Chapter 380: Chapter 342 We Get Our Marriage Certificate Tomorrow
Zhuo Yuqing buries her face into the pillow, not daring to come out. She has been the good girl for 23 years, always seen as the perfect child by her parents. In her three years at university, countless boys have chased after her, but she never dated anyone. Aside from her love for her own brother, she is pure like a blank sheet of paper.
But she never expected that just a little alcohol would make her surrender her 23 years of innocence, and to a stranger whose name she didn’t even know. Even though he was handsome, it couldn’t change the fact that it was a one-night stand.
Zhuo Yuqing wants to cry, but no tears come out. At this moment, she feels a reckless urge to give up, since the person she likes will never be with her. So, it doesn’t matter who she gave it to, and besides, this man seemed gentlemanly enough, she didn’t lose out.
Zhuo Yuqing still pondered in disarray when suddenly her shoulder felt heavy, her body stiffened with fear, she dared not move, still unaccustomed to a stranger’s touch.
"There’s nothing in the fridge. What would you like to eat? I’ll go buy some." His voice was luxurious and magnetic, very pleasant to hear.
Zhuo Yuqing lifted her head from the pillow and met his deep, marsh-like eyes. Blushing, she said, "Anything is fine."
He did not speak further. The hand on her shoulder also left, and soon, she heard the door close.
Zhuo Yuqing turned over, still holding her pillow, staring at the ceiling in a daze for a while. Then, belatedly blinking her eyes, she realized something was wrong. She should have driven this man away; why did she allow him to take her keys to go buy breakfast? Who said she would have breakfast with him?
Shouldn’t he just leave immediately upon waking, never to see each other again?
Zhuo Yuqing had just finished freshening up, and Bai Chengxi walked in just as she was opening the window. Hearing the sound, she turned around, her freshly washed, still-damp hair casually draped over her shoulders, glistening in the gentle sunlight, her hair like a waterfall, her face like jade.
Zhuo Yuqing felt a bit awkward and lowered her head, while Bai Chengxi had already set the breakfast on the table.
"Let’s eat." He pulled out a chair and sat down.
Zhuo Yuqing hesitated for a moment before sitting opposite him, not speaking, quietly eating her rice porridge.
"Bai Chengxi," he suddenly spoke three words. Zhuo Yuqing let out a sound of surprise, looking up puzzled, met his deep gaze, and finally realized that he was introducing himself.
"Zhuo Yuqing," she swallowed the porridge in her mouth before stating her own name.
With the kind of relationship they had, was there still a need for such acquaintance?
Zhuo Yuqing stirred the porridge in her bowl, thought for a long while, and finally gathered her thoughts. She had intended to say that last night was an accident and afterwards they should go their separate ways.
Unexpectedly, Bai Chengxi interrupted her, "About last night, I will take responsibility."
"Uh?" She looked at him in surprise. She did not mean for him to take responsibility. And how would he take responsibility? By dating her?
"Do you have a boyfriend?" His eating manners were very elegant, even a simple Chinese breakfast seemed like a Western meal; he was obviously someone who had been taught dining etiquette.
Zhuo Yuqing shook her head.
Bai Chengxi put down his chopsticks, took a napkin and lightly wiped the corners of his mouth: "It happens that I don’t have a girlfriend either. If you’re willing, we can get married at the Civil Affairs Bureau tomorrow."
Zhuo Yuqing almost choked, realizing she had been too naive. There wasn’t any talk of dating; he directly mentioned getting married. When he said he would take responsibility, he really meant it.
"Family pressure to marry is strong, and I’m already 31, no need to delay any further."
Zhuo Yuqing didn’t know how to respond to him. She could have outright refused, but she hesitated. She couldn’t recall how many times she had dreamt of such a scene, being proposed to, but in every dream, it was always Tang Tianyou. She would wake up from laughter, only to find herself despondent.
If she cannot marry her brother, perhaps it doesn’t matter whom she marries. Just a while ago, her mother was still arranging blind dates for her, mentioning a son from a friend’s family, well-mannered and a good match for the Zhuo Family.
She felt she was still young and not in a hurry to find a boyfriend, but her family clearly was already worried about her getting married.
Seeing her hesitant and not immediately refusing, Bai Chengxi placed a business card beside her hand: "If you make up your mind, call me. I’m available anytime the Civil Affairs Bureau is open."
Zhuo Yuqing held the business card, not even realizing when Bai Chengxi had left.
Bai Chengxi, CEO of Xingdong Media, that company crowded with almost all the national top stars. Such a family, her mother would probably agree, truly a match suitable for the Zhuo Family.
The harsh ringtone interrupted Zhuo Yuqing’s thoughts. She answered the phone to hear her best friend Liu Lian’s voice: "Qingzi, I can’t make it today due to an emergency. I heard the magazine wants to interview Xixiao, and I think the editor-in-chief will give you this chance. Make sure to seize it well."
"How could it be me; Tong Bi is above me."
"Tong Bi is sick and can’t do the interview, this chance is definitely yours, okay, I’ve got to hang up."
Zhuo Yuqing gently sighed, tidied up the table and quickly did her makeup before heading out. Her family originally wanted to buy her a fancy car, but she thought it was too ostentatious, so they settled on a red Beetle instead.
She came to Aus City for schooling and work to follow Tang Tianyou, though her family didn’t agree. But Zhuo Yao always doted on his daughter the most, committed to fulfilling whatever she wished for.
Zhuo Yuqing didn’t want to rely on her family; after graduating from Australian University, she found herself a job as an editor for an entertainment magazine. She usually wrote pieces, sometimes going out to interview celebrities, living and working very discreetly. Except for her close friend Liu Lian, no one knew she was the daughter of A City’s top real estate tycoon, Zhuo Yao.
Upon arriving at the magazine office, Zhuo Yuqing had just settled into her seat when the editor-in-chief approached her, "Yuqing, get ready, you’ll be interviewing Xixiao in a bit."
"Got it, chief editor." It seems Liu Lian was right.
"Xixiao can be a bit of a diva, please be patient with her and try to get her to spill some juicy details."
"Okay."
After the editor-in-chief left, Zhuo Yuqing lowered her head and began sorting through her materials, not knowing how much time had passed when suddenly she heard a chilly voice overhead: "You’re only grabbing such opportunities because I’m not around."
She looked up to see Tong Bi, the newspaper’s big star. Many of her entertainment reports had made the headlines; she was dubbed the "entertainment queen" by others.
Zhuo Yuqing didn’t have a favorable impression of the arrogant Tong Bi and couldn’t understand what she had done to provoke her, as Tong Bi always seemed to find ways to trouble her, both publicly and secretly.
"Opportunities are equal, if you’re not here, of course it becomes someone else’s."
"I guess you must have pulled some strings behind my back; otherwise, why would the interview happen precisely when I’m sick?"
Zhuo Yuqing thought this woman was simply unreasonable; if she was sick and not present, couldn’t the work be done by someone else?
After Tong Bi finished speaking, she suddenly started coughing and hastily covered her mouth and walked away, not forgetting to glare fiercely at Zhuo Yuqing as though her beloved possession had been stolen by her.
"Yuqing, don’t mind people like that, she thinks everyone should accommodate her just because she made the headlines a few times. This afternoon, make Xixiao reveal some big scoops so your press release can also make the headlines," Liu Tan, who was sitting in the next compartment, leaned over to comfort her.
"It’s okay, I don’t mind." Zhuo Yuqing said with a smile and continued arranging the interview documents.
Her phone chimed once, and she took a sip of water before checking it. Upon seeing it, her heartbeat went off rhythm.
A completely unfamiliar number, but she knew who it was.
"What have you decided?"
After thinking for a while, she replied: "How did you get my number?"
"I called from your phone this morning."
Zhuo Yuqing rubbed her face, realizing that was the case.
"I’m working right now, can I get back to you later?"
"What do you do for work?" His tone showed no intention of ending the conversation.
"I’m an editor at the Starlight Magazine Office, sometimes I interview celebrities too," Zhuo Yuqing sent this text feeling puzzled, it was odd that two people who barely knew each other were talking about marriage.
"Got it." This was the last message Bai Chengxi sent.
Zhuo Yuqing placed her phone on the shelf and quickly pushed the matter to the back of her mind.
At three in the afternoon, Zhuo Yuqing entered the interview room to make final preparations. She repeatedly checked the documents in her hand, ensuring there were no errors, and quietly awaited Xixiao’s arrival.
Xixiao arrived fashionably late, looking even more beautiful in person than on TV, with her exquisite makeup and stylish, dignified attire, truly a trendsetter who commanded the spotlight even just by showing up.
"Hello, I’ll be conducting this interview, my name is Zhuo Yuqing." Zhuo Yuqing stood up to shake her hand.
Xixiao nodded slightly and shook her hand.
"Shall we start?"
"Hold on a moment." Xixiao turned her head and saw another person walking in, the surrounding lights cast on his face sculpted the contours more strikingly handsome.
Zhuo Yuqing’s eyes were involuntarily drawn to him. Why was he here?
Not only was Zhuo Yuqing surprised, Xixiao found it unbelievable too; she had only expected her manager to accompany her but the big BOSS had followed at the last minute.
After Bai Chengxi took his seat, Xixiao said, "Let’s begin."
Zhuo Yuqing snapped out of the shock Bai Chengxi brought, quickly regaining her composure for the interview.
"Many rumors have been circulating that Miss Xixiao has been secretly married for two years now, is this true?" This question, set by the editor-in-chief, was a bombshell, no matter how Xixiao responded, it was bound to attract a lot of attention.
Xixiao smiled, and surprisingly asked in return, "Miss Zhuo, are you married?"