"From what I understand, you refuse to treat marriage as a transaction, correct?"
I nodded. Lily paused for a moment, considering her next words carefully.
"In other words, you would prefer a sincere relationship. One where you would ideally receive real love, correct?" She took a deep breath. "Then we can start off slow. We won't start with a marriage then. I believe the first step is…dating?"
"That's still jumping quite far ahead," I pointed out. "The first step is to start off as friends. Like I said, we don't even know each other that well."
Lily sighed. "I understand, but I don't have the time for that. My parents are pressuring me to get married to a bunch of CEOs, and I held them off by telling them that I already have a person in mind. So before we get to that stage, I hope you can pretend to be my boyfriend. I will compensate you accordingly in return."
"No need for the compensation. I don't mind helping out, but please don't expect too much from me."
It wasn't as if I was obligated to help her, but I wasn't a cold-hearted bastard who refused someone's request just because I couldn't be bothered to assist her. So I nodded.
"You just need me to pretend, right?"
"Yes. And ideally we can develop the relationship further after that. Maybe we'll give it six months. If you still feel like we are not a good fit after that, then we can break it off." Lily smiled. "Maybe that might convince my parents that I'm serious about this, though I'm worried that they will gloat over me, telling me that they told me so and pressuring me to marry who they want me to marry as opposed to who I wish to marry."
"And you don't have any other candidates in mind?"
I sounded skeptical. A beautiful lady like Lily Ling should have plenty of suitors. I was surprised she wasn't being pursued by a rich and handsome man. I found her appealing and attractive enough to the point where I was tempted to forsake my vow of celibacy.
However, I wasn't that desperate, nor would I sacrifice my pride just to chase a woman who was ultimately from a different world. I wasn't that deluded. Not to mention, I dreaded going to her home. Her in-laws were going to make life a living hell for me.
If she wasn't from such an esteemed family, maybe I might have taken her up at her offer. It wasn't as if there was any woman in this world who would like me. I had the feeling Lily didn't like me, though. She trusted me, but she didn't find me attractive. How do I put it? She didn't view me as a member of the opposite sex, but rather a client. She treated marriage as a contract, a deal. There was no affection whatsoever, just a cold, calculating motive to make use of me for her own convenience.
That was why I was uncomfortable with her proposal and didn't want to accept it. No doubt a bunch of supposedly "masculine" assholes who prided themselves on being "alpha males" would insult me for being a "spineless cuck beta male" for refusing a beautiful woman who was throwing herself at me (not exactly, I had the feeling that if I accepted the proposal, she would request that we maintain a physical distance and avoid intimacy). Hell, those so-called alpha males were more than welcome to marry Lily Ling if they wanted. I would be more than happy to set them up.
Actually, I had the feeling that if I had agreed to this secret marriage, I would more than likely end up like the male protagonist in those nonsensical son-in-law stories where I would spend a few years unable to sleep in the same bed as my supposed wife and not allowed to touch her. In the meantime, my in-laws would abuse and insult me everyday, condemning me as a trash son-in-law and kept man, deriding me for failing at my business and needing to live off my wife.
Damn it. This was supposed to be a romantic CEO story meant for women, not a power fantasy son-in-law story meant for men!
"No, I'm afraid not." My attention was directed back to Lily, who was shaking her head. "Most of the men I can trust are already married."
She grimaced and glanced downward, studying herself.
"After all, we're all already in our 30s. Most people get married in their late twenties. It's hard to find a man I can trust. As for those who aren't married…I can't trust them at all."
"Really?"
"Yes. I'm sure you know Justin Han?" Lily looked at me sternly. "I've received information on how he harasses your company and embarrasses you in public. Do you think that kind of man is reliable?"
Ah. That made sense. I wouldn't trust Justin Han either. Not to mention, he had quite the reputation for being a playboy. However, he was popular with women. As much as I hated to admit it, he was a brilliant businessman and an innovative designer. Girls would flock to him like flies to…you know.
Then again, money and prestige were the last things that the already wealthy and famous Lily Ling needed. She probably couldn't count on Justin Han to be loyal to her.
"Many of the other single men I know are just like Justin Han. Ruthless, cold and tyrannical."
