Chapter 24

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

“What?”

“Bang!”

“Whoa…”

Startled, Chen Yu jerked his head up so suddenly that the back of his head directly crashed into the glass at the counter, causing it to shatter.

But he didn’t seem to feel anything at all and, clutching his phone, asked anxiously, “What did you say? My sister’s getting engaged?”

“Yes.”

“My sister doesn’t even have a boyfriend, does she? Where did this one pop up from? And she’s getting engaged to him?”

“I was also taken by surprise. Your sister openly brought a man home with her this morning shortly after she left for work, and she told me she was getting engaged.”

“This is simply outrageous! Wait for me, I’ll come home right away.”

That said, Chen Yu hung up the phone, cleared himself of the shards of glass, changed his clothes, and locked up the store before heading out. Once outside, he hailed a cab by the side of the road.

“Hi. To Prosperous Neighborhood please.”

“Sure.”

The driver nodded. Then, he turned the steering wheel and revved up the engine.

“Vroom…”

The car spewed exhaust fumes and advanced very slowly.

Chen Yu commented, “… I can freaking run faster than this!”

The driver replied, “… Then you can just run there!”

“Thump!”

Chen Yu decisively got out of the car and pointed his middle finger at the driver. Then he started running, taking big strides with every step he took.

“F*ck!” The driver was furious. He rammed his foot into the accelerator, bent on giving chase.

But as he chased, and chased, his anger subsided.

The driver muttered to himself, “Should I or shouldn’t I say this? Sure enough, at the speed he’s running at, I’m just not as fast as him…”

...

A few minutes later, Chen Yu arrived at Prosperous Neighborhood in a rush. He entered the apartment complex where his family lived, ran up to the third floor, raised his hand, and knocked politely on the door.

“Tok-tok-tok!”

All the windows of the entire apartment complex shook.

“Earthquake?” Mrs. Chen’s bewildered voice sounded from behind the door.

“Mom, it’s me. Open the door.”

“Creak…”

The door opened. The first thing Mrs. Chen did was check the condition of the security door to see how severe the damage was. Then she chided, “You… you knocked on the door so hard that it’s dented!”

“Can you step aside? I’ll fix it for you later.”

Chen Yu squeezed his way into the house, and as soon as he walked inside, he saw that in the living room, a bearded man was sitting beside his sister, Chen Siwen.

“What are you doing back here?” Chen Siwen stood up in surprise.

Chen Yu walked up to Chen Siwen and took a good look at her. Then he turned his head to take a look at the bearded man before saying, “Sister, I heard from Mother that you’re getting engaged to a loser?”

The bearded man: “…” (speechless)

Chen Siwen: “…” (speechless)

Mrs. Chen, who was behind Chen Siwen: “…” (speechless)

There was a five-second pause.

Then, the bearded man pointed to himself and said weakly, “He… is he talking about me?”

“Chen Yu!” Chen Siwen was greatly displeased with her brother and said, “How can you say that?!”

“Oh! It’s you.” Chen Yu pretended to suddenly realize who the bearded man was and shook hands with him, saying, “Hello, hello. I’m Chen Siwen’s younger brother, Chen Yu. You can simply address me as Brother Yu. That’s fine.”

“Yu… Brother Yu, hello.” The bearded man was somewhat baffled.

“Hello, my brother-in-law.” Chen Yu warmly shook hands with the man and said, “Since she was young, my sister lacked fatherly love. But the moment I walked in through the door, very quickly I saw that you were the perfect match for her! From today on, I will leave my sister in…”

“Chen Yu!!” Chen Siwen went up to Chen Yu and pulled his ear, saying, “Getting more and more out of hand! Don’t you know what you should and shouldn’t say? If you don’t, then shut up!”

“If you aren’t lacking fatherly love, why did you find someone who’s so much older…. Aye, pain, pain, pain!”

“He just looks more mature; he’s just older than me by a few years!”

“I know! Don’t twist! It hurts…”

Chen Siwen released Chen Yu’s ear, then turned around to look at the bearded man and smiled apologetically. “I’m so sorry. My brother’s just insensible. He means no harm.”

Then, she looked at Mrs. Chen again and complained, “Mother! Why did you call him back home?”

“Mom called me back so I can make sure you’re not doing anything silly and so I can check on you! I have to be present. An engagement is a big life event.”

