Chapter 1

A thick stack of documents lay before her. Seated behind the office desk, Fang Xianxing lowered her head, handling each piece with steady focus, busy yet unruffled.
A faint crease of impatience marked her brow. During brief pauses in her work, her eyes darted often to the diamond watch on her left wrist.
Chengxing Company had gone public in March two years prior, and now nearly two years had elapsed.
After the listing and fundraising, the company had expanded, its responsibilities growing heavier. Yet, wealth opened doors, and connections paved paths. As the head of a listed enterprise, Fang Xianxing no longer faced the relentless pace of the startup days or the preparations for going public.
Today, though, was an outlier.
She had agreed with Xie Zhi to visit the Civil Affairs Bureau at three in the afternoon to collect their marriage certificate. That morning, she had directed Xu Mi to clear her afternoon schedule.
Somehow, her staff had misconstrued the instruction. After Xu Mi relayed the order, the flood of reports and files delivered to her desk doubled her expectations.
She hadn’t pressed them to hurry—not at all!
Left with no choice, Fang Xianxing raced against time to finish the tasks at hand.
Beyond the floor-to-ceiling window, sunlight streamed perfectly, glinting off the papers before her. The glossy surfaces shimmered faintly, prompting her to tap her right toe and shift a few inches aside.
The air seemed thick with the unspoken mantra: “Endure each other, yield to each other.”
As she pressed on, the erratic clack of high heels echoed outside her office. The sound halted, silenced by interception, then gave way to Xu Mi’s knock.
“Come in,” Fang Xianxing called without looking up, her tone offhand. “What is it?”
Xu Mi didn’t step inside. Standing firm at the threshold, she held the door ajar and reported crisply: “Boss, Miss Song Longsha is here, accompanied by Young Master Qu Hui.”
Fang Xianxing set her pen down, rolling her stiff neck before replying leisurely, “Let Song Longsha enter. Call Qu Ning and tell her to fetch her brother.”
“Yes,” Xu Mi acknowledged, stepping aside. Song Longsha passed through, but when the young man behind her tried to slip in, Xu Mi deftly blocked his path once more.
The door shut, though Xu Mi’s resolute yet courteous voice lingered faintly.
“Sister, I get blocking admirers, but I’m your own flesh and blood—why leave me out there too?” Song Longsha, clad in a sapphire-blue knee-length dress despite the spring chill, burst into complaints the moment she entered.
“Recognizing me as your sister again?” Fang Xianxing twirled her pen between her fingers, her voice edged with cool mockery.
Song Longsha, her younger sister by three years, bore their father’s surname. After university, she’d set her sights on acting, nearly earning a thrashing from their mother, who prized scholarly pursuits above all.
The stricter the reins, the fiercer her defiance. Song Longsha had stormed out of home, resolute in chasing her acting dreams.
Nearly two years later, she’d clawed her way up slightly, rising from an eighteenth-tier actress to a marginally better seventeenth-tier one.
Song Longsha fought not for acclaim but for dignity. Outside, she shunned talk of family, fixated on the day her brilliance would dazzle her parents into silence.
Surely then, her mother would relent and back her choices, just as she’d come to accept Fang Xianxing’s path.
Hearing her sister’s taunt now, Song Longsha flashed an awkward grin and pivoted: “Sister, how’s the blind date going? I scoped things out for you—that Qu Hui’s decent. Gentle features, eyes like they’re misted over, the sort that tugs at the heart.”
Fang Xianxing shot her a sidelong glance. “If he tugs at yours, take him.”
Three years back, the company she’d built with friends had surged forward. Hai City’s elite families sought to “rein her in,” deploying beauty traps in relentless waves. At times, they’d plant men in her hotel bed without so much as a warning—an education she hadn’t sought.
In those few months, she’d encountered more men than in her prior twenty-odd years combined.
When seduction failed, some families flexed their wealth to crush her, eyeing Chengxing for a takeover. She’d evaded them stubbornly, even striking back to bolster her own standing and secure the public listing.
Post-listing, the elite’s tactics shifted. Their daughters clamored to call her “sister,” while young lords, nephews, and sons nursed secret affections, pining for her notice.
At times, she suspected these heirs clutched romance novels, their ceaseless ploys winding and cloying, an endless irritation.
Fang Xianxing was weary.
