At 7 p.m., in a private room on the sixth floor of the Hongfeng Hotel, the two families sat facing each other across a table.
Qiu Mang was dragged here by her parents for a blind date today. Opposite her were the man and his son. Looking at the man sitting across from her, Qiu Mang couldn't help but frown.
The man's name was Zhao Gang. He was thirty-two years old, 1.7 meters tall, and weighed 200 kilograms. His dark face was shiny with oil, and he wore an exaggeratedly thick gold chain around his short, thick neck.
Seeing Qiu Mang looking over, the man immediately took the cigarette out of his mouth, grinned at her, and his fleshy face trembled, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth.
Suddenly, Qiu Mang felt something climb onto her leg. She stiffened, glanced down, and saw that the man's foot had climbed onto her thigh.
She looked up and saw the man opposite her smiling at her with his eyes half-closed, his eyes filled with undisguised greed.
Qiu Mang's heart tightened. She tugged at her mother's sleeve. Her mother turned her head, glared at her unhappily, and said in a low voice, "What are you doing?"
"Mom, let's go outside to talk." Qiu Mang hurriedly got up, suppressing her discomfort, and walked towards the door.
Seeing that her daughter had already stood up, Qiu's mother smiled a little embarrassedly at Zhao Gang and his son across from her, "My daughter is shy, I'm sorry, I'll go and see."
Mr. Zhao flicked his cigarette ash and waved his hand, "It's alright, it's normal for a young girl to be shy."
Zhao Gang slowly exhaled a smoke ring, watching the two figures leave. He wasn't worried at all. He had spent 500,000 yuan on the bride price. He believed that even if he took her right there and did it, let alone this little flirtation, Qiu's parents wouldn't dare to do anything.
Outside the door, Qiu's mother slapped Qiu Mang's arm and shouted angrily, "You brat, what do you think you're doing?"
Qiu Mang looked at her mother with pleading eyes, "Mom, I don't like that Zhao Gang, I want to go home."
A mocking smile appeared on Qiu's mother's lips. "You went to university, after all. How can you be so shallow? Don't think I don't know. You just think she's not good-looking and is older than you, right?"
Qiu Mang wasn't judging by appearances. Although she thought Zhao Gang was dark-skinned and fat, she still tried her best to convince herself that she shouldn't judge a book by its cover and that character was more important than looks.
However, Qiu Mang kept seeing the man's greasy face and restless feet in her mind, and she said, "I can't stand it, he's too lewd!"
Upon hearing this, Qiu's mother's face immediately darkened. "What are you saying? Let me tell you, once you miss this opportunity, you'll never have another one. No matter what, even if he's willing to offer 500,000 yuan as a bride price to marry you, there are plenty of beautiful girls in our village. If it weren't for the fact that he sees you as innocent and doesn't mess around with other men, and if he hadn't been looking for a girl with a higher education to improve the genes of the next generation, you wouldn't even be in the running!"
After Qiu's mother finished speaking, seeing that Qiu Mang remained unmoved, she raised her hand to smooth Qiu Mang's hair, which was a little messy from the wind, and softened her tone, "Alright! I've accepted the betrothal gifts, so don't be stubborn anymore. Just live well with them from now on. It's about time, go inside!"
Qiu Mang stood there without saying a word, but every cell in her body was rejecting the idea.
She mustered her courage, looked up at Qiu's mother, her eyes misting over, and said, "Mom, this is the first time in over twenty years that I'm asking you for a favor. Can I not marry him?"
Mrs. Qiu was furious. Was he going to be stubborn? She took a deep breath and slapped Qiu Mang across the face.
"You brat, I'm trying to talk to you nicely, but you won't listen. Are you trying to force me to use violence? I've already told you, I've accepted the bride price. Whether you like it or not, you have to marry me! Who do you think you are? The Qiu family has raised you for over twenty years; it's time for you to repay us. Your brother is still waiting for the money to buy a house! You have to behave yourself today. Weren't you very obedient before? What's wrong with you today? You're starting to complain? Do you even have the right to be picky? Go! Go inside and eat your food properly, and don't cause any trouble!"
Qiu Mang covered half of her face, and a tear slid down her cheek.
Before she could even wipe it, Qiu's mother pulled her into the private room.
"Mother-in-law, Qiu Mang, what are you whispering about?" At the dinner table, Zhao Gang's father looked at the two of them with a smile, his eyes full of inquiry.
Qiu's mother pulled Qiu Mang to sit next to Zhao Gang, her face full of smiles. "It's nothing, Mang is just shy. It's her first blind date, so she's a little embarrassed."
Seeing the other party push their daughter next to their son, Mr. Zhao nodded in satisfaction.
"Haha, it's alright, little girl, don't be nervous. Come on! Have a drink first, and we'll get to know each other slowly later."
After Zhao's father finished speaking, he poured a cocktail and pushed it in front of Qiu Mang.
