Unmatched Chapter 9
byThe next day was Monday. Under the urging of both sets of parents, Zhao Shuyi and Xie Qi woke up early to queue at the Civil Affairs Bureau.
There weren’t many people, and they quickly received a pair of red booklets—their marriage certificates.
Under the blazing August sun, they walked out of the bureau, looking at the documents in their hands and falling silent simultaneously.
Going from mortal enemies to legally married husbands overnight felt more than just subtle.
“It’s over,” Zhao Shuyi adjusted the slightly crooked sunglasses on his nose.
Xie Qi glanced at him. “It’s just beginning.”
“…”
It was indeed just the beginning.
After their conversation last night, which was tentatively friendly, they finally called a truce. They woke up in the same bed this morning, ate breakfast face-to-face, and had maintained peace until now, a rare feat.
Logically, the task was complete after registering the marriage, but Zhao Shuyi wasn’t sure how they should interact going forward. He felt that this question didn’t need discussion; minding their own business was the greatest respect they could show each other.
His previous comment about bringing lovers home was purely a joke. With so many properties, he didn’t need to lead anyone right in front of Xie Qi. What would be the point? He didn’t have a special fetish for being watched.
Zhao Shuyi and Xie Qi walked toward the parking lot, one after the other, when suddenly, something flashed in the distance.
Xie Qi keenly looked up. Zhao Shuyi also realized what it was and was very displeased. “Xie Qi, can you clean up your paparazzi problem?”
It was annoying, making them look like celebrity influencers.
Xie Qi was unconcerned. “What’s the big deal about being photographed? Can’t you be seen in public?”
“I don’t like it.” Zhao Shuyi warned him seriously. “Don’t bring the mess from your circle into my life.”
“Got it.”
Xie Qi slammed the car door shut and messaged his subordinates to deal with the entertainment media.
The difference in style between Xie Qi and Zhao Shuyi highlighted the fundamental difference between the Xie Family and the Zhao Family.
The Xie Family fit the public’s stereotype of a “wealthy elite family”: large, chaotic relationships, full of melodrama, extravagant and high-profile, and constantly plagued by scandals.
But Zhao Fengli was an old-school entrepreneur who detested this heavy “capitalist stench.” If Zhao Shuyi dared to spend his days messing around with actresses like Xie Qi, his legs would have been broken long ago.
However, Zhao Fengli’s personal character was only one reason. Ultimately, it was due to the different natures of the two companies.
Although Chaoyang Group had a wide business scope and dabbled in many industries, it started in telecommunications equipment. Even today, its essence remained a technology company focused on technical innovation. The annual investment in research was astronomical, and returns were not guaranteed, so profit decline was common.
For this reason, the Board of Directors argued constantly. Some wanted to transition quickly, cut R&D funding, and claimed that assembly was more profitable than self-development, so why bother with a thankless task?
Others wanted to increase investment, seek breakthroughs, and insisted that no matter how difficult, they couldn’t abandon their foundation. Without technology, they would fall to the bottom of the industrial chain.
Putting aside factional struggles, the core issue was a lack of money.
So there was a third voice: listing the company for financing.
But this meant capital intervention and a change in the company’s nature. Zhao Fengli had already made many compromises in his later years to stabilize the situation and did not want to compromise on matters of principle.
In contrast, Ringzhou Group was the embodiment of capital.
In Xie Jianhe’s eyes, the company’s market value was paramount. He would never invest in unprofitable projects or employ worthless idlers.
He commanded a massive analytical management team that operated like a precise, cold, and efficient machine, focusing only on performance and nothing else.
As a result, on a certain personal level, Zhao Shuyi occasionally envied Xie Qi.
He felt that Xie Qi must have a much easier life than him; his biggest difficulty was probably engaging in palace intrigue with his stepmother and that crowd of illegitimate children.
But what lay before Zhao Shuyi was a seemingly magnificent, giant mess.
Chaoyang Group’s predicament stemmed from multiple difficult-to-solve issues. It was no exaggeration to say they were at a turning point of life and death.
Zhao Fengli arranging the Marriage Alliance between him and Xie Qi was simply because he valued the Xie Family’s wealth. If one day Zhao Shuyi was forced into a corner with nowhere to turn, at least the Xie Family could lend a helping hand.
But—
Zhao Shuyi thought, how could there be such a good thing in the world? They want money, and you expect them to just give it away? Xie Qi was no philanthropist, and Xie Jianhe certainly wasn’t.
They left the Civil Affairs Bureau and drove toward home. Zhao Shuyi was forced to take marriage leave and didn’t have to go to work today. He glanced at Xie Qi out of the corner of his eye, suddenly curious: Why did this person agree to the Marriage Arrangement? What specific benefits was he seeking?
“Why are you looking at me?” Xie Qi noticed his gaze and looked up from his phone.
Zhao Shuyi took off his sunglasses and scanned Xie Qi’s phone screen, which showed the Weibo interface.
