It took Gu Qingtong a moment to realize what Yan Chi had said, and somehow, her cheeks quickly grew warm under her gaze.
She felt a little guilty and panicked, hastily looking away.
Clearly, the other party was so serious, and her usually cold and distant eyes were at most polite and sincere. Why was she blushing here for no reason at all?
In the past, Gu Qingtong had always been indifferent to arranged marriages. After all, getting married was just a formality for inheriting shares. Even last time, her family directly agreed to the proposal from the Yan family, and she lazily met Yan Song once.
But this time, the situation was completely different.
The idol she secretly admired and chased was just an arm’s length away, openly proposing a marriage alliance with her.
To put it simply, this feeling … was like a dream.
No, am I worthy? I’m just a good-for-nothing rich third generation who can’t do anything and has nothing but money. No … I may even have no money. Do I deserve it?
Gu Qingtong harshly poured cold water on herself in her mind, finally feeling her feet on solid ground. At least she wasn’t so light-headed that she couldn’t even think.
Her first reaction was that the Yan family was compensating the Gu family to continue their cooperation.
“Miss Yan, have you misunderstood something? Even if I cancel the marriage alliance with Yan Song, the cooperation between the Yan and Gu families won’t be interrupted. There’s no need for you to marry me specifically.”
Yan Chi silently watched Gu Qingtong’s fluctuating gaze and simply said, “It has nothing to do with the Yan family. It’s entirely my own decision. As far as I know, Miss Gu previously agreed to the marriage alliance with Yan Song for a 10% stake in the Gu family, right?”
Upon hearing this question, Gu Qingtong felt embarrassed for the first time.
When it came to this matter, it was all her father’s fault!
Her father’s name was Gu Shuyu, a notorious spendthrift and the only son of the Gu family. If he had achieved even a little success, he would have become the young Gu CEO of the Gu Group by now.
Unfortunately, how ridiculous had Gu Shuyu become?
His name sounded elegant, so he fancied himself as a cultured person in his daily life. He had numerous “refined” hobbies, and each one of them burned through money.
The most famous of these was his love for watching movies. He started his own film company and took on the roles of screenwriter, director, and even actor all by himself. With money, he could make anything happen. Every single one of his films made it to the theaters, including many notorious flops.
After five years of such antics, the heavily indebted film company finally ceased to exist under the furious wrath of Old Master Gu, who had reached the limit of his patience.
Gu Shuyu was forcibly brought back to the Gu Group and placed under the strict supervision of his father.
Of course, the supervision ended in failure. After all, as the saying goes, if a person has no shame, they are invincible. Gu Shuyu shamelessly enjoyed his paid leisure time in the company every day, feeling comfortable and content.
In the end, Old Master Gu took drastic measures, kicking Gu Shuyu out of the company and cutting off all of his son’s financial resources.
Gu Shuyu had his own group of unreliable friends who offered their support, so that move didn’t affect him much. However, it suddenly became a bitter situation for Gu Qingtong.
She was originally a low-tier existence in the entertainment industry, and her talent agency was in dire straits. The money she earned wasn’t even enough to cover the rent for an apartment in downtown City A. She had to downgrade her lifestyle and move back home.
After several months of frustration, her grandfather approached her and offered a deal. As long as Gu Qingtong didn’t follow in her father’s rebellious and wasteful footsteps, and obeyed his arrangements, he would give her a 10% share in the Gu family enterprise.
The arrangement her grandfather proposed was for Gu Qingtong to enter into a marriage alliance with the Yan family.
In reality, when faced with annual dividends of tens of millions, nothing else mattered.
Under normal circumstances, a marriage alliance with the exchange of shares was nothing out of the ordinary. It was a familiar concept to every prestigious family, and Gu Qingtong, a spoiled and cunning young lady, had never felt embarrassed by other people’s opinions.
But when the fact that she was indeed a useless and wasteful person was indirectly stated by Yan Chi, it became a different matter altogether.
“Yes…” Gu Qingtong’s voice buzzed like a mosquito.
“I’m just like you, doing it for the sake of inheriting the Yan family,” Yan Chi replied with a calm expression, as if she were stating something ordinary.
If the butler and Yan Song were to hear this statement, they would probably lose their composure.
No one understood better than them that in the Yan family, it was precisely because Yan Chi had rejected Old Master Yan’s plans to hand over the company to her several times due to illness that various peripheral factions became restless, wanting to get a piece of the inheritance dispute.
Yan Chi was simply talking nonsense with a serious face.
But Gu Qingtong had never paid attention to the power struggles among prestigious families, so how could she know about these matters in the Yan family?
Gu Qingtong was once again stunned. “Ah…?”
Did someone as outstanding as Yan Chi also need a marriage alliance?
