Bowing to Arranged Marriage [Rebirth] - Chapter 29

Time can heal all wounds, and it can also allow Zheng Xiyun to bury the pain deep within her heart. Life must go on, and Zheng Xiyun still has many goals to achieve.

With only three days left until the wedding, Zheng Xiyun formally submitted her leave request, granting herself a week-long break. She handed over all her work responsibilities to Yu Xiaxi, instructing her, “Even though I’m on leave, if there are any unusual developments in the company, you must contact me. Also, keep an eye out for any outstanding talent within the company.”

Entrusted with such an important task, Yu Xiaxi replied earnestly and cautiously, “I will make sure to handle everything diligently during this time.”

“I trust you,” Zheng Xiyun leaned back in her chair, her expression relaxed as she looked at Yu Xiaxi. “Once I return from my leave, if you want to take some time off, just submit the request, and I’ll approve it.”

Yu Xiaxi smiled. “Not for now, but after the online gaming project is fully completed, I might take a long break. I knew leading a project was exhausting from working with you before, but I didn’t expect it to be this draining. Plus the constant worry about whether the project will be successfully promoted.”

Zheng Xiyun reassured her, “Don’t worry about this project. There shouldn’t be any major issues with the promotion. The game itself is highly engaging and appeals to both male and female players. The most important thing is to keep an eye on the team members. If internal problems arise during this period, that would be the biggest blow to us.”

This wasn’t the first time Zheng Xiyun had reminded Yu Xiaxi to monitor the company’s internal dynamics. Yu Xiaxi had always been attentive to this, but after some thought, she asked, “If I find someone causing trouble, can I deal with them directly?”

Zheng Xiyun nodded. “Of course. You’re the project lead—you have that authority.”

Yu Xiaxi chuckled. “Aren’t you afraid I might abuse my power and drive away key personnel for personal reasons?”

“I believe in you,” Zheng Xiyun said. She had spent two lifetimes observing Yu Xiaxi and had full confidence in her.

Deeply moved, Yu Xiaxi knew Zheng Xiyun was grooming her for greater things. Even when she was just an assistant, Zheng Xiyun had never held back, teaching her everything she could. Now that she had learned enough, Zheng Xiyun entrusted her with leading the company’s most crucial investment project. Such trust and mentorship were rare in today’s workplace, and Yu Xiaxi, being sensible and appreciative, cherished it deeply.

With the company affairs settled, Mu Qing arrived to pick Zheng Xiyun up and take her home.

Since theirs wasn’t a conventional wedding, Zheng Xiyun had moved into the Mu family home three days prior and shared a room with Mu Qing.

“Just one suitcase?” Mu Qing felt a pang of frustration at the sight of the single piece of luggage. Even her business trips required just one suitcase—was moving into the Mu household on the same level as a work trip?

Zheng Xiyun, engrossed in checking emails on her phone, didn’t notice Mu Qing’s tone or expression and replied absentmindedly, “Yeah, I don’t have much.”

Mu Qing gritted her teeth in annoyance. Sliding into the driver’s seat, she said, “Do you have work to do? I’ll drive.”

Though Zheng Xiyun had delegated her company duties to Yu Xiaxi, she still had other materials to review. Happy to let Mu Qing take the wheel, she agreed without a second thought completely forgetting just how uniquely accident-prone Mu Qing was.

The moment the car was rear-ended, Zheng Xiyun lurched forward from the inertia, her phone flying out of her hand and crashing into the dashboard before bouncing back onto her lap. Time seemed to freeze for a second, and then her heart began pounding violently! It felt as though she had narrowly escaped death. She turned to look at Mu Qing, her face still pale with shock.

Mu Qing, however, appeared much calmer, though she angrily punched the steering wheel before turning off the engine and unbuckling her seatbelt. She glanced at Zheng Xiyun and said, “I’ll handle this. You stay in the car. These kinds of traffic disputes can get messy. Just focus on your work.”

By then, the male driver of the car behind them had already started making a scene. Seeing that he had rear-ended a luxury vehicle, his first instinct was to shift the blame—otherwise, even with insurance, he’d be in deep trouble.

After yelling for a while, he noticed a woman stepping out of the car and grew even more arrogant. A woman driving a BMW? Probably some rich man’s mistress! Mu Qing’s bright red lipstick, in his straight-male eyes, was nothing short of heavy makeup. With a leering sneer, he demanded, “So, how are you gonna pay for this?”

Mu Qing smirked coldly, her gaze icy. “You rear-ended me, and you’re asking me to pay?”

From the car window, Zheng Xiyun watched as Mu Qing argued with the man. Two more people got out of his car, eyeing Mu Qing with the same disdain. Seeing Mu Qing standing alone against them, Zheng Xiyun felt a sharp pang in her chest. That sense of isolation, of facing storms and hardships alone. She had experienced it countless times before. No one ever knew how much pain she endured. Was Mu Qing feeling the same way now?

Her fingers fumbled anxiously with the seatbelt. The moment she stepped out of the car and hurried to the rear, she overheard one of the other drivers say, “At first, I thought I’d go easy on you since you’re a woman, but now I see there’s no need to be gentle!” He let out a sleazy laugh.

