by Dragon King
“Indeed.” Zhao Guang nodded.
The dining table was silent once again..
“What’s going on with the fiancé thing?” Hao Ren asked
“That was the condition of the second option. If everyone chooses the second option, you guys could only accomplish required rituals by marrying each other,” Zhao Guang said slowly.
“Marrying each other?” Hao Ren thought about it and suddenly understood. He looked at Zhao Yanzi’s face, which was as red as a tomato at the moment.
“Is there any other options?” Hao Ren thought and asked.
“Temporarily no,” Zhao Guang answered straight away.
Silence struck the dining table once again.
“This little girl, Zhao Yanzi, betted her life on me. What else is there to hesitate about?” Hao Ren thought to himself.
“Don’t kill him, but I don’t want to marry him either,” Zhao Yanzi suddenly spoke.
“These two conditions can’t coexist,” Zhao Hongyu reminded her.
“Anyhow, I won’t marry him.” Zhao Yanzi pouted her lips as her face turned red.
“Then kill him?” Zhao Hongyu asked.
“Eh… we don’t have to.” Zhao Yanzi bit her lips as she was put into a dilemma. After all, it was her mistake, and Hao Ren was innocent.
“Since you guys don’t have any objections, let’s follow the second option,” Zhao Guang hit the table and said, “Let’s eat!”
“Daddy…” Yanzi still wanted to protest, but she was stopped by the expression on Zhao Guang’s face.
“Zi, you have to take responsibility for your mistake…” Zhao Hongyu comforted Zhao Yanzi, “I’ve done some research on Hao Ren. He’s a great kid who is considerate and respectful towards elders. Your dad and I are very satisfied, or why else would we agree to this? As long as you are not willful, he will treat you nicely for sure.”
Hearing Zhao Hongyu’s words, Hao Ren who sat on the opposite side of her, stiffened his body awkwardly and didn’t know how to respond. He never thought about having a little girl as a fiancée.
“How’s your English, Ren?” Zhao Hongyu asked Hao Ren suddenly. After confirming that Hao Ren would be Zi’s fiancé, she addressed him differently.
“Hmm, it’s alright,” Hao Ren responded and thought that they would’ve known how good his English was better than himself since they already investigated him.
“Well, Zi is pretty good at all subjects but English. Come tutor Zi in English every day for the time being and get to know her better,” Zhao Hongyu said.
“Who wants to get to know him better…” Zhao Yanzi pouted her lips and said quietly.
“Uh…” Hao Ren wasn’t sure about coming here every night. Besides, he never had experience as a tutor before.
“At the same time, Zi can also teach you about cultivation. I think it’ll be great for everyone that you guys help each other out,” Zhao Hongyu said.
Thinking that his cultivation was related to Zhao Yanzi’s life, Hao Ren wouldn’t dare to be careless even though he couldn’t accept her being his fiancée. He thought about it and said, “Fine, but you guys don’t need to send the car to pick me up. I’ll come on my own.”
“Sure. It’s not too far from your campus. If you take the bus, route 767 would be able to get you here directly.” Zhao Hongyu smiled when Hao Ren agreed to her plan. It was a very sweet smile.
Hao Ren turned around and looked at Zhao Yanzi. He thought that this little girl’s facial features and body shape were very similar to her mom’s. Once she grows up, she would be an exceedingly beautiful woman.
“Humph!” Zhao Yanzi snorted and avoided Hao Ren’s eyes.
14 A Distant Goal
Since they already talked it over, the situation seemed to be clearer. The atmosphere around the dining table wasn’t as awkward as earlier.
Throughout the conversation, Hao Ren learned that the interior design was done by Zhao Hongyu herself. Zhao Hongyu’s normal identity was a designer and was well-known in the designer’s community.
After chatting further, Hao Ren found out surprisingly that one of the top ten landmarks in East Ocean City was also a masterpiece of Zhao Yanzi’s mother. It was the stadium shown in the promotional pictures of the admission brochures of East Ocean University. It just finished construction last year.
