Lin Jingshu stood in front of her father's study door, her fingers hanging in the air but she still couldn't knock the door. In her twenty-three-year-old life, she had never been so afraid of the opening of a door as she was at this moment.
"Come in, I know you are outside." Father's voice came through the thick mahogany door.
In the study, Father Lin stood with his back to her in front of the floor-to-ceiling window. Outside the window was the Lin family's carefully manicured back garden, and every plant was tamed to perfection by the gardener.
"Quiet book, sit down." Father Lin turned around and pointed to the chair in front of him. His eyes fell on his daughter's slender finger, where there was a simple silver ring - a college graduation gift from Zhou Yunzhou.
Lin's father pushed over a document, "This is the Zhou family's marriage contract."
Lin Jingshu's fingers trembled, "Dad, Yun Zhou and I——"
"I know about the five-year relationship." Lin's father interrupted her, "But you also know the current situation of the Lin family. The capital chain is broken, three projects are stalled, and the bank refuses to renew the loan." He knocked on the contract, "What the Zhou family can provide is not only funds, but also channels and connections."
"Why me?" Lin Jingshu's voice choked, "Zhou Huaishan is thirty-two years old. It is rumored that he is ruthless. His first two fiancees were-"
"Because the Zhou family wants you by name." Father Lin sighed, "Jingshu, you have been well-fed and well-fed since you were a child. Now it's time to make some contribution to the family."
Lin Jingshu looked at the trademark of Lin's Enterprise on the wall behind her father. The symbol that she had been proud of since she was a child has now become a cage imprisoning her.
——
On the wedding day, the sun was ironically bright.
Lin Jingshu walked mechanically across the red carpet, her body under the white gauze looking like an empty shell. When she placed her hand on Zhou Huaishan's palm, she felt the warmth and strength from his fingertips.
"I do." When she said these two words, she looked through the colored windows of the church into the unknown distance.
Zhou Huaishan stared at the shadow cast by her eyelashes, where there was hidden sadness that no one knew about. When the pastor announced that the groom could kiss the bride, he just touched her forehead lightly and left a whisper that only she could hear:
"Time heals everything, including your heart."
——
Zhou Huaishan's inner monologue:
Lin Jingshu is a good chess player - smart, tough, and qualified for the position of the hostess of the Zhou family. As for her campus romance with Yun Zhou... It's so childish and ridiculous. The shopping mall is like a battlefield. Being emotional will only lead to losing everything.
Since marriage is inevitable, it would be better for me to take over it myself. It stopped the boy's unwanted thoughts and stopped him from recognizing his ancestors and returning to his clan. Not everyone can enter the Zhou family's door.
Concept: Love is both great and selfish