Unmatched Chapter 2
byChapter 2 A Mere Marriage Alliance
Zhao Shuyi’s grandfather was Zhao Fengli, a renowned entrepreneur.
The legendary story of how Zhao Fengli started from scratch and built his commercial empire could take three days and three nights to tell. He was the epitome of success, an object of emulation for the younger generation.
But Zhao Shuyi did not like him.
Admittedly, “Zhao Fengli” held great weight in Zhao Shuyi’s heart, an almost flawless role model, but “Grandfather” was unqualified.
Their relationship was distant, and they rarely showed affection. The last time they met was during the Spring Festival half a year ago.
During the family New Year’s Eve dinner, Zhao Shuyi was required to report on his work. Although his performance was quite good, there was no smile on Zhao Fengli’s deeply lined old face. Instead, his expression grew inexplicably heavier, causing unease.
He was moody and extremely harsh toward Zhao Shuyi. In over twenty years, he had never offered a word of praise, let alone affection. The typical grandparental love found in ordinary families simply did not exist in the Zhao Family.
Zhao Shuyi mocked himself, perhaps because his father died early, the condition for “intergenerational” affection failed, and everything his father should have endured now fell upon him.
But suddenly forcing him to marry was simply absurd.
Zhao Shuyi was incredulous.
Although the Old Master was strict, he was not muddled; everything he did had a purpose. The problem was that his purpose and Zhao Shuyi’s purpose seemed to diverge.
—Chaoyang Group was too large.
When the young Zhao Fengli registered the company back then, he probably didn’t anticipate that its various businesses would now span the globe, with inconsistent performance across departments and complex relationships among the high-level executives. Governing the company was as difficult as governing a nation.
Such a massive company was naturally not a simple family business. All major decisions required a Board Vote, including the selection of the next Successor.
In other words, whether it was Zhao Shuyi or his Second Uncle, Zhao Huaicheng, to become Zhao Fengli’s Successor, they needed the support of the Board of Directors, otherwise, they could not hold the position securely.
Zhao Shuyi and Zhao Huaicheng each had their factions and had been secretly vying for a long time. The conflict had become particularly fierce recently, and the Old Master suddenly intervening, telling Zhao Shuyi to pause his work and get married, was tantamount to Taking Sides and disrupting his rhythm.
Why? Was he dissatisfied with Zhao Shuyi’s actions?
Zhao Shuyi reflected. This year, he wanted to implement reforms, cutting business units with subpar performance. This affected a Founding Elder on the board, creating significant resistance.
Zhao Shuyi took the opportunity to investigate the elder’s accounts, uncovering numerous corruption issues. He wanted to seize the chance to make an example, but at the crucial moment, the Old Master restrained him—
Zhao Shuyi couldn’t understand.
In any case, there was no way he would go through with this Marriage Arrangement.
…
Zhao Shuyi left at 8:30 AM, driving himself without a chauffeur to Zhao Fengli’s residence in the suburbs.
The sky above was low, dark clouds like a curtain. Thin lines of rain streamed down the car window, blurring the cold profile reflected on the glass.
The drive took nearly an hour, and the rain finally stopped when Zhao Shuyi got out of the car.
He stood silently at the gate for a moment. Having not visited for half a year, the plants in the Old Master’s courtyard had grown even more lush.
The Old Master had no time for leisure; the flowers and plants were cared for by the Old Butler. Zhao Shuyi was not one to appreciate flowers either. He walked through the garden without pausing and entered the foyer.
The Old Butler greeted him with a smile: “Shuyi, you’re here.”
“Yes.” Zhao Shuyi rolled up the cuff of his suit jacket, glanced into the depths of the house, and asked softly, “Is the Old Master alone?”
“Your Second Uncle is also here.”
“Who else?”
“Secretary Ye. No one else.”
Zhao Shuyi nodded.
Every time he came to see Zhao Fengli, it felt like an audience with the emperor. There was no familial warmth, only the dread of Serving a Ruler is like Serving a Tiger.
It wasn’t that Zhao Fengli deliberately put on imperial airs; it was simply his nature. He liked to impose various tests on his descendants, requiring them to carefully guess his intentions and make the correct choices without explicit guidance, thereby proving their competence and worthiness of being entrusted with important tasks.
Zhao Huaicheng was a master at Catering to the Ruler’s Wishes. Zhao Shuyi was the opposite, possessing an Innate Rebelliousness that refused to bend. The limit of his obedience was merely silence and not talking back.
Zhao Shuyi approached the study. Before entering, he heard voices talking.
“You are the elder. You watch him cause resentment among the Board of Directors, yet you don’t know how to manage him?” It was the Old Master’s voice, old yet powerful, clearly accustomed to giving orders.
