Her apology sounded more sincere than ever before, filled with fear and remorse.
Shang Wu looked at the scene before her with mixed feelings.
She didn't expect Cheng Keke to come, and she certainly didn't expect her to actually leave. It seems that Cheng Zhou has really made up his mind this time.
"Forget it, let bygones be bygones. From now on, focus on your studies and don't cause any more trouble."
Lu Rang frowned.
Upon hearing Shang Wu's words, Cheng Keke felt as if she had received a pardon.
She bowed quickly, her voice still choked with emotion: "Thank you, Sister Shangwu, thank you so much. I will definitely do it. I wish you and your baby good health and safety."
After Cheng Keke finished speaking, she glanced cautiously at Lu Rang, whose face was still icy cold.
After receiving a urging look from Cheng Zhou, he lowered his head and quickly left the villa, as if staying even a second longer would cause him to explode.
After Cheng Keke left, the atmosphere in the living room remained somewhat tense.
Seeing that he looked noticeably haggard and with a heavy, melancholy expression on his face, Shang Wu felt a pang of sadness.
She gestured to the sofa.
"Please sit down, Cheng Zhou."
Cheng Zhou shook his head, forcing a smile that looked worse than crying.
"I won't sit down. I just came to deliver something and check on you all. Seeing that you're all doing well puts my mind at ease."
He paused, his voice lowering, "I should go too."
"Cheng Zhou," Shang Wu called out to him, hesitated for a moment, but decided to speak up anyway.
"There's something I think I should tell you. Sister You has been in contact with a Mr. Fu recently. I met him yesterday. Mr. Fu is indeed a very nice person. He's mature and steady, comes from a good family, and seems to have a very gentle personality."
She carefully observed Cheng Zhou's reaction.
Cheng Zhou's body stiffened for a moment, and his hands, which were hanging at his sides, suddenly clenched, the veins on the back of his hands bulging.
But he quickly forced himself to relax, only lowering his head even further.
A suffocating silence fell over the living room.
After a long time, so long that Shang Wu thought he wouldn't respond, Cheng Zhou slowly raised his head, his eyes filled with desolation.
He forced a smile, his voice hoarse: "Really? That's good. Mingyuan is indeed a very good catch. Youjie will probably have a much easier time with him than with me."
Cheng Zhou took a deep breath, as if using all his strength, before continuing, "That's fine too. My family has been pressuring me to get married recently, and I'm under a lot of pressure. Since that's the case, I'll try to be more open-minded. Maybe I should go on some blind dates."
His tone was eerily calm, devoid of complaint or resentment, only conveying a sense of resigned weariness.
Seeing him like this, Shang Wu felt a sharp pang of bitterness in her heart.
She opened her mouth, as if she wanted to say something, but in the end, she only let out a soft sigh.
"It's nothing," Cheng Zhou tried to appear nonchalant. "Really, it's nothing. I'm leaving now. Take care."
He turned abruptly and fled the suffocating place.
Watching Cheng Zhou's dejected figure leave, Shang Wu sat in her wheelchair, lost in thought.
A marriage alliance?
Cheng Zhou's words sounded like he had given up completely.
But given his personality, would he really accept his fate so easily?
Shang Wu felt something was wrong the more she thought about it, so she immediately took out her phone and dialed Lu You's number.
The phone rang several times before it was answered.
Lu You's voice, sounding somewhat busy, came from the other end.
"Hey? Ah Wu, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
"Sister You, I'm fine."
Shang Wu paused for a moment, organizing his thoughts.
“I just saw Cheng Zhou; he came to visit us at home.”
Lu You on the other end of the phone paused for a moment, her tone seemingly becoming less enthusiastic.
"Oh? He has time to come to your place? Is something wrong?"
"Yes, he said Cheng Keke is leaving the country next week and he came to say goodbye."
Shang Wu carefully chose her words, cautiously revealing the key point: "Also, he told me that his family was pressuring him to get married, which put a lot of pressure on him. Now that you've found a good match, he's planning to take it easy and is going on blind dates."
A longer silence followed on the other end of the phone.
Shang Wu could even hear a faint sound as if something had fallen onto the table from Lu You's side.
Several seconds later, Lu You's voice came again, sounding even more indifferent than before.
"Really? That's great. It's a good match, and it's a good way out for the Cheng family, saving him from making a fuss all day long."
But she spoke too fast, and there was even a slight, barely perceptible tremor in her voice at the end.
Shang Wu had a general idea of what was going on, but she didn't expose it; she just agreed.
"Yes, that's what he said too. Well then, you can go ahead and get busy, Sister You."
Okay, bye-bye.
Lu You hung up the phone almost immediately.
Hearing the busy tone from her phone, Shang Wu gripped it and frowned slightly.
Lu You's reaction seemed to be a bit more intense than she had expected.
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