-||chapter six - the 51.2 million dollars engagement ring||-

"The Princess absolutely loved jewelry and was a fashion icon among the social circle. She was a trendsetter; the other noble ladies always tried to copy the Princess's style. Along with designing her outfits and jewelry pieces herself, the Princess also liked to collect beautiful, priceless, and grand pieces that were auctioned only for the wealthy people of title.

One such piece in her collection was a gorgeous ring that whose center-stone was a rare gemstone that costed millions. That said ring was not only famous for it's rare gemstone but also it's heritage. It was known among the world that that particular ring was the wedding ring that the first King of the Princess's kingdom had created for his queen, his beloved.

So, when the Princess was spotted wearing that ring, it sparked rumors that the Princess had been betrothed to her knight in shining armor, the Crown Prince.

Now, this rumor added fuel to the fire. The people of both the kingdoms were surprised but ecstatic. Best wishes and gifts were being sent to the royal palace but they knew not the truth."

****************

Zhang Yi Chen woke up to the sound of his cell phone buzzing constantly. He had a few late-night meetings so he ended up working till 4 in the morning. He decided to sleep in for a while as he was free till 11 for the day, but was disrupted by the constant buzzing of his cell phone.

Yi Chen hated being disturbed when he was asleep or trying to sleep. It would always leave him with a severe headache for the whole day and considering how busy his usual day to day life is, he would most probably end up having a fever by the time the night comes.

He tried to ignore it, but his phone just wouldn't stop buzzing!

Mumbling a curse under his breath, Yi Chen picked up his cell phone from the side table. When checked, he found out that it was Ming Ze who was calling him. "What the hell do you want to talk about this early morning? Couldn't you just wait for some time?" that was how he greeted Ming Ze.

Yi Chen heard him laugh before he began speaking. It just annoyed him a little more, "Well, good morning to you too, sweetheart." Yi Chen rolled his eyes in annoyance, "And congratulations, dude! I didn't know that you were this romantic!" said Ming Ze while emphasizing on 'this romantic' part.

"Huh?" Yi Chen frowned in confusion.

"I'm a upset, though. Aren't we best friends? Why didn't you tell me that you got engaged!" Ming Ze continued to tease him.

"Huh! What are you talking about?"

"I am talking about what you did." Ming Ze chuckled, "I thought you were trying to get rid of the rumors of your secret affair with Lu Zhi then how come you ended up engaged to her?"

Yi Chen sat up straight on the bad and had a very ugly expression on his face that showed how much annoyed and furious he was. "Are you drunk? Or is it the hangover from previous night?" asked Yi Chen, questioning Ming Ze's sobriety and doubting his sanity.

"I ain't drunk, but I am not sure about you, though!" exclaimed Ming Ze.

"What are you trying to say exactly?" Yi Chen muttered angrily, emphasizing each and every word.

"I have sent you the articles about your secret yet grand engagement with one Lu Zhi. Please check." another chuckle and Ming Ze ended the call.

Perturbed, Yi Chen quickly opened the messages sent by Ming Ze wondering what exactly was going on. 'What is this about? What now?' Yi Chen thought as he clicked open one of the attached files.

The Hitched Diaries, Not Just An Affair

The Secret Engagement - Zhang Yi Chen & Lu Zhi

The Romantic Affair between the Crown Prince of the Zhang Kingdom & Elegant elder Princess of Lu Empire!

As he read, re-read, and read it all again, Yi Chen covered up his face with his hands and groaned. This new article was more ridiculous than the one from before. According to this, he and Lu Zhi were engaged, betrothed, to be married. All this just because they were wearing color-coordinated outfits, like couples these days do, and because of the ring that Lu Zhi was wearing on her ring finger. Apparently, the said "engagement ring" actually belonged to the royal family of Country M and was auctioned for about 51.2 million USD dollars.

It's unique and so precious not only because of its connection with the royal family but also because of the stones embedded in it. Princess-cut red beryl surrounded by 18, VS2 clarity grade diamonds set in a platinum band. Of course, it was 'the' engagement ring.

And this ring wasn't the only proof of their engagement. Another set of pictures was added to support their absurd claim, pictures of Lu Zhi handing him that gift (that he still hasn't opened yet), their hands touching, them having an "intimate" lunch, and of them staring at each other with "love".

