OSTF - 12

No engagement, straight to marriage?

Even Jiang Huiyue was startled by her son. Seeing that his expression didn’t seem to be joking, she finally felt relieved.

“Why are you talking with such a dramatic pause? What if you scared your grandma?” She patted the old Mrs. He’s back.

Then she asked Wang auntie to pick up the candy from the floor.

The old lady had lost a piece of candy for no reason and looked a bit dejected, but thinking about the words just now, she perked up again.

In the end, He Minghua settled it: “It’s not impossible this way, but we need to discuss it with Suisui’s parents and make a decision then.”

The He and Qi families hadn’t released any news about the marriage alliance. The childhood engagement was just a verbal agreement, and only a few people knew about it.

Once this news was announced, it would signify the official start of the cooperation between the two major groups in South City, and it would also mean a change in the prevailing trend.

He Xingwang nodded. “Okay.”

He Minghua turned to Chi Suisui. “Suisui, what do you think?”

Chi Suisui’s expression calmed down. “I’ll mention it to my family.”

She really hadn’t expected He Xingwang to suddenly bring this up. Skipping the engagement and going straight to marriage was completely beyond her expectations.

“I’ll mention it to your parents as well. Then let’s put this matter aside for now,” He Minghua nodded. “Let’s eat first.”

The dining table returned to normal.

He Chuhua’s words had been completely ignored from beginning to end, from her initial gloating to her current disbelief.

It wasn’t that she didn’t want Chi Suisui to enter the He family.

It was just that every time she saw Chi Suisui, she would be reminded of her own broken marriage and her timid daughter.

They were both daughters of wealthy families. She had pursued true love in her youth, wanting to surpass Chi Suisui, but had ended up in this state.

Half an hour passed after they finished eating.

Chi Suisui and He Xingwang both had things to do the next day, so they didn’t stay at the He residence for long. Before leaving, Chi Suisui sat beside the old Mrs. He and instructed, “Grandma, you must not secretly eat candy anymore. If you keep eating, your last few teeth will fall out.”

“Won’t eat, won’t eat,” the old lady nodded firmly.

Jiang Huiyue beside her exposed her. “Suisui, your words will only work for two days. On the third day, she’ll definitely be able to find secretly hidden candy.”

Chi Suisui smiled.

Outside, the night sky was filled with stars, and the night was cool as water.

Chi Suisui opened her phone and received a WeChat message from her family, asking how her visit to the He residence had been today.

She didn’t mention the marriage. It was better to discuss such things in person.

However, there was also a message from Qi Churui: 【Sis, I need your help with something in a couple of days.】

Chi Suisui replied: 【What is it?】

The other side didn’t reply, probably in class.

Chi Suisui turned off her phone and tilted her head. “He Xingwang, why did you suddenly say that today? We don’t need to prepare for the engagement banquet. It’s not troublesome at all.”

He Xingwang lowered his eyes to look at her. “Do you want it?”

Chi Suisui said, “It’s optional.”

He Xingwang nodded slightly at her words and explained seriously, “You can take it as me being impatient.”

Chi Suisui looked at him suspiciously. “Then why didn’t you say so before?”

“I just became impatient this year.”

“......?”

A question mark appeared in Chi Suisui’s mind. She decided not to ask anymore. Impatient? She would wait and see how impatient he would be.

Just as Chi Suisui thought this, her phone rang.

It was a call from Su Mian. “President Sui, do you know about the decision just made by Qingcheng TV station? They’re going to do an exclusive interview and plan to interview He Xingwang.”

Chi Suisui subconsciously looked at He Xingwang.

He Xingwang gave her an inquiring look.

Chi Suisui turned her head back and said, “Qingcheng TV station... I remember their news anchor had a scandal. Their evening news ratings are extremely low now. Are they trying to make a comeback?”

Su Mian said, “Probably. If they interview him—”

Chi Suisui said, “They won’t. It’s a real scandal, a real-name report with evidence. It’s only a matter of days before it blows up.”

This was the internet age. Even she, from another TV station, knew about it, which meant it couldn’t be suppressed at all.

Moreover, she knew He Xingwang’s character better than anyone else. Not to mention that he rarely accepted interviews, even if he did, it wouldn’t be with a TV station like that.

The news of Qingcheng TV station wanting to interview He Xingwang at the shooting range center had almost spread throughout other TV stations.

