Chapter 9: Perfectly Matched Fates

This is the privilege of being handsome! No matter what you do, there's always a reason, and you can always be forgiven.

Lu Yiqi returned to the living room five minutes later, her cheeks no longer flushed. She sat down on the sofa with an air of calm, but she dared not let her gaze wander. The remote control she had searched for earlier was now in plain sight; she picked it up and turned on the television, speaking in a very serious tone, "I'm going to watch TV now."

She switched to the children's channel, which was playing an animated show called "Peppa Pig." Xie Xu watched intently for two minutes, then his lips twitched slightly as he quietly turned his head away.

"Is this what you usually like to watch? That pink pig that looks like a hairdryer?"

Lu Yiqi: "???" She had only chosen a random channel to ease the awkwardness; she wasn't paying attention at all.

She opened her mouth to explain, but Xie Xu wore an expression that said, "No need to explain, I understand." Lu Yiqi gritted her teeth: Forget it, I'll just endure this quietly.

On the surface, she watched the TV with the utmost seriousness, but her hand crept stealthily toward the remote. With a flick of the screen, it changed to another channel. "Oh, I accidentally hit the remote."

Xie Xu, witnessing Lu Yiqi's little maneuver, tried hard to suppress the smile threatening to curl his lips.

...

After Chen Wan finished cooking, the three of them sat at the dining table. Chen Wan and Lu Yiqi sat on one side, Xie Xu sat opposite Lu Yiqi. The three ate quietly, no one speaking.

It was Chen Wan who broke the silence first, placing a piece of spare rib in Xie Xu's bowl. "Xie, try the spare ribs Auntie made."

"Thank you, Auntie."

Lu Yiqi stared longingly at the spare ribs in Xie Xu's bowl. Her favorite braised ribs, just like that, falling into someone else's bowl. She smacked her lips, pretending that piece had entered her own mouth, then promptly piled several ribs into her own bowl, shooting Xie Xu a defiant glance: So what if my mom serves you? I can serve myself!

The meal ended half an hour later. After thanking Chen Wan, Xie Xu went home.

As soon as Xie Xu left, Lu Yiqi looked at Chen Wan with resentment. "Mom~ What are you trying to do? You treat Xie Xu like a son-in-law, so warm and welcoming. What, am I not your real daughter anymore?"

"Nonsense, if you're not my real daughter, who is?"

"I don't care. I've figured it out—I'm no match for an outsider, hmph."

"At least you've finally seen the truth."

"..."

"Let me be honest with you," Chen Wan continued, "don't you think Xie Xu is quite impressive? I hear he's your class monitor."

"Yes," Lu Yiqi replied, though that class monitor never took any responsibility for her, always telling her not to bother him unless it was necessary.

"Exactly. Just now, I checked your birth charts, and I think yours and Xie Xu's are highly compatible!"

"..."

She spat inwardly. Her mother was matchmaking again.

This wasn't the first time. Two months ago, Yan Yi returned from abroad. Chen Wan saw that the childhood chubby boy had grown into a handsome young man and invited him over with the same enthusiasm. After Yan Yi left, Chen Wan took her hand and said their birth charts matched. And now, it was happening again.

Chen Wan spoke up once more, "Yiqi, trust your mother. Although Yan Yi is quite good-looking nowadays, I've secretly compared them. Xie Xu is still a better fit for you."

Lu Yiqi didn't even have to think; she knew Chen Wan said this because Xie Xu was more handsome than Yan Yi.