Chapter 274: Old Yang: ?
Lu Liangting’s sudden move caught everyone off guard, even Xia Qingrong. Old Yang, being the main target, was stunned. She stared in disbelief at the hand gripping her wrist, as if she had just witnessed a horrifying spectacle.
Looking up at Lu Liangting, her eyes conveyed a world of confusion and indignation.
What the heck are you up to, you rascal?
And right in front of your mother, too!
He must be out of his mind. Either it’s him losing it or me—one of us has to be having some serious mental issues.
With Lu Liangting’s casual, “I think I’ve made my choice,” alongside his hand gestures, it was clear who he had decided on—right there in his palm.
Xia Qingrong wasn’t clueless; even she could see where this was headed.
She felt her mind spinning, nearly fainting from exasperation.
Great, it was just last night that you texted me saying you wanted to set him up with some blind date candidates and that you’d figured it out—he should have a partner. Now, here I am, making all these calls early this morning, after working hard for so long.
You’ve brought in twenty-two lovely girls and you haven’t even picked half of them yet, and you just tell me you’re going with this woman you brought yourself?
It’s like going to a restaurant, calling the chef the night before to prepare a feast, and when you sit down to eat, you barely touch the food before pulling out a Tupperware of your own home-cooked meal and declaring, “I’m having this!”
What more do I need to say?
“Hey, hey, hey, are you…”
Before Old Yang could finish her rant, Lu Liangting tightened his grip on her wrist, squeezing it painfully.
In that moment of physical contact, Lu Liangting mentally communicated, “Old Yang, please don’t speak right now. Trust me, I’m doing this for your own good.”
“Get lost! What nonsense are you rambling on about?”
“It’s just an act; I’m doing this for you!” Lu Liangting replied, a touch helpless. “Your current identity is complicated. I can help you create a fake one, just like Bai Yu’s. But after I do that, what happens to you? You can’t just live alone outside, can you?”
“If you want to stay at my place, you have to cooperate. This is the perfect chance for you to live with me openly, and no one will bat an eye. Even if someone breathes a word, I can handle it.”
“Perfectly legit. Otherwise, my dad won’t accept you living there.”
As Lu Liangting explained this carefully, he continued to speak with Xia Qingrong, “I see through the people you’ve found for him. You know who they really are.”
“I don’t care about their wealth or family background; I just want someone I find suitable and easy on the eyes.”
“I’ve thought it through. Instead of being with the people you’ve found, I’d rather partner up with a friend I know well.”
As soon as he finished, Old Yang, still gripping his wrist, began to lose her composure. But recalling Lu Liangting’s earlier words made sense in a weird way.
She really wanted to say, “I don’t have to live with you.”
But remembering that she was the only one with any semblance of power next to this chicken, she thought if she walked away, who knew when he’d be slaughtered next. So, she suppressed the impulse to unleash her annoyance.
Besides, he had done her a favor; it wouldn’t be nice to outright refuse him.
At this point, continuing the act was her only choice, or else her current identity was worthless. She’d stick around as long as Lu Liangting could manage.
“Lu Liangting, you’ve got to think this through. Your current identity is crucial. Every move you make could affect our family. Maybe it doesn’t matter now, but who knows what the future holds? You can’t just pick some random woman to be our family’s daughter-in-law!”
Xia Qingrong had hit her breaking point, oblivious to the fact Old Yang was still next to her.
“Random? You should take a look in the mirror when you say that,” Lu Liangting shot back, equally unmerciful. “You think it’s all good? Pick the wrong partner, and the whole family suffers!”
“Good luck, then.” Xia Qingrong rubbed her forehead. “I’m not dealing with you anymore; let’s see how you explain this to your dad when you get back!”
“I can explain to him, but I don’t want someone whispering in his ear before I have a chance!”
With that, Lu Liangting pulled Old Yang along, turning back at the door to declare, “I can make my own decisions! Starting today, she’s living with me! Don’t interfere with us, and don’t sway my dad, or I won’t be living at home anymore!”
“Lu Liangting!”
Xia Qingrong was furious, seeing his resolute demeanor.
As Lu Liangting stepped into the house, Xia Qingrong stood there, frozen for a moment before regaining her composure, her expression shifting to that of someone totally in control.
“I just went to check on something, and there was a slight problem, but it’s all good now,” she said.
