Chapter 73

There was a long silence on the other end of the phone. Qiao Yu stared at her second aunt as she hurriedly hung up the phone, her red lips opening and closing but unable to utter a word.

She felt a little hopeless, but Aunt Qiao didn't think she had said anything wrong. She earnestly and seriously educated Qiao Yu, saying, "Young people nowadays are too thin-skinned. You are not like us back then. If we liked something, we would just make a move. We didn't care if she tried to take it by force or force herself on us. Once the deed was done, the prey couldn't escape."

After saying that, she looked Qiao Yu up and down with a hint of disdain in her eyes, "Someone like you, let alone eighteen, you might not be able to find a wife even at twenty-eight."

His words were full of disappointment and frustration.

Qiao Yu felt like she had been hit by another blow. "Second Aunt, don't curse me!" What do you mean, she might not be able to find a wife even at twenty-eight? It seems she's spent a third of her life as a nun.

"Why would I curse you? I'd love for you to be with Lu Shangyi..." The words suddenly stopped, and as the girl's questioning gaze swept over, Aunt Qiao chuckled awkwardly, "Oh dear, I also think you two are quite a good match, so I wanted to play matchmaker for you."

Qiao Yu laughed along, and after she finished laughing, she grabbed her second aunt who was about to slip away and said slowly, "Second Aunt, have you forgotten something?"

"What's up?"

“Didn’t you say…” she approached with a smile, her almond-shaped eyes blinking innocently, “that you were going to tell me a secret about Qiao Junhao?”

"Second Aunt, you've forgotten so quickly?"

Aunt Qiao hesitated for a moment, and Qiao Yu immediately said indignantly, "I heard that Sister Jingjing has been having a lot of trouble lately. It's one thing for Brother Junhao to not care about our family ties, but he also deliberately colluded with outsiders to suppress Sister Jingjing. This is really too much!"

She sighed dramatically, "Alas, it's a pity I'm still too young to help her with anything."

Aunt Qiao twitched her ears, somewhat intrigued. After her eyes darted around a couple of times, Aunt Qiao, after a moment of painful deliberation, quietly pulled her aside. "It's like this," she said, "I heard from my sister that Junhao is currently in contact with a major government project."

“If that project goes well, the third branch of the family can climb the social ladder and rise to the top.” She became more and more indignant as she spoke. “We’re all family, yet the third branch is so wary of us, hiding everything from us. They’re just judging us by their own petty standards and treating us like enemies!”

"Do you think we'd be after his meager profits?"

A government project? Qiao Yu narrowed her eyes slightly, a realization immediately forming in her mind. However, she still feigned great surprise, "Is that so?"

Her surprised expression successfully pleased the other party. Aunt Qiao pulled her aside and couldn't help but complain, "That's right. If my sister hadn't let it slip while we were playing mahjong today, we probably wouldn't have known until the good stuff ended up in the third family's pocket."

“Yuyu,” she suddenly said kindly, taking Qiao Yu’s hand. “You and Jingjing are both girls, and you have similar interests and topics. If you have time in the future, you should get together more often so that you don’t become estranged.”

Qiao Yu chuckled softly, "Of course! Second Aunt, you've been so dedicated to my marriage, I have to help Sister Jingjing no matter what."

With her words, Aunt Qiao finally felt relieved. "That's good, that's good."

Nodding in satisfaction, Aunt Qiao hesitated before speaking again as Qiao Yu was distracted by other thoughts. "However..." she seemed to have mustered up her courage before finally asking, "Is one Lu Shangyi enough?"

Qiao Yu: "?"

“What I mean is, besides Lu Shangyi, I can also help you seduce other alphas.” Her eyes held a hint of gossip. “Isn’t Bai Yiyu pretty good too?”

"If you really like her, let alone Bai Yiyu, I'll help you find Ye Yunjian even if it means going through fire and water," Aunt Qiao said with a smile. "Good things come in threes, the more the merrier."

Qiao Yu: "..."

"The elderly these days are so open-minded," Qiao Yu thought without any emotional fluctuation.

After politely declining the other party's sudden enthusiasm, Qiao Yu began to ponder the government project that had deep implications. The wealthy foreign young man, the so-called scumbag and conman who would determine the later plot developments, had not yet appeared. The enemy was in the shadows while she was in the open, and Qiao Yu disliked the feeling of things slipping out of her control.

After thinking for a moment, Qiao Yu opened the Beijing EGA socialite group and asked, "Has anyone met any rich foreign sons who have just returned from abroad recently?"

The group chat quickly buzzed with activity: "No, what's wrong? Have you changed your target again?"

"I haven't met any rich young masters, but I've met quite a few rich young ladies. Would you like me to give you my business card?"

Remembering that Lu Shangyi was in the group chat, and that she had just hung up on him without saying a word, Qiao Yu barely suppressed her restless thoughts. "Don't panic for now." After a pause, she couldn't help but add, "We'll talk about it another day."

She hoped her girlfriend across from her would understand, but the other girl didn't get it at all. "Oh, I thought you'd be interested. If you're not interested, then my friends and I will go first."

