The Film Emperor's Secretly Married Wife Ch. 14

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Luo Linzhen took a sip of black tea, set the cup back on the saucer, nodded slightly at Qi Zhen, and said, "Xiao Min made a reservation at Rongbaoxuan for tomorrow. Didn't your dad set you up with a guy for a blind date a while back? You turned it down, right?"

Qi Zhen kept her eyes down, zoning out a little.

Luo Linzhen's elegant and polished expression was clearly tinged with displeasure. "You better turn it down. The kind of people your dad introduces? Please. Don't let just anyone get into your heart. When you're older, you'll understand how much I've done for your sake."

Her daughter was still young, way too naïve. If it had been Minyi, she would've already canceled it without even thinking.

Seeing Qi Zhen stay quiet, Luo Linzhen switched up her tone, glanced at Fang Geng, and kept her graceful smile as she added, "You should learn from your sister. She's willing to look out for you—that's sisterly love."

Fang Minyi was sitting nearby, sipping her flower tea. She'd barely touched her dinner, keeping her waist slim as always. She just smiled faintly at the words.

She'd never thought much of this stepmother, and she didn't bother responding to anything Luo Linzhen said.

Qi Zhen curved her lips into a polite little smile—calm, composed, not talking back but not playing along either.

The whole vibe was awkward enough to make Luo Linzhen lose face a bit.

That weekend, Qi Zhen went to Rongbaoxuan as arranged—to meet the blind date her mom had set up.

Ever since the thing with Qi Zhaoyuan, Luo Linzhen had been acting extra eager, like she needed to prove to her daughter that she was the one who truly had her back.

Qi Zhen didn't want to tell her anything about Yu Jingxing. She could already predict the whole headache that would come from it, so she went along with the plan instead. But she had zero intention of actually getting involved with the guy. It was just one dinner, just to save face.

Still, she felt a little guilty about it. That night, she sat on a bench in the garden and texted her dad to let him know, also asking what he thought would be the proper way to handle it.

But it was kind of late, and Qi Zhaoyuan didn't reply right away.

Zou Mingshun was a PhD who had studied overseas. He looked like he was already in his thirties. Deep nasolabial folds etched down the sides of his mouth, he wore thick-rimmed glasses that looked like the bottom of beer bottles. His lips were thin, a mole sat by the corner of his mouth, and his hair was perfectly slicked back with gel. There were faint dark circles under his eyes—definitely didn't look like someone with a regular sleep schedule.

"Miss Qi, you're still in university?"

Qi Zhen stirred her flower tea, gave a small nod. "Yeah."

"What's your major? Your mother mentioned you go to S University?"

Qi Zhen looked down, answered vaguely, "Mm."

Zou Mingshun paused for a second, shifted in his seat, leaned in a little, and gave her a smile. "May I ask, Miss Qi, do you have any career plans for the future? My family has been scholarly for generations, so I'm more inclined to marry a gentle and virtuous woman. And since you're at S University, it seems like you meet my standards pretty well."

The moment he leaned in, Qi Zhen caught a whiff of something greasy and unpleasant. She held her breath and replied mildly, "I haven't really thought about that yet."

The man nodded, clearly pleased with her answer. "That's good. I think we can have more conversations like this. I believe being a full-time housewife is a great choice."

Qi Zhen's soft, sweet looks and petite build were exactly his type. He figured she must like him too—after all, she looked so shy.

Qi Zhen kept her head down and went on sipping her tea. That smell was really starting to make her feel sick.

On the other side, the blind date guy picked a lighter topic and said, "This Michelin restaurant is partially owned by Yu Jingxing, the movie star. I'm a huge fan of his, so I specifically chose this place. Miss Qi, you must be from his alumni...?"

Qi Zhen almost spat out her corn juice, her expression finally shifting, which caught the guy's attention, leaving him confused. "...?"

The blind date guy looked at her with sympathy. "What's wrong? Not your taste?"

Qi Zhen blinked. "N-No, it's fine."

Qi Zhen started to question her life choices, and her thoughts drifted far away.

Zou Mingshun was clearly proud of his taste. He flashed Qi Zhen a smile that deepened his nasolabial folds, "I've been following him ever since he was young, back when he filmed Sailing Overseas over ten years ago. He definitely didn't disappoint. I was studying abroad, and many of my American classmates know Yu Jingxing. You might not know him in China, but he's a Chinese star with a large fanbase even among white people. I wish I could meet him in person. I heard he sometimes comes by."

Qi Zhen felt her eyelids twitch: Yeah, no thanks.

She really didn't want to meet Yu Jingxing.

If they did run into each other, the embarrassment would be so bad she'd probably want to sink into the ground.

Luckily, it wasn't that coincidental, and Qi Zhen didn't meet Yu Jingxing.

Or maybe, she was just imagining that possibility.

The restaurant had a hollow design, with elegant crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, and the upper floors surrounded by floor-to-ceiling glass windows, offering a view of the entire venue. But there were only a few private rooms, and the entire restaurant wasn't very spacious.

"Jingxing, what are you looking at?"

The man, with a cigarette between his long fingers, took a slow drag and smiled. "Nothing."

Behind him, a middle-aged man, a long-time close friend of Yu Jingxing, sat. As they both reached middle age, they met less often, mostly moving between various social gatherings. While these events seemed glamorous, there were moments of weariness in between.

The man pinched his jaw, thought for a moment, and then smiled. "What made you decide to come here today?"

Yu Jingxing came from a prestigious family, with deep academic and social roots. His decision to enter the entertainment industry had shocked many people. His father had nearly punished him, but Yu Jingxing was stubborn. Once he made a decision, he rarely changed it, so his family had no choice but to let him.

No one had expected him to stay in the industry for over a decade. He had never thought about going back home, and over time, his family had come to accept it.

All credit goes to the original author
Feel free to pinpoint us if there are any grammar error or typos
Please don't use Guazi's translations to re-translate in other languages

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