Cool, composed.
The girl’s entire demeanor was that of a modest, well-bred young lady.
Her attire was simple, with not a single branded item from head to toe.
Except for her face.
With a bit of styling and a push into the entertainment industry, she would undoubtedly become a star on the big screen within two years.
Although any of the high-society ladies in Didu could easily outshine the girl before him, it was precisely this unadorned, natural charm that made Lu Qingze feel an urge to patiently coax her.
Tsk, tsk, tsk.
So it wasn’t that he was indifferent to women—just that the type of woman he fancied wasn’t the usual kind.
Qin Jiangzhou curled his lips into a faint smile and lowered his head to look at the drink menu handed to him by the waiter.
Just then, from two steps away, An Ning spoke up, “Mr. Lu, what are your requirements for a marriage partner?”
“Cough, cough, cough…”
Never in his wildest dreams did Qin Jiangzhou expect such a demure-looking girl to be so direct and bold. He erupted into a fit of violent coughing.
Taking the water handed to him by the waiter, he drank a few sips, caught his breath, and pointed at the menu. “A black coffee, please.”
When he looked up again, he met Lu Qingze’s warning glare.
If earlier it had just been a silent command to get lost,
now the look in his eyes had shifted from “get lost” to “drop dead.”
Qin Jiangzhou wiped the smile off his face and sent a silent message with his eyes: Please, continue!
Lu Qingze turned back to An Ning. “Are you in a hurry to get married?”
“Well…”
“Not exactly in a hurry. But…”
An Ning paused. “I have a suggestion. Would you like to hear it, Mr. Lu?”
“Go ahead.”
Feeling that the situation was becoming more and more interesting, Lu Qingze nodded, noncommittally taking a sip from his coffee cup.
An Ning, however, hesitated.
A strange feeling arose in her heart.
The man before her, from his appearance to his demeanor, didn’t seem like someone who, at 35, still hadn’t found a partner, to the point where his elderly parents only had two requirements for a woman: “female, alive.”
Even the simple act of lifting a cup to drink coffee—when an ordinary person did it, it was just taking a sip of water.
But when he did it, it was like a domineering CEO from an eight o’clock urban romance drama on TV, every gesture exuding an air of nobility, as if it were a dignified temperament ingrained in his very bones.
Did someone like this really need to go on blind dates?
“I’ll pay you 100,000 yuan. Can you enter into a fake marriage with me?”
“Cough, cough, cough…”
Another earth-shattering coughing fit erupted from the diagonal direction, drawing the attention of the few people in the café.
An Ning glanced quickly at Lu Qingze, nervously clasping her hands under the tablecloth. “Only by getting married can I get my household registration booklet. I… I want to transfer my household registration out of my family…”
She felt that the more she said, the more mistakes she might make, and the other party had no obligation to share the pain that was originally hers.
An Ning took a deep breath and looked up at Lu Qingze. “If you also need a marriage partner, I can assure you that I am your best choice.”
“Cooking, housework, caring for the elderly… I can handle all of these. In short, whatever a wife needs to do, I can do it.”
“Of course, if you’re under pressure from your family to get married and need a marriage partner in name only, I can also unconditionally cooperate with all your requirements.”
“If none of these appeal to you, I can pay.”
Placing sacred marriage and vulgar money on opposite ends of the scale filled An Ning with a momentary sense of shame.
But this was her last chance. “I’ve inquired, and the market rate is eighty thousand. If we get married today and divorce tomorrow, that works. I can pay you a hundred thousand, as long as you’re willing to help me with a fake marriage.”
Every word the girl said was surprising. Lu Qingze’s expression shifted from initial mockery to calm.
Cooking.
Housework.
Caring for the elderly.
It sounded like things every girl could do—the most unremarkable yet practical traits in the marriage market.
But if she brought them up, it was probably because she could do them better than others?
On top of that, she was willing to unconditionally comply with all his demands.
It sounded like…
His phone chimed. Lu Qingze glanced at the screen.
[Qin Jiangzhou: Bro, she sounds like the perfect marriage candidate. I’m even a little tempted!]
