DMBM Chapter 1

Looking back on it now, Xia Xue honestly felt like she had made a huge mistake in choosing this marriage.

And maybe that mistake was already set in stone three years ago—when she first met Yan Yongxuan.

They met on a yacht.
A yacht that wasn’t even finished yet.
It was the very first yacht she had ever fully designed and overseen herself since joining the family business.
And he—was the one who ended up buying it.

Technically, though, he wasn’t the original buyer.
The yacht was initially ordered by a second-generation heir from a wealthy Hong Kong family. But that guy lost it in a reckless bet at a casino. Just like that, a billion-dollar yacht changed hands.

When Xia Xue found out the ownership had changed, she was pretty upset. The whole thing—shape, interior, everything—had been custom-made to the original buyer’s specs. This was a one-of-a-kind piece. If the new owner didn’t like her design, she’d be in deep trouble.

And more than that, this yacht was her statement piece—the proof she needed to show her father that she, even as a daughter, was fully capable of taking over the family business. This project had to succeed. The yacht had to launch in style, and sail proudly across open waters.

So when she heard the new buyer was coming to inspect the build, she was on edge. She double-checked every detail before the meeting time, not daring to slip up.

He saw her first.

She was tall and slender, with a sharp short haircut. Wearing a hard hat and pants, she almost looked like a clean-cut teenage boy.

At first, he mistook her for one of the workers. Treated her like an errand boy, in fact.

“I’m thirsty. Go grab me a beer. I only drink Heineken.”

She was busy comparing the build to the blueprints and ignored him.

“Hey. Did you not hear me?”

Who the hell does this guy think he is?

She looked up, clearly annoyed.
“If you want a drink, go get it yourself. I’m not your errand boy.”

Their eyes met—and both froze.

He realized she was a woman, though not exactly curvy.
She noticed he wasn’t just some random rude guy. He was dressed in a long, high-collared black coat that made his already perfect proportions look even sharper. Those legs—so long it was ridiculous.

She stood about 170 cm, but he was easily a head taller. He looked down at her with a sharp, cold stare. Single-lidded eyes that could cut like blades.

She actually felt a sting from it.

“You’re a woman?” he finally said, like he’d just discovered some kind of lower life form.

Her irritation grew. Not the greatest first impression.
“You wouldn’t happen to be Mr. Yan Yongxuan, would you?”

He squinted.

“I’m Xia Xue—the designer of this yacht,” she said, extending her hand.

He didn’t even flinch. Just kept his hands shoved in his coat pockets like he had no intention of greeting her properly.

Rude much?

“A woman designed this yacht?” he said, clearly skeptical.

If she’d been the typical socialite daughter, she might’ve brushed it off, pretended not to be offended. But that wasn’t her. She hated fake smiles and phony politeness.

She met him head-on.
“That’s right. I designed it. I’m also supervising the build. If needed, I’ll even grab a hammer and start nailing things myself. Do you have a problem with that, Mr. Yan?”

She knew she shouldn't be so sarcastic. He was the client, after all—the guy footing the bill. But seriously, she couldn’t help it.

Yan Yongxuan stared at her intently. Though honestly, she wasn’t sure if he was really seeing her. His gaze was oddly unfocused, like he didn’t care.

“I still want that beer,” he said next.

She nearly exploded. But fine—whatever. She waved over a worker and had them go get it for him. A few minutes later, the beer arrived, and she politely offered him a glass.
“Would Mr. Yan like me to pour it for you?”

He glanced at her emotionlessly, grabbed the can, popped the tab, and drank straight from it.

But even the way he drank was different from the guys she worked with every day. It was hard to explain. Even casually sipping beer, he somehow managed to look graceful. Calm. Composed.

No surprise—he came from money. She’d heard his family had only one son per generation for three generations. He’d been sent to England to study since he was a kid—your classic elite education.

“Now that you’re the yacht’s new owner, would you like me to give you a tour?” she asked.

He set down the beer, hands back in his coat pockets.
“Lead the way.”

Lead the way? Xia Xue clenched her fist behind her back. The way he talked—it was like some duke ordering his valet.

She forced down her irritation and started walking him through the design, doing her best to stay professional. She had assumed he was just another rich boy, showing off, not really caring about the details. But to her surprise, his questions were sharp. He had real opinions about the materials and layout.

He was more interested in the yacht’s navigation system, GPS, engine, gyro, and lifeboats than the TV screens or fancy carpets.

