Chapter Text
“Jiang Cheng, can you come up to my office, please?”
This couldn’t possibly be good. Ever since taking over the real estate unit of Jiang, Incorporated, Jiang Cheng’s mother had stopped second guessing his every decision. It had taken two years of working closely with his parents on the executive floor, having them scrutinize everything he did, before he was trusted enough to go out on his own.
Jiang, Inc. was a multinational holding company. They didn’t make any goods, or provide any services, they just bought and sold companies that did, and made a lot of money doing it. They had started mostly in insurance, dabbling a bit in utilities and real estate, but the company had flourished in recent decades once Yu Ziyuan took over as head of acquisitions. Unlike her husband, she was ruthless. She had an eye for a company that was on the verge of greatness. She could bid low and sell high and do it before anyone else on Wall Street even knew what was happening. Though she may not have had the title of CEO, that still belonged to her husband, everyone knew who really ran Jiang, Inc.
Jiang Cheng had been groomed for eventual succession since birth. Jiang Yanli didn’t have the heart for business, and while Wei Wuxian would certainly have been a talented CEO, Yu Ziyuan would never let the company go to him. So, the company had been Jiang Cheng’s for the taking, a birthright he had gladly accepted. Immediately after graduating with an MBA, he began working closely with his parents. Those first two years had been stressful, to say the least. His mother seemed to criticize his every decision, and perhaps worse yet, his father didn’t notice what he did at all. The long hours and unforgiving nature of his work began to take a toll on him both mentally and physically. For a while, he had wondered if he was actually cut out for this business. But just as he was getting to his breaking point, his parents had rewarded him with a promotion.
It had been a year since he was made the president of the real estate division within Jiang, Incorporated. With this new position, he had finally been given the freedom to make his own business decisions, to step out of his parent’s shadow, and to cultivate a team he really believed in. And he was good at it. In his first two quarters, profits had risen 20%.
Jiang Cheng was finally happy. He liked his job. He liked his coworkers. He liked that his new apartment allowed him to get a dog. And most of all, he liked that he didn’t have his parents breathing down his neck.
That was until his mother called in the middle of his workday, demanding he meet with her. “What is this about? Can’t we take care of it over the phone? I’m busy,” he demanded.
“No, I’d prefer to speak to you in person. And I have a meeting in an hour, so hurry,” Yu Ziyuan snapped before hanging up the phone.
“Yes mother, of course mother,” Jiang Cheng responded to the curt click on the other line with an eye roll. He was careful to always save his back talk until after she hung up. He wouldn’t dare actually do so in her presence. Even at 27, Jiang Cheng was terrified of his mother. He loved her, but she scared him. Hence why he knew better than to keep her waiting. He quickly finished up his latest email and headed out.
His arrival to the top floor of the Jiang, Inc. building was clearly anticipated. His mother’s two secretaries were waiting to send him into her office. The grim looks both Jinzhu and Yinzhu gave him made Jiang Cheng feel uneasy. Usually, the women appeared completely emotionless unless speaking with his mother. This break from their usual demeanor had to mean that something was seriously wrong.
Jiang Cheng tried to rack his brain as to what this impromptu meeting could possibly be about, but he came up with nothing. His portion of the business was doing well, in fact, the company as a whole was in great shape. Jiang Cheng hadn’t done anything embarrassing in his personal life recently (mostly because he didn’t really have a personal life). Even Wei Wuxian had been on good behavior for once. Jiang Cheng truly had no idea what this could be about.
“Jiang Cheng, thank you for coming,” Yu Ziyuan said as he entered and took a seat.
“What is this about, Mom?” He asked, feeling tense, and wishing she’d get to the point.
“It’s time you start thinking about marriage,” She said, staring over at him from the other side of her desk.
“Excuse me?” Jiang Cheng stuttered. Whatever he was expecting when he came up here, it was not this.