[Lu Qingze: Get lost!]
Putting down his phone, Lu Qingze looked at An Ning, who was watching him eagerly. “I can… consider it.”
Whew.
As long as it wasn’t a rejection, there was still room for negotiation.
An Ning subconsciously let out a sigh of relief. “Thank you, thank you!”
The man before her was like a cup of warm milk—gentle and comforting, not scalding, yet inexplicably heartwarming.
Gritting her teeth, An Ning said, “How about I treat you to dinner tonight?”
“Ser…”
“No need!”
An Ning raised her voice to call the waiter over, but before she could finish, he interrupted her.
Lu Qingze said, “I have other matters to attend to. Another time.”
“Alright.”
An Ning nodded. Seeing that he wasn’t planning to leave, she stood up and bowed slightly in farewell.
After taking two steps, she turned back to look at Lu Qingze. “Would it be convenient to exchange phone numbers or add each other on WeChat?”
Noticing a gaze fixed on her from a distance, An Ning pretended not to notice. Calmly adding him on WeChat, she turned and left the café.
Once the girl was out of sight, Qin Jiangzhou picked up his coffee cup and sat down opposite Lu Qingze. “Bro, did the sun rise from the west today? Weren’t you…” afraid of women?
Before he could finish the second half of his sentence, Qin Jiangzhou met Lu Qingze’s icy gaze and immediately swallowed his words.
Lu Qingze asked, “When will Dean Yu return?”
In an instant, he had transformed back into the cold and unapproachable Young Master Lu.
Suppressing his urge to tease, Qin Jiangzhou replied, “Don’t worry, I’ve already looked into it. Dean Yu is attending an international medical conference and will be back by the end of this month at the latest.”
“Although your grandmother needs surgery for her eye condition, it’s not urgent, right? Even if Dean Yu were here, the preoperative preparations would take at least ten days to half a month. For now, we can follow the hospital’s prescribed treatment plan. Once Dean Yu returns, we can schedule the surgery immediately.”
Qin Jiangzhou spoke methodically.
Lu Qingze nodded and fell silent.
His grandmother, Lu Madam, had developed an eye condition over the past year or two, and her vision had grown increasingly blurry.
The most renowned ophthalmology expert in the country was Dean Yu from the Sicheng Eye Hospital.
They had connections and no shortage of money, but no one expected that academics could be so stubborn.
Dean Yu flatly refused to perform surgeries outside his hospital. Left with no choice, Lu Qingze had to personally bring Lu Madam to Sicheng for a consultation.
Although Sicheng was also a prosperous city, it couldn’t compare to the capital, Didu.
Although he rarely engaged in social gatherings or entertainment, after a week in Sicheng, he was unbearably bored and gloomy.
Unexpectedly, a bit of amusement had appeared.
As An Ning’s timid proposal surfaced in his mind, Lu Qingze’s gaze deepened slightly.
Rather than returning to Didu and being pressured into an arranged marriage, why not…
“Bro, are you really not considering it?”
Just by looking at Lu Qingze’s expression, Qin Jiangzhou could tell what he was thinking. With a face full of encouragement, he said, “How about you recommend me to her instead!”
After all, he didn’t want to get married either.
With a marriage certificate, not only would the other party not interfere with him, but they would also unconditionally comply with all his demands.
Just thinking about it made it seem absolutely perfect. Qin Jiangzhou began to look rather animated.
When he looked up again, he met Lu Qingze’s deathly stare.
“…”
After a brief pause, Qin Jiangzhou raised an eyebrow slightly.
???
Could it be… there’s a chance?
…
At the bus stop by the roadside, An Ning sat dazedly for who knows how long.
As the night descended overhead, An Ning couldn’t help but sigh.
Where would she stay tonight?
Unable to return home, and with the company dormitory requiring a waiting list—rumor had it that even next month might not guarantee an arrangement.
And then there was her suitcase…
Just as her shoulders were about to slump in defeat, An Ning’s expression shifted. She stood up and walked toward the hospital.