Translator: 549690339 |
After Mother Yu hung up the phone, she realized Yu Minglang had run off at some point.
âThat little brat, just wait till I get my hands on him!â
Another call came in, and Mother Yu answered.
âAh, my younger sibling? Yes, the youngest one in our family is in the hospital. Girlfriend?â
Mother Yu was taken aback by the call from Father Yuâs sisterâs side of the family, whom they seldom interacted with. Father Yu had a straightforward character and rarely associated with those he disapproved of.
These distant relatives tried to seek favors from Father Yu before, but were all rejected.
Father Yu was a completely tactless man with a stubborn and honest character. Anyone who tried to bribe him, regardless of how closely related they were, would get an earful. As a result, the Yu family didnât have the best reputation among relatives.
The relatives all said that Father Yu had forgotten his roots after becoming successful. No matter how the relatives tried to please him, he wouldnât bend. His sons also followed his example, acting high and mighty. Although these relatives were polite on the surface, they spoke ill of the Yu family behind their backs. Knowing that the stubborn and stiff old Yu family members were of no use, they seldom had any interaction.
Why would these relatives who had little contact with the family suddenly ask about Xiao Qian?
âI heard your sonâs girlfriend was kidnapped and sold by traffickers. They found her, right? Thatâs such a pity. Is she okay? She must have suffered a lot in that placeâ¦â
Mother Yu was puzzled. How did this relative know?
âYounger sibling, who told you my future daughter-in-law was kidnapped and sold?â Mother Yu wasnât a particularly cunning person, but she knew what should and shouldnât be said.
At this moment, she would not admit it lightly. Even though they knew that Xiao Qian had not been harmed, outsiders wouldnât think the same.
To protect Xiao Qian, Mother Yu firmly denied it, especially in front of these relatives who seemed to thrive on creating drama.
âToday I called Aunt, and she said that your youngest son broke a human trafficking case and saved your future daughter-in-lawâ¦â
âHow could Aunt know this kind of secret? I donât even know. Donât spread rumors.â
Mother Yu was holding back her anger, trying to brush it off, but the person on the other end of the line seemed relentless.
They spoke with a tone of compassion.
âAh Jiao, we know you are persistent, but you have to be more open-minded about this matter. Itâs really pitiful for the girl to end up in that place, but our family has a reputation to uphold. Just give her some money and be done with it. We canât afford the scandal.â
âEnough!â Mother Yu was furious.
â My daughter-in-law is a good girl, and weâve already decided to go to her family to propose marriage. If you continue to slander my daughter-in-law like this, be careful, or Iâll tell Old Yu!â
âAh Jiao, if youâre unhappy, I wonât say anything. Weâre all relatives, though, and itâs hard to keep quiet about some things. You know how high-ranking your family is, and itâs not like your son canât find a good daughter-in-law. Donât settle for a secondhand one    â
âWho are you calling secondhand!â Mother Yu, who had been so patient, finally lost it.
Without saying another word, she hung up the phone. Even after hanging up, she was still fuming and extremely upset.
Few people knew about Xiao Qian being kidnapped. Besides the rescue personnel, only a few family members knew. Their mouths were sealed shut and would definitely not tell outsiders.
Who could have spread the news?
She tried to call Yu Minglang back, but his phone had no signal.
At this time, Yu Minglang was at Hai Zhaoâs office in his storeroom, with a table full of snacks and some liquor.
Yu Minglang rarely drank due to his unique occupation, but now was his recovery period. Apart from having no choice but to rescue Xiao Mei, no new mission would come to him.
He could afford to relax a little and have a drink or two.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
ââ¦So what do you think? Why wouldnât she agree to the engagement?â Yu Minglang took a swig of his drink.
âIt is strange. You said sheâs very fond of you, and youâre also very fond of her. Both sides have met each otherâs parents, and things seemed great. She shouldnât have refused.â
Yu Minglang bragged a bit to Hai Zhao, saying how much Xiao Mei liked him and how everyone could see his affection for her.
So Hai Zhao also found it strange. This wasnât even getting married, just an engagement. Why was it so difficult?
âDo you think she might not like my homeâs decoration?â Yu Minglang was still pondering.
A womanâs thought process was as complicated as eighteen bends in a mountain road, and their Xiao Mei had at least dozens of those meandering thoughts. No one could understand her.
âDid she say anything about it?â
âShe said my sofa was hard. Iâve been considering changing it in a few days, but I havenât had the time.â
ââ¦I donât think itâs about that.â Hai Zhao believed that Xiao Qian wouldnât refuse an engagement just because of a sofa.
Heâd met the girl twice and found her to be vastly different from others, deeply secretive and a very powerful person. How could she reject Yu Minglang just because of a sofa?
âThen itâs because I hit her.â
âYou hit a woman?!â Hai Zhaoâs eyes widened in disbelief.
He might believe others were capable of hitting a woman, but not Yu Minglang. In all the time he had known Yu Minglang, though Minglang disliked women, he would never stoop so low as to hit them. Moreover, Chen Xiaoqian was like a rare gem in Minglangâs heart which needed to be cherished. How could he possibly hit her?
âWell, I just gave her a few pats on the butt, and I didnât even use any forceâ¦â Yu Minglang didnât know what came over him at the time; he just wanted to pat her.
But his pats brought on Xiao Meiâs physiological period, and it seemed like she was very angry. She didnât even agree to the engagement.
âSo you proposed to her right after patting her? You should have waited until she calmed down, then propose grandly. Buy her some flowers, give her gifts, and wait until sheâs not angry anymore. A few pats on the butt arenât the end of the world.â
As someone who had dated many girlfriends, Hai Zhao earnestly advised Yu Minglang.
Seeing that Minglang only half-understood, he decided to be more explicit.
âHow did you propose to her? Were you sincere in your speech? Did you buy 99 roses? Even better, buy 999 roses with a ring in the middle. If she doesnât accept your proposal, then donât get up from your knees. I havenât used this trick myself, but under the premise of mutual feelings, I reckon it has a 90% success rate.â
Yu Minglang frowned, âSounds stupid.â
Just treating Xiao Qian well was enough. He didnât need to go through all these superficial procedures. It just wasnât his style.
In fact, he had proposed in a similar manner in his past life, guided by Hai Zhao. But this time, it happened many years earlier.
âYou can think of something more original. By the way, how did you propose to her?â
âI just told her that I was going to visit her family with my mom, and then she hung up the phone⦠Hey, why are you spraying that on me? Itâs getting on my injured arm!â