Chapter 761: The last chance is indeed a valid reason. It is indeed necessary to meet elders and relatives when discussing marriage.
"When the time comes, Professor Zhao, you can ask your Chinese medicine friend to take her pulse accidentally, and you'll know everything clearly."
Professor Zhao nodded repeatedly: "This is a good idea."
After Professor Zhao returned, he immediately contacted a trustworthy friend who was an old Chinese medicine practitioner and explained the situation in detail.
Upon hearing this, the old Chinese doctor was also filled with righteous indignation and immediately agreed to help.
On the other hand, when Mrs. Zhao talked about this to Shanshan, her tone couldn't be more natural: "Shanshan, accompany Mom to the restaurant tomorrow. Your Jianhua's great aunt is back from away and has been wanting to meet you. Let's have a simple meal together as a family and let you recognize your relatives."
Yu Shanshan's heart skipped a beat, and she became a little alert.
But then she thought again, the Zhao family's willingness to take her to meet important elders was clearly a signal that they accepted her. She couldn't help but feel a little proud, and most of her doubts disappeared.
"Okay, I'll go with you tomorrow."
At noon the next day, the atmosphere in the private room seemed harmonious.
The kind-looking aunt took Yu Shanshan's hand and asked her about her life, her words full of the care of an elder.
Sitting next to my aunt was a gentle lady in her fifties. Mrs. Zhao introduced her as my aunt's goddaughter, whose surname was Li.
Aunt Li was talkative and had a warm smile. During the meal, she picked up some food for Yu Shanshan and praised her good looks and said she was a good match for Jianhua.
Halfway through the meal, Aunt Li took out a beautifully wrapped brocade box as a gift, which contained a colorful silk ribbon.
Yu Shanshan had refused, but after trying it on, her vanity was greatly satisfied, a genuine smile appeared on her face, and her guard was lowered a little.
After eating and drinking, everyone sat down to drink tea and chat.
After dinner, they drank tea and chatted, and Aunt Li naturally sat down next to Yu Shanshan. She affectionately took Yu Shanshan's left hand and gently patted the back of her hand, like an elder caring for a younger one, saying something intimate: "Look at this hand, the skin is so delicate and tender. Jianhua is so lucky. But the fingertips are a little cold. Girls should pay attention to keep warm..."
When she spoke, her thumb seemed to be unintentionally and very gently placed on the inside of Shanshan's wrist, and the other fingers were loosely holding the back of her hand. The whole action looked like the posture of an intimate handshake and chat.
Her fingertips felt the beating of her pulse, but a gentle smile remained on her face as she continued the conversation about the weather and skin care.
Yu Shanshan didn't notice anything unusual at all. She felt that Aunt Li was kind and caring. The subtle touch on her wrist seemed like a sign of affection from an elder.
In just a few seconds, Aunt Li's fingers got the exact answer.
She moved her hand away without making a sound, and poured another cup of hot tea for Yu Shanshan, saying with a smile, "Drink more hot tea to warm yourself up."
The pulse is steady, definitely not a happy pulse.
Wearing the new scarf, Yu Shanshan left with great satisfaction. She felt that the meal today was decent and comfortable. The elders of the Zhao family valued her so much and gave her such generous gifts. The uneasiness in her heart caused by the lie was also diluted by this recognition.
After seeing Yu Shanshan off, the smile on Mrs. Zhao's face instantly faded. She didn't dare to delay for a moment and immediately took Aunt Li back home.
Professor Zhao paced anxiously in his study. When he saw them come in, he immediately gave them a questioning look.
As soon as the door closed, Aunt Li took off the gentle expression she had at the dinner table and turned serious. She shook her head gently at Professor Zhao and his wife who were looking forward to it.
"While we were holding hands and talking, I carefully felt her pulse. It was steady and smooth, without the slightest trace of the slippery pulse that would indicate pregnancy. I could be certain that she was definitely not pregnant."
Although he had expected this, Professor Zhao still felt a surge of anger when he heard his old friend's conclusive diagnosis. He slammed the table:
"This vicious woman actually dared to deceive us with such a thing."
Mrs. Zhao was so angry that she was shaking all over. Thinking of her hypocritical and forced smile towards Shanshan at the dinner table just now, she felt sick.
"She...how dare she treat our whole family like monkeys and even cause you, old man, to fall like this."
Aunt Li sighed and comforted her, "Now that you're angry, since you're certain she's lying, then you can't believe her previous promises of repentance. You need to make a decision quickly so you don't let her fool you again, otherwise there will be endless trouble."
Professor Zhao forced himself to calm down and said, "That's right. Since she's not pregnant, the so-called hooliganism threat is valid. We don't have any scruples anymore."
He turned to his wife and ordered in a deep voice, "Call Qingyang right now and tell him what we've confirmed. Then... have Jianhua return immediately! Let him see this woman's true face before he can harbor any more illusions."
As the night deepened, Zhao Jianhua was summoned back to Professor Zhao's office by a serious phone call. The dim light in the room illuminated the solemn expression on Professor Zhao's face.
"Jianhua, I'll ask your Aunt Li to help me check Shanshan's pulse today... She's not pregnant at all."
Zhao Jianhua's heart tightened, "She lied to me?"
"I'm afraid that's it. She would even lie to you about this. I really can't imagine what else she might have done."
Zhao Jianhua gritted his teeth, feeling uncomfortable, and finally sighed: "Dad, tell me what I should do. I will listen to you now."
The two men discussed in low voices for a long time, and a plan gradually took shape.
Professor Zhao gave a final reminder: "Remember, be natural, as if it was revealed accidentally. If she stops now, perhaps she can be treated leniently. If she does it again..."
Professor Zhao didn't say "go", but his eyes said it all.
Zhao Jianhua took a deep breath and nodded.
Back home, Zhao Jianhua deliberately let his expression show a hint of suppressed excitement.
Yu Shanshan came over as usual and hung up his coat for him, but her sharp eyes caught something strange about him.
"What's going on today? It looks like something good is going to happen?" Yu Shanshan asked casually, handing over a cup of warm water.
Zhao Jianhua took the water cup and hesitated for a moment. "Shanshan, we finally made a breakthrough today on the most critical part of our project! I just brought back a newly compiled set of core data from work and locked it in a drawer in my study. Once this is verified, the rest of the process will be smooth sailing. This is a matter of great importance, so it must be kept confidential for now."
Yu Shanshan also smiled: "Really? That's great, seeing you work so hard, it finally pays off. Are you hungry? I'll go get you something to eat."
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