At twenty-seven, in the bloom of her prime, she’d asked her father to arrange a blind date.
Song Longsha didn’t grasp the full tangle of it, but she knew the elite sphere mirrored showbiz—rife with lures and disorder. Her sister wanted no part of it, hence the hurried blind date. A steady rock or a shield—either would do to repel the swarm of scheming suitors.
Qu Hui, plainly, was one such pest.
“I don’t go for the fragile, teary-eyed type,” Song Longsha said with a dismissive pout. “Sister, let me set you up. Mom and Dad’s tastes are outdated—ugh, what they deem ‘upright and dependable’ might be utterly drab.”
Fang Xianxing arched a brow, her thoughts drifting to Xie Zhi’s face—sculpted as if from warm jade. His clear gaze, softened by a faint smile, seemed to pierce her mind, leaving her briefly entranced. She shook it off, frowning to refocus, and answered, “It’s set. A colleague’s son from Dad’s unit. We’re getting the certificate this afternoon.”
Song Longsha dropped her starlet composure, jaw slackening as she sank into the chair opposite. Her questions came rapid-fire: “Set already? No more options? It’s just a shield, sure, but marriage isn’t a game. What if love blooms later? And you’re doing this without telling the family—or me?”
“I’ve got it handled. I’ll visit home after it’s done,” Fang Xianxing replied, her brow creasing.
She, too, felt the haste. Less than three days had passed since meeting Xie Zhi. Yet he’d seemed pressed by some urgency, agreeing to her three pre-marriage terms before locking in this afternoon’s plan.
She mulled over his family records, work history, and, crucially, the notarized prenuptial documents.
Flawless, every detail squared away.
Though prodded into marriage by a man she’d known mere days—a situation odd in every way—Fang Xianxing was certain she held the upper hand.
“Who is he? Anyone I know?” Song Longsha pressed, still incredulous.
Her sister, married just like that?
A new face in their household?
Noting her sister’s disbelief, Fang Xianxing tilted her head, then drew a file from her drawer and slid it over. “This goes to the securities office—marriage announcement and his basics. It’s a temporary move, and the future’s unclear, but after today, he’s your brother-in-law. Mind your manners if you meet him—no cheek.”
As Chengxing’s top shareholder, her marriage required securities registration and a shareholder notice. Xu Mi had worked overnight to draft the initial papers after her directive.
“Xie Zhi?” Song Longsha flipped through the folder, her eyes widening with each page.
“You know him?” A jolt hit Fang Xianxing’s chest, though her face stayed calm as she probed lightly.
“Likely just a namesake,” Song Longsha mused, shutting the folder with a dazed air and easing it back. “The one I knew didn’t strike me as the marrying-early type… I suppose.”
She recalled a young man from her past—aloof, untouchable. Even when brash girls teased him, he’d shown no spark of warmth.
That sort, settling down so soon?
Seeing Song Longsha drift, Fang Xianxing knew not to dig too deep but ventured a subtle nudge: “Xie Zhi’s your age, same year likely. A classmate, perhaps?”
Song Longsha gazed up blankly, then fished out her phone, tapping away before sliding it over. She pointed eagerly: “Sister, does he look like this?”
Fang Xianxing stiffened, studying Song Longsha for a beat before turning to the screen.
An old snapshot.
A chaotic school sports day scene, crowded with figures, yet her gaze locked instantly on a slightly blurred young man to the right.
She recognized him—Xie Zhi, no doubt.
Clad in a loose blue-and-white uniform, chin tilted up, he stood apart in the corner, his beauty a world unto itself.
Fang Xianxing paused, her sidelong glance catching Song Longsha’s reaction. She sat up, cleared her throat, and shifted tack: “Weren’t you just starting with a crew? What brings you here today? Need a favor?”
Her words barely landed before Song Longsha wailed, sprawling across the desk in a petulant heap. Arms flailing, she sent papers flying: “Sister, how could you? If you need a shield, fine—but why my idol?!”
“Idol?” Guilt pricked Fang Xianxing. She edged back half a step, her voice stilted: “You’ve got an idol?”
Her sister, fawning over some heartthrob?
“Sister, you attended my pre-exam parent meeting—he sat right in front of me!” Song Longsha rose, rounding the desk to grip Fang Xianxing’s shoulders, shaking her in a huff. “Do you not care about him—or me?”
