The CEO's Porcelain Wife

Forced Marriage and Betrothal

Five o'clock in the afternoon, a gentle knock echoed. Lin Yue, with her professional stride, walked to the large desk and opened her notepad: “President, during your three-day business trip to Switzerland, twelve of your friends called to invite you for dinner. They are Miss Yang of Yang's Paper Group, Miss Wang of Tianqi Electronics, Miss Lisa of the Yage Hotel Group, Miss Fang of Minglang Technology, and…”

“Stop—” Sima Chun made a braking motion, looking up from the pile of documents. “Assistant Lin, same as always, just arrange one.”

“Then I will contact them and call you back. I’ll notify Mr. An Da to take you for dinner.” Lin Yue replied respectfully.

“Okay, you can go now.”

An Da drove the Ferrari to a smooth stop in front of the Shangri-La Hotel. Sima Chun, dressed in a suit, strode into the lobby. A flash of pink rushed towards him. "Chun, you're here! I've called for three days, I thought you'd forgotten about me..."

“How could I, my dear? You’ve gotten so good, I can’t forget you…” Sima Chun whispered in Yang Yang's ear.

The two embraced, oblivious to the others, and walked into a luxurious private dining room. Yang Yang gracefully swiped the scarf on her neck over the sensor by the door, and then pressed the "Do Not Disturb" button on the door. Closing the door, she leaned bonelessly against Sima Chun. Her low-cut pink princess dress revealed most of her snow-white chest. She reached up, hooking Sima Chun's neck, her watery eyes looking misty. Sima Chun leaned her against the wall and kissed her lips, her neck, one hand moving restlessly...

“Oh…oh…oh…” Yang Yang gasped, the sound a perfect invitation to a man. Sima Chun could no longer resist. “You little temptress, let’s see how I deal with you…”

...

Coming out of the private dining room, An Da stood by the door, “Young Master, should we give her the pill?”

“Of course.” Sima Chun did not hesitate.

Driving to the Shallows Bay villa, the outside noise gradually faded away. “Old Madam, Madam, Young Master is back!” the housekeeper, An, announced happily.

“My Chun’er is back! My good grandson, let grandma take a look, I haven’t seen you for half a month.”

“Grandma, Mom, how have you been?”

“My son, you still know to come home!” Gao Suqing glared at her son, displeased.

“Oh dear, Suqing, don’t blame Chun’er. It’s not easy for him, a big company, more than two million employees, my Chun’er probably really doesn’t have any time.”

“Sigh, look, my grandson’s gotten thinner again, it makes grandma's heart ache.” The old madam made a crying gesture, and Sima Chun laughed, “Grandma, is it really that serious?”

“Chun’er, grandma wants to talk to you about a few things today. Do you have time now?”

“Oh, I have time, I’ll stay home tonight and go back to the company tomorrow morning.”

“Really? Grandma is so happy.” The old lady’s eyes narrowed into a slit with her smile. “Chun’er, grandma is going to ask you something, you have to answer truthfully, no being slippery!”

“Okay, grandma, ask whatever you want, I'll tell you everything I know."

“My good grandson, isn't this the year you should get married? You're thirty years old, if I remember correctly.”

“You're not wrong, but is there a rule that you have to get married at thirty?”

“Oh dear, grandma is getting old, and I don’t know how many days I have left. Grandma just wants you to get married soon, so that I can feel at peace when I go to see your grandpa…” Tears welled up in her eyes.

“Grandma will live to be a hundred!” Sima Chun immediately pulled out a tissue to wipe away her tears.

"Chun, your marriage should be put on the agenda, you decide what to do!" Gao Suqing said, "If you can't find a suitable one, do you want mom to help you introduce a few?"

"Mommy, I don’t have time, I'm not planning to get married right now."

“Grandson, if you don’t have time, we’ll have your father come back to Hong Kong to help. Finding someone to marry is a big deal. Our Sima family has only one son per generation, I'll call your dad now.”

“Grandma, this is too sudden. Let me think about it, you can’t just tell me to get married and I have to do it right away!” The mother and daughter-in-law exchanged a knowing smile.

“Alright, grandma will give you a month. If you haven’t found a suitable one, then your mom and I will choose someone, okay?”

“In such a short time, where am I going to find someone to marry?!” Sima Chun was flustered. He knew that his grandma was a woman of her word, and if it wasn’t her at the headquarters during the years he studied in China, everything would probably have to start all over again. "Chun, don't play tricks with me and your grandma. We know a little about your affairs outside."

