Getting Married? I Thought we Were Sworn Enemies - Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Therefore, when Meng Lingyao received the “olive branch” that the other party had personally delivered in the name of the company, he felt it was a trap, yet he stepped into it without looking back.

But now, a single sentence from the other party caused the anger that had been settled four years ago to be provoked once again.

What did he mean? Was he trying to retaliate for the four years of daily verbal abuse and planning to disgust him!

Back then, hadn’t those matters been started by Qi Zhongjing first? He was simply enjoying his youthful and frivolous times; his first awakening of love had been ruthlessly messed with by Qi Zhongjing—in the end, all those things were the other party’s fault.

As expected of a mature capitalist, his methods were ruthless; he knew exactly what would make him angry and frantic and cause an opponent’s mental state to collapse. Yet, in the face of public opinion, Qi Zhongjing remained the person who extended a helping hand—his benefactor.

An arch-nemesis, deeply scheming, and accustomed to putting on an act.

The feeling was as if a person who had been starving for ten days was given a toad that, if eaten, would save their life; the mucus was disgusting and slippery, the skin covered in lumps—yet for the sake of survival, one had no choice but to gnaw it down.

Vomit…

But… Meng Lingyao’s hands under the table were clenched tightly. If this condition were real, then it was… truly a condition that made him want to agree in one breath.

After all… Qi Zhongjing was truly giving too much.

And he had nothing left to lose.

He had to preserve the foundation the Meng family had built over many years and prevent the family from being destroyed in his hands.

Dignity lost, being humiliated—so what? He, Meng Lingyao, could endure it.

The high-minded and arrogant young master finally bent his back.

A “lover”—it wasn’t like it was impossible.

All sorts of emotions intertwined in Meng Lingyao’s heart. His originally boiling brain was instantly defeated by reality. He was already a mature adult and no longer had the right to be willful.

In reality, he was a pathetic failure.

He had to recognize reality.

“I am very serious, Lingyao. I only have this one condition.” Qi Zhongjing answered lightning-fast, for fear that a step too late would provoke the other’s ill will. Furthermore, his eyes were staring straight at the other party, his face full of certainty.

He was sincere and serious; that look of earnestness made it truly seem like he was at a marriage proposal scene, urgently wanting to receive that “I do.”

Qi Zhongjing was also afraid that pushing too hard would have the opposite effect, so he quickly softened his tone. “Or you can consider it; I will always wait for you…”

“No need.” Meng Lingyao raised his eyes and suddenly gave Qi Zhongjing a brilliant smile. That smile made his features seem like a blooming flower, particularly soul-stirring. He casually flipped through those documents, grabbed the fountain pen on the table, and scribbled down his name.

Facing Qi Zhongjing’s words about “considering it,” Meng Lingyao preferred to settle things quickly and make a prompt decision—cutting the Gordian knot. “There’s no need for such trouble. I can make the decision now.”

“I agree, President Qi.”

It’s just a transaction.

“I hope you are a man of your word.”

If he wanted to see him as a joke, fine! In his current state, pathetic and miserable like a dog, what else was there that couldn’t be lost?

It’s just getting married to Qi Zhongjing. He wanted to sleep with him and humiliate him, right? It didn’t matter; he could accept it. As for who would be the one disgusted in the end, that wasn’t certain.

Meng Lingyao comforted himself this way.

“Happy cooperation, President Qi.” His eyes curved into crescents, and he stood up quite formally, extending his hand as if wanting to shake hands with the other.

Clearly, Qi Zhongjing was “disdainful” of shaking his hand; he didn’t react for a long while.

For Qi Zhongjing, that phrase “I agree” was like hearing “I do”; in an instant, a field of New Year’s fireworks exploded before his eyes. His pounding heart was now like a rapidly beaten drum, putting his entire person in a state of extreme excitement and joy—naturally, his reaction was half a beat slow.

He agreed!

He agreed to marry me!

Happy, delighted, jubilant—so happy he wanted to spin in circles on the spot.

Heh, as expected, he loathes me. Now he doesn’t even bother to act, or perhaps he didn’t expect me to just take the bait and agree directly.

Meng Lingyao sneered in his heart. Just as he was about to withdraw his hand, it was gripped tightly in the next moment. The force used was very great, and his entire hand was completely scalded by the other’s scorching temperature.

“Happy cooperation!” Qi Zhongjing shook back. His voice was steady and his expression was perfectly normal, even though internally, because of that “I agree,” he had already fantasized about their married life, various X-rated scenes, how many children they would have, and even walking hand-in-hand together at sunset in their old age.

Having caught Meng Lingyao’s hand at the last chance—it was indeed the sensation he had yearned for in his dreams.

Meng Lingyao pulled his hand back; Qi Zhongjing still felt a bit unsatisfied.

Mustn’t scare him.

Qi Zhongjing thought secretly.

“To celebrate our cooperation, a drink?” The two sat down again, and Qi Zhongjing held up his wine glass.

Meng Lingyao didn’t fuss over it. He had already agreed; even if it was just for the sake of appearances, he had to suppress the endless frustration in his heart and pull out a smile. “Naturally.”

The red wine glasses collided lightly, making a crisp sound. Their gazes met; no sparks were produced, and their thought processes were at two different extremes.

“The 20th of this month is a good day.” Qi Zhongjing took a sip of wine and threw out a non-sequitur, his voice low and carrying an intoxicating depth.

Meng Lingyao was stunned, then replied, “Mhm.”

“Then on that day, we will go to register the marriage. I will pick you up.” Qi Zhongjing finished quickly, settling the matter to pull the person into his own bowl as soon as possible.

