Chapter 2: Chapter 2: Forced into Marriage (Part 2)_1
"You're the kind of man who's afraid of women spending your money, yet also wants to take advantage of them."
"Why bother going on arranged dates? You might as well go straight to a nightclub and be a gigolo; it's all fun and games with a nice commission."
Mr. Zhong had no mind to listen to her. He was hunched over, protecting his groin.
In the end, the scalding feeling seemed unbearable, so he unzipped his pants, bent over, and fanned his crotch with his hand. He had completely lost all dignity at this point.
Qiao Xiaon'an placed the still-warm stew pot on the table and smirked coldly.
Serves him right!
Men like this are truly despicable.
After leaving the restaurant, she went straight home.
Knowing that Her Majesty the Mother would ask her about the date, she pretended to have a headache and rushed into her bedroom.
Who knew Her Majesty the Mother would be so relentless, knocking hard at the door, "Qiao Xiaon'an, come out and explain yourself to your old mother. Rejecting a man with a monthly salary of $30,000 is one thing, but to throw soup onto someone's crotch, you're lucky you didn't cause any damage. If he had become a eunuch, you would have truly had to compensate by becoming someone's wife. Then with your stubbornness, you'll be a widow for life; remaining a virgin would truly be strange."
Qiao Xiaon'an, having not even reached her bed, had to open her door, "Your Majesty Mom, am I really your blood? Even you despise me. Do you hope for me to be taken advantage of by men?"
She thought Her Majesty the Mother was going to give her a long lecture, telling her to find an excellent man to prove that she could get married instead of Chu Nantian, and that she should choose a man while she's still young and desirable before she turns 25 and has to be chosen by others.
Who knew Her Majesty the Mother would lean against the wall, rubbing her head, letting out a long sigh with tears in her eyes, "Oh, I wonder if I'll live long enough to see you marry a decent man, oh, it's tragic."
With that said, Her Majesty the Mother turned around and sprawled on the living room couch, starting to wail as though the end of the world was upon her. Yet, under her buried face, not a single tear was shed.
Qiao Xiaon'an, rather baffled, looked over at her silent father.
Seeing her father's worried look was quite a change from his usual jovial demeanor.
She couldn't help but ask, "Dad, what's going on with mom?"
Her dad also sighed deeply, "Ah, Xiao'an, come here. You need to know about this."
Qiao Xiaon'an walked to her father's side as he took a report out of his pocket somewhate perplexed.
Only to discover the report was a blood test result, which she couldn't make any sense of.
Her dad explained, "Your mom's AFP (alpha-fetoprotein) levels are 2000ng/ml, more than 200 times the average person."
This sounded dire and Qiao Xiaon'an, her heart quickening, asked anxiously, "What does that mean?" Despite her constant bickering with her mother, she would be worried if anything happened to her. "Dad, please tell me."
With his head down, Qiao's father let out a long sigh…. After a while, he started to speak weakly, "Your mom... she has terminal liver cancer…"
That sentence resonated like thunder on a clear day.
Qiao Xiaon'an, who rarely showed her emotions, was now sobbing uncontrollably, her tears falling like raindrops; her whole world had turned upside down.
"Dad, please tell me this is not true, this is not true."
Meanwhile, Qiao's mother began to wail again, shrilling cries echoing around the room with no tears shed.
Looking at the report, her blurred vision confirmed an abnormal value.
Off to the side, Qiao's mother was making faces at her husband.
It seemed she was instructing Qiao's father to exaggerate the situation, in case Qiao Xiaon'an didn't believe it.
Reluctant, he glanced at his wife.
Qiao's mother responded with a fierce stare, as if warning him not to ruin the play.
Resigned to the usual dominating influence of his tiger wife, he was obliged to keep on pretending, "Xiao'an, your mother's greatest wish has always been to see you settle down. Could you find a reliable man to marry while she's still alive?"
Unable to accept the reality, Qiao Xiaon'an was stumbling over her cries, "I cannot believe it, dad. How can mom get cancer? I don't believe it...."
"This report was done by your Aunt, who has been a doctor for many years. There's no mistake."
Then, her aunt's call coincidentally came to Qiao Xiaon'an's phone. It felt like it had all been rehearsed.
"Xiao'an, are you aware of your mother's condition?"
"Auntie, please tell me this isn't true."
"We've checked several times. Your mother has terminal liver cancer. I've seen many cancer patients, and I'd advise against surgery; she'd die faster that way. Try to keep her as happy as possible; cherish every day."
Upon hearing this call, Qiao's mother couldn't contain her joy. Pretending to be in anguish, she said, "Xiao'an, your aunt says I only have three months left. My death doesn't matter as much as the fact I haven't seen you married…"
The report from Qiao Xiaon'an's hand dropped to the floor. She threw herself to her mother's side, crouched down, and hugged her, "Mom, I'll get married, I'll get married…"
She leaned on her mother's shoulder, feeling completely reliant on her like she was when she was a child, as if she would lose her mother if she let go.
Knowing her mother only had three months to live was too much for her to take, "Starting today, I'll go on dates every day. I'll definitely marry, and I'll find a husband who you'll approve of."
A triumphant smile immediately formed on Qiao's mother's face, much to the chagrin of Qiao's father.
He sighed, seemingly thinking, Ah, is it really okay to deceive our daughter like this?
Qiao's mother's acting was utterly terrible.
Seeing that Qiao Xiaon'an had agreed to get married and was no longer crying or resisting, she pushed her away and immediately took out a stack of photos. Each photo had information about the potential suitor written on the back. She laid them out on the coffee table and began to show them to Qiao Xiaon'an.
Qiao's mother: "Xiao'an, I've set up two dates for you each day."
Qiao Xiaon'an: "Mom, I promise."
Qiao's mother: "This is an introduction from your aunt, a soldier, a mid-ranking official. However, if you marry him, you two will have to live apart for long periods."
Qiao Xiaon'an: "Mom, I promise to meet him."
Qiao's mother: "This is your aunt's proposition, he's over 1.8m tall, and he looks good, comes from a real estate family. If you marry him, your aunt will not dare to boast in front of me, claiming that your cousin is Chu Nantian's true love and mock you for being rejected by him."
Qiao Xiaon'an: "Mom, don't mind what others say. As long as you want me to meet them, I will meet them. If you want me to marry a rich man, I will marry a rich man. I won't let you be embarrassed again."
Qiao's mother seemed very satisfied with her daughter's attitude and determined to continue with the cancer hoax. The next photo, "Here's a better one. Introduced by your Aunt Chu. You know she is a high society lady; her recommendations are always rich and powerful, and they say this one is a rich second generation."
Qiao's Dad seemed to disapprove, "So what if he is a rich second generation, those are mostly spoiled brats."
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone