As the toasts continued, the wedding banquet reached its end.
Xie Qichen and Tan Mo walked back indoors, seeing off several guests until finally, the man approached Tan Mo’s mother: “Mom, things are wrapping up here. Why don’t you go home and rest first? You’ve had a long day today.”
Tan Mo’s mother looked at him and smiled: “Alright, you’ve worked hard too.”
She could tell that Xie Qichen had done a very considerate and dignified job with the wedding banquet today. Regardless of the two young people’s feelings for each other, he had indeed put thought into it.
“You two should come home more often for meals. Today, MoMo was saying she wanted to eat my marinated beef again. She’s a food blogger now, right? She tried to learn from me before but couldn’t recreate my flavor. I think she’s just not talented enough to be a blogger.”
Xie Qichen thought of those scenes and slightly smiled with his eyes lowered.
Tan Mo’s mother smiled gently: “Qichen, there’s something I’d like to ask of you.”
“Go ahead, Mom.”
“Although your marriage is a business arrangement, I hope you can treat MoMo well.”
Tan Mo’s mother continued with a bittersweet smile: “This child may seem lively and cheerful on the outside, but she’s sensitive and doesn’t like to express her emotions. She’s always kept her grievances inside since she was little. I just hope she can be happy in the future, even… even if you don’t love her, I beg you to please treat her well, okay?”
Xie Qichen fell silent, his dark eyes rippling as he looked at her:
“Mom, don’t worry, I will.”
Tan Mo’s mother nodded: “It’s getting late. Once everything’s taken care of, take MoMo back to your room.”
“Alright.”
After Xie Qichen left, Zhang Ma, who had been taking care of Tan Mo’s family, approached and whispered: “Madam, I feel that Mr. Xie treats MoMo quite well.”
Tan Mo’s mother’s smile vanished: “In front of us, even if he didn’t want to treat Tan Mo well, he would have to pretend, wouldn’t he?”
“But I feel like this child was quite good back then…”
“That was back then. Who knows how he’s changed now? Moreover, with his current power and wealth, who knows what his private life was like back then,” Tan Mo’s mother remained concerned. “Besides, I’ve heard from others that he’s quite deep. Didn’t you see how he didn’t care about marriage when it came to interests, getting married on a whim. MoMo is so innocent, she’s no match for him.”
Perhaps after marriage, the two would still live separate lives, and Tan Mo’s position as a wife would mean nothing to Xie Qichen.
Behind the glamour of wealthy families, money and power can easily lead people astray.
Zhang Ma couldn’t say anything, and Tan Mo sighed: “I hope he can keep his promise just now.”
–
On Sunday morning, the yacht returned to shore, ending this brief and romantic journey.
Tan Mo, Xie Qichen, and others also set off back to Licheng.
On the way, in the quiet and subtle atmosphere of the back seat of the car where Tan Mo and Xie Qichen were alone, Tan Mo glanced out the window, too shy to speak, her cheeks slightly blushing as she recalled the previous night.
Although they had agreed to a contractual marriage, in their parents’ eyes, newlyweds wouldn’t sleep separately. Naturally, they had been arranged to stay in the same room.
Xie Qichen was still entertaining guests that night when Tan Mo returned to the master bedroom first—it was the largest room on the yacht, with windows on three sides facing the sea.
The bridal suite was naturally decorated in a particularly romantic and sweet manner. When Tan Mo entered, her face flushed red, matching the crimson satin bedspread. She turned her eyes and saw several boxes of Okamoto condoms placed at the head of the bed, presumably arranged by someone. Her mind went blank with embarrassment, and she wanted to flee.
But she couldn’t escape, so Tan Mo sat on the sofa, intending to wait for someone to return and discuss what to do next. However, she couldn’t resist her drowsiness and fell asleep.
Later, in her hazy memory, she felt a pair of strong male arms lift her horizontally and place her on the bed.
She was too sleepy to open her eyes. Later, she vaguely felt herself leaning against a scorching body, and heard the rustling sound of clothes being removed.
She initially thought it was a dream. However, the next day when she woke up and found her clothes changed, her mind went completely blank.
So, was it Xie Qichen who changed her clothes…
Wuwuwu this is too…
Tan Mo was so embarrassed she didn’t want to face anyone and was too shy to ask for clarification, as any question would be awkward.
However, besides that, the man seemed to have done nothing else.
