Three weeks had passed since the contract was destroyed.
Life at Li Group returned to its usual busy rhythm, but something between Lin Yue and Li Wei Chen had quietly changed. They were no longer pretending. The tension, the careful distance, the "contract rules" — all of it had slowly disappeared.
Still, there was one thing Li Wei Chen hadn't said yet.
And today, he planned to fix that.
---
The Li Group office was unusually busy that afternoon. Employees moved around quickly, finishing their tasks before the day ended.
Lin Yue was sitting in Li Wei Chen's office, reviewing some documents Zhang Ming had given her.
She sighed and stretched slightly.
"Your company works like a machine," she said.
Zhang Ming leaned against the desk with a grin.
"Of course. With a boss like Li Wei Chen, no one dares to slack off."
Lin Yue laughed softly.
Just then Zhang Ming checked his phone.
"Oh."
"What?" Lin Yue asked.
"Boss asked you to come to the main hall downstairs."
"Why?"
Zhang Ming shrugged dramatically.
"No idea. But he said it's important."
Lin Yue frowned slightly but stood up anyway.
"This better not be another surprise board meeting."
They walked downstairs together.
The moment Lin Yue stepped into the main hall, she stopped.
Almost the entire office staff was gathered there.
"What is going on?" she whispered.
Before Zhang Ming could answer, someone tapped the microphone.
It was Li Wei Chen.
He stood at the center of the room.
Calm as always, but today there was something different in his expression.
Lin Yue walked closer slowly.
"President Li," she said quietly, "what is this?"
Instead of answering, Li Wei Chen stepped forward.
Then something completely unexpected happened.
He got down on one knee.
The entire office gasped.
Lin Yue's eyes widened.
"Wait… what are you doing?"
Li Wei Chen looked up at her.
For once, the usually composed CEO looked slightly nervous.
"When we first married," he said, "it was only a contract."
Several employees whispered excitedly.
"But somewhere along the way," he continued, "you stopped feeling like someone who was just part of an agreement."
Lin Yue's heart started beating faster.
"You became someone I couldn't imagine my life without."
The room had become completely silent.
Li Wei Chen took out a small ring box.
Lin Yue covered her mouth in surprise.
"So today," he said quietly, "I want to ask you properly."
He opened the box.
"Lin Yue… will you marry me again? This time for real."
For a moment Lin Yue couldn't speak.
She looked around the room at all the employees watching.
Then she looked back at him.
"You're proposing to me… in front of your entire company?"
Li Wei Chen nodded.
"Yes."
She laughed softly, shaking her head.
"You're unbelievable."
He waited patiently.
Finally Lin Yue smiled.
"Of course I will."
The entire office erupted in cheers and clapping.
Li Wei Chen stood up and placed the ring on her finger.
Then he looked at her and said quietly,
"I love you."
Lin Yue looked into his eyes.
"I love you too."
Before either of them could say anything else, she leaned forward and kissed him.
The employees around them immediately started cheering and clapping even louder.
Zhang Ming shouted from the side,
"Best company announcement ever!"
Lin Yue laughed as she pulled back slightly.
"Well," she said playfully, "I guess the whole company knows now."
Li Wei Chen smiled faintly.
"Yes."
And for the first time since their strange contract marriage began, everything finally felt simple.
No contracts.
No pretending.
Just two people who had unexpectedly found love.
And this time, their marriage wasn't an agreement.
It was a choice.