"People with older sisters and aunts are just different. Yuyu, you've been a little too well-behaved lately, haven't you?"

"You can't be naughty," Qiao Yu thought to herself, and continued, "If you meet someone who fits your criteria, remember to contact me."

Immediately, someone asked why. Qiao Yu thought for a moment and said, "Nothing, I'm just a little curious."

It's said that when a woman becomes curious about a man, she's not far from falling for him. Ye Yunjian held up his phone, his deep eyes slightly narrowed. A rich foreign young master? Hmph, what kind of scoundrel can make a kid so infatuated?

She slowly picked up the phone, her lazy voice tinged with a hint of gritted teeth as she spoke, "Go find me someone."

"Even if I turn the capital upside down, I want to see the results within a week."

Setting down the receiver, Ye Yunjian's elegantly sculpted fingers tapped absently on the heavy ebony tabletop. Why would Qiao Yu suddenly be interested in men?

This is not normal.

This is very abnormal.

After a moment's thought, she decisively stood up, grabbed her coat, and strode out of the CEO's office in her high heels. Qiao Yu already had many competitors just because she only liked women; if she were to become interested in men now…

Ye Yunjian's face darkened, and he instantly pressed the accelerator pedal very hard.

At the Qiao family's old residence, Old Mrs. Qiao, as always, looked at the brightly dressed young girl with displeasure. A lecturing remark was about to slip from her lips, but she quickly changed her mind at a gentle gesture from her third daughter-in-law. Leaning on her cane aside, the old lady smiled at her eldest son, "Jinghuai, I think Qiao Yu is getting on in years. It's time to arrange a marriage for her."

“She’s already eighteen years old. In our time, children would be running all over the place.”

Upon hearing this, Qiao Jinghuai raised his eyes and simply said, "No rush, it's still early."

"What do you mean 'early'?" the old lady said impatiently. "Besides, it's just an engagement, it's not like she's really getting married, it's no big deal."

"If this marriage can be settled sooner, it will be extremely good for the family's future." Changing the subject, the old lady suddenly asked her eldest daughter-in-law, "Don't you think so?"

Mrs. Qiao smiled gently, "Mom is right."

The old lady was very satisfied and began to consider the wealthy families in the capital. "The Zhao family's child is good. With his A-grade alpha genes and outstanding abilities, he will definitely be able to help with the family business in the future. The Lin family's second son is also good. He is intelligent, diligent, and eager to learn. I heard that he has been very generous to all his girlfriends. If Qiao Yu marries him, she will be very lucky."

Mrs. Qiao maintained her smile, neither angry nor annoyed, her calm expression suggesting she was listening to the old lady discuss the saltiness of today's dishes. Only after the old lady finished speaking did she nod in agreement, "Then I wonder who you like best, Mother."

The old lady was truly caught in a dilemma. She subconsciously glanced at her third daughter-in-law, who immediately said considerately, "Mom, have some tea first."

Qiao Yu stood expressionless to the side, arms crossed, a half-smile on her face, listless and utterly unserious. After taking a sip of tea, the old lady's mind cleared a bit. Staring at her granddaughter, whom she found utterly displeasing, she gripped her cane and said, "Then let's send someone to the Lin family to inquire first."

Of all the people mentioned, the second son of the Lin family was the least respectable. Although he was nominally the second son of the Lin family, he was actually an illegitimate child. Even though the old man brought him back to the Lin family to be recognized as a member of the clan, no one in the capital recognized his status at all.

Let alone top-tier social circles, he can't even fit into the average circle of young masters.

Qiao Yu and Madam Qiao simultaneously glanced lightly at Aunt Qiao, who remained as serene and unassuming as a chrysanthemum, and their equally beautiful lips curved into a half-smile.

Qiao Yu was too lazy to argue anymore, continuing to lean lazily against the sofa, clearly not taking anyone seriously. Old Mrs. Qiao, watching this, grew increasingly furious and couldn't help but frown, "What? Not satisfied with my arrangements?"

The old lady was practically making trouble out of nothing. "What's wrong with that second son of the Lin family? He's tall, and his looks aren't bad either, and..."

"What's so great about that illegitimate child?" A woman's voice, laced with coldness, suddenly broke in. Ye Yunjian leaned against the doorway, his eyebrows raised high.

The woman's red lips curled into a mocking smile, her narrowed eyes flashing with a dangerous light as she glared at the old woman, making the old woman tremble even as she sat down. Ye Yunjian tilted his head, his deep, cold face bearing a faint smile, "Someone like him, I wouldn't even want him as a cleaner at my company."

She took a step, her high heels clicking loudly on the floor.

Approaching Old Mrs. Qiao with a sharp aura, Ye Yunjian put his hands in his pockets, leaned slightly forward, and stared intently at the pale-faced old lady with his dark eyes. He smiled and said, "Why are you starting to think about those little trash kids now?"

Her voice was soft, "Am I, Ye Yunjian, unworthy of your esteemed approval?"

Author's Note: