Don’t be arrogant,billionaire

Chapter 004: The Moving Day

With a silent sigh that carried the weight of unspoken thoughts, Ouyang Qiqi reached out to her dear friend, Ye Li. This year, as Ye Li graduated with her master's degree, she had ventured into the world and purchased her own abode, a sanctuary built with dreams and mortar. It was for the purpose of aiding her in the great migration of her belongings that Ouyang Qiqi had come.

Ye Li, the scion of the prestigious Xu family, was a connoisseur of photography, an art that demanded both her passion and her purse. Her treasures were many and their cost dear, and to trust the shifting of her world to strangers was a gamble she was loath to take. So, in need of a trusted hand, she summoned Ouyang Qiqi to her side.

With her hair cascading in waves as tumultuous as the sea, and a presence that seemed to command the very air, Ye Li dashed from her dormitory building with the speed of a gazelle. Upon seeing Ouyang Qiqi, she wrapped her in an exuberant embrace that spoke volumes of their friendship. "Oh, this comfort," she teased, her voice tinged with laughter, "I wonder which lucky man will claim it someday!"

A smile played on Ouyang Qiqi's lips as she gently pushed Ye Li away. "What are you saying?" she chided softly.

In truth, Ouyang Qiqi wanted to reveal her newlywed status, but she knew all too well that such a confession would lead to an endless torrent of questions from Ye Li, and perhaps they would find themselves engaged in conversation rather than the task of moving.

"By the way," Ye Li said, her phoenix eyes alight with mischief as she blinked suggestively, "I've also called Zou Shiwei to join us. Perhaps we could grab a meal together later?"

"Zou Shiwei?" The name conjured up an image of a boyish smile adorned with dimples. Ouyang Qiqi laughed resignedly. "Let's focus on moving first, dining can wait."

"He's been too shy to ask you out directly, so he's asked for my aid several times. Look at him, so devoted, he's been fond of you for a year now. Weren't you in a hurry to get married? Why not consider giving him a chance?" Ye Li's tone was not without a nudge towards matchmaking.

"Let's not," Ouyang Qiqi replied with a shake of her head. The notion of marrying in haste had crossed her mind, and with it, the thought of Zou Shiwei. But his family, of high officialdom, would never entertain a whirlwind wedding.

After much consideration, she knew she did not harbor affection for him, and to offer false hope would only be to invite disaster.

"You..." Ye Li's frustration was palpable; she was well aware of the tribulations that plagued Ouyang Qiqi's family and could not help but feel a profound empathy. "Zou Shiwei comes from such a good family. You wouldn't suffer if you were with him!"

"I'm already married," Ouyang Qiqi blurted out unexpectedly.

Ye Li's eyes widened in shock, her vibrant red lips parting in disbelief. "Really? I've never seen you date anyone. You weren't deceived, were you? Come on, we must get a divorce at once!"

"No, he's quite a decent man, a lawyer, with a house and a car, and a respectable salary," Ouyang Qiqi assured, holding onto Ye Li's hands. "Since I chose a shotgun wedding, I'm well aware of what I'm getting into."

After a moment of contemplation, Ye Li resigned herself to Ouyang Qiqi's decision. If her friend was content with her choice, then who was she to interfere?

"Then you must introduce me to him when you have the chance. Is he handsome? In good shape? Is he... competent?" Ye Li inquired, her eyes twinkling with curiosity.

Ouyang Qiqi's ears turned a shade of red. "Let's just focus on moving," she said, evading the question.

Ye Li chuckled, aware of her friend's bashfulness, and let the matter drop. "I suppose I should let Zou Shiwei down gently, now that you're married and all."

The two women joined forces with the deliveryman, navigating the sea of possessions up and down the stairs. Ye Li's belongings were numerous, and without Ouyang Qiqi's methodical organization, chaos would have surely reigned supreme.

As the sun dipped below the horizon, a weary Ouyang Qiqi gazed upon Ye Li's new apartment, a sense of accomplishment mingling with fatigue. "At the rate I'm earning, it'll take me another six months to save up for a down payment," she mused.

Ouyang Qiqi harbored a dream, a vision of a home to call her own. Having cleared her uncle's debts, she was determined to carve a niche for herself through her expertise in artifact restoration. The meticulous repair of relics and crafting of artifact-inspired merchandise was not just work; it was a step towards her dream.

