After the Marriage Alliance, President Xi Took It Seriously

Wen Yining was adopted into the wealthy Wen family at the age of three. For fifteen years, she lived under the strict supervision of Mother Wen, who raised her not as a daughter but as a strategic asset. When Wen Yining was fifteen, her parents announced that she was betrothed to Xi Yu, the heir of the powerful Xi family. The arrangement was designed to secure the future of her brother, Wen Nanxing, who was deemed incompetent to lead the family business. Consequently, Wen Yining underwent rigorous training in ballet, piano, tea ceremony, and etiquette, transforming her into a polished socialite intended to serve as a bridge between the two families. Despite her compliance, she harbored deep resentment, feeling that her life had been sacrificed for the benefit of her adoptive brother and the Wen family's financial interests.

Xi Yu, the cold and aloof heir to the Xi Corporation, had no interest in marriage or women. He viewed his suitors with disdain, maintaining a distant and polite demeanor that kept everyone at arm's length. Wen Yining, observing him from afar at various banquets, concluded that he was gay due to his complete lack of interest in the women who flocked to him. Their interactions were minimal and awkward, with Wen Yining often feeling like a prop in her own life. The dynamic shifted during a high-society banquet where Mother Wen pressured Wen Yining to approach Xi Yu. Instead of acting nervous or eager, Wen Yining handed him a drink with detached efficiency and walked away, muttering under her breath that he was indeed gay. Unbeknownst to her, Xi Yu witnessed her retreat and found her indifference intriguing.

Three days after the banquet, Mother Wen drugged Wen Yining's drink at a private gathering. Wen Yining lost consciousness and woke up in a hotel room with Xi Yu, who had also been intoxicated. The incident was captured by paparazzi, resulting in a scandal that dominated the news and caused the Xi Corporation's stock value to plummet. Xi Yu, believing Wen Yining had schemed to trap him, reacted with anger and disgust, telling her never to appear before him again. However, the scandal forced the hands of both families. Xi Yu's grandfather, the chairman of Xi Corporation, intervened, recognizing that the girl had been manipulated. He summoned Wen Yining to the Xi family estate, where she clarified that she had no memory of the night and did not intend to marry Xi Yu under such circumstances.

The Old Master, Xi Yu's grandfather, orchestrated a counter-move to protect his grandson's reputation and stabilize the company's stock. He arranged for Xi Yu to formally propose to Wen Yining, framing the scandal as a pre-arranged engagement that had simply been exposed prematurely. Xi Yu, pressured by shareholders and family duty, agreed to the proposal but insisted on a contractual marriage. He presented Wen Yining with a one-year marriage agreement that stipulated separate living spaces, no marital obligations, and a substantial financial payout upon expiration. To Wen Yining's surprise, she signed the contract immediately and with visible relief, having seen it as an escape from her oppressive family and a path to financial independence.

Xi Yu misinterpreted her eagerness, assuming she was a gold-digger who had successfully trapped him. He viewed the marriage as a temporary arrangement to be endured until the year was up. As the wedding date approached, tensions remained high between the two. Wen Yining continued to navigate her complicated relationship with her adoptive family, particularly after a confrontation with her friend's ex-boyfriend at a bar, which Xi Yu witnessed from a distance. The story sets the stage for a contract marriage where both parties harbor misconceptions about each other, bound together by family pressure and public necessity rather than love or trust.