Destined to Be His Wife

By L.T. Marshall

TangShi is a girl without much luck in the world. Despised by her father after her mother died giving birth to her, she has grown up in a cold and unloving environment and hated by her stepmother. Blamed for things she could never control and treated as an outcast by her own blood.
Forced to come home after finally escaping to school on a self achieved scholarship abroad, she is promised to the son of the Leng family. To create a beneficial business alliance to further her own father's greed in the corporate world.
Only YuZhi Leng is as unwilling as she is, with a girlfriend already in place that he adores and no desire to honor the contract put in place - to produce an heir in the first year of marriage and solidify the two families union.
TangShi must bear living as a third wheel in this unwanted life and accept or be thrown aside by her family. Until upon meeting, she realizes that YuZhi may not be the stranger to her she thought he was and recognizes him on sight. Could he be the man she met eight years ago at a masked ball, who swept her off her feet and made her feel alive, and yet left her heartbroken that fateful night?
A rollercoaster of a marriage is about to be embarked upon.

• Language: English
• Publisher: L.T. Marshall
• Release date: Dec 19, 2022
• ISBN: 9781005955090

L.T. Marshall

Books to date -The Carrero Effect (book 1)The Carrero Influence (book 2)The Carrero Solution (book 3 )The Carrero Heart - Beginning (book 4)The Carrero Heart - The Journey (book 5)The Carrero Heart - The Journey (book 6)The Carrero Contract - Selling your Soul (book 7)The Carrero Contract- Amending Agreements (book 8)The Carrero Contract - Finding Freedom (book 9)Jake's View - Bonus bookArrick's View - Bonus bookJust RoseDestined To Be His WifeTil Death Do Us PartAwakening - Rejected Mate (book 1)Awakening - Following Fate (book 2)Born and raised in Scotland, Leanne has lived in both the central belt and the highlands.A mum to two children, she has been with her fiancée for twelve years and currently resides in West Lothian.A mum, artist, and business owner, she also has an online store under the name Liana Marcel.You can find her across social media as either her author name or artist name, YouTube, Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter.She has been writing romance since her teens and had an early stint in journalism back in high school.She has many books under her belt going through the editing process right now.Follow her blog for Character updates, giveaways, and more, or sign up for her mailing list.

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Copyright © 2022 L.T. Marshall

New edition copyright © 2022 L.T. Marshall

Published by Pict Publishing

ISBN: 9798365867123

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the author’s permission.

Cover copyright © Pict Publishing/L.T. Marshall

Front cover image copyright © Adobe

Back cover image copyright © Adobe

Other books by L.T. Marshall

The Carrero Series (9 books)

Carrero Bonus Books (2 Books)

Carrero Magazine (3 Issues)

Awakening Series (2 Books)

Just Rose

Til Death Do Us Part

To all my Asian drama-loving friends. For the laughs and for getting through the lockdown. One day I would love to see one of my stories made into an Asian show.

This one is for you guys.

Thanks to Shawn Dou for inspiring a handsome character!

TangShi

TangShi Lei stared hopelessly at the paper in her trembling hands, a tear escaping with silent despair. It slid across her delicate pale cheek as she stifled the sob which caught in her throat, burning painfully. Her heart and soul shredded as though a million sharp blades were piercing every inch of her body, and she knew that her new life was about to end before it had even begun.

She'd finally escaped the cold and miserable existence back home in Shanghai. From her cruel father and hateful stepmother and sister, now here she was, being summoned home like an object which had no will of her own. To fulfill the role her father placed on her as the family prize, to be sold to the highest bidder. A marriage alliance for the benefit of Lei Enterprise, her family’s conglomerate.

Her body gave out as her knees weakened, shivering, and she slumped down onto the sofa behind her. It saved her from a complete fall, as her tears began to drip quickly. Her heart broke in two. The agony of knowing she was so close and yet never stood a chance of ever being free, and now he had new ways to call her to heel. She could never escape the responsibility of being the eldest daughter of the Lei family and what weight that held, even if he had never treated her as his child.

She had worked so hard to get the scholarship to this prestigious art school in California on her own merit, hard work, and undying commitment to being free. Her stepmother Ava finally convinced him to let her go and rid her from under their feet. Something Ava had wanted since she married him when TangShi was merely a toddler and became her new mother’s burden. She tasted joy eight weeks ago, and now he was taking it back. Loosening her reigns for the briefest moment before hauling her back to heel.

It was her light in a dark world and a chance at fulfilling her dreams of becoming a known artist who could support herself and live a modest life far away from the Lei family and all it encompassed. She was never given a chance to be a part of a world of socialites, affluent families, and business moguls. If they were all as cruel and cold as her own family, she didn’t want to be a part of that lifestyle or community. Nor did she ever want to.

Shanghai was a place of bad memories, cold nights, and the loss of her mother before she had ever known her. TangShi had never truly felt love, adoration, or warmth from her family that was meant to cherish her. All they had ever done was make her feel like a rabid dog that wandered in from the streets and took every opportunity to kick her down brutally. She had only ever known how it felt to be an outcast and unwanted by everyone around her that wasn’t paid to care for her. Wasn't her mother why her father hated her the most? That her mother died so she could enter this world, and he never stopped reminding her that she was a cursed brat who took the love of his life away in her act of selfishness.

When Ava had Jeufeng, her younger half-sister, she had held her breath in hopes that he would finally move on and she would experience the gentleness of a sister in her life, but she was so very wrong. Ava hated her, was jealous of her natural beauty and quiet temperament, and soon made sure to give her father a new daughter to replace the one who disappointed him the most. Breeding it into Juefeng, TangShi was the enemy and a rival for her inheritance and position in the Lei family.