She had slept too deeply the previous night and didn’t know where he had slept. When she woke up, there was no one beside her.
Tan Mo exhaled, straightened her gaze to look out the window, and tried to calm the heat on her face.
After a while, a faint male voice came from the side: “Tan Mo, if you keep shrinking towards the door, I feel like I’ve kidnapped you onto the car.”
“…”
Tan Mo sat up slightly and stole a glance at him, “What?”
“The videographer from the wedding will contact you in a couple of days. You’ll need to go pick some photos then.”
“Okay.”
“Do you have time this afternoon?”
“Why?”
“To handle the property transfer.”
She hesitated for a moment and nodded, “Alright.”
Seeing his calm demeanor, as if nothing had happened the previous night, Tan Mo stopped being overly sensitive and put the previous night’s incident behind her.
It’s not a big deal to just change clothes…
She had seen his bare upper body before, when he was swimming…
The journey back to Licheng went smoothly.
The marriage alliance between the Tan and Xie families was finally settled.
In the afternoon, Xie Qichen took Tan Mo to handle the property transfer, fulfilling the assets he had promised her in the marriage contract.
With the lawyer present, the two signed the agreement.
As Tan Mo looked at the documents for asset transfer, she felt a string of numbers representing her bank account balance popping into her mind, adding several zeros behind each digit.
Units, tens, hundreds, thousands, ten thousands, hundred millions…
So, she had accidentally married into wealth and become rich?
After signing all the documents and the lawyer leaving, Tan Mo was still in a daze.
Honestly, who wouldn’t feel dizzy seeing so much money?
But wasn’t everyone saying that Xie Qichen was profit-driven in business? How could a capitalist possibly give money away for free?!
Xie Qichen looked at her bewildered expression and chuckled softly: “What’s wrong? Can’t get out of the money hole?”
Tan Mo mumbled in confusion: “I feel like you’ve transformed from a capitalist into a philanthropist…”
Hearing this, Xie Qichen suppressed the corner of his lips, “Not possible?”
“Xie Qichen, if this were in business, this would be an absolutely losing deal. You’re making a huge loss!”
The man’s gaze fell on the girl’s cute face, a faint smile appearing in his eyes, and he spoke in a deep voice:
“It’s okay, no loss.”
Tan Mo couldn’t understand.
After thinking, she guessed that he must gain even more benefits after this marriage alliance; otherwise, he would be crazy to do this.
Looking at the documents, after a while, she heard Xie Qichen ask: “What are your plans for New Year’s Eve tomorrow night?”
She was taken aback, “Why?”
Xie Qichen thought of what Ye Yao had mentioned on the phone a few days ago, his eyes deepening, “Just asking.”
“I haven’t decided yet.”
A few seconds later, he finally spoke:
“Are you going out with your classmate?”
Tan Mo was taken aback, “What classmate?”
“The male classmate who called you that day.”
Tan Mo shook her head, “No, I don’t have any plans for New Year’s Eve. It’s too crowded outside. It’s better to stay home and shoot videos.”
“If you don’t have plans, accompany me to a banquet tomorrow night.”
“A banquet?! You want me to go with you?”
Xie Qichen turned to look at her: “Tan Mo, now that we’re married in an alliance, there are some occasions where we need to appear together as a couple, okay?”
The man explained that tomorrow night was a charity auction evening hosted by a jewelry brand, where many upper-class individuals would attend. Xie Qichen had received a special invitation from the organizers and planned to take Tan Mo along, which would also be their first public appearance as a married couple.
Tan Mo had never been to such an event before, “What do I need to prepare? Mainly because I don’t understand auctions…”
She lifted the document to cover her face, almost in tears: “Who said being in an alliance marriage is easy? Waaah Xie Qichen, you tricked me.”
He couldn’t help but laugh: “Why are you nervous? I’ll be there.”
“Tomorrow morning, someone will bring you the gown and makeup. Tomorrow night, just stay by my side, you don’t need to do anything.” He comforted her.
Tan Mo softly hummed, “Okay…”
Well, she would eventually have to face such occasions anyway, who made her marry the famous president of Aochuang Group.
After returning to the villa in the evening, Tan Mo finished washing up and just then received a call from her mother.
After some small talk, her mother asked her, “Do you have time tomorrow night? Would you like to come home for dinner?”
“Tomorrow night might not work, Xie Qichen said he wants to take me to some kind of banquet.”