"I don't think you're in any position to criticize others for being cold…"
"Really?" Lily smiled. "Most people think I'm quite innocent, actually."
Now that I had a good look at her, I realized she had a point. Lily's diminutive frame did come across as being innocent, what with her cute, babyish face, wavy hair and pearly skin. She resembled a beautiful porcelain doll, and emanated an air of vulnerability that made people – especially men, I bet – to protect her.
I wondered how much of her appearance was deliberately designed, and how much of it was natural.
"Um, before I forget, there's a main reason why I'm proposing all this." Lily took a deep breath. "My parents wish to meet you – my boyfriend – this coming weekend. I hope you will be able to come to my house and pose as my lover. That will keep them off my back for a while."
She then giggled.
"They will certainly pressure you to marry me as quickly as possible, so be warned."
"I'll just turn a deaf ear to them." I had a lot of practice, especially since I spent a lot of time tuning out the insults from the likes of Justin Han and other CEOs. "All right, I'll help you out with this."
"Thank you. And consider my proposal. Even though we are pretending for now, I hope we can develop this relationship into something authentic over the next six months."
"The only way that will happen is if you convince me to fall in love with you by the end of those six months."
Lily looked away, and I realized I might have hit a sore spot. She cleared her throat.
"Honestly…I don't know if I believe in love. I thought I've fallen in love before, but I was betrayed by the one person I never thought would turn his back on me."
Her lip curled.
"Worse, he betrayed me for my sister."
Right. I heard the rumors that Linda Ling stole Charles Mu from Lily Ling. Seemed like that was true. The incident must have left a scar on her heart, which was why she no longer believed in love. That led her to view marriage not as a vow between two people who loved each other, but as a business deal or contract between partners.
Now that I thought about it, it could be all of that. Marriage was something that could only happen between two partners who respected each other equally, who trusted each other. Love was impossible without any trust between the two parties involved. And it wasn't possible to love someone who cheated on you or betrayed you. I could see how Lily's love for Charles had turned into hatred, a venom so powerful it blocked her from ever believing in romance again.
For the first time, I felt sorry for her. Lily Ling wasn't cold because she wanted to play hard to get or whatever. It was a self-defense mechanism, a barrier she built around her heart so that she wouldn't get hurt again in future.
Most likely I wasn't the right partner for her, but I wanted to at least try to break down those walls for her, so that when she found the right person for her…when she finally fell in love, she wouldn't be burdened by the trauma from her past.
"All right. I will accept your proposal."
"Thank you!" Lily sounded delighted. She rose to her feet, stretching her arm out for a handshake. "I look forward to cooperating with you."
Behaving as if this was a business deal until the very end.
"I was almost expecting you to pull out a contract for me to sign," I confessed as I stood up and accepted her handshake. Lily looked sheepish.
"Actually, I did…but it's pointless, since we won't be registering our marriage immediately."
"…what?"
Lily reached into her handbag and pulled out a sheaf of documents. She passed them to me with a self-deprecating smile. "I prepared the marriage contract and everything beforehand, as a formality. As a form of protection, you know…"
I scanned through the clauses and shook my head with a sigh. As I thought. In return for monetary compensation (or a "dowry"), she just wanted me to serve as her husband in name only. There was to be no physical, intimate contact between us, yet somehow I was not allowed to cheat on her or cause a scandal (apparently it might ruin her reputation). Of course there was the defensive clause that forbade me from inflicting any sort of harm on her – so if I meted out physical violence, I was to be imprisoned. No verbal abuse allowed either. There was even a clause stipulating how much time I should spend with her, including lining out my obligations to accompany her to formal events. Then there was a clause that stated that aside from the above clauses, we were not to interfere in each other's business, and by large I was free to do whatever I wanted.
What the hell? Good thing I didn't accept her first proposal or this would really turn into a son-in-law story.
At least there was no nonsensical "you are not allowed to fall in love with me" clause.
"Are you serious?"
"No." Lily took back the document and tore it up. "I trust you. I think…even without a contract, I do not think you will harm me."
Lady, the clauses on the document go way beyond self-defense. It was practically a contract that controlled my life.
Sighing, I kneaded my forehead to soothe the tension. It seemed like I had a lot to teach her about how to build and maintain a proper relationship before the six months were up.