You Must Marry Me! - Chapter 1
Chapter 1
“Report! The young lady came to work today!”
“She’s here, she’s here! She just got into the elevator—damn, she’s wearing a Chanel suit today, big curls and bright red lipstick—so stunning I almost went blind!”
“Say what you want, but the young lady is really beautiful. Her looks and figure are totally on par with the actresses at the company…”
“What else would you expect? She’s a true rich heiress—white, wealthy, and beautiful—here specifically to inherit the family’s empire!”
Even before Yan Yiyun stepped out of the elevator, news of her arrival had already spread across all the gossip groups at Xingyun Entertainment. WeChat messages were popping up nonstop on everyone’s screens, stirring excitement across the office. Employees in their cubicles peeked up from their desks, stealing glances down the hallway, waiting for the legendary heiress to pass by.
Qi Zhen was trying to focus on work. Her screen showed her in the middle of using Photoshop, with orange message notifications blinking rapidly in the taskbar. Afraid to miss a work-related update, she kept checking them—only to find gossip about Yan Yiyun every time, which annoyed her to no end.
Looks like this commotion wasn’t ending anytime soon.
She shut her laptop and stood up to get a drink in the break room.
Ever since Yan Yiyun joined the company last week, Xingyun Entertainment hadn’t had a moment of peace. Her arrival stirred up half the company—messages flew through every group chat, and it completely disrupted the office atmosphere.
Qi Zhen couldn’t understand what kind of magic this woman had that turned everyone’s heads like this!
She poured herself a cup of coffee and had just taken a sip when footsteps echoed down the hallway—Yan Yiyun was passing by the door and glanced into the break room.
…She’s in the break room!
Yan Yiyun’s eyes lit up. When she walked past the design department earlier and didn’t see Qi Zhen, she thought she might’ve taken the day off.
Qi Zhen always looked busy, and since Yiyun joined the company, she hadn’t had the chance to talk to her. Finally, today might be the day.
They had known each other for many years.
Yan Yiyun couldn’t help but recall when they first met—back when they were both still children in the same kindergarten. Qi Zhen always wore her hair in neat little braids and a mustard yellow sweater, sitting quietly by the window. She looked like such a well-behaved girl, with rosy chubby cheeks and big, bright eyes—like a porcelain doll.
But this very obedient-looking girl had come charging out of the classroom to shield her from a group of unruly boys who were bullying her. Her face was full of righteous indignation as she shouted, “Don’t bully her!”
Yan Yiyun had been tearful and stunned, hiding behind her.
In a kindergarten attached to a government compound, most kids had powerful family backgrounds. Those boys were used to running wild, bullying new kids for fun. No one expected someone like Qi Zhen to appear out of nowhere and play the hero.
The leader of the boys yelled arrogantly, “Qi Zhen! What are you doing? Watch it or I’ll hit you too!”
Yan Yiyun clung tightly to Qi Zhen’s sleeve, too scared to make a sound. Qi Zhen patted her hand and said gently, “It’s okay. Don’t be afraid.”
Then she yelled back with full force, “Go ahead and try! Let’s see who wins!”
The little bully visibly cowered—he wasn’t afraid of much, but he was afraid of Qi Zhen losing her temper.
“Why are you protecting her so much?” he grumbled.
Qi Zhen was pretty, and all the boys wanted to play with her. But she always ignored them. No one expected her to be so nice to the new girl, Yan Yiyun.
“Yeah!” some kids chimed in, with that particular mix of childhood cruelty and innocence:
“If you like her so much, why don’t you marry her!”
Qi Zhen was briefly stunned. Behind her, Yan Yiyun clutched her sleeve even tighter.
Looking at that tearful little face, young Qi Zhen felt a powerful urge to protect her. She bit her lip and declared, “I will marry her!”
The kids were shocked for a moment—then got excited and insisted on making them a “marriage certificate.”
They used colored paper from the craft room, drew on it with red watercolor pens, and had the kid with the best handwriting write “Marriage Certificate” in big characters. Qi Zhen and Yan Yiyun held hands and carefully signed their names.
The sunlight that day was a soft, golden hue, shining on Qi Zhen and casting a warm glow on her delicate face.
She turned slightly and handed the paper to Yan Yiyun, who solemnly folded it up and tucked it away. Then she held out her pinky and made a promise.
Not long after that, Yan Yiyun transferred schools—she went to a joint international academy, then studied abroad alone. Her parents stayed in China and quickly grew their small business into a massive corporation.
Every time she faced hardship overseas, she would think of that day—of Qi Zhen’s smile, her warm hand holding hers. That memory helped her through many lonely days.
