CHAPTER 51: 051: DO YOU LIKE BLIND DATING THAT MUCH?

"I don’t feel burdened at all!" Lai Yang huffed coldly after hearing Ning Guiwan’s words. "As long as you don’t blame me, it’s fine. As for Chen Qinghan, it would be best if Eldest Aunt ends up not wanting her as a daughter-in-law because of this."

"Let her taste what it’s like to be abandoned by the man she likes!"

Ning Guiwan didn’t say anything.

She had a vague feeling that this matter wouldn’t end well.

But after thinking it over, she couldn’t figure out any solution, so she decided to put it aside for the time being.

It was the weekend, so they didn’t have to go to the company. Lai Yang was also dawdling over her tasks, and it was almost eight o’clock by the time they went downstairs. As they reached the landing, they could hear the angry voice of Old Mrs. Quan coming from below.

"What do you mean? We agreed to meet several days ago, and now you’re changing your mind?"

Old Mrs. Quan was holding the landline phone’s handset in her right hand and had set her teacup down heavily on the round table with her left, her anger evident even though she wasn’t yelling.

"You had better give me a clear explanation."

From the handset came Wei Chaolian’s wry voice, "I had a good talk with Mrs. Qiao, but who knew? The Qiao Family’s fifth son thinks Xiaowan is too young. I put in a lot of good words..."

Old Mrs. Quan cut her off, "We didn’t mind his age, and now he’s the one finding fault?"

"Don’t be hasty, cousin. Aren’t I already looking for another match for your Xiaowan..."

Before Wei Chaolian could finish, Old Mrs. Quan abruptly hung up.

"This is driving me mad!"

Lai Yang stopped in her tracks and peered down, her face showing a carefree curiosity. But when she saw the tall silhouette by the floor-to-ceiling window, her expression suddenly changed.

"Oh my god, you scared me!" Lai Yang quickly pulled her head back, exhaling deeply while patting her chest.

She leaned closer to Ning Guiwan and whispered, "Second Uncle is also home."

Ning Guiwan remained silent.

From her angle, she could see the person standing before the window. He wore a black shirt and black dress pants, with a black leather belt cinched at his waist. The hem of his shirt was tucked into his pants, making his legs appear exceptionally straight and long.

At that moment, Quan Yu turned around leisurely.

He held a tea saucer in his left hand and the cup handle in his right, his fingers long and well-defined.

Upon seeing Ning Guiwan, Quan Yu’s gaze paused. As he brought the tea to his thin lips, he looked directly and openly at the girl on the landing.

Scared half to death, Lai Yang hid behind Ning Guiwan. "Why is Second Uncle staring at me? Could he be angry because I beat up Chen Qinghan?"

Ning Guiwan withdrew her gaze, looked at Lai Yang, and said slowly with a smile, "I don’t know if he’s angry, but Grandma Quan is very upset. You should go and console the old lady, make amends for what you did."

Lai Yang’s eyes lit up. "Great idea!"

Then, with a CLATTER, CLATTER, CLATTER, she ran downstairs. "Granny, who upset you?"

Housekeeper Fang was in the midst of calming Old Mrs. Quan. When she heard Lai Yang’s voice, she said helplessly, "It’s all about Miss Ning’s marriage. Old Mrs. Wei had arranged to match Miss Ning with Fifth Master Qiao. It was all agreed, and they were supposed to meet in the next few days, but who knew there’d suddenly be a change of heart."

Hearing this, Ning Guiwan couldn’t help but raise her eyes to look at the man standing by the window. Their gazes met. Quan Yu sipped his tea leisurely, as if the matter had nothing to do with him.

In her ear was Lai Yang’s voice, "So what if they changed their minds? Shencheng isn’t short of single young men. With our Xiaowan being so beautiful, Granny, are you afraid she won’t be able to marry?"

Old Mrs. Quan looked at Ning Guiwan.

Her expression was full of tender affection.

What on earth had this child gone through back then?

She had no clue whatsoever.

