Qiu Wu had imagined what Lu Bai looked like, but no matter which imagination, it did not quite fit the person sitting in front of her right now.
She was neither like the Terminator nor Lin Daiyu, and even less like any wealthy young lady she had ever seen before who would look at her with either a mocking or ambiguous gaze.
If she absolutely had to come up with an adjective right now, it could only be a deity.
The woman’s raven-black hair was tied back meticulously, revealing a smooth forehead and softly-lined facial features. Her skin was like flawless white porcelain, a shade whiter even than normal Luodong people. Her eyebrows were straight, her eyelashes dense and fine, her lip color very pale, and her eyes of a pure, striking black. The outer corners of her eyes slanted upward, outlining a pair of spirited yet not overly shrewd eyes that looked at others like a calm mirror without a single ripple of emotion. Her figure was well-proportioned, neither frail nor bulky, but hitting that exact perfection. Even that unremarkable futuristic work jacket looked exceptionally neat, smooth, and immaculate on her.
If the heavens were whimsical when creating everyone else, grabbing whatever was at hand and tossing things together before rolling them into a ball and throwing them out, then when creating Lu Bai, the creator must have been high on craftsmanship, carefully sculpting her piece by piece.
Otherwise, there was simply no way to explain why Qiu Wu’s eyes felt so wonderfully comfortable the very moment she laid eyes on Lu Bai.
The hands resting on the table wore a pair of pristine white thin gloves, equally slender and well-proportioned like carefully carved art pieces.
“Hello, I am Qiu Wu.” It was only when the woman opposite her furrowed her brows slightly, showing a hint of confusion, that Qiu Wu found her tongue.
She hurriedly put down her coffee cup, nervously rubbing her hands against her trousers as her mind turned to mush.
What was she supposed to do right now? Smile? Shake hands? Or apologize first for digging in before the other person even arrived?
Lu Bai showed no reaction whatsoever to her nervousness; she neither mocked nor comforted her, merely tilting her head slightly and asking with sincere perplexity, “You look somewhat different from your photo.”
Qiu Wu thought to herself, “Big sister, do you not know that the art of makeup exists in this world?”
Ahem.
Qiu Wu couldn’t help but let out a soft laugh, and a large portion of her tension instantly dissipated.
“I put on makeup, just to leave a good impression on you.” She lowered her gaze slightly, looking up at Lu Bai from a lower angle.
Lin Ya had once evaluated her, saying that her angle was so cute it almost made her lactate.
Lu Bai showed no expression at her flattery, nodding slightly. “Understandable, but my personal aesthetic leans toward the unmade-up you.”
Qiu Wu thanked her quietly while her gaze drifted away.
Lu Bai glanced at her watch. “Do you mind if we dine first before discussing matters? It is currently my afternoon tea time.”
Qiu Wu shook her head hurriedly. “I do not mind.”
And then Lu Bai truly began to dine with leisurely composure, using a fork to precisely slice a neat little cube from the cake, eating it, taking a sip of coffee, slicing another piece of the exact same size, eating it, and drinking again.
By the time the square-shaped cake was finished, the coffee was finished right along with it.
Qiu Wu was awestruck, almost wanting to stand up and applaud.
“Don’t you think the flavor is a bit bland?”
Just now, she had taken the opportunity to furiously devour more than half a cake. Much like the coffee, it carried only a tiny hint of sweetness and aroma.
If a shop like this opened at a school gate, it would be complained into bankruptcy in less than half a day.
Lu Bai wiped her mouth, looking at her indifferently, which made Qiu Wu’s heart skip a beat.
Was she angry?
Lu Bai’s cake-eating manner had been so well-behaved that she had temporarily gotten carried away, forgetting that the person before her was essentially the savior of the Qiu family and absolutely must not be offended.
“I do not think so, but Eternal Restaurant does indeed pare down the flavor of food to lessen sensory stimulation on humans. Excessive seasoning can trigger unnecessary appetite, and food is merely meant to satisfy survival needs; it should not cause additional problems.”
