She acted mysterious: "It's a secret for now, Mom. Remember to have Aunt Gui cook something delicious tonight—Australian lobster, double-head abalone, the priciest ingredients. Maybe I'll bring your son-in-law home for dinner tonight."
"Pfft." Yu Suisui, ladling herself some soup at the table, mocked her sister. "French food? Just don't get hit by another chandelier and end up paralyzed."
Hearing her elder sister's lack of confidence in this blind date, Yu Wanwan wasn't annoyed. Instead, she said, "The guys Dad found were too unreliable—each one as fragile as a shrimp. This time, I picked one myself, and he's definitely tough."
Yu Wanwan wasn't discouraged by her sister's sarcasm at all. Looking into Xu Xiangsi's eyes, she said earnestly, "Mom, I have a feeling this time it'll work out. Just wait for my good news. I'm off."
"Hey." Watching her daughter's receding figure, Xu Xiangsi stood there dumbfounded for a long time, a glimmer of hope suddenly rising in her heart.
Her daughter had dressed up so unusually today and spoken so confidently—could it really work out this time?
Yu Wanwan first went to the mall to get an exquisitely done manicure, and arrived at the French restaurant right at 1:20 PM.
The restaurant had just opened for business, and there weren't many customers yet.
Yu Wanwan deliberately looked up at the restaurant's ceiling this time and finally chose a window seat farthest from the chandelier.
Far from any potential danger. She refused to believe he could still have bad luck here!
She sat down, took a few selfies with her phone, and then waited demurely for Zhang Jingxu to arrive.
At 1:30, Zhang Jingxu appeared punctually at the restaurant entrance.
"Sorry, traffic was a bit heavy." He said as he sat down. The moment he looked up and met her eyes, he suddenly noticed something special about Yu Wanwan today.
Unlike last night's disheveled state, today she was almost too beautiful, as if she had dressed up meticulously for this French meal.
Zhang Jingxu couldn't help but take a second look at her.
"It's fine, I just arrived too." Yu Wanwan wore a perfectly appropriate smile, then took the menu from the waiter. "What would you like to eat?"
The man calmly withdrew his gaze and said flatly, "You order."
"Alright."
Yu Wanwan ordered a few highly rated specialty dishes online, then continued to gaze at him affectionately and enthusiastically introduced, "Let me tell you, the Wellington steak here is super authentic. You have to try it later."
"Mm." Zhang Jingxu responded softly without saying more.
For some reason, he had a nagging feeling that something was off, as if Yu Wanwan wasn't just inviting him out for a simple meal today.
As the saying goes, "Fawning for no reason is either treacherous or thieving."
Sure enough, no one knew Yu Wanwan better than him. The next moment, she launched into a sharp interrogation.
"So... let me ask you something." She cut into the pan-seared foie gras the waiter had brought, looking up to observe his expression. "Do you have a girlfriend?"
Zhang Jingxu looked a bit suspicious, but answered truthfully, "No."
Yes! Single! Yu Wanwan rejoiced inwardly, then probed further, "Then... is there someone you like?"
"No." Still an honest answer. Zhang Jingxu suddenly grew curious about what his childhood friend, whom he hadn't seen for years, was up to.
"Why don't you have someone you like?" She continued, "You've lived 25 years, you haven't even been in a relationship once, have you?"
"..." Hearing this, Zhang Jingxu's expression turned serious. "I actually don't really know how to get along with girls."
Hearing this answer, Yu Wanwan wasn't surprised at all.
This guy had always been quiet and reserved since childhood. In school, he was like a bookworm only interested in studying, with no other girls around except for her.
She heard that even after going to America, he still took his bookworm nature to the extreme—he didn't even flirt with a single foreign girl.
No wonder he didn't have a girlfriend. Despite having a face that looked like he'd dated over a dozen girls, only Yu Wanwan knew that he was a love idiot with zero emotional intelligence.
Yu Wanwan still remembered when, during college, Zhang Jingxu had once asked her for advice on how to pursue girls.
Thinking of this, she suddenly cast a sympathetic glance at him. "You're so pitiful."
Zhang Jingxu: "..."
He frowned involuntarily. "What exactly do you want?"
Did she invite him out just to mock him for never having been in love?
"Nothing much." Yu Wanwan shrugged, her smile suddenly turning a bit ingratiating. "It's just... I wanted to ask for your help."
"What help?"
She propped her face on one hand, looking shy, but her words were blunt. "Can you marry me?"
"Cough..." Zhang Jingxu choked on her straightforward words. He put down his wine glass and leaned back slightly. "If I remember correctly, last night... we just met, right?"
"We just met, but it's not like we just got to know each other." The other party didn't seem to think there was anything wrong.
After a moment's thought, Zhang Jingxu fixed his deep eyes on her. "I remember you said before that I'm not your type. So why do you want to marry me?"
"I have no choice." Yu Wanwan put down her knife and fork, leaned back, and began to complain. "Our hotel business hasn't been doing well these past two years, so my dad found a fortune teller. The fortune teller said that only if I get married successfully this month can our business be revived. But you know my constitution is really cursed—I'm especially lethal to men. I've been on blind dates for two months, and not a single man can withstand my husband-killing curse. Now, in our social circle, hardly any man with assets dares to marry me. So I thought... can you marry me? As a favor, since our families are good friends? Help me get through this?"
Zhang Jingxu was silent for a moment, then raised an eyebrow at her. "So now... you're planning to curse me?"
She had cursed all the men in the circle, and now she was eyeing him, the one that got away?
"Of course not..." Called out, Yu Wanwan immediately looked guilty and muttered, "I just think that we've been playing together since we were kids for so many years, and I've never once cursed you. I think your fate is super tough, so you definitely won't be affected by my curse. Besides, I've already prayed for many peace talismans for you. You can wear them all then, and with the protection of all the gods, I believe nothing bad will happen to you!"
"So?" She looked at him with big, watery eyes full of sincerity. "Will you help me?"
"But..." The man put on a hesitant expression, then curled his lips and began to negotiate terms. "If I help you, what do I get?"