Furious over such false claims, Yi Chen was about to throw his phone away but stopped when he noticed the incoming call from his father. His immediate reaction was to stiffen. Yi Chen took a few deep breaths to calm himself before answering the call, "Hello." he didn't dare to wish him a good morning.

"I expect you in my office in two hours." spoke Zhang Dong in his usual, clipped tone.

Yi Chen frowned, a possibility registering in his mind, "I'll be there." he said and the call ended.

Placing his cell phone back on the bedside table, Yi Chen folded his hands together and rested his chin upon them as he thought about the involvement that his father might have in this. He didn't sound mad, in fact, this was how he sounded when he was pleased with something Yi Chen did.

Yi Chen knew his father, he knew that he must have investigated Lu Zhi the moment she was linked to him through that article. By now, Zhang Dong must be aware of Lu Zhi's family background, their businesses, and Lu Zhi's own business, their status in the economy, and everything else! Lu Zhi is someone whom his father may consider worthy of being liked by the Zhang family, and maybe a member of the family as well.

This is exactly why he thought that this new article, this engagement story is actually his father's doing. Zhang Dong only thinks about one thing - benefits, and for him, Lu Zhi is like a mine of benefits. Not just one, but a cluster of mines. Not only would she add onto the money, power, and status of the family. This alliance with the Lu family will bring a lot of benefits for their business too.

And now, Yi Chen was worried.

****************

Lu Zhi woke up late that morning. She had come here to relax so she had deliberately turned her cell phone on the silent mode and had instructed her secretary to transfer the business-related calls to Lu Ying. Pulling down the comforter, Lu Zhi stepped out of the bed and stretched her limbs. Yawning, she made her way out of the bedroom and went to the kitchen to grab a cup of coffee.

"Good morning, PM!" she greeted her aunt Pei Ming-Yue who looked like she was waiting for her. She was looking at her as if Lu Zhi had stolen some candies, or hid her test paper on which she had scored low like she used to do when she was a kid.

Pei Ming-Yue looked at Lu Zhi, her eyes narrowed into a glared, her lips pressed into a thin line, "You got engaged."

Lu Zhi let out a yawn again and rubbed the sleep off her eyes, "I got engaged?" she tilted her head slightly, confusion reflected in her expressions.

"Are you asking me or is this the way you are going to tell me that you have gotten engaged?" Pei Ming-Yue handed her the newspaper and read the headline for her.

"The Secret Engagement - Zhang Yi Chen & Lu Zhi" this left Lu Zhi flabbergasted as she saw the article in the newspaper. There was a picture of her and Yi Chen having lunch and then there was a magnified image of her ring, the engagement ring according to the guy who wrote this article.

"How dare your mother hide this from me? And you, you didn't tell me either!" Pei Ming-Yue was complaining, for she believed the article to be true.

Lu Zhi was surprised by how twisted the article was, "PM! I haven't gotten engaged to anybody! This article is complete rubbish! All lies!"

"Really? Then what about this ring?" Pei Ming-Yue held onto Lu Zhi's left hand and pointed at the ring on her ring finger.

"It's just a ring PM!" Lu Zhi groaned, "I liked it, I bought it. I didn't pay millions to just keep this for decoration! I purchased it because I wanted to wear it and I just wore it I had no idea that a simple ring would cause so much trouble!"

"You aren't lying to me, are you?" Pei Ming-Yue questioned.

"No, PM! Why would I lie to you about this? Yi Chen and I just met up for lunch to discuss ways to settle the previous rumors that got us involved in the first place. I swear, there's nothing between the two of us. We are not even friends!" Lu Zhi pinched her throat lightly while speaking the last sentence.

"Not even friends? Then why would you give him this gift?" asked Pei Ming-Yue while pointing at the picture of Lu Zhi handing Yi Chen the gift she had gotten him as a way to thank him for saving her.

"It was to show my gratitude to him." Lu Zhi then explained to her aunt in detail as to what had actually happened.

She watched her aunt's expressions change from being suspicious of her, to being concerned for her, to being amused at the situation Lu Zhi was stuck in, "So what are you going to do now?"

"I have no idea!"