Guan Yingtang’s first reaction: Is this some kind of April Fool’s joke?
She was being told to marry this man, whom she’d only met once, without having any idea beforehand?
Guan Yingtang rolled up the scroll and looked at Meng Qinghuai. “Mr. Meng, is there some sort of misunderstanding?”
Meng Qinghuai looked away. “The marriage alliance wasn’t just my decision. Of course, Miss Guan, you have every right to refuse.”
Guan Yingtang: “……”
The words “marriage alliance” fell on her ears, and suddenly, Guan Yingtang understood.
No wonder her parents were so unusually attentive to tonight’s Birthday Banquet, no wonder Ho Ling had introduced Meng Qinghuai to her with such hidden meaning, no wonder they had gotten along so well with the Meng Family Couple, and even Fu Shengyun had known about it all along.
It’s always been like this, ever since she was a child.
Her parents made all her decisions for her— what hairstyle to wear to kindergarten, which school to attend abroad, what major to study, and now, even something as big as marriage.
They’d arranged a partner for her without saying a single word.
Guan Yingtang took two deep breaths to remain calm and asked Meng Qinghuai, “Mr. Meng, have you ever thought of refusing? Before tonight, we didn’t even know each other.”
Refuse?
As the eldest son raised to be the heir, Meng Qinghuai had understood the importance of family wealth and inheritance since he was young.
Marriage alliances were the simplest way to merge resources in the world of fame and profit.
Ensuring the long-term prosperity of the family was his responsibility.
He had known clearly from the moment he reached adulthood that he wasn’t entitled to the freedom of romantic love.
But Meng Qinghuai still answered Guan Yingtang, “If Miss Guan is unwilling, I won’t force you.”
Guan Yingtang didn’t know whether to say this man was being frivolous or rational. Marriage could be discussed so calmly, like a business deal— if it fits, sign; if not, find someone else.
Crossing Victoria Harbour, the Maybach turned off Prince Edward Road West and entered Kadoorie Avenue.
Here, far from the city’s hustle and bustle, tall ancient trees lined both sides of the road, with towering villas hidden among lush greenery.
The tranquil atmosphere perfectly suited the mood between the two people in the car.
A gentle night breeze drifted in. Guan Yingtang closed her eyes, suppressing her anger, and cursed her parents in her heart— crazy!
–
Ho Ling and Guan Zhiheng returned home half an hour later.
The couple wore smiles, seemingly still savoring the Birthday Banquet. Seeing Guan Yingtang sitting dazed on the living room sofa, they paused. “Why are you home so early?”
“What else?” Guan Yingtang tried hard to keep her emotions in check. “Should I have gone straight to the registry with Mr. Meng before coming back?”
Ho Ling, confused, sat down beside her daughter. “Is Qinghuai not good enough? Weren’t you the one who said you wanted him handsome, tall, career-driven, and faithful? The Meng Family’s eldest son fits all your requirements. He’s already the Chief Executive Officer of Aowan Group at his age, his private life is spotless— rumor has it he’s never even had a girlfriend. What more could you want?”
Yes, Meng Qinghuai was indeed flawless. But Guan Yingtang hated being arranged.
“I wish you’d respect me. Asking me to marry a man I don’t know at all— have you ever considered how I feel?”
Guan Zhiheng frowned. “So, you’re dissatisfied with Qinghuai?”
“I’m dissatisfied with you,” Guan Yingtang replied. “I just want—”
“OK.” Guan Zhiheng raised a hand, stopping her. “It’s fine if you’re dissatisfied with us. As long as you like Qinghuai, that’s enough.”
Guan Yingtang: “……”
Completely baffling. When did she ever say she liked Meng Qinghuai?
Guan Yingtang looked at her mother with a speechless expression.
Ho Ling pressed her lips together, her voice gentle as she tried to persuade her, “Your Uncle Meng said Qinghuai specially postponed a meeting to come tonight, probably just to meet you. Both your father and I think Qinghuai is the most outstanding and suitable choice. You have to trust us— what we’ve chosen for you will definitely be a good match.”
