Chapter 17

Yi Siling wasn’t sulking at all; her phone had gotten water-damaged and broken.

Since that night when she returned to Hong Kong from the Beijing, her phone had gone missing. On the third day, Aunt Li finally found the phone’s remains in the washing machine.

In a daze, she had tossed her phone into the dirty laundry basket, which was filled with used towels. The maid didn’t notice and threw everything, including the phone, into the washing machine specifically for washing towels, resulting in this tragic incident.

Yi Leling was forced to leave work early to accompany her to buy a new phone, and then waited for half an hour as she agonized over whether to buy the latest model of the brand she always used or another highly-praised domestic brand.

In the end, she decided to buy both models.

Yi Leling lamented the loss of his half-hour.

After buying the phones, the two of them found a croissant shop in the mall and sat down.

Yi Siling started fiddling with her new phone. When she opened WhatsApp, it was flooded with messages, all congratulating her on her marriage over the past two days. Various groups in her circle were buzzing with excitement about her marriage alliance with the Xie family. Some of the so-called “plastic” friends, who secretly disliked her but called her “darling” to her face, also sent their regards.

“Yi Siling, darling! After you get married, are you going to stay in the capital… boo-hoo!”

“If you’re not going to be around for our girls’ nights, I won’t even want to go!”

“【When are you going to bring your fiancé over to hang out? Tanya and I want to throw you a grand bachelorette party! We’ll invite all the handsome guys on the island!】

【Just afraid your fiancée will get jealous [mischievous smile]】

Yi Siling: 【Sure! Let me know once you set the party date~ But next Tuesday won’t work, the Xie family is coming over to discuss the betrothal.】

Yi Siling: 【Looking forward to the surprise you and Tanya are preparing for me! Don’t spend too much, I’ll feel embarrassed [winking]】”

“Yi Leling glanced sideways at her typing, ‘Tanya has always disliked you, and now you’re forcing her to pay out of her own pocket to throw you a party, making you the center of attention.’

Tanya is Chen Weiqi, the eldest daughter of the Chen family. She and Yi Siling are the same age and have been in the same class from elementary school to high school, competing with each other secretly all along. Last year, Tanya married the eldest son of the Zhuang family, and the wedding was grand and spectacular, becoming the hottest topic in their circle. Some people would even mention Yi Siling in passing.

The eldest son of the Zhuang family, Zhuang Shaozhou, is a popular matchmaking prospect in the Hong Kong elite circle. Yi Kunshan had also considered the Zhuang family, but the Chen family moved first, and nothing came of it.”

“Yi Siling squinted her eyes and said, ‘She doesn’t like me but still has to spend money on me and invite me to see handsome guys. I’m enjoying this.’

Yi Leling shook her head, feeling sorry for Tanya for a second.

Yi Siling opened a few more messages but found them uninteresting and didn’t scroll further. After logging out of WhatsApp, she logged into WeChat. As soon as she logged in, she received a few new messages.

Her WeChat contact list was pitifully small, consisting only of a few family members. This was because Yi Xinling was studying in Beijing and used WeChat.”

“It was convenient, so the family all used WeChat to chat.

There weren’t many conversation threads, so there was no need to pin any. The messages from the old-fashioned one were at the top, very conspicuous.

She paused for a moment, not wanting to look.

He didn’t mind if she didn’t contact him for three days, which made this superficial fiancé quite uninteresting. However, out of a certain curiosity, she still clicked on it—”

“[Picture]

[Mother went to Nanyin Temple to match our birth charts.]

[The master said that we are a perfect match, a marriage of gold and jade.]

The red paper was so festive that it hurt her eyes, with golden ‘double happiness’ characters in the four corners. Her name and Xie Xunzhi’s name were written side by side, like holding hands, followed by their birth dates and times. The ceremony created a strange atmosphere, and Yi Siling felt something indescribable. It was as if seeing this red paper made the idea of getting married tangible.”

