Chapter 142: Extra Story: Anzhou × You Qin 02

The second date.

An Zhou drove to a dance studio following the address Qin You had given him.

He got out of the car and looked up at the sign above the entrance.

"So she teaches dance?"

Arriving over ten minutes early, An Zhou stood downstairs for a while, but couldn't resist his curiosity and went inside to take a look.

Faint music drifted into his ears, accompanied by a woman's voice counting beats.

After going inside, there were already some parents waiting upstairs, so his presence didn't seem out of place.

To allow parents to better watch their children dance, the studio had transparent glass walls, offering a clear view of the inside from the hallway.

An Zhou instantly spotted that familiar figure.

Inside the dance studio, the woman was wearing a light purple leotard that hugged her curves, highlighting her long legs and slender waist.

She was helping a little girl adjust her posture. Her eyes were lowered, a faint smile graced her lips, and her hair was tied in a low ponytail, revealing a stretch of fair neck.

An Zhou paused slightly and raised an eyebrow.

So this Miss Qin actually knew how to smile.

After class, Qin You wiped her sweat. Glancing up accidentally, she saw An Zhou standing outside.

Their eyes met. The man froze for a moment before giving a small, discreet wave.

She paused slightly as a student's voice rang out in front of her.

"Bye-bye, Teacher Qin~"

She snapped back to reality, smiling as she looked down and waved. "Bye-bye."

Looking up and seeing An Zhou still watching her, she grabbed her things and was just about to walk over when a shrill woman's voice suddenly pierced her ears.

"You little slut! Seducing my husband!"

Turning her head, she saw a woman marching over aggressively. Stopping right in front of her, the woman raised her hand to strike.

Qin You stepped back, intending to dodge, but her wrist was suddenly grabbed. In the next second, she fell into a warm embrace.

The man's displeased voice sounded from above her head.

"Hey, why are you getting physical?"

The woman missed her slap and looked even more furious. "Me, getting physical? This little tramp seduced my husband! Doesn't she deserve to be hit?"

As she spoke, she looked at the bystanders. "Look at this! A homewrecker like her is a teacher! Are you really comfortable leaving your children with this kind of teacher!?"

Qin You recovered her wits and frowned as she looked at the woman in front of her. "You seem to have misunderstood something. What seduction? I have never done such a thing."

"Ha! Never done it! I have proof right here!" The woman took out her phone and pulled up some chat records. "You message my husband every few days! Are you saying you don't have feelings for him? No wonder he's been volunteering to pick up the kid lately, it turns out you've been luring him here!"

Qin You got a clear look at the chat contents and the profile picture, and her eye twitched. "Ma'am, this is normal work communication and check-ins. I do this with every parent. There is absolutely no seduction involved."

The woman remained highly agitated. "Bullshit! Then why didn't you message me? You only messaged the child's father. To put it bluntly, you just wanted to seduce him!"

Exhausted, Qin You pinched the bridge of her nose. "Because the phone number left on our file was the father's."

The woman wanted to keep arguing, but a man's voice cut her off.

"She has no reason to seduce your husband. He's completely beneath her notice."

The woman frowned and glared at him. "Who are you?"

An Zhou's tone was calm. "Her fiance."

The woman paused slightly.

Qin You also froze, looking up at him.

An Zhou didn't think there was any problem with this. Their families had already met, and Qin You had kissed him before, so of course he was her fiance.

He took out his phone. "I will call the police. Everything you've just said has already caused reputational damage to my girlfriend."

As the CEO of a company, managing thousands of employees, An Zhou truly exuded a sense of oppression when he got serious, his face completely devoid of expression.

The woman's expression changed slightly. "What slander! I have proof right here that she seduced him!"

As soon as she finished speaking, the voices of several other parents drifted over.

"Oh, you must be mistaken. Teacher Qin is very responsible; there's no way something like this happened."

"I received those messages too. There's nothing wrong with them."

"You shouldn't slander the young lady."

As the murmurs spread, the woman's face turned ugly. Unable to swallow her pride, she said stiffly, "Keep believing her then! You'll regret it when it happens to you. Anyway, I won't let my child stay here anymore!"

After saying that, she turned and left.

Seeing her run off just like that, An Zhou was about to speak when someone pressed down on his arm.

Qin You shook her head at him. "Forget it."

After packing up her things and heading downstairs, they got back into the car. An Zhou's expression was a bit complicated.

After holding it in for a while, he finally couldn't help but ask, "Do the people at your studio not know you're Miss Qin?"

Why was she staying silent while being bullied as a teacher, instead of just using her status to crush them?

Qin You buckled her seatbelt. Hearing this, she was stunned for a moment before letting out a soft laugh.