He was seizing the moment of the Meng family’s crisis to snatch away the person he desired. After all, his “big brother-in-law”…

Thinking of that man, a chill ran down Qi Zhongjing’s back. That man’s gaze—as if looking at trash—surfaced in his mind. If it hadn’t been for his obstruction all these years, perhaps he would have achieved his wish long ago.

Why would he have needed to expend so much effort?

Only five days left. Meng Lingyao curled his lip inwardly. The other party was truly impatient. He took another sip of wine, suppressing his true thoughts, and replied offhandedly with a face of total indifference, “Mhm. President Qi, if you wanted to keep me as a sugar baby, why make such a big fuss about getting married? I have no objections to that position.”

“It’s not a sugar baby relationship…” Qi Zhongjing countered. Under Meng Lingyao’s gaze, he changed his words: “The Qi family has no history of keeping sugar babies.”

Oh, the Qi family’s moral character is upright and pure—no messing around with casual relationships. All romantic connections are bonded through so-called marriage? Even if Qi Zhongjing is deliberately trying to humiliate me, he has to get married first?

So, if he wants to keep and humiliate me, he has to be ‘licensed’ for the job? Is that it?

This is what they call an upright family? Meng Lingyao suddenly understood. His eyes full of disdain, he replied mockingly, “Fine, marriage it is.”

Qi Zhongjing breathed a sigh of relief. Goal achieved.

The cooperation negotiation was very pleasant. Meng Lingyao received a definitive answer. The documents needed to be stamped with the Meng family seal, and specific cooperation details required people from the Qi family company to discuss in detail. The two decision-makers had only discussed a few sentences to finalize the cooperation.

Once the negotiation between Meng Lingyao and Qi Zhongjing was complete, both had the intention of going home. Of course, this was only Meng Lingyao’s unilateral desire to leave; Qi Zhongjing wished he could stay quietly with the other person forever.

Since Meng Lingyao wanted to go, Qi Zhongjing had no choice but to follow his lead.

“I’ll drive you back,” Qi Zhongjing said eagerly, showing his thoughtfulness to Meng Lingyao. Walking half a body length beside him, his broad shoulders looked as if they wanted to pull the person into his arms.

He could almost smell the scent of the other’s perfume.

The distance was so close.

He was walking with a light, floaty step now, his whole being plunged into extreme jubilation; he had indeed lost a bit of his steadiness.

Meng Lingyao glanced at the person leaning extremely close and felt very uncomfortable. He quickened his pace, but the other party was like sticky candy, following closely behind just one small step back. “Did you drive here yourself?”

“Mhm.”

While looking at the keys in his hand, Meng Lingyao’s expression became malicious. That little expression of secretly wanting to cause trouble was vivid and lifelike; Qi Zhongjing had seen it many times.

Mm, cute! I want to pinch his little cheeks.

It would be even better if I could give him a little kiss.

At the same time, he was also wondering which of his words was wrong.

He only saw Meng Lingyao say unhurriedly, “President Qi is a busy man. There’s no need to see me off; I can’t afford it.”

Rejected.

Disappointment.

“However, I imagine President Qi is used to acting as he pleases and doesn’t care for the laws of the land. It just so happens that I am a law-abiding person. I simply can’t bring myself to do something like drunk driving. If President Qi insists on his own way, as a responsible person, I will still report you.”

Meng Lingyao quickly strode a few steps forward, turned around at the very front, his little mouth “clack-clack-clacking” away. With a smile in his eyes, he quickly finished the long paragraph of words, brushed off non-existent dust from his clothes, and remained elegant and proper.

Little brat, I don’t dare curse you, but I can prick you a little!

The little person in Meng Lingyao’s heart was baring its fangs and claws at Qi Zhongjing.

He pricked the other first with a needle-laden sentence. The contracts were now in his hands; once he got home and let the Meng family legal team confirm the clauses again, there wouldn’t be much of a problem. Therefore, he was just being “mouth-itchy”—what could Qi Zhongjing do to him!

“President Qi won’t be angry, right? I was only reminding you out of the goodness of my heart.” Meng Lingyao said a sentence full of “Green Tea” (manipulative) vibes. His features were far more vivid and bright than they had been just moments ago. “Sigh, President Qi surely wouldn’t get annoyed because of these words—if so, that would be my fault.”

A cat baring its claws and teeth to scratch someone—that wasn’t scratching, it was extending its paws to act spoiled.

“Pfft…” Qi Zhongjing’s heart felt soft. He couldn’t help but laugh out loud, as if the other party were flirting with him. Using the advantage of their height difference, he even touched the little “sprout” (tuft of hair) tied up on the other’s head. “Of course, how could I blame you? It was my lack of consideration.”

“However, I must thank Lingyao for his concern; I almost made a mistake by accident.” Qi Zhongjing spoke with a deep “bubble voice” (vocal fry), his voice exceptionally magnetic. He seemed to be truly thanking him, but in short, it was weird—so weird that it made Meng Lingyao feel particularly uncomfortable, the kind of discomfort where he wanted to slap the man twice.

The other party’s reaction was boring. Having made a fool of himself, Meng Lingyao gave him a sidelong glance. “It’s good that Qi Zhong[jing] isn’t angry. By the way, my driver has arrived, so I won’t trouble President Qi.”

After saying that, Meng Lingyao’s footsteps scurried lightning-fast, leaving Qi Zhongjing with only a disappearing silhouette.

Lunatic!

Cursing internally, Meng Lingyao slammed the car door shut and threw a sentence at the driver: “Home!”

The driver, Uncle Zhao, had been driving for the Meng family for many years and had basically watched Meng Lingyao grow up. He knew all about the Meng family’s crisis during this period, but as a driver, he understood the principle of what should and shouldn’t be said.

Perhaps the cooperation talk didn’t go well; after all, the young master’s face was very displeased.