Feng Yiren's apartment, Maple Six Street
Yiren took a deep breath and braced herself for the worst, reaching for the document lying on her bed. She wasn't sure what to expect. Nothing seemed logical to her at all. How could Dong Xu have appeared in a dream and sent her a contract?
The worst was she had woken up drenched in sweat, giving her the impression that it wasn't a dream after all. How could she have met Dong Xu in a dream and then reaped the aftereffects of the dream? Was there some witchcraft involved?
She struck some sense into herself and told herself that witches were not real, at least not in the twenty-first century. She must have just been dreaming.
But how in the world could that contract have ended up in her bed next to her then? Unless Dong Xu had dropped it in her handbag. But her handbag lay metres away from her bed on the table by the window.
It made little sense to her at all.
'Come on. It's just a document. You don't have to agree to it if you don't want to,' Yiren told herself. It took all the strength in her to just turn the first page.
It read 'Contract of Marriage' followed by their names in both English and Chinese. How he even knew to write her name correctly was a mystery to her. There were uncountable Chinese characters which all sounded the same. She told herself that since he was Dong Xu, nothing was likely impossible for him.
Then she moved on to the content. Most probably, a lawyer had prepared the contractual terms, which were in dual language. She assumed this lawyer was Guan Ziming. At the first glance, she felt relieved that Dong Xu had made no requirement for them to have any sexual relations. Neither had he mentioned that they had to live in the same room although the terms had mentioned that she was to live under the same roof. She let out a sigh of relief.
Dong Xu had made it clear he didn't want her prying into his affairs, which she fathomed, associating that with the fact he was a CEO and probably had many admirers. That she could stomach. But she didn't need him at all or his help. So why was she so interested in signing the contract? Was she that desperate?
He had just needed her to be his wife for three years. After that, she would be free, free to date or marry anyone and live a life of freedom. She didn't know why he specifically needed it to be three years. And what was even the reason behind the contract? Probably these were questions that she could only find answers to from Dong Xu himself.
Yiren came to the last page of the contract. During these three years, Dong Xu wanted her to accompany him to any event he needed her to be present. Was reputation so crucial to him, that he couldn't get rid of any rumours from that night?
She hesitated. For her, twenty years old was just too young an age to be married, although it happened a lot even in these years. But she was still a student at university and she had unfinished dreams. She should find a time this week to discuss it again with Dong Xu.
Turning the last page just before reaching the page where both parties would affix their signatures, she closed the document. She was so focused on her thoughts that a vibration next to her caused her to jump slightly.
Cheng Xiaoyu was calling. She immediately answered the call.
From the surrounding noises, she interpreted Xiaoyu was driving and exclaiming excitedly over the phone. "Yiren, I've just seen Lin Xiao, and guess what! He's following my car right now! I don't know what to do, I'm in a big panic!"
Yiren swallowed and tried to process everything. Dong Xu, Lin Xiao and her lost fortune and uncle…
What did she need to do now?
And then the phone went silent for a few minutes until a siren sounded in the background. She heard Xiaoyu exclaiming nervously, "I'm very sorry, Officer!"
"Your identification, Miss," a rough voice came after.
Xiaoyu was definitely in a difficult position. It was well against the rules to have been using the phone while driving and she might have even been speeding depending on which street she was on. Not wanting to disrupt Xiaoyu further, she ended the call.
Yiren flopped down on her hard bed. Was Xiaoyu attempting to reach Lin Xiao and get something out of him, only to arouse his suspicion? She felt bad for her friend. Maybe she should resort to getting close to Dong Xu to get acquainted with Lin Xiao, but three years sounded too much.
An idea materialised in her head. Or maybe she could try to get close to Dong Xu without signing the contract, by using the contract as an excuse to meet him. She should give it a go. Without even trying, how would she know if it was impossible?
She thought about the heat of his kisses, and then she shivered. Surely Dong Xu must have a soft spot. But what if she got seduced by him instead?
'Calm down, Yiren. When there is a will, there is a way,' she reassured herself. She created a mental image of her family's struggles and them regaining the fortune they had lost. 'Once you get what you need from Feng Yintian, everything would be smooth-sailing.'
Feng Yintian was her uncle. She knew what she had to do, even if she had to use Dong Xu. It went well against her moral standards and it felt that she was taking advantage of him, but didn't he need her help as well for the sake of his face? She told herself, that this would be a win-win situation for the two of them.
Maybe it wasn't at all that bad. She could repay him in the future if there was some way she could help him. She scratched her temple as she thought of the day they had spent together in the hotel.
Did he have an interest in her or was she just dreaming about it all? Why did the girl have to be her?
No, he was a cold man, she answered herself. No way did he want her. He just needed her help to get rid of the rumours by asking her to be his fake, contracted wife.
In the same way, she needed his help to find out what she needed from Lin Xiao. She felt at a loss on what to do. Three years just for the sake of some information. It didn't seem worth it to sign a contract with him at all. And she wasn't sure if she would succeed to seduce him to get what she needed without signing the contract. After all, many women had failed in getting his attention.
She had to try, even if it doomed her to fail. This could be a game-changer, she sighed and stood up, flipping the contract to find out if Dong Xu had left a contact number.
Then she slapped herself on the side of her head. Of course, Dongtian Technologies had an office! Why didn't she think of that? She could take the subway over to his office to meet him after all.
Or she could go back to that hotel and wait for him to be back since tomorrow was Monday and he would likely be out all day. Her choice. She had options.
'When there's a will, there's a way,' she closed her eyes and told herself in her mind again and again.
"Dong Xu, I'll be seeing you soon!" she charged in her room while faking a battle stance.
That night, as she was asleep in bed, her smartphone vibrated and beeped a few times, before it went dead.