"..." Ye Anran indicated that this joke was not funny at all!
And Uncle Bo, why are you so close?
That handsome face was just inches away, his breath tickling her face as they talked, giving her a light, ticklish feeling.
"Do I look like I'm joking?"
"I didn't say you were joking!" Does this guy have mind-reading powers or what? She obviously didn't say it out loud.
"It's all over your face!"
Leaning in, his deep voice resonated beside her ear: "What do you think? This idea isn't bad, right? If you marry me, you'll become their young aunt. In our future encounters, they'll have to treat you with great respect and bow before you! You'll also be able to chastise them openly and rightfully!"
"Uh... Uncle Bo, please, take a step back!" stammered Ye Anran as she placed her hands on his chest, her face turning red.
This must be what they call the Flirting God Technique!
She clearly had no feelings for Uncle Bo, but at this moment, her heart was beating faster.
Bo Jinyu admired the flush on her face, his lips curving into a smile, and he teased her no further, stepping back.
Ye Anran breathed a sigh of relief with a flickering gaze, trying to maintain her composure as she asked, "But why? Why would you want to marry me?"
It seemed like a rather good proposition.
But what's in it for him?
They were strangers; why would he be so willing to help her?
"The old man's health has taken a turn for the worse these past two years, and his only wish is to see me married and starting a family. Coming back this time, he is bound to initiate the Deadly Thirteen Pursuit! I need a woman to deal with it."
Since he hadn't found the woman he loved anyway, and since she seemed agreeable enough and wasn't obsessed with him like a possessed woman, he had... requisitioned her.
Of course, that last bit wasn't said aloud by Bo Jinyu.
"You see, I can help you get back at them, and you can help me—it's a mutual benefit. Doesn't that sound cool?"
"But he's your nephew!"
"What's a nephew compared to a wife"
Uh... Uncle, you make so much sense that I'm at a loss for words.
But...
"Still, no."
"Why?"
Why was such a simple question really.
She couldn't possibly marry him of all people!
This was Bo Youlin's uncle, after all—who knew if that bad nature was hereditary?
And with that face of Uncle Bo, he was bound to attract many admirers!
She didn't want to spend her days fighting off those admirers!
More importantly, she couldn't let herself be married off so carelessly just to get back at a scumbag, even if the person proposing was indeed very attractive. That was unacceptable!
Ye Anran still had that much rationality.
"Maybe I didn't make myself clear, I mean, let's have a fake marriage."
"That's also not acceptable," decisively refused Ye Anran without even thinking.
Real or fake marriages, neither was an option.
Bo Jinyu was stunned. Someone was actually rejecting his proposal!
"You could consider it!"
Ye Anran felt she had to crush Uncle's horrifying idea right there and then!
So she looked up and said earnestly, "I like men with high intelligence. How about this, Uncle, I'll propose a thought problem to test you. If you get it right, I'll marry you."
"Hmm? Okay."
"When hoeing in the fields at noon, sweat drips onto the earth beneath. Who knows that each morsel in the dish comes from hard work? Tell me, how many people did the poem mention got 'h'oed'?"
Bo Jinyu looked bewildered and his expression was complex.
Looking at Ye Anran, his astonishment was beyond description.
Miss, the question you've asked is just too risque!
How could you ask such a dirty question, and use the word 'h'oed' so casually in front of such an attractive man you've just met?
And the question itself seemed rather tricky at first listen.
Bo Jinyu was truly stumped by her question. He initially thought to answer one, but considering Ye Anran wouldn't ask such a simple question, there were also 'sweat drips' and 'earth beneath.'
"Three," he asserted with certainty.
Ye Anran heard his answer and slowly shook her head, smiling.
"Then how many?"
Ye Anran held up five fingers, smiling lightly, "Who knows, the 'dish' and 'each morsel' are also quite 'hardworking!'"
This question was indeed... super dirty.
But Ye Anran figured that a serious question probably wouldn't stump Bo Jinyu, who was rumored to have been a top student from childhood, once City A's top scorer in the college entrance exams with a record score that remained unbeaten to this day.
"See, we are clearly not on the same intellectual wavelength, so I can't marry you!"
"All right, I admit defeat!" Bo Jinyu laughed generously, his slender lips curling up in a refined smile, "At least let me drive you home."
"No need, I'll go back by myself."
Not on your life. Letting him drive her home would just complicate matters further!
Irresolution invites trouble!
As she spoke, Ye Anran had already hailed a taxi, opened the door, and got in.
Rolling down the window, she waved at Uncle Bo: "Uncle Bo, you should head back in. The banquet has just started! Bye now!"
Bo Jinyu stood with his hands in his pockets, his slender lips curved into a faint smile.
Turning around, he returned to the banquet.
Passing through the corridor at the entrance, he overheard people talking, and Ye Anran's name came up.
He stopped in his tracks.
"Don't be sad, I'll definitely teach that little b*tch a lesson!"
"Mom, Ye Anran has humiliated me and Youlin, we've been utterly embarrassed tonight, and what if Youlin holds it against us—"
"Your dad will never allow Ye Anran to marry Bo Jinyu, not even for that 20% of shares. He'll have to agree to our plan! Just drug her, turn the cooked rice into a done deal, and then, Ye Anran will have no choice but to marry Li Ming. Let's see what she can do under Li Ming's control!"
"Mom, we should act on this quickly!"
...
...