As he spoke, Chen Yu massaged his ear and said to the bearded man, “Since I was born and throughout my childhood, I’ve always been keeping watch over my sister. We grew up together and are very close. That’s why I feel that I should have a say in who my future brother-in-law will be. Don’t you think so?”

“Yes, yes, yes.” The bearded man smiled foolishly and said, “You should, you should…”

Chen Siwen: “…” (speechless)

“Then let me ask you.” Chen Yu cleared his throat and asked, “Do you own a house under your name?”

“Oh, property?” The bearded man subconsciously straightened his back and tilted his chin upwards somewhat contentedly, then said, “Not much. I have a villa and a few high-end commercial residential housing units.”

“…” Chen Yu seemed to lapse into thought. Turning back to look at Chen Siwen, he continued to ask, “Then do you own a car?”

“I have quite a few cars. I drove the BMW 7 Series sedan here today. It’s parked downstairs.”

“Do you have savings?”

“The savings that I have at the moment is enough for both your sister and me to live comfortably. It’s quite a lot.”

“Are you as handsome as me?”

The bearded man was confused. “Err huh?”

“What a pity.” Chen Yu shook his head regretfully and said, “Pardon me, but I can’t consent to this marriage.”

“You go and die!” Chen Siwen was so angry that she felt somewhat helpless. All she could do was take a cushion from the sofa and whack Chen Yu’s head with it.

“Bam!”

Chen Yu was indifferent. “I’m just asking him about some of the essential requirements. Why are you hitting me?”

“Are those questions you’re asking serious and proper?”

“His looks are also a kind of essential criteria. If he’s not even as handsome as me, how dare he even think of marrying my sister?”

Chen Siwen said, “Get lost.”

“Fine, then. I won’t ask about looks. I shall ask about other things.”

Chen Yu scratched his chin. Looking at the bearded man, he asked, “Talking to you about looks is really making things quite difficult for you. Let me ask something that won’t put you on the spot, then.”

The bearded man wiped off his sweat and said, “Go… go ahead and ask…”

“My sister doesn’t like beards. Do you have a beard?”

The bearded man: “…” (speechless)

“What a pity.” Chen Yu shook his head regretfully yet again and said, “Pardon me, but I can’t consent to this marri… Ah!”

Once again, Chen Siwen tugged hard on Chen Yu’s ear. “What the hell are you doing?!” she asked.

“Helping you sound him out.”

“No need. Get lost and go back to school!”

Amidst the commotion, the bearded man stood up, scratched his head, and said, “That… I can tell. Yu doesn’t really like me. It’s understandable…”

Chen Yu suddenly became serious and said, “It took him up to now to realize! It seems like his IQ isn’t very high either. What a pity. This marriage, forgive me…”

“Shut up!” Chen Siwen said.

Chen Yu: “…” (speechless)

“Come with me!” Chen Siwen said.

Grabbing Chen Yu by the ear, Chen Siwen pulled him into her bedroom, shut the door, and released him.

“Chen Yu, what on earth do you want?”

“Hai…”

Chen Yu heaved a sigh and said, “What do I want? Just one song can express it all.”

“What?” Chen Siwen was stunned for a moment.

“If you’re going to marry someone?, don’t just marry anyone??. You have to marry…”

“If you dare to carry on singing, I’ll tear your mouth apart.”

“… you can’t marry him anyway?.”

“Do I need you to meddle in my engagement?”

“Sister, a marriage is like a city enclosed by walls. Those who are inside want to get out, while those on the outside are afraid of the ones who are trying to get out from inside. That’s the reason why the city walls are raised by a few dozen meters! How can you still think about wanting to go inside?”

“I have to marry someone sooner or later, don’t I?” Chen Siwen was expressionless as she asked, “I can’t be single all my life, can I?”

“I know, but I don’t want you to marry someone because you have a hidden agenda in mind.”

“What do you mean?”

Chen Yu’s expression slowly returned to its due solemnity, and in a low voice, he said, “I’ll ask you just one question. Are getting engaged to him because you genuinely like him?”

At that, Chen Siwen went silent.

Chen Yu said, “Pfft! Even I feel embarrassed exposing your true intentions. You’re just greedy for his money! You’re a slut!”

Chen Siwen: “…” (speechless)