He tossed out all the previous buyer’s flashy requests and zeroed in on real performance and functionality.

She couldn’t help but ask,
“Mr. Yan, are you a yacht enthusiast?”

“No.” He didn’t even glance at her. He was too busy inspecting the controls, touching everything like it was some priceless artifact.
“I’ve never driven one. But now that I’ve decided to, I’ll be the best at it.”

Perfectionist, she noted silently.
People like that were exhausting to work with. But personally, she didn’t really mind.

Then out of nowhere, he asked,
“I heard you’re the daughter of the company owner?”

“Yes. The chairman is my father.”

She braced herself, expecting a snide remark. Usually when people found out, they fell into two camps—either they thought she only had her job because of daddy’s protection, or they pitied her for giving up the pampered princess life to work with rough laborers.

Which one would he be?

“This yacht’s impressive. It’s on par with the best I’ve ever seen,” he said casually.
“If this really is your work, your father’s found his successor.”

Wait—what?

She stared, stunned, not quite believing what she’d just heard.

He turned to her at last, voice smooth and unhurried.
“We’ll meet again when she’s launched.”

And with that, he walked away—never looking back.

She stood frozen, watching his tall, proud figure disappear, her heartbeat a little off rhythm.

She thought they’d meet again soon. But on launch day, he didn’t show up. Word was, his father had a skiing accident in Canada, and he’d rushed to his side.

That day, she felt… empty. She told herself it was just regret—that the yacht’s new owner didn’t attend the launch. Nothing more.
Not because she wanted to see him again.

No way would she have feelings for a man who clearly didn’t give a damn about her.

Later, she heard his father had passed away. But he didn’t take over the family business. Instead, he handed management over to professionals and went off living a carefree life—collecting art for fun.

He had more money than he could ever spend, and he seemed determined to spend it all. Living large was basically his motto.

Normally, Xia Xue would’ve looked down on that kind of rich, useless heir. But for some reason… she couldn’t stop caring about him. She found herself following gossip articles just to catch glimpses of his name.

Two years later, they crossed paths again.

Her father had passed away from illness, and her younger siblings—Xia Yu and Xia Lei—were still too young. As the eldest, she had no choice but to take on the family burden. Just as the company hit a financial crisis.

Without her father at the helm, the banks lost confidence too. They started pulling out. She ran around day and night trying to find a way to keep the business afloat.

Money, money, money—for someone who had grown up never worrying about it, this was her first taste of desperation. Every day, she woke up afraid the checks due that day would bounce.

When a huge loan was about to come due and she had no way to pay, she turned to Yan Yongxuan.

He had been the first person to recognize her potential—maybe he didn’t mean it that way, but still, it was something. And now, she had no other options. This was her last bet.

She asked him for a loan, offering to pay 1.5 times the bank interest rate, with flexible repayment terms.

He listened, half-heartedly, while admiring a porcelain vase he had just bought from Sotheby’s. She wasn’t even sure he was paying attention—he looked way more interested in that antique than in her proposal.

Feeling embarrassed and defeated, she was about to excuse herself when he suddenly spoke, voice cold and clear:

“I’m not really into loan sharking. But if you agree to my terms, I’ll give you the money your company needs—no interest, no repayment required.”

Wait—what?

Free money? No strings? That was way too good to be true.

Xia Xue narrowed her eyes.
“And… what are your terms, Mr. Yan?”

“Simple.” He looked at her, gaze slightly distant.
“Become my wife.”

This was definitely not a romantic proposal.

If she had ever fantasized about being proposed to, this would’ve been the worst version imaginable. And even though she wasn’t exactly the sentimental type, it still stung—especially after hearing why he was proposing.

Of course, it wasn’t out of love.

He said he was the only male heir in three generations. In his family, “not having a son is the greatest failure.” He had a duty to pass on the Yan bloodline.

“But… why me?” she asked.
“You’ve got tons of girlfriends.”

He raised an eyebrow, watching her thoughtfully. She blushed instantly.

“I mean… It’s not like I read tabloids, but people talk…” she stammered.

He gave a small nod, accepting her explanation.
“They’re not my girlfriends.”

“Then what are they?” she asked, tone sharp. Flings? Toys?

“Just… women.” He shrugged. The way he said women sounded oddly mocking.

“And it never occurred to you to pick one of those ‘women’ to be your wife?” she shot back.

“No.” He replied without hesitation.
“They’re not qualified.”

She stared.
“Not… qualified?”

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