"Alright, Aunt."
As he was leaving, Li Zhiyan suddenly leaned in for a kiss, fleeting yet unmistakable.
It left Zhao Shumin’s face burning with surprise.
"This kid..."
Zhao Shumin murmured softly, though a wave of heat swirled in her heart.
From frugal to lavish living is easy; from lavish to frugal, difficult indeed.
Ever since certain things happened with Li Zhiyan, the loneliness that Zhao Shumin had suppressed for years seed impossible to quiet anymore.
"I hope Xiao Yan finds my grandniece suitable."
Zhao Shumin thought to herself.
While wishing for Li Zhiyan to follow the proper path, she also yearned to maintain their current relationship. Desire and reason intertwined, leaving her deeply conflicted.
...
This morning, Catherine didn’t co to the office, which saved Li Zhiyan so trouble.
Yet sohow, he felt a bit unsatisfied about it.
He had been hoping to wage a firm battle against workplace bullying.
After clocking in, Li Zhiyan found a spot and started studying Go—the rules and strategies—while fast-forwarding through recorded matches.
By midday, Li Zhiyan was already ready to play a few gas against amateur opponents.
In the process, he even casually picked up so wild cash.
Three hundred yuan was more than enough for his living expenses for several days.
In the afternoon, he morized AI-generated Go strategies, a task incredibly demanding for most players.
But for Li Zhiyan, it was effortless.
Leaving the office after clocking out in the afternoon, Zhao Shumin’s call ca through.
"Xiao Yan."
Li Zhiyan understood that Zhao Shumin was worried he might change his mind.
"Are you done with work? If so, hurry ho."
"Alright, I’m on my way back now."
Li Zhiyan agreed enthusiastically, though the sense of loss that weighed on Zhao Shumin while cooking at ho felt harder to control.
What am I truly thinking?
Li Zhiyan arrived quickly. Seeing Zhao Shumin cooking in the kitchen, he walked over and attempted to hug her from behind.
To his surprise, Zhao Shumin didn’t resist, allowing him to hold her tightly from behind.
"Xiao Yan, don’t be silly. Eat first; later, Aunt will take you to et her."
"Let’s head out together, you can buy the girl an ice cream or a flower as a gift."
Nowadays, most people et for matchmaking at restaurants.
Many won treat matchmaking etings as re opportunities for free als and drinks.
Zhao Shumin naturally didn’t want Li Zhiyan to waste money—after all, a single dinner can cost hundreds of yuan, not a small sum.
Earning several hundred yuan isn’t as easy as it sounds these days.
"Aunt Zhao, you’re so good to ."
Li Zhiyan understood Zhao Shumin’s intentions.
"If your aunt isn’t good to you, then who should she care for? You’ve been good to Aunt before too."
Li Zhiyan had saved Zhao Shumin multiple tis, and she knew that deep down.
"Alright, Aunt Zhao, I will do my best tonight."
"Okay, then let go of Aunt."
During dinnerti, and until Zhao Shumin finished cleaning up the dishes, Li Zhiyan behaved impeccably, which only deepened the sense of loss within her.
"It’s about ti, Xiao Yan. Let’s go."
"Okay, Aunt."
At the thought of the matchmaking eting, Li Zhiyan began feeling a bit awkward.
"Xiao Yan, are you nervous?"
While walking along the street, Zhao Shumin noticed that Li Zhiyan seed different.
"No, Aunt Zhao, I’m just feeling slightly embarrassed."
"What’s there to feel embarrassed about?"
"Be confident, chat properly, and aim to succeed."
By the riverside, Li Zhiyan saw a spunky girl with bright red hair waiting nearby.
When they got closer, Zhao Shumin enthusiastically introduced, "Tongtong, this is Li Zhiyan."
"You two get to know each other; go over there and have a chat."
After saying several good things about Li Zhiyan, Zhao Shumin turned and left.
"Hello."
Li Zhiyan offered the girl a flower and an ice cream.
She replied indifferently, "Let’s chat for a bit, but I already have a boyfriend. His family lives in the mountains, and my parents disagree."
"Just tell them you weren’t interested in when this is over."
Relieved, Li Zhiyan let out a breath. Ten minutes later, she turned and left.
Seeing her grandniece leave so abruptly, Zhao Shumin grew anxious.
She walked over to ask Li Zhiyan what had happened.
"What happened, Xiao Yan?"
"She has a boyfriend; it’s just for show."
"I’m sorry, Xiao Yan. Aunt didn’t know about this."
"Aunt Zhao, it’s okay; it’s not your fault. It’s too hot out—let’s go ho."
Back at ho, Zhao Shumin followed Li Zhiyan to his room.
"Xiao Yan, Aunt truly didn’t know about this."
"I asked her before if she had already broken up with her boyfriend, and she said she had. I didn’t expect things would turn out like this."
"Aunt Zhao, I understand. This isn’t your fault."
"Alright, Xiao Yan. Aunt will find soone better for you next ti."
With the matchmaking ordeal concluded, that evening, Li Zhiyan noticed that Zhao Shumin was deliberately avoiding any hints of romantic closeness between them.
He didn’t rush things. The next day, Catherine still hadn’t co to the office, leaving Li Zhiyan strangely nostalgic.
It wasn’t about black stockings or jade feet—those didn’t interest him. He simply wanted to battle it out with Catherine.
That afternoon, heading to the bathroom, Li Zhiyan saw Liu Jinxin hard at work scrubbing the stalls, evidently enjoying the task.
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