Unmatched Chapter 1
byChapter 1 Marriage Arrangement
July 22nd, Fengjing City.
The rain had fallen all night.
As dawn broke, Zhao Shuyi suddenly opened his eyes. The deafening sound waves of the KTV in his dream instantly vanished, and the ceiling above him presented a hazy gray in the dim light, like a floating mist.
Zhao Shuyi stared at this “mist,” stunned for a full five seconds, before pulling his consciousness back to reality. He was awake.
The dream immediately became clear.
—He had actually dreamed of Xie Qi.
The recollection felt unlucky. No one wanted to kiss the person they hated most in their dreams, but although Zhao Shuyi was reluctant to admit it, he had to concede that this was his fault.
What he dreamed of was something that had genuinely happened three years ago.
The detailed process was forgotten, but he only remembered that it was a friend’s birthday, and both he and Xie Qi were present.
Activities involving Second Generation Elites were never short of beautiful men and women, like celebrities and influencers, to keep them company. The KTV was crowded and lively, and the atmosphere was hot.
After several rounds of drinks, those singing on stage grew increasingly excited, and those making out in the dim lights below became more brazen.
However, the Zhao Family had Strict Family Discipline, and Zhao Shuyi valued his image, never messing around in public.
He was like a white lotus emerging unsullied from the mud, sitting there expressionlessly, exuding a cold and profound sense of asceticism that inspired fear. The small celebrity accompanying him silently poured wine, not daring to touch him, likely because they recognized his identity.
Unfortunately, Xie Qi was sitting on the other side, separated from him by only one seat, and he was also accompanied, by a woman.
Zhao Shuyi had glanced at them when he sat down, but afterward treated them like air, paying no further attention.
His relationship with Xie Qi had always been like this: they had hated each other since childhood, viewing each other as a Thorn in the Side. On the rare occasions they were forced to attend the same drinking party, they disdained to even look at the other.
At the time, Zhao Shuyi was in a terrible mood due to some family matters, and the small celebrity accompanying him was like a mute, only capable of pouring wine, unable to say a single pleasant word.
Zhao Shuyi had drunk a bit too much. In his tipsy state, his temper flared. Maintaining the white lotus facade also consumed willpower. He couldn’t hold it together, pushed the wine glass away, and snapped at the small celebrity, “Get out. Tell them to send someone else.”
As soon as the words left his mouth, a sneer came from beside him.
Zhao Shuyi turned his head following the sound and found Xie Qi looking at him.
“Zhao Shuyi, not keeping yourself clean anymore?”
“?”
“What do you plan to do by changing people?”
His voice was cool, sounding like mockery or sarcasm. Xie Qi leaned back, resting comfortably against the leather sofa, and haughtily looked at him out of the corner of his eye, lightly swirling his wine glass.
The music in the private room was too loud, and Zhao Shuyi hadn’t actually heard what Xie Qi said, but he knew it wasn’t anything good.
His gaze paused for a second, and the anger that hadn’t been vented immediately shifted from the small celebrity to Xie Qi. Old and new grudges flared up. Zhao Shuyi’s face darkened, and he grabbed Xie Qi’s collar.
What happened afterward was already blurry in his memory, yet it was strangely restored in the dream—
Zhao Shuyi pretended to be drunk, acting as if he hadn’t recognized Xie Qi. Treating him like a Male Escort, he roughly patted Xie Qi’s face and said coldly, “What are you, daring to call me by my full name?”
Xie Qi was pressed against the back of the sofa, yet he neither fought back nor got angry. He seemed to find Zhao Shuyi’s drunken tantrum amusing, smiling faintly, his expression mocking.
The two of them had been feuding since kindergarten until college graduation, knowing better than anyone how to annoy the other.
Xie Qi only needed one look to make Zhao Shuyi’s rationality snap—admittedly, a large part of it was due to the alcohol. Zhao Shuyi was drunk and slightly impulsive.
He humiliated Xie Qi as if he were a male escort. Up close, Young Master Xie did indeed have some good looks; if he were selling his face, he might be a hot commodity.
But Xie Qi was straight, unlike him, who was omnivorous in his tastes, so his market would probably be halved…
Zhao Shuyi wanted to laugh. He didn’t know which wire was crossed in his brain, perhaps driven by the thought of deliberately disgusting a straight man—he pinched Xie Qi’s chin and lowered his head to kiss him.
There was no way such a kiss could be pleasurable.
Zhao Shuyi only felt immensely gratified by Xie Qi’s shocked, thunderstruck expression, and his pent-up anger dissipated. He even cupped the back of Xie Qi’s head, deepening the kiss, giving the prank a gentle and lingering conclusion.
Xie Qi was frozen throughout. After a long while, he finally pushed him away, furious and humiliated: “Are you fucking crazy?!”
—The dream ended there.
Xie Qi’s wonderfully colorful expression and the flashing KTV lights vanished together, leaving the ceiling before him blank.
The rain was still falling outside the window, pattering softly.
Zhao Shuyi listened quietly for a few seconds, thinking: This is truly bizarre.
Due to the influence of certain medications, he rarely dreamed. Suddenly dreaming of Xie Qi today was very strange.
Some people are superstitious about their dreams, like Zhao Shuyi’s mother, who was enthusiastic about praying to gods and Buddha. Every time she dreamed of something inauspicious, she would go to the temple to burn incense and resolve it.
Zhao Shuyi thought she was acting out of a guilty conscience. Since he hadn’t done anything shameful, he didn’t believe her nonsense.
If he followed her logic, Zhao Shuyi dreaming of Xie Qi—his sworn enemy—was probably an Omen of Great Misfortune.
Zhao Shuyi silently muttered “unlucky” and was about to get dressed and out of bed when his phone suddenly buzzed on the pillow.
