Episode 4: Homeless Girls, Part Two
“Hey, is this a surprise for us? No wonder Little Youyou rushed over to find us…”
“Little Bingbing,” Lan would often call Bingbing with a playful nickname. Every time, Bingbing would retort with a playful insult, and they would bicker.
But this time, the person Lan was addressing was not someone she could call by a playful nickname.
Lianbing, having just finished her kiss, hugged my arm again, leaning her entire body against me. She put on an extremely intimate display.
Then, facing her directly, she replied, “Yes, Mother. As you can see…”
It was a straightforward declaration.
The surrounding people began to gossip. I saw some of them look as if they’d been struck by lightning. They must have come for Lianbing. I saw the despairing expressions of men whose hearts were shattered into pieces.
“…And that’s how it ended.”
“Ahaha, the performance was quite effective, wasn’t it?” Miss Akiko’s words instantly reversed the tide of public opinion. Most people looked enlightened.
“Heh, Mother, this isn’t a performance. Do you think your daughter would casually hire a stranger to put on such a play?” Lianbing delivered another blow.
It was Miss Akiko’s turn to respond. Madam Akiko stroked her chin with a troubled expression. “My, my, is my daughter entering her rebellious phase? Youyou, you can’t be as defiant as your sister later, okay? Otherwise, Mom will cry herself to death, *whimper whimper*.” While faking tears, she hugged Youyou.
“Mmm, Mom…”
Thus, Lianbing and I’s public display of affection was reinterpreted as a rebellious act by a daughter in her rebellious phase.
I couldn’t get a word in. I couldn’t get a word in edgewise. The psychological battle between these two mother and daughter was terrifying.
The atmosphere became tense, and the topic couldn’t progress. Just then, the man beside Miss Akiko suddenly spoke. His ordinary and brief words broke the deadlock. It was a tactic I was very familiar with: the art of changing the subject. It’s incredibly effective once you know how to use it. It’s just that using it so naturally, without any awkwardness or force, is quite skillful.
This man, with his slicked-back hair and dark circles so heavy they looked like zombie makeup, was the current CEO of the world-famous Ji Corporation.
“Is this… Lianbing’s father? Dad mentioned him before, I think his name is Jicheng. Miss Shirley described him as a man built from greed, so I expected someone more wild. How should I put it? He wasn’t as flamboyant as I imagined, but rather a bit reserved.”
“Yes, the scheduled time was 5:30, but it’s already six o’clock! You’re completely ignoring the time. Didn’t I tell you, time is money, and credit is the basis of transactions? If you’re thirty minutes late, an ordinary person would have already lost my…” Miss Akiko launched into another long tirade. This aligned with my impression of Miss Akiko. She truly disliked tardiness. Her scolding style seemed strict, but it was actually gentle and amiable, more like complaining.
“And you’re still wearing your school uniform? I told you to change into a formal dress. Honestly, why is my daughter so sloppy? Mom is so disappointed.” “What kind of behavior is this? And what’s with this man here?” Well, I had guessed this. Most fathers probably wouldn’t approve of their son-in-law. If I had a daughter in the future, I wouldn’t want some random guy snatching her away. “This banquet was held for you, but you brought a man back yourself, and one who is so ordinary and unremarkable.”
“I’m sorry for being so ordinary and unremarkable.”
“Lianbing, can you shut your mouth for a moment?”
Ah, this man was henpecked. I understood instantly. He had been acting like an enraged older brother, his eyes glaring at me as if he wanted to bury my head in the dirt. But with just one sentence from Miss Akiko, he immediately calmed down. Although he still looked displeased, he turned his head away from me. It was as if he was on a leash. I hadn’t noticed this before; Miss Akiko was such a formidable person… Seeing her float around the building, enjoying scaring people, with her innocent demeanor, I thought she had no dignity at all. If her husband was the hot-tempered Monkey King, then Miss Akiko, his wife, was the Buddha who toyed with him. Truly, there’s always someone who can handle you…
Miss Akiko clapped her hands, snapping me back to reality and catching everyone’s attention. She then suggested, “Since we’re all here, let’s not stand around talking. Let’s go to the lounge first. Little Bingbing needs to change, and you here, Mr…?”
“My name is Juncheng An. Um, Auntie, hello.” Goodness, I almost habitually called Miss Akiko by her name.
“Um, you’re Classmate An, right? Thank you for bringing my Lianbing here. Why don’t you come in and rest for a bit too? We can discuss your compensation, *heh*.” “Ah, alright.” She still managed to control public opinion even at this point. It was amazing. “Well then, everyone please continue. I’ll ask for your kind consideration for my Lianbing later!” She had perfectly set the stage and dispelled the ‘misunderstanding’ about me. I became even more convinced that she was not a simple person.
So, we had to follow Miss Akiko to the lounge. Actually, judging by the emotions Lianbing briefly displayed, she wanted to turn and leave, but for some reason, she didn’t in the end. I suddenly remembered Lianbing’s birthday. I had failed to keep my appointment because I got caught up in a serial killer incident. Although I did see Lianbing in the end, it was in the worst possible way. And so, we moved into the lounge. A line of maids stood inside. Half of them were familiar faces, and the other half couldn’t be said to be completely unfamiliar. I remembered these were the F witches from that Qiye, the Seven Deadly Sins Witches. How did they join the Ji Corporation’s Maid Squad all together? I glanced back at Shirley, and she smiled at me. I figured this was Shirley’s doing.