She carefully recalled the plot in the original work about Yan Chi and was surprised to discover that there were only a few instances in the beginning that depicted the stark contrast between the male lead’s difficult situation in the Yan family and Yan Chi’s elevated status as the center of attention. After that, it was hardly mentioned again, as if the character of Yan Chi had been forgotten.
Her memories of the original story were not very clear in many places, just like how it was still unclear how the Gu family gradually went bankrupt.
However, judging from the male lead ultimately gaining control over the entire Yan family, it was obvious that Yan Chi had lost to Yan Song in the internal struggle.
“When Yan Song approached Miss Gu, I was abroad and thought the opportunity was lost. But since such a thing has happened, I took the liberty to come.”
Of course, Gu Qingtong knew about this. Yan Chi had gone to the Cannes Film Festival before.
The literary film she starred in, “Where There Is No Wind,” had garnered much attention at the festival even before its release in China, and unsurprisingly won her the Best Actress award, adding another brilliant achievement to her illustrious career.
“Besides the shares that Miss Gu can already inherit, I don’t need the projects involving the cooperation between the Gu and Yan families. They can be entrusted to you or other members of the Gu family.”
When Yan Chi discussed business matters, her voice had an inexplicable magnetism, and the inherent sense of oppression was vividly manifested in that moment.
Gu Qingtong couldn’t help but be led by her words, feeling dazed.
The marriage alliance between the Gu and Yan families was negotiated by their respective patriarchs, and Gu Qingtong was not clear about the specific conditions that were exchanged.
But when Gu Qingtong and Yan Song formed an alliance before, they had prepared to entrust the cooperative projects to Yan Song.
She also understood that Yan Song’s persistent pursuit and even violence towards her earlier were all because he couldn’t bear to let go of this sweet opportunity.
And now Yan Chi was even willing to give up this opportunity, showing her sincerity towards Gu Qingtong.
Gu Qingtong knew that such a concession from the other party couldn’t be without conditions. “What do I need to do as part of the agreement?”
“It’s not so much a condition as it is a rule that applies to both of us. Based on Yan Song’s situation, I believe Miss Gu, like me, would find it difficult to accept a marriage partner who has emotional attachments to others.”
Yan Chi didn’t explicitly state the rule, but both of them understood.
However, Gu Qingtong didn’t notice the hint of dominance and possessiveness that had already surfaced in Yan Chi’s words.
“Being in a marriage alliance with me… won’t it have an impact on your career?” Gu Qingtong hesitated to ask.
Although same-sex marriage had been legalized in China for two years through the Same-Sex Marriage Act, not everyone had a high level of acceptance.
Moreover, Yan Chi was a well-known popular celebrity, and her career was at its peak. If news of her same-sex marriage were to come out, it would likely cause a level of frenzy that could potentially cripple certain social media platforms.
Of course, Yan Chi had considered every aspect:
“It depends on whether Miss Gu can accept a secret marriage. But don’t worry, since the Yan family has been able to keep my background hidden until now, we won’t easily let the media and the public know about our marriage.”
Both of them had their own goals and would not interfere with each other. Whether it was a secret marriage or not, it wouldn’t affect their respective careers in the entertainment industry. Indeed, they were ideal marriage partners.
If it were someone else, Gu Qingtong might have agreed to this standard contract marriage without hesitation.
However, the person in front of her sparked more personal desires and anxieties within her.
Gu Qingtong had never been in love before, naturally lacking some understanding when it came to romantic matters. If anyone could be considered special to her, it would be the person before her, Yan Chi.
Before Yan Chi entered the entertainment industry, Gu Qingtong had once wanted to be friends with this unfamiliar, beautiful sister. Later, when Yan Chi’s first film at the age of 15 became a huge success, Gu Qingtong began secretly following her works and various news, up until now.
It was only upon hearing the word “marriage” that Gu Qingtong finally had a tangible realization.
The person she had once admired from afar was now right in front of her.
As long as she agreed to this alliance, their relationship would transition from being strangers who had just formally met to legal wives… even if only in name.
Just the thought of it made Gu Qingtong’s breath quicken and her cheeks flush.
But she dared not show any of it, because it was apparent that Yan Chi only needed a “Gu family heiress,” a marriage partner with no emotional involvement.
This alliance, for her, was merely a transaction.
Yan Chi’s indifference towards almost everyone was inherent in her nature. She had been in the industry for fifteen years without any scandals, and her image as the aloof and beautiful protagonist in the original work was well-known to all.
Gu Qingtong had no idea what consequences her personal desires would bring, perhaps disdain from Yan Chi or deliberate avoidance and estrangement.
Once she agreed to this alliance with Yan Chi, she would have to suppress all her personal desires and wholeheartedly fulfill her role as a mutually beneficial tool in this marriage.
