Bowing to Arranged Marriage [Rebirth] - Chapter 7

Zheng Xiyun didn’t plan to stay in Su Zhou for long, but she wasn’t ready to return to Beijing immediately either. Going back now to face the loathing expressions of her relatives wasn’t exactly her idea of a good time.

Once again, she found herself at the high-speed rail station, purchasing a ticket to Shanghai. As she settled into her seat, a thought struck her. Wasn’t this the exact same spot she had occupied during her rebirth? Her eyes fixed nervously on the direction leading to the carriage door, half-expecting Mu Qing to suddenly round the corner and appear beside her.

Fortunately, it was all just her imagination. Only after exiting the station and getting into a taxi alone did Zheng Xiyun finally relax completely. Then she froze. How ridiculous was it that she had been so deeply affected by someone she had only met a handful of times?

After calming down, she called Kang Minghong. When he answered, she told him, “I’m on my way to the company.”

There was some noise on Kang Minghong’s end, but after a moment, he seemed to have moved to a quieter spot. “Why the sudden visit?” he asked.

Zheng Xiyun joked, “Maybe because I missed you.”

“Really? That makes me so happy,” Kang Minghong replied, his voice warm and affectionate. “When will you arrive?”

“About half an hour,” she answered.

“Perfect timing,” he said. “I was just about to go to Beijing to report on the project progress, but since you’re coming, I can do it here today.”

Zheng Xiyun laughed. “You really know how to cut corners, don’t you?”

“Please don’t expose me, Your Excellency the CEO. Let me slack off just this once,” he teased.

After exchanging a few more playful remarks, Zheng Xiyun hung up.

At the company, Zheng Xiyun held the position of Executive Vice President, while Kang Minghong was the Project Director making her his superior. She wasn’t sure how other couples navigated relationships where the woman outranked the man professionally, but she felt no awkwardness between them because of their work hierarchy.

Their relationship, less than a year old, wasn’t fiery but was stable and comfortable. Zheng Xiyun appreciated how Kang Minghong never pressured her or made demands. Even when apart, neither harbored resentment, instead understanding each other’s circumstances.

Their dynamic was placid, and Zheng Xiyun wasn’t sure if this was what love was supposed to feel like. But it suited her needs. She had too much on her plate to indulge in the dramatic, all-consuming romances of adolescence.

What she didn’t realize was that this wasn’t true love. Love was never truly placid; even when it seemed calm, the heart would still ripple because of that special person.

The staff at the Shanghai branch all recognized Zheng Xiyun, greeting her respectfully with, “President Zheng.”

She nodded in acknowledgment before heading to Kang Minghong’s office. True to his word, he handed her a report as soon as she arrived. “I went ahead and prepared it.”

Zheng Xiyun took a seat in his chair while Kang Minghong sat across from her, delivering his work report.

Midway through, a knock interrupted them. Zheng Xiyun frowned slightly, but Kang Minghong reassured her, “It must be urgent, or they wouldn’t disturb us.”

Only then did she permit the visitor to enter. It was Kang Minghong’s secretary, who looked momentarily surprised to see Zheng Xiyun in his seat before quickly masking her reaction. “President Zheng,” she said, “President Mu has arrived unexpectedly and would like to meet with you.”

“President Mu?” Zheng Xiyun’s frown deepened. Could it be the same President Mu who was supposed to arrange a marriage alliance with her family? After a few seconds of contemplation, she said to her secretary, “Please show him in.”

She suspected it might be someone from the Mu family, though there were quite a few in the Mu clan who could be addressed as “President.” She wasn’t sure who it might be. And how had they even known about her schedule?

The office door opened again, and in walked a tall man with a stern expression. A sense of foreboding rose in Zheng Xiyun’s heart as she stood up and greeted him, “Hello, may I ask who you are?”

“Mu Jin,” the man replied, stepping forward and extending his hand. Zheng Xiyun’s heart sank as she raised her hand to shake his. Mu Jin was the head of the Mu family and the elder brother of the woman she was supposed to marry. Rumor had it that this brother doted on his sister excessively.

The Mu family maintained a low profile in Beijing, but everyone knew they were not to be trifled with. Their background ran deep, and while their ostensible wealth might not rival that of China’s richest, Wang Jiangling, their accumulated influence and heritage far surpassed that of any nouveau riche.

The Mu family’s proposal for a marriage alliance had also been discreet, known to very few. Yet, from what Zheng Xiyun had heard, countless women would jump at the chance to marry into the Mu family. If they ever publicly sought a bride, listing requirements like birth dates and compatibility, ninety percent of eligible candidates would willingly join the Mu household even if it meant marrying a woman.

But Zheng Xiyun was unwilling. Influenced by her mother and her studies abroad, she had always been more independent and self-reliant than most. What she pursued was a perfect career and a life of freedom. An arranged marriage, a relic of feudal society, was something she could never bring herself to accept.