Juefeng was a full seven years younger than TangShi. She was as cruel and hateful as her parents, only with so much more venom, as she hated that she was the second born of the family Lei and not the sole princess she always wanted to be. TangShi was nothing more than grit in her shoe.

TangShi stared at his words and couldn't breathe through her despair any longer, choking as each black inky knife-like letter on white paper clawed at what was left of her sanity. Her tears saturated it and pulled watery ink down the paper.

You will return home as soon as you receive this letter. We have arranged your engagement to the young Master of the Leng family, as you are the eldest child of Lei, and our two families wish to unite to better our standing in the corporate world. You will obey this request, or I will use any means to extract you from the USA and bring you home to make life unbearable. Do your duty, return at once, and prepare to become the Young Miss of Leng. Do not disappoint me further. I have spent time and money to raise you to adulthood, and I expect you to pay that back with obedience and cooperation. Do not embarrass our family name by ignoring my request. I have enclosed your travel arrangements and ticket for immediate return.

There was no love or affection in his letter. No asking her to think of her family and giving her options, or kindness in the tone. Not even a hint of asking how she had been these past two months or fatherly concern. Just the same demands, orders, and abuse she had known her whole life.

As she read it, his voice rang through her head as though hearing the scorn and bitterness in how he always addressed her. Blinded by watery tears and unable to do anything but slump and die a little inside. She had no fight in her anymore. It was all sapped away with every year she endured this lonely unfairness. She knew refusing was pointless, and her visa here depended on her scholarship, but it wasn’t forever. He had abilities to have it revoked and have her shipped back to Shanghai to face worse if she didn’t obey.

She had no idea who the young Master of Leng was, as it was a family so superior in riches, fame, and power that she had never been allowed to cross paths. TangShi was never taken to events, dinners, or functions that benefitted the Lei family. She was seen as the black scar on the surface of the porcelain flawlessness of her father's reputation—the hidden shame.

She screwed up her eyes and considered why he would now deem her worthy of being married to someone so influential. It dawned on her with a deeper heaviness that Juefeng was only seventeen and so spoiled that she would never marry for anything less than love and adoration. Her father would never force his precious girl to marry this way. She liked to be chased and held suitors at arm's length, so it would be beneath her to be ordered to marry for a position. As always, Juefeng was to be pampered and indulged.

TangShi knew her father was betting on her submissive nature and quiet personality, controlled and used without complaint, and no doubt there would be conditions to be met for the duration of the marriage. TangShi wasn't stupid and knew how these things went. She had heard of many girls getting married off for a contracted alliance at school. To supply heirs, name, funding, and then sometimes a separation. A goodbye and left to get on with life as a divorced woman to live in shame. She could only hope the term of this marriage was short and that they only wanted a union until whatever business affiliation was strengthened. She couldn't bear to think of anything more than just wasting a couple of years bound to this stranger. Thankfully divorce among the rich was becoming more commonplace and not the taboo it once was.

TangShi couldn't help herself but be resigned to fate and pulled out her cell phone, internet searching for the identity of the young Master of Leng with morbid curiosity. Somehow knowing she had no way out, this was the only thing she could think to do to distract her from her misery. Be proactive and try not to fall apart as her life crumbled around her.

She inhaled her breath sharply when faced with dozens of red-carpet event images that sobered her tears immediately. Pages, and pages, of editorial pictures, paparazzi shots, news images, and so much more.

He was famous enough anyway. So much so that his Weibo account was listed on the first page. She hovered over it indecisively. He seemed more celebrity idol than the son of a well-known conglomerate. She had never paid attention to the news or social media, so she had no idea who he was.

YuZhi Leng was twenty-six years old, gorgeous in a flawless and sculpted way, in his tall and muscular physique that seemed almost unreal. Straight and stiff in posture, exuding confidence in his handsomeness. His eyes were oddly green in his beautiful Chinese face and mono lids that somehow enhanced the beauty of his look under straight, manicured brows. The effect was stunning.

He looked like a movie star. His hair was styled sexily at a longer length on top, short back and sides, and dyed a slight chestnut brown instead of his natural black. He screamed of money and pride in his appearance. Every other part of him was dark and sinister, shrouded in expensive tailoring and a dignified cold look on that noble profile. He could make any woman melt with a face like that, and his ruggedness shone through, even at such a young age.

Looking at his beauty made her forget her woes for a second, but something about him pulled her back to a close-up picture of his face. Her heart rate upped a little, and her hands began to tremble as her emotions reacted. Swallowing heavily as a nagging detail in the back of her mind kept pulling her to search the images closely.

There was a rare one of him smiling, so naturally at ease and caught off guard, and it tugged at something of the familiar deep in her heart. It changed his face dramatically, from cold and standoffish, to a boyish charm that hinted at warmth. She couldn't place her finger on it at first, just a feeling that she had met him somewhere, and she began to search his endless articles. Each one on a woman's arm in almost every shot, but she ignored her and found another of that smile.

There was an inkling of memory once again as she gazed at the perfectly straight, dazzling white teeth that had seen thousands of dollars worth of dentistry. Those dark brows, that clear gaze that enhanced his youthful charm, yet also brought out a mature manly quality to the shape of his face. She was rendered speechless for a second, and her mind wandered backward in time, trying to place him with the image fast fading in her mind as the years went by.

Clawing at a memory she had forbidden herself to recall for so long, she hesitated. She tried to stop herself before the old pain of a wounded heart resurfaced to bruise her, but she couldn't hold back the glimmers breaking in. She was pulling together uneven puzzle pieces and trying hard to make them fit. Still almost a decade on looking for answers to the mystery of a boy she had never been able to forget truly.

