After Sun Hao finished speaking, he walked out the door, and Li Yuzhu helplessly followed him out of the room.

They arrived at the bus station gate, and Sun Hao stepped forward and asked, "When did Auntie arrive?"

Li Yuzhu's mother said, "I just arrived at noon today. Judging from your clothes, you must have just finished get off work."

Sun Hao said, "I just got back from driving."

The old lady was very satisfied with Sun Hao, her future son-in-law. He had a job and was good-looking. In her opinion, this was the most reliable kind of man.

Unlike Dong Qing, whose every move made people anxious, she thought that the most unreliable man was someone like Dong Qing. To be precise, he was a restless person who could start a family but also squander it. Her daughter felt no sense of security with him.

The old lady stared at Sun Hao with her beautiful eyes, making the young man feel embarrassed. It was truly a case of a mother-in-law looking at her son-in-law, the more she looked, the more interesting it became.

Li Yuzhu said, "Mom, let's go eat quickly."

The mother then realized her lapse in composure and said with a smile, "Okay, okay."

The three of them went into a restaurant near the bus station, where a waitress led them to a private room and sat them down.

The waiter handed the menu to Li Yuzhu, who took it and ordered six dishes and two soups before returning the menu to the waiter.

The waiter said "soon" and turned to leave the private room, closing the door behind him.

Sun Hao didn't know what to talk about with the old lady. He felt that nothing he said would be right, and he didn't want to talk. An awkward silence ensued, and he sat at the table like a fool, as if he had only come to the restaurant to eat. Li Yuzhu thought to herself, "Awkward silence is just right."

But she was also afraid of this outcome, which would lead to the birth of another blind date, and her mother couldn't wait for her to get married tomorrow.

The long silence could only lead to one outcome: the mother would not approve of the son-in-law. No one wants to marry their daughter to a good-for-nothing man. This was the result Li Yuzhu wanted, and of course, it was also the result she did not want.

She was conflicted. All she could do now was procrastinate, not just to prevent her mother from finding her a second blind date, but also to prevent her own fate from sinking any further.

What she needed to do now was break the awkward silence, so she asked, "Sun Hao, is it tiring driving every day?"

Sun Hao knew Li Yuzhu was trying to break the awkward silence for him, so he said, "It's alright."

However, there was nothing more to say after that.

Li Yuzhu didn't know whether Sun Hao was doing it intentionally or unintentionally, but he remained silent. In Li Yuzhu's opinion, he was doing it on purpose, hoping that his mother would dislike his honest and quiet nature and give up on the marriage.

If Li Yuzhu couldn't even see through something so trivial, she'd be wasting her life. She knew better than anyone whether Sun Hao liked to talk or not; although he wasn't a chatterbox, he wasn't the kind of man who could barely make a sound.

If he's willing to chat, there's plenty of room for conversation. For example, he could talk about which route he takes, how long he works each day, or how he eats along the way. As long as he says a question, Li Yuzhu can respond with the next sentence.

The rules of conversation are mutual interaction, and his reply was only three words, "It's alright." How could Li Yuzhu continue the conversation with such an answer?

Chatting is about mutual understanding, not just a question-and-answer session. A question-and-answer session only makes people look foolish.

Li Yuzhu secretly kicked Sun Hao under the table, then stood up and walked out of the private room.

Even if Sun Hao was stupid, he would know the meaning behind her kicking him; it was a signal for him to leave.

After Li Yuzhu left, Sun Hao said, "Auntie, please sit down while I go to the restroom."

The old lady didn't think much of it after hearing this, and said, "Go ahead," and Sun Hao stood up and left the private room.

Li Yuzhu was waiting outside the door when she saw Sun Hao come out and said, "Come with me."

As they walked out of the restaurant, Li Yuzhu asked, "Were you intentionally trying to make things awkward in front of my mother?"

Sun Hao said, "Yes, isn't this the result you wanted? Are you worried that your mother won't approve of me as her son-in-law?"

"Are you stupid? I'm just afraid my mother won't approve of you. Don't you know the consequences if my mother doesn't approve of you? Less than half a month after my breakup with you, my mother will ask someone to introduce me to a second blind date. You should understand what I'm saying, right?"

Sun Hao wasn't stupid; he understood all of this. However, he didn't want to continue this endless entanglement with Li Yuzhu. If things continued like this, when would it ever end, and how would he ever find a girlfriend and get married?

Even the kindest person has a selfish side. He really didn't want to be Li Yuzhu's puppet boyfriend. She would eventually return to Dong Qing's arms. What would he get in return?

Sun Hao remained silent for a long time after hearing this. Li Yuzhu said, "I'm sorry, maybe I was too selfish. I shouldn't have spoken to you like that. I have no right to ask you to cooperate with me in lying. I can't object to whatever decision you make. Let's go back."

After Li Yuzhu finished speaking, she walked towards the restaurant, but suddenly stopped at the entrance and turned back, saying, "Of course, you can choose not to go back for dinner. If you don't follow me in after I go in, I'll tell Mother that you don't want to go back on this marriage. I'll handle the rest myself!"

After saying that, Li Yuzhu turned around and walked into the restaurant.

As Sun Hao watched Li Yuzhu's departing figure, he truly didn't know what to do, let alone whether to continue cooperating with Li Yuzhu in her act to deceive her mother.

I'm twenty-two years old this year, and I should find someone to marry eventually. How long can I keep going on like this, fooling around with her?

He couldn't deny that he liked Li Yuzhu; if he didn't like her, he wouldn't have helped her like this. However, he couldn't just not remarry Li Yuzhu for two years while he himself didn't look for a partner for two years. He didn't know if he owed her from a past life or this one.

Sun Hao shook his head helplessly and followed Li Yuzhu into the restaurant.

Sun Hao returned to the private room and sat down. This time, he was completely different from before. He was much more talkative, and his tone was very polite. He decided to continue playing along with Li Yuzhu in this absurd play, for as long as he could. After all, he liked her, and perhaps this ill-fated relationship was destined between them.

The food was served quickly. During the meal, Li Yuzhu's mother asked, "Xiao Sun, don't blame me for being blunt, but you've known my Yuzhu for over three months now. Haven't you thought about getting engaged?"

The inevitable has finally arrived. Sun Hao said, "An engagement is a very important matter. Auntie, could you give us some time to get to know each other better? I hope my request isn't too much to ask."

Sun Hao could only use these words to appease the old lady. Although she felt uncomfortable after hearing them, she didn't say anything. Her relationship with Sun Hao was very fragile now, and many things couldn't be said directly, much less casually than when talking about her daughter. She simply said, "It's only right."

The old lady below stopped saying anything, clearly feeling uncomfortable.

The meal wasn't particularly pleasant, but it wasn't too upsetting either; the old lady still held onto her hopes for her future son-in-law.

As long as she has fantasies, she won't cause any other trouble, which is the result Li Yuzhu wants.

After finishing her meal, Li Yuzhu paid the bill and then left the restaurant with her mother and Sun Hao.