Chapter 5 An Chuyu is Currently Single_2

Xi Zheng closed the document and looked up to meet her gaze.

Tang Xiyue sniffled. She had made herself so clear—was he truly unmoved?

She thought he would at least show some reaction, a polite refusal or acceptance, but what caught her off guard was that he simply told her calmly, "I'm already married, I advise you to not waste your time on me."

Tang Xiyue was stunned and said incredulously, "You're lying to me, right?"

Xi Zheng lifted his left hand, showing her the wedding ring on his ring finger.

He had been wearing this wedding ring for half a year. Tang Xiyue was not only familiar with it but had also studied the style of the ring, desiring to buy the same model to secretly wear and match his.

She had never considered the possibility of him being married. These days, people wore rings on any finger they liked, it had nothing to do with whether they were married or not.

How could Xi Zheng possibly be married? He must be deceiving her.

If he were married, there was no way not a single piece of news would have leaked out.

"Fine, you say you're married, then tell me, who is your wife? How come I've never seen your wife?" Tang Xiyue confidently poked a hole in his lie.

An Chuyu's image surfaced in Xi Zheng's mind, her name on the tip of his tongue, yet he couldn't bring himself to say it.

In his ears echoed An Chuyu's words in front of their lawyers, "Mr. Xi, apart from the agreement, I have only one request: a secret marriage."

Tang Xiyue scrutinized his expression, thinking she was right, and huffed. She knew that "married" was just an excuse Xi Zheng used to push her away.

Just as she was about to continue arguing with him, her eyes caught sight of two scratches near the edge of Xi Zheng's shirt collar, each a few centimeters long, looking like they were made by a woman's nails.

Tang Xiyue was astonished, feeling her heart sink, her gaze growing dim.

After a moment, she said gloomily, "Xi Zheng, were you with someone overseas..."

Xi Zheng interrupted her, clearly impatient with her unfinished words, "If there's nothing else, please leave. If you keep acting up, don't bother staying at the company. I'll talk to Uncle Tang myself."

Tang Xiyue's throat tightened, preventing her from finishing her sentence, and she fought back tears that once again threatened to spill as she stomped her foot and ran out of the office.

Xi Zheng was incredibly annoyed, though he couldn't quite pinpoint the reason for his irritation.

He massaged his temples and called Xu Ye in, speaking to him in a cold tone, "From now on, don't let Tang Xiyue come by so casually. Stop her if she tries to again."

Xu Ye inwardly groaned. Tang Xiyue was the daughter of the company's veteran director; even President Xi had to give Director Tang some face. As an assistant, he dared not block the young miss of the Tang family.

But he also didn't dare to disobey Xi Zheng and dutifully accepted the order and left.

Unknown to him, Tang Xiyue hadn't left; she was waiting for him in the hallway outside the office. When Xu Ye saw her, he was at a loss, wanting to pretend he hadn't seen her and walk away, but Tang Xiyue blocked his path: "Xu Zhu, I want to ask you something."

Unable to avoid her, Xu Ye forced a smile and said, "Go ahead, ask."

"Has Xi Zheng been particularly close to any woman in Paris?" Tang Xiyue, thinking of the ambiguous marks she had seen on Xi Zheng's neck, was filled with anxiety and pain, "Or rather, did he... did he find a woman to accompany him in his hotel?"

This was exactly the kind of question Xu Ye wanted to avoid.

Tang Xiyue's gaze was piercing, "Don't think you can fool me."

Xu Ye wore an agonized expression and stammered, "Miss Tang, President Xi went to Paris for work, he wasn't mixing up with any woman."

The only woman President Xi had contact with was An Chuyu, his wife. Naturally, it wasn't his place, as an outsider, to comment on how the President interacted with his own wife. Besides, President Xi had instructed him not to mention his relationship with An Chuyu to others.

Xu Ye understood the implications; An Chuyu was a famous actress, and news of her marriage could potentially impact her career.

Tang Xiyue didn't believe his words and glared at him fiercely, grinding her teeth, "Are you and your boss in cahoots, purposely making things difficult for me?"

Xu Ye gave a sheepish smile and said no more.

——

After resting for a night at home, An Chuyu left the next afternoon to attend a ribbon-cutting event for a jewelry brand she endorsed.

She wore a heavily embroidered silver-white gown, bedecked with beads, rhinestones, and sequins, resembling a brilliant galaxy. Beautiful as it was, the gown weighed over twenty pounds, making it feel like a suit of armor when worn. Coupled with an entire set of extravagant jewelry, An Chuyu could barely move.

After the ribbon-cutting ceremony, there was an informal interview session. Many media outlets were present, as An Chuyu seldom had such opportunities to be accessible on set, so everyone was enthusiastic.

Some asked about the release date of "Dawn Breaks," others were curious about her upcoming work schedule, and some questioned her confidence in winning the Golden Rooster Award.

In short, the scene was buzzing with excitement, as though the day's jewelry store opening had been forgotten.

An Chuyu handled the situation gracefully, always smiling and responding to each question.

One reporter who had been holding a microphone for a long time finally made it to the front and loudly inquired about her romantic status.

There was a second of silence, followed by an even livelier commotion.

Before An Chuyu could answer, Shen Qiang sensed that the direction of the interview was off and immediately interjected, "An Chuyu is currently single." After breezing over the topic with a light statement, she said with a smile, "Please, dear journalists, focus on today's opening ceremony. If you have questions, make sure to ask them quickly."

After all the events concluded, the group boarded the van for the ride back.

An Chuyu gazed absentmindedly at the scenery outside the window, replaying the interview segment in her mind. She had planned to keep her married status hidden from everyone, but if her team was unaware, unforeseen problems might arise in the future.

After some thought, An Chuyu decided to confide in Shen Qiang.

"Qiang jie, I need to be honest with you about something," An Chuyu turned to look at Shen Qiang, who was sitting beside her, with an unusually serious expression, "You need to be prepared."