Memories

How silly she was to think that it might be him, and even if it were, she would be stupid to place any emphasis on that night. Stupid to try and figure out if YuZhi Leng was even the same person. Eight years ago, the boy in her mind was a fleeting fancy and nothing more than a cruel heartbreaker. Who lifted her up and made her feel cherished for just one perfect night. Right before abandoning her and casting her aside, as everyone else did the next day.

One night of companionship, warmth, and being kissed for the first time was enough to have made her hope for something more. Raising her spirit and giving her heart wings. They had talked all night, danced, and connected on a level that made her feel alive and seen. She had been moved to believe in insta-love for the first time and thought what she felt could be precisely that. A stupid young girl pulled in by an older boy with fake promises and too much charm.

They had been inseparable even long after the bells had chimed midnight. They had walked the streets hand in hand. It had been a school trip, a chance encounter in another city, a masked ball, yet he had placed a scar on her heart that bled still. She giggled and ate street food before he snuck her home and helped her into the window of the hotel she was staying at with her class that night.

Who knew he would forget her as quickly and leave her to weep her sorrows away in solitude when he never showed up at the bridge they arranged to reunite the next day at noon? He had promised to meet her there and yet never showed.

They had stayed masked, finding it exciting and mysterious, and promised to unveil one another when the bells chimed twelve again. He had all but proclaimed his love to her, and she had confessed how unhappy and empty her life was with her family, laid her secrets bare, and told him how she planned to escape her life. The first time she had ever unburdened her truths to someone she didn’t know. And yet, he hadn't made her feel gross or unwanted but kissed away her pain and called her his destiny. He had sworn to be her knight in shining armor and to help her escape the step dragon and the cruel gatekeeper of her personal prison. He had given her hope and made her feel seen for the first time—worth something to another human.

She had waited for four hours for him never to show face the next day. Until rain soaked her through, and tears got muddled up with the water running down her face. He taught her a great lesson in believing anything a man would say to get what he wanted. Weeping in agony before she was forced to leave, abandoning that stupid white lace mask on that damned walkway and never looking back to allow herself to relive that humiliation until now. She could only be glad that she had never let intimacy happen between them, and kissing was the only part he got to take.

With the heartache and pain fresh in her chest, and mind's eye, she blinked at his image one more time, evaluating those familiar misty green eyes and that smile.... unsure if he could be the same person, but yet, not convinced he wasn't. There weren’t many Chinese men with green eyes, and they didn’t look like he wore contacts in any of the pictures online. They seemed real and natural, much like the boy that night who told her his name was Yoonie.

It added again to her body's heaviness, and she shook herself to bring her senses back to the present. Bitterness rose once more that she had held down for so many years, and the tears dried on her cheeks as her skin burned instead. Maybe Yoonie was a nickname, or it was a coincidence, and green eyes on handsome men were more common than she thought. Not that it mattered, either way. She was now tied to this man whether she agreed to it or not. Him or not, he was a player and not worth her residual pain of a nothing night.

She knew she had no choice but to return home now, and if this were the same boy, then she wouldn't fall for his games or coldness for a second time. She had learned her lesson when he ripped out her soul.

As she flicked her phone one more time, she fixated on the woman at his side. Even when taken months apart, the same girl is in every image. She clicked on one article from a week ago with shocked wide-eyed disbelief. Curious that a playboy would frequent a single date.

YuZhi Leng and long-term girlfriend, Rhea Cheng.

TangShi read it twice more before clicking on another and another. Her irritation rose as she was faced with the same result. No matter what the girl’s hair was like, her clothes, her make-up, it was definitely the same woman in all of them and was still apparently current. It seemed she had been by his side for many years, and this was no news to the comments under the articles, praising them for being China’s dream couple.

Not only would TangShi be forced to wed this young master, but it looked like he would be forced to push his love life to the past to fulfill his end of this bargain. He clearly had a lover, and she looked like someone who wouldn't let go easily. Cheng was known in that city, and TangShi wondered why he wasn't already married if he loved her deeply enough to date for at least three years.

TangShi choked on her salvia and coughed violently, a new sensation slicing her heart that wasn't quite like any pang she had felt before, and suddenly weird and angsty. Her eyes strayed back to his hand in Rhea’s, and it almost suffocated her as she closed the webpage and tossed her cell aside. Refusing to acknowledge the rising hurt in her body.

It was beyond stupid to feel jealousy, resentment, or whatever this was—hating him for abandoning her yet managing to hold onto a relationship for years. She knew it was stupid to still harbor anything from five years ago, and the chances are it wasn't even him. She had only seen him wearing a black mask over a third of his face; she didn't know him.

The only token of that night she still had was hidden deep in her box of keepsakes back home in Shanghai. A stupid pressed rose he had worn in his lapel, wrapped in a colored ribbon, which was imprinted with some sort of crest all over in small repetition she had never seen before.

Wolf in sheep’s clothing. Despite how much he had hurt her that night, her silly sentimental self saved that stupid flower in the pages of a heavy book and then later laminated it into a useable bookmark so it would never fall apart. She had no idea why she did it. Other than to serve as a reminder to never trust any man, not even one with pretty green eyes, a soft smile, and a warm hand that made you feel like everything was going to be okay. That's what he was, and she wouldn't forgive as long as she lived.

TangShi picked up her cell and opened her email app in the heaviest mood. Her eyes swam again because she knew what she had to do now was inevitable. She pulled up her tutor's contact with slow motions. Her friend, her mentor, who had welcomed her so openly and made her feel like she was finally home when she arrived. She began typing the message she did not want to write. Her soul died a little with every letter appearing on the screen.

