Isn't This a Little Sudden?

Looking at Li Yang's eyes, Chen Qian seemed to realize something as well. She lowered her head instinctively, but immediately afterward, she took the initiative to find topics to talk about with him.

Completely unlike Liu Lili and her brother, Chen Qian was very good at conversation—or rather, she was very willing to take the initiative to chat with Li Yang. One small yet interesting topic after another flowed from her peach-like, tender lips, making Li Yang enjoy the meal greatly.

Before long, they finished eating. Chen Qian went to the restroom and returned, signaling with her eyes that it seemed time to discuss serious matters.

"I know this may sound a little abrupt, but what happened to me today was just too ridiculous. I didn't want you to fall into a pit, so I asked you out to ask about it."

Li Yang took a sip of water. Looking at Chen Qian's questioning gaze, he carefully considered how to begin. He had been thinking about it throughout the meal, and after turning it over and over in his mind, he decided it was best to be truthful. Looking straight at Chen Qian, he asked bluntly, "When you went on a blind date with Liu Wu, did you ask for a house, a two-hundred-thousand-yuan car, and another two hundred thousand in bride price?"

"Ah, I only asked for a house and car in Heyang City. I never mentioned bride price. After all, if you're getting married, you need a house and car to live a stable life. Besides, I'm only nineteen and not even old enough to marry yet. I can't get married in the next two years anyway. I planned to marry after I pass the civil service exam."

Chen Qian opened her mouth, somewhat surprised. "Brother Yang, how did you know all that?"

"So it wasn't even that. Liu Lili told me all of this. Today, after we left Disney, she pulled me aside and said that if I wanted to be with her, I had to provide two houses, two cars, and six hundred thousand in bride price. She needed one house, one car, and two hundred thousand in bride price herself. Her younger brother, Liu Wu, needed one house, one car, and two hundred thousand in bride price to marry you. Then there was another hundred thousand for the cost of cultivating feelings, plus another hundred thousand for her parents."

Li Yang shrugged. Seeing Chen Qian's stunned expression, he gave a soft laugh. "Their family has no money at all. They just want to use Liu Lili to find some sucker and settle both sides' affairs in one go. But what difference is that from dreaming? Where in the world is there such a good deal?"

"And she said those were only the basic conditions, that what came afterward would depend on my performance? What a joke."

"Whether it's two houses and two cars in Heyang City or six hundred thousand yuan, none of that is a problem for me. But why should I give it to her and her brother? To put it bluntly, if I took that money and married her brother's blind date instead, wouldn't I get everything?"

Speaking of this, Li Yang seemed somewhat angry and let that last sentence slip out. Afterward, he looked at the astonished and bewildered Chen Qian, took a sip of tea, and said seriously, "I don't think their family is a good place to marry into. What do you think?"

"This is way too outrageous. They're basically trying to catch a wolf with empty hands. I always thought their family could really provide those things."

Chen Qian's eyes widened, and her brows furrowed. A trace of anxiety flashed across her face. "If that's the case, then this family really won't do. These past two days, after spending time with Liu Wu, I could already tell. He's completely like a child who only knows how to play games and has no understanding of the world. How can his family be like this?"

"I just want to live a steady, peaceful life in Heyang City. If their family is like this, what am I supposed to do?"

Getting to know someone was actually a complicated matter. Sometimes it took a long time, but other times, after only just meeting, you could get a general sense of them and detect their true nature.

Chen Qian clearly wasn't foolish after these past few days of blind dating. She must have noticed something strange about the Liu family. Otherwise, when Li Yang said he wanted to talk to her about the blind date, she would not have come over so quickly. Of course, whether she had other thoughts was not necessarily certain.

She might simply not have been sure before. But now, after hearing Li Yang's definite words and combining them with her own impressions, she believed him at once, unable to keep the distress from showing on her face.

"You said just now that you're not in a hurry to get married?"

Li Yang blinked as he looked at the fair, youthful, energetic girl sitting across from him, then suddenly spoke.

"That's right. I want to wait until I've settled myself before talking about marriage. I'm working hard to pass the civil service exam right now. My goal is a position in Heyang City."

Chen Qian sighed helplessly. "I originally thought his family was pretty good, and since this match was arranged by relatives, I accepted it. In just these two days, word that our blind date had basically worked out has already spread to all the relatives around us. But now his family is like this. It's so frustrating."

"Relatives' opinions are just that. Besides, the person they introduced to you turned out like this—that's your relatives' responsibility. You should blame them too. It's like the relative who introduced Liu Lili to me. If her demands were placed on that relative, who knows whether he could bear them himself."

The corners of Li Yang's lips lifted as he gazed steadily at Chen Qian. Chen Qian seemed to sense something. At first, her eyes evaded his, but after a moment, she steadied herself and met Li Yang's gaze, nodding in agreement.

"If you don't mind me being direct, I have an idea. I don't know whether you think it would work."

Li Yang looked into Chen Qian's eyes. His gaze flickered slightly as he spoke softly.

"Brother Yang, go ahead."

Chen Qian's lashes fluttered as she answered gently.

"Since you're also a victim of their family's blind date, why don't the two of us give being together a try?"

Li Yang looked at Chen Qian, his words earnest. "After spending the day together, honestly, I haven't even had half as much normal conversation with those two as I've had with you. I feel comfortable with you, and there's not much difference in our ages. In Heyang City, I can buy a house wherever I want. Besides, I'm unburdened right now and can return to Heyang City anytime."

"If you think I'm not bad too, then once we get to Heyang City, I'll take you to the market and personally buy a house. I don't want to get married too quickly right now either. We can date first, and once the time is right, I'll buy you another house and put it in your name."

Li Yang's voice was somewhat hurried. It was his first time doing something like this, and even though he had prepared a plan in advance, he could not help feeling nervous, making him speak quickly. Fortunately, his words were clear enough that she should be able to understand him. After he finished, he looked at the girl before him, his heart full of anticipation.

What exactly he was anticipating, he couldn't say.

He said they would "date," but he knew better than anyone what he truly had in mind.

He was not some treasure-giving fool. The reason he said all that was merely to use dating as a pretext for what was, in essence, keeping her.

He did not know what kind of person the girl across from him was, but putting it this way would make it easier for her to accept.

His own thoughts were simple... He just wanted... pleasure.

Keeping her!

Saying something like this so openly to a girl he rather liked, and who had previously had some connection to him, stirred an indescribable emotion quietly within him.

A peculiar sense of anticipation arose naturally.

The thoughts surging in his heart made Li Yang stare intensely at the soft-skinned girl before him.

Chen Qian's eyes flickered as she looked at Li Yang. After he finished speaking, she paused for a while before saying somewhat shyly, "Brother Yang, I think you're very good too, and I really want to get to know you. But isn't this between us a little too sudden?"