Chapter 44 Tomorrow "Do you really love me?"...

Jin Zhao picked up his phone several times; the screen was filled with the green messages he had sent, but not a single white dialog box popped up on the other end.

He is not the type of person who would engage in excessive internal conflict.

Given the young lady's personality, if Jiang Fuhuai was lying, she would definitely deny it immediately and belittle Jin Zhao: "You? You think you're worthy of marrying me?"

But she didn't.

So the phone exited the WeChat interface and automatically slid to the ring interface.

Jin Zhao slid from top to bottom, gradually calming down.

What he can afford, Jiang Xiliu would never look at; what Jiang Xiliu looks at, he can't even afford a fraction of.

He has now sorted out his feelings and realized that he likes Jiang Xiliu.

Even if she is spoiled, pampered, and treats other people's feelings as a joke...

This might be a flaw in the eyes of others, but in Jin Zhao's eyes, it was his own flaw.

—It's because he's not tolerant enough, he doesn't have enough money to meet Jiang Xiliu's basic needs, and he only has a pretty face, without any other highlights to attract Jiang Xiliu to settle down with him.

No, if Jiang Xiliu were to marry him—Jin Zhao was momentarily stunned: Did that mean she loved him? Was she willing to settle down for him?

The phone vibrated, and Jin Zhao quickly unlocked it.

It was his lab supervisor who was urging him to provide the data.

...

Jiang Xiliu replied to Jin Zhao's long green message the next morning, saying, "There are too many words, I don't want to read it."

After reading it, Jin Zhao put down his phone: So the reason Jiang Xiliu didn't deny it was because she hadn't even read it.

He smirked, mocking his own wishful thinking.

After a night of reflection, Jin Zhao had completely calmed down.

He found all the talk of marriage, willingness, and the concepts of green and white ridiculous today.

Looking back now, it's probably because his earnest analysis yesterday aroused Jiang Fuhuai's desire to tease him.

So Jiang Fuhuai deliberately brought up the topic of marriage, just to see how panicked he would be about it.

It's no wonder he thought that way. The last time Jiang Fuhuai saw him, he was dismissive and indifferent, but this time he could openly say that Jiang Xiliu wanted to marry him.

Is it possible for a person's attitude to change so quickly?

It's possible.

[System 0777: Beep—Alarm! Alarm! Alarm! Main quest progress has dropped from 80 to 59!]

Jiang Xiliu was leisurely sitting in the glass greenhouse assembling a model when she heard the mechanical voice in her head. She almost knocked over the half-finished ship model with trembling hands.

The reason she was so confident that Jin Zhao wouldn't refuse to get married and register their marriage was that the main storyline was at 80%.

Main story progress equals affinity; recently, the main story progress inexplicably increased rapidly.

Before System 0777 was formatted, I shared with her that 60 on the main line equals being moved, 70 equals liking, and 80 equals loving, while the growth of numbers after 80 will become very slow.

It's a strange sign that a person's liking for another person suddenly jumps from failing to loving them.

But Jiang Xiliu didn't care about the reasons behind it at all. In her opinion, if Jin Zhao didn't like her, he would be out of his mind. If he liked her, it just meant that he had suddenly opened his eyes.

Therefore, she was certain that she wouldn't need to resort to kidnapping to force marriage to successfully complete this plot point to a passing grade.

Just two minutes ago, she thought so.

So why would Jin Zhao suddenly lose interest in her while he was recuperating in the hospital?

Jiang Xiliu ignored the remaining half of the model and, in a fit of anger, stormed into the hospital with her bodyguard, A Biao.

"Stand guard the door," Jiang Xiliu ordered. "Don't let anyone in."

Ah Biao stood steadily at the door: "Yes, Miss!"

His voice immediately caught the attention of a passing nurse: "Keep quiet in the ward area!"

Ah Biao nodded without looking to the side, while Jiang Xiliu had already entered the ward.

The table on the hospital bed, which was meant to make it easier for patients to eat, was raised, and Jin Zhao was sitting on the bed, processing data on the computer.

Upon seeing Jiang Xiliu, he no longer felt the trepidation and enthusiasm of yesterday. He glanced up coldly, then calmly returned to the screen.

"Jin Zhao!" Jiang Xiliu rushed over and slammed the laptop shut in front of him. "Are you deaf, blind, or mute? Why didn't you acknowledge me when you saw me?!"

She couldn't explain the existence of the system, nor could she directly ask Jin Zhao why his favorability towards her was fluctuating wildly!

Jin Zhao looked up: "Did you pay attention to me?"

Jiang Xiliu retorted confidently, "You sent me six messages, and I replied with six words. Doesn't that count as acknowledging you?"

Jin Zhao closed his eyes, his face grim.

She always has so many twisted logics, yet he subconsciously wants to believe them.

Jiang Xiliu, oblivious to his tact, continued to move closer, suddenly prying open his tightly closed eyes with her fingers: "You're upset about this?"

For such a small matter, I lost 21 points of her favorability rating!

What a petty man.

Jin Zhao pulled her hand off his face. He wanted to angrily tell her to leave, but seeing Jiang Xiliu, he couldn't bring himself to say anything to kick her out.

He gritted his teeth for a long time before finally squeezing out, "Is the marriage a joke between you and President Jiang, or is it for real?"

Just consider him a coward; he's the kind of person who always makes sure to get to the bottom of things.

[System 0777: Main storyline progress 60!]

Before Jiang Xiliu could answer, Jin Zhao walked alone to the Heartbeat Value.

Jiang Xiliu's anger subsided by half.

It seems that Jin Zhao is particularly concerned about getting married and registering his marriage, so the plot completion rate will most likely be over 60%.

