Morning came as the news spread throughout Imperial about De L'amour and An Qing uniting as one under the same ownership.
However, that was not the only news that surfaced.
Everyone was more in shock about the engagement between the retired supermodel, Han Yue Ling, and Lu Corps' CEO, Lu Tian. Even those in different countries did not miss this big news.
Both De L'amour and Lu Corps' phones rang without pause as the media tries to pry for information. However, the only information they received was that the engagement party will be held in one month, follow by the wedding.
Some people supported the couple's relationship and nicknamed them 'Imperial's Power Couple', while others found Yue Ling unworthy of Lu Tian and Lu Tian unworthy of Yue Ling. Of course, this was only due to jealousy as they didn't want to believe that their idol as no longer single.
"Arrhhh—!!!"
In the far distance from the heart of Imperial, a woman's loud shrieking cry can be heard from inside a white two-story Mediterranean style house.
"Babe, what's wrong?"
Inside the main bedroom, a healthy-looking man jolted awake at the woman's pierce shrieking cry. He abruptly sat up and runs his hand through his slightly disheveled hair.
The blanket that covered his body slowly falls to his waist as it reveals his toned and muscular upper body.
"Chu Hua darling, it's so early in the morning. Why are you screaming like you've seen a ghost?"
Gu Ting Fei glance with an annoyed look at the naked woman sitting on the bed with him. The sun hasn't even fully rose in the sky and here he is, awoken by her.
"Argh! I can't believe this! No! I don't believe this!"
Ji Chu Hua ignores her so-called boyfriend and frantically shakes her head in denial. Her bloodshot eyes glued to the screen of her phone and she continues to scroll through the web.
"This isn't true. No, this is impossible."
Gu Ting Fei stares at her and his irritation intensifies. He yanks the blanket off of him and gets out of bed. His completely exposed figure walks to the lavatory and decides to shower.
However, deep inside, he was cursing at Ji Chu Hua for being so annoying in the morning.
If he knew that she was going to disturb his beauty sleep, he would have left home after their intimate exercise. Better yet, he should have gone to find another woman.
*knock knock
"Hua-Er, what's wrong? Why are you screaming so loud? You woke you the entire house."
Just when the door to the lavatory closed, a frantic knock sounds at the bedroom door followed by Ji Shao An's worried voice.
Hearing her father, Ji Chu Hua snaps back to reality. She looks down at her body and realizing that she was still naked and covered in love marks, she quickly stood up to put on a robe.
She strides to the door and sighs in relief that it was locked. She would have been embarrassed if her father had walked in on her and Gu Ting Fei.
"Hua-Er, do you hear me?"
She stops in front of the door at the same time her father asks again. She opens the door and pokes her head out with a smile.
"Sorry, father. I was just surprised and screamed. Once I finish dressing, I will meet you in the living room and explain."
Ji Shao An stares at his daughter with a slight frown. However, he doesn't say anything and turns around to leave.
Watching his figure walk towards the stairs, she shuts the door and locks it. Turning around, she looks at the bed and pouts her lips when she realizes that Gu Ting Fei was not in bed.
However, just as she thought this, she hears the toilet flush then the shower water running.
A smirk curls on her lip and she walks to the lavatory. She slowly pushes the door open and removes her robe to join the man.
Outside the bedroom, Ji Shao An enters the living room and sat down on the sofa. He stares up at the huge portrait hung on the wall of his deceased wife.
���Dear, if only you were still here."
He had to admit, its practically his fault that Ji Chu Hua grew up spoiled and stubborn.
After his wife died, he did everything he could to give his daughter what she wanted as she is his only child. He wanted her to have a nice heart and grow up caring, but knowing that the other Ji families are cruel and selfish, he had to push her into fighting for the chairman seat at Ji Corps.
She was the perfect person for the position, but now that Yue Ling has entered the picture, what will become of them?
Thinking this, he heaves a long sigh. Even he is ashamed with himself that his daughter brings home a man without the intention of marriage.
Two hours soon passes by and Ji Chu Hua still did not come downstairs.
Ji Shao An felt blood rush to his head and he slaps his knee with a loud thud.
"Call Hua-Er to come downstairs this instant."
He yells at a maid standing nearby with his nostrils flaring. He may have let her have it her way, but he is still her father. How dare she make him lose face?
"Father, who has angered you so much?"
Ji Chu Hua's soft voice sounds worried as she walks down the stairs. She looked refined and well-manner in a pink floral dress with a white cardigan over.
She had one arm locked around Gu Ting Fei's arm as he wore a navy tailored suit and one can see a satisfied smile plastered on his face.
Ji Shao An saw the young man's face and his expression grew sour. He knew right away the reason for that smile. He snorts disapprovingly and looks away from the two people.
He has lived long enough to know that Gu Ting Fei's smile is one a man makes when he has filled his desires with a woman.
However, despite him feeling this way about their shameless relationship, he cannot get on the Gu family's bad side. Right now, he and Ji Chu Hua need their every support.
Ji Chu Hua sees Gu Ting Fei out the door then returns to the living room. She sits down on the sofa across from her father and the refine appearance she had on disappeared into that of a haughty woman.
"Dad, why are sulking like a child? What if Brother Ting Fei misread your intentions?"
Seeing her this way, Ji Shao An kept a calm expression but rolled his eyes on the inside. He heaves a long sigh and looks at her with seriousness.
"Hua-Er, you and Ting Fei have been together for a long time now. Even outsides are well aware of your close relationship. When are you both going to stop this game of yours and get married?"
Ji Chu Hua scoffs a sarcastic chuckle with attitude. She reaches inside the pocket of her cardigan and takes out her phone. She unlocks the screen and places it down on the coffee table.
"Instead of worrying about my relationship, we have something more important to worry about now."
Ji Shao An reaches over the table and picks up her phone. He looks down at what she had to show him, but he widens when he read the first line.
'Lu Corp's CEO, Lu Tian finally proposed.'
He scrolls the page up and sees the two photos released by the media.
The first one was Yue Ling and Lu Tian during the Fall Fashion Show. It was the same photo a photographer captured when Yue Ling wore De L'amour's closing design and her eyes met with Lu Tian who was in the audience.
Unlike the first photo that was bright, the second photo was captured in the dark at the lake. There was little light, but anyone can see who the two people in the photo were.
It was Lu Tian and he was on one knee in a wooden boat proposing to Yue Ling with many glowing lights around them.
Ji Shao An held in his breath as he scrolls through the news. At the end of the webpage, what was written in big bold words was: 'And she said YES!'
Veins pop on his forehead and his expression distorted into ugliness.
"This… How is this possible?"