Before Qiu Wu could figure out how to apologize, Lu Bai took the initiative to explain.
It was a very calm and objective explanation, devoid of any look that suggested she was scolding her as a country bumpkin who couldn’t appreciate fine things.
How strange.
Qiu Wu felt a mixture of relief and puzzlement.
This person seemed as though she possessed no emotions at all.
Lu Bai pressed a button on the table, prompting a waiter to enter, clear away their plates, and serve each of them a cup of warm water.
“Now, let us discuss pre-marriage preparations.” Lu Bai tapped her wrist watch screen twice, projecting a screen between the two of them that displayed several documents.
Wait, we have only met for fifteen minutes; couldn’t we have a less rigid opening?
Dizzy and disoriented, Qiu Wu gazed at the screen.
“I will begin with my self-introduction. Lu Bai, born on January 10, 1125 of the New Era, currently 32 years old, graduated from the Mecha Research Department of the First Branch of Luocheng University, holding a Ph.D. Currently employed at the Seventh Research Institute of Future Technology, serving as the chief engineer. I own three properties under my name with a total valuation of approximately 200 million Luocheng coins, and this is the property ownership proof. There are also thirty-seven patents in mecha research which cannot be displayed due to corporate confidentiality agreements involving Future Technology.” Lu Bai started explaining unprompted, opening files on the screen as she spoke to serve as corroboration.
“Wait, wait, wait. Wait a moment.” Qiu Wu’s mouth opened wider and wider until she finally couldn’t help raising a hand to call a halt.
“Hm.” Lu Bai stopped, looking at her calmly. “Is there a problem?”
Everything is a problem, okay?
Qiu Wu had never felt the world was so baffling. She said weakly, “Why are you telling me all this?”
This was completely different from what she had imagined.
She had imagined that once Lu Bai learned about her background, she might think she wasn’t noble enough and flick her sleeves away in disdain.
She had imagined the other party lifting her chin with arrogant condescension, asking if she was unsatisfied with being chosen by the eldest miss of the Lu family.
She had even imagined being directly bundled into a car and hauled off to the Lu family for marriage, just like concubines in ancient times who were stripped of their clothes, rolled into a blanket, and delivered straight to the emperor’s bed.
She had just never imagined that Lu Bai would earnestly start briefing her on her family assets.
Weren’t they having an arranged marriage? And a completely unfair one at that, where she didn’t have any choice.
Why did this currently feel like an overly transparent blind date?
“Why?” Lu Bai revealed that puzzled expression once more, as if unable to comprehend. “First, marriage requires sufficient understanding of one’s spouse. Second, according to Luocheng laws, a portion of these assets will become shared spouse property after marriage. Should a divorce occur later, asset division will be involved, and I believe it is necessary to inform you in advance.”
Qiu Wu thought that what she said made so much sense that she was momentarily utterly speechless.
Wait, could this be a test?
In an instant, several plots of wealthy family infighting flashed through Qiu Wu’s mind.
Is she trying to see if I will covet her fortune?
Qiu Wu said cautiously, “You are right. If you are worried about asset division, you can draft a prenuptial agreement. Even if we divorce, you will not need to split anything with me; I do not mind.”
“Unnecessary, this is your right.” Confirming that Qiu Wu had no further questions, Lu Bai continued her self-introduction.
She seemed to be serious.
Qiu Wu silently raised a hand to prop up her chin, manually closing her astonished mouth.
In less than half an hour, she had confirmed one thing.
Never use any past experience of dealing with other people to gauge Lu Bai.
This marriage partner of hers seemed, perhaps, probably, not quite normal.
Her thinking was simple and direct, caring nothing for external things like family wealth, nor for the emotions of others.
Her face was twisted to the point of hurting, but Lu Bai was completely unaffected, not even lifting an eyebrow.
She practically looked like she had never lived in the mortal world.
Did she really turn herself into a robot?
Having finished her self-introduction, Lu Bai looked at her. “I have your basic information here, but it may not be comprehensive. Would you like to supplement it?”