“So,” Guan Yingtang said, half-laughing in exasperation, “I have no choice but to marry him?”
Originally, Guan Zhiheng had wanted his daughter to marry into the Jiang Family, a family of old friends.
But half a year ago, at a government banquet, he’d unexpectedly met Meng Songnian.
The two chatted about their children, who were about the same age, and immediately hit it off regarding a marriage alliance.
The Jiang Family was considered a new-money family in Hong Kong, but even among the wealthy, there were levels.
The Meng Family, though now in business, had family influence that stretched from Meng Qinghuai’s grandfather to his maternal grandfather, deeply entrenched across Hong Kong and the Mainland.
Even Meng Songnian and Zhuang Jiayi, his parents, were themselves a political-business marriage between the two regions.
The Meng Family valued the Guan Family’s scholarly reputation and admired Guan Yingtang’s outstanding, dignified manner.
They hoped she could become the next Zhuang Jiayi, maintaining the family’s influence on both sides of the strait.
It was undeniable that Guan Zhiheng also wanted his daughter to marry into a top-tier wealthy family.
With print media in decline, the Guan Family’s decades-old Hong Kong City Daily had inevitably entered the free distribution era, surviving only on advertising revenue.
As long as the family’s scholarly reputation still had value, Guan Zhiheng wanted to secure a good future for his daughter.
But after all, she was his own flesh and blood, and he didn’t want to force things to the point of estrangement.
After a few seconds of tense silence, he relented. “Your Uncle Meng picked an auspicious date three months from now. Before then, you can spend some time getting to know Qinghuai.”
If she really didn’t like him, he wouldn’t force it.
But those words, Guan Zhiheng didn’t say aloud.
Ho Ling chimed in as well, “Qinghuai is flying back to Guangzhou tomorrow morning. Maybe you can see him off, just to—”
“You two can go send him off all you want.”
Guan Yingtang cut her parents off directly, went upstairs to her bedroom, and shut the door.
Kicking off her high heels, she flopped onto the sofa, trying hard to calm herself and accept what had happened tonight.
She never expected that at age twenty-three, she’d be handed the script of a marriage alliance.
But if she was honest with herself, she knew that girls raised in families like hers almost always walked this same road.
Love was never a necessity when weighed against family interests.
Her cousins had already walked this path, maintaining the family’s honor and resources with their actions.
Guan Yingtang just felt a little sad.
For the title “Hong Kong’s Number One Socialite,” she had worn a mask for over twenty years, dutifully playing the perfect heiress in everyone’s eyes. She couldn’t even choose her own partner in marriage.
After calming herself with her eyes closed for a while, her phone suddenly rang.
Her personal assistant sent a message: “Miss Guan, the interview questions from Yali Magazine have been sent to your email. Please take a look when you have a moment.”
Guan Yingtang switched to her email with a blank expression.
Not long ago, she had successfully hosted a fundraising banquet for her second uncle’s Charity Fund, drawing interview requests from several magazines.
Ho Ling had picked the most popular one, Yali Magazine, and scheduled the interview for this week.
Guan Yingtang opened the list of questions.
She frowned as she read through them.
“What books does Miss Guan enjoy reading?”
“How does Miss Guan view the role of knowledge and wisdom in her life?”
“Miss Guan, as the child of a scholarly family, do you feel responsible for carrying on your family’s cultural heritage?”
……
After just a few questions, Guan Yingtang could already foresee how dull this interview would be.
And, as always, she would have to prepare standard answers in advance.
To the world, Guan Yingtang always presented a perfect, flawless image. She was the Guan Family’s spokesperson, the most dazzling card in the entire family’s hand.
Guan Zhiheng had been building up a legend, and he had succeeded.
But with his success, he had also clipped Guan Yingtang’s wings.
She was trapped in a gilded cage, enjoying everyone’s praise, but never able to act on her own will.
After the lengthy list of interview questions came the answers written by the Public Relations Team, which only made Guan Yingtang more irritable.
She’d thought about refusing, but even if she refused once, there would always be countless next times.
As long as she lived on this land, she would be forced to maintain this dignified, intellectual persona she’d worn for over twenty years.
A twenty-three-year-old, who had never dated, never been to a bar or club, whose every action in life revolved around elegance— even the length of her skirts was strictly regulated.
And now, before she’d even had a chance to enjoy a little recklessness, she was supposed to get married. From one grave to another.
Guan Yingtang closed her eyes. A rebellious spirit, suppressed for so long, was boiling up inside her tonight, nearly overflowing.
Has Guan Zhiheng lost his mind? If there had to be a marriage alliance, why marry her off to somewhere as far as Guangzhou?
That’s Guangzhou! A thousand miles away, right under the imperial city, a place she knew nothing about!
How could a father be so heartless?
How could things be so ridiculous?
How could—
Her heart full of grievances and complaints, Guan Yingtang had already composed a thousand-word essay in her mind when her thoughts suddenly froze.
As if caught by a certain word, her mind quickly replayed what had just flashed by.
Wait—
Unfamiliar with life and place?
–
Meng Qinghuai really had postponed several important meetings to come to Hong Kong.
Outsiders only knew that Fu Shengyun had a beautiful, dignified Gatekeeper Disciple named Guan Yingtang.
What they didn’t know was that among the only two students Fu Shengyun had ever accepted, the other was Meng Qinghuai.
He had started late, only becoming Fu Shengyun’s student at sixteen, when he went abroad for school at his parents’ introduction.
But the difference was, Guan Zhiheng needed the status of “Fu Shengyun’s Closed-Door Disciple” to support Guan Yingtang’s public image in Hong Kong.
Meng Songnian, on the other hand, wanted Meng Qinghuai to develop focus and patience.
A group heir must first possess great psychological resilience, able to remain calm and composed under any circumstance and pressure.
At sixteen, Meng Qinghuai was already outstanding, but inevitably still had some youthful arrogance.
So Meng Songnian sent his son to practice calligraphy— training the hand was like training the mind, and through daily discipline, he became the calm, unshakable eldest son of the Meng Family.
So, since it was the teacher’s big birthday, Meng Qinghuai had to come.
Before he left, Zhuang Jiayi had told him: “By the way, you can meet Miss Guan while you’re at it.”
He’d learned of the marriage alliance a week ago, when Meng Songnian, during a meal, had simply handed him a photo of Guan Yingtang on his phone and asked, “What do you think of this girl? She’s from Hong Kong, and her father is friends with your maternal grandfather’s family.”
Meng Qinghuai glanced at the face on the screen, paused, and replied with one word.
—“Good.”
But now it seemed that this Miss Guan was not very willing.
This trip was squeezed into his schedule— Meng Qinghuai would be returning to Guangzhou the next morning.
The Meng Family’s home in Hong Kong was in Shoushuiwan, a three-story white villa standing in a prime location, backed by hills and facing water, surrounded by lush greenery, with the Deep Water Bay Golf Course next door.
At eight in the morning, the mansion’s iron gates opened slowly.
Before he got in the car, Zhuang Jiayi slipped a note with a phone number into Meng Qinghuai’s hand.
“Remember to call Miss Guan before you leave. Tell her you’ll come keep her company for tea this weekend.”
Meng Qinghuai: “……”
He was a little helpless. “Mom, I don’t have that in my schedule.”
“You have to make time.” Zhuang Jiayi frowned prettily. “Miss Guan is a proper young lady from a prestigious family. Do you expect her to take the initiative?”
Meng Qinghuai had never even considered that possibility.
Last night, in the car, when that woman stared at him in shock with those bright, glowing eyes, and even forgot to take the teacher’s calligraphy, he’d guessed she might refuse this marriage.
“Fine.” With only an hour before takeoff, Meng Qinghuai didn’t want to delay, so he agreed for now.
The black business car left Shoushuiwan. Passing Lihai Embankment Road, Meng Qinghuai pressed the window button.
The morning sun shimmered on the water at Yanbozhou, the wind making the Yacht Masts sway gently.
This was Hong Kong’s largest Yacht Club, where many tycoons kept their private Yachts.
Meng Qinghuai gazed for a moment, then, as if remembering something, took out the note Zhuang Jiayi had given him.
He dialed the number, pressing each digit carefully, but after half a second, he heard, “The number you have dialed is temporarily unavailable.”
Meng Qinghuai had never liked forcing anything.
Not in business, and certainly not in marriage.
Maybe it was fate. For a woman unwilling to enter a marriage alliance, this was a call that never needed to be made.
Meng Qinghuai didn’t try again, putting his phone away.
The car soon passed through the morning rush and arrived at Hong Kong International Airport.
The Meng Family had three children: the eldest, Meng Qinghuai, cool-headed and steady; the second, Meng Fanchuan, playful and unrestrained; and the youngest, Meng Wennao, the only girl and the family’s precious princess.
Each sibling received a Gulfstream Jet as their eighteenth birthday present.
Hong Kong was Zhuang Jiayi’s hometown, so Meng Qinghuai frequently flew between the two cities, with a professional and familiar service team at the airport.
The airport staff responsible for Meng Qinghuai’s private jet were already waiting at the VIP Lounge.
Upon seeing him, they hurried over. “Mr. Meng, there’s a lady who says she’s your friend. She said she has something important to discuss.”
Meng Qinghuai frowned.
A lady? Friend?
Very few people in Hong Kong knew about his trip this time, let alone the details of his return flight. Only his parents and his assistant were aware.
“Where is she?” Meng Qinghuai asked as he walked toward the business building.
“We couldn’t confirm her identity, so we let her wait in your VIP Lounge for now.” The woman’s aura was so striking— even with sunglasses and a mask covering her whole face, it was impossible to think of her as a threat.
If anything, the staff privately guessed it was some secret romance between the young master and a certain celebrity.
Taking the private corridor, they quickly reached Meng Qinghuai’s usual VIP Lounge.
He could have bypassed it and gone straight to the tarmac, but as he passed the door, he stopped.
He had no female friends in Hong Kong.
If he had to name one, would the fiancée he’d only met last night count?
The staff, quick-witted, opened the door for him. As the door swung open, a slender, striking figure came into view.
Hearing the sound, the woman turned around.
She stood alone by the window. Her long hair, unlike the carefully styled look from last night, now hung loosely down her back, giving her a more relaxed air.
No wonder the airport staff couldn’t confirm her identity. Sunglasses and a mask covered almost her entire face— who could have guessed that she was the high-and-mighty eldest daughter of the Guan Family?
A barely noticeable flicker crossed Meng Qinghuai’s eyes. He said lightly to the people beside him, “Wait for me on the plane.”
“Yes, sir.”
As everyone left the lounge, Meng Qinghuai walked in, expressionless, and shut the door.
Suddenly, the room was filled with a calm yet oppressive atmosphere.
As if a certain awkwardness had been easily seen through.
Sure enough, before Guan Yingtang could put on any airs, Meng Qinghuai had already called her by name. “Miss Guan, what do you want with me?”
Guan Yingtang: “……”
No wonder this man had been a legend at school.
Guan Yingtang was used to putting on a performance, so she composed herself.
Calmly, she removed her sunglasses and mask, giving Meng Qinghuai a slight smile. “Would you mind one more person on your private jet?”
Meng Qinghuai frowned, clearly not understanding what Guan Yingtang was getting at.
“Miss Guan, what do you mean?”
“I’m going to Guangzhou with you.”
“……”
“To get married.” Guan Yingtang looked at him, her voice steady and determined. “Today.”
Meng Qinghuai: “?”