"There is no way I am going to marry a man I barely know; I won't allow you to use me to strengthen your company." Chen Ruolan shouted at her parents throwing things in her room on the floor.
She just got back to the country yesterday and today her parents are informing her that she is to be engaged to the son of her father's friend and the owner of a large company. Her father's friend was late and his son who is the head of the company has insisted that her father gives him something of value before he agrees to help their company.
Chen Ruolan's father's company was in serious debt and Zhao Tianyu was the only person that could save them from bankruptcy and right now Chen Ruolan was the only thing of value her father owned.
'You better put yourself together and pay your dues to the company!' Chen Ruolan's father shouted at her, after all you were only able to enjoy such luxurious life because of the company so you better play your own part if you are to continue living the life you are used to, her father added leaving her room in anger.
Chen Ruolan cuddled herself on the bed crying as her mother tried to quietly make her see reasons telling her all she stands to gain by marrying Zhao Tianyu. She sobbed more profusely her heart unable to understand how her parents can subject her to such a loveless marriage. How can they put their company before their child's happiness? The more her mother consoled her the more she wept.
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Lin Meiyu was what you could call jack of all trades but she liked to call herself an evolving business woman. She had studied business administration in school and after countless failed interviews she had resorted to being her own boss.
She had saved up some money and bullied her childhood friend into creating a basic website for her where she ran any and every errand as requested by her clients. She was not very successful yet but she has been able to get by, pay her rent and contribute her own quota during their friendship hangout. She lived in a house her parents had left for her before passing and she rented the rooftop to her friend the software engineer. Her parents had died from an accident while she was in middle school and ever since she has been on her own.
She rode her scooter and parked in the garage of an expensive apartment building and entered the elevator. She stopped at the 7th floor and looked through the number of flats until she saw the one the client had dropped on the app. A client had asked her to pick a nice dinner dress for her and she was happy to be right on time. The client invited her in and told her to wait while she tried on the dress. As the client went inside her room to try on the dress Lin Meiyu looked around the well furnished apartment which seemed too much for a single lady staying alone and then she heard the client calling her in the room. She went in and helped her zip the dress.
'Wow I love it, it hugs all my curves' the client said excitedly, I am going to a huge engagement party of my boss, it is not fair that his wife to be just came back from the states and stole him from us so I plan to show him what he's missing' the client added but Lin Meiyu just smiled.
"Are you pleased with the dress?" Lin Meiyu asked.
'Yes' the client replied, very pleased.
'Then please do well to drop a review on the app' Lin Meiyu said thanking her and leaving the apartment. As she went out of the apartment, she took her time to savor the apartment, she knew she would never be able to afford that in years. She smiled and tried to encourage herself.
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The hall was exquisitely decorated in wine and silver color depicting the class and expensive nature of the host. People were seen in clusters making small talks as Mr. Zhao Tianyu moved around to greet the guests while using his eye to scan for his soon to be fiancée. It was a battle just to convince her that he was going to take proper care of her. He did not love Chen Ruolan, in fact far from it, but his father had forced him to make a promise on his deathbed that he would do everything within his power to marry into his best friend's family so as to continue their friendship even in his death and if he was being honest a woman like Chen Ruolan suited him perfectly, they would indeed make the perfect couple. And his mother has been on his neck forcing him to marry, "Anyone decent would do" she had said.
Chen Ruolan took her sweet time before coming out to greet the guests when their eyes finally met she looked at Zhao Tianyu with disgust.
'Just a few hours' she whispered to herself quietly, just bear this for a few hours' she forced a smile and greeted the guests warmly and she managed to fool everyone but Zhao Tianyu who kept his eyes solely on her.
Zhao Tianyu's friend Wang Jian was the MC of the event and took the stage to commence the ceremony. As Zhao Tianyu held Chen Ruolan's hand and slipped the engagement ring he whispered softly into her ear "don't think of anything stupid there's a tracker and skin sensor on this ring so don't do anything silly." Chen Ruolan just smiled coyly, she was well aware as her father had threatened her with that over the past few days and she Chen Ruolan was one step ahead of time.
Chen Ruolan had rented an apartment ahead of time claiming she wanted to spend some alone time before she's finally bound to marriage and her parents wanting her full cooperation had agreed to it but they had resulted to putting a tracker on her engagement ring and she had been warned not to take it off under any circumstances to which she agreed. For now.
Zhao Tianyu had offered to drop Chen Ruolan off at her apartment after the engagement ceremony, he had no plans whatsoever to put a tracker on his engagement ring but her father had insisted and he would obviously know his daughter better but Zhao Tianyu still felt the need to explain himself to her on the way home and she was also cool with it, she admitted that she also does not trust herself and Zhao Tianyu started to feel at ease. They ended the night on a good note and promised to meet the next day for lunch. It was past 9pm when Zhao Tianyu dropped her off at her apartment and by 10pm there was a knock on her door.
Lin Meiyu stood outside the door of the client with the weird request waiting for her to answer, she was taking too long and Lin Meiyu was about to ring the door bell again when Chen Ruolan opened the door all sweaty.
'I'm really sorry' Chen Ruolan said, 'I was packing my bags, please come in', she added opening the door wide open for Lin Meiyu to come in.
Lin Meiyu entered inside. Chen Ruolan told her to sit down.
'You've read the request on the app properly right?' Chen Ruolan asked her.
'Yes I have,' Lin Meiyu said.
'Good!' Chen Ruolan said then let's not waste our time, my flight is by midnight, just wear the ring and make yourself at home then tomorrow you can leave but by then I will be safely out of this country,' Chen Ruolan said excitedly as she moved to sit very close to Lin Meiyu holding Lin Meiyu's hand in hers and measuring it.
'Our finger proportions are also identical' she said with so much excitement, but Lin Meiyu just sat down in silence watching with so many questions running through her mind.
Chen Ruolan quickly removed the ring on her finger and put it in Lin Meiyu's finger and hugged her telling her she was a life saver. Chen Ruolan called a cab and quickly left for the airport after paying Lin Meiyu.
It was not Lin Meiyu's place to question her clients but she was really certain Chen Ruolan was running from an arranged marriage. Maybe off to spend time with her lover before she finally get married.
"The things rich people do" she said as she looked round the luxurious apartment. Well it was none of her business, she got $2000 plus an expensive diamond ring and a full apartment all to herself so she was really elated.
Well little did she know that it was soon going to be more than just her business, it was going to be her life.