And just like that, the marriage between the two families was settled.
Old Master Zhou was very pleased. He happily drank a bowl of Laba porridge before getting up to leave.
Before he left, he told Meng Jixue to come to the Zhou family’s house for dinner the next day.
“I’ll have everyone come back to the old residence for dinner. You can take your time and have a good look. There’s no need to rush. When choosing a man, you have to keep your eyes sharp. Once you’ve picked one, go after him quickly and decisively.”
Old Master Zhou spoke as if he were giving her some very serious advice.
Meng Jixue nodded in complete agreement.
That was right.
Since she had chosen Zhou Hanzhang, she had to act quickly. Although she knew that this man would never marry, who could say that things wouldn’t change after her rebirth?
Besides, she didn’t have much time. Within these two months, she had to use every means at her disposal to make Zhou Hanzhang marry her.
Although scheming like this made her feel a little sorry toward Zhou Hanzhang, everyone had their own selfish desires.
Her selfish desire was to protect Meng Qingsong and preserve the Meng family’s family name and legacy, no matter the consequences.
She could only apologize to Zhou Hanzhang.
Zhou Zhishu could only stand there and watch helplessly.
The marriage proposal had clearly been arranged for his sake, yet somehow, it had inexplicably turned into Meng Jixue choosing her own husband. The thought made his chest feel unbearably tight.
Now, hearing Old Master Zhou say that he was going to call all the young men of the Zhou family back for dinner made him even more anxious.
He couldn’t help saying, “Jixue, actually, I…”
“Why aren’t you coming over to help me back?” Old Master Zhou tapped his cane against the ground and glared fiercely at Zhou Zhishu.
At first, he had thought this grandson was quite reliable. Zhou Zhishu had been the one to take the initiative to propose to Meng Jixue. He had claimed that he wanted to repay the favor owed to the Meng family, and at home, he had even sworn repeatedly that he would treat Meng Jixue well. That was why Old Master Zhou had agreed.
But look at him now.
The moment he arrived at the Meng family’s home, he seemed to have lost his soul. The way he looked at Meng Jixue was downright lecherous, with not a trace of clarity in his eyes.
Old Master Zhou himself felt embarrassed for him. It was simply too humiliating.
How had the Zhou family managed to raise such an embarrassing, useless grandson?
Although he was here to help the Meng family and repay an old debt of gratitude, he couldn’t just send some unsuitable man to Meng Jixue. That wouldn’t be repaying a favor. It would be repaying kindness with harm!
The Meng family had only one daughter!
If Meng Jixue herself was willing, then so be it. Otherwise, Old Master Zhou wasn’t shameless enough to force such a man on her.
He had changed his mind at the last moment.
And now, it seemed that he had made the right decision.
No matter what, Zhou Zhishu’s behavior today had left Old Master Zhou deeply dissatisfied.
After being shouted at like that, Zhou Zhishu trembled all over in fright. In the entire family, the two people he feared most were Old Master Zhou and Zhou Hanzhang.
He could only hurriedly leave one last sentence. “Jixue, I’ll come pick you up tomorrow.”
Forget it.
In any case, Meng Jixue was definitely going to marry into the Zhou family. He still had two months to work with. Zhou Zhishu would have to think of a way to make sure he married her.
Naturally, Meng Jixue had no desire to pay Zhou Zhishu any attention. Even sparing him a glance was a waste of time.
After seeing the Zhou family off, Meng Qingsong looked at Meng Jixue. The heavy burden in his heart had finally been lifted.
He said gently, “Your Grandpa Zhou’s family is a good place for you to go. With him there, you won’t be mistreated. Tomorrow, take your time and choose carefully. You don’t need to find someone particularly outstanding. All you need is a man who genuinely treats you well and has an honest character. That way, your father can rest easy.”
A man who was too outstanding would naturally attract more attention.
His personality and temper would likely come with a certain amount of pride, which might mean Meng Jixue would have to coax and accommodate him.
And if the two of them quarreled, there was no guarantee that the man would give way to his daughter.
Once he was sent down, Meng Jixue would be all alone in the capital.
If she suffered any grievances then, she would have no choice but to swallow them herself.
Meng Qingsong didn’t want his daughter’s future life to have too many twists and turns. All he hoped was that she could live a peaceful, smooth, and simple life.
How could Meng Jixue not understand this deep fatherly love?
It had been the same in her previous life.
Zhou Zhishu was mediocre in every way, but when he proposed to her, he had acted deeply sincere, lowered his pride, and put on a convincing show of respect. That was what reassured Meng Qingsong enough to entrust his daughter to him.
Back then, Meng Qingsong could never have imagined that his daughter would be deceived for twenty years by such a supposedly honest man, living like a walking corpse all those years.
Meng Jixue held her father’s hand and said seriously, “Dad, this time, I’ll definitely choose carefully!”
After returning to her room, Meng Jixue began thinking about how to win Zhou Hanzhang over.
Zhou Hanzhang’s success in his career meant that he was naturally a very opinionated and decisive man. Men like him generally preferred one of two types of women.
One type was innocent and inexperienced. Such women were easy to handle, and after returning home, he wouldn’t have to use his wits to deal with his own wife.
The other type was a capable wife who could stand shoulder to shoulder with him. She wouldn’t hold him back and could even handle troublesome matters on her own, without requiring him to worry about everything.
So which type would Zhou Hanzhang like?
Meng Jixue thought carefully about it and realized that she actually knew almost nothing about Zhou Hanzhang.
She had seen him fairly often when they were children, but Zhou Hanzhang had always worn a stern expression and acted very much like an elder. Meanwhile, the other members of the Zhou family had been much warmer toward Meng Jixue.
Meng Jixue was somewhat proud herself. Thanks to her beauty and family background, she had never lacked people following after her.
Naturally, she had no intention of going out of her way to please someone who was cold toward her.
As a result, the two of them had very little interaction.
Later, Zhou Hanzhang entered military school, and they saw each other even less.
Now she suddenly had to make a move on a man she had almost no chance of winning over. It really was hell level difficulty.
Meng Jixue sighed and casually glanced to the side. She happened to see her reflection in the mirror.
Her brows were like distant mountains touched with dark green, and her eyes were as limpid as autumn waters. Her beauty was breathtaking, while her bearing was pure and elegant.
She was clearly a dazzling, striking beauty, yet her otherworldly aura gave her an untouchably cool and aloof quality.
Meng Jixue suddenly felt that she was making things far too complicated. With looks like hers, if she really put her mind to it, winning over a man should be a piece of cake.
Her confidence returned!
If she remembered correctly, Zhou Hanzhang happened to be coming back around this time.
Would it be tomorrow or the day after?
Meng Jixue couldn’t quite remember. After all, in her previous life, she had been completely consumed by the sadness of being separated from her father. Even when she married Zhou Zhishu, she had been in a daze. How could she possibly remember such trivial details?
Since things had come to this, she could only take them as they came.
As long as Zhou Hanzhang returned, he would naturally come back to the Zhou family’s old residence. Then she would have a chance to get close to him!