But if she refused, she might lose this only opportunity to have any connection with Yan Chi…
Thinking about this possibility, Gu Qingtong gritted her teeth, and in her heart, she already had an answer.
Just as she was about to speak up, a knocking sound suddenly came from beside her. The sound startled Gu Qingtong since the two of them were standing too close to the entrance.
Yan Chi knew it was the butler bringing the medicine, but instead of directly opening the door, she said to Gu Qingtong:
“If you find it difficult to make a decision right now, take your time to think. Whenever you have an answer, you can contact me anytime. This is my personal contact number.”
Gu Qingtong saw her handing over a business card and quickly reached out to take it.
On the all-black card was written “Huayan Media – Yan Chi,” followed by a series of numbers.
A personal… contact number?
It’s Yan Teacher’s personal contact number!
The frustration of summoning up courage only to be interrupted vanished in an instant.
Gu Qingtong restrained the slight upward curve of her mouth. Since earlier, she had already become highly self-aware of not revealing herself.
Yan Chi opened the door on the other side, and indeed, it was the butler.
He held a plastic bag containing sprays and adhesive bandages for promoting blood circulation and healing wounds.
As they all entered the room, the butler spoke, “Miss, I met Yan Song downstairs just now. He went to the hospital to have his hand treated. Before leaving, it seemed he cleaned up the outside area. When I came back, there were no traces of blood.”
“Okay,” Yan Chi responded indifferently, showing no interest in his well-being whatsoever.
“Also, the old master should have received the news. He wants you to come back to the ancestral home tonight and see him.”
“I’ll go after I finish giving Miss Gu her medicine,” Yan Chi said, reaching for the medicine the butler had placed on the table.
The butler was taken aback. “Miss, are you going to do it yourself?”
Their young lady had never done such a thing as applying medicine for someone else.
Gu Qingtong was used to being taken care of by others, so she didn’t think there was anything wrong. She naturally sat on the bed and, upon hearing the words, reluctantly suppressed her spoiled nature and said:
“I can… do it myself.”
Applying the medicine shouldn’t be difficult, right?
“I’ll do it,” Yan Chi said simply, but there was an inherent feeling that one couldn’t refuse.
She naturally sat on the chair next to the sickbed and placed the opened medicine on the nearby cabinet.
She held Gu Qingtong’s hand that was hanging on her leg and moved it slightly towards her.
“Ah.” Feeling the chill from those hands once again, Gu Qingtong couldn’t help but let out a soft gasp.
Hearing the sound, Yan Chi raised her eyes and involuntarily let go of her hand. “It’s cold? Sorry, it’s because of my constitution. My hands have always been cooler.”
“Wouldn’t it be nice if someone used your hand to cool down in the summer?”
Gu Qingtong’s immediate reaction was to think that holding those ice-cold hands would be refreshing.
The butler, observing from the side, clicked his tongue in his mind. Their young lady rarely had any physical contact with others. Who would dare to treat her like an ice pack in the hot summer?
Yan Chi took a moment before answering, “No… we can try it sometime in the future.”
Realizing that her somewhat abrupt words weren’t rejected by Yan Chi, Gu Qingtong became bolder and actively moved her hand towards Yan Chi again.
“It’s alright, my hand is warm. You can use it to warm up. Consider it a thank you for applying the medicine for me.”
When Yan Chi first touched the back of her hand, she felt a strange sensation, as if her fingertips were tingling from the heat.
The wound on her hand had turned purple, and the marks were still visible, extending from her wrist to the back of her hand.
As soon as her skin was touched, Gu Qingtong made a small nasal sound and instinctively furrowed her brows. It seemed that she was indeed very sensitive to pain.
Yan Chi sprayed the wound with the spray and gently spread the medicine with her thumb, dissolving it little by little.
Despite her gentle movements, Gu Qingtong still felt the pain and had the reflex to withdraw her hand. “Mmm!”
But in an instant, Yan Chi caught her hand and pressed it back onto her knee, her tone softening, “Be good, just one more touch.”
Gu Qingtong could only bite her lip and endure, looking at Yan Chi with a sense of grievance. However, she gradually realized that after the initial sting, Yan Chi’s fingers were cold, and placing them on the inflamed and burning wound made it feel less uncomfortable.
Finally, with Yan Chi’s voice saying, “all done,” Gu Qingtong felt like a prisoner released after serving her sentence and let out a sigh of relief.
Yan Chi’s lips curved slightly as she opened a bandage and carefully applied it to the small scratch on the back of Gu Qingtong’s hand.
“Miss Yan…”
Suddenly hearing Gu Qingtong’s soft voice, Yan Chi looked up.
“I… I’m willing!”
