章 2: Chapter 2 Who She Likes
She pushed the ring onto his finger, striving to maintain her composure, but her hand that withdrew was trembling slightly.
Qiao Zhaoyue masked it very well.
She made Fu Yuxiu believe that this was just a mutually beneficial transaction.
"Now, let this couple kiss each other under our witness!" the emcee shouted excitedly while holding the microphone.
Qiao Zhaoyue frowned; the rehearsal hadn't included a kiss, and she was about to say it wasn't necessary when, the next second, Fu Yuxiu suddenly moved closer. Due to his height, he looked down at her from above and then, unexpectedly, bit the side of her lip.
It was a kiss that didn't seem like a kiss.
To outsiders, they appeared to be kissing intimately, but Qiao Zhaoyue knew that Fu Yuxiu had chosen the angle carefully. His lips only brushed the corner of her mouth; they never actually made contact.
Fu Yuxiu wouldn't kiss her.
Even at their most intimate times, he had never kissed her.
The person Fu Yuxiu wanted to kiss, from the beginning to the end, was someone else.
Her clenched hand suddenly loosened.
Then, before Fu Yuxiu could react, she bit his lip.
Her eyes carried a clear challenge.
Before Fu Yuxiu could react, she retreated to a safe distance.
Tears twinkled in her eyes as if they were truly in love—a match made in heaven.
After it ended, Fu Yuxiu looked terrible as he went backstage to take a phone call.
Different from the lazy tone he had when he was in a good mood and willing to take her calls, upon seeing the name on the screen, his brows lifted slightly, and his fingers swiftly slid to answer the call. His voice was warm, something that Qiao Zhaoyue had only heard in her dreams: "What's wrong? Baby?"
Fu Yuxiu paused mid-step, explaining helplessly, "I'm coming to you now, don't cry, Yanyan, don't be angry, it's just an act."
The other side was still making a fuss.
Fu Yuxiu glanced at Qiao Zhaoyue and suddenly handed her the phone, saying casually, "Help me explain that our engagement is fake."
Qiao Zhaoyue took the phone: "This is Qiao Zhaoyue."
The voice on the other end became softer, meekly saying: "Sister Zhaoyue."
In front of her, Su Ruoyan, for some reason, always appeared extra cautious.
Anyone who didn't know better might think Qiao Zhaoyue bullied her behind the scenes.
Being a woman herself, she could easily see through Su Ruoyan's thoughts.
She didn't want to argue; after all, Fu Yuxiu wouldn't care about her explanation. He only cared whether Su Ruoyan was wronged or not.
"Mr. Fu is right, what's between him and me is all an act. Both families' parents are here today, it wouldn't be appropriate for him to not show up."
Qiao Zhaoyue calmly finished her statement and returned the phone to Fu Yuxiu.
Fu Yuxiu gave her an appreciative look.
He continued to comfort Su Ruoyan, then turned to Qiao Zhaoyue standing aside, raising his eyebrows impatiently, "Why are you still here?"
Where else could she go? Unfortunately, before Qiao Zhaoyue could speak, Fu Yuxiu cut her off, "Seek compensation from my assistant," and hurriedly left.
He was probably in a rush to see Su Ruoyan.
Qiao Zhaoyue was used to it.
She had also grown accustomed to maintaining appearances in front of others.
The engagement ceremony's end did not mean that the dust had settled; the myriad of agreements between the two families awaited Qiao Zhaoyue's perusal. Looking at the documents with the enormous sums of money, she couldn't help but lament that the Qiao Family had indeed sold her for a good price.
Fortunately, besides the Qiao Family, no one else was satisfied with this engagement, and hardly anyone from the Fu Family had attended, so Qiao Zhaoyue didn't have to deal with too much. After making sure everything was in order, she received a call from Cheng Hui saying he had arranged a gathering for her at the bar and insisted she come over.
Qiao Zhaoyue asked, "Will Fu Yuxiu be there?"
