Chapter 7 What's gotten into him today?
Step by step, Xia Mian finally stopped at the doorway, at the seat furthest from the Xia family's residence.
The engagement banquet certainly wouldn't miss the auspicious time because of a late guest. Seeing Xia Mian take her seat, the host began the next segment.
Just then, Zhou Pingchuan finished adding the prize money and it was time to leave. He said goodbye to his elder brother and left through the back door.
Xia Mian quickly followed—he had something he wanted to say to Zhou Pingchuan.
Before he could even utter the word "three," everything went black, and his knees buckled.
When he recovered, he was pinned to the ground by bodyguards who had appeared out of nowhere!
Xia Mian had never been subjected to such abuse before, and immediately started cursing, "Are you sick? Let me go!"
The bodyguard not only didn't let go, but gripped even tighter: "What are you doing?"
"I have something to discuss with Third Master," Xia Mian belatedly realized, "Wait a minute, you guys don't think I'm a criminal, do you?"
The more Xia Mian thought about it, the angrier she became: "Have you ever seen a thug who looks like me?"
Uh... the bodyguard was at a loss for words when asked the question.
Upon hearing this, the man, who hadn't paid attention to anyone else since entering the banquet hall, finally raised his eyelids and glanced down at Xia Mian.
His gaze was cold, as if he were looking at an object rather than a person.
Xia Mian shivered involuntarily.
Handsome guy, super handsome!
I thought Zhou Ting was already good-looking enough, but I didn't expect his third uncle to be even more charming.
Zhou Pingchuan took the cane and slowly lifted Xia Mian's chin with the antler end: "Say what you want to say."
The man's voice was low and magnetic, with a slight hoarseness that sent shivers down one's spine.
Xia Mian said, "Third Master, I am Xia Mian from the Xia family. I've come to you to strengthen our ties with the Zhou family through marriage. I've heard rumors that you are still unmarried, so... may I be a suitable match?"
Yes, as soon as Xia Mian realized she had transmigrated into a book, she figured it out: instead of causing trouble and courting death, she should let the protagonist go and live a comfortable life.
Moreover, it's pointless for him to compete with the protagonist for Zhou Ting's affections. Zhou Ting's wealth is simply not enough to support him. He has already set his sights on the villainous boss, Zhou Pingchuan, who can no longer be simply described as "extremely wealthy".
If you can find an opportunity to get close to the villainous boss, besides living a comfortable life, you can also get the latest news about the protagonist and the villainous boss, and run away as soon as things go wrong.
It would be even better if Zhou Pingchuan fell in love with the protagonist according to the plot and started to forcefully take Xia Mingzhao away! Let those crazy couple torture each other. He has money and free time and doesn't have to serve his husband. He can spend all his energy on returning to the real world.
I'm absolutely thrilled!
Xia Mian had never been in a relationship, let alone said anything that sounded like a marriage proposal. Her face turned bright red, but her eyes remained fixed on Zhou Pingchuan.
Zhou Pingchuan handed his cane to his assistant and bent down.
Xia Mian then noticed that the man was wearing a pair of black gloves. His long, slender fingers, encased in leather, with slightly protruding knuckles, made one's imagination run wild, wondering how beautiful the hand beneath the gloves must be.
But the man said, "You're not good enough to get into my bed."
Xia Mian was completely exasperated by the awful dialogue in this melodramatic novel: "Are you blind? I'm not qualified? Then who is? Name me!"
No one dared to speak to the Zhou family patriarch like that, and all the bodyguards were dumbfounded.
The corridor fell into complete silence.
A moment later, Zhou Pingchuan suddenly smiled.
He took the cane, signaled to the bodyguard to release the person, and calmly led the way away.
In real life, Xia Mian is always the "moon" surrounded by stars and the "flower" in full bloom; no one dares to put him down.
No one dared to treat him so indifferently.
Seeing Zhou Pingchuan walk further and further away without saying a word, Xia Mian finally couldn't hold back anymore: "So, are you going to marry me or not?!"
Because he was in a hurry, the boy's voice rose slightly at the end, and you could inexplicably hear a hint of complaint and coquetry in it.
Like a pampered kitten, delicate and arrogant, but not annoying.
The man paused, then let out a soft chuckle:
"Come to Zhou's residence at eight o'clock tonight."
.
The Zhou Mansion is the old residence of the Zhou family.
Given Zhou Pingchuan's power and status, if he wanted to deal with someone, he didn't need to go back to his old lair; he could do it anywhere.
In other words, there should be room for negotiation regarding marriage.
"Mianmian, I knew you could do it!" Xia Mian praised herself in her heart.
Regardless of what happens next, the first step has been taken. Xia Mian came to the hotel to scare the Xia family and to find Zhou Pingchuan. There was no need for her to return to the banquet hall, so she went downstairs afterward.
Unbeknownst to him, the banquet hall doors were kept open for ventilation, allowing the main stage and some guests to witness the entire process of Xia Mian's "proposal" to the Zhou family head.
Mr. and Mrs. Xia were completely stunned. By the time they came to their senses, their son, who had uttered such shocking words, was already gone.
The host was very professional; no matter how outrageous the situation, he quickly composed himself and continued with the previous procedure.
"Mr. Zhou, it's your turn," the host reminded Zhou Ting to sign the marriage certificate.
—The next step is to sign the marriage certificate, which Xia Mingzhao has already done.
Zhou Ting held the pen, lost in thought.
It's happening again. Everyone's watching, and Xia Mingzhao is getting a little anxious: "A-Ting, the host is asking you to sign."
“…Hmm,” Zhou Ting took a deep breath, the tip of his pen landing on the red brocade scroll, leaving a blob of thick black ink.
Zhou Ting looked at the ink blot and hesitated for a moment. He closed his eyes briefly, then opened them and wrote his name at the bottom.
This was the final segment. Amidst the host's blessings of "May you be united forever and have a long and happy marriage," the engagement ceremony was completed.
Finally, it was time for the banquet.
The newlyweds each held a champagne glass, expressing their gratitude to the relatives and friends who attended their engagement banquet.
While pouring the wine, Xia Mingzhao asked softly, "A-Ting, are you still angry with me? You've been so absent-minded these past few days. Just now, you hesitated to sign the papers, and I thought you regretted it and didn't want to marry me anymore."
"No."
"That's fine... Xia Mian suddenly came over just now, I was almost scared to death."
What are you afraid of?
Xia Mingzhao belatedly realized that he had let something slip—Zhou Ting didn't know about his background.
"...I was afraid he would offend Third Master. Third Master holds a high position and wields great power; how could some nobody just casually say a few words and agree to a marriage contract? Luckily, Third Master wasn't angry, otherwise we might have been..."
As she spoke, Xia Mingzhao sighed.
He has a pure and innocent appearance, with a beauty mark under his eye. When he sighs, his face scrunches up, and anyone who sees him will feel sorry for him.
Zhou Ting only had a few words in his mind.
Third Uncle... wasn't angry.
"Mingzhao, you go and offer the toast first. I'm going to talk to my third uncle for a bit."
After speaking, Zhou Ting put down his wine glass and ran quickly down to the hotel parking lot without waiting for Xia Mingzhao's response.
Just then, Zhou Pingchuan was heading back home.
The driver opened the car door for Zhou Pingchuan. Hearing footsteps, Zhou Pingchuan paused. "A-Ting, is there something you need?"
Although he was only six years older than him, Zhou Ting had always regarded Zhou Pingchuan as an elder who needed to rely on him. Today, however, he had inexplicably become bolder: "Third Uncle, may I speak to you in private?"
Zhou Pingchuan got into the car with the help of the driver. Seeing that he didn't say anything, Zhou Ting reluctantly sat down next to Zhou Pingchuan.
He opened his mouth, but remained silent for a long time.
Until Zhou Pingchuan's slightly hoarse voice rang out: "Speak plainly."
Zhou Ting finally made up his mind: "Third Uncle, do you really want Xia Mian to go to the old house?"
"What," the person said, still with their eyes closed, "do you have a problem with that?"
A powerful sense of oppression washed over him. Zhou Ting naturally had no objection, nor dared to, and simply said, "Of the two Xia brothers, Xia Mingzhao is gentle, polite, kind, and warm. Xia Mian..."
"Um?"
Zhou Ting recalled Xia Mian's gaze once again, those clear, dark grape-like eyes. He took a deep breath and said, "...It's nothing, he's fine."
"Are you done talking?"
"That's all."
Zhou Pingchuan hummed in agreement.
Seeing that Zhou Pingchuan remained unmoved, Zhou Ting gritted his teeth and said, "Third Uncle, are you letting him go because you plan to marry Xia Mian?"
As the head of the Zhou family, Zhou Pingchuan is well past the age of marriage and should indeed consider his lifelong commitment.
“Ah Ting,” Zhou Pingchuan finally opened his eyes, “you’ve said too much.”
Zhou Ting's heart suddenly tightened. He could feel that the living devil beside him was getting more and more impatient.
It is only now that I realize that I have indeed said many things I shouldn't have said and done many things I shouldn't have done.
For example, leaving her fiancé at the engagement party and running away alone.
For example, among the younger generation of the Zhou family, he was the most valued as the eldest grandson of the eldest branch, and he met with his third uncle more often than his other siblings. However, he and his third uncle were not close enough for him to casually ask about private matters.
But somehow he got into his third uncle's car and even went to ask him gossip.
What's gotten into him today?
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