"Miss Lai is absolutely right," Housekeeper Fang chimed in, agreeing with Lai Yang. "In my opinion, instead of marrying Miss Ning off to someone else, it would be better to find a suitable match within our own family. That way, if Miss Ning ever faces any dissatisfaction in the future, you can at least speak up on her behalf."

"If she marries an outsider, you can’t very well interfere with their family affairs."

Old Mrs. Quan thought for a moment and said, "That’s true, but who in our family is suitable? Ayu’s second and third uncles’ grandsons are all married. His fourth uncle’s youngest grandson, Shengyu, isn’t married yet, but he’s a year younger than Xiaowan, which isn’t suitable either..."

"Doesn’t Fourth Master have a younger son who’s not yet married? He’s only about thirty-three or thirty-four, around the same age as Fifth Master Qiao."

"How can that be?" Old Mrs. Quan immediately rejected the idea. "Xiaowan would have to call Aqing ’Uncle Six.’ Wouldn’t that mess up the generational order?"

"..." Housekeeper Fang turned her head to look at Quan Yu.

The latter walked to the round table by the window to pour tea. His silhouette, outlined against the daylight, was clear and sharp, while his facial expression remained indistinct.

After a pause, she looked towards Old Mrs. Quan. "Miss Ning is only the granddaughter of your old friend. Seniority isn’t really an issue here..."

Ning Guiwan picked up the tea poured by the servant and sipped it lightly, the steam veiling her delicate features in a soft haze. Hearing this, she interrupted Housekeeper Fang with a smile, "Grandma Quan is right. No matter what, I should call him ’Uncle Six.’ The generational hierarchy is established; it mustn’t be muddled."

Old Mrs. Quan nodded in agreement.

Housekeeper Fang: "..."

Quan Yu casually skimmed the tea leaves from his cup with the lid. Upon hearing Ning Guiwan’s words, his hand paused for a moment.

「...」

Old Mrs. Quan barely ate a few bites of breakfast before she set down her chopsticks and just looked at Ning Guiwan. After a long time, she finally spoke, "Xiaowan, do you mind that Shengyu is a year younger than you?"

Ning Guiwan was taken aback.

Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of Quan Yu’s arm resting casually on the edge of the table, his sleeves neatly rolled up to his forearm, revealing a luxurious and high-quality wristwatch.

"You arrange it."

She said, "As long as you’re happy."

Old Mrs. Quan was delighted. "Then I’ll make the arrangements!"

Ning Guiwan smiled.

After the meal, Lai Yang wanted to go shopping. Just as she was about to leave, she needed to use the restroom again.

The sprawling Quan mansion covered a large area, with many valuable plants and flowers planted in the front and back yards, tended by specialized personnel. At this moment, the person in charge of the garden was leading his subordinates in watering and pruning. Standing under a column of the porch, Ning Guiwan watched the autumn scenery in the courtyard and couldn’t help but think of Ning Qinghan’s situation. She was lost in thought for a moment and didn’t even notice when someone stopped beside her.

She only snapped back to reality when an arm stretched out before her.

Regaining her senses and seeing Quan Yu, she instinctively felt a jolt of surprise, but her face showed no sign of losing composure. After a brief daze, she slowly smiled. "Are you going out?"

Quan Yu braced his palm against the column beside Ning Guiwan, watching her quietly for two seconds before suddenly gripping her wrist.

Ning Guiwan was startled again.

In such a place, with so many eyes and ears, one must be especially cautious, particularly when with the man before her.

She struggled discreetly, but his grip was unshakeable. Glancing left and right and seeing no one was paying attention to them, she turned back to Quan Yu. "Let go of me!"

Perhaps truly angered, she didn’t even use honorifics.

Quan Yu, feeling the smooth and soft skin in his palm, couldn’t resist caressing the tender skin of her wrist with his thumb.

"Do you like these matchmaking meetings that much?"

The man’s voice was low, deep, and slightly husky.

Ning Guiwan noticed his subtly intimate gesture, and her heart began to beat chaotically.

"That’s none of your business, is it?"

She tried to appear calm and struggled harder, her voice very low, "Please let go of me!"