“A Yang, is this my future husband?”
Lin Zhishui’s fingertip hovered half an inch above the document, her voice soft as a whisper.
A Yang nodded, her gaze lingering on Lin Zhishui, as if she had something to say but held it back.
Sunlight poured through the wide glass window, illuminating Lin Zhishui’s downcast profile.
The exposed, creamy skin of her cheek glowed with a fragile beauty, reminiscent of a porcelain sculpture.
With A Yang’s confirmation, Lin Zhishui’s eyes dropped to the information in front of her.
Ning Shangyu—her fiancé by a Marriage Contract decreed from above.
In recent years, he’d expanded his overseas business empire with aggressive, uncompromising tactics and a talent for amassing astonishing wealth.
Upon returning to the country, the position of Master Lin in the Ning Family fell to him without contest, and with his youth and power, it was clear his reign had only just begun.
No wonder the scions of the great families all vied to forge ties with him, each hoping to seize the opportunity for alliance.
She just didn’t know how her mother had managed to secure the first pick.
Beneath the text was a photo of Ning Shangyu at a financial press conference.
The image was clearly a hasty screenshot, the flash too quick, so the details were blurry.
But it still captured the sharp outline of half his face—a man in a tailored suit, black hair slicked back from his brow, his features cold and distant, yet with a dangerous, arresting allure that could steal a person’s breath away.
One look was enough to know: this was not someone easily approached.
Lin Zhishui stared for a long time, nearly memorizing every detail of the file.
She finally looked up, turning her gaze from the silent, signing A Yang to the other two who had served her for years—A Qin and A Man.
Both wore identical qipao, and both, like A Yang, could not speak.
They vied to sign:
“Shan Shan has always lived in the Hong Kong District and rarely leaves the house. What if she can’t adapt to Si City’s climate? What if she can’t get used to the food there?”
“Last month, the Family Doctor tested Shan Shan’s sense of taste. She barely scored eighty-five. She’ll definitely have trouble eating!”
Shan Shan was Lin Zhishui’s childhood nickname.
From birth, her premature body had always been frail, unfit for the outside world.
Even her studies were handled by private tutors hired by the Lin Family.
Now, she had already completed her Coming-of-Age Ceremony.
She was no longer the sickly child who could fall gravely ill at the slightest mishap.
The two’s frantic signing gave Lin Zhishui a headache.
She tilted her head, pressing her finger to her temple in mock exasperation.
A Yang, right on cue, set down a bowl of specially prepared congee at the table, cooled to the perfect temperature, and signed, “Eat your breakfast first.”
Thanks to her dulled sense of taste, Lin Zhishui had always been a picky eater.
But with her three silent, fairy godmother-like attendants urging her on, she had no choice but to pick up her spoon and mumble, “I’m eating.”
After slowly finishing half the bowl, she glanced up, signaling she wanted to go upstairs.
Rising from her seat, she discreetly slipped the photo from the table into her hand as she stood.
***
The study at the far west end upstairs was Lin Zhishui’s private sanctuary.
The spacious room was lined on three walls with Classic Bookshelves, filled with rare Ocean Biology Books—a precious legacy left by her father, who’d died in a cruise ship explosion before she was born.
Lin Zhishui entered, her footsteps muffled by the thick carpet until she reached the glass display case behind her desk.
Inside were numerous Charity Certificates, each marked: 03.21—
These were her Coming-of-Age Gifts from her mother, Madam Sheng Mingying, given every year on her birthday.
She gazed at them, the faint light from the floor-length curtains tracing her delicate features.
Beneath her long lashes, her eyes were large and clear, as if shimmering water threatened to spill out, yet was held in check by two faint red tear moles at the corner of her right eye.
She stood there a long while, absently warming the photo in her hand.
A thought flickered in her mind: this Marriage Contract was her mother’s Coming-of-Age Gift to her this year.
As expected of a Coming-of-Age Gift—so unconventional.
Lin Zhishui’s lips curled in a faint, almost mocking smile.
Still, it wasn’t all bad.
At least it meant she would no longer be kept hidden away by the Lin Family, no longer limited to three hours of freedom outside each month.
She could finally step into the world.
Her fiancé’s face might be hard to approach, but at least he was someone she could talk to.
With that, Lin Zhishui felt a spark of liveliness, gradually accepting the reality of marrying a man she’d never met.
She turned the photo over and over before placing it carelessly on the display case.
Just as she was about to leave, she paused.
After all, this was her fiancé.
She should be more careful.
She picked up the photo with both hands, gently placed it inside the display case, and closed it softly.
Let it rest here, under the light… It would be even more “solemn” if she added two plates of dessert.
Having done all this, Lin Zhishui returned to the Main Bedroom.
She had always liked the cold.
The first thing she did upon entering was strip off her tightly wrapped long dress.
Under the watchful care of her three attendants, she was always dressed modestly, her collar buttoned up to the neck as if not even a wisp of wind could touch her.
