"This will be your room. It's just across from mine. So if you need anything, you can knock, anytime."
"Oh." Sera examined the room that was double the size of the room in her apartment. "Thanks."
"Hm. Take a bath. I'll be at the library waiting for you."
"Thanks."
"The library is three doors from your room." He looked at her before leaving the room. Sera sighed, she didn't continue checking the room as she dragged her suitcase to the bed and quickly found new clothes. Then she grabbed her toiletries and took a quick bath.
Ten minutes later, she was already on her way to the library.
"That was a quick shower." She heard him say the moment she walked inside the library. When he told her about having a library, the first thing that came into her mind was a study and perhaps a few bookshelves against the wall.
She was wrong.
The room was indeed like a library. She couldn't see the walls because of the huge bookshelves in the middle of the room. Even the entire place smelled of books.
"This place is…"
"A library," he responded.
After walking around the bookshelves, she finally found him sitting in a wooden chair, a hot tea can be seen on the coffee table on his left. Behind him stood Lan Xing.
"What are you reading?"
"It's German."
"Oh."
"So, about my business proposition."
"My business might get affected because of Mrs. Zhang, so I don't think investing in me is a good idea."
"Hm?"
"I know that you want to invest in my skills. I am good with computers, but I am not omnipotent. If Mrs. Zhang knew about Psi, she would surely do something about it."
"Who told you that I want to invest in your computer skills?"
"You said you want to invest in me."
"True. In you."
She blinked, lips pursing into a straight line. What does it mean?
"Marriage Alliance."
She blinked again. Did she hear the right thing? Was she hallucinating?
"Why are you staring blankly at me?"
"Huh? I was waiting for you to say something," she said.
"I already said. I want to marry you." He gestured at his secretary. "Lan Xing give it to her."
Lan Xing immediately handed her the folder — the familiar folder that he gave her before. "The marriage is between Miss Zhang and Mr. Quinn. Both parties are not required to be intimate or act like they were lovers in public or private. However, Miss Zhang needed to help Mr. Quinn with one thing. Miss Zhang needed to— "
"No."
Sera's words seemed to change the temperature of the room.
"Excuse me?" Lan Xing dared to ask.
"I sad no. I am not marrying anyone." Is this the famous contracted marriage that she read from the novels when she was still in her teens?
"Miss Zhang, you haven't even heard our conditions yet. How could you say that you won't marry the master? Do you know how many women would want to marry the master?"
"Then why not marry those women?" she fired back.
"I want you to help me ruin the Zhang Family." Chris interrupted her.
Almost instantly, her face changed. "You— "
"The greedy Zhang Family did something unthinkable to my only family member. I want to ruin them."
"Then I can't help you." Despite being an adopted daughter, the Zhang Family still raised her. They fed her clothe her and educate her like a proper human being. The reason why she left the family wasn't that they bullied her, but because she got too ambitious, she schemed against them.
"Because you owe them?"
"Yes." She wasn't some saint. And she would surely make Zhang Xin pay for framing her. However, she couldn't and wouldn't ruin the Zhang Family just because of that woman.
"Then… what if I tell you that they were the ones that owe you?"
"I won't believe you." She answered without batting an eyelid.
"Very well." Chris smiled. "Read the last page of the contract."
She was about to refuse but ended up reading it. She was interested to know what did he — "What is this?" She widened her eyes, mouth agape. "What do you mean by this?"
"That is… a copy of Old Man Zhang's will. I got it from his lawyer. Half of his properties and millions worth of shares were willed to you."
"Why would he do that?" She couldn't remember talking to the old man when she was still in their mansion. Why would he give her something like that?
His lips lifted into a beautiful smile. "Guess." Seeing her face darkened, Chriss chuckled and added in a slow, irritating voice. "Because you… my dear is a Zhang by blood."
"Mr. Quinn, please stop saying nonsense things." What the hell was he talking about? "I think we already had enough of this conversation. I will rest and leave tomorrow morning. I will— "
"Sit down."
Sera frowned. His cold voice surprised her.
"Let me tell you why and you can decide for yourself."
Sera didn't move. Mr. Quinn is not some clown on the streets. Surely, he had some basis in his claims, right? Seeing this, Chris added continued.
"You are the daughter of Melissa Zhang, Old Man Zhang's late daughter who was impregnated by a married man. They tried to hide the pregnancy by sending her abroad. She died of childbirth, leaving you with Old Man Zhang and his wife. To turn you into a legitimate Zhang, they devised a plan to make his second son adopt you. Thus, you become the adopted member of the Zhang Family."
"This story…"
"Is real. I will arrange a flight for you. Go see the old man confirm everything. Right now, no one knows about this aside from the Old Man, his late wife, and Zhang Xin. You were chased out of the mansion because you were a bit stupid and easy to manipulate." He decided to be honest with her simply because he trusted her. He knew that she would come up with the right decision. However, now his priority is their marriage.
"This — This is too sudden." Why does it feel like hearing the story made her lose all her strength? She knew it was impossible. How could it be like that?
"I wasn't planning on approaching you. However, the old man is already dying. The greedy bastards are going to target you once the secret is out." Seeing her standing as still as a statue, Chris instructed Lan Xing to leave them. Then he continued, "The first time that Lan Xing approached you. I was serious about the marriage. Of course, I didn't expect that you would easily agree. So, I tried to meet you."
"At the bar…" realization hit her like a brick. When he approached her, she was already drunk and then that happened.
"Yes. When I arrived, you were already drunk."
"So, you wanted to marry me because I would become the primary shareholder of the Zhang Corp?"
"Yes."
"You know… I am not interested in the Zhang Family." She sat opposite him. "I don't want trouble and chaos." What would scheming and power struggle bring her? Living in Pane City made her realized that she loved the peace and living a normal life.
For a few seconds, he stared at her peaceful expression. He didn't expect her to act this calm, despite knowing the truth. However, isn't this the thing that he loves about her? "After we destroy them… I can promise you a normal life." A normal life with him.
"Earlier, you said you wanted to marry me because they would soon target me. Why would you want to protect me?" Sera wasn't dumb. She knew something else is going on here. "Mr. Quinn… I am nothing to you. I also thought that we didn't meet before that bar… escapade."
"It's a long story. Let me make it shorter. As the eldest granddaughter of the Zhang Family… I am your fiance."