A marriage alliance

That day, Shi Yuan left for work shortly after five in the afternoon and unexpectedly ran into Wei Ming's mistress, Lin Qingxue. She was heading toward the main gate with her two children. They probably weren't going far; there was no car waiting nearby, and she was taking the children out on foot, with two servants carrying their things behind her.

"Off to work?"

As Shi Yuan passed her, she smiled and greeted him. He hadn't thought much of her before, but Lin Qingxue had a gentle air that made it easy to soften toward her. Since she had spoken to him first, he couldn't very well ignore her.

"Yes. Taking the children out to play?"

Lin Qingxue hadn't expected him to answer and looked pleasantly surprised. "Yes, we're going up the mountain for a walk. I heard there's a children's park there."

Shi Yuan had only been there once with Wei Zelin. There were plenty of recreational facilities, but he hadn't noticed whether there was a children's park. He gave a cool "Oh" and turned to leave.

"Wait, um... Ming asked me to ask when you two are getting divorced."

Shi Yuan turned back, stunned. "What did you say?"

Lin Qingxue seemed a little embarrassed to bring it up. "Ming said he and Zelin have already discussed it. They've both met the daughter of the * family, and they're very happy with her. But since neither of you has done anything yet, he asked me to check when I saw you. After all, if they start dating while you're still married, it would be a little disrespectful to her."

Shi Yuan's mind went blank... So Wei Zelin had already decided to divorce him. He had even found his next partner.

Once, his greatest dream had been to find a steady job, get along with Wei Zelin, and emerge from their divorce unscathed.

After Shi Guohua's company was acquired by the Wei Corporation, he could actually have brought up divorce with Wei Zelin. But after those feelings had crept up on him without warning, he kept instinctively ignoring the word, subconsciously telling himself it wasn't the right time.

Now, it seemed the so-called right time had arrived. Yet he wasn't happy in the slightest. All he felt was an icy chill in his chest.

"Got it."

His face cold, Shi Yuan hurried past Lin Qingxue.

"Mr. Shi, I don't understand this grammar point. Could you explain it again?" Xiao Rong asked, looking up.

Shi Yuan bent down to take a look and explained it to him, then had Xiao Rong repeat the pronunciation a few times.

Xiao Rong asked, "Mr. Shi, are you unhappy today?"

Shi Yuan paused, but didn't deny it. "Yes. Adults always have one worry or another."

Xiao Rong was growing more considerate. He said thoughtfully, "My dad hasn't been happy lately either. One of his superiors gives him trouble every day."

Shi Yuan chuckled. "See? Even someone in Mr. Ren's position has worries, let alone me."

He pushed his distracting thoughts aside and focused on finishing the lesson. Then he walked to the subway station and boarded a train. On the way, he opened the Real Estate App for the first time in ages and widened his search, no longer limiting himself to small, rundown old apartments in the city, but looking farther out into the remote suburbs.

Before long, he reached his stop. A large supermarket stood right across from the station, so Shi Yuan went in and bought some bread and bananas. Lately, he hadn't felt like cooking. Most of what he ate was bread and noodles.

There was a free electric scooter parking area outside the supermarket, where he left his little scooter every day. With security cameras at the entrance, he wasn't worried about it being stolen.

Just as he climbed onto his scooter, a silver Volkswagen swept past him. Shi Yuan knew that car all too well and instinctively looked over. There was no privacy tint on the windows, so he could clearly see Wei Zelin and the dressed-up woman in the passenger seat.

The Volkswagen accelerated as soon as it passed him, leaving Shi Yuan with a faceful of exhaust.

Fucking bastard.

Shi Yuan's face turned frosty. For a moment, he was so furious he wanted to hurl his scooter away.

Ha. Good thing I held back. Turns out anyone would do for him.

It was already late when he got back. The guard at the gate gave him a sour look, evidently having realized by now that Shi Yuan had tricked him.

Normally, Shi Yuan would have been in the mood to tease him. Today, the moment the gate opened, he shot through on his scooter. He felt like an emotionless Formula One driver, except his beloved ride had a top speed of only thirty kilometers an hour.

The guard scratched his head. "What's wrong with him now? Why the long face again?"

Shi Yuan hadn't lingered outside today, so he was back earlier than usual. As soon as he entered the Wei Family home, the butler stopped him with what looked like a sinister smile. (Sorry, butler. This man's hormones were out of balance, so everyone rubbed him the wrong way.)

Shi Yuan's already unpleasant expression darkened further. Whenever the butler came looking for him, it was never anything good.

"What is it?"

"The master would like you to come over. The eldest young master is there as well." Ever since Wei Ming had taken control of the old residence, the servants had started calling Wei Zelin the eldest young master.

So it's happening already? Shi Yuan thought.

"I'll go get something. I'll be there in a moment."

The butler followed him to the small villa. Shi Yuan went into his bedroom, retrieved something, and came back out. They took an electric cart and reached the Flower House a few minutes later.