“The overwhelming congratulations couldn’t compare to the impact of this red paper.

When she opened the second picture and saw those eight characters, Yi Siling’s heart skipped a beat.

Impossible. How could she and Xie Xunzhi be a perfect match? They were clearly two completely different people, and being together felt forced. If described in colors, it would be a clashing combination, an inharmonious clash.

Yi Leling replied to a few work messages and noticed that the person beside her had gone silent. She looked up and saw Yi Siling staring blankly at her phone.”

She leaned over to look, Yi Siling reacted quickly and shielded her phone.

Yi Leling: “…”

Yi Siling: “I’m picking out a birthday gift for you. If you’ve seen it, what else can I give?”

Yi Leling glanced at her. “But my birthday isn’t until July next year. That’s still more than half a year away.”

Yi Siling awkwardly stood up. “I’ll go get coffee. Do you want anything?”

Yi Leling: “Americano with ice, 3 shots.”

“You’re not going to sleep, are you? Just double the usual. No ice, no fuss.”

“…Then you might as well give me plain water.”

Yi Siling pouted, absentmindedly went to the front desk to order coffee. After ordering, she finally figured out what to reply and sent a [smile] emoji back.

Yi Siling: [smile]

Xie Xunzhi looked at the overly used yellow face emoji and smiled helplessly.

She’s still throwing a tantrum. It’s been three days.

He patiently explained, “Sorry, I didn’t know the meaning of this emoji before. I thought it was just a smile. Don’t be mad, I won’t use this emoji again in the future.”

Yi Siling held the receipt, pondering whether his words were sincere or not—they sounded really insincere. How could a young person not understand the connotation of this emoji?

But then she reconsidered. He wasn’t a young person after all. He was an old man.

She replied, “[Oh].”

Xie Xunzhi: “[Still upset?]”

Yi Siling: “[I wasn’t upset at all.]”

She had just been annoyed at the time, but three days had passed and the anger had long dissipated.

Xie Xunzhi looked at the message, his expression indifferent. He turned off his phone and walked towards the study, bathed in the fading sunlight, casting a subtle golden hue on his serene figure.

On the other end, Yi Siling pursed her lips and waited for a minute, but received no response. The coffee was ready by then, so she pocketed her phone, took the coffee, and headed back.

Yi Leling found it quite strange. It was one thing for her to buy the coffee herself, but to wait and bring it over herself too? “With this kind of treatment, I might as well drink tap water.”

She inserted a straw into the coffee.

Yi Siling muttered, “As if I’ve never bought you coffee before.”

Just as she finished speaking, her phone vibrated in her pocket. She took it out and saw that it was a voice call from Xie Xunzhi.

“Damn it,” Yi Siling muttered under her breath, making excuses about needing to use the restroom. Yi Leling glanced at her and saw right through it. “Mr. Xie’s call?”

Yi Siling glared at her. “Can you not be so sharp?”

Feeling lazy to actually go to the restroom now, she tapped to answer the call.

Xie Xunzhi sat in his study, lighting a cigar, his expression calm and aloof. His phone sat on the desk, and as he dialed, he didn’t expect the call to go through. When he heard Yi Siling’s complaining and slightly spoiled voice, the flame from his lighter flickered, nearly singeing the tip of his cigar.

“Why are you calling my phone?” she said.

Her Mandarin had a hint of a Hong Kong accent, not perfectly fluent, and coupled with her tender and somewhat whimsical tone, it sounded unexpectedly charming over the phone.

The cigar had already been lit, and it wasn’t convenient to pause. Xie Xunzhi maintained his smoking gesture, his voice low and gentle: “I’m afraid you’re still upset.”

If he ignored her, later she would blame him again, saying he didn’t pamper her enough.

The cigar was lit, and wisps of gray-white smoke curled up, held delicately between his clearly articulated fingers. His friends all knew he didn’t indulge in addictive substances.

