Luo Zhaoyao did not move, his eyes slightly narrowed, but his expression was impossible to read.
Tang Ruanruan’s entire body was hot, yet she dared not move carelessly.
They said no man could resist a honey trap; she had tried so hard, why hadn't Luo Zhaoyao agreed yet?
Was her effort not good enough?
Or was she not beautiful enough?
Or perhaps her voice wasn't sweet enough, not alluring enough?
Did she need to show even more sincerity?
Should she follow his lead and give him a display full of sincerity?
Just as she was leaning in to kiss Luo Zhaoyao’s lips, he extended a finger to block her red lips.
All the courage Tang Ruanruan had mustered instantly vanished, and her eyes involuntarily reddened.
What was she doing?
Was she really going to kiss this man she had just met?
Those watery eyes were filled with grievance, yet they were even more captivating, making Luo Zhaoyao grit his back teeth, afraid that if he lost control, his heart would soften.
Luo Zhaoyao not only didn't soften but also pushed her away.
“Stop moving!”
His voice carried anger, startling Tang Ruanruan into forgetting what she was going to say, only feeling intensely ashamed.
But having come this far, how could she be content without getting a definite answer from Luo Zhaoyao?
She tried hard to control her trembling voice, lowering her pitch as much as possible to make her voice sound sweet and alluring.
“If you agree to be my boyfriend, I promise I won't move, how about that?”
Unfortunately, this voice did not achieve the soul-captivating effect Tang Ruanruan imagined; instead, it trembled severely.
Luo Zhaoyao finally understood; this woman wasn't a charming, seductive fox spirit, but rather a self-important little white rabbit.
He let out a cold laugh, his gaze toward Tang Ruanruan filled with icy light.
“I have no plans for marriage, so don't waste your effort.”
Tang Ruanruan’s body instantly stiffened, shattering all her plans.
She couldn't help but feel a bit dejected; she hadn't expected him to agree immediately anyway.
Tang Ruanruan got up from the ground, her gaze falling on his leg; perhaps she had accidentally touched his wound earlier, as it was bleeding again now.
Ignoring Luo Zhaoyao’s cold expression, she insisted on re-bandaging and applying medicine for him.
After Tang Ruanruan treated Luo Zhaoyao’s wound, she felt annoyed with herself; she was supposed to be asking him to marry her, yet she ended up injuring him instead?
Luo Zhaoyao looked at Tang Ruanruan’s annoyed little expression, and his mood surprisingly improved a lot.
Without the atmosphere from before, Tang Ruanruan felt too embarrassed to continue her mortifying honey trap; she also realized that Luo Zhaoyao was completely immune to her tactics.
A desire to retreat arose in Tang Ruanruan’s heart, yet she was unwilling to give up.
Her eyes uncontrollably kept sneaking glances at Luo Zhaoyao; he truly didn't look like someone involved in scientific research. His features were sharp, with tiger-like eyes and sword-like brows, and his eyelids were especially beautiful. Moreover, his lips were perfectly shaped, the kind that made one’s blood boil just by looking at them.
If she could marry someone like this, even if it were a fake marriage, looking at him every day would surely lift her spirits, right?
Feeling creeped out by Tang Ruanruan’s stare, he couldn't help but speak:
“I am not your fiancé!”
His deliberately lowered voice perfectly struck Tang Ruanruan’s hidden voice-connoisseur trait, making her legs go weak, unable to lift her feet to run away.
But when she clearly heard Luo Zhaoyao’s words, her heart soured.
Tang Ruanruan took a deep breath, turned to look at Luo Zhaoyao, and a slightly petulant nasal sound escaped her: “I know you don’t want to marry me, but we really have an arranged marriage.”
If she didn't give up, was she supposed to wait to go to the countryside?
She didn't want that.
Luo Zhaoyao tapped the armrest of the wheelchair, his gaze resting on the gauze on his leg, wondering why she was about to cry when he was just telling the truth.
“We do not have an arranged marriage.”
Luo Zhaoyao countered sideways just as Tang Ruanruan was gathering her courage again.
He was impersonating his cousin; he couldn't interact with the person his cousin had an arranged marriage with using his cousin's identity; it would be hard to explain to his cousin later.
Tang Ruanruan just assumed Luo Zhaoyao was in a bad mood and was making up an excuse.
Her large eyes looked at Luo Zhaoyao, hoping he could see her sincerity.
Luo Zhaoyao remained unmoved for a long time, and unwilling to give up, she suggested a fallback plan: “I know you don’t want to discuss this now, so I’ll go back first, and I’ll come again when you’re not angry anymore.”
Without waiting for Luo Zhaoyao’s reply, Tang Ruanruan ran outside.
After running a few steps, she suddenly stopped.
She turned around and ran back, reaching out to hug Luo Zhaoyao’s neck.
Before he could push her away, she leaned close to his ear and said, “I will definitely prove to you that I am worthy of you!”
After saying this, she grabbed her lunchbox and ran out like the wind, but she ran back again when she reached the courtyard gate.
Luo Zhaoyao looked at her doubtfully, waiting to see what other tricks she had up her sleeve.
He saw Tang Ruanruan standing before him, panting, saying with a bright smile, “You are my fiancé, and it’s useless for you to deny it. I’m going home to cook delicious food for you; I’ll handle your three meals a day from now on.”
Tang Ruanruan finished speaking quickly, finally grabbing the trench coat left on the sofa, and this time truly disappeared from the small courtyard.
Luo Zhaoyao tapped the armrest, suddenly leaning back in his chair and starting to laugh.
She was such a silly little rabbit, not even recognizing her own fiancé.
Aunt Huang came over carrying a lunchbox and saw Luo Zhaoyao smiling; she wondered if the child’s brain had gone bad because he was paralyzed? Why was he laughing?
Didn't this boy always prefer to keep a straight face?
This wasn't right!
******
Tang Ruanruan ran back to her house in one go and saw Su Xiuer sitting in the room with shining eyes, hugging her with a gossipy expression, so excited she was about to jump up.
“Hurry up and tell me, how was it? Did it work? Did you capture that big shot in technology with your honey trap?”
Su Xiuer wished she could crawl into Tang Ruanruan’s brain to review all the records; it was too intriguing.
Tang Ruanruan’s cheeks were flushed, her ear tip almost bleeding, and her eyes were shimmering with moisture, like a delicate, dripping flower that made people want to pluck her and hide her away.
Su Xiuer pointed at her face and jumped up excitedly, “With that look of infatuation, did it work?”
Seeing that Su Xiuer was about to scream, Tang Ruanruan quickly covered her mouth and whispered, “Don’t talk nonsense, it was close!”
Su Xiuer immediately pulled her hand down and hurriedly asked, “What do you mean, close? Are you saying that even with a great beauty like you standing in front of him asking to date, he was still unwilling?”
As Tang Ruanruan’s best friend, Su Xiuer wished she could grab Luo Chaoyang’s head and shake it hard, asking him what exactly he was dissatisfied with regarding her best friend.
Tang Ruanruan shook her head with a blush, “He was indeed unwilling; it was our first time meeting, but I’ve decided, I’m set on this man.”
Su Xiuer covered her mouth and cried out in exasperation, “Is he even a man? With such a great beauty wanting to marry him, how dare he refuse? Shouldn't he have agreed immediately?”
Tang Ruanruan’s face flushed like the evening glow, “He isn't that frivolous.”