Lin Qingyan kept staring at Lu Zhengting's face, which was like a palette of colors, and paid little attention to what Matchmaker Song was saying.

Seeing the man's face darken again, she said to the matchmaker, "Auntie, let me tell you the truth. The Zheng family is indeed well-off, but they are not suitable for me. I already have someone I like. Please go back and tell Comrade Zheng to find a better match."

In this situation, every word Lin Qingyan uttered affected the nerves of everyone present.

Lu's mother is already numb. Lin Qingyan rejected Zheng Yuanchao, so who is the person she likes?

Anyway, it's not her third son.

Lu Zhengting had no thoughts left; he dared not think about anything and prepared to let things take their course.

Matchmaker Song was stunned. She couldn't believe that Lin Qingyan could actually refuse the Zheng family. Other female educated youths were scrambling to marry Zheng Yuanchao, but Zheng Yuanchao didn't even look at them.

"Little Lin, you must be joking with me. Others try every means to marry into the Zheng family, but they don't have the chance. And you, you actually rejected them right away."

“Auntie, you can ask someone else to talk to Comrade Zheng.”

“But he only likes you, he doesn’t like anyone else.” Matchmaker Song was also distressed. In her opinion, the couple that was 100% sure to be together was just so unlucky. “Young Lin, think about it again. The Zheng family has such good conditions and can help you a lot.”

Anyone with a bit of sense would understand what Matchmaker Song was saying: if educated youth climbed up the tree of the commune secretary, getting a quota to return to the city or attend a worker-peasant-soldier university would be a piece of cake.

Lin Qingyan shook her head: "Auntie, I understand what you're saying, but I already have someone I like. I just want to be with the person I like, and I don't care about anything else."

"You, you." Matchmaker Song's facial muscles twitched a few times. She had never felt so defeated. Then she asked Lin Qingyan, "You, who have you fallen for? Is he, is he better off than Yuan Chao? Is his family better off than the commune secretary's family? Girl, you must think twice before you act. You won't get another chance like this."

"Auntie, there's really no way Zheng and I can be together. As for who I like, that's my private matter, and I can't tell you."

Matchmaker Song sighed, "Alright, alright. I've been a matchmaker for most of my life, and I thought you two were definitely going to make it work, but who knew it would still fall through. Oh well, marriage is a practical matter, and it's all about mutual consent. If you don't agree, there's nothing I can do. I'll go back and tell that mother and daughter from the Zheng family to give up on this idea."

Her words were full of resentment, as if she were blaming Lin Qingyan for being ungrateful. Lin Qingyan didn't respond, and she knew there was no hope left, so she walked out dejectedly.

The few people remaining in the room fell silent.

Granny Lin suddenly burst in and said to Lin Qingyan, "Girl, I knew that old woman wasn't a good person. I overheard her outside saying she's trying to arrange a marriage for you. Girl, we just won't agree to it. Let her get angry."

She suddenly looked at Lu Zhengting lying on the kang (a heated brick bed): "Girl, you said you have someone you like. Is that person Comrade Lu?"

Lin Qingyan's secret was exposed by her grandmother once again, and her cheeks flushed slightly. She glanced at Lu Zhengting, who seemed a little embarrassed.

"Mother-in-law, you must be joking. How could Comrade Lin like me looking like this?"

"What if I really like you?"

Lin Qingyan stopped beating around the bush. This man was too stubborn to admit it, so she decided to just say it directly.

Then, the room fell silent once again.

Lu Zhengting stared wide-eyed at Lin Qingyan in utter shock, unable to believe what he had just heard.

Even when he wasn't injured, Lin Qingyan's words still excited him greatly.

He was now just a cripple, while she was a renowned female doctor. They were worlds apart, yet she actually liked him. He felt that even his dreams were more real than this.

His mother-in-law teased him, and Lin Qingyan teased him too.

At first, Lu's mother and Li Qinqin couldn't believe it either, but they both felt that Lin Qingyan was not a frivolous person and would definitely not joke about such a thing with Lu Zhengting.

Mrs. Lu was overjoyed and quickly pulled Li Qinqin along, saying, "Qinqin, it looks like you've got something in your eye. Come with me outside and take a look."

Li Qinqin was stunned for a moment before she realized what was happening, and then hurriedly nodded: "Okay, okay, Auntie, I'll go out with you to take a look."

The two of them quickly went out, leaving only Lin Qingyan, Lu Zhengting, and Granny Lin in the room.

Grandma Lin looked at Lin Qingyan, then at Lu Zhengting, and asked Lin Qingyan, "Girl, but this Comrade Lu has three limps. If one of his legs is lame, he can't get married. Do you still like him?"

“Grandma, don’t worry, no matter which leg he has that’s lame, I will fix it for him.”

Upon hearing this, Granny Lin chuckled, covering her mouth as she ran out, closing the door behind her.

Once Grandma Lin left, the house became completely quiet, leaving only the two main characters at the center of the gossip.

Lin Qingyan had just spoken her mind, and now that she was alone with Lu Zhengting, she felt flustered. Her heart was pounding and her cheeks were getting hotter and hotter.

Lu Zhengting was also very nervous. He had never been so nervous before. His eyes darted around, yet he couldn't bear to look away from the face of the girl he loved.

Lin Qingyan turned her face to meet his gaze.

"Comrade Lu."

"Comrade Lin."

They both spoke almost at the same time.

Lin Qingyan smiled slightly: "You go first."

"You go first."

The two spoke almost simultaneously.

After a moment of silence, Lu Zhengting suppressed his excitement and said, "Comrade Lin, I know you were just joking with me. I won't take it seriously."

"I'm not joking with you, I'm serious." Lin Qingyan said solemnly, "I won't joke about my feelings, nor will I tease others about matters of the heart. If Comrade Lu doesn't like me, or if you already have someone you like, I won't have any complaints, and I certainly won't bother Comrade Lu."

"No, I haven't fallen for anyone else." Lu Zhengting didn't want to reveal his true feelings before his legs were fully healed, but he also didn't want to hurt Lin Qingyan emotionally: "Comrade Lin, I'm just a cripple now, I'm not good enough for you at all."

Lin Qingyan immediately grasped the key point: "If you haven't fallen for anyone else, then do you like me?"

This was the first time she had ever been so bold as to proactively ask a gay man about relationships between men and women.

"I...I don't know."

“But when the matchmaker came to arrange a blind date for me, I could clearly see that you were very nervous. When I chased the matchmaker away, your expression changed again. You must not want me to go on blind dates with other people, am I right?”

"Comrade Lin, let's not talk about feelings anymore. I don't want to talk about this."

He turned his face away again, but inside he was overjoyed, hoping his leg would heal quickly.