Zhao Huaicheng responded: “Dad, I want to manage him, but you know Shuyi’s temper. How can I control him? Besides, he performed well in the grassroots positions over the past two years and is very popular. Outsiders say he is still young and has limitless potential, more suitable to take over than me. If I cause trouble for him, people will say I’m deliberately suppressing him and can’t tolerate my own nephew…”
Before he could finish, Zhao Shuyi pushed the door open with a dark expression: “Second Uncle, why are you talking about me behind my back?”
“Isn’t this praising you?” Zhao Huaicheng looked up from the tea table. His well-maintained face looked remarkably young, unlike a middle-aged man.
Their eyes met, and Zhao Shuyi sat down expressionlessly.
Zhao Huaicheng said, “I can’t interfere at the company, but at home, we are family. If you ask me, Shuyi, you shouldn’t be so impatient. How can you directly target Feng Wen…”
“What about Feng Wen?” Zhao Shuyi said coolly, “That man named Feng cannot be touched, nor can that man named Li. The Board of Directors is full of parasites. Should I be like you, turning a blind eye just to build factions and cater to everyone?”
“How am I building factions!” Zhao Huaicheng’s face stiffened, and his voice rose.
Seeing that they were about to argue, the Old Master, sitting at the head of the table, slammed his teacup down. The loud clatter startled the uncle and nephew into silence.
The fourth man present, Ye Zhao—reportedly Zhao Fengli’s newly cultivated secretary—pulled out a tissue to wipe the wet tabletop and poured a fresh cup of tea for his superior.
Zhao Fengli glared at Zhao Shuyi, displeased: “How dare you speak to your Second Uncle like that? Can you learn some manners? You have no respect for your elders.”
“Manners?” Zhao Shuyi sneered, “Why don’t I just call him Dad then!”
Before the words fully landed, Zhao Fengli violently smashed the teacup.
The study fell into a dead silence. Zhao Huaicheng’s face alternated between red and white. Secretary Ye pretended not to understand the Zhao Family secret and awkwardly turned his head away.
A walking stick rested beside the rectangular tea table. The Old Master grabbed it and swung it toward Zhao Shuyi’s shoulder. The latter stood firm, but Zhao Huaicheng quickly rose to block the blow, taking the impact for Zhao Shuyi.
The stick was heavy. The dull thud made one suspect bones might have been shattered.
“Dad, it’s my fault, it’s all my fault!” Zhao Huaicheng repeatedly apologized, “Shuyi is still young. Please don’t be angry with him…”
“Don’t think you’re faultless!” The Old Master’s hand trembled with anger. He glared sternly, but bypassed the family matter to discuss business: “You fail to help when you should, yet you fan the flames twice as effectively! If you truly cared about the company, would you let him pursue reforms and an Internal Investigation! Every member of the Board of Directors is a Founding Elder. Moving one affects the whole body. Does he understand the gravity of the situation!”
Zhao Huaicheng humbly lowered his head and answered, “Yes.”
Zhao Shuyi remained silent. The Old Master assumed he had listened and continued: “Yesterday, Feng Wen brought his wife and children to complain to me,” he pointed at Zhao Shuyi’s nose and scolded, “He was risking his life for Chaoyang when you weren’t even born! Even your father grew up under his watch, do you understand!”
“…”
The wind picked up after the rain stopped. Outside the window, the dark clouds gathered and dispersed quickly. Fierce sunlight streamed through the glass onto Zhao Shuyi’s young face, failing to illuminate his gloomy expression.
Zhao Fengli watched him silently. It was impossible to say he disliked him; no one in the Zhao Family resembled the Old Master in his youth more than Zhao Shuyi.
But the times were different, and the situation was different. It was hard to build an empire, and even harder to maintain it.
Prosperity followed by decline was the trajectory of all things. Zhao Shuyi was born precisely during the peak period of Chaoyang Group. Now, the magnificent, jade-carved edifice was shaky, and the slightest mistake could crush him beneath it.
“Do you know what you should do?” The Old Master’s face darkened, his tone meaningful.
Zhao Shuyi said, “I know.”
Despite saying so, there was no sign of yielding on his face.
“You know nothing!” Zhao Fengli heavily struck the ground with his walking stick. His voice, hoarse from age, rasped, “Forget it. The main reason I called you here today is to discuss something else—your mother has already told you, hasn’t she?”
Zhao Shuyi looked up.
“I have chosen a suitable Marriage Alliance partner for you. Put work aside for now; starting a family is also crucial. Those who don’t settle down are always unstable, like your Second Uncle. He’s over forty, yet he acts that way every day. I find it annoying just looking at him.”
“…”
Putting aside personal grudges, objectively speaking, Zhao Shuyi didn’t think his Second Uncle was “unstable” in any way. But if the Old Master said it, it was so, allowing no rebuttal.
It was a wonder his Second Uncle could endure the pressure for over forty years. Zhao Shuyi was only twenty-six and already felt he was reaching his limit.
