After Breaking Up, I Married the Dying Tycoon in a Flash
Chapter 17: Marry Me

Chapter 17: Chapter 17: Marry Me

"No, no!" Wen Jiao hurriedly explained, "It’s the news, don’t you watch the news?"

Wen Jiao handed her the newspaper she was holding.

The front page headline was enlarged and made clear, as if fearful that the audience wouldn’t see it clearly, it read—’Shen Family Patriarch Shen Jinci frequently visiting temples for many days, suffers from a terminal illness, life hanging by a thread.’

The accompanying photo was of a man standing under the eaves of the temple, with a deep and cool side profile, elegant and luxurious, dressed in black which created a sense of alienation, looking very unwell.

This photo was taken a few days ago, when they visited the temple together.

In the corner of the photo was a black umbrella, and from the photo, no one could guess that Bian Yue was squatting underneath it.

Bian Yue’s hand trembled as she held the newspaper, recalling the way Shen Jinci coughed in front of her. And that morning, he coughed up blood.

Could it be true... That he’s really close to dying?

"This front page headline has been broadcast for several days now, and Shen Jinci has yet to come out to clarify. I think this matter is mostly true!"

Bian Yue didn’t respond, just stared intently at the newspaper.

Wen Jiao frowned sadly, sighing, "It’s just that, this way, the Shen Family is probably going to be in great turmoil. Once Shen Jinci dies, it’s uncertain who will take charge, Bian... Bian Yue! With such heavy rain, where are you running off to?"

Bian Yue wanted to find Shen Jinci, but she didn’t want others to know about this matter for the time being, so she didn’t even alert the Wen Family’s driver when she left, instead, she hailed a taxi by herself.

Bian Yue sat down in the taxi and asked Xie Zhang for the address of the Shen Family’s old mansion.

Xie Zhang did not ask any further questions, and readily gave the address, then tentatively asked, "Bian Yue, are you going to see Shen Jinci for some matter?"

On the way to the Shen Family, the vegetation was lush and dense, the subtropical climate made the vegetation wash under the rainfall showing varying shades of dark green, and not bending even in the torrential rain.

Bian Yue enjoyed the rain scenery, and answered slowly, "The newspaper says he’s about to die, I’m going to check on him."

Xie Zhang sucked in a breath, unable to figure out whether Bian Yue was joking or not, he could only say, "Bian Yue, not to jinx you, but Li Sihe really is a scoundrel and deserves death. But Shen Jinci is also not suitable for you, he’s too complicated."

Outside the taxi, the rain was pouring down.

Bian Yue curved her lips into a smile, saying, "His complications are his own, I don’t need to be a mind-reader. I’m going to negotiate business with him."

Brave as a young calf unafraid of tigers, Xie Zhang truly thought that Bian Yue’s courage was extraordinary. Now, at a time when negative news about Shen Jinci was flying everywhere, she single-handedly went to negotiate business with the Shen Family.

But Xie Zhang was even more puzzled by Shen Jinci, wondering why he would let himself give Bian Yue the address.

It’s fine if the young lady doesn’t know the ins and outs, but isn’t Shen Jinci troubled enough right now? Yet he’s also involved in Bian Yue’s folly.

Xie Zhang couldn’t care less to think deeper, hastily wishing Bian Yue good luck and prosperous business.

Bian Yue said thank you, I also wish you an early marriage and two babies in three years.

In the past two years, Xie Zhang had a fling with a young starlet. Xie Zhang was just toying with her, but Bian Yue really liked that starlet. Later on, after Xie Zhang broke up with her, she was coerced by his family to commit suicide by jumping off a building. Since then, Bian Yue no longer had a good expression towards Xie Zhang, and behind his back, together with Wen Jiao, they cursed Xie Zhang as a despicable man who would end his lineage.

At this moment, Xie Zhang felt stepped on where it hurt, and immediately wanted to curse at Bian Yue, but she had already hung up the phone.

Really, thrown away after use, wouldn’t call if there’s nothing to gain! What a waste of moral education classes!

The taxi stopped in front of the Shen Family Mansion gate. The driver looked at the firmly closed heavy wooden gate and said with difficulty, "Miss, the mansion is a private area, you can’t go in!"