The Flower House was bustling today. The sofas arranged around the living room were full.

The first person Shi Yuan saw was the woman who had been in Wei Zelin's passenger seat. She wore a high-necked top under a light brown trench coat. Her skin was fair, her eyes large and bright, and her long brown curls fell over her shoulders. She was sitting demurely beside Wei Zelin.

Across from them sat an unfamiliar middle-aged couple. They were well dressed and elegant in their manner, probably the girl's parents.

For an occasion like this, Lin Qingxue had sensibly taken the children elsewhere. Wei Wanwan hadn't been coming home at all these past few days, busy running around outside on Wei Zexuan's behalf. Wei Ming was entertaining the guests alone.

"I wanted Zelin to gain more experience in his early years. He is my eldest son, after all, and a steady young man. He's been at the company for so many years now. It's time to promote him so he can share some of my burden. In a few days, I plan to have him represent our Wei Corporation at Magic Cube Technology's anniversary celebration, to offer our congratulations and discuss cooperation while he's there."

The middle-aged couple exchanged a glance. "He's only just been promoted, and our cooperation with Magic Cube Technology is the most crucial part of the new project. Something this important..."

Wei Ming's face grew stern. "I believe my son is capable of handling it. I hope you two will have more confidence in him as well."

The Wei Family had considerable standing. Since the couple wanted their daughter to marry into a more prominent family, and Wei Zelin's position was no longer as low as it had once been, surely their support would secure him a place in the Wei Corporation?

The couple conferred quietly for a moment, then promptly made their decision.

"All right. In that case, rest assured, President Wei. We'll speak up for Zelin at tomorrow's meeting."

Wei Ming's tense expression relaxed. He looked at the girl with an affectionate smile. "Yixuan, you should go to S City with Zelin and have some fun while you're there. I hear young people love going there. Lots of unusual, interesting things to see."

Wei Zelin turned slightly and lowered his head, revealing a mocking smile. From that angle, he happened to spot Shi Yuan by the entrance, and his smile deepened.

Sun Yixuan said shyly, "I'll do whatever my parents say."

Wei Ming smiled in satisfaction. "Wonderful! Very good."

The middle-aged couple were longtime shareholders of the Wei Corporation. Though they weren't among the largest shareholders, they still had a say. A marriage alliance with Wei Zelin would allow Wei Ming to make use of them without worrying that Wei Zelin might slip out of his control.

Both families were satisfied with the match. Only one minor blemish remained...

Wei Ming looked at Shi Yuan behind the butler and said gravely, "Yuan, what are you standing at the door for? Come in."

"You really are getting old, Uncle Wei. Even your eyesight is failing. I've been standing here for ages. Did you only just notice me?"

Shi Yuan was on the verge of erupting. Did he look like he was in the mood to play house with these people?

The words Wei Ming had been about to say caught in his throat, and his expression soured.

Sun Yixuan's mother was shrewd. Who Shi Yuan was didn't matter. What mattered was that the Wei Family's handling of the situation had nothing to do with their family, and even less to do with their daughter.

She drew Sun Yixuan toward her and said to Wei Ming, "President Wei, it's getting late. We'll take our leave."

Wei Ming forced a smile. "Of course, of course. I'll have Zelin see you out."

Wei Zelin was sent to see the guests off. As he passed Shi Yuan, both looked straight ahead without exchanging so much as a glance. Watching them discreetly, the middle-aged woman felt even more reassured.

Once they were in their own car and had driven out through the Wei Family's gate, Sun Yixuan finally couldn't hold back. "Mom, do I have to marry Wei Zelin? You saw it too. He married a man before, and they aren't even divorced yet. What are people going to say about me?"

"Silly girl, what does that man amount to? Everyone at the Wei Corporation knows why the Wei Family arranged that marriage with the Shi Family. Now that the Shi Family has collapsed, Shi Yuan is nothing. Even if you don't marry Zelin, he'll be thrown out sooner or later. How could I possibly let you become a mistress?"

"But does it have to be Wei Zelin? I feel like he doesn't like me. When we went out to eat today, he barely said anything to me."

Her father said disdainfully, "Do you think he has a choice? Wei Ming and Wei Wanwan are fighting fiercely right now. Wei Ming seems to have the upper hand, but once Wei Zexuan gets out of prison, who knows how things will stand?"

Her mother soothed her. "Be good. Your father is right. We'll keep Wei Zelin on the hook for now. It's actually a good thing that he hasn't divorced yet. Once the situation at the Wei Corporation becomes clear, we can consider both sides. There's still Wei Zexuan on the other side."

Sun Yixuan nodded obediently, but thought, Wei Zexuan is even worse than Wei Zelin. Before he went to prison, he was already sleeping around, and all our friends knew it. Besides, Wei Zelin is taller and better-looking, and now Uncle Wei thinks highly of him. If I have to marry one of them, I'd rather marry Wei Zelin.