His entire year’s work was completely negated by the phrase “You know nothing.” The Old Master wasn’t even willing to offer a single explanation, only ever imposing rules, never patiently guiding. If Zhao Shuyi failed to grasp his meaning, it was Zhao Shuyi’s fault, and he should be kicked out of the office and sent home for a Marriage Alliance—
A mere Marriage Alliance.
Who the partner was didn’t matter; what mattered was that it benefited the group’s development.
Zhao Shuyi felt a pang in his chest, but he inherited Zhao Fengli’s nature to the core. His private emotions were restrained; he never acted spoiled, and since he had never been favored by his elders, he didn’t care. Even though he felt a sense of grievance now, he refused to yield: “I will not marry.”
He pulled a stack of documents from a paper bag and slapped them onto the table: “If you force me to marry, I will immediately send Feng Wen to court.”
He had grown taller than Zhao Fengli sometime over the years: “You are the Chairman of the Board, but Chaoyang Group is not your personal domain—Director Feng is not the only one with a wife and children. I must be responsible for the company’s future and all affected employees!”
Zhao Huaicheng and Ye Zhao simultaneously turned their heads, looking at him in horror.
Zhao Shuyi was oblivious, continuing on his own: “High-level corruption hasn’t been a secret for a long time. You all know, but you hesitate to act. Isn’t it perfect for me to be the knife? Why are you panicking before the knife has even struck?”
“…”
Zhao Fengli couldn’t catch his breath. He couldn’t even hold his walking stick steady: “What did you say?”
“I said, how can we progress if we’re afraid to take any risk? No wonder our company is declining.”
There was even disappointment in Zhao Shuyi’s eyes, as if the grandfather standing before him was no longer worthy of authority. “In my opinion, you might as well retire early—”
“Slap!”
A loud slap made Zhao Shuyi turn his head.
Zhao Huaicheng and Ye Zhao both flinched. This time, no one dared to intervene. The Old Master’s hand was still shaking after hitting him. He vigorously shook it out and shouted, “Ye Zhao!”
Secretary Ye was startled and quickly stepped forward: “I’m here, sir.”
“Send him to Hengfeng Lake!—Lock him up for Self-Reflection! Keep him there until he knows what he did wrong and agrees to the Marriage Arrangement!”
“…”
Ye Zhao was stunned and silently glanced at Zhao Shuyi.
The Zhao Family had good genes. The Old Master was handsome in his youth, and both his sons were attractive. By the time it reached Zhao Shuyi, whose mother was also beautiful, the genetic advantage was amplified manifold. His face was flawless, almost intimidatingly perfect.
His biggest flaw was his naturally cold disposition; he rarely smiled, like a piece of ice difficult to melt.
The slap had reddened half his face, the finger marks clearly visible, but miraculously, he remained expressionless, neither angry nor afraid. This look infuriated the Old Master to the point of nearly having a heart attack. Zhao Huaicheng quickly pushed his nephew out the door and signaled to the secretary: “Get him out of here, quickly!”
—If he didn’t leave soon, he might say something even more treasonous.
Zhao Shuyi, however, shook them off and strode out the door on his own.
“Fine, I’ll go for Self-Reflection.”
He walked swiftly toward the parking area outside the courtyard. Ye Zhao jogged to catch up, took the car keys, and helped open the car door.
Zhao Shuyi leaned in and sat in the back seat. Once the car started, he asked softly, “Do you have a cigarette?”
Ye Zhao handed him one and personally lit it for him, acting extremely deferentially.
Only then did Zhao Shuyi truly look at the new secretary named Ye. He was young but older than Zhao Shuyi, probably around thirty. The Old Master must have dug him up from somewhere.
Zhao Shuyi inhaled the cigarette. The pungent smoke burned his lungs, and he gradually calmed down.
Ye Zhao glanced back at him while driving, but through the swirling blue smoke, he couldn’t make out Zhao Shuyi’s expression.
The car drove toward Hengfeng Lake, the most expensive villa area in the city center. The Zhao Family owned a property there, which had been Zhao Shuyi’s parents’ marital home when they were young and had been vacant since his father’s death.
The headquarters of Chaoyang Group was also on the shore of Hengfeng Lake.
It stood on the opposite bank of the lake, facing the villas across the water. Before the car even drew near, Zhao Shuyi could see the magnificent silhouette of the building reflected on the lake surface in the distance.
He had smoked his fourth cigarette when he finally remembered a crucial detail.
“Secretary Ye,” Zhao Shuyi asked belatedly, “Who is the person the Old Master found?”
Ye Zhao was focused on driving and didn’t immediately react: “Which person?”
Zhao Shuyi extinguished his cigarette. His mind suddenly blanked, forgetting the term “fiancée”: “Who is my wife?”