TangShi would have to forfeit her scholarship as she had no idea how long before her father let her go again and knew that without a doubt, once married, she’d have no freedom for fear she would bring shame to his name. She would have to leave the tiny dorm room that had become her haven and return to a city where she never belonged. To a life she was never part of and play the ruse of good daughter to a noble house.

She wouldn't be welcomed home with open arms, and she didn't expect it either, but at least she would return to where Linlin was, which was the only positive.

She missed her childhood best friend when she moved out here. It had broken her heart to say goodbye at the airport to the only real family she had ever known, and she knew that if anything could keep her going, and help her through this, then it was Linlin. She was loyal and kind and would never let her face any of this alone. She had held her up for so many years and been her rock for as long as she could remember.

She was the daughter of a notable family, a budding rising jewelry designer in her own right, and always the life and soul of the party. Linlin would be the one thing that made going home not as devastating as it seemed. The diamond in her darkness!

She sighed as she finished typing her resignation email before sending it to the web with a lost and lonely weight in her chest. She scrolled to her friend's number and started to compose the text that she knew would be the next step on returning home.

The First Step

TangShi tried not to fiddle with the thin belt of her simple white dress and stood upright and poised for fear of her father's anger this morning. They had been waiting around seven minutes in the bright, sunny hallway for the arrival of the Leng grandfather, master of the family Leng, and his entourage. She had already experienced so many harsh words. Just by being present, it seemed she irritated his mood. Her stepmother glared her way, not bothering to conceal her dislike when in the presence of her husband, her sister sneered at her for her chosen outfit.

You couldn't have dressed up and made an effort? Are you trying to make us look poor? her nasty tone fell over TangShi, igniting no response because she refused to engage. She bit her lower lip and turned her chin down as she looked over her clean and pressed dress. She had learned never to talk back over the years, never defend herself. It would pass quickly if she submitted to silence and let them say whatever they wanted without looking their way.

Her dress was a basic and long classic style. One of her favorites. She had never been given any allowance by her father to indulge in personal things, so all she owned she had to buy for herself. Clothes of decent quality were not cheap, and she tried to spend a little more to buy things that would last. The dress wasn't that bad. A stark contrast to her designer-clad sister, who was blinged out and looked ready to walk a runway.

She had been selling her art in prints for several years online, which afforded her small luxuries. This dress was not the cheapest. It was made of good quality fabric in a nice timeless cut, but she looked like a poor relative compared to her female kin. It was not flashy, provocative, or gave the impression of being a daughter of Lei. It wasn’t this season's style or a named brand and it wasn’t even a trending color.

Today, her hair was pulled back into a simple ponytail with delicate dark brown curled tendrils framing her face. Revealing a pure expression with bare hints of makeup and rosy lips. TangShi always liked to stay natural, as she felt it was when she looked her best, but it only seemed to anger her father, who turned his attention to her—pulled by his daughter's criticism as he appraised her outfit. He barely gave two glances when she came down here, so he hadn't noticed.

You should have told me you needed a dress for this. I can't have you mocking our family by dressing this way. It's too late to change but get a shawl or something to cover up. Juefeng, find her something of yours, quickly. he clapped his hands together, urging Juefeng to jump to it, and she knew better than to argue with him. He was an evil-mooded man, quick to flash tempers, and even Juefeng was wary despite being often indulged by him. TangShi’s father had no qualms about hitting the women in his life.

Juefeng rolled her eyes, huffed at being ordered about, and ran off quickly for fear of further igniting their fathers' rage. TangShi ignored the sizzling atmosphere, and the angry tension aimed her way and focused on the marble floor instead. She was counting down the minutes until this torture would be over.

The hallway was grand, wide, and well-lit by the large south-facing windows across the front of the entranceway. If it weren't for all her bad memories in this place, it would be a beautiful place to live. Grand and opulent with classy décor. Her family was rich enough to be important anyway.

Her nerves were already frayed as they stood there watching the clock tick slowly on. Their guests were due at any second, and her heart was thundering behind her rib cage in anticipation. Waiting for the first moments of meeting her fate and tying herself to the Leng family for the near future.

After returning here, she had spent last night by herself, browsing the internet for more confirmation that YuZhi might be Yoonie after all, and gave up. She could no longer take the pain in her heart by stoking embers of unwanted memories. She had to forget what his kiss and words had done to her soul that night. It was all a lie, and maybe he just resembled him, and it was just a coincidence that he was so like him—fate taunting her with her old scars. The chances of him being Yoonie in a population the size of China were slim. Yoonie hadn’t even met her in Shanghai but in Beijing instead. Thirteen hundred kilometers away from here.

She often wondered what she did wrong in a previous life to attract so many bad things in her short years on this planet, and it had created a quiet personality who endured far more than any other would have. TangShi had been suppressed for so long that she no longer knew how to fight back or stand up for herself. She had become an accepting and empty shell who never spoke up about the mistreatment she received and graciously accepted it with little emotion. It was said she had been ground into a sense of nothingness, and her heart no longer knew how to soar.

Like right now, waiting patiently to be sold off in the name of business. She had no thoughts of refusing because she knew her father would only make her living life worse than before. There was no real obvious reaction to it on the surface, as her feelings didn’t matter. She always knew she was a prisoner in the family Lei, an object they would cash in on one day. What could she do if not obey?

She had nothing and nowhere to go that her father would not chase her down and punish her. Over the years, he had no qualms about beating her, locking her in her room, or taking his anger out on her when he deemed it necessary. She was the family punching bag so many times, in so many ways.