“O, okay.” Qiu Wu leaned back closely against her chair like a fresh workplace hire coming in for an interview. “Qiu Wu, born on March 5, 1136 of the New Era, currently 21 years old, senior undergraduate majoring in industrial design at the Seventh Branch of Luocheng University. I am the adopted daughter of the Qiu family, and under my name, there isn’t really any property. I am in good health, though I didn’t bring a medical checkup report. If you need it, I can provide it later.”
Her voice grew quieter as she spoke, because compared to Lu Bai, she practically owned nothing, and even her so-called family was a hollow facade.
“Mm.” Lu Bai gave a slight nod, offering no evaluation. “There is one more thing to confirm: do you want to marry me?”
Qiu Wu wondered if this was a matter of whether she wanted to or not.
They had only met for the very first time. She certainly liked Lu Bai’s appearance, but she was by no means so love-struck as to want marriage.
Lu Bai was remarkably matter-of-fact. “My objective is marriage, and marriage is a matter between two people. I need to confirm your willingness first before deciding whether to proceed with the subsequent steps.”
What on earth are you advancing here?
Qiu Wu clutched her faintly aching head, finally squeezing out a sentence after a long pause: “I want to, I guess?”
This was the result of her careful consideration. Most of her impressions of wealthy young misses came from Qiu Ji, who was volatile, aloof, and perhaps harbored violent tendencies.
Compared to Qiu Ji, Lu Bai was as emotionally stable as a temple Buddha.
She was destined to be sent by the Qiu family for an arranged marriage; leaving aside how she might be punished for rejecting Lu Bai, if she were swapped out for someone like Qiu Ji, her future days would definitely be terrible.
Better to just go along with this.
Thinking of this, Qiu Wu couldn’t help letting out a bitter laugh.
If not for paying back the Qiu family’s money and favors, she probably would have headed straight back to Luoxi right upon graduation.
That period was precisely the season for harvesting wheat and planting corn; her younger sister was still small, and her grandmother couldn’t handle everything alone.
“Mm.” Lu Bai didn’t notice her heartache. “Since our opinions are unified, I have two proposals here: Proposal One is to marry directly, and Proposal Two is to consider marriage after a period of dating and adjustment. I am open to either, so you decide.”
There was even a dating option?
Qiu Wu stared at Lu Bai’s unruffled face.
You don’t look like someone who would date anyone at all.
She said carefully, “I choose Proposal Two, if that is alright?”
No normal person would want to marry someone they met for the very first time.
“Alright.” Lu Bai nodded. “The dating period is tentatively set between six months to one year, during which both parties have the right to interrupt the relationship.” She opened another document. “These are the dating rules I drafted. See if there are any parts you wish to modify.”
During the maintenance of the dating relationship, neither party may enter into a dating relationship with anyone else. If necessary, a request must be made to the other party to dissolve the dating relationship before dating elsewhere.
When time permits, a date shall be conducted once a week, with the location and specific arrangements determined through mutual communication.
Under the consent of both parties, activities such as holding hands, kissing, cohabitation, and sexual intercourse may be conducted, but both parties must submit medical checkup reports to each other in advance and fully respect each other’s opinions.
The rules weren’t long, just a single page, concise and pithy, with every sentence easy to understand.
The more Qiu Wu read, the more her head hurt. She said in a strained voice, “What is the basis for your drafting of these rules?”
Lu Bai was deadpan. “I have never been in a relationship and lack relevant experience, so I conducted statistical analysis on dating-related topics across various social platforms in Luocheng, combining Luocheng laws and universal morality to formulate these rules. Do you have anything you wish to add?”
“No, no, no.” Qiu Wu shook her head fiercely. Just looking at this stuff made her fall apart; it simply wasn’t something a normal person could write.
“Very well, I have no further questions. Do you have anything else you would like to ask me?”
Lu Bai closed the screen, looking straight at Qiu Wu.
She looked entirely ready to sign a contract.
Actually, there was still one.
Qiu Wu mustered her courage. “Why do you want to get married?”