Bian Yue left in such a rush that she didn’t bring an umbrella.

She looked at the dense rain flooding outside the window and then at the rearview mirror, seeing the driver’s urging gaze. She gritted her teeth, paid the fare, and got out of the taxi.

As soon as she got out, Bian Yue regretted it, as the rain poured over her head, instantly turning her into a drenched chicken.

Bian Yue felt the pain of raindrops hitting her body, her eyes almost couldn’t open from being washed by the rain. She tried hard to keep her eyes open and dialed Shen Jinci’s number.

She said, "Mr. Shen, I am at the entrance to the Shen Family Mansion. Could you ask the butler to open the door for me? I have something to discuss with you."

On the other end, Shen Jinci paused briefly in his tone before responding, "Right away."

The wooden gate slowly opened, and only then did Bian Yue make out the scenery inside.

It was a white jade stone floor, with scattered gardens stretching as far as the eye could see.

The butler parked the car at the entrance. Seeing Bian Yue drenched from head to toe, he quickly came over with an umbrella, saying, "Miss Bian, it’s a bit of a walk inside. Please get in the car!"

Bian Yue did not decline and sat in the black Bentley, wringing out the water from her dress, which soaked the entire back seat.

The butler asked with concern, "Are you alright, Miss Bian?"

Bian Yue replied, "I’m fine."

The car stopped beside a small man-made pond, and Bian Yue followed the butler inside, passing under the eaves of a fabricated mountain, leading to the main building styled with Jiangnan landscaping features.

The butler guided Bian Yue into the great hall of the Shen Family Mansion and then closed the door behind them.

The lighting in the hall was dim. Shen Jinci sat on the sofa, wearing a black shirt with the buttons done up to the very top, exuding an ethereal temperament, and his attractiveness was alluring.

His physical appearance was stunning, not merely flawless in his features but also that profound and unreadable depth that belied his age, silent yet seductive.

Bian Yue thought of Xie Zhang’s description—complex.

Shen Jinci was indeed a man of enough complexity.

As for Shen Jinci, he was wearing glasses today, looking even more unapproachably cool, his gaze harboring silent scrutiny as he watched the unsettled Bian Yue standing before him.

Here she was, then?

Sooner than he had anticipated.

The heat was on full blast in the hall; water trickled down Bian Yue’s hair, and her disheveled appearance meant she had already lost some of her composure upon entering.

Shen Jinci, however, opened with a direct and calm tone, "In such heavy rain, what brings you here, Miss Bian?"

Bian Yue didn’t beat around the bush either, asking Shen Jinci if she might sit down to speak.

Shen Jinci said she could.

So there she sat on the sofa, soaking wet, her hands subconsciously intertwined, slowly voicing the words she had prepared along the way, "I’ve seen the news. The negative press surrounding you must be severely affecting Lixing Group’s stock, Mr. Shen?"

Without any change in his expression, Shen Jinci placed his slender fingers on the sofa, his fingertips lightly tapping against the dark satin fabric, "So?"

Bian Yue wanted to ask if he truly had a terminal illness, as the newspapers claimed.

On the verge of speaking, she chose politeness instead, "Mr. Shen, are you ill?"

Shen Jinci replied indifferently, "You could say that."

"Given the circumstances, it must be difficult for Mr. Shen to clear up the rumors in the newspapers. However, I have a solution that won’t only extricate you from the negative press but also cause Lixing Group’s stock price to hit the limit-up."

Shen Jinci said nothing, his eyes signaling Bian Yue to continue.

Bian Yue’s gaze dropped; she didn’t dare meet Shen Jinci’s eyes. Her heartbeat thundered like drums, her palms sweaty. When it came down to it, she felt utterly unnerved.

Like a warrior marching to her doom, after several deep breaths, she finally spoke, her voice tight, "As long as Mr. Shen agrees to an arranged marriage with me."

The response was silence.

Bian Yue’s heart felt as if it were sinking in water, weighed down by a stone.

Stealing a glance at Shen Jinci, she saw him with eyes lowered and silent, his noble visage a shifting shadow under the dim light, elusive and indistinct.