The man sitting in front of Chu Fei actually forced her to kneel at his feet. His voice, laced with thirty percent coldness and seventy percent contempt, rang out toward her:
"Chu Fei, are you so hopelessly in love with me that you've lost your mind? Even if you are, I, Lin Wei, will never let you live in peace!"
Chu Fei not only refused to look at him, but she couldn't even be bothered to answer. She remained on her knees before him, her face completely devoid of emotion.
Lin Wei had been her boyfriend since her junior year of college, a relationship spanning four years. She had thought he loved her and would marry her, but she was gravely mistaken—he had only stayed by her side for the Chu family's fortune.
After Lin Wei swindled the family fortune into his own hands, her father suffered a relapse of his chronic heart condition and passed away before medical help could arrive. Stricken with grief, her mother soon followed him to the grave.
After she laid her parents to rest, Lin Wei returned to harass her, refusing to leave her in peace. To make matters worse, he spread malicious rumors, claiming she was the third party who had ruined the happiness of him and his mistress.
What made it even more bitter was that the mistress was none other than her best friend, Yun Zhuang, who had been by her side for seven years.
The two of them had joined forces to deceive her. One was her boyfriend of four years, the other her best friend of seven years, yet they had ruthlessly conspired to ruin her just to achieve their own ends.
Sitting on his chair, Lin Wei observed the girl before him. After a moment of thought, a sinister smile spread across his face. His tone shifted as he reached out, grabbing her chin to force her to look at him:
"Chu Fei, I just thought of a brilliant idea. If you spend just one night in my bed, I'll make sure you can live the rest of your life in peace."
Lin Wei's grin grew even more wicked as he stared deep into Chu Fei's eyes, waiting for her response.
Hearing his words, Chu Fei's anger flared to a boiling point, yet she suppressed it, refusing to let him see her lose control.
"Don't you think I will tell Yun Zhuang about this? If she finds out, I think you'll have to endure a miserable week of 'starvation'!"
"Hmph, I'll give you seven days to think about it. If you agree, come find me at this address. If not, the consequences will be far worse than what happened a few days ago!"
Tossing down a card with the address of the Starry Night Hotel, he walked away. Only then did Chu Fei let her guard down. Warm tears spilled from the corners of her eyes and streamed down her cheeks as her sobs grew louder. She wanted to cry out all the pain and misery of the past month.
The next day, she set out using the address of Wang Tianming written in her father's diary, along with an appointment slip for the Wang Corporation.
She went to his villa to find him, but her efforts were in vain. Not only did the servants refuse to let her in, but they also insulted her for her simple attire. As she walked away from the villa, Chu Fei muttered in annoyance:
"Just you wait! Once I become the young mistress of the Wang family, don't blame me for being difficult, demanding, and impossible to please! Hmph!"
Turning on her heel without looking back, she hailed a taxi to the Wang Corporation. Arriving at the reception desk, she greeted the receptionist:
"Hello, I would like to see President Wang. Could you please let him know I'm here?"
"Do you have an appointment slip? If not, please wait over there."
"I do, I do."
She pulled the appointment slip from her bag and handed it to the receptionist for verification. Seeing that the slip was marked as "unlimited," the receptionist immediately called Wang Tianming's private secretary.
"Hello, Secretary Jin. Someone is here to see President Wang, and she has an unlimited appointment slip."
"Understood."
An unlimited appointment slip meant that the document would remain valid indefinitely, unless it was lost.
Previously, Wang Tianming had given this open-appointment slip to her father, Zhou Bao, because their fathers had been lifelong friends and soulmates.
Unfortunately, his father passed away early when he was only seven years old. His mother, Tao Yingyu, had to shoulder the responsibilities of the company while frequently traveling for business, leaving her with little time for him.
Later, as soon as he graduated from university, his mother handed over the entire Wang Corporation to him.
As for the open-appointment slip, he had only given it to Zhou Bao in passing, never expecting these unforeseen events to occur.
Having successfully verified that the appointment slip was genuine, the receptionist turned to her and said:
"Miss, please wait over there for a moment. Secretary Jin will come down to meet you."
"Alright, thank you."
Walking over to sit on the sofa, she looked around for a moment before picking up her phone to look at a photo of her family of three. A stream of thoughts ran through her mind:
"Mom, Dad, I will definitely take back everything that belongs to the Zhou family. I will make him pay a heavy price for deceiving me."
Following Wang Tianming's instructions, Secretary Jin went down to the lobby to receive her.
Seeing her looking at her phone, he walked over, cleared his throat softly, and said:
"Miss Zhou, please follow me up to see President Wang."
"Ah, alright."
She followed Secretary Jin up to the seventy-second floor. This floor housed only his office and Secretary Jin's office, with no other rooms.
Arriving in front of the door bearing the plaque "Chairman Wang Tianming," Secretary Jin knocked and called out:
"President Wang, I have brought Miss Zhou up!"
"Let her in."
Opening the door and stepping inside, Zhou Fei scanned the room before looking at the man sitting at the desk, who had been observing her since she entered.
Secretary Jin left a word and went out:
"I will head back to work first."
After Secretary Jin left, silence enveloped the entire room, so suffocating that it was hard to breathe.
Wang Tianming maintained his posture, observing Zhou Fei with no intention of speaking first.
Uncomfortable with the situation, Zhou Fei spoke up in a clear voice:
"Isn't President Wang going to invite me to sit? What kind of hospitality is it to not say a single word when a guest arrives?"
Amused by Zhou Fei's remark, Wang Tianming gestured toward the sofa, inviting her to sit.
Zhou Fei was not the type of girl to get easily embarrassed, so since she was invited, she sat down.
Seeing that he remained silent, she had no choice but to take the initiative and get straight to the point:
"I have something I want to discuss with you."
Only then did Wang Tianming walk over and sit opposite her, asking in a half-joking, half-serious tone:
"What could Miss Zhou possibly want to discuss with me?"
"I want a contract marriage with you. After just three years, we will go our separate ways."
"Just speak plainly about what you want."
Hearing the response she wanted, she smirked, looked at him, and continued:
"During our time as husband and wife, I want you to help me take back the Zhou family and the Zhou Corporation. In return, you can have whatever you want from me."
"Even bearing a child?"
"No problem. If you help me reclaim my father's estate, I would even agree to two."
Seeing him not answering, as if deep in thought, she found herself unable to read this man's mind.
Wang Tianming nodded slightly and spoke:
"I agree."
"Tomorrow, come to the Wang residence to get acquainted. My mother will be there too."
"Pack your things. Someone will come to move them. Only bring essential items; there's no need to bring any clothes."
"Why is that?"
"Am I, Wang Tianming, not wealthy enough to buy clothes for you to wear?"
"There is one more thing I want to say."
"Lin Wei gave me the address of the Starry Night Hotel. He wants me to spend the night with him."
"Want me to help?"
"Not much help. I just need you to have someone take my place."
Alright, if there's nothing else, you can head back. I'll send someone to pick you up tomorrow.