You Must Marry Me! - Chapter 5
Chapter 5
Xingyun Entertainment was buzzing with a huge gossip bomb behind the scenes!
The usually lively work group chat had only a few sparse work updates today, while a newly formed gossip group was lit up with chatter, everyone discussing a shocking piece of news witnessed that very afternoon.
It all started with a few assistants. One of them, while returning to work after lunch, happened to see Qi Zhen walking out of Yan Yiyun’s office. The assistant department shared a hallway with the CEO’s office, so she was well familiar with who usually went in and out. But it was the first time she had ever seen Qi Zhen there.
Of course, Qi Zhen wasn’t some nobody in the company either.
She watched her for a bit and realized it was the beautiful designer who had won many awards for the company.
Qi Zhen didn’t talk much with other departments, at most exchanging a few words during company events. So, the assistant didn’t feel right asking her directly. Instead, she started a private group chat with a few close friends to see if anyone knew what was going on.
“That designer who ran into little CEO Yan in the breakroom yesterday—she had lunch in her office today!”
“Huh? Which designer?”
“The one who keeps winning design awards! Her photo’s even on the company website.”
Someone posted a screenshot in the group.
“This one?”
“Yes yes yes, that’s Qi Zhen!”
“I know people in the design department—should I pull a few of them in and ask?”
People loved a juicy story, so they started adding more and more people. The group chat soon reached the scale of the actual employee group.
“Why would Qi Zhen eat lunch in little CEO Yan’s office? Doesn’t she usually bring her own lunch?”
Everyone in the design department knew Qi Zhen brought her own meals, and one of them asked with genuine curiosity.
The assistant girl quickly replied,
“She brought her lunch there too—she was holding her lunchbox!”
The group collectively went silent.
Bringing your own lunch to eat in the CEO’s office? What kind of move was that?
If Yan Yiyun had invited her, it could be chalked up to professional appreciation—after all, Qi Zhen had brought in plenty of awards for the company. They even bumped into each other in the breakroom yesterday. Maybe it was fate?
Also, the internal competition for promotions had been a hot topic lately. Maybe Yan Yiyun was trying to get to know key talent in preparation for future plans. That would all make sense.
But bringing your own lunch? What did that mean?
Maybe Qi Zhen was just really good at cooking?
Maybe she brought some rare hometown specialty for Yan Yiyun to try?
“I don’t get it. Why bring your own lunch though?”
“Isn’t the CEO rich enough to just treat her?”
“Maybe her cooking is just that good?”
At this point, Hou Yunlan, who was also in the group chat, was getting antsy. Bringing your own lunch to eat in the CEO’s office? How ridiculous! If you’re going to suck up, at least get a free meal out of it!
She held her breath, typed into the chat:
“Qi Zhen never eats with us in the cafeteria. Every time we ask, she says she brought her own food. Maybe she just thinks the cafeteria food is beneath her.”
“She’s really putting in the effort though. While we’re here gossiping, she’s already up in the CEO’s office.”
The moment she sent the message, the group chat went dead quiet.
The mood shifted. The playful gossip vibe evaporated. People were suddenly left feeling… sour.
So unfair. Everyone was just a low-level employee, so why did she get to eat with the young heiress?
Meanwhile, Qi Zhen had no idea she was the center of gossip in the company. She just noticed the usual work group chat was strangely quiet today.
Normally, it was flooded with updates on Yan Yiyun. Today, there were just a few lonely work messages hanging on the screen.
She felt a wave of relief—finally no more forced reading of the “Everything About CEO Yan” digest.
But at the same time… why did she feel a little disappointed?
Qi Zhen stared at her screen, fingers flying over the keyboard as she worked on a design, but her mind was elsewhere—thinking about lunch today.
As usual, she had brought her own lunch. Her mom had prepared two dishes and a soup. When packing it in the morning, Qi Zhen remembered Yan Yiyun’s invitation yesterday and hesitated. Should she bring more food to share?
After all, they’d be sitting across from each other at a table. Her own lunch was just a simple portion for one. What if the heiress brought something like a gourmet banquet? That’d be really awkward.
Qi Zhen hesitated, then told her mom,
“I’ll bring some extra today. I might be eating with a coworker.”
Her mom’s eyes lit up with hope. This was the first time Qi Zhen had mentioned a coworker since joining the company.
When she first started working, her mom had asked when she’d bring a colleague home to visit—thinking it’d be like the fun-loving friends from her old art studio. She was, of course, disappointed.
