Forced by fate – Destined to be his Wife

“Thank you Mr Kamamoto. It was a pleasure doing business with you.” YuZhi shook the man’s hand, bowing to him and his wife as they made their parting greetings and TangShi stood obediently beside him and waited for the polite goodbyes too. She was stylish in a long navy wool shift dress, and flat pumps. Her hair wavy and sat prettily around her naturally made-up face, free of jewelry apart from one dainty necklace and she exuded an air of elegance. Many of the male diners had been enamored with YuZhi’s date and it had been a pleasant and friendly evening.Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

They worked through all the dinner companions as they made their way out of the dining area, after a two-hour long dinner, and YuZhi took her hand in his which was now becoming an automatic maneuver whenever he was with her. Finally free and heading for the carpark.

“You did really good. They seemed impressed with my girlfriend.” He smiled, knowing she knew he was joking about the title and fell into a matched pace. Glad this was over and satisfied he got what he needed out of the meeting.

“It wasn’t so bad. I found it interesting listening to you talk about your investment plan and the new company you want to start up. The food was nice. I liked it here.” TangShi had genuinely enjoyed herself and despite working herself up and expecting Rhea, she never showed up at all. Her father brought his assistant instead and they had a relaxing meal talking over a proposal that sounded interesting.

“Yeah, work stuff can be boring, but this was one project I actually have interest in. Something new and exciting.”

They were combining an established fashion line with one of their popular cosmetic brands to create a theme for a known artist. Putting her designs on both prints and accessories, but also packaging to tie them up into limited edition items. And a business venture that was something to do with building a media center in Shanghai. YuZhi had seemed so mature and capable as she watched him as a CEO, and it impressed her how on top of everything he was.

“Have you figured out what we’re going to do now?” YuZhi guided her outside quickly, pulling her into his side as they moved past other diner’s coming in and helped her navigate to their parking space. Looking forward to letting their hair down.

“A movie sounded fun but there was nothing showing that I want to see. How about we go to the Bund? I read there’s a street performance and some craft stalls and attractions tonight. It sounds fun and there’s a planned fireworks display at nine pm.” TangShi had put a lot of thought into what she wanted to do tonight, and this was entirely up her street. She wasn’t a lover of flashy outings, five star surroundings or complicated trips, and loved to see the culture and fun of people enjoying things like this.

“Sure. Do you need a change of clothes, or footwear?” He glanced down, fine with whatever she decided on and seeing she was already in flat shoes. She also had a jacket this time and seemed to have come prepared for a late-night walk.

“Nope. I planned in advance, and I have a bag in your car with my scarf.” She beamed at him, proud of herself for her forward thinking and even picking a warmer dress.

YuZhi nodded, a ghost of a smile crossing his face as he tried not to link this kind of date to them having an adventure in the streets of Beijing so long ago. That was a night of street stalls, a parade, and an impromptu festival which ended in fireworks too. She didn’t seem to have made the connection, so he kept quiet and helped her into the car when they got to it. Opening her door and guiding her inside before closing it for her. Tonight, he was airing his boy toy once more and leaving his driver at home. He liked the intimacy of the two of them in his sports car alone.

“To the Bund then.” YuZhi slid into his seat and got them moving. Pulling out into traffic and heading for the historical part of Shanghai where he hoped it wouldn’t be too crowded. He was tired after keeping up with the social niceties tonight and wanted some chill out time to unwind. He could do walking around and a crowd as long as no one bothered them.

TangShi was a peaceful companion and even though he got a pang of guilt for taking her out tonight after everything that happened with Rhea last week, he pushed it away. This was nothing sordid and part of the agreement with his grandfather that he would have a believable marriage for two years. Besides, they were hanging out the same way he and ZhengLi would and there was nothing in it.

Rhea had to accept it, even if she didn’t like it, as he felt like he was doing it for all of them. He genuinely liked TangShi’s company and keeping up appearances like this was good for his family name while fulfilling a promise. They were friends now and she was a major part of his life that he couldn’t ignore.

“Are you excited for school starting?” YuZhi added in afterthought, eyes on the road as they drove through the city traffic. Turning on the radio low to play background music.

“Yes. I get so bored and lose my will to paint when I am stuck home all day. I feel like it’ll be good for me. Something to do and a way to improve my skills. It’s so beautiful and peaceful too and all the staff seem kind and approachable. I think I’ll be happy there.” She smiled brightly, casting him a glance before relaxing into her seat and looking out at the passing scenery. She was feeling merry already, even though she hadn’t drunk any alcohol through dinner. They had gotten to the stage where small talk was free flowing, and silences were no longer uncomfortable. That being together felt easy and natural, and she could breathe easy and not feel she had to perform or be someone else.

YuZhi was warmed by that fact. That she was glad to be starting and had found something like this to help her art. He approved completely and was only too happy to pay for whatever she wanted to do or needed. She was talented, but above all he wanted her enjoying life while stuck in this arrangement, so she no longer regretted it or felt upset about how they started out. He was dealing feeling bad about how he used to treat her.

“I wanted to talk to you about that actually. About, home. About the current arrangements.” He flashed a look her way to gauge a reaction and saw only confusion. This was something that he had wanted to broach the past few days but had never found the right time. It had sounded unplausible in his head and he didn’t know if she would take it the wrong way.

“What do you mean?”

“Where we live right now, it’s not actually where I lived. I moved home as part of the arrangement for this ….. marriage.” YuZhi hesitated at the title, which always felt like a dirty word between them. He glanced her way, uptight for no reason and way too interested in her reaction.

“Where did you live then?” She asked in genuine curiosity blinking at him and giving him her full attention, not really making the connection he was hinting at. Innocently intrigued.

“I have an apartment near Leng Group HQ. I was planning on moving back there once we got…… you know…” He stalled and TangShi bit on her lip, guessing the answer and blushing.

“Pregnant?” Her voice waivered and she looked away, prickling with embarrassment at the topic she never broached. It was the one thing neither of them ever brought up beyond clinic appointments.

“Yeah. Only now, with things like this, I know it’s going to sound weird but …… I want us to move to my apartment and carry on as planned there. I hate travelling so far to commute every day and you’ll have your own room, your own space, and own bed. We can exist with less eyes on us from my family and I know you’re not happy with how they are towards you. Aunt RuiZi especially. We’ll have more freedom to relax and you might find it less boring to be home without an atmosphere.” He swallowed hard, unsure why this was making him nervous and clammy, and his heart rate had upped. Hanging on her response by holding his breath. He had thought about it a lot this past week and it made sense to move them. Grandfather wouldn’t let him leave her alone at home and this way they didn’t have to explain outings to the clinic or have anyone keeping tabs on them. It would ease so much pressure and they could forge out a proper life for the duration of this.