Chapter 12: Gu Chacha Goes on a Blind Date

Gu Jinghan nudged her with his elbow. "So now you understand why Dad insisted on sending Han Mo to you?"

"Why?"

He Huanhuan stared at him with wide, innocent eyes. How was she supposed to know?

He hadn't said anything, had he?

Gu Jinghan shook her shoulders in frustration at her naivety. "It's about bloodline! You’re the real daughter of the Gu family. Of course, it has to go to you!"

What was an arranged marriage really about?

It was about bloodline, of course!

The vast plots of land in the eastern part of the city were all in their hands. Why would they let the Han family get a foothold for nothing?

Naturally, it was because they had to bring a worthy son-in-law along for mutual development!

The development of an entire region wasn't something that could be done in a year or two.

Plans spanned at least a decade, sometimes decades longer, involving enormous economic entanglements.

Gu Jinghan cupped He Huanhuan's face and looked her in the eyes. "You little fool, think about how much money our family would have to split off?"

"No matter how much Dad likes Chacha, he would never give Han Mo to her."

His expression suddenly turned dead serious. "Han Mo can only be yours."

"Damn..."

This was a world He Huanhuan had never encountered before. She was a bit dazed and couldn't help asking, "How much money are we talking? Is it a hundred million?"

She had seen rich people showing off on short videos where they casually mentioned 'one small goal'—a hundred million.

She figured that given how serious Gu Jinghan sounded, it had to be at least a hundred million, right?

In truth, she had no real concept of what a hundred million meant.

For someone poor like her:

A hundred thousand was a car.

A million was an apartment.

Ten million was a luxury mansion.

But a hundred million?

Sorry, her imagination failed her.

Gu Jinghan pinched her nose. "Silly girl, we’re talking about tens of billions..."

"Damn, am I really that valuable?"

"You bet you are!"

Gu Jinghan smirked teasingly. "Just wait. Gu Chacha is definitely going to come after you next."

Han Mo was someone Chacha wouldn't easily give up.

In the circle of wealthy second-generation heirs, there weren't many as generous as Han Mo.

Most of them couldn't even cover their own startup costs with the money their families gave them, so where would they find the cash to spoil a woman?

Once Gu Chacha met a few of those heirs, she’d realize just how good Han Mo really was.

As it turned out, the very next day, Gu Chacha found out exactly how good Han Mo was.

That guy Song Zhuo, after learning that Chacha had lost her arranged marriage, scrambled to find her a new prospect overnight.

"Their family is loaded!"

Song Zhuo’s voice was practically vibrating with excitement over the phone. "You absolutely have to lock this down! If you snag him, you’ll be untouchable in the Gu family!"

These days, having money wasn't enough—his family had been 'red' for generations!

Gu Chacha sounded unenthusiastic. "If it’s so great, why don’t you go for it yourself?"

Talk was cheap. If it were really that good, Song Zhuo would have kept it for herself.

Song Zhuo grumbled in frustration. "Damn, you think I didn’t try? He’s not into my type!"

She had already made her own attempt!

And been flat-out rejected!

That admission actually made Gu Chacha believe her a little more.

"Fine, set up a time for me. I’ll go check him out."

In the circle of heiresses at Jiang City, Gu Chacha’s looks were more than presentable.

Her eyes were naturally upturned, long yet not narrow.

They were stunning fox eyes.

But her pupils were round, which took away from the sharpness and gave her a softer appearance.

Song Zhuo moved fast—one call and she booked a lunch meeting for the next day.

The next day, Gu Chacha dressed in an apricot-colored dress, looking gentle and sweet.

She arrived at the Western restaurant as agreed, and the hostess led her into a private room.

Inside, a man in an old suit sat frowning as he flipped through the menu.

When she walked in, the man nodded at her. "Liang Ye."

"Gu Chacha."

As soon as she sat down, Liang Ye handed her the menu. "Take a look at what you'd like to eat."

She casually ordered two dishes. Today's main focus wasn't really about eating—it was...

