The old manâs face has already darkened, but Lu Qingtian, whoâs oblivious, brings his cell phone up to his grandfather, âGrandpa, look at this. Sheâs pretty and her hair is long, about the same length as my sister-in-law!â
The old man squints at the photo of the girl, furrows his brow slightly. Itâs not Nanxiâhe doesnât recognize her from the previous photoâitâs a different person.
Lu Qingtian is still marvelling, then pulls up his gallery on his phone. There are countless photos of various girls. Itâs as if heâs discovered a treasure trove. He pulls his grandfather close, âGrandpa, my nephew is really up to no good. Thereâs so many photos of girls on his phoneâ¦â
The old man continues to squint, glancing over the photos Lu Qingtian is flipping throughâeach one a vibrant, lovely girl that seems to be a good match for his great-grandsonâ¦
âAh, isnât this a photo of my sister-in-law? How does my nephew have a photo of her on his phoneâ¦â
The old man squints. Sure enough, he sees a familiar picture â the same one he saw earlier. His expression darkens.
âOh my, Grandpa, my nephew, heâ¦â
âWhat are you doing with my phone?â A cool, male voice drifts over, scaring Lu Qingtian. He stumbles, nearly dropping the phone!
Li Weihuan walks down from the stairs, his face unreadable. He doesnât like others touching his stuffâa common occurrence over the years.
The old man looks at his great-grandson, furrowed his brows, and speaks, âCome, sit down.â
Li Weihuan tightens his lips, walks over, sits down, and swiftly takes his phone from Lu Qingtianâs hand, pocketing it!
Lu Qingtian sticks out his tongue mimicking his actions, muttering under his breath, âStingy!â
âWeihuan, Your great-grandfather wants to ask you about these photos on your phoneâ¦â
âPhotos?â
âThe ones of those girls! They all look so pretty!â Lu Qingtian adds from the side.
He thought to himself, âletâs see how you explain this to Grandpa, especially the fact youâve hidden photos of sister-in-law! Humph!â
Li Weihuan looks innocent, âWell, uh, great-grandpa, those were collected by Zhang Mu. He said theyâre all the top beauties from our schoolâs different departments. Then he⦠he sent Xiaobai and me copies, saying he could introduce us if we were interested. But great-grandpa, I assure you, Iâve never fooled around with any of the girls in the photos. You have to believe me!â
Lu Qingtian pouts from the side, thinking, âLame excuse, who would believe that!â
The old man squints, âThen whoâs in the photo on your screensaver?â
âWell, that just a random selection. I keep changing it. I donât even know who she is. Great-grandpa, I swear, I didnât do anything inappropriate. Plus, you know Iâve been abroad for a year and a half. If I was to do anything, wouldnât I choose a foreign girl? Alsoâ¦â
Li Weihuan meets his gaze and continues, âAlso, I donât put much faith in love. I was scared by my parentsâ constant bickering when I was young. I think love is too distressing, and you know what kind of person my mother is. Unless the girl I choose comes from a well-off and reputable family, my mother would nip the relationship in the budâ¦â
The old man does not respond, he scrutinises his great-grandson, assessing the sincerity in his words.
Li Weihuan then says, âGreat-grandpa, I need a favour. Ever since I came back home, my mother has been constantly setting up blind dates for me. Iâve felt cornered and obliged to attend out of respect. My fatherâs not doing well, and my actions have upset my mother countless times throughout the years. I donât want to be an unfilial son, but I also donât want to barter my marriage and love for something elseâ¦
So great-grandpa, if there comes a day when I fall in love with a girl and she doesnât comply with my motherâs wishes, could you please make the decision for me? So that I can fulfil my wishes and follow my heart. Life is short. I donât think Iâm destined for great things; however, Iâm someone who would strive for my family and the girl I love. I hope Great Grandpa would grant me my wishâ¦â
â¦
When Lu Yinchu and Nanxi get out of the car, itâs six twenty in the afternoon. Nanxi is very nervous, her palms sweating. Lu Yinchu holds her hand, and gives her a reassuring kiss on the cheek, âJust be yourself as usual, donât worry!â
Nanxi nods. Her hand, enveloped in his, is warm. Smelling his scent, she feels calm.