“You are 27. Your father and I had been married for years at that point in our lives. So had your sister and Wei Wuxian for that matter--”
“--Mom,” Jiang Cheng cut her off, “I’m not even dating anyone. How can I possibly be thinking about marriage?” Jiang Cheng felt like he was going insane. He was well aware of his lack of romantic success, but he didn’t realize his mother had also been taking notice. Personally, he hadn’t been worried about it. In his eyes, he was still young, and his job kept him profoundly busy. Dating was just not his priority right now. Apparently, his mother thought otherwise.
“Yes, Jiang Cheng, I know you aren’t dating. And it’s time that changed. I’ve set up a meeting for you with a lovely woman. Her name is Wen Qing and---”
Jiang Cheng interrupted again, “No!” He could not believe this was happening. “I’m not going to have you setting up dates for me, this is ridiculous.”
“Is this because you’re gay?” Yu Ziyuan rolled her eyes.
Jiang Cheng let his head fall into his hands. He really did not want to be having this conversation with his mother in the middle of the day in her office. Hell, he didn’t want to be having this conversation period. He had come out to his parents years ago, when he was still in high school. His mother had screamed at him. His father hadn’t said anything at all. Eventually it all blew over and everyone moved on, though he knew that deep down they had just been hoping he’d settle down with a woman and the bisexual label would be forgotten. “I’m not gay. We’ve been over this before. I’m bisexual. It’s not the gender that I’m objecting to here…it’s the fact that you are trying to set me up with someone I have never met before, despite the fact that you know I’m too busy to be dating anyone.”
“Too busy,” Yu Ziyuan let out a forced chuckle, “That’s exactly why you should be happy I’m setting this up for you. It takes all the work out of dating. This will make it easy.”
“Tell Wen Qing that I’m sure she’s lovely, but it’s just not going to work out.” He got up to leave.
“Jiang Cheng! This is not a request!” Yu Ziyuan boomed, “You will go on this date. You will do this for your family, as is your duty as my only son.”
Jiang Cheng narrowed his eyes at her. Something was up. There was no way she was this adamant, pulling out the “only son” card for something as stupid as a blind date. But he also knew better than to argue. There was no winning against the “Violet Spider.” So, he did what he did best. He gave in. “Fine, when and where am I meeting her?”
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Jiang Cheng met Wen Qing for dinner the following Friday. He would have preferred to be spending his time with his nephew, Jin Ling, or his dog, Jasmine, or both Jin Ling and Jasmine together. But here he was instead, going on a date his mother had planned. He had considered backing out half a dozen times in the last few days, but the fear of having to tell his mother he hadn’t shown up was far worse than literally anything that could happen on this date. She couldn’t be that bad, right?
As it turned out, she was actually quite lovely.
He couldn’t fault his mother’s taste. Wen Qing was gorgeous. She was the kind of woman that could silence a room with her beauty, even in a simple black dress. Upon first taking her in, Jiang Cheng initially considered taking the date seriously. However, once he made eye contact, and saw the look of thinly veiled exasperation, he knew he couldn’t. First of all, she was way out of his league. Secondly, she was clearly in a similar situation to him, likely forced here by a parent. He couldn’t expect her to put that aside and treat this like a normal date. It wouldn’t be fair if it wasn’t what she wanted.
After polite introductions and being shown to their table at the ostentatious restaurant his mother had arranged for them, Jiang Cheng decided to just jump straight to the elephant in the room, “So, which parent is it that decided you can’t be trusted with your own love life?”
“Excuse me?” Wen Qing gave him a strange look from behind the wine list.
Fucking hell. He couldn’t even get through an arranged date without making a fool of himself. Maybe his mother was right. He did need help. “Sorry, I just meant… Since my mother set this up on my end, I assumed you also had a parent pushing you as well...” He began to stammer as she raised an eyebrow at him. Why was he such a disaster? “Sorry, ah…maybe I misjudged?”
There was a long silence as Wen Qing narrowed her eyes at him, allowing him to squirm under her intense gaze, before she broke into a wry grin and responded, “No, you’ve got it about right. My parents aren’t around anymore, but this is all the work of my uncle.”
Jiang Cheng let out a sigh of relief, thankful he hadn’t made a monumental misjudgment and accidentally insulted the poor woman. She was just fucking with him. He was really starting to like her. “Well then, let’s at least make sure you get a good meal out of this. Might I recommend the Château Margaux?” He tipped his chin towards her wine list.
