Chapter 3: The Impossible Proposal

For a moment, I thought I had misheard him.

"I'm sorry," I said slowly, my voice barely above a whisper. "Did you just say... marry you?"

Shen Yichen's expression remained perfectly neutral, as if he had just suggested we discuss the weather instead of proposing marriage to a woman he barely knew. "Yes. I'm asking you to marry me."

I stared at him, waiting for the punchline. For him to smile and say he was joking. But his face stayed cold and serious, those dark eyes fixed on me with unsettling intensity.

"You can't be serious," I finally managed to say.

"I'm completely serious." He walked back to his desk and pulled out a folder, setting it down between us. "This is a contract marriage proposal. One year. Purely business. No romantic involvement required."

My head spun worse than it had from the champagne. "I don't understand. Why would you want to marry me? You're Shen Yichen. You could marry anyone. Models, actresses, heiresses. Why would you choose someone who works in your marketing department? Someone who just humiliated you in front of your entire company?"

He sat down, steepling his fingers together. "Because that humiliation created an opportunity."

"An opportunity?" I repeated blankly.

"My grandmother has been pressuring me to get married for the past three years," he explained, his tone businesslike, as if discussing a merger instead of a marriage. "She's eighty-two years old and in poor health. Her greatest wish is to see me settled before she dies. I've been avoiding the subject, but after last night's incident, she called me at midnight, demanding to know who the woman in the video was."

I felt my face flush hot with embarrassment again. "Your grandmother saw the video?"

"Half of Shanghai saw the video, Miss Lin." A trace of dry humor entered his voice. "The good news is that my grandmother was delighted. She thinks the kiss was romantic. Spontaneous. Proof that I'm finally capable of human emotion."

Despite the surreal situation, I almost laughed. If only his grandmother knew the truth that I had been drunk and confused, mistaking her grandson for a television actor.

"So you want to marry me to make your grandmother happy?" I asked.

"Partially." He opened the folder and pulled out several typed pages. "I also have a board meeting next month where several members plan to question my leadership. They believe my lack of a personal life makes me unstable. Unmarriageable. Too focused on work to make balanced decisions for the company."

"That's ridiculous," I said without thinking.

His eyebrow raised slightly. "Nevertheless, it's their perception. And perception matters in business. A wife would solve multiple problems at once. It would satisfy my grandmother, silence the board members, and turn last night's scandal into a romantic story."

I tried to process this information. "But why me specifically? Surely there are better candidates. Someone from your social circle. Someone who actually belongs in your world."

"Because you need something from me as well," he said calmly. "I've reviewed your file, Miss Lin. Your performance reviews are excellent, but I also see that you've been sending most of your salary home for the past eighteen months. Your mother is receiving cancer treatment at Shanghai General Hospital. The costs are significant."

My breath caught. He had looked into my personal life. My family situation. Heat rushed to my cheeks partly from anger, partly from shame that he knew how desperate my situation was.

"That's private information," I said tightly.

"I'm the CEO. Nothing in my company is private from me." His tone wasn't cruel, just matter-of-fact. "I'm not judging you, Miss Lin. I'm offering you a solution. Marry me for one year, and I'll cover all of your mother's medical expenses. The best doctors. The best treatments. Whatever she needs."

My heart hammered in my chest. This couldn't be real. People didn't just offer to pay hundreds of thousands of yuan for a fake marriage. "And what would I have to do in return?"

"Play the role of my wife in public. Attend social events with me. Live in my apartment to maintain the appearance of a real marriage. Act appropriately affectionate when we're being observed." He pushed the contract toward me. "All the details are outlined here. Separate bedrooms. No physical intimacy beyond what's necessary for appearances. Complete confidentiality about the arrangement. After one year, we divorce quietly, and you receive additional compensation."

I picked up the contract with trembling hands. The first page alone made my head spin. Legal terminology I barely understood. Clauses and sub-clauses. But certain numbers jumped out at me.

Full medical coverage for my mother. A monthly allowance of fifty thousand yuan. A divorce settlement of five million yuan at the end of the year.

Five million yuan.

That kind of money would change my life completely. Pay off all of Mom's debts. Set her up comfortably for years. Give me the freedom to actually choose my career path instead of just surviving.

"This is insane," I whispered.

"It's practical," he corrected. "You need money for your mother. I need a wife for appearances. We can help each other."

I looked up at him, searching his face for any sign of emotion. But Shen Yichen remained perfectly composed, as cold and distant as his reputation suggested. This was just another business transaction to him. Another problem to solve with money and contracts.