Fang Xianxing faltered, stunned by the link. She brushed her nose: “That meeting was parents only—I didn’t see him…”
Song Longsha released her, arms folding as she turned away to crouch, sulking—hurt, fragile, teetering on tears.
“Now what? We’re set for the Civil Affairs Bureau this afternoon—I can’t just stand him up,” Fang Xianxing said, stretching to glimpse Song Longsha’s puffed cheek. “You like him that much?”
If she truly adored him, should she let him go?
The idea flared briefly in Fang Xianxing’s mind before she quashed it. After yesterday’s dinner, she’d laid out stringent prenuptial terms before Xie Zhi. He’d agreed to every word, even hastening the notarization.
She controlled nearly sixty percent of Chengxing’s shares, and he’d vowed to claim none, yielding wholly to her lead—desireless, compliant.
A shield so accommodating? Even her shareholders would balk if she reneged.
“What good is my liking him?” Song Longsha muttered, forlorn. “Xie Zhi, in love and wed? I won’t believe it, won’t believe it, won’t believe it.”
“He was icy back then, ignored everyone. Three years as classmates, and we barely swapped three words.”
“Yet that never stopped him being my idol. Not just me—suitors wanting him could stretch across the sea. And now…”
“You’re using him as a shield! Sister, how could you squander him so?”
Icy?
Fang Xianxing blinked, puzzled.
Xie Zhi wasn’t icy. Reserved, perhaps, sparing with words, but his demeanor soothed. On their two outings—dinner, a walk—he’d been mild and thoughtful. In crowds, amidst jostles, he stayed unruffled, speaking gently. Catching her gaze, he’d turn and offer a warm, brow-curved smile.
Learning he preserved artifacts, she’d gifted him a costly antique qin. He’d declined, patiently explaining an unspoken rule in his trade: no collecting relics. Then he’d shared a few light tales from his work, engaging her.
He balanced approach and restraint, a refreshing breeze.
She’d met many suitors before, but Xie Zhi stood out as fitting. Instinct told her that, even without affection, marrying him wouldn’t sour.
Yesterday, laying bare the fake-marriage-and-divorce deal, she’d braced for unease, ready to explain if he asked “why” to preserve their dignity.
But Xie Zhi hadn’t. Instead, he’d said, “Any agreements or contracts to sign?”
Watching him complete and notarize the prenuptials, guilt gnawed at her.
Though he didn’t ask, she’d meant to clarify on the drive home. He’d cut in, asking if tomorrow afternoon worked—he might be away soon, unsure of his return, unwilling to stall her plans.
She’d nodded hazily, and now, reflecting, it felt dreamlike.
“Sister, swap him out!” Song Longsha turned, pleading pitifully. “I’ll find you some crew guys—honest, shy, docile. They’ll follow your every word, easy to manage.”
“Sister, please, pick another.”
“…”
Switching wasn’t impossible, yet Fang Xianxing felt an inward tug against it. “I’m not marrying to dominate anyone. Xie Zhi chose this. He’s handsome, his background’s clean, his work’s honorable. Post-divorce, with a payout, he’ll find another match easily. We both come out fine…”
“Scoundrel!” Song Longsha leapt up, scorn flashing at her sister’s reasoning.
Fang Xianxing knew she’d overstepped. She coughed, eyes dropping to feign focus on her files.
That aside, she was marrying this afternoon—she ought to stay poised.
Seeing Fang Xianxing unmoved, Song Longsha sank glumly into the leather chair across from her, murmuring, “How many years did you settle on? When you divorce, will you tell me first?”
Fang Xianxing’s head jerked up, stunned: “You’re my sister—taking your former brother-in-law’s really fine?”
“Why not?” Song Longsha lifted her chin. “It’s in vogue now—divorce and wed the sister, aunt, or great-aunt. Today you brush me off, tomorrow you’ll bow to my rank.”
Fang Xianxing was at a loss: “What rank do you even hold?”
“So I’m junior—big deal. I’m younger, stronger, Mom and Dad spoil me, I run the house. Soon I’ll be a star, dazzling everywhere—enough to make Xie Zhi eat his pride,” Song Longsha declared, hands on hips, fierce.
Make him eat whose pride? Hers?
Fang Xianxing mused: I just unwittingly snatched your idol, and you’ve gone wild.