We arrived near a tea table in the lounge. Lianbing and I sat together, while Miss Akiko and Lianbing’s father sat opposite us. Youyou was taken elsewhere by the maids to play. Ugh, I was so nervous. This was meeting the parents, and to the extent of discussing marriage. Hmm, should I speak up now? But what should I say? Think, quickly! I can’t back down now!
“I don’t want to beat around the bush, so I’ll say it directly: I want to marry this man. I won’t marry anyone else but him.”
“Heh, do you know what you’re saying?”
“Of course, I know very well what I’m saying. Your daughter is no longer a virgin. Yes, that’s right, and the person involved is him.”
“Ah?!”
“Wait, let me explain, Father.” I haven’t done anything to your daughter yet… at least not yet… Um, yes, I’m not lying. In this world, your daughter is still a virgin! Thankfully, the enraged Father was stopped by the Mother.
“Is that so? It seems you’re prepared…”
“Yes.”
“Alright.”
“Huh?” She agreed just like that? It was that simple? No, this casual, laissez-faire attitude was also Miss Akiko’s style. I had prepared myself for a fatal outcome…
“Then I will sever all ties with the Ji family.”
…Just like that. Severing ties so easily! That’s too harsh! However, Lianbing didn’t get angry; instead, she smiled. “Hehehe, I’ve managed to convince you. That’s great! Did you hear that, Juncheng? I can take your surname now.” Take my surname? An Lianbing. Of course, taking my surname would be good too. It gives the feeling that Lianbing has been conquered by me and belongs entirely to me. I want that. “Goodbye, Mother. Ah, no, after severing ties, I should probably call you Madam Kaho now.” With that, she pulled me up, ready to leave. I had no intention of just leaving without a word. It now made sense why she had said ‘I’ll be homeless immediately’; she had expected this.
But Madam Kaho didn’t seem ready to accept it yet. She stood up and tried to stop us as we turned to go. “Thank you for these years… Shirley, you don’t need to follow me anymore.” “Let’s go, Juncheng.”
This situation felt… No, at least here, I needed to stand tall like a man! I summoned my courage, straightened my back, turned ninety degrees, and shouted, “Please bestow your daughter’s hand in marriage to me! I will give her happiness!”
“Heh. If you’re a man, you should do as you say.” I nodded firmly and then led Lianbing away.
We walked in silence, the atmosphere heavy. It wasn’t until we took the elevator back to the first floor that Lianbing burst into laughter. “ ‘Please bestow your daughter’s hand in marriage to me! I will give her happiness!’ Hahahaha, you’re killing me! What kind of proposal line is that from this era, Juncheng? How could you even say it?”
“Ah, I felt it was a bit… Well, consider it my embarrassing performance.”
“Hehehe. As expected, coming in my school uniform was the right choice. That way, Mother would definitely use it as an excuse to get us to a private place, and then I could directly propose eloping with you…”
“Plan complete.” So Lianbing had deliberately done it. Eloping was also part of Lianbing’s plan. As expected of a Young Miss, nothing was beyond her expectations. She had even calculated her own mother’s intentions.
“With this, I’m no longer a Young Miss, Juncheng. You’ll support me, right? My *love*?”
“What’s the benefit of me supporting you?”
“Hehehehe. You can do whatever you want with me? Isn’t that enough of a benefit?”
“It’s not enough.”
“Then I’ll tell you a secret. Come closer… The way you shouted just now… it was so cool, incredibly cool. So cool that my insides went all mushy… I want you so much right now, my darling~”
“Hehehehe, don’t you like it like this?”
“Yes. That’s why I can’t wait to take you to bed right now.”
“Then embrace me now?”
“As you command. From now on, you are my Young Miss, and mine alone.”
“Hehehehe~” Her smile remained the same, yet I felt Lianbing was smiling more brightly and freely than ever before. She had let go of everything she owned, abandoned her identity, status, and everything else, and was thus… pursuing her own happiness. Lianbing managed to let go. What did she gain? I believe tonight will surely be joyful.
“Just like that… Who’s there?”
“Someone’s outside the door! Did they hear? Wait, stop!”
“Enough, no need to chase them.”
“But the information has been leaked…”
“It’s fine. I deliberately let them overhear.”
“What? But our daughter’s reputation will be ruined!”
“Heh. Honey, while your timing is excellent, your judgment of people remains poor.”
“You mean… that unremarkable man…?”
“That child earlier had a greed within him no less than yours.”
“Just greed isn’t enough; you need the means to achieve it.”
“Today, I deliberately moved the venue. Otherwise, the ‘promising successful individuals’ present might have lost their confidence as men today.”
“You think so highly of him… Such a dramatic play.”
“It’s called contrast, a very clever tactic. As expected of my daughter. However, I really can’t see anything special about that man.”
“After all, when it comes to judging people, our daughter inherited it from me. However, that child Juncheng is a bit too strong. Perhaps Lianbing won’t be able to handle him… and might end up competing with others for his affection.”
“What! After getting my daughter, he still dares to dally with others?!”
“If you had listened to me and not chosen such a strong man, you wouldn’t have to make yourself miserable and wronged.”
“Oh, right. Honey, if you dare to cheat… *shing*~”
“…”
That child will definitely regret it in the end… Or perhaps…
“Or perhaps?”
“She made preparations for palace intrigue from the very beginning, and now… the battle… Well, it’s impossible, isn’t it? Even for my daughter, she shouldn’t be this calculating, hehe.”
“No. It…”
“What nothing.”
