Tang Xuening didn't like her parents arranging marriages for her, and she always brushed it off whenever Tang Jie brought it up.
But this time was different. She had heard her cousin Tang Zihao mention the name "Chen Zhe" repeatedly during this period, so when she learned that Chen Zhe was the one who made the arrangements, she couldn't help but want to come and see.
She was especially curious when she heard Wan Ya say that Chen Zhe had initially refused. In the past, men who heard about her family's circumstances would be eager to meet her, so Chen Zhe's refusal surprised her.
When Tang Xuening first met Chen Zhe, she felt that he was a good person. He was the kind of person she liked, and he had a mature demeanor despite his young age. His temperament was very different from the peers she had met before.
To be honest, she was a little tempted.
So when the two were alone, she took the initiative to talk a lot, from her childhood to her adulthood.
But as they talked, she realized that Chen Zhe didn't seem interested in her.
Do you think I'm long-winded?
Tang Xuening asked.
Chen Zhe shook his head; "No, why would you think that?"
Tang Xuening pouted slightly.
“I’ve been the only one talking since then, and you haven’t talked about your own story. I’d like to hear your story too.”
"I...I'm just a kid from the countryside, I don't have any stories."
Although she was beautiful, from a good family, and well-mannered, Chen Zhe had no intention of developing a further relationship with Tang Xuening, so he refused to communicate with her on a spiritual level.
"Then tell me some stories about the countryside. I've never been to the countryside before, and I'd love to hear them!"
Chen Zhe originally thought that Tang Xuening would be disgusted if he said he came from the countryside, but to his surprise, Tang Xuening actually became curious.
"Miss Tang, I really don't have any story..."
"Don't call me Miss Tang, just call me Xue Ning. Just tell me, satisfy my curiosity."
Tang Xuening rested her chin on her hands, her eyes fixed on Chen Zhe's face.
Chen Zhe couldn't stand being stared at so intently by her.
“Children from the countryside have never seen much of the world, and I doubt you would find it interesting to talk about it, so it’s better not to tell you.”
"No, my mentor once said that there are a thousand faces in the world. The city is one face, the countryside is another, the poor are another, and the rich are yet another. The world that the rich have seen is one face, and the world that the poor have seen is yet another. In fact, there is no essential difference between the two. It's just that everyone sees the world differently."
"Huh?"
Chen Zhe was quite surprised that Tang Xuening could say such things. At first, he thought that although Tang Xuening, a rich young lady, was well-mannered, she would still have prejudices against the wealthy. But he didn't expect her to be so insightful.
"Miss Tang..."
"I told you not to call me Miss Tang, just call me Xue Ning."
"Okay, Xue Ning, do you really want to hear it?"
Tang Xuening nodded; "Of course."
Seeing her sincere gaze, Chen Zhe stopped being coy. Since he was already there, he might as well have a chat.
He grew up in the countryside. After graduating from elementary school, he moved to the town with his parents. In Chen Zhe's childhood, catching fish and shrimp occupied most of his happy time. He still remembers it vividly. Whenever he was covered in mud and carrying fish and shrimp, he would say goodbye to his friends at the village entrance and return home. His grandfather would always be sitting at the door smoking a water pipe and watching him with a smile.
When his mother returned from the vegetable garden, she would always carry a vine with her and chase after him all over the village.
When I talk about these funny childhood stories with my colleagues after I start working, they all look at me with a hint of disdain.
[So you're from the countryside. No wonder I always sensed a bit of a rustic air about you.]
[It was different when I was a child. My parents took me traveling everywhere, and I saw a lot of the world. My dad always said that people must broaden their horizons and not be narrow-minded. Why are your sales performance always so poor? Haven't you looked for the reasons within yourself? Let me tell you, I talk to my clients about business, but what about you? What do you have to talk about with your clients? Are you going to talk about how to steal bird eggs? Hahaha!]
[Class distinctions are hard to overcome. Your future will likely be back in the village, doing farm work like your parents. But it's different for me. Even if I lose this job, my parents can find me other work.]
Because of his rural background, Chen Zhe wasn't very popular with girls when he started working. Although most of the girls were just as good as him, they looked down on him and thought he had no future.
But today, Chen Zhe could sense Tang Xuening's deep envy for his childhood.
"That's wonderful! In the past, when we went to summer camp, we had to pay to experience certain activities. You spent your childhood like this, you're so lucky!"
"ah?"
Chen Zhe never expected that his original idea was to make Tang Xuening hate him, but she was actually quite interested.
"If you have time, could you take me to your village? I want to see it. I've always told my parents that I want to teach in a rural area after I graduate, but they just won't agree. I really want to experience the scene described in textbooks where you fall asleep to the sound of frogs. It must be wonderful!"
Chen Zhe couldn't help but laugh.
"The textbooks do describe things in a very beautiful way, but in reality, there are a lot of mosquitoes in the countryside, and you may not be able to sleep at all."
"Then I can turn on the mosquito repellent lamp!"
"This kind of thing doesn't exist in rural areas."
What's in the countryside?
"In rural areas there are..."
Chen Zhe suddenly paused. He was surprised to find that he could no longer recall what the countryside looked like. The last time he returned to the village was for his grandfather's funeral, many years ago. After studying in the town, he went to the county, and then to the city. After graduating, he started working and has been working ever since. He was no longer sure what the countryside was like now.
Is the little river where he used to catch fish as a child still there? Are there still many people enjoying the shade under the big banyan tree at the east entrance of the village?
He didn't know that many places in his town had changed. The road he used to take to school was gone, and the internet cafe where he used to skip class to play games had been bulldozed and replaced by a shopping mall.
The town is changing, so the village must be changing too, right?
Seeing Chen Zhe remain silent, Tang Xuening assumed he didn't want to talk anymore.
"What’s wrong with you?"
"I...I'm fine. I was just wondering if I can still be considered a country person."
"Hmm? Why would you think that?"
"Although I still have a rural household registration, I haven't done farm work since I grew up. If you asked me to go back to the village now, I probably wouldn't be able to survive. I don't know how to farm, and I can't find a way to make a living in the village."
"Haha, that's quite an interesting idea. So now you're considered a city dweller!"
Chen Zhe shook his head.
"Although I work in the city, I'm not really a city dweller. I don't own a house here; I'm still renting a place."
"I heard from Aunt Wan that you are now the president of Linglong Club and also the president of Silin Group. Buying a house in Donghai is not a big deal for you, right?"
Tang Xuening said.
“I don’t have any financial pressure, but I don’t feel a sense of belonging. I can’t find a feeling of home here.”
For some reason, Chen Zhe suddenly thought of Chen Si. Her villa was extremely large, but in such a large villa, Chen Zhe couldn't find a trace of a home. Chen Si lived there alone. Did she really feel happy at that time?
Perhaps he had thought about this issue, which is why Chen Zhe had not bought a house in Donghai for a long time, even though he could have afforded one long ago.
"So...so you want a home, right?"
Tang Xuening blushed as she thought of something.
"Hmm? Maybe..."
"Then actually we can..."
She couldn't finish her sentence; she probably felt it was too early to say it.
At this moment, Tang Jie and Wan Ya walked in.
"How did your chat go?" Wan Ya asked with a smile.
"The chat went quite well."
Tang Xuening said.
"Great! Does that mean the matter is settled?"
Seeing Tang Xuening's expression, Wan Ya knew that things were going well, so she looked at Tang Jie and asked for his opinion.
Tang Jie said, "Chen Zhe seems like a good kid. As long as Xue Ning is satisfied, that's fine. Xue Ning, what do you think?"
Tang Xuening blushed.
"Dad! We're just meeting up today, it's not going to happen anytime soon. I'm still studying."
Wan Ya laughed; "Xue Ning, this isn't fast. Your father married your mother before he even graduated, and my husband and I were about the same."
Wan Ya's words made Tang Xuening blush again.
"Oh well! It won't be that fast anyway, we've only met once..."
"Hmm, that makes sense. Why don't you two get to know each other better?"
Tang Jie was a very reasonable person, and he did not urge his daughter excessively.
Chen Zhe sat to the side, unsure of how to begin.
He actually wanted to explain things to Tang Xuening, but he hadn't found the opportunity yet. Hu Ling told him not to offend the Tang family, so he couldn't very well say he wouldn't agree.
[It seems I'll have to find another opportunity to explain things to her later.]
The two exchanged contact information, and that was the end of that meeting.
Chen Zhe returned to his apartment somewhat absentmindedly.
Hu Ling came out of the room carrying a bowl of instant noodles.
Ah Bao went home to visit his wife and children. She couldn't cook and couldn't order takeout, so he could only eat instant noodles.
"Have you seen him?"
Hu Ling asked.
"I saw him."
Chen Zhe sat down to the side, looking preoccupied. Hu Ling, seeing his somewhat dejected appearance, teased, "You look unhappy. What's wrong? Isn't Tang Jie's daughter pretty?"
"No, she is very beautiful."
"Is it because she has a bad temper?"
"No! She has a wonderful personality."
"They don't like you?"
"The other party seemed quite satisfied with me. They added me in their contacts and said they wanted to get to know me better."
"Huh? That's strange. If the other party is so nice and satisfied with you, why are you acting like you've swallowed a toad?"
Chen Zhe looked at Hu Ling and said, "Sister Hu, you can't force matters of the heart. You know I have someone I like."
"So what? Did you confess your feelings to her?"
"No...no."
"That's still far from certain. Actually, I just thought about it. If you and Tang Xuening can get together, it would be a good thing. The Tang family has a lot of influence in the banking industry, which would be a great help to our Linglong Club."
"Sister Hu, this is a major life event, and I don't want it to be associated with personal gain."
"Pshaw! So what if it's a major life event? You can just forget about it."
Seeing Hu Ling's nonchalant attitude, Chen Zhe couldn't help but say, "Sister Hu, you're being a bit hypocritical. If it was for personal gain, why didn't you agree to Guan Yingjie's offer in the first place?"
"I don't like him!"
"I know, the person you've taken a fancy to is Tang Jun, right?"
Chen Zhe blurted out, just as he had overheard Hu Ling's gossip earlier that day.
Upon hearing Chen Zhe's words, Hu Ling stopped slurping her noodles, turned around, and looked at Chen Zhe coldly; "What? Say it again!"
...
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