But in truth, few knew how much Lin Zhishui disliked such restrictive clothes.
She even preferred bright, vivid colors—things full of life.
She reached into her wardrobe and chose a silk nightgown as thin as cicada’s wings.
Standing before the ornate, vintage floor mirror, the white silk slid from her waist, revealing her graceful figure, as if a jade beauty had stepped from a sculpture, her skin glowing and unadorned.
The fabric barely concealed her, a blush-colored ribbon loosely tied at her pale, slender back, soaking up her scent and making her seem all the more alluring.
Lin Zhishui admired her reflection in the mirror.
With such a good figure, she thought, only she could appreciate it.
She played her own little dress-up game, slipping the nightgown off and on, again and again.
When the light dimmed, the blush fabric at her ankles seemed to melt into shadow.
***
Ning Shangyu draped on a black Silk Robe without care. In the floor-length mirror, his broad chest was on full display.
Fresh from a bath, water droplets traced the lines of his muscles, disappearing into his clothes.
He tied his belt, ignoring the imposing aura he exuded, and strode out.
In the vast, luxurious living room, it wasn’t long before Secretary Xi Yan arrived, meticulous as ever, delivering a box of cigars.
Ning Shangyu lounged on the sofa, his long, slender fingers lighting a cigar with practiced ease.
The rich, domineering aroma quickly filled the air as he bit down on the end and exhaled a cloud of smoke.
Xi Yan, ever attentive, gave his report: “Mr. Ning, Secretary Li and I have already filtered and replied to this week’s emails. Aside from business matters, several families—previous candidates—have heard you’ve settled on the Lin Family, and hope you’ll reconsider, to give them a fair chance.”
‘Fair competition?’
Ning Shangyu’s lips curled in a cold, indifferent smile.
After so many years at the top, everyone around him had learned to read his moods.
Xi Yan, a consummate professional, immediately shifted topics: “Miss Lin’s residence has been prepared to the highest standards. When would you like her brought over?”
At last, Ning Shangyu responded, glancing up as the smoke drifted across his brow, making him even harder to look at directly.
He tossed the half-burned cigar into the ashtray on the Marble Coffee Table, his tone lazy but meaningful: “No rush.”
Xi Yan froze for a moment, unable to read his boss’s mind for the first time.
After all, in the vast Ning Patriarch’s family, Ning Shangyu had seized power at a young age, orchestrating a brutal purge of the internal hierarchy.
His position was unshakable—he was the true master.
By rights, no one could sway his decisions.
Yet after taking power, he had unexpectedly listened to the venerable elder’s advice and chosen a commercial Marriage Contract—with the youngest daughter of the Lin Family from the distant Hong Kong District:
Lin Zhishui.
But looking at him now, though he had chosen her by name, he seemed… oddly indifferent?
Xi Yan quickly collected himself.
Ning Shangyu lifted his gaze, coolly asking, “Anything else?”
The meaning was clear: if not, leave.
Xi Yan understood, taking the ashtray with him as he went.
The vast, decadent villa was spotless, not a speck of dust in sight, as if no one truly lived there.
It was hard to imagine how someone as obsessed with cleanliness and silence as Ning Shangyu would get along with his wife after marriage.
He found even another person’s breathing beside him too noisy.
***
From the day the Marriage Contract descended, time slipped by until the following Monday.
When Lin Zhishui opened her eyes that morning, the first thing she saw was A Man’s smiling face.
Seeing her awake, A Man leaned in at the bedside, as if using Lin Zhishui’s pupils as a mirror, then signed, “Shan Shan, Madam called early this morning. Guess what she said?”
Miss Sheng Mingying was always busy with her grand affairs.
If she ever had time to say something, it would probably be nothing more than a gesture of humanitarian concern.
Lin Zhishui had no interest in guessing, burrowing deeper into the covers.
But A Man signed, “Madam said you’re allowed to go out today.”
‘Go out?’
“Where to?” Lin Zhishui sat up abruptly, the covers slipping to reveal her sheer, mist-like nightgown.
A Man continued signing, “To attend a banquet.”
A banquet…
Better to have one than none at all.
She assumed banquets were lively, with many people.
Lin Zhishui decided to go.
She had no idea.
The Lin Family’s driver took her to an old Garden Villa at the foot of the hills in the Shallow Bay district.
The setting was quiet and private, more tasteful than she’d imagined, but it didn’t look like a place hosting a banquet.
***
Upon arrival, a waiting attendant guided her inside.
When she reached the VIP suite, she paused.
The tall double doors stood open, the golden interior gleaming like the inside of a gift box.
Only one person sat inside—him.
Dressed in a black silk suit, a Crown Lion Brooch encrusted with yellow diamonds gleaming on his lapel, Ning Shangyu sat at ease, his arm draped over the chair, exuding a sense of lazy, resting predator.
Ning Shangyu.
