Cheng Huan accompanied her uncle halfway through dinner. Due to a phone call from her aunt, she found herself dining alone. Twirling the white glass containing juice with a touch of ennui, she carried a self-awareness born from the untimely demise of her parents. Her aunt, persistently disliking her, labeled her as a harbinger of misfortune, claiming her existence brought about the demise of her parents and grandparents. Yet, she embraced her solitude, indifferent to societal judgments. Life, pathology, natural calamities, and human disasters—could they be manipulated?
With both parents lost in a fatal car accident and grandparents succumbing to abrupt illness, Cheng Huan endured the profoundest agony. Why, then, must she face the censure of others?
The sumptuous meal held no appeal in Cheng Huan's eyes. Rising from her seat, she departed the restaurant alone, facing the cold wind on her way home. Since the day she stepped into the realm of university employment, she severed ties with her uncle's residence, choosing to live independently.
Through her uncle's assistance, she acquired a compact two-bedroom apartment, located within a hundred meters of her workplace, rendering her commute remarkably convenient.
The night breeze, laden with a dry essence, lacked any chilling effect. Amidst the urban ambiance, no one could savor the pure air belonging to nature.
Cheng Huan strolled leisurely, contemplating her uncle's words regarding the young and adept man in real estate he had introduced.
"I truly have no desire to marry! Could it be too premature?" Cheng Huan murmured, exhaling a prolonged sigh. In reality, since the age of ten, she harbored no expectations from the world. Devoid of relatives and treated like an epidemic by distant kin, she felt like a viral entity to be avoided.
Her sole uncle, reminiscing her deceased father and providing financial support, ensured her university education. For this debt of gratitude alone, she lacked a valid reason to reject the meeting. From her uncle's tone, this matrimonial affair seemed exceptionally significant to him.
Quickly, Cheng Huan contemplated the term 'strategic marriage.' If this union indeed held great importance for her uncle, she might need to carefully consider it, seizing the opportunity to repay the nurturing favor she received.