The doorbell rang loudly, and everyone jumped to attention, instantly nervous. Straightening postures, smoothing clothes, and plastering smiles on their faces as Juefeng came skidding back with empty hands. A look of disdain on her annoyingly pretty face. Her dark eyes glowing with mischief.,

I had nothing She sneered TangShi's way and shrugged to her father as way of an apology. A clear lie. She wanted TangShi to stand out and be embarrassed by her lack of showiness. Her simple outfit that Juefeng deemed unworthy. She smirked that she was dressed far more proactively and eye-catching than her older sister. She wondered if the young master would fall in love with her on sight and beg to switch the two, although she had no intention of being tied down so young. She had her choice of men, but she still liked to have them chase her.

The butler opened the door, and the Leng crowd of three was greeted warmly by the Lei family in all its glory. They were standing to attention and eager to show their respects. An impressive presence as they crowded into the large opening and strolled inside like they owned the room around them. Each was intimidating in his own handsome way, clearly of the same family, and stood tall and strong despite differing ages.

TangShi was pushed to the rear by her stepmother and harshly elbowed back as they greeted the newcomers and led them in. Her mother enthusiastically greeted them verbally with a swift-moving of bodies like a perfectly synchronized wave. Somehow, she found herself trailing behind like a servant, and no one noticed her in the babble of chatter and greeting.

TangShi could not get a glimpse properly and treated like an unwanted guest in a house she had known as her home. Her parents pawed and fawned over the new arrivals and led them to the sitting room, ignoring her completely, where food and coffee were lavishly laid out for this meeting.

Juefeng was all over one of the men in the group before TangShi, grasping his arm and acting provocatively and demurely. Her shrill voice sounded babyish as she flirted, giggled loudly in a dramatic way at something he said, and her father threw her a cross look which left her scurrying to go sit down. Obviously, this was the betrothed, and her sister was making a play for him to show how much more worthy she was than TangShi. She loved her little games.

TangShi meandered behind, sighing heavily at Juefeng's obvious shamelessness, never able to behave in the presence of handsome men. Juefeng was a spoiled and selfish brat. Sometimes, her sister disgusted her with her arrogance, but she would never verbalize it.

TangShi's eyes were trained on the floor as she was accustomed to doing when home and walked into the back of a suddenly halted dark figure by accident. She was distracted with her thoughts and foolishly clumsy to do such a silly thing. Banging her forehead against a solid mass that startled a reaction out of her.

Ouch! she muttered under her breath and stepped back in alarm, bowing slightly toward the person she collided with. An apology on her lips as heat overtook her face and shame washed over her. Her cheeks were flushing at her clumsiness and knowing her father would go crazy at her for it.

Stupid girl, go sit down, her father cursed her before she had a chance to speak at all, and upon lifting her chin, she was met with the icy cold snarl of her victim. He was turned her way in annoyance and frowning at her with piercing green eyes under furrowed brows.

It was YuZhi Leng, and this close, basking in the pale beauty of his eyes, a scowl formed on his chiseled lips which somehow enhanced his masculinity, she stopped breathing. It felt like the world had stopped turning completely. Rabbit in the headlights or a defenseless small prey caught in the talons of a precise and experienced hunter.

His nearness, his familiar scent from old memories, and how he towered over her in his strong form, scratching at forgotten interludes. Something about him pulled back the night of the dancefloor and cemented a visual of him from eight years ago right there in her head. It had to be him.

This was more than just a similarity, or thinking he shared slight resemblances. His entire presence, the lording aura of a wealthy master of a powerful family she had sensed that night, though never asked him about. His eyes were eating through to her soul, under straight dark brows that had once captured her across a dancefloor in the same way. That jawline weakened her knees and made her almost sway in reaction back then and now when faced in the flesh this way. She would never forget how she trembled in his presence when he approached her and stole the very breath from her lungs. Much like he was doing now.

Can you go sit? I don't like you being too close to me. His frosty tone and unexpected harsh words made her blink back in shock. The unfriendly command pierced her heart, bumping her back to earth and reality, and she stammered for a second as though she hadn't heard him correctly.

Par... Pardon? She acted like a clueless fool who had forgotten how to listen, and it only seemed to pull an angrier expression from him. Turning her blood cold and leaving her stricken with so many mixed emotions.

Sit down, TangShi. Stop being foolish, her stepmother snapped, and TangShi was quick to remove herself and hurry to a nearby seat. She could not continue looking him in the face as embarrassment tinted her temples. She was dazed at his words and complete rudeness.

The room became instantly quiet and tense as the butler began to dish out coffee to all those finding a comfy place to sit, and the older man of the three leaned in with a smile. Looking like a king among mortal men, he was used to having great power and command of all those around him.

The Leng family was the number one wealthy family in China, with their fingers in so many enterprises that they had built a formidable empire. Lei family was honored to become a connection in this way, so it was no surprise her father jumped at the chance to strike this bargain with them. TangShi’s family were small fish with hardly any notable wealth compared to them.

We shouldn't beat around the bush. We all know why we are here, and this is just the final formality to meeting the young Miss to proceed finally. My grandson and your daughter will be wed, provide an heir to our two families, and bring Leng and Lei under one roof. It is good that we swiftly agreed and came to this outcome. The older man, with his greying hair and long distinguished beard, eyes twinkling under thick brows, was just as intimidating as his grandson, and the family resemblance was strong. TangShi glanced at him quickly. She could not stop looking at YuZhi and met an angry frown that made her crumble.

He seemed to sense her wandering gaze his way and had counteracted with an arrogant response of 'leave me alone.’ She looked back down into her lap, blushing fiercely and unable to ignore YuZhi's dislike of her. He wasn't happy about this arrangement and seemingly had already decided he didn't like her. She was a burden to him and probably the source of many family disagreements behind closed doors before this meeting.

