Chapter 5

The chime of the president’s private elevator arriving sounded, and Xu Mi, engrossed in data, paused. Her eyes darted to the time in the bottom right corner of her computer screen. Bewildered, she rose and walked over to greet the arrival.
“Boss, why are you back so soon?”
Didn’t securing the marriage certificate warrant a celebratory meal?
Just days ago, before it was finalized, she’d been tasked with reserving restaurants and buying movie tickets. Now that it was done, all such plans had vanished?
Fang Xianxing’s steady, rhythmic stride hesitated briefly. With a slight lift of her brow, she proceeded directly to her office.
Xu Mi, receiving no reply, wisely held her tongue. She stepped forward to open the office door, swiftly shifting to work mode: “Miss Song Longsha just left. Before departing, she left a cooperative investment proposal on your desk.”
Fang Xianxing stopped, reaching her desk. She picked up the proposal but spoke before opening it: “She’s a minor actress. What business does she have showing me an investment proposal?”
“It concerns the drama she’s filming, *Yuan Shun Emperor*. The second female lead’s recent scandal forced her exit, taking two investors with her, leaving the crew strapped for funds. Miss Song Longsha mentioned the director finds her suitable to rise from fourth lead to second, but with the budget tight, the director also aims to leverage that role to attract new backing.”
Xu Mi opened her tablet, tapped the screen a few times, and presented it to Fang Xianxing.
“This drama rides the wave of the Wen Ru tomb excavation hype from five years back. A stone tablet tied to Wen Ru surfaced recently in the Fenjie Sea, spiking interest further. Related novels and comics have yielded strong returns these past years. In my view, with the current cast and buzz, completing it ensures no loss.”
“Naturally, should you opt to invest, boss, a deeper review would be wise.”
Wen Ru again.
Echoing through her day too often.
Was her presence lingering a tad too stubbornly?
Fang Xianxing took the tablet, her face betraying nothing, though her heart harbored firm resistance.
She scrolled through the tablet’s lavish costume photos one by one, her finger sliding back to linger on the second female lead’s image.
That was the one felled by scandal.
A week prior, two male celebrities had brawled online over billing, dragging her into the fray—arguing over who came first, who held true affection. The uproar had erupted from there.
In truth, it merely meant her fans gained two unexpected “brothers-in-law.” Unmarried, she was simply less than steadfast—her morals lax, her nature playful.
Regrettably, her role as the trending Wen Ru drew fierce backlash. Unwilling to let it ruin her, she’d withdrawn from the crew.
“Song Longsha craves this second lead role?” Fang Xianxing closed the tablet, glancing at Xu Mi. “Didn’t she vow to shun family aid?”
Xu Mi offered a faint smile: “Hence she couldn’t voice it in your presence.”
Realization dawned on Fang Xianxing. That explained Song Longsha’s sudden visit and aimless chatter—she’d been wrestling with this, sulking.
Her company bore no ties to entertainment, yet money spoke everywhere. Funding her sister posed no issue. But Song Longsha as Wen Ru?
Fang Xianxing wished to hear that name neither now nor ever again.
Still, she wasn’t one to act rashly.
“Hand the proposal to the investment and PR teams. I expect feedback in three days. If the crew’s funding demands are excessive, let them propose a reference figure, and I’ll cover the rest personally.” Fang Xianxing passed the proposal and tablet to Xu Mi. Work held no appeal for her now.
Xu Mi concluded her report and turned to leave, yet curiosity about her boss’s private life tugged at her.
“Boss, shall I reserve a restaurant for tonight? You and Mr. Xie just wed. The night view at Wangyun Tower’s restaurant suits perfectly.”
Fang Xianxing gave no answer. Her eyes skimmed the orderly files on her desk, extracting the draft of Xie Zhi’s marriage announcement. Her tone was cool, devoid of ripples: “Fetch the shredder.”
A hush enveloped the office. Xu Mi stole a cautious peek at Fang Xianxing’s face.
Sensing the gaze, Fang Xianxing met it with a mirror-clear stare.
Xu Mi straightened hastily, retrieving the small shredder from the office’s far side and setting it before her boss.
Fang Xianxing drew the papers from the folder, tapped them twice on the desk to align them, and fed them into the shredder.
A fleeting glance revealed Xie Zhi’s name, summoning the memory of their parting.