Qiu Mang pursed her lips, not wanting to drink.
Mrs. Qiu frowned and kicked her under the table. "It's a sign of respect from your elders to pour you wine, so you should drink a little!"
Her father, Qiu Heping, also looked at her and said, "Yes, Amang, drink a little."
In an instant, all four people at the table turned their gazes to her. Qiu Mang felt a little awkward, but when she met her mother's warning look, she couldn't help but shrink back.
After a long pause, he carefully picked up the wine glass and took a sip.
Zhao Gang watched the girl beside him tilt her head back and drink, her throat making subtle swallowing movements, a glint of something else in her eyes.
"Very good! What a forthright girl!" Zhao's father laughed heartily.
Seeing that the other family members were very happy, Qiu's parents couldn't help but smile as well, and the dinner table looked harmonious and joyful.
Not long after, Qiu Mang felt a little dizzy and hot all over. She couldn't help but reach out and tug at her collar.
Zhao's father immediately noticed Qiu Mang's reaction, put down his chopsticks, and looked at Qiu's parents with a smile.
"In-laws, have you eaten enough? I'll have someone drive you back. As for Qiu Mang, you can let her stay. She's come all this way to town, so let Zhao Gang take her around tomorrow. Give the young people some time alone. What do you think?"
Qiu Mang felt dizzy at this moment. When she heard this, she looked at her mother with some pleading, wanting her not to agree, but for some reason, she just couldn't bring herself to say it.
Mother Qiu didn't even look at Qiu Mang. She had already accepted the 500,000 yuan dowry, so she naturally felt there was no problem. She quickly waved her hand, "Don't worry about us, Mang can stay! We'll be family sooner or later anyway, it's good for her to get to know us sooner!"
The meal was eaten quickly. After finishing their meal, Qiu's parents left the hotel. Zhao's father patted his son on the shoulder and also left the private room.
Just as Qiu Mang lifted her leg to walk away, her wrist was grabbed.
"Mangmang, where are we going? I'll take you out to play tomorrow, and tonight, let's stay together, okay?"
Zhao Gang's malicious voice reached her ears. Qiu Mang looked at him in horror. The man brazenly grabbed her slender waist, his lips curling up to reveal his yellow teeth.
"Wow, that waist is so slim and supple! Let's go! I booked a room upstairs, how about we go up and have some fun together?"
Qiu Mang looked at the dark, fat hand around her waist and felt a wave of nausea. She tried to push him with all her might, but she was too weak to move him at all.
"Still so stubborn even after the drug takes effect? But I like wild ones!" The man chuckled softly.
Qiu Mang then realized that she had been drugged. She bit her lip and glared at Zhao Gang. Seeing her like this, the man became even more excited and reached out to hug her.
Qiu Mang felt dizzy and unsteady. Before she knew it, she stepped on the man's foot.
"ah!"
The man screamed in pain and collapsed to the ground, clutching his foot.
To make her daughter look more ladylike today, Qiu's mother specially bought her a pair of high heels, which unexpectedly came in handy at this crucial moment.
Taking advantage of the man's momentary lapse in attention, Qiu Mang hurriedly staggered out the door.
Despite the pain, the man quickly got up and chased after her. Qiu Mang wasn't used to wearing high heels, and she was caught up by the man before she could take more than a few steps.
The man hugged her waist from behind, and Qiu Mang felt nauseous. She raised her foot to stomp on him, but the man, having learned his lesson, easily dodged.
"You brat, if you hurt me, who will satisfy you tonight!" The man glared at her, his eyes full of contempt.
Qiu Mang struggled wildly in his arms, but she couldn't break free no matter what she did. In desperation, she kicked him several times backward.
The man immediately yelled, the destructive power of high heels should not be underestimated.
Qiu Mang escaped danger. Seeing the elevator doors open, she immediately ran into the elevator and quickly closed the doors before the man could catch up.
In a daze, the elevator stopped at the top floor. As soon as Qiu Mang got off the elevator, he heard Zhao Gang cursing from the stairwell.
Qiu Mang's heart jumped instantly. She glanced around; it was a long corridor with rooms on both sides. Without thinking too much, Qiu Mang quickly walked a few steps and knocked on a door at random.
The sound behind her grew closer, and Qiu Mang broke out in a cold sweat as she turned around and knocked on the door.
A few seconds later, the door suddenly opened, and Qiu Mang stumbled into the room due to inertia.
"Bang!"
With the sound of the door closing, Qiu Mang's heart returned to its original place.
Qiu Mang lay sprawled on the fine white carpet. She slowly rose and looked up to see a tall, slender man standing before her.
The man was only wearing a towel around his waist, and the water droplets on his hair hadn't been dried yet. He slightly raised his hand and gently touched his wet hair, inadvertently revealing the muscular lines of his arms.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com