Disappointment flooded her heart that he didn't even seem to recognize her in the way she had him, or maybe he did. Perhaps he had just toyed with her that night and didn't want to be bothered by her this way. TangShi wondered if he remembered anything that night, but his cold mood and piercing glare didn't tell her either way.

Two years, right? A child to be conceived quickly and born before they can separate? TangShi's father sounded overly excited as he tossed away his daughter's freedom, careless with her feelings. As though talking about the weather. This was the first time she heard what was expected of her, as he refused to discuss anything when she returned yesterday. She inwardly smirked and sneered at just how miserable her family made her. It seemed she was not significant enough even in planning her own life.

She was sent to her room alone when she arrived, not even allowed to attend dinner at the family table last night. Such was her lowly position in this place. Only the servants had shown her any compassion in the past. Even now, most of them had been replaced over the years, and new ones mostly ignored her. It seemed that Ava or Juefeng chased out any who had shown warmth to TangShi. They lived to make life as difficult as possible for her.

Two years unless no child is born, in which case she will have to try harder. After two years, proving she has given YuZhi an heir, she shall be compensated and set free, and the child will be raised in the family of Leng. I expect quick results given her age and your reports showing her good health. I want a child as soon as possible. My grandson is twenty-six; he will not be young forever. The older man threw a disinterested look over Juefeng, then TangShi, sitting quietly off to one side, appraising her and nodded with satisfaction.

He seemed to like the presentation enough not to refuse or mention her simple attire. Although he did gaze back at Juefeng for a long second, TangShi wondered if maybe she had an opportunity to be let go if they chose her sister instead. She hadn’t allowed herself to feel much of anything about this whole thing until now. She was holding her breath, hoping to get through this by some miracle and find a way out the other side.

As much as she longed for that outcome, a minor ache in her heart flashed through, surprising her, and she felt herself sliding her eyes back to YuZhi with a sad glimmer of hope. Glad that he was at least gorgeous, if not warm.

Stupid girl! She chastised her foolish heart. What really was her heart and head thinking of?

So, we should set an announcement of engagement soon and a wedding quickly after? Ava gracefully smiled, fluttering her lashes. TangShi tried not to make it obvious she was falling into a sad depression as she listened without control over her own life. She stayed still, held herself upright and in good posture, and concealed the sadness breaking her heart. Feeling her sister's cold gaze eating her up, her smug smile aimed ruthlessly and ignored her.

I want them married immediately, privately. So they can begin consummating and creating a child. We can announce an engagement formally, keep it a secret, and then later, a wedding will appease the netizens who follow my grandson's fame. I don't want to delay. The grandfather had made his mind up, and it seemed the only goal in his calculating mind was that TangShi produces a child. The family was everything here, and future heirs were how a corporation survived.

There was a rumor that the Leng family was short on living relatives after a disastrous plane crash killed several a few years ago, and the remaining grandchildren were mainly female. They had failed to produce any children recently. The older man was getting on in years and wanted the joy of great-grandchildren before he passed. YuZhi was the known heir to take over as CEO, which meant his children would bear more importance than anyone else in his family.

YuZhi was the future of their company, the one set to inherit the majority shares when his grandfather stepped down in the next two years, hence their strict timeline. It seemed Grandfather Leng had found that Miss Cheng was not worthy of a union with his grandson for his first-born child, who would be set to inherit the future company after his father. Cheng was a name in fashion and design but was even lower than Lei Enterprises in terms of worth.

TangShi shyly looked up at the second man, assuming it was YuZhi's father, and was met with a blank stare of a quiet and bored person. The other gentleman was more on the age line of grandfather, which confused her, and she wondered if his father had been late in life when he had a son. She didn’t know the relation of these two other quiet men to YuZhi, or his grandfather for sure, other than they looked alike.

TangShi couldn't help but be drawn back to YuZhi as the elders continued to talk and finalize the details of her life. She was zoning out because she had no say and didn't want to listen anymore. It would all be written into a contract she would sign today, and she could read back at the worthlessness of her value when she was alone. She didn’t want to digest it while unable to cry or react to how she felt inside.

YuZhi was staring at his coffee, oblivious to the conversation, and seemed disengaged and closed off, lost in his thoughts, even while managing to sit like a commanding emperor and looking devastating and devilish all at the same time. TangShi's heartbeat hastened rapidly, her palms became clammy, and she looked away as the blush rose on her cheeks.

One encounter was enough to leave a lasting impression, and she regretted it deeply. Despite knowing this man was cold and heartless, he was still the type of male who could reduce her to a trembling mess. She had thought him beautiful, even masked, but seeing him fully now, her heart tore a little, and her eyes dampened with regret at letting him wound her.

She wished she could erase that night and meet him as a stranger. She felt it would be somewhat easier had she never tasted his lips and been eternally traumatized by his kissing her. It had ruined her from ever being kissed by another, and she had actively avoided dating men in the years following. Such was the crushing effect he had on her fragile heart by standing her up. Proving all his words had been lies. She wondered if her lack of self-worth and need to find love had been catalysts to how much it affected her. If she had been someone like Juefeng, she might have brushed it off and forgotten him in a matter of days.

She had often felt weak and pitiful by being so broken over such a minor episode in a long life, but seeing him again, she understood how he could devastate hearts so easily. He was like a god among men. She had basked in his light and been burned for eternity with unhealing wounds.

So, she will leave with you today? So fast. I was not expecting it. We have not prepared her to leave just yet. Ava's words pulled TangShi back to the present, and she froze as they seeped into her brain and sobered her melancholy.

Did they really just say she was being taken from here immediately? She thought this was just a meeting to agree to the pairing. To sign the documents.