"Make it two checks. She pays for what she ordered."

Hmm?

Gu Chacha froze. "What did you say?"

Liang Ye glanced up at her. "I always split the bill when I eat with a woman. Do you mind?"

"Always split it?"

Gu Chacha was a bit confused. "Even when you're dating?"

"Split it."

"What about marriage? Even after marriage?"

Liang Ye nodded. "Naturally. Men and women are equal. I refuse to spend money on women. I also look down on those who try to latch onto wealth. I assume you're not that kind of person, right?"

His gaze landed on her, waiting for a reply.

She forced a smile onto her face. "Of course not..."

She knew it! That bastard Song Zhuo would never actually set her up with a decent match!

So this was the catch!

When the food arrived, she poked at it listlessly with her chopsticks, unable to eat.

Originally, she had thought that without Han Mo, she could always find someone else.

But yesterday, when she went through the eligible bachelors in Jiang City...

One by one, they were all even worse than Han Mo.

She'd heard that the second-generation heir of the Xu family had opened a coffee shop as a startup at the start of the year—spending ten million on the interior alone.

The steps leading into the shop were imported straight from France.

After six months in business, he hadn't even made a thousand in revenue.

If she ended up with someone like that...

Her dowry wouldn't even be enough to cover his losses!

She'd hoped that Fufu could hook her up with someone reliable—ha!

Call it being cheap, why dress it up as splitting bills? Who was he trying to fool?

"Why aren't you eating?"

Seeing her poke at the food for ages without taking more than two bites, Liang Ye couldn't help but ask.

She smiled and shook her head. "I don't have much of an appetite. I can't eat."

"Then I'll help you finish it."

Without waiting for a response, Liang Ye reached over, took the dish in front of her, and polished it off in three or four bites.

It happened too fast—she couldn't react in time.

"Th-That was my dish."

Liang Ye nodded. "You said you didn't have an appetite, right? It's wasteful to leave it."

"But we're splitting the bill!"

She paid for that food!

Liang Ye smiled. "I know. So, you're welcome."

You're welcome, my ass!

Was he acting like he was doing her a favor?

Gu Chacha could barely keep the smile on her face. She took a deep breath. "Mr. Liang, I think we might not be very compatible..."

"Why?"

Liang Ye looked at her, puzzled. "I actually have a good impression of you. I think we should keep seeing each other. If you don't mind, I could visit your parents tomorrow. If everything goes smoothly, we could get engaged by the end of this month..."

His lips kept moving, spouting terrifying words.

Gu Chacha suddenly realized—that damn Fufu! She was just foisting her problem onto Gu Chacha!

Under the table, her fingers flew across her phone, typing frantically: "Song Zhuo! You did this on purpose! You set me up!"

A reply came from the other side in no time: "Sorry! If I didn't, I'd be the one getting engaged to him! Chacha, save your bestie—his family is really loaded! I swear!"

"What good does being loaded do? He won't spend a cent on her! He's making me split the dinner bill!"

"Then just pawn him off on someone else! He's not picky!"

"You—"

She had just typed the word "you" when a flash of a colorful figure crossed her mind. The corners of Gu Chacha's mouth curled up involuntarily.

She rested her chin on her hands and looked at Liang Ye. "Mr. Liang, actually, I have a pretty good impression of you too. But you might not know, I'm not really the child of our family..."

With tears in her eyes, she recounted her background. "Sigh... I feel like I'm not good enough for you..."

"That's true."

Liang Ye nodded. "Based on what you're saying, you are indeed a bit lacking for someone like me."

Gu Chacha barely stopped herself from cursing. You stingy jerk! How dare you say that!

But on the surface, she still put on a sad expression. "Compared to my older sister, I'm really not worthy of you..."

Liang Ye glanced at her face—it was very beautiful.

He felt a little reluctant, but considering her background, he decided to prioritize the bigger picture. "Does your sister have a boyfriend? If not, you can introduce us."

Gu Chacha quickly shook her head. "My sister is virtuous and pure, she has no boyfriend!"