The cigar was just for ambiance, not addictive at all. In fact, he wasn’t even fond of it; he just felt he needed something to distract himself before calling Yi Siling, lest he appear awkward and tense.

On the other end of the receiver, the woman’s tone became more pronounced: “I told you I’m not. Not upset.”

Xie Xunzhi lowered his gaze slightly, instinctively interpreting her words as emotional irony. “It’s okay if you are.”

Yi Siling hesitated for a moment, not understanding. “What do you mean? You want me to be upset?”

“No,” Xie Xunzhi exhaled slowly, the taste of coffee and oak sliding over his palate one after another, slightly spicy yet sweet in return, a taste reminiscent of her—spicy and sweet.

“I mean, even if you’re upset, it’s okay. I can coax you until you’re happy again.”

“…”

Yi Siling forcibly swallowed the sip of coffee in her mouth.

Who needed him to coax her!

Yi Leling had no idea what was going on, only seeing Yi Siling’s tightly pursed lips and a face flushed as if scalded.

—

In the same department store, Huang Wenyu and Chen Weiqi were trying on the newly arrived autumn-winter collection in a luxury flagship store.

After two days, Huang Wenyu finally received a reply from Yi Siling, nearly twisting her face in anger.

That stubborn girl had become even more arrogant since finding a good husband. She had deliberately ignored them for three days and now suddenly agreed to their ridiculous idea of organizing a singles party. It was obvious she was trying to provoke them. But Yi Siling had guts—knowing well that throwing a singles party would upset her fiancé, she still insisted on stealing the spotlight!

Huang Wenyu glanced at Chen Weiqi, unsure how to explain. Chen Weiqi, sensing her distraction, set down the high heels she was holding and walked over. “What’s wrong, Ayu?”

“Tanya…” Huang Wenyu bit her lip and handed her phone over to Chen Weiqi. “Take a look for yourself.”

Chen Weiqi glanced at the screen, her expression not quite twisted in anger but certainly not pleased either. She calmly remarked, “She’s doing this on purpose.”

“Definitely.” Huang Wenyu’s face fell. Just the thought of organizing a party with Yi Siling made her cringe. The expenses alone were daunting, not to mention she’d have to shell out money just to let Yi Siling steal the limelight. It was a bitter pill to swallow.

It’s hard to say what Chen Weiqi is thinking. After following her for so many years, Huang Wenyu still can’t quite understand her.

If Chen Weiqi truly hated Yi Siling, she wouldn’t act so strangely, voluntarily suggesting to organize a party for her. But if it were about liking her, that’s definitely out of the question.

Across the whole island, everyone knows that Chen Weiqi and Yi Siling are superficially close but privately at odds, constantly at loggerheads.

Huang Wenyu pondered and said, “What should we do, should we even go ahead with this?”

She really didn’t want to.

Organizing a singles party wasn’t as manageable cost-wise as a formal dinner or cocktail event. It was purely for entertainment, likely to attract a diverse crowd, requiring nightclub rental, hiring popular DJs and celebrity appearances—all of which came with hefty fees. Add to that the cost of drinks, and it would easily run into millions. Moreover, everything would need to meet Yi Siling’s extravagant standards; her spending habits were intimidating enough that if the quality of the drinks wasn’t top-notch, she might not touch a drop.

Of course, Chen Weiqi would have to make the final decision. Huang Wenyu’s family background was slightly inferior, so she didn’t dare to take the lead over Chen Weiqi, nor did she want to directly oppose Yi Siling.

On Hong Kong Island, there were wealthy magnates aplenty, but only a few stood at the pinnacle of the pyramid, easily recognizable through occasional media coverage. Everyone was familiar with them—families like the Yi and the Chen.

Daughters from similarly prestigious backgrounds often socialized together in a large circle, but with many differing opinions, hidden agendas, and personal rivalries. Over time, smaller circles naturally formed, where certain girls got along better with each other while others harbored private grudges. It was human nature and an inevitable part of social dynamics.