Her mother was a bit surprised, “No problem, you two go ahead. We can have dinner another day.”
“Okay, Mom, I’ll come back to visit you another day.”
“Alright.”
After the conversation, her mother told her to go to bed early, hung up the phone, and went to the living room to find her father, mentioning this. Her father realized, “Should be the QM Jewelry charity auction tomorrow night?”
Her father had also received an invitation, but had other matters and couldn’t attend. He planned to send Tan Zhiwan instead.
Her father took off his glasses and sighed, “It’s good for Qichen to bring Mo Mo to these events more often. At least it looks like a harmonious couple on the surface, making it harder for outsiders to gossip.”
Tan Mo’s mother nodded.
–
The next day, the temperature dropped sharply.
Early in the morning, Xie Qichen went to the group, while Tan Mo slept in and didn’t wake up until after ten.
The heating was on inside the house. She got out of bed, her slender feet stepping directly onto the plush carpet, drowsily heading to the bathroom when she received a call from Ji Shu.
On the other end, upon hearing she had just woken up, Ji Shu couldn’t help but exclaim: “I’m so envious of your life as a wealthy heiress. I wish I could wake up naturally like that too.”
(Note: I made slight adjustments for natural English flow while preserving the original meaning. “豪门” is translated as “wealthy family/heiress” to convey the privileged lifestyle, and “wake up naturally” is kept to maintain the original sentiment. The exclamation tone is preserved with “I’m so envious” for emphasis.)
Tan Mo was speechless, “What rich lady? I just didn’t have class this morning.”
“Whether you have class or not, let’s get serious. What are your plans for tonight? If you’re free, come with me to a banquet?”
“Don’t tell me it’s that charity gala.”
“Wow, how did you know?!”
“Xie Qichen said he’s taking me.”
“Okay, that makes sense since you two are married now.” They were in the same circle, naturally sharing the same social venues. Ji Shu wasn’t too surprised. “I’ll tell you, your husband, as the newly appointed CEO of Aochuang, will definitely be a highlight tonight. The two of you will surely be the center of attention.”
Tan Mo was already feeling a headache: “Don’t say anymore, I’m already nervous enough.”
She didn’t like social events at all, especially now with her new identity.
Ji Shu laughed, “Relax, maybe I’ll come find you tonight if I have time.”
“Okay, see you tonight.”
After washing up, Tan Mo went downstairs for breakfast. She took care of her own affairs in the morning, and in the afternoon, stylists and makeup artists arranged by Xie Qichen came to help her get ready.
As evening approached, the night began to fall.
After getting dressed, Tan Mo stood in front of the mirror inspecting herself. Xie Qichen called her, and from the other end, it seemed he was dealing with something, speaking casually to her: “There’s still some work at the group I haven’t finished yet. I’ll have Wen Cheng pick you up and take you to the banquet first, you can go ahead.”
“Ahh…”
Her heart immediately felt uneasy.
Just as Xie Qichen was about to hang up, she quickly called out to him: “Xie Qichen—”
“Uh-huh?”
Her voice was soft: “When will you arrive?”
Sensing her nervousness, the man softly chuckled, “Don’t worry, I’ll be there soon.”
“Okay.”
After a while, Wen Cheng arrived at the villa to pick her up.
The car moved forward against the cold wind, the skyscraper’s flashy lights reflecting colorful hues, the city glittering with lights.
Half an hour later, Tan Mo arrived at the entrance of the five-star hotel where the banquet was being held. After the car door opened, Tan Mo held the ruffled skirt and stepped out, accompanied by Wen Cheng, taking the elevator upstairs.
Originally, Tan Mo could have entered the banquet with the invitation, but she hesitated for a moment and said to Wen Cheng: “I’ll wait here at the entrance for Xie Qichen first.”
“Alright, I’ll inform the boss.”
Tan Mo nodded and walked aside.
Dressed in a silver-blue wavy long dress, a winter limited edition haute couture from a luxury brand, the dress sparkled with tiny diamonds like waves creating dazzling light as she moved. Her slender waist was accentuated to a delicate grip, her skin appearing almost luminous under the lights.
She walked to the floor-to-ceiling window at the banquet entrance, her bright eyes gazing into the distance with an innocent and cool beauty.
Her striking beauty naturally drew the attention of passing guests, some even approaching to chat.