In the living room, all the relatives were staring at Lu Liangting and Old Yang, their expressions bizarre as they watched Lu Liangting grip Old Yang’s wrist, unsure of what to say. The blind date had concluded way too abruptly, completely out of their expectations.
The outcome was nothing like they had pictured.
Now that Lu Liangting had chosen someone completely off the radar, the relatives didn’t feel as angry anymore, but somewhat relieved, especially the ten girls who had failed.
Lu Liangting’s choice of Ms. Yang meant everyone else was out of the picture too.
Seeing everyone fail felt worse than their own victories.
“Mingyue, let’s go.”
“Is this it?” Zhao Mingyue stood up, puzzled, struggling to comprehend what just transpired.
She had overheard Lu Liangting and Xia Qingrong’s conversation. Was it about Old Yang?
Wait a minute…
As she began to piece it together, she quickly slammed on the brakes.
Letting Old Yang live with him? This was clearly a plan—there’s no way it was anything like she had thought!
Let’s be real; if it turned out to be what she was imagining, it didn’t seem half bad.
“Sorry for the disruption.” Li Tianan casually stood up and walked out, ignoring the chatter behind him. He looked at Lu Liangting and Old Yang, feeling as though they were on some rural version of “The Bachelor,” with Lu Liangting acting like he had just successfully paired up with a contestant!
But wait, it wasn’t even fair to call them contestants.
It was more like the guy ditched all the female contestants for someone lucky from the audience.
Once in the car, the blind date ordeal was over, and Lu Liangting exhaled deeply, relieved.
“How did it feel?” Zhao Mingyue blinked and whispered.
“How did it feel? I’d rather face several Red-clothed Evil Ghosts than do that again. It was torturous—completely devoid of conversation. I was forced to come up with topics on the fly while learning everything about the girls in record time before making choices.”
Lu Liangting sighed, “And to think, I might have made enemies. I don’t actually dislike those girls; I feel bad for wasting their time this time. But I’ll message them later with a little compensation as a peace offering, then it’s over.”
It wasn’t that he disliked them; it was just their style didn’t mesh with his. He wouldn’t judge someone’s worth based on looks or fashion if he hadn’t fully understood who they were—unless it was truly outrageous.
Looking back, he felt guilty for wasting everyone’s time because of one prank from Old Yang.
But it was all unavoidable.
Old Yang didn’t do anything wrong; if not for her, returning home would’ve been an even bigger mess.
At least he could tell his dad he got badly shot down this time.
Once his dad learned what happened, he wouldn’t kick her out any time soon.
After a while, when it dawned on him that Old Yang wasn’t the kind to stir chaos, it would all blow over. Whatever happened next? He’d cross that bridge when he got there.
Just thinking about that earlier embarrassment made him cringe so much he could dig a three-bedroom apartment with his toes.
He’d actually held a male ghost’s hand in front of his mother and said he liked that girl.
This would be a forever-black mark on his history!
Old Yang, meanwhile, was wiping her wrist with a tissue, shaking her head.
“You’re just getting carried away here,” she grumbled, baring her teeth. “If it weren’t for playing along with your act, I would’ve already punched you!”
“Really sorry about that,” Lu Liangting chuckled, turning on the engine.
“It was unavoidable. If I hadn’t thought fast, things would be more complicated when I got back. I was surprised you didn’t blow my cover in front of everyone,” he added with a grin.
“Of course not; that’s my plan! If I said something, wouldn’t your relatives sh**t daggers at me with their eyes?”
“Haha,” Lu Liangting laughed heartily, “And you were going to torture me? A win for you meant a self-sacrifice for me?”
“As long as it hurts the enemy, that’s all that matters. I’m fine with whatever else happens,” Old Yang nonchalantly shrugged.
After that, she noticed Lu Liangting staring at her, silent.
“What are you looking at?”
“I’m just thinking, maybe you should learn some makeup from Mingyue. Or I could learn; I mean, look at how pretty she makes Bai Yu every day.”
“Get lost!”
Hearing their banter, Zhao Mingyue couldn’t help but think about how lovely this was. “I should have brought A She Godmother’s embryo back long ago.”
“No rush; there will be more opportunities later.”
Bai Yu contemplated the Ghost Gate.
That world definitely needed a good look around.