“Her father is a successful businessman and her mother is an outstanding designer. This kind of family is clearly above well-off. Even if they don’t have their hidden identities, a little girl like Zhao Yanzi still has enough assets to be proud of.” Hao Ren ate and thought at the same time.
While dining, Zhao Hongyu was the one who mainly talked to Hao Ren. Zhao Guang ate steadily beside her and would say something once in a while. Zhao Yanzi had her head down, ate and chewed the food heavily as if she was not eating rice but eating Hao Ren.
“That so-called meeting with in-laws would probably be like this,” Hao Ren answered their questions and thought.
“Are your parents out of the country?” Zhao Hongyu asked Hao Ren.
“Yes, they should be back next month,” Hao Ren answered.
Zhao Hongyu thought and said, “How about a meet-up between the two families when your parents come back?”
Hao Ren’s heart dropped. He finally accepted the fact that he had to be with Zhao Yanzi in the long run, but Zhao Hongyu’s new request once again made him feel uneasy.
“If mom and dad find out that I found a middle-schooler fiancée when they were away, I am not sure what their reaction will be…”
“Since everything is settled, it’s normal for the two families to meet,” Zhao Hongyu saw Hao Ren’s hesitation and said.
Hao Ren looked at Zhao Hongyu’s gentle expression and knew that she really wanted to settle this matter from her ardent gaze. After all, from her perspective, parents still had a say in this type of thing.
“I didn’t say I’ll marry him!” Zhao Yanzi raised her head and finally said something.
“You have to be responsible for the mistake you made. If you didn’t run off, why would there be this issue? Is it that you want others to bear the consequences of your wrongdoings?” Zhao Hongyu’s expression was still gentle, but her tone turned harsh.
Zhao Yanzi stopped talking because she knew that she was in the wrong. Yet, she was very unwilling if she had to marry this “uncle” because of that kind of mistake.
“Hao Ren is thoughtful, and I am happy with him,” Zhao Hongyu looked at Zhao Yanzi and said, “You’re not young anymore, and you can’t always lose your temper like a child. You have to take on the responsibility that you ought to take. How long can your dad and I protect you? We also want you to mature from what had happened. You can’t continue to act like a spoiled child.”
Zhao Yanzi looked at Zhao Hongyu with a sad expression when she heard Zhao Hongyu. She wanted to cry but didn’t want to disgrace herself in front of Hao Ren. All that she could do was to bite her lip and endure it.
Seeing Zhao Hongyu lecture Zhao Yanzi, her father Zhao Guang remained silent. He obviously agreed with what Zhao Hongyu said.
Hao Ren felt that there was another meaning behind how Zhao Yanzi’s parents were treating this matter. However, Zhao Yanzi was too young to understand.
“Are they trying to utilize this chance to entrust Zi to me? Can it be that even with their capability and background, there are still some dangers that they can’t talk about?” Hao Ren thought.
“Ren.” Zhao Hongyu turned and looked at Hao Ren, “Zi still has the temper of a kid, please bear with her in the future.”
“Yes, I know,” at this time, Hao Ren could only agree.
Seeing Zhao Yanzi’s red eyes as if she was about to cry, Zhao Guang felt bad even though he had his poker face on. He said to her, “Go take some rest if you’re done.”
Zhao Yanzi nodded and ran upstairs. Her footsteps making a series of “da da da” sound.
Hao Ren looked at her tiny figure and then turned back to look at Zhao Hongyu and
Zhao Guang.
“Let her be alone for a while,” Zhao Hongyu said.
Hao Ren smiled awkwardly with his head down.
“Honestly speaking, what do you think of Zi?” Zhao Hongyu asked.
Hao Ren actually didn’t have any good impression towards this ill-tempered little girl, but he can’t talk about any shortcomings in front of her parents. Thus, Hao Ren thought very hard to think about Zhao Yanzi’s merits.
“She’s quite pretty. Even though she has a temper, she’s still really cute,” he thought for a few seconds and said. Pretty and cute were probably the only strengths that he could think of.
“You’re older than her. Please take care of her for us. Her father and I are usually busy with many things, and that’s why we don’t have much time to take care of her. This has made her personality more stubborn and arrogant,” Zhao Hongyu looked at Hao Ren and said sincerely.
