Life is always full of unexpected turns.
In a short amount of time, Chu Xu had come to terms with it, even though his adoptive father hadn't shown him all that much affection in recent years.
Still, the debt of raising him could not go unpaid, so...
"Write back to them and say yes," Chu Xu said.
Chu Xiong immediately slammed his hand on the table, deliberately putting on a resolute expression. "No, I won't use your marriage to make up for my mistakes. I won't agree to this."
Chu Xu smiled. "It's fine, Dad. You raised me for all these years, so it's time for me to repay you. It's settled. I have some business at the office, so I'll head out now. I'll come visit you again next time."
"Chu Xu, don't go. Let me think of another way. Your marriage is a big deal, not some bargaining chip."
Chu Xu waved his hand as he walked toward the door. "No need. If you had a way, you would've solved it long ago."
Watching Chu Xu disappear down the end of the road, Chu Xiong suddenly dropped the expression of a caring father.
Instead, his face relaxed into a cheerful smile as he leaned back comfortably on the sofa. "I was really afraid he wouldn't agree. If he hadn't, the company genuinely wouldn't have survived."
Li Yue looked at him with aggrieved resentment. "If it weren't for me, you'd still be playing the part of the loving father."
Chu Xiong chuckled, pulling Li Yue and his biological son into his arms. "I've wronged you, but you must know that we are the only real family here, and only Ranran can inherit the family property. As for him? What even is he..."
...
He got into the car heading home.
The street views outside the window flashed past in a blur.
Chu Xu's mind was in turmoil.
Having a potential marriage arranged in half an hour felt completely surreal to anyone.
He didn't know what the other person looked like, how old she was, let alone why they were looking for him in the first place.
In truth, there were plenty of suspicious details in this matter that he could have dug into, but Chu Xu didn't want to.
Human intentions had never been worth overanalyzing; he only agreed because he felt it was a way to repay a debt.
Even if his father was tricking him, he would accept it, asking only for a clear conscience.
However, if it really was a trick, there wouldn't be a next time.
...
The next day went on as a normal workday.
At a little past seven in the evening, Chu Xu finished his shift and clocked out.
As soon as he stepped out of the company entrance, a woman in a tailored business suit walked straight toward him.
She smiled, looked Chu Xu up and down, and said, "Hello, Mr. Chu. Miss Jiang is waiting for you. Come with me."
At first, Chu Xu thought she was a salesperson, but as she spoke, he became even more baffled.
"I don't know any Miss Jiang," Chu Xu frowned and said.
Forget knowing her, he had never even heard the name.
She kept smiling and said, "It's about the engagement."
Hearing that, Chu Xu understood immediately.
He had originally thought it would take a few days for any news, but people had already shown up today.
Why look for him now?
Had something changed?
He had plenty of questions, but figuring that the woman in front of him was probably just a secretary or someone of that sort, Chu Xu didn't press further.
Following her, they soon reached the underground parking garage.
Then, a white Bentley Mulsanne appeared before Chu Xu's eyes.
A niche luxury car worth close to ten million.
He paused for a moment, thinking that they really seemed to have some genuine financial clout.
Unlike a Phantom or a Cullinan, the more niche a luxury car was, the harder it was to resell.
Buying one only proved a single point: money was no object to them, and they were buying purely out of personal taste.
"Director Jiang, he's here."
The secretary stood properly outside the car door.
The car window rolled down, and the dim lighting of the basement made it impossible to see the details inside the car.
Yet, Chu Xu's first impression was that this woman was excessively beautiful, radiating a mature aura.
It wasn't something deliberately put on, but rather a natural temperament forged from having lived through a great deal.
"Hello, Director Jiang, I am Chu Xu," Chu Xu said, neither servile nor overbearing.
Though he was an adopted son, he had seen plenty of the world; stage fright did not exist in his dictionary.
"Mm..."
Jiang Mu suddenly paused, staring at Chu Xu for a moment before continuing, "You're Chu Xu?"
Chu Xu nodded. "It's me."
There was no strong scent of heavy makeup drifting from the car window; instead, a faint, pleasant trace of perfume lingered in the air.
Jiang Mu pondered for a moment and asked, "You work here?"
"Yes, I'm about to pass my probationary period."
"How is work?"
Chu Xu wasn't clear on who she actually was, but since she was connected to that side of the family, answering honestly was the right move.
Still, based on his guess, the woman in front of him was very likely an elder figure from their family.
An older sister or an aunt, perhaps.
"It's all right. No major flaws so far."
"Which university did you attend before?"
"Yu University."
"Why didn't you go to graduate school?"
...
While Chu Xu was conversing with Jiang Mu, the secretary standing nearby had her eyes widened as big as a pair of ox eyes.
This was completely different from what had been discussed beforehand! She had clearly said this was going to be about ending the farce—how did they end up chatting instead?
What on earth was going on here?
Yet, the secretary wasn't the only one feeling bewildered; even Chu Xu wore a complex expression.
He had no idea why she was asking so many questions. Didn't they already have his background file? Did she really need to ask him in person?
What kind of nonsense family was this? They seemed less and less reliable by the minute.
After chatting about this and that for a while, Jiang Mu glanced at the time; it was getting late.
She gave Chu Xu one more deep, lingering look and said softly, "Work hard. I'll be leaving now."
She was finally leaving! Dealing with this was more troublesome than going to work. Chu Xu hurriedly saw her off. "Understood, Director Jiang. Have a safe trip."
The secretary got into the front passenger seat, the Mulsanne's engine roared to life, and it quickly sped out of the garage.
Chu Xu watched the Mulsanne leave.
Yet, he kept having the lingering feeling that a pair of eyes was still staring at him. He rubbed his temples, thinking he must simply not have slept well, and prepared to head home to catch up on some sleep.
Inside the car.
The secretary sat anxiously, wanting to ask but not daring to. Glancing through the rearview mirror, Jiang Mu's expression remained completely unchanged.
What on earth was wrong with Director Jiang? The script wasn't supposed to go like this!
Wasn't she supposed to make things clear and put an end to it? Why didn't she bring it up at all?
As the person directly involved, Jiang Mu was equally perplexed.
She had clearly intended to spell things out clearly for this young man.
To tell him that this whole thing was her mother's decision and had nothing to do with her.
As for the promised financial assistance, it would still be fulfilled, but there was no need to bring up marriage ever again.
That was how the script should have played out.
Yet, the moment she actually saw him, the words simply wouldn't come out.
She herself wasn't entirely sure why. Though her eyes were scanning a company financial report, her mind was completely somewhere else.
"Xiao Dou, what do you think of him?"
Jiang Mu dropped the question out of nowhere, startling Wang Doudou so much that she jumped.
It took her a moment of thought before she replied, "He seems quite good—humble, young, and well-mannered. I don't know about his competence, but his intelligence should be decent since he graduated from Yu University. As for his character, that's hard to tell."
Wang Doudou answered objectively, sticking strictly to the facts as a secretary should, without mixing in any personal emotions.
It happened to be exactly what her boss needed.
"Is that so?"
Jiang Mu glanced out the window and said softly, "I think he's quite good, too."
Her voice was very quiet, yet it struck like a thunderclap piercing the night sky.
Wang Doudou's eyes widened to their absolute limit.
What had she just heard? Director Jiang also thought he was quite good?
Surely she hadn't misheard!
Since when had Director Jiang ever praised a young man—especially one that she herself had personally crossed off the list?
Weren't they in complete agreement just yesterday about getting things straightened out?
How did things flip completely by today?
Try as she might, Wang Doudou couldn't think of any exceptional qualities Chu Xu possessed—at least, not based on the few sentences of conversation they had just exchanged.
Although he was undeniably handsome, blessed with a celebrity's face, the problem was that Director Jiang had seen plenty of handsome male celebrities.
Wang Doudou refused to believe she had been swayed by mere looks; that simply didn't fit Director Jiang's persona.
So why then?
Looking at the beautiful woman in the rearview mirror, Wang Doudou still couldn't find an answer.