Volume 2: Strolling with the Wind, Chapter 32: The Unmarried Agreement
Qin Nianran’s doubts were quickly dispelled by Chu Tianyu’s silly smile. She didn’t delve further into the oddities, as her preconceived notions still held significant influence over her. Seeing that Chu Tianyu brought up the matter himself, she had no need to worry too much. Instead, she spoke more gently: “Since you say so, I think we don’t need to beat around the bush. Actually, I do know something about your situation. Regarding what happened at your birth, how should I put it? I’m not sure if you’d be upset if I showed sympathy for you, but that’s how I felt back then. Especially after learning about our relationship, I became furious when I saw others bullying you. But when it came to dealing with you alone, I couldn’t control the disgust I felt. The whole thing wasn’t really your fault or mine—it was a business agreement between our two families at that time. For me, whether it was the arranged marriage, the economic pressure from your Chu family, or taking control of Fudu Industrial, those weren’t the real issues I faced. It was…”
At this point, a hint of despair flashed across Qin Nianran’s face. Once she steadied her emotions slightly, it seemed she either continued speaking to Chu Tianyu or simply let her thoughts flow freely, as if releasing long-held burdens. She went on by herself: “And, how should I put it? Maybe no one will understand even if I explain. Others envy my talent, my appearance, and the wealth I control at Fudu Industrial. When everyone around you revolves around these things, focusing on various interests rather than you, who can truly understand that sense of helplessness? But fate is just so ‘fair’—no matter who you are, there are things you have, and inevitably, there are things you can’t get. Take our marriage for example. The people in my family want us to get married as soon as possible so they can continue to rely on the Chu family’s influence. Who cares who I marry? Many others are already ready to laugh at me. If I refuse, they’ll accuse me of not putting the bigger picture first or ignoring the family’s interests. If I agree, they’ll make jokes like ‘a beautiful woman doomed to misfortune’ or ‘a genius married to an idiot,’ treating it as entertainment during meals. Family ties are so fragile in the face of this. Besides my aunt and grandfather, who else can understand Nianran’s feelings? Sometimes, the simpler the solution to a complex problem, the better. Just go with the flow, do what’s decided, and deal with the consequences later…”
Chu Tianyu listened to Qin Nianran’s words. In fact, this was his first time truly talking to a girl, aside from having face-to-face conversations with Zhou Jie’s girlfriend, Le Er. Everything about Qin Nianran seemed to indicate that she was burdened by heavy pressures; aside from wrapping herself tightly and hiding behind her aloofness, she seemed to find no joy at all. Her seemingly straightforward and rational words carried a faint sense of loneliness, which didn’t seem like something an 18-year-old girl should say. Unreasonably, he felt a hint of regret for his earlier decision to act foolish, as her words continued to reach his ears.
“Hehe, I don’t know what’s wrong today—I ended up talking so much nonsense to you…”
“Maybe I’m too stupid…” With nothing else to say, Chu Tianyu blurted out such a half-baked response.
Qin Nianran was still lost in her own thoughts. Hearing Chu Tianyu’s words, she nodded instinctively and said, “Yes. Isn’t it true that fate is fair? Saying ‘I’m too stupid’ can get you rid of many troubles and worries. People often say that simple-minded people have their own blessings. But you’re not stupid at all!”
Chu Tianyu was shocked upon hearing this. He wondered secretly if she already knew about his secret and his act of pretending to be foolish.
Qin Nianran continued, “To be honest, I had someone investigate your situation. Your brain disease was treated by a monk and seems to have been cured. After returning, you joined the senior high school class. During your studies, you focused solely on basketball and reading. You’re usually a bit dull and introverted, lacking in social interaction, only getting along well with a few friends who play basketball with you. You took the college entrance exam and met the threshold for second-tier undergraduate programs, getting into a university—though it’s just a second-rate one. But you did it all on your own, without any external help. In that sense, your perseverance is admirable. However, to be clearer, given your current situation, you’re still far from meeting my standards. If you weren’t the young master of the Chu family, you’d just be an ordinary person studying hard at an ordinary school. There wouldn’t be any conversations or dates like today…”
At first, Chu Tianyu grew more and more alarmed, thinking she already knew everything about him. But fortunately, upon hearing the rest, he realized she only had a superficial understanding and hadn’t seen through anything.
Especially toward the end, as Qin Nianran said, speaking frankly and getting straight to the point, Chu Tianyu showed no emotional fluctuations. He was originally playing the role of an ordinary person. With Qin Nianran’s mindset, he certainly wasn’t someone she would be satisfied with. But one thing puzzled him, so he asked, “Since you’re not satisfied with me, why did you still agree to today’s meeting? I may be a bit slow, but from what you said, I can clearly sense that our Chu family’s control over you has no impact at all on you!”
“Hehe, didn’t I say it? Sometimes the best way to solve a problem is to keep it simple. These arranged marriages and business alliances among wealthy families have been criticized since ancient times, so everyone holds a negative attitude toward them, ignoring another aspect. People think it’s pressure on me, but I intend to turn it into motivation. That’s why I sent people to investigate you and understand you—hence today’s meeting and conversation!”
“Weren’t you saying that my standards are too far from yours? Now you say this again—does it mean…”
Before Chu Tianyu could finish speaking, Qin Nianran interrupted him, denying it, “It doesn’t mean anything. It only means you’re not yet annoying me to the point where I lose even the interest in acting along with you!”
Seeing the faint coldness in Qin Nianran’s eyes and hearing her sudden words, Chu Tianyu couldn’t help exclaiming, “What? Acting?”
Qin Nianran replied firmly, “That’s right, acting! Or it could be called an agreement!”
“What kind of agreement?”
“A marriage agreement! An agreement inherently involves rights and obligations. First, let’s talk about your rights and my obligations. My obligation is to officially recognize you as my fiancé. We can hold a engagement ceremony now to inform relatives and friends. Four years later, after you graduate from college and reach the appropriate age, we’ll formally register our marriage. But my obligation is only to maintain this superficial formality—no other relationship exists, and I certainly won’t live with you. Second, I won’t interfere in any of your affairs, including women. I believe, with your status as the young master of the Chu family, your ‘attraction’ to women won’t decrease just because you’re engaged or married. Similarly, you have no right to interfere in my affairs! As for your obligations, they’re simple: you must repay all the investments in Fudu along with the profits within four years!”
Chu Tianyu was stunned upon hearing this. So after all those twists and turns, such an agreement had emerged. Geniuses truly are geniuses—thinking of everything in detail, with no oversight. Had all the previous talks been just to set the stage for this? This agreement seemed to involve trade-offs in rights and obligations. In fact, if he were really someone with ulterior motives, following this agreement would mean getting nothing at all. Not only would it be a complete waste of effort, but it would be fortunate if he didn’t end up trapped even more!
Were they really treating him as a fool? With this thought, Chu Tianyu couldn’t help but ask Qin Nianran across from him calmly, “What if I refuse this agreement?”
Qin Nianran, as if she had been prepared, smiled and said, “Then it’s even simpler. Your Chu family continues to control Fudu for another eight years, while I’ll give up Fudu, cancel the engagement, and fully enjoy my college life…”
“Well, will you refuse?” At this moment, Qin Nianran looked exactly like a sly little girl trying to trick someone into giving her candy!
“No, why refuse? I agree!”