"What if I say no?" I asked.

"Then I'll ask someone else, and you'll return to your position in the marketing department. No hard feelings. No retaliation." He paused. "But I think we both know this is an advantageous offer."

Advantageous. What a cold way to describe it.

I thought about my mother, growing weaker each day despite her brave smiles. I thought about the stack of hospital bills on my kitchen table. The exhaustion of working endless hours just to stay afloat. The knowledge that no matter how hard I worked, I might never earn enough to truly help her.

"I need time to think about this," I said finally.

"You have until tomorrow morning." Shen Yichen stood up, signaling the meeting was over. "Chen Hao will provide you with his contact information. Call him with your decision by nine AM. If you agree, we'll begin the arrangements immediately."

I stood as well, clutching the contract folder to my chest. My legs felt unsteady, like the ground beneath me had shifted into quicksand.

"Miss Lin," he said as I turned toward the door. "One more thing."

I looked back at him.

"If you agree to this arrangement, you'll need to commit fully. Half-hearted performances won't work. My grandmother is sharp, and the board members are skeptical. Everyone must believe this marriage is real." His dark eyes held mine. "Can you do that? Can you convince people that you're in love with me?"

The question hung in the air between us. Could I pretend to love someone as cold and intimidating as Shen Yichen? Could I act affectionate toward a man who saw marriage as just another business contract?

"I'm a better actress than you think," I heard myself say.

Something flickered in his expression was it amusement? Interest? It vanished so quickly I might have imagined it.

"We'll see," he said quietly. "Chen Hao will escort you out."

As if on cue, the office doors opened and Chen Hao appeared. I followed him out into the hallway, my mind reeling.

The elevator ride down felt surreal. Chen Hao handed me his business card without a word, then left me in the lobby. I stood there for a long moment, staring at the card in one hand and the contract folder in the other.

Marry Shen Yichen. The Ice Prince. The man I had accidentally kissed.

It was completely insane.

It was also the answer to every problem that had been crushing me for the past year.

I walked out of the building and headed straight for the subway, not ready to face my colleagues yet. I needed to go somewhere quiet. Somewhere I could think.

Twenty minutes later, I sat in a small park near my apartment, the contract spread across my lap. I read through every page carefully, trying to understand all the legal language.

The terms were clear. One year of marriage. Public appearances as needed. Separate living spaces within his penthouse apartment. No romantic or physical relationship. Complete confidentiality if I ever revealed the truth about our arrangement, I would owe him fifty million yuan in penalties.

My phone buzzed. A message from the hospital.

*Miss Lin, this is Shanghai General Hospital. We wanted to remind you that your mother's next treatment payment is due by the end of the week. Please contact our billing department to arrange payment.*

I stared at the message, my chest tightening. The next treatment would cost forty thousand yuan. I had saved fifteen thousand. I could borrow from friends, work extra hours, maybe delay the payment by a few weeks.

Or I could sign Shen Yichen's contract and never worry about money again.

My phone rang. It was Mom.

"Xia Xia," her weak voice came through the speaker. "How are you, baby?"

"I'm good, Mom." I forced brightness into my tone. "How are you feeling today?"

"Much better. The nurses here are so kind." She coughed, and my heart clenched. "Don't worry about me. I know you're working hard. You don't need to send so much money. I'm fine."

She was lying. I could hear it in her voice. She was getting weaker, and we both knew it.

"Mom," I said softly. "What if I told you I had an opportunity? A really good job opportunity that would pay much better?"

"Oh, sweetheart, that's wonderful! But don't push yourself too hard. Your health is important too."

We talked for a few more minutes before she grew tired and had to rest. After we hung up, I sat in the park for a long time, watching children play and elderly couples walk hand in hand.

One year. That's all Shen Yichen was asking for. One year of pretending, and my mother could have the best care available. One year, and I could stop drowning in debt.

What did I have to lose? My pride? I had already lost that when I kissed him in front of everyone.

As the sun began to set, I made my decision.

I pulled out Chen Hao's business card and typed a message:

This is Lin Xia. Please tell President Shen I accept his proposal.

I hit send before I could change my mind.

Three dots appeared immediately, indicating he was typing. Then:

President Shen will expect you at his office tomorrow at 8 AM to finalize the arrangements. Bring your identification documents.

I stared at the message, reality crashing over me like a wave.

I was going to marry Shen Yichen.

The cold CEO I had accidentally kissed was about to become my husband.

End of Chapter 3

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