Chapter 01

As summer settled in, the heat grew oppressive.

Lu Yi stepped into the hotel banquet hall, her slender heels clicking against the floor. She folded her sunshade umbrella and placed it in her bag.

“I feel like I’m melting,” her colleague complained as she followed in, prompting Lu Yi to hand her a tissue with a cool, gentle smile.

“Thanks,” the colleague said.

Yu Qian dabbed at the sweat on her face, careful not to ruin her makeup. Her gaze drifted to Lu Yi, whose refined demeanor was both gentle and aloof. Not a trace of sweat or even the hint of a flaw marred her complexion.

Lu Yi’s beauty was striking, an undeniable truth.

The first time she arrived at the office, she stunned everyone. Her fair skin and elegant features made her seem both fragrant and soft, an impression bolstered by her impeccable taste in clothing and accessories. Her background hinted at affluence; she had studied Western art history at University College London and was a local native. Beyond that, little was known about her, as she rarely spoke of herself.

Initially, her reserved nature gave others the impression she was difficult to approach.

But as time passed, it became evident that Lu Yi was personable, talented at her work, and approachable without the slightest air of superiority. Her colleagues gradually came to admire her.

“Working overtime on a Saturday is worse than haunting ghosts,” Yu Qian muttered.

The air conditioning cooled the room, driving away the heat as Yu Qian tossed her tissue into the trash.

The team was frazzled, scrambling to meet the client’s demand to launch on the first of the month—a deadline moved up by a full week. Every group, from content and design to construction, worked non-stop to ensure completion on time.

Lu Yi and Yu Qian were there to finalize the arrangements.

However, the client’s representative responsible for approval had yet to arrive.

Yu Qian made several calls, all going unanswered until someone finally picked up. On the other end, the representative casually dismissed her, claiming there had been a miscommunication and that they were currently busy. When Yu Qian pressed for an estimated time of arrival, the call was abruptly disconnected.

It was clear they were being deliberately ignored.

Fuming, Yu Qian cursed. As if working overtime wasn’t frustrating enough, now they had to deal with a difficult client.

This wasn’t the first time.

When this project was initially undertaken, everything proceeded smoothly and as expected. However, the client representative, Li Chengming developed a sudden infatuation with Lu Yi, repeatedly making inappropriate remarks. After confessing his feelings and being rejected, he shamelessly dropped all pretense, resorting to overt and covert sabotage throughout the project.

During the last review, Li Chengming had nitpicked every detail, making the process unnecessarily grueling.

None of it was Lu Yi’s fault, yet the team suffered alongside her.

“Is he insane? How can he claim we didn’t communicate clearly? Dragging this out—what, our time isn’t valuable?” Yu Qian flung her phone onto the table, watching it slide away in frustration.

“If they won’t come, I’ll just keep calling.”

Lu Yi gently retrieved the phone and placed it back in front of Yu Qian. Her gaze, serene beneath her long lashes, carried a quiet warmth.

“If this is intentional, no amount of calls will make a difference,” she said softly.

“So what do we do? Just wait here like fools? We can’t even tell our boss because technically they haven’t refused to show up.”

Lu Yi offered a solution. “How about this: You’ve got weekend plans, don’t you? Go ahead and leave. I’ll stay here and wait for them.”

“No way I’m leaving you alone to face Li Chengming! Who knows how he’ll try to make things hard for you?”

“It’s okay, I don’t have anything else going on,” Lu Yi assured her. “Once there’s an update, I’ll let you know.”

Yu Qian hesitated. She felt guilty about leaving the burden to Lu Yi, but the latter’s calm demeanor was reassuring.

“Alright, then. Thanks, love,” she said reluctantly.

Her boyfriend had already been upset about the canceled date, so now she could still make it for a movie.

Lu Yi smiled. “Enjoy your date. If they call you, have them contact me instead.”

“Got it. Love you, babe!” Yu Qian said as she left.

Alone, Lu Yi settled into a seat in the hotel café and began making calls to the client.

The assistant picked up first, offering vague excuses before transferring the call to Li Chengming. His tone dripped with mockery.

“Miss Lu, is it?”

“When will you be available, Mr. Li?” Lu Yi asked evenly.

“Getting impatient, are we? I thought someone like you would have plenty of patience. Or is it that your patience doesn’t extend to me?”

“Mr. Li, there’s no need to make this difficult for me,” she said, keeping her tone calm.

“Oh, this is difficult for you? You didn’t seem to consider that when you rejected me. Do you even know what ‘difficult’ means?” Li Chengming’s voice turned cold. “How about this, Have dinner with me after this, and maybe I’ll move faster.”

A server arrived with her coffee. Lu Yi smiled at them briefly before turning her attention back to the call, her voice now frosty.

“No need. Take your time, Mr. Li.”