Zheng Xiyun’s face flushed with anger. She strode to Mu Qing’s side and glared at the men. “This isn’t about whether you want to be lenient. Let the traffic police decide how to handle this. And don’t flatter yourself. You’re in no position to ‘be gentle’ with anyone.”

With the road now blocked, bystanders began gathering. Zheng Xiyun’s words only fueled the men’s rage, but before they could retort, Mu Qing suddenly wailed in distress, “Why are you bullying us just because we’re women? Just because we drive a nice car, you assume we’re mistresses? But we’re just working professionals who earned our money honestly!”

Zheng Xiyun turned to see Mu Qing’s expression shift instantly. Her face now the picture of sorrow, so pitiful that even another woman would feel heartbroken.

Sure enough, the onlookers began murmuring, pointing accusatory fingers at the three men.

“Three grown men ganging up on two young women? Disgusting!”
“These guys are pathetic, no wonder they’re stuck driving beaters. With attitudes like that, no wonder they’re failures.”
“Even as a man, I can’t stand this. Just wait for the police and insurance—why harass women?”
“Look at them—they’re clearly just office workers, nothing like those flashy gold-diggers!”

Cornered by the crowd’s judgment, the men grew even angrier. “Mind your own damn business!” one of them shouted. “What are you, a bunch of nosy dogs?”

His words only fueled the pedestrians’ anger further. Some hurled insults back at them, while others pulled out their phones to record videos.

Mu Qing smoothed her hair and turned to Zheng Xiyun, whispering, “They’re filming us, tidy up your appearance!”

Why did I ever feel sorry for her? She’s anything but helpless! Zheng Xiyun felt as if mythical beasts were stampeding through her mind. She cast a cold glance at the three men still locked in a heated argument with the passersby and, oddly enough, found herself calming down.

Soon, traffic police arrived and began photographing and inspecting both vehicles. The insurance agents showed up as well. After Mu Qing and Zheng Xiyun relayed the incident, they said nothing more. Though Mu Qing still wore a pitiful expression, at least she kept quiet.

The matter was resolved quickly. The skid marks from the rear car indicated it had been speeding, making it clear the other party was fully at fault. When the three men heard the compensation amount from the insurance agent, their faces turned ashen.

Mu Qing, however, paid no attention to them. Once everything was settled, she pulled Zheng Xiyun back into the car. Though this time, Zheng Xiyun took the wheel while Mu Qing sat in the passenger seat.

Despite the damaged trunk, the car was still drivable. It wasn’t until they were on the road that Zheng Xiyun noticed the route was off. When she asked, Mu Qing replied matter-of-factly, “You’re moving in, not going on a business trip. That one suitcase isn’t enough. We’re heading to your place to pack more. Otherwise, if you need something later and it’s not at my place, it’ll be a hassle.”

Zheng Xiyun fell silent for a moment before driving toward her apartment. Mu Qing had a point, and with both of them stuck in the same car, Zheng Xiyun didn’t want to argue further. Lest she invite more misfortune.

Mu Qing then added, “Honestly, I usually don’t make people pay for accidents because most of the time, it’s my bad luck dragging others into it. Making them compensate feels unfair. But those three today were disgusting. The way they looked at us made my skin crawl.”

Zheng Xiyun said, “The traffic police confirmed they were speeding. You just happened to cross paths with them. At that speed, they’d have crashed somewhere sooner or later anyway.”

News of the accident reached Mu Jin immediately. Relieved to hear they were unharmed, he still insisted, “Send me Xiyun’s address. I’ll come pick you up and have a driver take the car to the dealership for repairs. Also, ignore any online chatter. I’ll get someone to suppress any news about you two.”

“Xiyun, we’re trending!” Mu Qing exclaimed after checking Weibo, where the video had already been posted. Netizens, ever eager for drama, had shared and commented on it extensively.

While some initially criticized them, the tide quickly turned in their favor. Most comments were fair, acknowledging that the speeding car was at fault.

Mu Qing smirked. “Probably because those three guys are so unphotogenic.” She scrolled through the comments, chuckling. “Look at us! So effortlessly stunning. People are saying someone this good-looking couldn’t possibly be in the wrong!”

Zheng Xiyun sighed, tuning out her rambling as she packed another suitcase with clothes and essentials. Mu Qing was right—this wasn’t a business trip. The first suitcase might have sufficed for a few days, but for a long-term stay, it was far from enough.

When Mu Jin arrived, Mu Qing was helping Zheng Xiyun pack her suitcases. After glancing at Zheng Xiyun’s walk-in closet, she decided two suitcases weren’t enough and pulled out another one. The two continued packing together.

The first thing Mu Jin asked upon entering was, “Were you hurt in today’s car accident?”

Mu Qing laughed. “No, how could I get hurt with Xiyun around?”

Mu Jin smiled in relief. “Alright, stop joking.”

Once all the essentials were packed, the bedroom looked much emptier. When it was time to leave, Mu Jin carried two suitcases while Mu Qing pushed one. She turned to Zheng Xiyun and said, “My brother is strong. Just let him handle it. I want to make a good impression, so don’t try to take this from me either. We’ll be living together from now on, so don’t be so polite.”

Zheng Xiyun followed behind them, sighing silently before catching up. Mu Qing was right. They would be sharing a life together, so there was no need to be overly formal.