Xie Zhi had wielded every tactic—noble and base, overt and cunning—charging toward his aim without pause. Pushed to the brink, she’d woven a grand lie on his behalf.
She’d claimed a company crisis demanded an urgent trip, halting the certificate process, and asked Xie Zhi’s father to sign a family consent form for his underwater archaeology application in her stead.
His father had resisted at first, so she’d persuaded him, noting Xie Zhi’s passion for his career was admirable, something she cherished and fully endorsed. That had swayed him, albeit with reluctance.
Xie Zhi, goal secured, thanked her, shouldering the lie’s fallout himself. He vowed to clarify matters with both families once the form was signed, never again broaching the certificate.
That man—dismantling bridges post-crossing without a flicker of remorse.
Fang Xianxing clenched her jaw inwardly.
Never in her life had she been so outplayed, least of all by a man.
Well done indeed.
Fang Xianxing relaxed her grip, watching the papers drift into the shredder, reduced bit by bit to fine strips.
The shredder’s faint clamor filled the office, the air thick with tension. Xu Mi edged back silently, hoping to grant Fang Xianxing solitude to process her discontent. Halfway out, her boss’s voice halted her: “Blacklist lilistar.”
“Pardon?” Xu Mi faltered.
“A ring customizable once in a lifetime, is it? Can’t I simply choose another firm?”
Fang Xianxing’s eyes glinted with a cold smile.
Xu Mi sealed her lips. She was certain now—Fang Xianxing and Mr. Xie had clashed irreparably at the certificate’s cusp.
Her fiercely proud boss had lost not just love, but a marriage.

*
After his father’s firm assent over the phone, Xie Zhi itched to return home.
Yet Fang Xianxing’s aid had been immense; even he, detached as he was, couldn’t abandon her outright. So he lingered, indulging her briefly, assuring her he’d settle matters with their parents, ensuring this botched certificate wouldn’t taint her.
That done, Xie Zhi declined Fang Xianxing’s offer to drive him to the institute. He stepped out, flagged a taxi, and sped homeward.
He deemed his conduct thorough, yet Fang Xianxing saw only his haste—exploiting her, then casting her aside.
In his hurry, he realized mid-ride that the ring remained in his pocket, unreturned to Fang Xianxing. After a pause, he removed it from its box, intending to wear it on his ring finger.
Until his parents signed the consent form, he’d lean on Fang Xianxing’s sway a little more.
As for the ring, once his affairs settled, he’d send it back—restored to its owner.
“Lilistar’s one-of-a-kind ring, eh.”
The talkative driver had craved conversation, but her reserved passenger, a young gentleman, deterred her. Spotting the ring via the rearview mirror, her eyes gleamed as she exclaimed softly.
Xie Zhi’s hand stilled: “One-of-a-kind ring?”
“They claim it’s one per lifetime. A sales ploy, if you ask me, but rather romantic. Many boys swoon for it lately,” she chuckled. “High-end ones supposedly engrave both names. Yours, sir—does it have that?”
Xie Zhi’s gaze dropped, lingering before he raised the ring to inspect it. Indeed, “Xing&Zhi” graced the inner band.
Thankfully, no garish heart marred it, or it’d sear his skin.
“Seems it does,” the driver noted, catching his reaction in the mirror with a grin. “Your wife-master’s impressive. Loitering near the Civil Affairs Bureau pays off—I’ll bask in this luck, hoping my earnings soar today.”
Xie Zhi pursed his lips, offering a faint “mm.” Inwardly, he mused that Fang Xianxing approached things with undue gravity.
A sham marriage—why lavish such care on the ring?
In under a day, from yesterday to now, Fang Xianxing had done so much. Did her days stretch to seventy-two hours?
Xie Zhi lowered his eyes, easing the ring onto his finger. His thoughts drifted to their first encounter. Both early for the blind date, he’d yet to enter the restaurant; she’d stood by her car, gazing at him across the vehicle, through the crowd.
He’d sensed then it was her, offering the tender smile he’d rehearsed.
Slightly startled, she’d nodded back, her eyes curving gently.
From that moment to this, progress had been almost too seamless.
Xie Zhi pressed his lips, tucking the empty ring box into his file bag, staring wordlessly at the passing streetscape.
This suited him. Should his parents balk without seeing her or the certificate, he’d display the ring.
A lifetime-only, engraved wedding band on his hand.
They’d scarcely dare slight his would-be wife-master’s honor.