Gao Suqing sat down and said, “Several of those women are from famous families. For example, the daughter of the Zhao CEO of the real estate industry, weren't you two very hot a few months ago? The daughter of the jewelry tycoon, Guo CEO, visits our office building every day. She went shopping with me yesterday, such a filial and well-behaved girl. And there's also that Fang Ying, I heard she has a PhD in management, 27 years old, with both knowledge and beauty, a good match, she can also help you..."

“Mommy also has photos and resumes of about twenty young ladies from prestigious families who have volunteered, for you to choose from!”

“Anyway, within a month, bring a girl for me and your grandma to see. We will ask a fortune teller to calculate the date, it's best if you get married before July. Our family has only one son per generation!”

“Grandson, do you want to put down your position as president and get married first, then be president again? In the Sima family, having a son to carry on the family line is the most important thing.” The old lady also put pressure on Sima Chun.

“What? Grandma, I've already agreed to think about it, you want me to give my position as president to my dad, that’s impossible.” He had spent ten years building this commercial empire. He wasn't going to give the empire he had created with his own hands to his bookworm father. Hmph, not a chance! It’s just marriage! There was always a girl in his mind, and he wondered how she was now.

A scene of his grandfather’s last moments appeared in Sima Chun's mind...

A helicopter landed steadily in the Sima family courtyard. Sima Chun jumped off the ladder and ran towards his grandfather's room at full speed. “Grandpa, please don’t go, you have to wait for me.”

The room was quiet, everyone was standing silently. The only sounds were the heavy breaths of Sima Mingxiong and the quiet sobbing of the old lady. "Grandpa, I'm back!" Sima Chun knelt before his grandfather's bed, holding his hand tightly.

Sima Mingxiong recovered a little, his face gradually turning better, perhaps it was the legendary return of light. "Chun, I can't hold on much longer. There are a few things I need to tell you: First, the Sima Group will depend on you from now on. Your father and grandma are managing it for you now. You know your father is not a businessman, so you must finish your studies soon and take over the business. Second, grandpa has a wish, to have you marry Sima Qing as your wife.”

"Come, Qing'er, come over." A little girl of about three years old giggled as she came over. Her pigtails bobbed with every step as she held a lollipop in her hand. "Brother, here's a candy for you," Sima Qing said with her childish voice.

Looking at everything in front of them, everyone thought that Sima Mingxiong had gone senile. What age were they in? The age gap was a full fifteen years! However, no one dared to object at this time.

“These are Qing'er's parents, you go… pay respects... quickly...” Sima Mingxiong coughed hard, spitting out blood.

“Quickly, pay your respects!” The old lady wiped the blood as she urged him. Sima Chun knelt towards the direction they pointed, without even looking to see who they were, saying, “Greetings to the Father-in-law and Mother-in-law.” Before he could even lift his head, the couple immediately helped him up: “We can do this later, quickly take care of your grandfather.”

Looking at his grandfather, who was fading fast, Sima Chun cried for the first time. This was the man who raised him, wanted to pass down his life’s experience, this old man who never admitted to being old and wanted to create the world’s largest commercial empire in his lifetime. He told himself countless times in his heart, Grandpa, hold on, hold on, we will create our empire together.

“Chun, men don't cry. The Sima Group and Qing'er… I… leave… them to you.” Sima Mingxiong finished speaking, took a deep breath and quietly left the world.

After settling his grandfather’s funeral, the smile on Sima Chun’s face softened. "Grandma, why did Grandpa want me to marry that little girl? Even if I waited for her, even if I wanted to marry her, she might not want to marry me when she grows up. What age are we in? Arranged marriages aren’t popular anymore.”

“Chun’er, don't worry. Qing'er’s parents said you could pretend that the second matter was never mentioned. The age difference is so big and our family has only one son per generation. Qing’er’s parents can understand and they were the ones who brought it up first. Just don’t take it to heart."

Sima Chun felt like he had been tricked. But why did his grandpa arrange this betrothal?

“Qing’er's family has been slaves in the Sima family for generations, and they also have the surname Sima. Qing’er’s great-grandfather lost his life saving your great-grandfather, Qing’er’s grandfather also lost his life saving your grandfather, and Qing’er’s father also got caught up in a lawsuit for saving your father, having to hide his name for over twenty years. Think about how terrible that was. If it wasn't for their family, the Sima family wouldn’t be where we are today.” The old lady was growing more sad as she spoke.

“I was fine with Qing'er being betrothed to you, and your parents didn’t object. But yesterday, Qing'er’s parents came to me saying Qing’er was too young, and that they didn’t want to cause any delays for our family, so please do not take it to heart. I thought they were right. No one knows what the future holds.”

“I offered Qing'er a large sum of money, but they refused, only accepting travel expenses to get back home. They returned to the mainland today.”

“Okay, Chun, go pack your luggage, I'll send a private plane to take you to China. Remember your mission, finish your studies early and take over the business.”