concentrate all the promotion on Weibo. While Weibo does have a massive user base, it’s also very fragmented.”

Yu Xiaxi nodded. “Understood.” She knew the strategy had been rejected, but the marketing team and the online company couldn’t think of any other platforms besides Weibo. After all, it was still the best promotional channel by comparison.

Zheng Xiyun realized they were stuck in a dead end and might not come up with a better strategy anytime soon. The holiday season was an excellent promotional window, as most people would feel bored while visiting relatives and friends. This was especially true for the game’s target audience—the post-90s and post-00s generations—who were more likely to be glued to their phones rather than engaging in conversation like their parents. Games would be a perfect distraction for them.

But where did the post-90s and post-00s generations spend most of their time? Zheng Xiyun closed her eyes, deep in thought, until a sudden idea flashed in her mind. She looked up at Yu Xiaxi, her eyes bright, a faint smile playing on her lips. “Try promoting on WeChat Moments and gaming livestream platforms.”

One was another social media giant on par with Weibo, and the other was a hub for gaming enthusiasts. The moment Yu Xiaxi heard this, her eyes lit up.

WeChat Moments had recently introduced a new ad feature, but since it was still relatively new, they had almost overlooked it. Yet, as soon as Zheng Xiyun mentioned it, Yu Xiaxi could immediately see its potential. Moments was a space almost every WeChat user engaged with—its click-through and engagement rates would undoubtedly be high.

What surprised her even more was the suggestion of gaming livestreams. They had never considered this approach before. Although livestreaming was booming, very few companies used it for advertising, so it hadn’t crossed their minds. However, some gaming streamers had hundreds of thousands of followers. Partnering with them for just a week could generate millions of impressions. Impressions that might even be more effective than Weibo or WeChat’s billions, because most livestream viewers were already gamers.

Zheng Xiyun had provided two directions; the specifics of the plan and implementation details were left for them to research and discuss.

After Yu Xiaxi left, Zheng Xiyun thought she could finally relax, but then someone she hadn’t seen in days showed up.

Mu Qing walked in wearing a wool coat, her slightly curled hair no longer messy but instead exuding a sensual allure. She strode over in high heels and sat across the desk, pulling a contract from her bag and handing it to Zheng Xiyun. Propping her chin on her hands, Mu Qing smirked. “I’ve brought the movie contract. Time for the investor to sign. This time, your signature will be valid.”

“What happened to your hand?” Zheng Xiyun asked, eyeing Mu Qing’s swollen left wrist with curiosity.

Mu Qing sighed dramatically, her tone breezy as if she’d weathered all of life’s storms. “Took a little tumble.”

Zheng Xiyun took the contract, a faint smile flickering in her eyes.

“Go ahead and laugh if you want. You won’t have much time left to laugh at me anyway.” Mu Qing was completely unfazed, even focusing intently on Zheng Xiyun’s smiling face.

Zheng Xiyun didn’t hold back her amusement and said to Mu Qing, “I hope you can shake off your bad luck after March.”

Mu Qing nodded. “Yeah, I’ll definitely do my best.”

But it didn’t seem like something that could be solved by sheer effort. Zheng Xiyun’s smile lingered as she signed her name on the contract after reviewing it.

As the Lunar New Year approached, it was unclear how Chen Mingya had negotiated with the Zheng family, but no one from the Zheng family raised any objections to Zheng Xiyun spending the New Year at the Mu household. In fact, during the Zheng Corporation’s annual banquet, the matter wasn’t even mentioned.

After the banquet, Zheng Xiyun drove to another hotel to attend a small year-end gathering for her investment company. When the event ended, she bid farewell to the employees and headed to the hotel parking lot, only to find Mu Qing lounging on the hood of her car.

Spotting Zheng Xiyun, Mu Qing grinned and said, “Let’s go, little princess. We’re heading home together.” As she spoke, she pushed herself off the hood, intending to land gracefully and flash Zheng Xiyun a roguish smile but instead, she ended up squatting awkwardly on the ground.

Zheng Xiyun hurried over, crouching beside her to support her arm. “What happened?”

The smile vanished from Mu Qing’s face, replaced by a pained frown. “I twisted my ankle.”

“Serves you right for showing off,” Zheng Xiyun said mercilessly before helping her up. “Get in the car. We’ll go home and ice it.”

The pain left Mu Qing unusually quiet, her brow furrowed as she sat in the passenger seat.

Zheng Xiyun drove toward the Mu residence, the silence making her slightly uneasy. At a red light, she glanced at Mu Qing. “Still hurting?”

Mu Qing shook her head, then nodded. “Yeah, it hurts a lot.”

When the light turned green, Zheng Xiyun pressed the accelerator, the car moving forward steadily. Curiosity got the better of her. “Have you lived like this all these years? Getting hurt from random misfortunes now and then?”

Mu Qing replied, “Yeah. When we get home, I can show you all my scars. Since I was little, I’ve never been without injuries. As soon as one heals, another appears somewhere else.”

“This…” Zheng Xiyun didn’t know how to respond. If this had happened to her, she wouldn’t have been able to endure living like that. The thought made her admire Mu Qing all the more.

