"I’m not joking, this time I’m more serious than ever." Chu Chen restrained his smile and said seriously.
"But, you said you didn’t have a girlfriend just half a month ago!" Liao Baozhen turned her head and secretly gave Chu Chen a look.
"I hadn’t met the right person before." Chu Chen didn’t care about the meaning behind Liao Baozhen’s look, and casually explained, then added, "Mom, we’ve said so much, shouldn’t you let Ruanruan and me sit down first? Then we can talk slowly?" Chu Chen wasn’t used to speaking while standing, and at the same time, he completely ignored the presence of the other two people in the room.
Stupid boy! Can’t you give your mom a little face?
Liao Baozhen glared at Chu Chen unhappily and scolded, "Didn’t you see Mrs. Chen here? You’re a grown man now, have some manners!"
When did he get another aunt? Chu Chen had always disliked these matchmaking situations, and as a result, had no goodwill towards the people he was set up to meet.
"Mrs. Chen, you must have heard, I already have a girlfriend, so you don’t need to introduce anyone to me." Chu Chen forced a smile at the silent middle-aged woman, but his words lacked any respect for his elder, and his stiff tone came off as somewhat rude.
Upon hearing this, the middle-aged woman didn’t get angry, but Liao Baozhen almost exploded with anger, scolding, "Stupid boy, what kind of attitude is this? Apologize to Mrs. Chen immediately!"
"It’s okay, Baozhen." Chen Fanghua smiled and comforted Liao Baozhen, graciously saying, "Young people nowadays don’t like their elders matchmaking for them. It’s normal for Chen to be unhappy."
"Even if he’s unhappy, he can’t be rude to his elders! This boy is spoiled by me. It’s a good thing you’re so magnanimous and don’t hold it against him." Liao Baozhen and Chen Fanghua were neighbors many years ago, and they used to have a good relationship, but they hadn’t seen each other for twenty years, so naturally their relationship had become a bit distant, and their conversation was somewhat formal.
"I think Chen is pretty good. A boy should have his own opinions." When she said this, Chen Fanghua’s face was full of admiration, and then she turned to Chu Chen warmly, "Chen, please sit down. Actually, Mrs. Chen and Tongtong came here today mainly to catch up with you and your mom. But it’s been twenty years, so you probably don’t remember us."
Catching up?
Upon hearing this, Chu Chen secretly laughed coldly, glancing at the calm Chen Fanghua, thinking, this woman is ten times more shrewd than his mom!
Although she looked very friendly and approachable, Chu Chen had no fondness for her.
Without thanking her or continuing to speak rudely, Chu Chen pulled Ruan Pianran to sit beside Liao Baozhen and then considerately poured Ruan Pianran a cup of tea.
Before coming here, Ruan Pianran hadn’t given much thought to why Chu Chen had asked her to pretend to be his girlfriend. She just thought it was his business and didn’t need to care. However, now being in this atmosphere, she became the most awkward presence, even though she remained silent to reduce her presence, several pairs of eyes still occasionally fell on her, wanting to see through and understand her completely.
"Mom, what do you want to eat?" Chu Chen took a sip of tea from his teacup and asked Liao Baozhen.
Her plan had been disrupted, so Liao Baozhen had no appetite and responded, "Anything will do. Just order some dishes that Mrs. Chen and Tongtong like."
"..." Chu Chen didn’t respond but pressed the service bell. Soon, a beautiful waitress walked in gracefully.
"Mrs. Chen, please order whatever you like." Considering Liao Baozhen’s feelings, Chu Chen had to put on a show and acted like a host, gesturing warmly.
"Alright, we won’t be polite then."
After Chen Fanghua and her daughter ordered a few dishes, Chu Chen’s attention turned to Ruan Pianran. "Ruanruan, what would you like to eat?"
Suddenly, Ruan Pianran’s heart trembled. She raised her eyes, meeting the jealous gaze of the short-haired woman sitting opposite her.
Since they walked in, she rarely spoke. Most of the time it was Chen Fanghua and Liao Baozhen asking her for opinions or questions, she remained quiet, giving off a very gentle feeling and hardly any presence. But now, with eyes burning with jealousy, her aura changed instantly. It was as if she transformed from a docile kitten into a fierce tiger, wanting to devour her completely, leaving nothing behind.
Should she reveal the truth?
Ruan Pianran had this thought, but the next second, she rationally considered, if she exposed Chu Chen’s lie on the spot, what would he do?
Knowing his personality, he would certainly not let it go easily, right?
So, she couldn’t take that risk.
"Anything’s fine, I’m not picky." Within a second or two, Ruan Pianran’s mind had gone through countless thoughts, weighing the pros and cons, and she chose to ignore Guo Tongtong’s unfriendly gaze, calmly responding to Chu Chen.
After ordering, the waitress left. Ruan Pianran didn’t want to say another word to Chu Chen and so, she lowered her head, holding her teacup and continued to minimize her presence.
"Brother Chen, do you not remember me?" Suddenly, a soft voice broke the brief silence in the room, and Guo Tongtong instantly garnered everyone’s attention, including Ruan Pianran, who wanted to stay out of it but couldn’t help looking at her.
"Do we know each other?" Chu Chen frowned, his indifferent gaze full of unfamiliarity and distance.
"I’m Tongtong. We used to play together often when we were little." Guo Tongtong explained, trying to awaken Chu Chen’s long-buried memories.
Upon hearing this, Chu Chen’s frown deepened, with a blank mind. He couldn’t remember ever knowing someone named Tongtong.
Seeing Chu Chen’s silence, Guo Tongtong added, "We used to be neighbors."
Neighbors?
Their family had lived in the Chu family’s manor for decades. Although there had been some changes in the surrounding neighbors, Chu Chen had some impression. With Guo Tongtong’s reminder, he vaguely recalled a little girl who used to follow him around like a shadow. Wherever he went, she would follow, always sharing things he didn’t like, like dolls and candies. Because of this, Chu Chen didn’t like the little girl at all. He had thrown tantrums several times to drive her away, but girls naturally like to cry, and her loud crying, which lasted a long time, often resulted in him being scolded by his mom and forced to play with someone he didn’t like. It wasn’t until she moved abroad with her family that he finally felt liberated.
Chu Chen remembered feeling very happy at that time, joyfully going to the airport with his mom to say goodbye to the little girl!