“Suit yourself.” Li Chengming sneered and hung up.

Lu Yi recalled the incident that started all this. It had been a rainy day when Li Chengming insisted on driving her back to the office after a meeting.

At the office, he had confessed his feelings, claiming he was drawn to her from the moment they met and asking her to be his girlfriend.

She had politely but firmly declined, explaining that she wasn’t considering a relationship at the moment.

Li Chengming initially took it in stride, assuming she was simply playing hard to get. However, after repeated rejections, he realized she was serious. Feeling slighted, he began targeting her in the project.

Lu Yi sat quietly, holding her phone. After a moment’s thought, she opened a chat window and typed a message before hitting send.

Yu Yin, her close friend, called soon after and asked where she was. After Lu Yi provided the location, Yu Yin said, “I’m nearby. I’ll be there in 15 minutes.”

By the time Yu Yin arrived, Lu Yi had only finished half a cup of coffee.

Yu Yin, tall and stunning, had dabbled in modeling for a while before focusing on her self-run social media accounts as a blogger—a personal passion project. She sat down, crossed her long legs, and removed her sunglasses.

The two were childhood friends, attending the same middle and high schools before both opting to study abroad in the UK. Their bond was so close that others often teased them about being sisters without a blood relation.

“What kind of company makes people work on weekends?”

“A last-minute situation,” Lu Yi explained.

After hearing the specifics, Yu Yin curled her lips in disbelief. “Honestly, I don’t get it. If you want to work, why not just stay in your family’s company instead of putting up with nonsense at Yixing?”

Given their family background, financial independence was a given. Unless they were reckless, their wealth could last generations. The salary from any job wouldn’t even cover a month of their property management fees.

Yu Yin had no interest in traditional jobs. She preferred to spend her time on things she enjoyed, finding joy in her hobbies.

“I don’t dislike working,” Lu Yi said softly. It wasn’t the job she minded but the extraneous complications that came with it.

While Lu Yi didn’t necessarily have strong career ambitions, she genuinely enjoyed her work and took pride in perfecting the tasks at hand.

“So what now? How do you plan to handle this?”

“Wait it out,” Lu Yi replied, rising to her feet with a gentle smile. “Come on, there’s a spa nearby. My treat for a session.”

“You’re remarkably patient.” Yu Yin shook her head, impressed as always by Lu Yi’s unwavering composure. She grabbed her bag and followed.

The spa, a membership-only establishment with a Thai-inspired ambiance, had private rooms featuring small gardens and central fountains. It was an ideal spot to soak, enjoy the sunshine, and relax.

Work, to Yu Yin, wasn’t worth fretting over. If it got too annoying, she believed, one could always leave.

But what piqued her curiosity was when she heard Lu Yi had agreed to a family-arranged marriage—and that the groom was none other than Lin Jinshen.

On paper, Lin Jinshen’s background was impeccable. Raised with a premium education, he had graduated from an Ivy League university and managed the core businesses of Lin Corporation, particularly Huayu Hotel Group. The multinational hotel management firm owned 18 major hotel brands with over 5,000 properties nationwide.

The Lin family represented “old money”—low-key and reserved, rarely making public appearances. Compared to them, the Lu family could be considered social climbers.

But no matter how glittering a resume might be, a marriage was about living with the person. Character and compatibility mattered more than achievements.

Yu Yin had only met Lin Jinshen once but remembered it vividly.

She had gone to visit her cousin and accidentally interrupted a business discussion between him and Lin Jinshen. At first, she didn’t see Lin Jinshen but noticed how her cousin’s tone became overly cautious, almost deferential, as though addressing an elder rather than a peer.

When she finally saw Lin Jinshen, she understood why.

His face, though youthful, carried a stern and commanding presence. Deep-set eyes, sharp features, and a composed demeanor made him seem older and more authoritative than his years.

Her cousin had later invited Lin Jinshen to try some newly acquired rare wines, but he declined after checking his watch. His reason? He went to bed at 11 p.m. sharp.

At this point, Yu Yin rolled her eyes dramatically. “Even my dad isn’t that punctual about sleep.”

Lu Yi chuckled, eyes half-closed, as the spa technician’s soothing hands eased her into a state of relaxation.

“Rigid, boring, and lifeless,” Yu Yin described her first impression. “You wouldn’t want to spend the rest of your life with a guy like that. Plus, he’s nearly 30 and has never had a girlfriend. That’s a red flag.”

Lu Yi listened with an amused expression. “I thought those might actually be bonus points.”

Her reasoning for choosing Lin Jinshen was twofold: he was clean, with no prior romantic entanglements, and his looks and family background were top-tier.

“Bonus points? For what? You’re not looking for a husband but a living father figure. And let’s be real—what adult man doesn’t have some sort of romantic history? If he hasn’t, you should consider whether it’s a health issue or a matter of orientation.”