“Ok.” Hao Ren nodded. Even though he didn’t really like the little pepper (Chinese way of saying someone is fierce and hard to deal with. Usually applies to girls) Zhao Yanzi, he was very touched by how caring her parents were.
He could actually understand Zhao Yanzi’s feeling. When he was young, his parents were also busy working and didn’t take care of him much. Therefore, he was more independent and egocentric. It was fortunate that he had a caring grandma who always looked after him, and that allowed him to have better memories of his childhood.
“Go upstairs and keep her company.” Zhao Hongyu pointed at the direction of the stairs with her lips.
“Okay.” Hao Ren immediately put down his chopsticks and walked up the wooden stairs onto the second floor.
A few abstract paintings were hung on the walls along the stairs. Hao Ren walked slowly; it felt like he was in an art gallery. Through a small window in the corner of the second floor, Hao Ren saw the tranquil and beautiful backyard and couldn’t help but admire Zhao Hongyu’s sense of design.
Zhao Yanzi’s bedroom was the first room on the corner of the second floor. Hao Ren could tell by the tiny black toy cat hanging on the door.
He stood at the door and knocked.
No sound came from the inside.
“Hello, you won’t let me in?” Hao Ren stood there for a few seconds and asked.
“You can tell on me if you want.” Zhao Yanzi’s voice full of grievance came from inside.
Hao Ren smiled and took a few small steps on purpose to create the illusion of him walking downstairs.
Dong dong dong… a quick running sound came from the bedroom. Zhao Yanzi thought Hao Ren actually went downstairs to tell on her and rushed to open the door.
She ran out of the bedroom, wanting to drag Hao Ren from the stairs. However, she didn’t anticipate that Hao Ren would still be standing at the door. Thus, she ran straight into his chest.
The soft and petite body didn’t hurt Hao Ren but rather tickled his belly.
Hao Ren caught the little careless girl’s shoulder with his hands and looked down at her, “Am I the type of person who would tell on others?”
Zhao Yanzi raised her head and blushed. Although it was her misjudgment, she still said stubbornly, “You look like one!”
Hao Ren smiled and didn’t argue with her. He pushed her away slightly and walked into her bedroom.
“Hey! Where are your manners? Don’t just randomly come into my bedroom.” Zhao Yanzi stood at the door and looked at Hao Ren with disdain.
“You have a problem with me entering my fiancée’s bedroom?” Hao Ren turned his head, looked at her on purpose, and said.
“You…” Zhao Yanzi stared at Hao Ren. She was angry but couldn’t vent her anger.
Her eyes were red, and it seemed like she actually cried. Hao Ren saw this and didn’t want to really bully her. He avoided her angry eyes and pretended to look around her bedroom casually.
Through the floor-to-ceiling window, the tiny bedroom could enjoy the scenery of ancient-themed flowers and trees. The sunlight poured in from outside and shined on the transparent glass. It was a type of beauty that would blind one’s eyes.
A light green fish tank was placed on top of the windowsill with a few goldfishes inside. The huge framed calligraphy post hung on top of the bed brought a unique and artistic atmosphere.
Yet, the light khaki wall color showcased the coziness of the room, and the stuffed teddy bear especially proved that the owner of this bedroom was still a little girl who needed attention and care.
15 The First Visi
Hao Ren turned around, and Zhao Yanzi’s angry little face entered his sight again.
“I’m just taking a tour. Why are you so mad?” He asked lightly.
Zhao Yanzi didn’t answer him; she probably didn’t know what to say.
“I’ll leave if I’m not welcomed here,” Hao Ren continued.
“No!” Zhao Yanzi semi-rolled her eyes and said, “You can stay here.”
Seeing her expression, Hao Ren knew that she was asking him to stay to avoid scolding from her parents.
“What can I do then?” He asked.
“Whatever you want.” Zhao Yanzi sat in front of the computer and reactivated the screen with her mouse.
The desktop was a picture of her in a bikini at the beach. Her delicate skin glowed radiantly under the sun amongst the blue waves. She had a bright smile, and her little tongue stuck out wittily in the picture which showed her even and white teeth. Who would have known she was a little devil in reality?
