"Auntie, that's not what I meant."
Zhu Qianying hurriedly defended herself, glancing at Yan Shao out of the corner of her eye. She thought to herself that this man was indeed filial. To put his parents at ease, he was so obedient about marriage. It was truly beyond her expectations.
Or perhaps last night's tenderness made him suddenly decide to rush into the wedding?
However, judging from his current silent demeanor, it's likely that he was forced into marriage by Old Madam Yan and had no choice but to comply to avoid upsetting the two elders. In other words, the reason for this marriage proposal is probably the former!
Madam Yan looked at Zhu Qianying and then at her son, and vaguely understood something in her heart.
"Ying'er, I'm sorry, your aunt was too anxious and forgot to ask for your opinions first. How about this, since we are all here now, you can consider us as witnesses. Ying'er, are you willing to marry my Xiao Han?"
Zhu Qianying was caught off guard by Old Madam Yan's sudden question and was momentarily speechless. She glanced at Young Master Yan, who had only spoken one sentence since their meeting, and remained silent.
Seeing this, Old Madam Yan slapped her forehead and scolded, "Tsk, look how stupid I am. I should have asked Xiao Han first. Xiao Han, are you willing to marry Ying'er?"
Yan Shao, who had been invisible since entering, straightened up and gave Zhu Qianying a deep look.
"..."
"You brat, say something!" If it weren't for Zhu Qianying sitting in the middle, Old Madam Yan would have kicked her stupid son long ago.
He was the one who rushed home early in the morning to have his parents come to propose marriage, but when he arrived at the Zhu family, he became a silent gourd. So, who wants to get married, her or his?
"I'm willing." Yan Shao's tone clearly carried a hint of impatience and irritation.
Zhu Qianying looked at him with sympathy; she could understand his helplessness.
Like her, she didn't want to get married at all, but for some reason, she had no choice but to go through with it.
In this respect, she and he were kindred spirits.
"Ying'er, look... Xiao Han has no objections, so what about you?" Old Madam Yan looked at Zhu Qianying earnestly.
"Auntie, I have no objection either. You and Uncle can talk to my parents about this." Zhu Qianying put on a well-behaved appearance.
When she mentioned "parents," she was basically referring specifically to her father; her mother was essentially negligible. As for how her father would negotiate with the Yan family, Zhu Qianying wasn't curious. After all, her goal from the beginning was just the 100 million yuan dowry; she didn't care about anything else.
As for the Yan family, she only needed to do as Young Master Yan asked, so naturally, she didn't have to worry about anything.
Therefore, while waiting for her father, Zhu Shaofen didn't pay much attention to what Madam Yan said to her. She was preoccupied with how to persuade her mother later.
As for how to properly settle her mother, if possible, she would like to ask Young Master Yan for help. After all, her father couldn't and wouldn't dare to touch his sphere of influence.
Zhu Qianying was lost in thought about her mother and sister until her father's voice came through, which brought her back to reality.
"Greetings, Mr. Yan, Mrs. Yan, and Young Master Yan! Your presence is an honor to our humble abode!"
This obsequious and seductive tone was so hypocritical that it made Zhu Qianying want to vomit.
Even though she felt nauseous, she had to perform this crucial role well.
"Dad, you're back!" Zhu Qianying was unusually kind to Zhu Zhizhou these past few days.
She had just been very disrespectful to Zhu Shaofen because the other party had launched a vicious attack, but Zhu Zhizhou was still her father, and she wouldn't speak ill of him for no reason before he said anything offensive.
"Ying'er, Mr. Yan and the others are coming. Why didn't you tell me beforehand? I'm so sorry to have kept you waiting!"
Yan Bo and his wife merely nodded in response to Zhu Zhizhou, their tone noticeably colder compared to their earlier enthusiasm and friendliness towards Zhu Qianying.
It seems that this visit is not to propose marriage, but to negotiate.
However, Madam Yan never let go of Zhu Qianying's hand from beginning to end, which reassured Zhu Qianying and Zhu Zhizhou, and also made Zhu Shaofen extremely jealous.
Facing Zhu Zhizhou, Old Madam Yan maintained a haughty demeanor, taking a sip of tea before speaking.
"Mr. Zhu, regarding the wedding of my son Xiaohan and Ying'er, since we're all gathered here today, let's find a suitable date and get it done as soon as possible."
Such an arrogant and condescending attitude would inevitably make Zhu Qianying suspicious if she hadn't known beforehand that Old Madam Yan was secretly backing her up.
At this moment, while facing Zhu Zhizhou with a cold face, Madam Yan held Zhu Qianying's hand, but gently stroked the back of her hand with her fingers.
These subtle acts of reassurance were meant to reassure Zhu Qianying that the matter would be handled according to her wishes.
Having received the hint, Zhu Qianying kept her head down and pretended to stare blankly at her fingers, but in reality, she was listening intently to every word that Old Madam Yan and her father said.
"Madam Yan, we don't have any special rules here. You can do whatever you want. You can decide on the date and venue. We will cooperate unconditionally."
At this moment, Zhu Zhizhou was just short of wrapping his daughter in a large brocade box and personally delivering her to Old Madam Yan.
Despite his complete obedience, Madam Yan was not pleased and frowned slightly as she looked at him.
“Mr. Zhu, isn’t that a bit unfair? Ying’er is your precious daughter, after all. Your casual attitude makes it seem like you can’t wait to marry her off.”
Zhu Zhizhou was taken aback. Why was this Queen Yan so difficult to please? He wasn't being difficult at all; he practically offered his daughter to him himself, and she was still unhappy?
So, does she only feel happy if she makes things difficult for her future son-in-law like other fathers-in-law do?
The problem is, he can't afford to make things difficult for a future son-in-law like Young Master Yan, nor does he dare to!
The thought of being subtly insulted and mocked by Young Master Yan all night still makes Zhu Zhizhou's scalp tingle.
Zhu Qianying, who had been pretending to be shy with her head down, almost burst out laughing.
Yan Shao leaned lazily against the back of the sofa, letting his mother and Zhu Zhizhou argue, while his seemingly indifferent gaze never left Zhu Qianying.
Seeing her biting her lip and her shoulders trembling slightly, and recalling her mother's earlier sarcastic remarks, she immediately understood that this girl was gloating.
This shows how despicable Zhu Zhizhou's character is; even his own daughter would help outsiders plot against him.
“Madam Yan, I am a parent who loves her children just like you. Now that she has found a good home, as her father, I naturally hope that she will hold on to it tightly.”
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