The license is easy to obtain, and we have the means to make it happen tonight. We brought the dowry gifts and have transferred money to the account you gave us. We have the papers and lawyers waiting to put it all in motion if you accompany us, Mr. Lei. Their wedding night should be under the roof of Leng, and I don't see a reason to delay. The old man commanded, his voice booming as though someone dared to question his position, and everyone present trembled internally.

TangShi shuddered as she saw her father recoil, intimated by old man Leng, and it was scary to witness. Someone who had bullied her for a lifetime and dragged her to despair and back for his pleasure was afraid of these new men, which did not bode well for TangShi. She looked down at her clasped hands, held tightly, cold and white, and swallowed heavily. She tried to bring her heart rate to a normal level to ease the growing panic before raising her chin with a gentle smile, forced to conceal her fear.

I don't have many things to pack, father. I will do as asked and only need a moment to ready myself. She uttered quietly, that dignified tone that brought all eyes to her, and YuZhi almost choked on his coffee—spluttering into his cup and clearing his throat before hastily laying it down.

You're the girl? I thought... he glanced to Juefeng in alarm, back and forth between the two women, and frowned intensely. Apparent dislike appeared on that all too-handsome face, and TangShi's blush deepened in heat. This was as good as a rejection and another blow from this cruel man's heart. She wondered why she ever had to cross paths with this brute.

This is our youngest, Juefeng. You will wed TangShi. She is twenty-four, in good health, and very obedient. She will cause no trouble for your family. Ava interjected, hinting that Juefeng may be too headstrong and impulsive for such a deal, and YuZhi seemed to look right through her with obvious sarcasm.

I thought she was an assistant or a maid. he rudely retorted, throwing another narrowed glare TangShi's way, snorting his distaste and making her melt into her seat in humiliation. She knew her attire probably suggested she was not of the wealthy Lei family but had always prided herself in her grace and poise that sometimes told people she was from a known lineage. She didn’t think it was apparent that nothing on her body was overly expensive.

Despite her father's lack of love, she was still educated well and had all the manners of a wealthy daughter. YuZhi seemed oblivious to her positive traits and only saw her plain dress, simple hair, and lack of accessories. Things he had been attracted to that night of the ball. She guessed this was a shallow rich boy and not the same one who bought her street food they ate with their fingers, then walked barefoot in a waterfall in a poorer part of the city. That boy was either a good actor looking to gain a girl in his bed or a plain liar.

She likes to be modest, to show what a good girl she is. her father tried to cover with false excuses about his lack of ever giving her the means to dress appropriately for her title. YuZhi shrugged and turned to his grandfather. He was seemingly bored and no longer cared which woman he was forced to be with. It didn't matter to him either way, as he didn't like either of them or this situation, and money could remedy what she wore.

Can we go? She needs a dress if I am to be seen in public with her. Rhea would be disgusted if I was photographed with someone dressed as a commoner. She’s a fashion queen, after all. YuZhi's nasty statement riled up TangShi's heart to instant fury, shame pushed aside, and she scowled his way. Suddenly angered at his rudeness and the nerve that he would insult her right in front of her face. Also, his girlfriend's mention made no sense, given what they were here for. Did he have no decorum or respect for her family?

Did he deliberately try to clarify that even wed, he would continue with his mistress and still treat her as the Madame in this scenario? Was that a dig? TangShi found a piece of her that still contained fire and tried her hardest to simmer this alien emotion. She was not used to erupting at any conflict, but her blood boiled, and her anger grew like an expanding balloon in her chest.

YuZhi! his grandfather snapped and seemed to remind him how inappropriate it was to say such things. Although there was no actual malice in his scold, which suggested his grandson was the golden boy in his eye. A stubborn glaring of frowns aimed at one another before YuZhi relented with a bow of his head and muttered apology. The old man seemed satisfied with that, smiling warmly at YuZhi before turning to TangShi and smiling to cover the moment. No one cared about her father’s shocked expression or Ava’s frown.

We shall take you to change into something appropriate for a daughter-in-law of Leng. Then we’ll get the license, and you will spend your night in YuZhi's rooms. Welcome to our family. Please work hard not to disappoint; the rewards for being Leng will have no limits. The older man tried for a gentler approach, but his insincerity shone through the veiled attempt at caring, and TangShi had to swallow her dislike. The man only saw her as an object to get what he wanted most: grandchildren. She wasn’t stupid enough to be drawn in by fake kindness. She was a vessel to carry a baby and would be discarded when she fulfilled her side of things.

I will work my hardest not to displease you, Mr. Leng. TangShi lowered her head appropriately, her heart dying a little inside and simmering a spike of rage, feeling shame for being so easy to conquer. Knowing she had nowhere to run and hide and not even time to get used to this. By midnight her life would change, her fate sealed. By tomorrow even her innocence would be gone.

From her bowed position, she glanced toward YuZhi and caught him staring right at her profile. A look on his face that sent shivers through her soul and made her tremble in wariness. He looked like he wished death on her and her entire family for forcing him into a position he obviously didn't want.

YuZhi snarled so slightly it was almost unseen, but TangShi saw it, and a cold iciness moved into her soul and settled around her heart. Reminding her she was never to let her guard down around this man for fear he would find ways to make her life worse than it was already.

Married

TangShi looked at the reflection before her and stopped to wipe the single tear which made its way down her face. Tonight had been a blur of so much going on that she had not even a moment to catch her breath, to process what was happening, and now her heart was finally allowing itself to catch up. Sad for her situation and bitter that there was no way out. Her dreams of returning to California were now dead for another two years.

