Chapter 3 – Reporters’ Aggressive Questions, Trending at the Top

In her past life, at this exact moment, Shu Hui had been terrified of Qin Yu Shen.

The man at the very top of Hong Kong’s elite circle—powerful, unyielding, always with a cold face. Who wouldn’t fear him?

But after five years of marriage, and three years of living day and night beside him, even a millennium-old block of ice couldn’t freeze her anymore. She had built up immunity.

Ignoring the man’s displeasure, she lowered her head and kissed her daughter. “Sweetheart, Mommy’s getting out of the car now. Be good and stay inside, okay?”

Little Sui Ning’s round head bobbed up and down like a little drumstick.

Opening the door, Shu Hui slipped out quickly and shut it. The instant reporters saw her, flashes burst like fireworks, the scene erupting in noise and frenzy.

Bodyguards formed a circle, escorting Qin Yu Shen and Shu Hui forward.

Microphones and cameras shot into the circle, reporters firing off questions as fast as rolling marbles.

“Mr. Qin Yu Shen, is this woman beside you your one-night stand?”

“President Qin, is it true that you’re only getting married under public pressure?”

“Mr. Qin, a real-life Cinderella marrying into the wealthy elite—what are your thoughts as the prince?”

The crowd pressed in tighter. Bodyguards shouted warnings: “Watch your step! Careful of crowding and trampling!”

Qin Yu Shen ignored every question. Shu Hui walked at his side, slim and elegant in a coffee-colored trench coat.

Then suddenly, a microphone thrust in front of her face.

The reporter’s words were sharp as knives: “Miss Shu, you trapped Mr. Qin with a one-night stand, then used an illegitimate daughter to blackmail the Qin family. Wasn’t this very moment—marrying into the family—your ultimate scheme? Please answer directly!”

The bodyguards’ line abruptly halted, as if the crowd had made it impossible to move forward.

The reporter seized the chance, pushing the microphone closer, refusing to let go.

Camera lenses zoomed in. Everyone waited for Shu Hui’s answer.

Voices from the press shouted louder and louder, demanding she respond.

In her past life, Shu Hui had thought the halt was due to crowding. Now she realized…

She lifted her gaze at Qin Yu Shen. That dog of a man had done it on purpose—forcing her to respond.

Back then, the flashing lights had blinded her, she could barely keep her eyes open. Faced with cutting questions, she had stammered through explanations, cheeks burning red.

Those stumbles had been cut out of context, spread widely—until she became the laughingstock of Hong Kong’s entertainment circle.

But this time…

She breathed steady. In her past life, as the mistress of the household, she had handled countless crises. Against Hong Kong’s notoriously sharp-tongued press, she was now well-versed.

Turning toward the reporter, Shu Hui lifted the slipping microphone, her gentle voice flowing clearly through it, amplified for all to hear.

“First of all, regarding that night—I, too, was a victim. I will not give up on uncovering the truth.

If any of you journalists are willing to assist, when the perpetrator is brought to court, I will announce the verdict along with letters of thanks to you all.”

What?! There was still more scandal behind the so-called one-night stand?

And the future Madam Qin was promising to thank the press?!

The crowd gasped, then roared to life.

“Miss Shu—please, a word—”

“Shu Hui, over here—”

“Miss Shu Hui!! Please answer—”

The reporters surged forward, excitement uncontainable. Bodyguards quickly warned that it was time to move.

Qin Yu Shen’s eyes darkened. He hadn’t expected Shu Hui’s answer. Whether true or not, he couldn’t say.

That night, he had investigated multiple times but never found a solid lead.

He knew he’d been drugged, and then Shu Hui had barged into his room, kissing him without hesitation. Beyond that, every trace went cold.

Where the drug came from, how it landed in his glass—nothing. The only outsider who had entered that night was Shu Hui.

How could he not doubt her?

Even now, though she spoke so firmly, suspicion still outweighed belief in his heart. His face remained grim as he started forward again.

Suddenly, a hand caught his wrist. Qin Yu Shen paused, turning back. Shu Hui’s grip wasn’t strong—he could have shaken it off easily.

But in front of so many cameras, he restrained his irritation and gave her face.

“Please, everyone—don’t crowd. Let me finish answering.”

Her voice was soft as ever. She raised the drooping microphone again.

The reporter holding it was miserable—his arm sore, burning with strain, but he didn’t dare pull it back. He’d stumbled onto a goldmine of a scoop.

Shu Hui was doing it deliberately. He liked asking hard questions? Then he could work on his arm strength.

“Continuing my answer—this reporter used the term ‘illegitimate daughter.’ From today onward, I ask that you never again attach such a label to my child.”

“As for ‘scheming to marry up’—yes, the one who plotted that night is detestable. But as the saying goes, no matter how terrible the circumstances of meeting, when fate arrives, nothing can stand in its way.”

She lifted her hand—her fingers interlaced with Qin Yu Shen’s. Flashbulbs exploded wildly, blinding.

Her smile was poised, elegant, radiant. “Mr. Qin and I are very much in love. Thank you for your concern.”

Under the lights, the two stood hand-in-hand, a strikingly beautiful pair.

On Shu Hui’s finger gleamed a massive diamond ring.

It was a matched pair given by the old master of the Qin family—both she and Qin Yu Shen had one.

But Qin Yu Shen hadn’t worn his.

Still, in the chaos, he found himself turning toward her. The woman’s profile was fine, her features sculpted. Under the camera’s white glare, she looked breathtaking.

Reporters nearly lost their minds. They had expected another stiff, guarded elite-family interview, bodyguards blocking every word.

Instead, Shu Hui had spilled explosive revelations with calm grace, her beauty magnified in every shot.

Every journalist thought the same: this week’s headlines were theirs to keep!

Once inside the registry, the doors closed. Reporters were left outside.

Qin Yu Shen immediately pulled his hand free, rubbing it as if her touch were distasteful.

Shu Hui rolled her eyes. Yet she remembered—years later, this same man would cling to her like a starving wolf at night, refusing to let go.

For her daughter’s inheritance, for Qin Yu Shen’s grand ambitions, she had played her role perfectly today—showing off a loving, stable marriage to keep the Qin family stock steady.

“Please, this way.”

A clerk led them to the desk. Their documents were already prepared. All that remained was to sign.

The usual Hong Kong registry rituals—witness vows, ring exchange, ceremony—were all omitted by the Qin family.

Just as in her past life, it ended quickly. A single thin sheet became their marriage certificate.

Unlike the red booklets in the mainland, it was simply a paper document, though designed with delicate anti-forgery patterns.

Shu Hui glanced at it twice, then carelessly pinched it between her fingers. Qin Yu Shen glanced over twice as well, saying nothing.

Back in the car, the windows shielded and curtains drawn—

Little Sui Ning sat obediently, chubby hands covering her face, peeking through her fingers with blinking eyes.

“Sweetheart, Mommy’s back. You were such a good girl, waiting in the car, weren’t you?”

Shu Hui scooped her daughter into her lap, tossing the marriage certificate onto the console without a second thought.

The driver nearly jumped in fright, terrified that fragile paper would be damaged.

Through the rearview mirror, he saw President Qin’s cold expression as he snatched the certificate up, slid it neatly into his file folder, and tucked it away.