Though Mu Qing’s injuries were commonplace, her parents and Mu Jin still looked at her with deep concern. Mu Yu examined his daughter’s swollen ankle and said, “Let me rub some medicated wine on it. It might hurt, but bear with it, okay?”

Mu Qing let out a miserable sigh. “I can’t take it!” Despite her frequent injuries, she had never grown accustomed to the pain.

Mu Yu didn’t want his daughter to suffer, but if the bruising wasn’t massaged out, her ankle would only feel worse later. He poured the medicated wine, sat cross-legged on the carpet, and placed Mu Qing’s injured foot on his knee. After warming the wine between his hands, he pressed it against her ankle and began kneading vigorously.

Zheng Xiyun watched as Mu Qing’s expression twisted in agony. “It hurts! Stop rubbing!” she wailed, trying to pull her foot back, but Mu Jin held her firmly in place.

Chen Mingya sat beside Mu Jin, pulling Mu Qing into a comforting embrace. “It’ll be over soon,” she soothed.

At that moment, Zheng Xiyun felt a pang of envy. Despite her cursed fate and constant injuries, Mu Qing had a warm, loving family.

When it was time to rest in the evening, Zheng Xiyun said to Mu Qing, “Can I sleep alone in the guest room?”

Mu Qing’s face was still pale from the pain and hadn’t fully recovered. She looked at Zheng Xiyun in confusion, “Why?”

Zheng Xiyun replied earnestly, “I’m afraid I might accidentally press on your injured foot while sleeping.”

It was a reasonable excuse, and coupled with Zheng Xiyun’s insistence, she finally got another guest room. Although the guest room wasn’t as warm and cozy as Mu Qing’s, it was at least a place where she could sleep soundly.

On the morning of New Year’s Eve, Zheng Xiyun received three red envelopes. She tried to decline, but Chen Mingya said, “You should accept New Year’s red envelopes. It ensures a smooth and happy year ahead.”

Zheng Xiyun accepted the red envelopes, deeply moved. It had been a long time since she last received one. Probably during the Spring Festival before her mother passed away.

Despite being a prestigious family, the Mu household celebrated the Spring Festival just like ordinary people. Making dumplings, preparing the New Year’s Eve dinner, watching the Spring Festival Gala, and grabbing red envelopes in the evening. Zheng Xiyun was added to the Mu family’s WeChat group. The moment Mu Qing revealed her identity, countless red envelopes flooded the chat. Zheng Xiyun felt too shy to claim them, but Mu Qing snatched her phone and said, “Don’t be polite with them—they’re loaded!” Then, she proceeded to open each red envelope for her.

Even though there were only five of them in the living room, the atmosphere was warmer and livelier than when fifty people gathered at the Zheng family home.

Mu Qing, however, remained unlucky. She never managed to bite into the coin hidden in the dumplings, accidentally cut her finger while slicing fruit, and her phone always lagged when she tried to grab red envelopes. Even the red envelopes specifically sent to her often caused the app to crash when she clicked on them.

Zheng Xiyun had a very relaxing holiday, especially since insisting on sleeping in the guest room greatly improved her sleep quality. When it was time to return to work after the holiday, she found herself somewhat reluctant to leave. Yet, despite Mu Qing’s attempts to persuade her to stay, Zheng Xiyun declined.

The promotional campaign for the game during the Spring Festival was a huge success, particularly the livestreams, which gained massive traction. Several streamers played the game, and even those without promotional contracts started playing it to attract more viewers.

With all the promotional boosts, the game surpassed five million downloads during the holiday. Zheng Xiyun rewarded the overtime staff with generous red envelopes.

Yu Xiaxi received the largest one and, for once, laughed freely, “Thank you, boss.”

Zheng Xiyun smiled as well but still reminded her, “Be careful. Now that the project is gaining traction, we need to guard against competitors or anyone with ill intentions targeting it.”

Yu Xiaxi nodded, “Don’t worry, I’ve been keeping an eye on it.”

At the same time, the facial mask advertisement was completed, and Zhang Yi called Zheng Xiyun to discuss distribution channels.

Zheng Xiyun brought the only wedding invitation to Zhang Yi’s company. After meeting, she handed over the invitation along with a box of wedding candies.

Zhang Yi stared in shock at the exquisite glass jar on the desk, filled with heart-shaped chocolates wrapped in red foil, giving the jar a festive touch.

“What is this?” Zhang Yi asked, almost afraid to open the invitation.

Amused by her reaction, Zheng Xiyun smiled slightly and said, “My wedding invitation. I’m getting married.”

Zhang Yi’s expression grew even more exaggerated. “Don’t tell me you’re marrying Mu Qing!”

Zheng Xiyun nodded and said, “I’m going to marry Mu Qing. Would you like to attend my wedding?”

A faint smile played at the corners of her lips, and the anticipation in her eyes was laid bare before Zhang Yi. Zhang Yi asked uncertainly, “Are you really sure about marrying her?”

Zheng Xiyun replied earnestly, “Yes, I’ve truly decided to marry her. Will you come to my wedding? As the only person I’ve invited.”