Suddenly hearing her laugh, An Zhou paused and turned to look at her. "What are you laughing at?"

Qin You raised a hand to fix her hair. "Things like this happen often. In this line of work, there are always some troublesome parents. I'm used to it."

She turned to look at An Zhou, a very faint smile still lingering on her face.

"But thank you anyway."

An Zhou's body stiffened slightly, and he almost slammed his foot on the brakes.

He coughed, feeling a bit embarrassed. "You're welcome. It was nothing."

Taking advantage of a red light, he glanced over at the passenger seat.

The woman was looking down, handling some matters on her phone, her face having already reverted to its usual indifferent expression.

He clicked his tongue and silently turned his head back. She really changed faces fast.

She looked so pretty when she smiled; she really ought to smile more.

...

Later on, An Zhou truly realized just how hard to please this Miss Qin was.

She only ate fat-loss meals, checked the calories even for snacks, disliked talking while eating, and only ate fruit that was already peeled and cut. After class, she had to go home and shower before a date. When chatting, he had to be the one to initiate, and she would reply selectively, only gracing him with a smile if she was in a good mood.

Was he looking for a wife or an ancestor to worship?

Moreover, he had no idea why she had agreed to this marriage alliance in the first place, as she didn't look like someone who wanted to get married at all.

That was until later. During one of their dates, he was playing a claw machine while Qin You watched him from the side. Suddenly, her phone rang.

After answering, whatever the person on the other end said caused her expression to change instantly.

Before he could react, she suddenly turned and walked out, completely forgetting to take her bag that was slung over his shoulder.

Snapping back to his senses, An Zhou quickly chased after her and grabbed her wrist. "What's wrong? Everything was fine, why..."

But when she turned around, he saw the panic and unease in the woman's eyes.

"I need to go to the hospital." Her voice was very soft, hiding an almost imperceptible tension.

Hearing this, An Zhou paused slightly and made a decision almost instantly, taking her hand and leading her outside.

"Okay, I'll take you."

...

Once they arrived at the hospital, An Zhou finally understood what was going on.

Qin You's grandmother had terminal cancer, and her condition had suddenly deteriorated, sending her into the emergency room.

By the time they arrived, the surgery was already over. Fortunately, it was successful. The elderly woman had been transferred to the intensive care unit and was currently under observation.

An Zhou stood by the bed, his gaze falling on the unconscious elderly woman.

Then, he turned his head to look beside him.

The woman sat in the chair wearing an isolation gown, tightly holding the elderly woman's hand. Her head was lowered, her expression obscured, but her shoulders trembled slightly.

An Zhou's gaze softened in a slight daze. He slowly raised his hand, letting it hover in the air for a moment. Just as he was about to lower it, a voice caught him off guard.

"Grandma... didn't you say you wanted to see me get married?"

His movements instantly stopped.

The woman's tone was very light and slow, yet it sounded distinctly clear in the quiet intensive care unit.

"I'm not married yet, so you can't leave. Didn't you say you'd only be at peace after seeing me happy? I'm not happy yet."

Her trailing words trembled more and more, eventually carrying a faint sob.

An Zhou fell silent for a moment before finally lowering his hand. He didn't say a word, just slowly stroked her back over and over in silent comfort, while her trembling sobs gradually grew clearer.

An Zhou went out to buy some water. When he returned, Qin You was sitting on the bench outside. He walked over and handed her a water bottle. "Drink some water."

Qin You took the water, her voice still very soft. "Thank you."

An Zhou didn't know what to say. He sat beside her, trying his best to find a topic of conversation. "Are your parents still out of town?"

Qin You nodded.

The air fell into a momentary silence.

An Zhou was still trying to think of something to say when he heard the woman say hoarsely, "You heard it, didn't you?"

He paused.

The woman kept her head bowed. Her hair slipped gently down the side of her face, covering a small portion of it and revealing a slender chin with faint tear stains still lingering on it.

She raised her hand to gently wipe a teardrop from the corner of her eye and said softly:

"The doctor said Grandma has a few months left at most. Since then, I started going on blind dates. I've met all sorts of bizarre men."

Her only requirement for them was to have a decent moral character, someone she could take back to show her grandmother.

"Whether I get married or not doesn't really matter to me. But Grandma wants to see me happy, and I don't want her to leave this world feeling guilty."

She looked up, the corners of her eyes tinted with a faint red.

"So, could I ask you to put on an act with me? I can tell you don't want to get married either. After Grandma passes away, I promise to grant you a divorce."

But for the CEO of a major corporation, a marriage of convenience followed by a divorce would spark quite a bit of public gossip, and could even impact the company's finances.

