A Stand-in Bride

Chapter 13

Yibo

"We're planning to acquire the following streaming services," Guo Cheng tells me as he gives me a high-level summary of the deals on the table but I can barely focus on him.

I run a hand through my hair as he prattles on about my schedule, movies I should invest in, sponsorship deals and who knows what else.

I've always loved my fast-paced and high pressured job but I need a fucking break. I haven't felt like myself for weeks now and I can't pinpoint what's thrown me off so much. Is it my constant arguments with Cheng Xiao and our approaching wedding?

Or is it Xiao Zhan?

I keep trying to forget but everytime my thoughts wander, I find myself thinking of the way she sat in my lap, her entire body on display for me. I've never seen her look at me the way she did that night and it's a sight I can't unsee.

I wonder who it is that had her so messed up that night. I'm not an idiot. It was obvious that she was hung up on someone and I can't stand the thought of anyone causing her that much pain. What would have happened if I hadn't been there? Would she really have gone home with some random guy? Or with her agent, Yubin? Or would she have gone to the man she can't seem to forget? The one she said she loves? Who the fuck is it anyway? I haven't seen her with anyone in a long time. I sigh and force myself to focus on my work, taking my time to read through the reports in front of me.

My office door opens unexpectedly and Guo Cheng and I both look up in surprise. Cheng Xiao walks in, a tight smile on her face. "I checked your schedule," she tells me. "And it seems you're free, right?"

I nod as she sits down in the chair on the other end of my desk. Guo Cheng gathers the documents he brought with him and excuses himself, leaving the two of us alone.

"Cheng Xiao," I say, surprised to find her here. I can count the amount of times she's come to my office with one hand. Being told that she owes her career to me is one of her greatest fears, so she's never allowed any rumors to form at all.

"What brings you here?"

She smiles tightly. We've barely spoken in recent weeks and everytime we do, we're arguing. Even on her birthday, we only had an hour of peace before she blamed me for not making enough of an effort with her friends -- the same ones she's keeping our relationship from, neither confirming nor denying our relationship status.

"We need to talk," she says, her voice soft.

I lean back in my seat and sigh. What fucking now? I get that the pressure is high for both of us, but I'm exhausted. I'm tired of constantly fighting with her. I just want to go back to the time when we were still happy together, when we were looking forward to our future together.

"What would you like to talk about?" I ask, my voice calm.

"Yibo," she says, her voice breaking. "I can't do this. I... I can't marry you."

I put my elbows on my desk and bury my hands in my hair as I let my eyes fall closed. "Our wedding is next week, Cheng Xiao. You've postponed it three times now."

"Yibo, I'm serious. The more I think about it, the more it torments me. Because of your family's rules, we can't spend more than three consecutive days apart for the entire first three years of our marriage, but how is that supposed to work? You can't take time off from work to accompany me when I'm filming and I can't take three years off. How many years do I really have left in my prime? I'm at the height of my career and I can't walk away from that now. Maybe the time will be right for us someday, but we both know it isn't now."

I look at her and take in the pain in her eyes. She really is serious this time, isn't she? "Cheng Xiao," I say, my voice soft. "I hear you, honey. I do. But this marriage between us? It isn't just a marriage between you and me. It's also one between our families, our companies. We're lucky that we fell in love with each other, but ultimately, this is an arranged marriage. It's not something either of us can walk away from."

She shakes her head. "I know. I'm not saying I won't marry you at all. I'm just saying not now. Someday, we'll be in a stage of our lives where we want children and I want to take it easier in my career... but that time isn't now Yibo. Marriage isn't something we should mess around with. If we get married now, I don't think our relationship could survive the strain. I definitely don't think my career could withstand it."

I fall silent as her words ring through my ears. Yeah, perhaps she's right but it's too late now. "Xiaoxiao," I say, my tone gentle. "I know you're worried and I get that the stress is getting to you, but we're going to be okay. We don't have the luxury of walking away from this."

She rises to her feet and shakes her head. Cheng Xiao stares at me, her gaze lingering and filled with regret. "I'm sorry Yibo," she says.

She takes her engagement ring out of her pocket and place it on my desk, staring at it for a moment before she pushes it towards me. She rarely even wore that ring, yet it kills me to have her return it to me.

"Cheng Xiao, don't be like that," I plead.

She shakes her head. "I'm sorry."

Before I can even stop her, she rushes away, leaving me staring after her. I watch as my office door slams shut, my thoughts in disarray. This isn't the first time Cheng Xiao has gotten col feet an it certainly isn't the first time she's been worried about her career, but it feels different this time.

It feels final... and I have no fucking idea what I'm supposed to do.