"Him? He's accompanying Su Ruoyan! Since Fu Yuxiu got engaged, that girl has been putting on quite a show," Cheng Hui said, but stopped mid-sentence upon remembering that Qiao Zhaoyue was the one engaged to Fu Yuxiu. He chuckled awkwardly, "Ah, don't mind me, I just forgot..."
"It's fine, it's all fake anyway," Qiao Zhaoyue responded as if it were business as usual, "Send me the address, I'll be there."
In reality, she would have preferred to rest properly. Fu Yuxiu didn't care about the engagement while she had to cooperate, busying herself with preparations for over half a month. But since Fu Yuxiu was going to be there, no matter how tired she was, she had to make her way there.
It takes twenty-one days to form a habit.
How many coincidental meetings would she need to become a habit for Fu Yuxiu?
Thankfully, the private room was filled with mutual friends from her and Fu Yuxiu's circle, which made for comfortable interactions, as they were all aware of the situation between her and Fu Yuxiu.
Upon her entrance, Cheng Hui, the simpleton, had somehow procured a pair of poppers, and the moment she walked in, they went off with a bang, showering Qiao Zhaoyue with confetti.
"Come on, share your thoughts—what does it feel like to be engaged to Boss Fu?" Cheng Hui cheered.
Qiao Zhaoyue forced a smile, and just then the door behind her opened, and Fu Yuxiu came in with a girl.
The room which was just lively turned quiet instantly.
Fu Yuxiu had his hand on Su Ruoyan's waist, guarding her cautiously as if afraid she might bump into something. He glanced at Qiao Zhaoyue, "I've met the person. If you have any questions, ask them now."
He nodded at Qiao Zhaoyue without much apology in his tone, "I didn't plan to disturb you tonight, but Yanyan didn't believe me, so I had to bring her here to see you. I heard you would be here tonight; you wouldn't mind explaining it to her in person, would you?"
For a moment, everyone's face showed different expressions.
Even though everyone was well aware that their engagement was just for show.
But still, they should have given Qiao Zhaoyue some face.
The engagement had only concluded a few hours ago, and here he was, swinging by with someone in tow, demanding explanations in front of her.
He had completely disregarded Qiao Zhaoyue.
Fu Yuxiu did not seem to realize anything inappropriate, or rather, he simply didn't care whether Qiao Zhaoyue would be embarrassed or not.
Cheng Hui tried to mediate, "Hey, who doesn't know you two are just putting on a show? Your old man forced you to settle down, we all know the drill, covering for each other, incidentally taking care of Little Qiao's family issue—it's all clear to us..."
No one took up the thread of conversation, leaving Cheng Hui with no choice but to say, "Yuxiu, this is too much. Even a rabbit wouldn't eat the grass by its own burrow. If Little Qiao had any real intentions towards you, she would've made a move long ago."
His words seemed to be directed at Fu Yuxiu, but in fact, they were giving Su Ruoyan an implicit warning.
Unlike Qiao Zhaoyue, Su Ruoyan had been introduced to their circle later by Fu Yuxiu, and their relationship wasn't as deep.
Moreover, the Qiao Family had always wanted to match Qiao Zhaoyue with Fu Yuxiu. Right after she graduated, she was sent to work as Fu Yuxiu's secretary, allegedly to foster a relationship. After so many years together, if they were meant to be together, they would have been already, leaving no room for Su Ruoyan to appear.
Su Ruoyan, sensing the undercurrents among the group, shrank pitifully behind Fu Yuxiu.
Cheng Hui was least impressed by her demeanor.
Fu Yuxiu's tone was indifferent, "It's all fake anyway, clearing things up is good for everyone."
Cheng Hui held back his words, and then Qiao Zhaoyue spoke up, "Boss Fu is right, clearing things up is good for everyone."
Because they grew up together, Qiao Zhaoyue had always addressed Fu Yuxiu by the last two characters of his name, even calling him 'brother' when they were younger. After becoming his secretary upon graduation, she started calling him Boss Fu at the company. Until Fu Yuxiu got together with Su Ruoyan, to avoid any suspicion, she didn't switch back, and kept calling him Boss Fu.
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