That was partly why Qin You hadn't wanted to go on blind dates with anyone from their social circle in the first place.

But right now, no one was more suited for this role than An Zhou.

Hearing this, An Zhou looked at her without speaking, his eyes carrying complex emotions.

Qin You clenched her palms. "I will do my best to compensate you for any losses caused by the divorce."

The air was quiet for a moment before the man suddenly let out a sigh.

He reached out and pulled her into his arms, his palm gently stroking the back of her head.

"Sigh, Miss Qin, you might not understand my family's situation. If I get married and then divorced, my family will beat me to death."

His tone was deliberately helpless and bright, yet it carried a reassuring steadiness. "Isn't it just acting? Don't worry, my sister is a producer. I'll have her teach me when the time comes. I guarantee you'll be satisfied, okay?"

"It's one thing that you give me a cold face every day and the number of times you smile can be counted on one hand, but why are you crying now?"

An Zhou thought for a moment and added, "If you want to thank me, just let me skip a few of those fat-loss meals on our future dates. I really want to eat at a proper restaurant."

Qin You pressed her lips tightly together. Tears seeped out silently, falling onto the man's shoulder, but she still let out a soft laugh.

"...That's a no."

An Zhou: "..."

Heartless little thing.

...

After Grandma Qin woke up, An Zhou went to see the elderly woman.

Before Qin You could speak, he set down the gifts in his hands and took the initiative to smile and say, "Hello, Grandma. I'm An Zhou, and I'm also Youyou's fiancé."

Grandma Qin knew of this An Zhou, but today was the first time they were meeting. She replied warmly, "Good, good."

An Zhou chatted with Grandma the entire time, leaving Qin You sitting to the side without even a chance to get a word in.

Taking advantage of the moment he poured hot water, he turned his back to Grandma Qin and, looking as if he were claiming credit, raised an eyebrow. "How did I do? Am I not excellent at controlling the room?"

Qin You was beside him picking out fruits. Hearing this, she gave a faint nod.

"Much more natural than on the day of our blind date."

An Zhou: "..." During the blind date, a certain someone didn't smile the entire time. How could he not be nervous?

Qin You handed him an apple. "Peel this for Grandma. I'll take the hot water back."

An Zhou: "Do you want to eat one?"

Qin You thought about it and handed him another one. "Yes."

"Okay."

Grandma Qin sat on the hospital bed, watching their interaction with a faint smile in her eyes.

When Qin You came over with the hot water, she suddenly smiled and said softly:

"Grandma is at ease now."

She was slightly taken aback, and then the corners of her lips curled up.

...

If you asked Qin You what her most regrettable decision was, it was telling An Zhou that she had been on many blind dates.

Because ever since they got married, An Zhou would bring it up from time to time to make comparisons and elevate himself.

"Do I look handsome in this? Am I not much more handsome than your previous blind dates?"

"..."

"I was very much a gentleman during our blind date, wasn't I? Your other blind dates definitely couldn't compare to me."

"..."

"You shouldn't have gone on blind dates in the first place. A high-quality man like your husband right here is a hundred times better than those blind dates of yours."

"..."

"Hey, what kind of weirdos were those blind dates anyway? What did they do at the time? Tell me about it, won't you? I want to hear."

Qin You couldn't bear it any longer. If this continued, her ears would develop calluses.

She simply turned her back to him, closing her eyes to sleep, her tone cold.

"If you keep being noisy, you can go sleep in the living room."

"..."

An Zhou instantly shut his mouth, but his muttered tone still carried a hint of dissatisfaction. "You were the one who begged me to act with you in the beginning, and now that the acting is done, you treat me like this? Even if we're married, you can't just use me and ignore me."

He glanced at the back of the woman beside him again, fell silent for a moment, and then spoke up anyway, "Hey, if I agreed to divorce you, would you divorce me now? You wouldn't be able to find anyone better than me, right? Which of those blind dates was better than me?"

Qin You paused slightly, unexpectedly catching the underlying meaning in An Zhou's words.

She opened her eyes and turned her head to look at the man behind her.

An Zhou was also looking at her. "What? Would you really go on blind dates? I'm telling you, those guys out there—"

Before he could finish his sentence, his hand was grasped.

"I won't go on blind dates with anyone else. I'll only marry you, is that okay?"

An Zhou paused and said hesitantly, "Really? Even though it's impossible, hypothetically, if a man with better conditions than me appeared, would you—"

"No one will be better than you."

Qin You looked at him, her tone serious. "You are the best."

An Zhou was delighted to hear this.

He smiled brightly and leaned over to hug his wife.

"Youyou is the best."