Flashback
Zhang Corporation Headquarters: Early Morning
Zhang Wei stood before the floor-to-ceiling windows of his office, Beijing's skyline blazing behind him like a battlefield. His phone vibrated nonstop on the desk beside him.
They were calling one after another — a chain of panic threatening to drown him.
He picked up.
Zhang Jianyu (Father):
"Do you realize what you've done?! The entire board is demanding answers—"
He hung up.
The phone rang again.
Zhang Yulan (Sister):
"Wei, the shareholders are furious, they're saying..."
He hung up.
Another call.
Cousin Yuxian:
"Bro, the video...holy shit...it's everywhere..."
He hung up again.
Another call.
And another.
And another.
Finally, his jaw tightening, he pressed power off.
The sudden silence cracked through the room like thunder.
For the first time in his life...
Zhang Wei felt caged.
Trapped.
Cornered.
He inhaled deeply — steadying himself as the door swung open.
Personal Advisor Wang Rushes In
Wang Jian, his most trusted advisor of seven years, walked in with a stack of reports in one hand and panic written across his face.
"Sir," he said, voice low but strained, "this situation... it doesn't look like it has a solution. The media already identified the girl. The board thinks you..."
Zhang Wei's glare cut him off.
"Then why did I make you my personal advisor," he said coldly, "if all you can tell me is that I'm doomed? Think of something. I have never been this trapped and clueless in my entire life."
Advisor Wang swallowed.
The pressure in that office could crush a weaker man.
He took a breath, thinking really thinking as Zhang Wei paced like a caged tiger behind his desk.
Finally... Wang spoke.
"There is... one solution."
Zhang Wei turned sharply.
"Say it."
Wang hesitated then delivered the sentence that would alter fate:
"You... would have to marry the girl."
Silence slammed into the room.
Then
Zhang Wei barked a short, humorless laugh.
"We barely know each other, Mr. Wang. Or is it because we shared an unfortunate night together? Don't be ridiculous we are not in the 90s."
But Advisor Wang was dead serious.
"Sir," he said firmly, "the board needs stability. The media needs an explanation. Her family needs silence. The public needs closure. A marriage makes it look consensual, mutual, planned..."
"Enough," Zhang Wei muttered, rubbing his temples.
But the seed had been planted.
He didn't want it.
He didn't plan it.
He didn't believe in it.
Yet the logic was brutal and clean.
The only way to calm the city...
was to bind himself to her.
Before he could respond
His Mother Bursts In
The doors slammed open with a violent force.
Madam Zhang stormed in, hair disheveled, lipstick smeared from stress.
"Wei!! Do you have ANY idea what you've done?! Everything I built...EVERYTHING...will crumble! The board is already discussing replacing you as CEO. Replacing you!! Do you know what that means? Our name, our power, our legacy..."
She paced wildly, hands gripping her head.
"This girl...this CHEAP slut...will ruin us! I will not allow a nobody to drag our family through the mud..."
Zhang Wei shut his eyes, breath steadying.
Enough.
"Mother."
She froze mid-rant.
He looked up, gaze sharp as a blade.
"I will marry the girl."
The room went dead silent.
Madam Zhang's mouth fell open.
"Wha... Wei, absolutely NOT! You cannot tie yourself to a..."
"I will find out who planted her in that room," he said, voice low and dangerous. "I will expose everyone behind this. But right now, this is the only option that stabilizes the company."
Madam Zhang stared at him as if he'd lost his mind.
Zhang Wei continued
"I don't want this. But it's necessary."
His mother stepped back, shock trembling across her face.
He turned away.
The decision was made.
He Calls His Personal Bodyguard
"Bring me everything you can find on the girl," he ordered.
"Full name. ID. Address. Family history. All of it."
A tall, sharp-eyed man stepped forward:
"Yes, sir. I'll handle it."
This man was his elite bodyguard Chen Qiang, trained in military intelligence, loyal to death.
Within an hour, Chen Qiang returned with a sealed folder.
"Her name is Zhao Mei," he said.
"Foster daughter. Lives in a poor district south of Chaoyang. No criminal record. Works at a café. Strained home environment."
Zhang Wei took the file.
One look at her photo pale, exhausted, innocent, made something twist in his chest.
"Send me the address."
Chen Qiang forwarded it instantly.
****
Determined, Unstoppable
Zhang Wei didn't hesitate.
He grabbed his coat, marched out of his office, and headed straight to the private elevator.
He didn't care about reporters.
He didn't care about flashing cameras.
He didn't care about the board's panic.
He only cared about one thing
Fixing the disaster that bound their fates.
He stepped into his black SUV, slammed the door shut, and told the driver:
"Move."
Beijing blurred past him, towers, winter trees, crowded markets, all sliding into nothing as he sped toward Zhao Mei's address.
His hands tightened on the wheel.
He didn't know her.
He didn't understand what happened.
But he would not let her be destroyed by something meant for him.
****
Fades Into Present
The memory dissolved.
Zhang Wei's eyes hardened as he stood before Zhao Mei, broken, trembling, drenched in humiliation.
Her hand reached weakly toward his.
And everything inside him shifted.
Because now...
He wasn't just picking her up from the ground.
He was picking her up from the ruins of her life.
He extended his hand further, steady and commanding.
"Stand."