After a while, as Tan Mo was lost in her thoughts, a male voice came from behind: “Hi, may I ask what’s the lady’s name?”
Tan Mo turned around and saw a young man in a burgundy suit with a flirtatious smile. She was slightly taken aback but politely nodded:
“Hello, I’m surnamed Tan.”
Wow, another one…
Chen Anrui had heard of the Tan family’s aristocracy but wasn’t sure if it was related to the person in front of him. He handed her a business card with a flirtatious smile: “Let’s get to know each other, I’m Chen Anrui.”
Tan Mo took the business card and found out he was the president of QM, the organizer of tonight’s banquet.
The man’s gaze lingered on her beautiful young face as he curiously asked: “May I ask how old the lady is?”
“Uh?”
“You look very young, are you working?”
“Sorry, I’m still in college.”
Chen Anrui smiled, “I’ve never seen you before. Are you here alone tonight?”
“No, I’m waiting for someone.”
Tan Mo hesitated for a moment but didn’t mention Xie Qichen’s name.
Chen Anrui’s eyes sparkled, and his deep voice sounded: “Can I get your contact information? I think our QM jewelry really suits your temperament. You can come try out our custom designs another day.”
Tan Mo glanced aside but still didn’t see Xie Qichen. Worried about misunderstandings, she politely declined: “Okay, I’ll contact you if I need to.”
The implication of these words was that she was unwilling to give out her contact information.
Chen Anrui didn’t expect the beauty to be so reserved, his smile deepened further, still charmingly saying: “Alright, feel free to contact me through the card if needed.”
The man left, Tan Mo held the business card tightly, and let out a slight sigh of relief.
At the same time.
Just after seven o’clock, a Rolls-Royce Phantom stopped at the hotel entrance.
The rear door opened, the cold wind blew through, black leather shoes stepped onto the ground, the tall and straight figure pulled his suit jacket and got out of the car.
Walking through the revolving door, Xie Qichen looked straight ahead, his black eyes as indifferent as frost, his two legs wrapped in a suit, straight and long.
Even though he was low-key and reserved, his noble aura couldn’t be hidden.
Wen Cheng, who was waiting in the lobby, hurriedly approached him.
After entering the elevator, Xie Qichen raised his hand to adjust his tie, his thin lips uttering a few words indifferently: “How is Tan Mo upstairs?”
“There’s nothing much, the madam is waiting for you at the entrance, but… I saw some men approaching and chatting with the madam.”
Wen Cheng dared to say, seeing his boss’s expression gradually turn cold, he pulled up a smile:
“Normal.”
Wen Cheng chuckled nervously and didn’t dare to say more.
When the elevator doors opened, Xie Qichen walked out. Not far ahead, Chen Anrui, who was hosting the guests, hurriedly came over:
“President Xie, you’ve finally arrived—”
Xie Qichen slightly lifted his lips and shook hands with him, teasing: “You don’t have to be so polite.”
“You say that, but what about our old schoolmate friendship?” Chen Anrui was a famous playboy in the circle and childhood friends with Xie Qichen. “Bro, we haven’t seen each other in years. Your presence tonight really honors me.”
“President Chen, you’re too kind.”
“Cut the crap…”
Chen Anrui chatted with Xie Qichen as they walked towards the entrance. As they turned, Xie Qichen noticed Tan Mo standing by the floor-to-ceiling window not far ahead.
The girl was dressed in a cool and dreamy sea blue, with bright eyes and white teeth, charming and enchanting.
Xie Qichen’s gaze stopped on her, and Chen Anrui noticed and also looked over, surprised and laughing: “Oh, bro, this is the first time I’ve seen a woman catch your eye.”
Chen Anrui put his arm around Xie Qichen’s shoulder and gossiped with him: “I just went over to chat with her and wanted to get her contact info, but she was too reserved and directly refused me. I wonder who she is, actually not giving me face…”
Xie Qichen looked at Chen Anrui, his dark eyes as deep as a pond, speaking in a low and cold voice:
“Do you think she’s pretty?”
“Of course she is, how can she not be pretty…”
Then, Xie Qichen looked at the distance and said: “Tan Mo.”
Tan Mo heard her name and turned around, seeing him, she hesitated for a moment before walking towards him.
Xie Qichen turned his wristwatch, looked at the shocked Chen Anrui, and his thin lips uttered a few low and cold words:
“Of course she’s pretty, because she’s my wife.”
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage