Chapter 17: The Storm of an Arranged Marriage

Morning sunlight filtered through the vast floor-to-ceiling windows, casting dappled shadows upon the luxurious cloud-patterned marble floor.

Lu Qiuyi was roused from sleep by the relentless buzzing of her phone. Groggily, she reached for it, her eyes barely open. On the screen appeared the headline of a gossip notification:

“Private banquet meeting between the He family and the Zhou family of East City sparks new rumors of a tech giant alliance?”

The drowsiness fled instantly.

The He family? An alliance? Her fingers swiftly swiped open the link.

The report was brief, centered on a clandestine photo taken during a family gathering the previous evening.

Though the picture was grainy and taken from an awkward angle, the elegant matriarch of the He family was unmistakable in the seat of honor.

Seated beside her were several elder relatives, and at the edges of the photo, the silhouettes of the Zhou couple could be discerned.

The wording was deliberately ambiguous, suggesting that these two powerful families in the capital had met privately, their atmosphere congenial, fueling speculation that they were paving the way for a marriage alliance between their heirs—a happy union on the horizon?

The caption particularly highlighted that He Jingyue, heir apparent to the He family, was nearing thirty and still single—a constant worry for the He matriarch—while Zhou Shiyan, the Zhou family's daughter, was of a perfect age and well-matched in status.

The Zhou family of East City?

Lu Qiuyi’s mind raced, recalling that Zhou Shiyan was the original novel’s heroine.

The Zhou family’s wealth originated from textiles but had since evolved into suppliers of precision electronic components, holding several crucial patents in high-end chip packaging and specialty materials. Although not as colossal as the He conglomerate, their foundation was solid, wielding significant influence within certain industrial chains.

Zhou Shiyan was young, beautiful, and had received top-tier education—a quintessential socialite of a prestigious family.

Standing alongside He Jingyue, Zhou Shiyan was a match seemingly crafted by fate in terms of heritage, intellect, and appearance.

An indescribable emotion crept over Lu Qiuyi, like tiny tendrils quietly entwining her heart.

If this were just another ordinary arranged marriage among elites, she might have dismissed it as mere gossip.

But the Zhou family was different. The core patents they held were precisely what the next-generation hardware upgrade for the “Zhiyu” project desperately needed.

If the He and Zhou families truly became in-laws, it would be like adding wings to a tiger—He’s moat in the AI hardware field would become impenetrable. For the Lu family, who watched covetously, this was nothing short of a disaster.

The phone vibrated again; as expected, Lu Mingxuan couldn’t wait to reach out.

---

[Father Lu]: How’s the progress on the compression module?

[Father Lu]: Since there’s no chance to plant “Nightingale” into Xie Mingxiao’s computer, I’ve thought of a brilliant plan.

[Father Lu]: Get close to He Jingyue. Use the beauty trap. Gain his trust and extract the core Zhiyu data. This is the fastest and most effective method. The Lu family has supported you for years; now’s the time to contribute.

A beauty trap?!

Was Lu Mingxuan wishing for her demise?

“Are you kidding me?” Lu Qiuyi nearly flung the phone across the room.

Agitated, she paced the spacious living room barefoot, the cold marble floor doing nothing to quell the fire in her chest.

What leverage did she have to seduce He Jingyue? Apart from a reasonably presentable face.

And the constant threat of her undercover identity being exposed.

Lu Mingxuan’s calculations were ruthless. If she succeeded, naturally they would obtain the core data; if she failed and was exposed, or worse, taken care of by He Jingyue, it would still only be the loss of a pawn for the Lu family, and would even cause trouble for He Jingyue.

[Bank transfer: 1,000,000 yuan]

Sorry, I was narrow-minded.

Lu Qiuyi silently accepted the transfer.

A beauty trap, huh? The sugar daddy has spoken—no matter how hard, she must go through with it.

---

At the He Corporation building, the tea room on the top floor.

The air was filled with the rich aroma of freshly ground coffee and a faint hint of pastries. Lu Qiuyi, sporting faint dark circles under her eyes, distractedly poured hot water into her mug to brew some instant coffee for a pick-me-up.

“Good morning, Sister Qiuyi,” Lin Xiaoyu’s lively voice interrupted, her round face brimming with gossip-fueled excitement. “Have you seen this morning’s headline? It’s a bombshell!”

Lu Qiuyi’s hand trembled, nearly spilling the hot water. “What headline?”

“Oh, that one,” Lin Xiaoyu lowered her voice, eyes sparkling. “The rumor about President He and the goddess from the Zhou family, Zhou Shiyan! The marriage alliance scandal—there are even photos.”

As she spoke, she quickly pulled out her phone and swiped through. “Here, this one. Though blurry, the goddess’s aura is unmistakable.”

---

Lu Qiuyi’s gaze landed on Lin Xiaoyu’s phone screen—the very photo she had seen earlier that morning.

“Oh... that,” Lu Qiuyi lifted her coffee cup, blowing gently to mask her reaction. “A marriage alliance among elites is hardly surprising. Well-matched families.”

“That’s true,” Lin Xiaoyu shifted tone, “but I think President He’s choice of Zhou Shiyan isn’t just about family background.”

“Hm?” Lu Qiuyi’s heart inexplicably skipped. “What else matters?”

“Brains,” Lin Xiaoyu said, as if it were obvious. “Zhou Shiyan is a genuine academic prodigy! Dual PhDs in Computer Science and Materials Science from MIT. I heard she published several top journal papers as an undergrad, and during her doctorate, projects she participated in turned into some of Zhou family’s most lucrative patents. She’s not just a trophy socialite who shops and parties; she’s a bona fide research powerhouse, even holding a startup company herself.”

Lu Qiuyi was momentarily stunned. The original story mentioned Zhou Shiyan’s background but nothing this detailed or impressive. An MIT dual PhD? Top-tier journal articles? A research titan holding core patents? This was hardcore.

If she were He Jingyue, she wouldn’t refuse someone so outstanding either.

Lin Xiaoyu leaned in closer, whispering conspiratorially, “Sister Qiuyi, do you know how we privately guess President He’s criteria for choosing a partner?”

“How?”

“We unanimously believe,” Lin Xiaoyu said firmly, “that President He is definitely an intellectual romantic.”

Lu Qiuyi nodded in understanding.

Lin Xiaoyu counted on her fingers. “Look, President He himself is a genius workaholic—remember that time the marketing manager botched a PPT so badly the president grilled him into resigning on the spot? But when it comes to people who are truly capable and intelligent, he treats them completely differently.”

Lu Qiuyi nodded vigorously.

Lin Xiaoyu grew more excited. “So, the goddess Zhou is basically tailor-made for President He. This kind of rivalry between equals, a resonance of souls—that’s the ultimate pursuit for someone like him.”

Lu Qiuyi came back to herself and began to shake her head.

“Sister Qiuyi? Are you alright? You look pale,” Lin Xiaoyu asked, concern evident, offering a tissue.

“I’m fine,” Lu Qiuyi took the tissue, “the coffee was too hot, I choked a little.”

“Oh,” Lin Xiaoyu accepted that without suspicion and continued her gossip, “But seriously, Zhou Shiyan is impressive. A senior of mine works at Zhou’s R&D center; he said she’s no mere trophy. The new materials project she leads is truly cutting-edge, attracting interest from many international giants. If the He family really marries into the Zhou family, a strong alliance like that—‘Zhiyu’ might just take off for real...”