Speak of the devil. The caller ID showed “General Manager Qin,” which was his mother, Qin Zhi.
“Shuyi, are you awake?” Qin Zhi’s voice was gentle and kind.
Zhao Shuyi’s tone, however, was devoid of warmth: “What is it? Say it.”
Qin Zhi sighed helplessly: “You child, can’t I call you if there’s nothing wrong? Mom misses you.”
“…”
Zhao Shuyi found it amusing but didn’t take it seriously.
His relationship with Qin Zhi had deteriorated the year his father passed away.
That was twenty years ago, when Zhao Shuyi was six.
From six to eighteen, Zhao Shuyi endured his mother to the limit. Unwilling to continue living together, he used the opportunity of studying abroad to move out of the family home. He never moved back after graduation and still lived alone.
The Zhao Family was wealthy and powerful, but not prosperous in terms of descendants.
Zhao Shuyi was the only junior. Above him was his Second Uncle, who was middle-aged, unmarried, and childless.
Above them was his Grandfather. The Old Master was seventy-six and had become increasingly solitary in his later years. He hadn’t inquired about Group affairs for a long time and usually didn’t like to be close to them.
Zhao Shuyi, his mother, his Second Uncle, and his Grandfather all lived separately. They did not cohabit, and their relationships were clearly not good.
Zhao Shuyi knew in his heart that Qin Zhi wouldn’t call if there wasn’t something important.
But he wouldn’t ask first; he waited for her to confess.
Sure enough, after only three lines of preamble, Qin Zhi got to the point: “You’re going to see the Old Master today, aren’t you?”
“Yes, he scheduled a talk with me,” Zhao Shuyi said casually. “The headquarters has been busy lately. I guess the news reached his ears, and the old man couldn’t sit still.”
Qin Zhi was noncommittal, only saying, “Your grandfather’s temper has grown in the past two years. No matter what he says, you agree to it. Don’t talk back.”
Zhao Shuyi found it strange: “Do you know what he wants to talk about?”
Qin Zhi said, “Just giving you a Heads-up.”
Zhao Shuyi didn’t respond. The other end of the line was quiet for a moment. Qin Zhi couldn’t hold back and vaguely revealed, “I heard there might be some other matters…”
“What matters?”
“You are twenty-six years old, Shuyi.”
“What about being twenty-six?”
The topic was too disjointed, and Zhao Shuyi didn’t understand, but his mother wouldn’t answer directly. She was hesitant today, as if something was difficult to say.
Zhao Shuyi didn’t have the patience to play guessing games with her. Just as he was about to hang up, she suddenly asked, “By the way, have you seen Xie Qi recently?”
Zhao Shuyi looked bewildered: “No, why would I see him?”
Qin Zhi said, “He was in the news today.”
“He hangs out with those entertainment stars every day. It would be strange if he wasn’t in the news.”
Zhao Shuyi wasn’t surprised, but remembering the dream just now, it was quite a coincidence. “Why are you suddenly bringing him up?”
“No reason,” Qin Zhi dodged. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me lately. Maybe when people get older, they become nostalgic… I remember you and Xie Qi were very close when you were little.”
“Huh?” Zhao Shuyi suspected he had amnesia. “When?”
Qin Zhi recalled: “Elementary school, was it fifth or sixth grade? I remember that one day, your test paper was torn up by that Wang kid, and you were so angry you cried. Xie Qi thoughtfully bought a pile of snacks to cheer you up. How nice.”
Zhao Shuyi was speechless: “The one who cheered me up was Wang Deyang. The one who tore my test paper was Xie Qi. You’ve got it backward.”
Qin Zhi: “…”
“And I never cried because he made me angry,” Zhao Shuyi said coldly, refusing to admit to any embarrassing history.
“Alright, alright,” Qin Zhi humored him. After thinking for a moment, she added, “Then a few years ago—when you were in the eleventh grade? You were sick in bed one time, and Xie Qi came to visit in the rain, waiting outside the door for five or six hours. Did I remember that wrong too?”
“What nonsense.” Zhao Shuyi had no memory of this at all. He was starting to get impatient. “Mom, you’ve been beating around the bush with me for ages. What exactly do you want to say?”
Qin Zhi hesitated.
Zhao Shuyi pondered, guessing only one possibility: “Do we have a partnership with the Xie Family soon? Do you want me to approach Xie Qi to talk?”
“No, not that.” Qin Zhi paused, then suddenly changed the subject. “Forget that. Shuyi, Mom is asking you, are you dating anyone recently?”
“?”
Every one of her questions was turning in a direction Zhao Shuyi hadn’t anticipated. In all these years, she had never cared about his romantic life. What possessed her today?
“No, I’m not dating anyone.” Zhao Shuyi reached his limit. “What exactly happened? Either tell me directly, or I’m hanging up—”
“Don’t!” Qin Zhi sighed faintly. “I’m not deliberately keeping you in suspense, I’m just afraid you won’t accept it. The matter was decided by your grandfather, and I was only informed myself. That’s why I came to find you as soon as I got the news.”
“Tell me.”
Qin Zhi lowered her voice several degrees, as if afraid a high pitch might startle someone: “Shuyi, your grandfather has arranged a Marriage Arrangement for you.”
Zhao Shuyi froze, suspecting he had misheard: “What?”
“I don’t know why,” Qin Zhi sounded worried. Regardless, she was Zhao Shuyi’s biological mother, yet she had no say in her son’s lifelong affairs. “It might be because your recent actions at the headquarters were too big, causing widespread alarm… You know the Old Master is most wary of internal strife.”
Zhao Shuyi’s face slowly darkened, like the endless overcast clouds outside the window, letting no light through.
“So he hopes you will temporarily set aside your work and get married.”