That afternoon, bathed in soft light, and that makeshift “marriage certificate” were forever etched in her memory.
It was the first time someone had stood up for her, shielding her, holding her hand, and saying, “It’s okay.”
Yan Yiyun had always hoped to see Qi Zhen again. She didn’t quite understand what her feelings for her were, but she knew one thing for sure—
If she didn’t see Qi Zhen again, her life would never feel complete.
When her studies abroad ended, she came back to China and asked her friends to help find Qi Zhen’s whereabouts.
As fate would have it, Qi Zhen happened to work at her family’s company. Word was, she was a star hire personally brought in by the design department head and groomed to take over someday.
Yan Yiyun originally planned to gain experience at an outside company, but after hearing this, she couldn’t sit still. She spoke with her father and directly joined the company.
On her very first day, she wanted to talk to Qi Zhen—but the woman was like a design maniac. No matter how many times she passed by, Qi Zhen’s eyes were always glued to her screen, never noticing her.
After observing for a couple of days, Yan Yiyun switched strategies.
She started frequenting the break room. And today, she finally caught Qi Zhen there.
If she weren’t worried that walking directly into her office would feel too abrupt or make their reunion seem forced, she wouldn’t have gone through all this roundabout effort.
She stood at the door, surrounded by stern-faced senior executives. Today’s meeting was important—she was clearly here to represent the boss. The management had prepped carefully, terrified that a slip-up would ruin their year-end bonuses.
But Yan Yiyun stopped at the break room entrance—was something wrong?
The HR supervisor cautiously glanced at her expression. Her face was calm, lips pressed into a line, clearly not in a talkative mood. But her eyes were shining—it was obvious she’d spotted something.
Yan Yiyun turned and walked toward the woman drinking coffee inside the break room.
With a perfectly timed smile and the casual tone of a long-lost friend, she said:
“How’s the coffee?”
Qi Zhen found it a bit odd. The heiress—who stirred up waves every time she showed up—was suddenly asking about her coffee?
She met her gaze, then glanced at the entourage of executives behind her. Among them, her department head was winking madly at her.
Qi Zhen suddenly understood. Ah, this was a “visit to the front lines.”
Not being one for flattery, she ignored the others’ intense stares and nodded politely. “It’s pretty good.”
Yan Yiyun felt like she might float—Qi Zhen talked to her! And so casually too! She didn’t seem fazed by the whole entourage behind her. Clearly, she still saw her as a friend!
Trying to stay calm, she walked over to the cabinet, smiling. “Then I’ll try it too.”
The executives huddled at the door were already sweating nervously.
Why was the young lady suddenly interested in this break room coffee? She always drank hand-brewed coffee in her office. The beans here were subpar and bitter—not something she’d like.
The HR supervisor was almost panicking. The young lady’s first “inspection” happened to fall on his department, and he hadn’t prepared anything!
He watched helplessly as she rummaged through the cabinet and finally found a decent-looking cup. She placed it under the machine and pressed the buttons repeatedly—nothing happened.
Qi Zhen, still holding her own cup, watched the whole thing. Strange, she thought, She’s using the office mug? Those old things hadn’t been replaced in years—most had cracks or chips.
After fiddling for a while, Yan Yiyun looked up in confusion. “How do you use this thing?”
The HR supervisor almost fainted. Of all people in the break room right now, it had to be Qi Zhen?! Sure, she was brilliant, but also distant and aloof. Almost no one had managed to become friends with her since she joined.
Would she treat the future CEO with the same cold indifference?
Qi Zhen hadn’t planned to help, but since Yan Yiyun had asked, she couldn’t ignore her.
She walked over, smacked the machine once, and a loud click sounded. The green light turned on—it was finally working.
“The machine’s old,” she said, shrugging. “The beans jam sometimes. A good whack usually fixes it.”
Yan Yiyun cheerfully grabbed sugar and creamer from the nearby basket, dragging her words out playfully, “Ooooh—”
Standing next to her, Qi Zhen sipped the bitter coffee. Amid the scent of milk and a faint floral perfume, she found herself rather enjoying the light sweetness in the air.
In a good mood, she casually added, “If you’re planning to drink office coffee, I’d suggest bringing your own mug. These haven’t been replaced in years.”
“Really?” Yan Yiyun blinked.
She didn’t have many typical heiress habits, but she was picky about certain things. The fact that Qi Zhen still remembered her preferences after all these years—it felt like they were soulmates!
Feeling giddy inside, she decided not to dwell on the ugly mug or the broken machine anymore. Naturally, she reached for Qi Zhen’s cup and said with a smile:
“Then I’ll just drink yours today.”