Chapter 72 Side Story 2 (Normal World Ending)
The pressure to get married eventually reached Qu Mingyuan.
The seventh uncle leaned forward and lowered his voice: "I do have a few beautiful and virtuous young ladies here, all with excellent upbringing. How about we invite them over for a visit sometime? You should really think about your own marriage. Our Qu family branch is counting on you to carry on the family line."
Before he could finish speaking, a sneer came from the side.
"To have more children? What, is Seventh Uncle out of line and eager to pass the responsibility of carrying on the family line to my younger uncle?"
"You child! How dare you talk like that!"
Seventh Uncle was embarrassed, but faced with Qu Chen's cold face, he didn't dare to actually slam his fist on the table. He just suppressed his anger and said, "Mingyuan is the most capable of bringing glory to our family in this generation. Isn't it his responsibility to consider expanding the family's strength? Besides,"
He turned his anger towards Qu Chen, saying, "Xiao Chen, your uncle has taken care of you for so many years, how much of his own life has he neglected? Maybe he's been delaying his marriage because of you. You should think about him and be more sensible!"
Upon hearing this, Qu Chen was not annoyed at all. Instead, he chuckled and sat down on the other sofa with an air of nonchalance.
"Sure, I have no objection. Uncle, why don't you go and meet her? It would be best if she really brought me back a aunt."
His tone was playful, and Seventh Uncle's eyes lit up, as if he had found a breakthrough.
"Look, Xiao Chen is still sensible."
Qu Mingyuan frowned.
He didn't look at Seventh Uncle; his gaze, filled with obvious disapproval, landed on Qu Chen's face.
Qu Chen simply leaned back into the sofa, crossed his arms, and deepened the playful smile on his lips.
Qu Mingyuan then turned his gaze back: "No need, Seventh Uncle."
"Why not?" Uncle Qi asked anxiously. "You have a girlfriend now?"
Qu Mingyuan fell silent.
Qu Chen coughed lightly, and for some reason, he seemed to be in a better mood.
Seeing his reaction, Uncle Qi became even more certain: "Then there's no such thing. If there isn't, why don't you go and see him? Just consider it as making a friend. I promised your parents I would take good care of you. Now that you're all alone, how am I supposed to explain this to them!"
He displayed the "righteousness" of an elder, and his back seemed to straighten a little more.
"Don't think Uncle Qi is being long-winded. For a man, it's not enough to just have career achievements. If he doesn't have a woman by his side who cares about him, then the family isn't complete."
The harmony of Yin and Yang has always been the right path. Have you never thought about this before?
He scrutinized Qu Mingyuan's expression, lowered his voice, and spoke with an unsettling air of someone with experience, "Could it be... that you're having some kind of trouble? Oh, don't be shy. If you haven't experienced the pleasures of a woman before, Uncle Qi will arrange something for you. You can give it a try, I guarantee..."
"Seventh Uncle," Qu Mingyuan interrupted him, his voice a shade deeper than before, "I said, no need."
He raised his eyes, and those eyes, which were always calm and smiling, clearly reflected a cold, displeased light.
Seventh Uncle was stunned. He hadn't expected that this pressure to get married would elicit a stronger reaction from Qu Mingyuan than it had from before.
Finally, Steward Zhou saw off Seventh Uncle with impeccable etiquette, who was still muttering, "Could there really be some problem?"
Seeing his uncle's unusually dark face, Qu Chen got up in a good mood and planned to go back to his room.
"Xiao Chen." Qu Mingyuan called out to him, his voice devoid of emotion, "Wait a moment."
Qu Chen turned around.
"What did you mean by that just now?"
"Which line?" Qu Chen raised an eyebrow. "The one about finding me a stepmother?"
Qu Mingyuan's jawline tightened slightly: "You know perfectly well..." He didn't finish his sentence.
"I know," Qu Chen replied quickly, his tone deliberately relaxed. "But you are indeed single now, so what Uncle Qi said isn't entirely wrong."
"I will wait for her."
"I know!!" Qu Chen's voice suddenly rose for a moment, then quickly fell back down as he looked away. "No need to remind me."
The living room was quiet for a few seconds.
"You like her."
Upon hearing this, Qu Chen's shoulders stiffened. He slowly lowered his head, his bangs obscuring his eyes and brows: "I'm already the president of her fan club... Isn't that obvious enough?"
"It's not just the fans' liking," Qu Mingyuan calmly added.
The air froze.
Qu Chen clenched his fist at his side, his knuckles turning slightly white.
He slowly raised his head to meet Qu Mingyuan's gaze. In his eyes were stubbornness, the embarrassment of being seen through, and a trace of calm in desperation.
"Is...it not okay?"
Qu Mingyuan simply stood there, his posture still upright, like a pine tree standing still.
“I know she likes you, and that’s why she asked you to wait for her.” Qu Chen’s speech quickened, as if he wanted to pour out all the words that had been weighing on his heart. “She has her own path to walk, so high, so far… These past few years, I’ve watched over her, accompanied her, and stood where she could see me when she turned around. Is that not enough?”
His Adam's apple bobbed, and his voice trembled slightly. It was no longer a question, but more like a powerless statement: "And you? In the past few years... all you've been able to do is watch from behind a screen, right? When she collapsed from exhaustion after a performance, when there were riots abroad... could you get to her side immediately? You couldn't even go abroad."
He looked at Qu Mingyuan, his eyes gradually reddening, a mixture of helplessness and heartache.
"Uncle, you are a good official, you have the well-being of every family in your heart, I admire you."
"But here I am..."
He raised his hand and pointed to his heart.
"There's only room for her."
He tugged at the corners of his mouth, trying to laugh, but failed, only managing to produce an expression more painful than crying.
"Yes, she doesn't like me. She only has eyes for you. I know that better than anyone... but I just can't help it."
"Does this mean... I can't even like her quietly anymore?"
Qu Mingyuan did not answer Qu Chen's question; perhaps there were some questions he could not find the answers to either.
Even after Qu Chen left, he simply stood there quietly for a long time without moving.
Meanwhile, at Zoothys Studio.
Achoo! Achoo!
Ling Wei suddenly turned her head away and sneezed twice, her nose turning red from rubbing.
Someone nearby casually joked, "Hey, Captain Wei, that sneeze...did someone nag you about it?"
Before Ling Wei could speak, another girl organizing the documents next to her laughed: "When is our team leader Wei not talked about by thousands of fans? If this sneeze really comes true, it'll probably last from here until tomorrow morning."
"What if they knew we were planning to..." The young man stopped mid-sentence, realizing the situation, and chuckled awkwardly, "Ahem, it's alright, it's alright, let's continue."
Apart from the necessary staff, only the entire Zoothys team and another owner of the studio, Wen Shulan, were seated in the meeting room.
Rewind four years, right after winning the championship, invitations poured in like snowflakes, including from top-tier agencies with renowned reputations in the industry. The promises they made were dazzling, as if signing the contract would guarantee a spot on the Grammy stage the next day.
Among the many choices, Wen Shulan was one, and she also had a special identity—Ye Zhen's stepmother.
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