In the bustling whirl of her scholarly pursuits, Ouyang Qiqi found a semblance of tranquility in the lucrative nature of her craft: the restoration of antiquities. Each month, with the meticulous skill of an alchemist transmuting metal into gold, she amassed a small fortune—the sum of which, six to seven thousand yuan, was nothing to scoff at. Her prudence had borne fruit, and she had squirreled away a small hoard of twenty thousand yuan.

“Indeed, the time seems ripe for you to consider acquiring a domicile of your own,” mused Ye Li, her words laced with a concoction of concern and foresight. “Should the winds of your hastily knotted marriage turn tempestuous, a sanctuary of your own would be most prudent.”

A pause lingered in the air as Ye Li’s advice settled like leaves after a gentle autumn zephyr. “However, should you find yourself in need, my abode is as much yours as it is mine, for solitude is my sole companion. And if the coffers for your homestead run dry, I am well-endowed with means, and would lend to you without hesitation.”

Ouyang Qiqi’s heart warmed at the gesture. Although the bonds of family were frayed and thin, the tapestry woven by her comrades was rich and kind. Ye Li might have been born into affluence, but Ouyang Qiqi could never regard her as a mere financial reservoir. The currency exchanged between friends was laden with potential discomfort.

“No cause for concern, I shall endeavor to amass more,” Ouyang Qiqi replied, her visage aglow with gratitude.

At that moment, Ye Li’s countenance brightened with a thought, as if lit by the very spark of inspiration. “Oh, speaking of which, a patron of my father—a collector of porcelain and ancient brushwork—seeks restoration. When might you avail yourself to assess his treasures? The remuneration, I assure you, is quite generous.”

“Indeed, I shall make myself available on the morrow,” determined Ouyang Qiqi, her mind adroitly navigating her schedule. “The hour grows late; I must take my leave.”

“Then, it is settled. We shall confer anon,” Ye Li declared with a touch of mirth. “As a woman of matrimony, I shan’t tether you any longer.”

Post adieu, as Ouyang Qiqi steeled herself to summon a cab, a sudden realization dawned upon her—she was without the address to her own marital abode.

Hovering upon the precipice of decision, she ultimately touched Jiang Moyan’s name on her phone to summon his voice.

**

In the realm of commerce and calculation, an office served as the battleground.

“Mr. Jiang, the terrain to the north, vast and inscrutable, is rumored to be veined with oil. Yet, to claim it in its entirety would weigh heavily upon our ledger,” advised a voice of caution.

“Lin Yi, do you harbor aspirations to claim this land whole?” Lin Yi, who had but recently joined the fray at Jiang’s company, observed his compatriot, Jiang Moyan, entrenched in his labors. “A barren quest would yield naught but ruin.”

“I possess a conviction most resolute,” Jiang Moyan asserted, his fingers entwined like the roots of an ancient tree, his gaze pregnant with unspoken stratagems. As his declaration took to the air, his telephone chimed its insistence.

The name Ouyang Qiqi, emblazoned on the caller ID, prompted an interlude in his colloquy.

“Hello?”

“Mr. Jiang, my ignorance of your household’s locale remains,” came the query.

“North City Garden.1101”

“Exemplary. I shall venture forthwith. Are you ensconced within? Shall I procure sustenance?”

“I am elsewhere detained, provisions are unnecessary,” the reply was succinct, and the conversation promptly concluded.

As the device surrendered to silence, Jiang Moyan was greeted with Lin Yi’s visage, a tableau of shock and disbelief.

“Pray, my ears deceive me not—that was the dulcet tones of a lady from your device?” Disbelief etched Lin Yi’s features. Jiang Moyan, a paragon of diligence, seldom frequented the company of the fairer s*x. Yet the intimations of their dialogue spoke of shared domesticity.

“Jiang, is romance afoot?”

“Nay,” came the cool retort. “I am bound in wedlock.”

A hush befell the office, a tableau vivant of astonishment. Even the director’s maw gaped in disbelief.

“Wedlock, you say?!” Lin Yi’s voice faltered, his breath catching in his throat. “Whence comes this bride?”

A certain melancholy is reserved for those who watch as companions find warmth and comfort in the arms of another, whilst they themselves are subjected to the relentless harangue of matrimony at home.

“A match of grandmother’s orchestration,” Jiang Moyan disclosed, his desire