“That’s an $800 dollar bottle of wine!” She shot back.
“Consider it a gift from Yu Ziyuan,” Jiang Cheng shrugged.
Wen Qing rolled her eyes and mumbled something under her breath. Jiang Cheng pretended not to hear. He was saved from awkward silence by the waiter’s arrival. He placed his own drink order and noticed Wen Qing went with something much further up the list than his recommendation.
“Listen, I’m sorry I can’t help you stick it to your mother, but it’s legitimately criminal to charge that much for a bottle of wine, and I will not participate in that kind of abject capitalism unless forced,” she told him once the waiter was gone.
Jiang Cheng laughed heartily, “Well, I certainly wasn’t expecting those kind of politics from someone my mother set me up with. You do know what line of work my family is in, right? I believe we are what you’d likely classify as the ‘worst type of capitalists.’”
Wen Qing raised an eyebrow at him, “Oh, I’m well aware, yes. A company that doesn’t actually do anything of merit on its own. It just gobbles up smaller companies in an attempt to quash any and all competition in the name of profit.”
Jiang Cheng gritted his teeth, “That’s one way to put it, but I don’t think that’s entirely fair.” He always felt incredibly defensive whenever someone criticized his family’s company. He was proud of Jiang, Inc. Since he’d taken over real estate, he’d worked hard to make sure they were committed to fair housing practices and affordable pricing. On top of that, his mother had spent the last thirty years overhauling the company’s culture. She’d ensured she wasn’t the only woman in upper management, and she’d fought to get all employees proper benefits. Despite its size and immense profits, Jiang, Inc. was very progressive. Jiang Cheng might be prone to agree with Wen Qing’s liberal outlook most of the time, but he didn’t like it when Jiang, Inc. was lumped in with all the other corporations ruining the planet.
Wen Qing sighed heavily, “I have experience with companies like yours. The only thing that matters is fattening the bottom line.”
“We donated over $150 million dollars last year,” Jiang Cheng’s tone started to turn a bit harsh.
“And my family’s company donated $200 million, but if you were to calculate all the damage they did, it’d be a hell of a lot worse.”
Jiang Cheng looked at her quizzically, the pieces of a puzzle starting to fall into place in his mind. “You are a Wen Brands Wen, aren’t you?!” He exclaimed.
“Took you long enough to get there,” She said with an amused smile on her face.
Wen Brands was one of Jiang, Inc’s main competitors. They had started as a luxury goods company, specializing in fashion, alcohol, cars, really anything gaudy and overpriced. But in the last decade they had branched out into other arenas. They had recently outbid JI on several lucrative acquisitions. Yu Ziyuan hated the Wen CEO, Wen Rouhan, with every fiber of her being. Jiang Cheng didn’t understand why she’d try to set him up with a member of the Wen family.
“Does my mother know this?” Jiang Cheng asked, incredibly perplexed.
Wen Qing nodded, “She set this all up with my uncle, Wen Rouhan. You are aware of what they discussed, no?”
Jiang Cheng’s eyes went wide. His mother talked to Wen Rouhan? He thought they hated each other. He was so perplexed.
Wen Qing clearly read the confusion on his face, so she continued, “My uncle came to her with a proposition last week. He offered me up to your mother as an option for arranged marriage.”
“What the fuck,” Jiang Cheng blurted out, just as the waiter arrived to take their dinner order and deliver their drinks.
“Sorry, should I come back?” he asked.
“No, no… I’m sorry,” Jiang Cheng mumbled, still trying to comprehend this new piece of information. Arranged marriage? To a Wen?! What was his mother thinking?
Wen Qing finished her order, and everyone’s attention turned to Jiang Cheng, who was staring blankly at the table. He was finally awakened from his stupor after the waiter gently cleared his throat. “Oh, uhh, sorry again. I’ll just have,” He completely forgot what he’d decided on, so he blindly pointed at something on the menu. The waiter just nodded and fled their table as quickly as possible, clearly traumatized by Jiang Cheng’s odd behavior.