Lin Zhishui parted her lips, then unconsciously pressed them together, suddenly understanding.
So, her mother had allowed her out to meet him.
Ning Shangyu, who had descended upon the Hong Kong District, looked both exactly like the photo enshrined at home, and yet different—because this was the real person.
Especially as Ning Shangyu’s proud, emotionless face lifted, his gaze meeting hers exactly, not a second off.
Even though Lin Zhishui was used to being observed, being scrutinized by Ning Shangyu made her body tremble involuntarily.
The sensation was hard to describe—not like the feverish weakness of illness, but something else.
Frightened, yet not quite.
For a moment, Lin Zhishui suppressed the urge to flee home.
She exhaled softly, and with perfect manners, spoke: “Hello, I’m Lin Zhishui.”
Her voice, like her appearance, was pure and clear as water, untainted by the world.
Ning Shangyu’s gaze lingered on her face for two seconds.
When he spoke, his voice was low, like sparks falling on a lake: “Lin Zhishui.”
For the first time, Lin Zhishui felt her name could sound so… heated.
Ning Shangyu seemed to be repeating it casually.
He gestured for her to sit.
As she drew closer, Lin Zhishui realized the oppressive aura around Ning Shangyu only grew stronger.
The air itself seemed to heat up, making her even more tense.
After a brief daze, she tried to act natural, taking a small seat across from him, her fingers resting on her knees.
She took the initiative, “Did you want to see me for something important?”
“Do I need a reason to see my fiancée?”
“I suppose not…”
Lin Zhishui understood—Ning Shangyu was here to “inspect” his future wife.
After all, in a family-arranged marriage like this, it was necessary to meet at least once before the wedding.
Otherwise, after being hidden away by the Lin Family for so many years, what if she turned out to be a little cripple?
Lin Zhishui thought to herself, not realizing that in Ning Shangyu’s eyes, she was like a small animal just out of the Ivory Tower, trying to hide her nerves by pretending to be talkative.
“So, are you satisfied with me?”
Lin Zhishui understood her mother’s intent in letting her meet him.
Only if Ning Shangyu was satisfied could she use her future status as Lady Ning to occasionally go out and gain more freedom.
Ning Shangyu replied ambiguously, “You are the Lady Ning I have chosen.”
Though inexperienced in the ways of the world, Lin Zhishui’s comprehension was keen.
She instantly understood—this meant the decision was set.
She breathed a short sigh of relief, then hesitated.
‘Should she ask more clearly?’
‘Would she be free to go out after marriage?’
After all, in a family like the Ning Family, the rules would surely be even stricter than the Lin Family’s.
She might be expected to be the perfect, obedient wife, cloistered at home.
If so, marriage would just mean being locked up in a different cage.
Lin Zhishui pressed her lips together, searching for the right words.
At that moment, Ning Shangyu’s gaze swept over her, lingering on the way she nervously bit her flushed lips.
He paused, then, with a rare gesture, rose to pour her a cup of tea himself.
His tall frame and broad shoulders filled out his suit, the fabric stretched tight across his muscles.
When he leaned down, he blocked out all the light from Lin Zhishui’s view.
Feeling it impolite to stare at his chest, Lin Zhishui kept her eyes straight—only to accidentally catch a glimpse.
She quickly averted her gaze, but the image played on repeat in her mind.
‘Ah.’
She suddenly remembered what A Man had taught her about marital duties.
With such a difference in size… ‘would that part… even fit?’
Lin Zhishui shivered, forgetting what she’d meant to ask, and blurted out, “As your Lady Ning… do I have to fulfill wifely duties?”
Ning Shangyu set the teacup in front of her, not moving away.
Instead, he lounged lazily, his long legs nearly crossing the line: “Hm? Which duties do you mean?”
“I mean…” Lin Zhishui found his handsome face even more mesmerizing up close, as he lowered his head, his gaze openly studying her.
Being stared at like this made her nervous—especially by someone like Ning Shangyu.
Her voice grew even softer, and after a long pause, she finally asked, “After we marry, will we need to… be intimate?”
A moment passed.
Ning Shangyu tapped his knuckles lightly against the cold table, the irregular sound echoing like her heartbeat.
He, too, waited half a minute before drawling, in the same slow tone she’d used, “Of course. That’s necessary.”
So it was required.
Lin Zhishui, delicate by nature, felt her whole body flush at his words.
Even the two tear moles at her eye grew redder.
“Occasionally?”
Occasionally?
Ning Shangyu let out a sudden laugh, straightened his already immaculate sleeves, then stood up from the chair: “Not occasionally. Every day.”
Lin Zhishui was momentarily stunned.
Beneath the lamp’s shade, the man’s amber eyes seemed to melt into molten gold, as if—
As if they would burn her.
Ning Shangyu leaned in, his lips brushing her jade-like earlobe as he spoke, almost carelessly, “Fiancée, my needs are rather high.”