Yu Yin didn’t hold back, concluding, “It’s either a physical problem or he’s just not into women.”

Lu Yi couldn’t help but laugh at her bluntness.

“I’m serious. My cousin works with him and says he’s almost inhuman—no emotions, no sentimentality. He started managing overseas branches while still studying in the U.S. and took over the group after returning. Now, even marriage is a family business arrangement. Does he even have normal human feelings?”

Lu Yi replied thoughtfully, “Sounds like a very capable person.”

“Sure, but the question isn’t whether he’s competent—it’s whether he’s husband material.”

“I get it,” Lu Yi assured her. “Nothing’s set in stone yet.”

Her parents had indeed been hesitant about Lin Jinshen as well, presenting her with a second candidate. At the moment, she had two options to choose from, and she hadn’t met either of them.

“By the time it’s finalized, it’ll be too late. I can’t watch you walk into a disaster,” Yu Yin said earnestly. “Even if you don’t care much about marriage, you can’t just settle.”

Lu Yi nodded agreeably.

As they chatted, Lu Yi’s phone rang. She glanced at it and declined the call. Before she could set the phone down, the same number called again. She switched her phone to silent mode.

Yu Yin asked, “Why aren’t you answering?”

“It’s work.”

“From the client?”

“Mm.”

“Then why not pick up?”

“I’m suddenly not in such a rush.”

If she wasn’t anxious, it would be someone else’s turn to feel the pressure.

By evening, at precisely 6 p.m., Lu Yi finally answered a call. The voice on the other end was courteous and apologetic, clearly in no position to express anger, asking where she was as they had arrived at the hotel and were ready for inspection.

Lu Yi responded calmly, “Alright, please wait a moment.”

“I’m coming with you,” Yu Yin offered. She had nothing better to do. “I want to see which big shot this is.”

Lu Yi glanced at her briefly.

“I promise I won’t overstep,” Yu Yin assured, raising a hand as if swearing an oath.

“Let’s go,” Lu Yi said. After her spa session, she hadn’t put on makeup, opting only for a nude lip color to enhance her complexion. Her pale skin gave her an air of serene elegance, softer than when fully made up.

At the hotel lobby, a group of people was already waiting. Li Chengming kept checking his watch, visibly anxious. When he saw Lu Yi, he forced an awkward smile and approached her.

“Apologies for the delay.”

“No worries, I had time to spare.” Lu Yi’s tone was light and airy, her demeanor gentle yet distant.

The inspection went smoothly, with Li Chengming unexpectedly cooperative. After completing the process, the project was delivered on time.

As Li Chengming left, he muttered in a low, cryptic tone, “No wonder Miss Lu turned me down. It seems you’ve set your sights higher. I underestimated you.”

Having worked in the industry for years, he had never seen his superiors so enraged. After being thoroughly scolded, he couldn’t help but wonder who Lu Yi’s “higher branch” might be.

Lu Yi glanced at him, her expression calm. She neither grew angry nor mocked him, simply observing him quietly before letting out a faint smile.

The dismissive smile stung more than any insult, making Li Chengming’s face darken further as his self-esteem crumbled.

Yu Yin, standing nearby, crossed her arms and stepped forward with an icy smile.

“You must be Mr. Li. I’m Lu Yi’s friend.”

Li Chengming offered a polite handshake, but Yu Yin withdrew her hand before he could touch it, keeping her mocking smile intact.

“Lu Yi is too polite to speak her mind, but I’m not. My favorite hobby is calling people out.” She tilted her head slightly. “Care to give me your home address? I’ll send you a mirror, so you can take a good look at yourself before assuming you’re someone important.”

Li Chengming’s face turned a darker shade as he stormed off.

Yu Yin arched a brow smugly.

Lu Yi chuckled softly. “Looks like I owe you dinner.”

“Absolutely.”

After leaving the exhibition hall on the third floor, they took the elevator to the ground level, only to encounter an unexpected commotion in the hotel lobby.

Staff members lined up on either side of the entrance, standing at attention as if preparing for an important guest. Moments later, a group of people entered—over a dozen men and women in professional attire, their expressions grave.

Leading the group was a tall, broad-shouldered man with striking features and a piercingly sharp presence. His high-bridged nose and sculpted profile were almost electrifying in their intensity.

Yet beneath the surface charisma lay a cold detachment, an unapproachable demeanor.

As their paths crossed, Lu Yi and the man locked eyes briefly before each turned away, their expressions neutral and composed.

Yu Yin clicked her tongue softly. “That’s your man.”

“What?” Lu Yi asked, startled.

Yu Yin’s eyes glinted mischievously. “Congratulations—that’s your future husband.”