Chapter 133 Be My Boyfriend

"Yuqing, it's not that your sister-in-law wants to lecture you, but you're not getting any younger. Living all by yourself like this is simply not a solution. What is wrong with Deng Guxing? He grew up with you, you know everything about each other, and his family background is quite decent..."

"Alright, save it. Sister-in-law, if you came here today to persuade me to get married, please turn back. I'll handle my own affairs; I don't need you all worrying about me."

"Auntie, don't be like that, okay? I think Uncle Deng is really wonderful..."

"I know he's a good person, but I just don't have that feeling for him. Dad promised me back then that I could make my own choice. What is this supposed to mean now?"

"Yes, Dad did promise you, that's true, but you're twenty-eight years old now. How can you not let Dad worry? Dad told you to choose someone you like yourself, but that wasn't giving you permission to stay unmarried for the rest of your life."

"Who says I'm not getting married? I already have someone I like. When the time and conditions are right, I'll naturally tell you all. Won't you please stop pushing me?"

"Really?"

"Mmm."

"Who?"

"You'll find out when the time comes. Alright, I'm feeling a bit unwell, you should head back."

"Look at you, doing this again. Don't think you can fool us with such tricks."

"That's right, Auntie, the one you brought last time was exposed on the spot by Grandpa..."

Zhang Ye's mouth split into a grin, and he chuckled.

"Shut up!"

...

After that, the living room fell into a prolonged silence. Soon enough, another round of verbal sparring began.

About half an hour later, neither side could convince the other, and they finally dispersed. Guo Xiangqing originally wanted to stay and keep Yuan Yuqing company, but she was scolded away.

"Sister Yuan, I'm really sorry about today." Zhang Ye walked out cautiously, looking at Yuan Yuqing, who sat silently on the sofa.

Yuan Yuqing glanced at Zhang Ye and said nothing. Regarding what happened earlier, to be fair, Zhang Ye couldn't really be blamed. It was just that the timing happened to be so awkward.

Of course, it was also because Zhang Ye had a guilty conscience. Coming to visit Yuan Yuqing was nothing out of the ordinary, and being discovered wouldn't normally arouse suspicion or gossip—after all, it wasn't his first time here. But his own guilty conscience caused him to panic and bolt blindly into the bathroom, right into that terribly timed coincidence.

Seeing that Yuan Yuqing ignored him, Zhang Ye wasn't upset. He gave a sheepish grin and said, "You must be feeling upset because of all this."

Noticing the change in Yuan Yuqing's expression, Zhang Ye quickly explained, "Look, I really didn't mean to eavesdrop. It's just that you guys were speaking a bit loudly, and I accidentally heard the whole thing."

"So what if you did?" Yuan Yuqing gave Zhang Ye a sideways glance, leaning back against the sofa with an air of exhaustion. The television was playing commercials, and Yuan Yuqing flipped through them aimlessly, but not a single program pleased her.

"If you put it that way, I've got nothing to say." Zhang Ye rubbed his nose and smiled wryly.

"How old are you?" Suddenly, as if a spark of interest had struck her, Yuan Yuqing leaned closer and asked.

The warm breath from Yuan Yuqing's lips as she leaned in to speak tickled his ear. Zhang Ye shook his head slightly, looked at her, and replied, "I'm seventeen by nominal age."

"How about it? Be my boyfriend." Suddenly, Yuan Yuqing's voice took on a drifting, ethereal quality, sounding half-real and half-illusory.

"What?" Zhang Ye jumped up in excitement, his eyes widening as he stared at Yuan Yuqing and waved his hands frantically. "Please stop joking. My heart isn't strong; I can't take this."

"Why are you getting so worked up? Let me finish." Yuan Yuqing glared at Zhang Ye, then reached out, yanked him down to sit beside her, and said, "Pretend. You'll fake being my boyfriend. Surely that's fine?"

"Of course that's not fine." Zhang Ye shook his head rapidly. "Guo Xiangqing and I are classmates right now, and her father has met me too. If I fake this, wouldn't the whole lie fall apart instantly?"

"Just tell me whether you'll help or not?" Yuan Yuqing's expression shifted, and she demanded sternly.

With a bitter face, Zhang Ye asked hesitantly, "But wouldn't this boyfriend of yours be dead on arrival? There's no way we could fool your dad. Besides, with your older brother and Guo Xiangqing around, this is even less reliable than the guy you brought home last time."

When he had heard Yuan Yuqing use the fake boyfriend ploy earlier to fool her father, he had found it amusing, but now that he was cast as the leading man, he simply couldn't laugh.

"Never mind about that. As long as you agree, that's enough." Yuan Yuqing locked eyes with Zhang Ye. "If you dare to leak a word of this to anyone else, don't blame me for being unpolite."

Zhang Ye nodded repeatedly. Against her, he truly had no countermeasure.

And so, in that hazy, bewildered state, Zhang Ye became Yuan Yuqing's boyfriend—hypothetically speaking.

"Then I'll be heading back." After pondering for a long time without coming up with any solution, Zhang Ye could only say somewhat awkwardly.

"Mmm. Remember, you're on call whenever I need you." Yuan Yuqing nodded, a charming smile blooming across her alluring face. "Don't worry too much, it'll be fine."

Descending the stairs, the setting sun shone directly into his eyes, and its dreamy, blood-red hue left Zhang Ye's mind feeling somewhat dazed.

The moment Yuan Yuqing asked him to be her boyfriend, a stray thought had indeed flashed through Zhang Ye's mind.

Yuan Yuqing's maturity, allure, beauty, and immense femininity made her precisely the kind of woman Zhang Ye liked. However, he quickly shook his head and dismissed the crazy idea.

Yuan Yuqing's age, Yuan Yuqing's status, Yuan Yuqing's background...

There were simply far too many obstacles.

Better to be realistic. At the very least, things were going pretty well for him right now.

Returning home, Zhang Ye turned on his computer and started typing away furiously.

A magazine publisher had accepted three of his manuscripts. Despite his astonishing writing speed, which far exceeded ordinary people's, he still had to study. Every day, he could only carve out a few hours at night to write, and there were many other matters to attend to. If he didn't seize the time, he would definitely miss the deadline for the next publication.

Throughout the October National Day holiday, Zhang Ye had been constantly busy. Thinking back, he hadn't even been able to properly relax over the past few days. And tomorrow marked the day school resumed.

"Mom, how is the family business doing?" Zhang Ye asked during dinner.

As time passed, the backlog of imported clothing from South Korea had completely sold out. To Zhang Ye's gratification, his mother had caught on to the clothing store business very quickly. After more than a month of practice, she had already become quite proficient.

Now, without needing Zhang Ye's guidance, she had already set her sights on the next upcoming hot-selling fashion line, and the goods were currently packed and ready for shipment.

"Same as usual, bringing in over a thousand a day." Liu Meiguang's mental outlook was now completely transformed. Even when speaking at home, her voice was much more resonant.

"By the way, how is Mengzi doing? Ever since she came back, I've seen even less of her, and heaven knows what she's busy with." Liu Meiguang asked, placing a piece of fatty pork into Zhang Ye's bowl. "Eat more, you've gotten thin."

With the store business thriving, the diet of Zhang Ye's family had improved accordingly. Nearly every meal featured meat, and from time to time, they would even slaughter a chicken to nourish Zhang Ye.