All the graduation matters at S University had come to an end.

Chi Suisui was now a full-fledged working professional. After getting up the next day, she changed into a new outfit.

Their TV station had regulations for work commute attire, but as long as it wasn’t outrageous, it was fine. Of course, business suits were the best.

Chi Suisui wore a blue plaid shirt. It looked ordinary at first glance, but the actual brand had exquisite modifications in some details.

She liked such subtle touches.

It was already half an hour after she arrived at the TV station. Along the way, in the elevator, to her department, and finally sitting down, there were still ten minutes before the actual work time.

Su Mian pushed open the door, holding a cup of soy milk.

Seeing Chi Suisui sitting there, the black chair and the white desk, with a touch of elegant blue in between.

“President Sui, you look great today,” Su Mian couldn’t help but praise.

“You look good too,” Chi Suisui looked her up and down. “Your outfit is much better than before. Did you find a guru?”

“No, I just watched a video by a fashion blogger,” Su Mian sat down and took a sip of soy milk. “I wonder if Qingcheng TV station managed to get the interview.”

Chi Suisui raised an eyebrow. “No.”

Chen Ruyu passed by and, hearing this, asked curiously, “Suisui, how are you so sure they didn’t? What if they succeeded?”

Chi Suisui said, “Sister Chen, if they had succeeded, we wouldn’t be discussing it here.”

“But with this news, I’m afraid other TV stations are now eager to move. I just don’t know if our director will also make a move,” Chen Ruyu said, holding her empty water cup, guessing.

“If our TV station can really interview He Xingwang, then none of the young people here would want to miss it.”

Su Mian interjected, “Sister Chen, it’s unlikely for a newcomer, right?”

“You never know,” Chen Ruyu smiled, with faint wrinkles around her eyes. “Maybe the director will even let Suisui interview him.”

Interview He Xingwang?

Chi Suisui remained noncommittal to such an idea.

Seeing Chen Ruyu going to the pantry, Chi Suisui also picked up her water cup and took it from her hand. “I’ll go.”

Strictly speaking, Chen Ruyu was a senior, but she had a good relationship with Chi Suisui. She had mentored Chi Suisui during her internship and was considered her half-mentor, always answering her questions.

The pantry was outside the office.

When Chi Suisui reached the door, she heard several people chatting inside.

“Is that really Chi Suisui?”

“Her face was completely exposed in the video. It couldn’t be her twin sister, right?”

“She’s like a celebrity. She can even play the cello.”

“It’s not surprising. The car she drives costs millions. It’s perfectly normal for a rich and beautiful woman like her to have some musical skills.”

“Rich, beautiful, and can play the cello. She’s simply my dream goddess! I want to marry her!”

Next was the sound of the cello music from the video.

Chi Suisui was very familiar with this sound. It was the piece she had played at the graduation ceremony earlier.

As soon as she entered the pantry, the conversation of the interns abruptly stopped, a bit of awkward silence in the air.

Especially the intern who had just said he wanted to marry Chi Suisui, wished he could disappear into a crack in the floor. The person in question had heard him loud and clear.

Chi Suisui just found it amusing.

She could even hear girls wanting to marry her.

Chi Suisui walked over to get water. Seeing them afraid to move, the corners of her lips curved up. “Weren’t you just saying you wanted to marry me? Why are you so nervous now?”

The interns’ faces turned red.

Chi Suisui asked, “What were you watching just now?”

“We were looking at the trending topics. President Sui, you actually play the cello so well. The video on your school’s official website has gone viral.”

He Xingwang also returned to the shooting range center.

The most important competition at the moment was the Shooting World Cup in November. In the shooting world, this competition was as important as the Olympic Games, plus the World Championships, making it one of the three major top shooting events in the world.

In the past few years, He Xingwang had already won the Grand Slam gold medals in these three major events.

The shooting range center didn’t just have his 10-meter air pistol event; there were more than ten events in total, so there were many training venues.

The man behind the transparent lenses had calm and serious eyes.

With a flick of his finger, a shot hit the target.

The next second, He Xingwang reloaded, raised his arm, level with his shoulder, and steadily fired another shot.

The whole process took only a few seconds, fast and exciting.

It was now break time, and most people in the venue had returned to their dorms or other places to rest. Only he was still here.

“How long do you think God He has been training?”

“At least three hours since he arrived, right?”

“Without stopping?”

“Without stopping.”

Two boys wearing national team uniforms sat on the bench by the entrance of the venue, watching the tall and slender figure not far away.

Li Huaiyuan changed the subject. “Hey, he stopped.”

The two of them quickly walked over.

He Xingwang took off his glasses, the movement of his wrist beautiful and enticing. He glanced at the two of them. “What is it? Just say it.”

“The coach asked us to call you to the meeting room. I saw several people inside, I don’t know what they’re going to discuss.”

Li Huaiyuan said, “God He, you’ve been training for three hours already today.”

He Xingwang hummed in acknowledgment, carefully putting his gun back in place, ensuring it was secure. “I know.”

Several people were sitting in the meeting room at this moment.

Shooting events actually didn’t receive much attention when there were no competitions, unlike women’s volleyball and swimming/diving.

They had only produced one He Xingwang in so many years, and because of him, they had gained national and even global attention, so they valued him even more.

“Although our TV station isn’t a sports channel, we’ve recently been thinking about creating a sports news column. Naturally, the first person we thought of was He Xingwang—”

Before the person could finish speaking, the office door was pushed open.

He Xingwang’s tall figure stepped into the office.

He was still wearing his team uniform, the same clothes as everyone else, but on him, it didn’t look ordinary at all, instead exuding a sense of casualness and glory.

The office was silent for a few seconds.

Then, He Xingwang sat down beside the coach, and someone handed him a document, which was the introduction to the news column.

The female news anchor from the TV station had also come today, sitting opposite, nervously looking at He Xingwang across from her. This was a good opportunity for her to clear her name.

For a moment, only the sound of paper turning could be heard.

Several people from the TV station quietly exchanged glances, a bit uneasy.

They only realized after arriving that things weren’t so simple.

He Xingwang wasn’t like other athletes. Not only did he come from a prominent family and have outstanding achievements, but most importantly, his contract had many clauses.

In short, the shooting range center couldn’t interfere with many of his affairs.

For things like endorsements and interviews, other athletes didn’t even need to consult their own opinions, but He Xingwang had to personally agree.

If He Xingwang refused, no one could force him.

“Qingcheng TV station?”

The people from the TV station had just finished thinking and realized He Xingwang was asking. They quickly replied, “Yes, our Qingcheng has a long history, and the TV station was established decades ago and has always had a good reputation domestically—”

The person paused as they spoke, glanced at He Xingwang, and saw the corner of his lips turn down. Their heart skipped a beat.

He probably wouldn’t pay attention to internal news of a TV station, right?

This matter hadn’t even spread widely yet.

But with this pause, the rest of the words couldn’t be said.

He Xingwang recalled what Chi Suisui had said last night, put down the document in his hand, and slowly said, “I will not accept this interview.”

His voice was deep and resonant, firm and decisive.

The female news anchor was the first to ask, “Why? Do you think there’s something wrong with it?”

He Xingwang raised his eyes, shattered light glittering in their deep blackness.

His voice was cold.

“It’s nothing, I just don’t want to accept the interview. I don’t want my name to be associated with a scandal.”

Silence.

The coach beside him couldn’t help but be stunned.

He was someone who stayed at the shooting range center all year round, concerned about the results of his athletes every day, and he really had no idea about this matter.

The coach looked at He Xingwang’s profile and couldn’t help but recall a few years ago.

At that time, the young and arrogant He Xingwang stood at the entrance of the shooting range center, with a calmness that didn’t match his age, and said to him, “I don’t want to appear in any scandals.”

Even someone else’s scandal.

The coach came back to his senses. He Xingwang had already nodded to him and turned to leave the office, his tall figure obscured by the door.

“This interview will not be accepted,” the coach turned his head, also calming down, and said to the few people, “I’ll have someone see you out.”

The group from the TV station left with ashen faces.

They had wanted to use He Xingwang’s reputation to boost their ratings, but they hadn’t expected him to see through their recently concealed focus at a glance.

After getting in the car, the female news anchor was unwilling to give up. “Can’t we try again?”

The person next to her rolled their eyes, unable to curse out loud. “Try what else? Wasn’t God He’s meaning clear enough?”

He Xingwang wasn’t just a shooter.

He was also the sole heir of the He Corporation.

“He Xingwang’s standards are too high. Which TV station doesn’t have some news?” someone couldn’t help but say. “Who does he want to interview him?”