Qi Zhen had never brought anyone over. She didn’t even mention them.
The only reminder she was even working was the constant flow of money she wired back home.
Just as she finished the framework of her design, lunchtime rolled around.
Colleagues stood up in pairs and groups, heading to the cafeteria. Qi Zhen took out her lunch bag and newly bought Hello Kitty mug and walked out of the office.
To be honest, she still wasn’t sure whether to go find Yan Yiyun.
What if Yan had just been joking? What if she showed up and got rejected?
She walked slowly to the breakroom, holding her lunch and mug.
The coffee machine was still broken. Qi Zhen gave it a hard slap on the top, and it finally whirred to life. The bitter smell of coffee filled the air as she glanced at the microwave—yep, still broken.
As she waited for her coffee, her fingers rubbed the edge of the business card in her pocket.
Should she call Yan Yiyun first?
Before she could decide, footsteps echoed in the hallway.
Yan Yiyun appeared at the breakroom door, frowning.
“Why are you still here? Didn’t we agree you’d eat in my office?”
She sounded annoyed. Yesterday, Qi Zhen had agreed so readily. Now she was here again?
Even if she’d changed her mind, shouldn’t she at least tell her?
Yan remembered waiting in her office, glancing at the clock—lunch break had already started ten minutes ago. When she didn’t show, Yan had even gone to the design department to look for her.
Now here she was, in the breakroom.
Qi Zhen listened to the slightly angry tone but didn’t feel nervous. Instead, she had a ridiculous thought—this girl sounded like a puffed-up kitten.
She lifted her cup from the machine, nodded toward it, picked up her lunch bag, and smiled gently:
“Just grabbing a coffee. Let’s go.”
The moment she spoke, Yan Yiyun’s knitted brows relaxed.
She scanned her key card and led Qi Zhen into her office. Though she was technically the head of business, she had already taken over the presidential suite office. Past the meeting room was a lounge.
The lounge had a wide dining table and comfortable couches. Yan’s bento was already laid out—four wooden lacquer boxes and a soup bowl, all expensive-looking.
Qi Zhen placed her pink Hello Kitty lunchbox next to it, feeling the clash in aesthetic.
When they opened the containers, the difference became even clearer.
Yan Yiyun had steamed grouper, red-braised prawns, ginger stir-fried chicken, braised beef and potatoes, and a premium ham-and-chicken broth soup, with multi-grain rice.
Qi Zhen, by contrast, had spicy stir-fried pork, garlic baby cabbage, and seaweed pork-rib soup—simple and homestyle.
Qi Zhen felt embarrassed to offer to share now. It looked like she was mooching off the rich girl’s luxury meal.
But Yan’s eyes lit up.
“Spicy stir-fried pork and baby cabbage? I love those!”
Since she seemed so enthusiastic, Qi Zhen felt a little more at ease and gently pushed her lunchbox over.
“Try it. I brought enough for two.”
Yan instantly picked up her chopsticks, grinning:
“Then I won’t hold back.”
If she brought a second helping, then she must have wanted to eat with her!
Yan picked up a piece of stir-fried pork. Even though it had been reheated, it was still flavorful—meat perfectly cooked, spicy and savory, totally addictive.
“Delicious!”
She praised it with zero restraint.
“I haven’t had such good stir-fried pork in forever!”
Her family had long stopped cooking. All meals were made by professional chefs. But when she was younger, before the family business blew up, her mom used to cook meals just like this.
After going abroad so young, Yan never got this kind of comforting, home-style taste.
“I’m glad you like it,” Qi Zhen smiled. “It’s just ordinary food—I was worried you’d find it too plain.”
Yan placed a plump shrimp in her bowl and grinned,
“No way.”
She watched Qi Zhen gracefully peel the shrimp—every movement clean and fluid. Sunlight bathed her pale profile in a soft pink glow.
She was the one from her memories.
Gentle, strong, and always standing in front of her when she was afraid.
Yan could hear her heart beating loud and clear. A voice inside her whispered:
I want to see her every day, talk with her, eat with her, never be apart.
Qi Zhen tried one of the red-braised prawns—great quality, tender and sweet, packed with flavor.
She looked at Yan, who was still watching her peel shrimp and suddenly wondered—Could it be that the heiress doesn’t know how to peel them herself?
…Was she invited here just to peel shrimp for her?
Qi Zhen peeled another shrimp and tentatively placed it on Yan’s plate.
Yan smiled in delight.
Qi Zhen sighed inwardly—so it was about being a shrimp-peeling assistant.