“What are you scrolling through?” Zhao Shuyi asked. “A new post from a certain actress?”
“No.”
Zhao Shuyi didn’t believe him. “You won’t even tell me the truth? Which one of them is your girlfriend? Or have you dated all of them?”
“…”
Xie Qi seemed about to deny it but changed his mind the moment he opened his mouth, saying stiffly, “I’ve dated all of them. So what?”
“Nothing.” Zhao Shuyi didn’t understand the source of his temper. “Just chatting. Aren’t we good friends now?”
“Who’s good friends with you?” Xie Qi turned his face away, staring coldly out the window.
Zhao Shuyi was speechless. “OK, not good. Just regular friends.”
“…”
The driver today was still Ye Zhao. Secretary Ye silently listened to the conversation in the back seat, his mouth twitching slightly.
Zhao Shuyi was immune to Xie Qi’s cold face, finding it childish.
It was a shame he used to pretend so well, acting like a normal person.
The rest of the drive was silent. The car drove into the residential area. When they got out, Zhao Shuyi belatedly asked Xie Qi, “You’re not working either?”
“I don’t have to go to the company every day.” Xie Qi walked ahead of him. Seeing that Zhao Shuyi and Ye Zhao wanted to talk privately, he seemed about to turn back and call him, but hesitated and entered the elevator first.
Zhao Shuyi talked with Ye Zhao for nearly ten minutes before saying goodbye. It was all business, and every sentence was irritating. But Zhao Fengli had specifically instructed him to remain calm and not act rashly.
The Old Master’s illness couldn’t be hidden for much longer. The more critical the moment, the more cautious he needed to be.
Zhao Shuyi pushed open the door to the house. Xie Qi was changing clothes, his shirt tossed aside, his bare back facing him. He didn’t react much when he heard the footsteps, showing no self-consciousness typical of a straight man.
It seemed his homophobia was triggered randomly.
Zhao Shuyi walked up to the straight man and lightly tapped the wardrobe door to get his attention.
“I have a question,” Zhao Shuyi said. “What is the purpose of your Marriage Alliance?”
“…”
Xie Qi paused while buttoning his shirt and turned around. “Guess.”
Zhao Shuyi was expressionless. “I don’t even know who your dad originally arranged for you to marry, so how can I guess?”
“He said it was the granddaughter of one of your company’s Founding Elders,” Xie Qi had an unreliable air no matter how serious the topic, but his eyes were strangely sharp. “We could coordinate from within and outside, collapse Chaoyang Group, and then annex it.”
“…?”
Zhao Shuyi suspected he had misheard. “Is there something wrong with your brain?”
Such a huge appetite; he wasn’t afraid of choking himself.
Xie Qi said sharply, “Unless you’re blind, who can’t see that your internal struggles are severe and Chaoyang’s situation is bad? Rather than letting others take a bite during the chaos, I’d rather eat it myself.”
Zhao Shuyi’s expression hardened. “Stop dreaming.”
“I don’t have the chance to dream now, since I’m married to you.”
“What about your dad? What does he think?”
“How should I know? He might really be planning that—sending me to your side as a commercial spy to coordinate with him from the inside…”
This was a joke, and also a cover-up—Xie Qi wasn’t telling the truth.
But the joke wasn’t funny. Zhao Shuyi felt his inverse scale touched, his face darkening. The atmosphere was clearly tense. Xie Qi didn’t want to delve deeper and changed the subject. “Zhao Shuyi, I also have a question.”
“What?”
“A private question.” Xie Qi paused, then whispered, “When you have sex with a man, are you the top or the bottom?”
“…”
That was certainly private enough.
Xie Qi had just changed into his loungewear and hadn’t finished buttoning it. He suddenly took a step forward, deliberately moving closer to Zhao Shuyi. “I’m a little curious. You homosexuals… does it feel very good?”
He had crossed a line.
Zhao Shuyi frowned. “First, I’m bisexual. Second, I suggest you change your discriminatory tone.”
“Is this discrimination?” Xie Qi knew he was wrong but didn’t correct himself, raising his chin matter-of-factly. “How else should I ask?”
“You could humbly ask for guidance, or search online yourself. As for sex, the difference between men and women isn’t that big. It’s all ‘that way,’ I suppose.”
“‘That way’?” Xie Qi seemed unable to imagine what “that way” actually meant.
“…”
Zhao Shuyi stared at his face, precisely catching the flicker of unnaturalness in his eyes.
Recalling Xie Qi’s various awkward reactions when he had maliciously teased him before, a sudden, absurd thought flashed through Zhao Shuyi’s mind. He couldn’t help but probe. “Xie Qi…”
“Hmm?”
“Don’t tell me you haven’t slept with anyone yet?”
“…”
Xie Qi was silent for two seconds, his face clouded with gloom.
Zhao Shuyi was suddenly enlightened and astonished. “So you’re a virgin.”