She knew exactly why Mu Jin had come and so did Kang Minghong. Mu Jin politely addressed Kang Minghong, “President Kang, may I borrow your office for a moment? I’d like to have a word with President Zheng.”

Kang Minghong didn’t respond immediately, instead turning to Zheng Xiyun for her opinion. She nodded at him with a faint smile, reassuring him.

Soon, only the two of them remained in the office. Mu Jin took the seat Kang Minghong had just vacated and said to Zheng Xiyun, who had also sat down, “Xiyun, may I call you that? I happened to hear you were in Shanghai today, so I came to ask: why are you unwilling to marry my sister?”

Zheng Xiyun stared at him for a long time without speaking. Mu Jin’s brow furrowed slightly, his already stern expression growing even more severe.

“Xiyun, you don’t need to hold back. Tell me what’s on your mind. I won’t do anything to you,” Mu Jin said, then waited patiently for her response without pressing further.

Zheng Xiyun remained silent for another long moment before finally speaking. “I can’t accept a forced marriage like this. And the fact that the other party is a woman the gender isn’t even right. Do I really need to consider it further?”

Mu Jin’s expression remained unchanged. “The Mu family hasn’t truly forced you in any real sense. If you’re willing, we can arrange for you and my sister to spend some time together. I think you’d come to like her. As for the issue of her being a woman—Xiyun, you studied abroad. Surely your mindset isn’t as antiquated as those rigid traditionalists?”

Zheng Xiyun stood her ground without backing down. “I don’t know what form the so-called coercion from the Mu family takes, to the point where you claim you’ve never forced me. Yet I’ve genuinely felt the pressure from your family. If I had continued to refuse, would I have found it impossible to survive much longer?”

Mu Jin felt somewhat helpless at her words. He truly hadn’t threatened or coerced her. But whether the Zheng family had taken it upon themselves to exert pressure, he couldn’t say.

Mu Jin glanced at his watch and then said, “Xiyun, our entire family eagerly anticipates your arrival. I originally wanted to arrange a meeting, but my sister has been too busy. If you’re not opposed, I can arrange for you to meet.”

Meet to join a pyramid scheme together? Zheng Xiyun found it amusing but maintained a composed expression. “I think the fact that we’ve never formally met until now shows we truly lack fate. If you insist on forcing us together, it might not achieve the outcome you desire. Instead, a meeting could only make your family’s young lady more uncomfortable.”

Mu Jin gave Zheng Xiyun a deep look before standing up. “I still hope you’ll reconsider carefully,” he said.

After Mu Jin left, Zheng Xiyun sat alone in her office, lost in thought. She knew that marrying into the Mu family would make reclaiming her company an effortless task. But she simply refused. She didn’t want to trade her emotions and marriage for absolute control over the company. Doing so would make her despise herself and anger her deceased mother and grandparents.

Mu Jin’s visit had left her in a sour mood. She declined Kang Minghong’s suggestion to continue with the report, saying instead, “I’d like to return to the hotel first.”

Kang Minghong said with concern, “At times like this, I hate myself. If only I were stronger, maybe I could protect you.”

Zheng Xiyun replied, “I can protect myself.” Even after dying once, she still firmly believed in herself.

As the saying goes, rely on a mountain and it will collapse; rely on a person and they will leave. Zheng Xiyun had lived two lives. One before her rebirth and both had been marked by independence and self-reliance.

Kang Minghong escorted her out to hail a taxi, his eyes filled with worry. “Maybe take a few extra days off this time. I think you’re pushing yourself too hard.”

Zheng Xiyun shook her head. “No need. I’ll be fine.” She was just temporarily upset. She believed some quiet time at the hotel would help her regain her composure.

By the time she left the company, it was already dark. As she got into the car, Mu Jin’s words kept replaying in her mind. When she finally snapped out of her thoughts, she realized the taxi had taken her to a pitch-black area, devoid of even streetlights.

Her heart raced, but she forced herself to stay calm. “Driver, is this the way to the InterContinental?” she asked.

The driver replied, “Yes, it’s a shortcut.”

Only then did Zheng Xiyun notice the driver was wearing a mask, obscuring his face.

Clenching her fists tightly, she said, “Driver, I’ll get off here.”

The taxi driver glanced at her and drove forward another few dozen meters. Zheng Xiyun handed the driver the fare, opened the door, and stepped out. The moment the taxi drove away, a wave of terror washed over her. This was a desolate stretch of road, and the nearby construction site, now abandoned, made the surroundings eerily silent.

Zheng Xiyun took out her phone to check something, but just then, a sense of foreboding crept over her. Suddenly, a pair of rough hands clamped over her nose and mouth, dragging her backward.