Saving the Heartthrob Frenemy-Chapter 663: A shark in the industry

He knew two weeks was nothing but to him, it felt like an eternity. He was disappointed but he forced a smile masking the ache in his heart. Wen Danzhe’s voice softened a note of warning threading through his words. "Take care of him. Never hurt Lin Lin otherwise."

Luo Muchen understood more than anyone what Qie Xieling meant to his family. He would treat him well and never hurt him. Qie Xieling was more important to him than anyone could ever imagine. His throat tightened before he replied,

"I promise to love him more than life itself."

Wen Danzhe’s brow arched hearing his serious and heartfelt response. He could hear it in Luo Muchen’s voice that he meant every word. Satisfied with his answer he replied, "Good and um welcome to the family."

The call ended soon after, leaving Luo Muchen with a silence that was heavier than before. He leaned back in the back seat, his forced smile fading. He glanced at the call-ended panel still on his screen before finally locking his phone and tossing it to the side in frustration. He looked out the window his fingers resting on his upper lip.

Soon he reached his family estate. The moment he opened the door he was met by an unexpected sight. The usual orderliness of the house was replaced by a scene of festive chaos. The living room, typically a portrait of meticulous elegance, was now a landscape of boxes and decorations, each adorned with vibrant reds and gold colours. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

The butler, usually so composed, was directing the maids with a flurry of hand gestures, each opening boxes with a mix of urgency and care. They checked off items against a list, ensuring that every lantern, every piece of silk, and every intricately designed double happiness character was accounted for.

Luo Muchen, "..."

They had only announced the marriage arrangement a few hours ago but his mother had already ordered all this.

Amid this chaos, his mother stood out like a commander on the battlefield. She was on the phone, her voice commanding even as she took a leisurely puff from her cigar. The smoke curled around her like a dragon’s breath, her presence as formidable as ever.

Luo Muchen stood there, a mix of surprise and awe. Luo Shih finally ended her call and her eyes found Luo Muchen’s. With a swift motion, she extinguished her cigar and approached him, her steps decisive. She kissed his cheek and hugged him tightly expressing her excitement.

When she let him go he asked, "Smoking again?" his tone accusatory.

"Oh come on. My boy is getting married so why shouldn’t I? Come," she said, her voice softer than when she was on the call. "Let’s go and review the betrothal gifts. I want to make sure my son-in-law has the best of the best. And if there’s anything you want to add, now is the time."

Luo Muchen followed her to the study, his heart swelling with a complex blend of emotions. The reality of his upcoming marriage was starting to set in and he was growing even more excited. These two weeks might fly by if he focused on the wedding plans.

When they reached the study he sat down and began to look over the list of things his mother had made.

Soon the scent of leather mingled with the musky aroma of a cigar as his mother lit another one. She sat regally in her high-backed swivel chair, the glow of the desk lamp casting a golden hue over the array of betrothal gifts laid out before them.

"Here," she said, extending a hand with a fine cigar towards him. "It’s time you learned to appreciate these."

Luo Muchen accepted the cigar with no resistance. He desperately wanted something to calm his tense nerves. He hadn’t realised it yet but he was suffering from separation anxiety.

With practised ease, she snipped the end and handed it back to him. Luo Muchen took it, the rich, earthy scent filling his nostrils as he lit it and took a tentative puff. The taste was bold and an acquired flavour.

He exhaled a stream of smoke, his eyes roving over the betrothal gifts. There was a partnership contract on the table. It was a future alliance between his family’s company and GameX. Since the Luo group was involved in the arms trade with the army they were seeking weapons advancement. This partnership with GameX would venture to develop AI soldiers redefining the landscape of technology and power.

"When did you decide this?" he asked while flipping to the next page.

Luo Shih leaned back in her chair while facing the ceiling. "I have been planning this since the day you got out of that game. I was just waiting for you to come and tell me that you want to get married," she said before taking a long drag of her cigar. She puffed out a cloud of smoke before continuing,

"When your fuckin deadbeat of a father decided to go over me and offer up your half-sister to the Qie family I knew I had to act. For your happiness, your mum would do anything. I don’t want you to end up like me."

"Don’t say that?" He said to her his expression stern.

Luo Shih lowered her head and met his gaze. She smirked before saying, "When you told me to bankrupt your father I knew it was time. Qie Ranzhe came to my office like a fucking bulldozer hahaha. After that, I gave him an offer he couldn’t refuse and here we are."

Luo Muchen was quite impressed. His mother was known as a shark in the industry. He just didn’t think she would use her skills to negotiate his marriage.

"So how did you get them to agree with Lin Lin marrying into our family?" he asked curiously. Personally, he didn’t care if he married into the Qie family and had expected as such but looking at the betrothal gift list it meant Qie Xieling was the one marrying into their family.

Luo Shih’s lips quirked into a proud smile. That was easy. All she had to do was give Wen Qinxi a tour of their android research laboratory and it was game over. Wen Qinxi had been struggling to give Jolie a physical form. Something seemed to be missing and she provided an answer luring him in. The Luo family was very small and having Qie Xieling added to the family was quite beneficial to their bloodline so she would do anything to make that happen.