Chapter 82: To Marry

An Ling had never heard of such a thing before, and hearing it now gave her a very strange feeling.

She naturally believed what An Zhou said; this was the family business, so he couldn't be joking about it. Yet, she also felt this was completely out of character for Shen Linyan.

But it made sense. Being kind-hearted didn't mean being stupid. Shen Linyan must have a good head for business, otherwise, Father Shen wouldn't have let him act as the acting chairman.

An Zhou parked the car and noticed her thoughtful expression.

"That's why I told you long ago that the guy is no good. He didn't approach you with good intentions. If you remarry him, I might as well pack up the An Corporation and hand it right over to him, saving him the trouble of scheming to cheat you out of your feelings and money."

"..."

An Ling unbuckled her seatbelt and stammered, "Then what if Shen Linyan said he would give me shares if I remarry him?"

An Zhou chuckled and replied without hesitation, "Don't even think about it. Impossible. He definitely planted a trap in the contract."

An Ling blinked.

Could that be? Shen Linyan had always been able to do everything he promised her.

Before, she had jokingly asked him for two hundred million, and when they divorced, he actually gave it to her.

Afraid that saying too much would give her away, An Ling could only nod, pretending to agree as she got out of the car.

After entering the house, Mother An and Father An were sitting on the sofa watching TV.

Seeing them return together, Mother An turned her head and asked, "How come you two came back together? Did you siblings go on blind dates together today?"

An Zhou unbuttoned his suit jacket, sat on the sofa, and couldn't wait to say, "Not at all. Mom, let's get this straight first. I've already tried my best, but she completely ignored me. You can't arrange any more for me."

Mother An shot him a sideways glance. "Looks like you blew it?"

That was a given.

An Zhou held his forehead with a distressed look. "Yeah, yeah. There's nothing I can do. You know you can't force feelings."

Father An was peeling an orange next to them. After peeling it, he handed it to Mother An. "But Qin You said she is very satisfied with you."

"??"

An Zhou's expression froze. "Huh?"

How was that possible???

That iceberg of a young lady was satisfied with him?

An Ling sat on a small sofa to the side, also bent over to grab an orange, and smiled. "Haha, congratulations, brother."

"..."

An Zhou frowned. "That's impossible, right? Mom, Dad, don't lie to me. She didn't even speak to me."

"It's true." Mother An took out her phone to show him. "She even said she is open to getting married right away."

An Zhou's eyelid twitched. "...Married?"

Mother An turned to look at Father An. "Looks like we can buy a marital home. Where should we buy it? We'll have to ask Youyou for her thoughts when the time comes."

She was already calling her Youyou???

What in the world was going on?

An Zhou's head spun. "Wait a minute, you guys. Ask me! I'm the one getting married!"

Mother An: "You don't agree?"

Father An: "She didn't even despise you, and you still have something to complain about?"

An Ling: "Exactly, exactly."

An Zhou: "..."

An Ling, you're just gloating over there, aren't you?

He leaned back and decided to throw her under the bus too.

"Mom, An Ling went out for a second dinner with her blind date today. I think they have a pretty good chance too."

Hearing this, Mother An turned to look at An Ling. "Lingling, did you meet with Xiao Wen?"

An Ling blinked. "I did. As friends."

Mother An smiled and nodded. "Good."

An Zhou: "?"

Seeing his bewildered face, An Ling stood up and smiled as she patted her clothes.

"Oh, right, brother, I forgot to mention. I'm not quite like you. I went to make a friend, not for a blind date."

An Zhou was dumbfounded. "???"

He turned his head in shock. "Mom, Dad, what does this mean?!"

Mother An turned a deaf ear and casually stood up to head upstairs. "I'm sleepy. Lao An, we should go to bed too."

Father An also stood up and followed. "Alright."

Only An Zhou was left in the living room, sitting on the sofa in a daze.

Had he... been set up??

...

Qin You agreed to marry An Zhou, and the two families arranged to have dinner together next week.

As the future mother-in-law, Mother An naturally had to buy a gift for Qin You.

"Mrs. An, we've recently stocked a lot of new jewelry. Would you like to see if anything catches your eye?"

Mother An sat on the sofa and took the tablet handed to her by the salesperson.

She picked up the cup from the table and casually swiped on the screen.

Her gaze landed on a violet jadeite necklace priced at 6.8 million. The purple color would actually suit Qin You quite well—cool, elegant, and the price was reasonable enough.

She took a sip of tea and signaled to the salesperson beside her. "Please wrap this one up for me, along with the earrings from the same collection."

"Right away, Mrs. An."

The salesperson got up and left.

Mother An put down her teacup and picked up her phone to call Mrs. Wen.

When the call connected, she smiled and said, "Mrs. Wen, would you like to come over to my house later to play mahjong? A few other ladies will be there too."

Mrs. Wen's voice came from the other end. "Sure. By the way, Mingyue, after Lingling and Yuche went on their blind date last time, did Lingling say anything?"

Mingyue was Mother An's name.

Mother An's tone was cheerful. "Lingling said she and Yuche are going to be friends. It seems the two kids are getting along pretty well."

"That boy Yuche didn't even want to go at first, but after he came back, he specifically asked me about Lingling," Mrs. Wen laughed.

As she spoke, she suddenly paused and lowered her voice. "Um, Mingyue, about Lingling's ex-husband... Isn't that Shen Linyan? Did they really have an amicable divorce?"

Mother An's expression tightened slightly, and she gave a soft "Mm." "It was an amicable divorce. Don't worry, it's all in the past. The two of them have nothing to do with each other now."

Mrs. Wen's tone noticeably relaxed. "Hahaha, I was just asking. I said those past news stories were fake anyway. I watched Lingling grow up; how could something like that ever happen?"

Seeing the salesperson walking over, Mother An found an excuse to hang up, her tone gentle. "I still have some things to take care of while I'm out. I'll chat with you later when I get home."

She put down her phone and noticed the salesperson's hands were empty.

Before she could ask, the salesperson spoke up first, her expression showing difficulty and apology.

"Um... I'm so sorry, Mrs. An. It was my oversight. The jewelry piece you wanted is no longer available, and neither is the rest of the collection."

Mother An was taken aback. She picked up the tablet and swiped left and right. "Are these imperial green jadeite pieces gone too?"

"Yes."

What unfortunate timing.

Mother An waved her hand and sighed. "Never mind, never mind. If they come back in stock, let me know. By the day after tomorrow at the latest."

If not, she would just have to find something else as a substitute.

She picked up her bag and walked toward the exit of the store, but then her footsteps suddenly halted, a trace of surprise flashing across her face.

A man in a sharp suit was standing at the entrance of the store. It was unclear when he had arrived. His posture was tall and straight, exuding a natural aura of noble elegance.

Seeing her there, the man showed no surprise on his face, as if he had anticipated it all along.

He curled his lips slightly, his expression gentle.

"Auntie, is it convenient for you to have a chat with me right now?"

Mother An's expression was somewhat subtle. After a moment of silence, she finally sighed and agreed.

"Let's go, Chairman Shen."