novelraw Chapter 1028 - 1026: Going Home for a Blind Date
Chapter 1028 - 1026: Going Home for a Blind Date
The young master initially thought Luo Yuan was Zhu Qianyu’s boyfriend, but later gathered information that she didn’t have a boyfriend, so that guy must be a good friend.Zhu Qianyu shook her head without thinking, "Of course not. He’s my senior, and he’s Zi Qing’s neighbor and good friend. That day we actually planned to hang out with Zi Qing, but that girl had something come up last minute and stood Luo Hu and me up."
Speaking of this, Ji Huan remembered her leg.
"Is that so? Is your leg okay now? Do you need to have it examined again, just to confirm?"
Seeing his concerned expression, Zhu Qianyu felt a slight warmth rising in her heart.
A man so caring and warm-hearted—whoever wins his heart must be very lucky!
"It’s already fine. The medicinal wine you gave me worked extremely well. I used half a bottle, and my leg was okay. However, the remaining ones I sent back to my mom, sorry, I didn’t return them to you."
Mentioning this, Zhu Qianyu smiled bashfully.
"Xiao Yu, you don’t have to be so polite with me, right? The medicinal wine wasn’t something I gave; you paid for it, remember?"
She forgot, but he did not!
The money she gave him is still quietly lying in his wallet.
Zhu Qianyu hadn’t forgotten about this. It’s just, after sending the medicinal wine home, when her sister called back, she mentioned these bottles of medicinal wine, saying that even getting them through connections costs five to six hundred each, and yet she only gave Ji Huan fifty yuan back then. How was that buying?
But since this matter is now behind them, she couldn’t keep bringing it up.
Ji Huan is the sort of person who, if she really gave him over a thousand yuan back, he’d likely be upset for a while.
If he were upset, technically she shouldn’t care.
Yet she did care somehow.
Even if they’re just friends, she didn’t want to upset him, much less make him angry.
Zhu Qianyu hasn’t realized these subtle changes in her mindset, and thus she missed the best prevention period.
By the time she discovered she’d been invaded by the "Ji Huan" virus, she was already beyond cure.
Just like someone suddenly discovering they’ve got a serious illness, wondering why they were fine before, how it suddenly became critical.
In fact, most diseases begin with some sort of clue to the body—even if it’s not pain, it might manifest as excessive drowsiness or fatigue. But these signals get overlooked by the careless host until the ailment becomes untreatable.
Zhu Qianyu’s feelings for Ji Huan were quite similar to this situation.
While Ji Huan considered her a friend, she also considered Ji Huan a friend. They chatted and did things within the ordinary boundaries of friendship, occasionally having phone calls or sending a few texts, sometimes meeting up over coffee to chat...
Yet her affection for him grew deeper as she got to know him more.
This deepening process was slow, so slow that Zhu Qianyu, who’s normally very cautious, was lulled into complacency by such ordinary interactions, gradually lowering her guard.
Time flew by in their dilly-dallying interactions, and before blinking, the summer break was almost over.
On Saturday, Ji Huan called Zhu Qianyu, wanting to arrange a meet-up for Sunday.
The phone rang for a long time before she picked up, followed by a noisy sound from the earpiece.
"Xiao Yu, do you have time tomorrow to hang out?"
Ji Huan no longer needed to beat around the bush with Zhu Qianyu.
"Ji Huan, sorry, there’s something going on at home. I’m at the train station buying a ticket now, heading home by train in a bit."
Zhu Qianyu sounded a bit breathless, likely due to the crowd at the train station, or maybe she was in a hurry?
"Is it a serious issue? Why not fly back?"
"Couldn’t get a ticket in time, but the train is pretty quick too. Let’s leave it at that, I’ll contact you when on board," Zhu Qianyu said, and directly hung up the phone.
Ji Huan stared at the cut-off call, feeling concerned yet helpless, and could only anxiously sit on the couch waiting.
Thankfully, she didn’t make him wait long. A few minutes later, she called back.
"Ji Huan, sorry about earlier."
"No worries. I was just worried about you. Is the family matter okay? Is there anything I can help with?"
These words from Ji Huan weren’t something you’d say to just regular friends. After all, if Ji Family’s young master truly offered his help, many things could be easily sorted.
This kind of favor isn’t something just anyone can handle.
Only, Zhu Qianyu didn’t really know Ji Huan’s specific background, always seeing him as a well-off corporate elite.
"Thanks. This isn’t anything major, it’s just that I need to go home, because it’s urgent from my dad."
There was another layer of meaning to Zhu Qianyu’s words.
But Ji Huan, unfamiliar with her family’s situation, couldn’t hear the underlying message in her words.
Zhu Qianyu’s father, one of L City’s top ten rich men and head of Zhu Family, never really cared for Zhu Qianyu and her sister. Every time he remembered them, it was because he had found the perfect "good son-in-law" candidate, and they needed to go home for matchmaking.
This time, according to her sister, it’s somewhat different from past times, but the essence remains identical.
Such truth, Zhu Qianyu couldn’t very well speak of to Ji Huan, could she?
Ji Huan heard her assure him it wasn’t anything serious, so he didn’t pursue further, only carefully reminding her to stay safe along the journey and to inform him of her safe arrival if convenient.
Zhu Qianyu agreed to this, and after exchanging a few more words, they hung up.
Zhu Qianyu rushed back home, not even setting foot inside before her sister Zhu Qianying pulled her aside in the garden to whisper, "Xiao Yu, no matter what Dad says later, keep quiet. I’ve got this. Just make sure he doesn’t target either of us."
Despite her confusion, Zhu Qianyu had always trusted her sister completely. The current situation clearly didn’t allow her sister to explain everything, so she obediently agreed. Before she could say more, her father’s loud voice boomed from inside as usual.
"Ying’er, is Xiao Yu back? Come inside, I have something to tell you both!"
Zhu Qianyu, led by her sister, entered the house and was startled by the scene in the hallway.
The Zhu family’s living room, lined with four large sectional sofas like arranging school children for fruit distribution, housed the four heads of the Zhu family and their offspring...
[This matchmaking scenario for Xiao Yu aligns with the beginning Chapter of the new novel ’99 Times Escaping Marriage: The Cutie is Delivered, Please Sign’—where Young Master Yan is selecting a wife.]