“Why would your uncle do that?” Jiang Cheng asked immediately once they were alone.
Wen Qing shrugged, “We are not close, he never gives me a reason for any of his actions.”
Jiang Cheng shook his head, still trying to figure out what was going on, “So why go along with this?”
Wen Qing let out a bitter laugh, “As If I have a choice.”
Jiang Cheng gave her a perplexed look, “Does he do this often? Force his family members into marriages they don’t want?”
Wen Qing shrugged, “I believe this is a first for him.”
“So what made you so lucky to get this directive?” Jiang Cheng asked. He was starting to genuinely feel sorry for her now. Sure, his rage for what his mother was putting him through was roiling deep with him, but he was also starting to feel increasingly sorry for the woman sitting across from him. She was being put in the same situation as him, and from what he was gathering, it was a lot more hostile for her than it was for him.
“I made the mistake of owing him. And apparently, when Wen Rouhan calls in his favors, he goes big.”
Jiang Cheng nodded solemnly, “So I’ve heard. I’m sorry.” He was aware of how ruthless the head of Wen Brands could be. It was one of the reasons his mother abhorred him. Or so Jiang Cheng had thought.
Wen Qing sighed and dropped her gaze. She looked dejected. The fire that had been in her eyes when they’d first sat down was quickly leaving. Jiang Cheng wished he could help. “Despite being Wens, my branch of the family has never been well off. In order to put myself through college, I was going to need to take out a ton of loans. Wen Rouhan approached me years ago and offered to pay for everything. He covered my undergrad degree, med school, and my brother’s grad school bill. At the time, I was naïve and thought it better to owe family than to owe a bank. I was wrong.”
“He can’t just force you to get married!” Jiang Cheng huffed, his anger rising over the situation Wen Qing was in. “That’s some kind of fucked up blackmail situation, it can’t be legal.”
Wen Qing laughed, “As if Wen Rouhan cares about legality.”
“Good point,” Jiang Cheng nodded.
“I tried saying no. I told him I’m a lesbian. I pointed out other family members that would be happy to marry you. He didn’t care. He threatened to stop paying for my brother’s school. I might be a doctor, but ER residents don’t exactly make a ton of money. I can’t jeopardize my brother’s education.”
If there was one thing Jiang Cheng understood, it was a desire to protect one’s siblings. “What would happen if I’m the one who refuses. You can’t marry someone that’s not willing. He can’t force you then, right?”
Wen Qing contemplated that for a moment, “But your mother…she is in on this too, do you really think you can just tell her ‘No’?”
Jiang Cheng considered that as their food arrived. Apparently, the random menu item he’d pointed at turned out to be canard à l'orange. He hated duck. He pushed his food around on his plate as he continued to mull over their predicament, “Historically, I do not have a great track record with telling my mother ‘No,’ but for something this life altering, I’m going to make a real effort.”
“You don’t sound very sure of yourself,” Wen Qing said as she started in on her own meal.
“Have you met my mother? Of course I’m not,” Jiang Cheng was already dreading the talk he was going to have with Yu Ziyuan. “But there’s clearly some serious ulterior motives behind this little matchmaking plan from both sides. Whatever they want to accomplish, they can do it without dragging you and me into it. I’ll find a way out of this, for both of us. Even if I have to foot the bill for your brother’s college myself.”
Wen Qing frowned, “No, that’s not what I want at all. I’m not asking for charity.”
“And I’m not offering it,” Jiang Cheng corrected, “But if that’s what I need to do to avoid having to marry a lesbian that wants nothing to do with me, so be it.”
Wen Qing rolled her eyes, “Oh please, if it comes down to it, I’d make an excellent wife. You’d be lucky to have me.”
Despite the situation, Jiang Cheng laughed, “Oh I’m sure you would.” Had they met in a parallel universe, where she wasn’t a lesbian, and his mother wasn’t trying to arrange their marriage, Jiang Cheng probably would have fallen hard for Wen Qing. She was fiery, intelligent, and had a twisted sense of humor—All things he looked for in a partner. “But the thing is, I would make a really terrible husband. So please, let me save you from that fate. I’m going to figure this out. I promise.”