Into the Night, Jiao Jiao Gets Kissed by a Business Tycoon

Cheng Yi sized her up for a while before slowly speaking, "So you really want to sever ties with me?"

He paused for a moment, then added another sentence, "Or are you playing hard to get?"

"Cheng Yi, what do you mean by that?" Her tone was somewhat pale.

Cheng Yi snorted coldly, took out a cigarette from the pack, lit it up, and thin tendrils of white smoke slowly rose from his fingertips.

"What do I mean? I've only just returned to the country, and your parents did everything they could to invite me to your house. They claimed it was to catch up, but you surely understand their real intentions better than I do." The man's voice was deep and pleasant, but his words were so hurtful.

Cheng Yi was right; the Xi family's motives were not pure, and she had nothing to say in response.

In their noble circle, marriage was not a matter of choice; it usually came down to arranged unions, since that was the only way to maximize benefits between families.

For Tianyi Group to quickly overcome its current difficulties, an arranged marriage was the best option, especially with a family like the Cheng family that had a century of history.

Because of Cheng Yi's arrival, Xi Kanglei, who hadn't been home for half a month, made a special trip back. These past few months, he had been worn thin by the company's affairs, and now he had to firmly grasp at the Cheng family as a lifesaver.

At the dinner table, taking advantage of the alcohol, Xi Kanglei purposely steered the conversation toward Xinan, "Ah Yi, you've been abroad for so many years, you might not know that Nannan has pursued a career in the entertainment industry. This child has always loved performing, and I didn't expect that after graduating from college, she would actually go in this direction. I heard you've recently invested in an entertainment company; this could be a good opportunity for the two of you to have a private chat."

Cheng Yi looked up at Xinan, his tone cold and distant, "Sure, just contact me if there's anything."

Xinan could clearly tell it was merely a polite remark; they didn't even have each other's contact information.

Xinan ate in an especially distracted manner. If possible, she really wanted to escape; the atmosphere was truly suffocating.

"Uncle Xi, Aunt Zhou, I'm finished eating. If there's nothing else, I should be going now." Cheng Yi had actually put down his chopsticks a while ago but hadn't found the right moment to speak up.

"Ah Yi, are you done that quickly? Do you want to stay a bit longer?" Zhou Rong wanted to keep him for a while more.

"No need."

Zhou Rong signaled Xinan with her eyes, "Alright then, Xinan, go send Ah Yi off."

Hearing Zhou Rong call her, Xinan came back to her senses, "Okay..."

Cheng Yi walked away quickly, and Xinan, in her high heels, found it very difficult to keep up.

Suddenly, the figure in front of her stopped abruptly, and before Xinan could react, she "thud" bumped her head straight into the man's back.

"I'm sorry." Xinan rubbed her forehead, enduring the pain as she looked up.

"Can't you watch where you're going?" Cheng Yi turned back, his face full of anger.

"It wasn't on purpose."

Cheng Yi didn't waste any more words with her and continued walking outside with his hands in his pockets.

Xinan watched his retreating figure, suddenly feeling empty inside, as if someone had carved out a piece of her.

Once upon a time, they had also been very good friends. Cheng Yi was three years her senior and had always taken great care of his litte sister who followed him around—yielding to her every wish.

Back then, he always loved to pinch her cheeks and call her Little Pumpkin. With a brother like that, Xinan was quite the influencer at school.

But as they grew older, their relationship gradually became more distant, especially after that incident, it escalated to a point where they were like water and fire.

Thinking about it, Xinan's heart couldn't help but wrench with pain.

After returning, as expected, Zhou Rong and Xi Kanglei were sitting on the sofa waiting for her.

Xinan bit her lip but nonetheless walked over.

Xi Kanglei looked at his daughter, whom he had raised for over twenty years, and spoke with grave seriousness, "Nannan, I'm sure you know the situation our family is in now. Tianyi Group is the work of my lifetime, I can't just watch it go bankrupt. If you would marry into the Cheng Family, they surely wouldn't stand by and do nothing. Then Tianyi could be saved."

Although she had known what they were thinking all along, hearing these words still made her heart inevitably ache.

"So you're willing to sacrifice your own daughter's happiness?" Her voice trembled as she spoke.

"You and Ah Yi have grown up together since you were little, and I'm sure he won't mistreat you." Xi Kanglei paused for a few seconds before adding, "Don't you like acting? Ah Yi has several talent agencies under his name. If you were with him, your career would surely soar."

Seeing that Xinan remained silent, Zhou Rong grew restless and spoke up, "We've raised you for so many years, given you the best education, and provided the best for you in every aspect of life. Think of it as repaying your father and me. You certainly don't want to see the company your father has worked so hard for collapse, do you?"

Zhou Rong had always been quite cold towards her, and after her brother Xi Xun was born, she cared even less about Xinan.

She thought she wouldn't feel sad when Zhou Rong said this, but why did her heart ache so much now?

"Okay," Xinan said with a choked sob.

Her mother was right; she wouldn't stand by and watch her father's painstaking efforts crumble away.

In the bar, with the powerful beats, the noisy crowd, and the mix of air heavy with the scent of alcohol and cigarettes, the music was turned up to the max. Under the influence of alcohol, handsome men and beautiful women were wildly gyrating their bodies in the center of the dance floor.

Cheng Yi had lost count of how many gatherings he had attended since his return, but today, almost everyone present was someone he had grown up with.

A group huddled together, some drinking, some playing cards, creating a lively atmosphere.

Most of them were prominent figures in Jing City, each with a young, beautiful girl by their side.

These girls were all very clever, for working in such environments year-round had taught them exactly how to please a man.

In such a setting, conversations spanned a wide range of topics, and eventually, the subject shifted to Cheng Yi.

"Ah Yi, you've been back for a few days now, does Xinan know?" The speaker was Tan Bo, one of Cheng Yi's closest friends in the group, and the only one bold enough to bring up Xinan in front of him.

Cheng Yi sat in the central position amongst the group. He had been quiet since his arrival, but even so, he was an undeniable presence.

The woman by his side seemed to know her place, acting obediently and not clinging to him like the others.

Someone teased from the side, "Tan Bo, you're really out of the loop. Brother Yi visited the Xi Family for dinner on his second day back."

Cheng Yi's expression remained indifferent upon hearing this, he slightly lifted his head and poured himself another glass of whiskey.

Tan Bo paused for a moment, then sat next to Cheng Yi and whispered a question that only the two of them could hear, "I heard the Xi Family is interested in an alliance through marriage with your family, what do you think about that?"

Now that the Cheng Family was essentially under Cheng Yi's control, the decision to marry or not rested on his word alone.