"Of course it's true." Jiang Xiliu's lips curled up. "Don't you want to marry me? Are you going to reject me?"

Jin Zhao didn't answer her question; he took a few heavy breaths.

He looked up at the person in front of him, and a very soft voice escaped his throat: "Do you love me or not?"

They look so pitiful.

Jiang Xiliu was no longer angry—it was obvious that the fluctuations in the main storyline progress were because Jin Zhao had fallen into self-doubt.

When an extremely rational person starts talking about vague and unrealistic love, it means he's already halfway to falling in love.

"I love you." Jiang Xiliu stood in front of him with a smile, her eyes curving into crescents, gleaming faintly, making it impossible to tell how much of her affection was genuine.

She sat down beside Jin Zhao's hospital bed, took his hand, and gently stroked the calluses on his palm with her fingertips: "I'd be willing to die with you during this kidnapping. Don't you understand my feelings?"

"Besides, I was always the one who liked you first, okay?" Jiang Xiliu saw him in a daze and kindly helped him recall, "That time you went into the wrong room, I asked you if you wanted to be with me, and you rejected me, but I didn't hold it against you."

For some reason, Jin Zhao suddenly felt excruciating pain in his injured and broken leg.

He stared into her eyes: "You mean, you want to marry me because you love me?"

If this was the answer he wanted to hear, Jiang Xiliu smiled and nodded.

Looking at that leap off the cliff, she had already chosen the best married life for him: taking the initiative to enter into a relationship is definitely more likely to bring happiness than being passively watched over.

So, stop hesitating.

Jin Zhao's expression was strange, completely unlike the eagerness he had shown on WeChat yesterday afternoon, but not as indifferent as he had just been.

His gaze became unusually slick, and his whole being felt somewhat oppressed.

Jiang Xiliu keenly sensed a hint of danger.

Her fingers stopped circling, she let go of his hand, and sat down at the foot of the bed: "Jin Zhao, tell me quickly, do you want to marry me?"

Her patience was running out.

Jin Zhao's expression was indifferent; he didn't seem particularly happy, nor did he show much resistance: "Of course we should get married."

It was the answer Jiang Xiliu had been hoping to hear, but she couldn't feel happy at all.

She asked directly, "Then why aren't you smiling? Shouldn't you be happy to marry me?"

Jin Zhao reached out and pulled her into his arms. Her ear was pressed against his heart, and she could clearly hear the sound coming from inside.

The noise made Jiang Xiliu subconsciously frown.

During this time, Jin Zhao quickly looked around the hospital room where he had stayed for two months.

On the bedside table was the water glass that Jiang Xiliu had used but forgot to take away; it was a little yellow duck design. The cushion on the single sofa was the one she had brought when she was hospitalized. On the wall directly opposite his bed, there was even a solo photo of Jiang Xiliu.

"Let go!" Jiang Xiliu didn't care whether he had recovered or not, and easily pushed him away. "Shut up!"

Jin Zhao lowered his eyes and met the angry gaze. He said, "A heartbeat is more convincing than words and expressions."

Jiang Xiliu: "..." What a load of nonsense. It's just as speechless as that stupid system that used heartbeats to determine whether someone was attracted to another person.

"System 0777, progress report." She now has more faith in the stupid artificial intelligence.

[System 0777: Main storyline progress 60!]

Jin Zhaozhen is really good.

Jiang Xiliu couldn't laugh at all.

Men change their minds quickly. Yesterday, their affection level was at the level of love, but today it can drop to infatuation. She coaxed them gently for ten minutes, and their affection level only increased by one point.

[System 0777: The completion rate of the kidnapping and forced marriage plot has increased to 30%.]

What do you mean? Are you saying she's pressuring him now? How ridiculous!

Jiang Xiliu stood up with a stern face; she was unhappy to stay there any longer.

Before leaving, she told Jin Zhao, "In a few days, there is a banquet that I need to attend. You will come with me."

"I'm not going." Jin Zhao refused decisively, so decisively that Jiang Xiliu almost didn't react.

"Why not?"

"I'm not able to go out because of my physical condition."

Jiang Xiliu didn't believe this reason: "Yesterday you could still cook while using crutches, but today you can't even leave the house?"

"Yeah, I can't go." Jin Zhao lifted the blanket to show her. "I overused my leg yesterday, and the doctor came to check and reinforced it."

He wasn't lying; compared to yesterday, he did indeed have something extra on his leg.

Jiang Xiliu blinked for a long time, feeling extremely annoyed. She left with a "Useless" remark and stormed out, slamming the door behind her.

Since Jin Zhao couldn't go, Jiang Xiliu naturally didn't bother to attend Shen Xiu's coming-of-age ceremony.

Fortunately, she didn't go. I heard that Shen Yu was there that day and gave Shen Xiu a big gift: a paternity test result of 12.6%.

After following the gossip in the group chat for several days, Jiang Xiliu suddenly felt very bored. She didn't want to stay at home anymore, nor did she want to go to the company, and she certainly didn't want to go to the hospital.

After thinking it over, she finally decided to fly directly to Isle and stay there for more than a month before preparing to return home just before the end of autumn.

Jin Zhao's favorability towards her began to fluctuate again during the time she was away.

The ups and downs were most pronounced, especially when Jiang Xiliu and Yi Sile went out together.

The day before Jiang Xiliu returned to China, Jin Zhao patted her profile picture and said, "Tomorrow is my birthday."

-----------------------

Author's note: This chapter also has a red envelope rain, [poor thing] I finally caught it.

Jin Zhao: I don't engage in internal strife.

the next day.

Jin Zhao: Do ​​you love me or not?