Jia Wen had to admit—the woman sitting before him was beautiful. Just one glance and it was obvious she wasn't some ordinary woman. His mind wandered back to that tense conversation he had with his father not too long ago—about the arranged marriage his father had planned.
Ever since his previous wedding was canceled, bringing embarrassment and shame to their family, his father had been relentless. He had made it clear that Jia Wen needed to find someone much better than Shen Han—thousands of times better, he said. And if he ever brought another man or woman into the family who'd humiliate them again, he would be erased from the family registry.
That was the first option.
The second? Let his parents choose his bride or groom. Jia Wen hadn't taken it seriously at first. He'd assumed it was just some anger talking. But clearly, he had underestimated them.
Because now—Xue Ying was standing in front of him.
"Is there something I can help you with?" he asked politely, after inviting her to sit. He may not want to be in this arranged marriage, but that didn't mean he had to be rude.
"You're Jia Wen, right?" she asked, confirming.
"Yes. And you must be Xue Ying."
"I'm here to talk about our engagement."
She didn't bother beating around the bush, and honestly? Jia Wen respected that. He hated pointless small talk.
Still, he couldn't believe his father had gone this far—planning this behind his back, completely ignoring how he felt about it.
He gave her a thin smile. "Sorry, but I'm not interested."
Whether or not that hurt her feelings didn't matter. What did matter was being clear about his stance—and rejecting this nonsense firmly.
"Why not?"
To his surprise, Xue Ying didn't look offended, or even mildly surprised.
If she wanted a reason, Jia Wen was more than happy to provide one. He didn't want to be the reason some woman got stuck in a forced engagement with someone who didn't care.
"I'm just not interested in love or anything like that right now. Don't get me wrong—there's nothing wrong with you. I'm the one with the issues here," he explained at length.
"That's fine. We can take our time. Love will come eventually."
Her response stunned him.
What kind of analogy would make her understand he wasn't playing hard to get?
"I'm sure you'll like me in just a few days," she added, completely unfazed by his lack of enthusiasm.
This woman… she had confidence. A lot of it.
Which was both admirable and a little dangerous.
"Just forget it, Xue Ying. I'm really not interested. Maybe you should ask your father to find someone else for you." His tone was firm now—he wasn't negotiating. "There are probably tons of guys out there lining up for a chance to be your boyfriend."
Xue Ying chuckled at that. "You know, you being this way just makes me even more curious. I want to see how long you can keep rejecting me."
At that point, Jia Wen regretted letting Yuan Qi welcome her in. He should've told him to turn her away at the door.
Jia Wen had never been the patient type. Never had been. Women like Xue Ying always seemed to test that.
"If there's nothing else, I hope you don't mind—I've got more important work to handle."
He didn't care if he sounded arrogant. He just wanted her to understand that this engagement was the least important thing in his life.
Far less important than his work.
He could hear her exhale sharply—probably realizing she'd just been politely kicked out. "You'll see, Jia Wen. You won't be able to reject me for long," Xue Ying said with full confidence as she slipped her sunglasses back on and walked out of the room.
Jia Wen rubbed his forehead.
Seeing the kind of woman his father wanted him to marry only made him more certain—he had to put a stop to this madness.
Not long after she left, Yuan Qi came barging into the room. The guy nearly tripped over himself.
"You've got some explaining to do, boss," Yuan Qi said, pointing at him, trying to sound intimidating—which, honestly, just made it funnier.
"There's nothing to explain."
It wasn't like Jia Wen was hiding secrets from him. He just didn't want to waste time talking about Xue Ying or the arranged marriage. It was pointless.
"I want answers. Now." Yuan Qi emphasized every word like he was laying down the law.
Jia Wen should've known better. Yuan Qi wouldn't rest until he dug the whole story out—just to quiet that ever-growing curiosity of his.
When Jia Wen didn't say anything, Yuan Qi groaned, "Come on, Jia Wen! You have no idea how long I've been holding this curiosity in! If I didn't have manners, I'd have kicked your door open hours ago."
He tapped on the desk, then leaned in. "So? Who was she? Your new girlfriend?"
It was always like this. Anytime he was with a woman, people assumed she was his girlfriend. Couldn't they consider the possibility that maybe—just maybe—she was a coworker or even a sibling?
"Don't start spreading rumors, Qi," Jia Wen shot him a glare.
Yuan Qi rubbed his chin. "Then who was she?"
"Daughter of the Wu Corp owner," Jia Wen replied casually, just to mess with him.
"I already know that. Quit playing around and tell me the truth. What's your relationship with her?"
"Fine. I'll say it once, so listen carefully." Jia Wen patted both of Yuan Qi's shoulders and looked him straight in the eye. "She's just someone my father arranged for me to marry."
Yuan Qi's eyes widened like he'd been hit by a truck. His mouth opened but no sound came out. To Jia Wen, he looked just like a fish flopping around on land trying to get back to water.
"What?! An arranged marriage?!" Yuan Qi yelled. "And you agreed to it?!"
"Of course not, you idiot!"
"I swear, if you even think I'm rejecting this marriage because of him… I will twist your neck myself," Jia Wen added seriously. There was no way he'd let Yuan Qi connect this to him—the man who had nearly ruined his life.
Yuan Qi instinctively covered his neck, shaking his head.
"Now, if you're done, get back to work. Or I'll—"
Jia Wen stopped when Yuan Qi raised his hand, signaling him to shut up.
"I get it, Jia Wen. Just… please, no more death threats."
Yuan Qi walked out after that. Jia Wen watched him go with a small smirk—though it quickly faded, replaced by a deep, serious expression.
Xue Ying's sudden appearance had made one thing painfully clear.
He needed to figure out a way to stop his father—and this ridiculous arranged marriage—before it was too late.