She quickly switched the screen as she must have noticed that Hao Ren was looking at the picture. However, Hao Ren couldn’t see her expression from where he was.
Zhao Yanzi started to play the most popular game lately “Plants Vs. Zombies.” She focused on continuing her last level as she had decided to ignore Hao Ren. (This is an older book as you can tell from the game.)
Hao Ren walked to the desk out of boredom and took out a book randomly from the shelf. Zhao Yanzi carried on with her game without paying attention to him.
Hao Ren sat down in a chair near the balcony. He read the novel in the afternoon sunshine.
Zhao Yanzi couldn’t help but glimpse at him while she played the game.
“He doesn’t look like a bad guy even though he’s not that cute…” She thought to herself as she looked at Hao Ren, who was reading quietly in the sun.
“But to marry him…” Zhao Yanzi felt internally conflicted.
She pouted as she carried on with her game.
Time flew by as she fought through many levels. She was deeply focused on the game and completely forgot about Hao Ren.
There were more and more zombies on her screen and the pea-shooters Zhao Yanzi planted weren’t enough to defeat them. She could do nothing but watch the zombies break through the door.
She failed the level five times and finally got frustrated by it. She threw the mouse on the desk as if she was mad at her computer.
“Stupid.” A voice came from behind her.
She turned around, not knowing when Hao Ren got behind her.
Her face immediately blushed. She blamed herself for being too focused and forgot about Hao Ren’s existence. However, it wasn’t completely her fault as this was her own bedroom and she had always been alone in here. Her complete attention was in the game, and it made her forget about the silent “guest” in her room.
“None of your business!” She finally burst out after two seconds of silence.
“Plant two rolls of Sunflowers in the back; leave an empty roll for Ice Pea-shooters in the front; plant another roll of Pea-shooters in front of that; then plant a roll of potatoes. Same in the water except planting the lotus leaves first,” Hao Ren said.
“Pttf, that would never work!” Zhao Yanzi wasn’t convinced.
Having ignored her, Hao Ren returned to the balcony to read.
Zhao Yanzi pondered on her chair before she started the level again.
She successfully passed the level using Hao Ren’s strategy.
“Did it work?�
�� Hao Ren asked as he quietly read his book.
“No!” Zhao Yanzi said in a fit of pique.
Hao Ren stood up, pretending to go over and check. Zhao Yanzi quickly exited the game in panic.
However, that desktop photo was completely shown to Hao Ren.
“Don’t…Don’t look at it!” Zhao Yanzi stood up hastily to block his view.
This photo showed her body in a swimsuit. How can it be seen by other people!
“I’ve already seen the live version. What’s so special about the picture?” Hao Ren said with disdain.
Zhao Yanzi gritted her teeth and clenched her fists. She hit Hao Ren on his chest.
Thanks to the loss of her Internal Core, it wasn’t a strong hit. Instead of causing pain on Hao Ren’s chest, it was somehow done in a pettishly charming manner.
Zhao Yanzi was a bit satisfied with Hao Ren’s reaction because he was covering his chest and pretending to be hurt. “Humph, I shall teach you another lesson if you say something like that again!” She said.
She then sat down and continued with her “Plants Vs. Zombies” game.
Hao Ren was bored of reading, so he dragged a chair beside her and watched her play.
Zhao Yanzi was, in fact, bored of playing alone, so she was glad he came to watch her. Not to mention she certainly needed some help with some levels.
“Plant a Chomper here…”
“Here, collect the sun!”
“Here comes the last wave. Get the Cherry Bombs ready.”
Hao Ren kept on instructing on the side.
“So annoying! I know!” Zhao Yanzi blamed him as she did what he said. Her hand was moving quickly with the mouse.
The two of them were too focused on the screen to realize Zhao Hongyu had quietly pushed open the door a bit, took a look at them as she stood by the door, and left in delight.
Time flew until they reached the last level; it was dinnertime.
Bang bang bang…there was a knock on the door.
Zhao Yanzi paused the game as Hao Ren came to his senses as well.