She stood alone in the spacious suite of YuZhi Leng, her legal husband, yet she had never felt so alone or unworthy. She had been swept away, dressed, tugged, pulled, and pushed by a stylist in an expensive boutique before being thrust into a car to her doom, prettied up like a fancy cake about to be served at a feast.

She had been led to a room where her father and lawyers sat, signed the papers that sold her soul to the devil, and made to digest all the details about what was expected of her.

The license office was small and private, and they were rushed through, signed off, and told they were legally wed before she had a chance to read what she was signing. Her red book slid back towards her with the newly taken couple pictures, and there it was, married.

This family moved fast, and the secrecy was incomparable to anything her father could have pulled off. It was unceremonious, unromantic, and made her feel like a piece of meat at market. Sold to the hungriest bidder for a nominal price and then wrapped up and shipped home for devouring.

YuZhi had barely looked at her the entire time; his utter disinterest in her was soul-destroying. He didn't touch her and even had the nerve to stand and use his cell phone while waiting on their documents to call his girlfriend. TangShi had to endure listening to him sweet-talking another woman and telling her he would see her in a day or two when he 'took care' of his duties. It was evident to TangShi that he meant her, and the fact he knew their wedding night was inevitable. She felt humiliated surrounded by these people while witnessing her new husband croon down his phone at his mistress. It hurt her pride and caused pain in her chest, almost like stabbing with a searing hot poker.

TangShi's heart had turned to dust. None of the people around them had seemed shocked at his behavior or hearing him talk to that woman or whisper their farewell; I love you. It seemed part of their marriage arrangement between his grandfather and him was that Rhea could stay secretly hidden but continue to be his companion, although not his girlfriend. She had heard the old man remind him in the car that intimacy of a sexual nature was forbidden with Rhea and that Rhea understood they were now officially over. At least until after they parted in divorce, but what he did with his time as long as he was discreet was no problem.

The old man even had the nerve to look TangShi right in the eye when he uttered those words, making it clear she better not raise a complaint and accept the decision. TangShi had wanted to cry, yell out about the unfairness of this, but nodded obediently and stared out of the window for the journey home. She was lost in her own mind and more miserable as the miles passed by. Her new forced husband would still spend time with his playmate, and she would be left to do god knows what in a house alone.

Miss, do you need assistance in undressing and bathing? The sweet young voice of the girl assigned to her care brought her back from her stray thoughts, and she blinked at her reflection behind her. In her late teens, she was a petite pretty girl, a little short and curvy but utterly adorable. She had given TangShi a warm feeling at the first meeting and hoped they would have a harmonious relationship under this roof.

No, Xiaosu. It's fine. I can do it myself. TangShi dismissed her with a smile and a genuine warmth in her tone. Hoping the girl would not feel offended at being refused and turned her attention back to the image before her. She didn’t want to appear ungrateful or cold, but she needed alone time.

She looked nothing like she did a few hours ago. She was teased into a slim, fitted red satin dress that hugged her curves and accentuated her slender frame. Her makeup was heavier than she typically wore, and her hair was pulled into an updo that made her look older somehow. Refined, almost identifiable as a young miss of Lei. Expensive and nothing like the girl she was.

She wasn't disappointed by who she saw; it just wasn't her—groomed into glamourous and almost noble, reeking of wealth. It seemed fake and shallow of her to get any enjoyment out of looking like she had stepped out of a palace, and she began to undo it all very carefully. It felt like a mask, one to cover the stench of her own shame, shielding her complete loss of any pride.

This dress cost more than everything she owned, and she wasn't comfortable with that fact. Despite growing up in a wealthy family, she had never experienced it as if she was. She was inferior, and things like this made her nervous. She didn't want to damage or dirty it and hoped it would be returned to old man Leng now her wedding duty was done.

TangShi quickly undressed, showered, and came out to see a nightdress lying across the foot of the bed while still wearing a dressing robe. It was clear Xiaosu left it here, and her face blazed with embarrassment as she picked up the scrap of sexy lace and silk and knew precisely what this was for—enticing her new husband to lay hands on her and consummate their wedding.

Trembling with nerves as the reality of this night loomed over her. This would be the first time she had sexual intimacy with a man. It was clear that he had zero interest in her, and Xiaosu had been instructed to assist by giving her something that might pique his interest. It made her feel sick and cheap.

TangShi swallowed her nerves and pride, swallowed down the thoughts of what was to come, and tried to cool her burning cheeks. She pushed her nerves and anxiety aside to calm the churning of her stomach. She dried quickly, lathered on her body lotion, and then slid on this scrap of a dress. It was short and clingy and left nothing to the imagination, shocking her to complete shame when she caught sight of herself. She had never been one to dress provocatively and now felt naked.

Her hair was loose and damp, her face free of makeup and looking somewhat wild with her current blush; she was a seductress in the mirror. Not the sweet girl she left at her father's home earlier. She grabbed a robe to cover up this scanty outfit, but the noise behind her made her freeze in fear and spin to see what it was.

YuZhi was strolling in as if he owned the place, his eyes sweeping over her for a moment, but he had no expression beyond that furrowed glare he had worn since they wed. He didn't blink at her attire but nodded at her hair and glared harder.

Dry that before you get in my bed. I don't want to sleep in dampness. He walked past her, ignoring her mostly, and went and locked himself in the bathroom as the shower came on. The entire interaction was less than thirty seconds.

TangShi stood in pale-faced silence. Not only was she mortified to be seen dressed this way, but she was hurt that he completely ignored it and dismissed her so coldly. It's clear he wasn't inexperienced at seeing a woman in lingerie if he had little to no shocked response. No doubt Rhea would dress this way to entice him, so he wasn’t all that moved by it.

TangShi was his wife now, and tonight he would have to make it official and commit to only sleeping with her until they divorced.