Chapter 47: Top Scorer in the College Entrance Examination!

Ling Qiu: ???

“Aunt, are you teasing me?”

“Do you think I’m joking?” Xu Wanxi smiled. “The Deng family owed our late elder a huge favor—that engagement was set long ago. It’s just that... everyone in the Ling family didn’t want you to benefit from it, so they kept the news suppressed, thinking of ways to transfer the engagement to another junior in the Ling family. But a few days ago, the Dengs suddenly came knocking, insisting by name that only you, Ling Qiu, could marry. Otherwise, the two families would end all ties.”

“And then?”

“What else could happen?” Xu Wanxi said. “Deng Ruyan sent word through someone, saying she would marry no one but you. Since you’re the only legitimate heir named in the old man’s will, she’s added a condition.”

She paused, then continued, “That is... the future head of the Ling family must be you, Ling Qiu. Otherwise... they’ll cut off all cooperation with our family.”

Ling Qiu couldn’t help but laugh.

An engagement...

How terribly clichéd, yet it had landed squarely on his own head.

But this tired cliché did have its twist.

The object of the engagement, contrary to the old tales, did not despise or look down on Ling Qiu—on the contrary, she had chosen him.

Even though now, almost everyone knew Ling Qiu as a good-for-nothing, hopeless case.

And yet this Deng Ruyan... had chosen to honor her promise.

More than that, by the sound of it... she seemed to be doing everything to support his rise.

However...

This seemingly friendly gesture was, in fact, completely misplaced.

Ling Qiu had absolutely no desire to be the head of the Ling family!

“Aunt, let me ask you something.”

“Ask.”

“Does Deng Ruyan want to marry the future head of the Ling family, or must it be me, Ling Qiu?”

“Is there a contradiction?”

“No, but I want to make clear which is more important.”

“Well... it should be the family head. According to them, the fiancé must be the future head of the Ling family. So... I’m also puzzled why the Dengs are so set on you. Perhaps the old man did the Dengs a great favor back then, and since his will named you, they insist on you no matter what.”

The Dengs, it seemed, truly valued loyalty and kept their word.

And Deng Ruyan herself was a dazzling figure.

If word of this got out, everyone would say such a beautiful flower was being planted in a pile of dung.

But the Deng family’s integrity and sense of obligation matched their illustrious name.

“So the engagement only stipulates the fiancé must be the future family head, not necessarily me, right?”

“From the terms, yes.”

“Good, that settles it.” Ling Qiu yawned. “Then I have no obligation here! I refuse. That’s that—hanging up.”

“Wait!” Xu Wanxi called out. “You brat... are you deliberately making things difficult for me?”

“Well... this is a lifelong matter. You said yourself you used to bathe me when I was little... Can you really bear to see me marry someone I don’t even like? To soak in a tub with someone I have no feelings for?”

Xu Wanxi: ???

What’s with this brat’s flirtatious tone?

After a moment, she said, “Ling Qiu, are you playing hard to get? Do you know how many distinguished men around the world want to marry a woman like Deng Ruyan? As someone who watched you grow up, I know this is a golden opportunity for you. With her as your wife, you’ll soar to the top. Even if you do nothing, with her support, you’ll rise high—standing still won’t be an option!”

“No means no.” Ling Qiu replied offhand, “If I’m being forced into marriage, I might as well marry you instead. At least you’d still bathe me every day.”

“You little rascal!”

Xu Wanxi shrieked—Ling Qiu could practically hear her blushing over the phone. “Are you never going to drop this bathing joke? Can’t you be serious for a change? Besides, the engagement states the spouse must be the future head of the Ling family. According to you, you trust no one else in the Ling family, so the family head was originally going to be me. But... if I take the position, isn’t that just cutting off relations with the Dengs?”

Ling Qiu asked, “Why? The marriage can go ahead. Isn’t it just a matter of signing some papers, nothing complicated.”

“That’s not the point!!” Xu Wanxi was exasperated by Ling Qiu’s lazy, casual manner. “I’m a woman, Deng Ruyan is a woman! How are two women supposed to marry?!”

“Oh, right. You’re both women.” Ling Qiu chuckled.

“Exactly, so—” Xu Wanxi began.

But Ling Qiu interrupted, “All the better. Just thinking about it is exciting.”

Xu Wanxi: @!@!#$$@!

“Ling Qiu! You... you brat, are you trying to infuriate me on purpose? Just wait, I’m coming straight to Jiang’an City. Since you love bathing so much, if I don’t scrub a layer of skin off you today, I won’t deserve to be your aunt!”

“Hahaha!” Ling Qiu burst out laughing. “Alright, enough fooling around. Xu Wanxi, you’ve really come a long way over the years. The business world is full of your stories—everyone calls you a heroine, the modern-day Mulan. But you can’t lose your cool over a few jokes, you know.”

“I give up!” Xu Wanxi took a deep breath.

To be honest, she’d never been like this with anyone or anything else. But somehow, faced with this mischievous Ling Qiu, she always lost her composure, as if all the poise and skills she’d honed over the years vanished before him.

“I understand. Let me think it over.”

Ling Qiu finally answered seriously.

He understood Xu Wanxi’s concern.

According to the plan, if Xu Wanxi became the Ling family’s next head, everything would go smoothly.

But now, with Deng Ruyan’s sudden insistence that only Ling Qiu can become the family head and fulfill the marriage, things had gotten complicated.

Two women marrying—how would that work?

True, it might be legally possible in some countries.

But this was an alliance between two prominent families...

If they really did that, wouldn’t their ancestors rise from their graves in outrage?

So, even if Ling Qiu wanted to escape this engagement, he’d at least have to arrange for a man to take the family head position.

But thinking it over, apart from Xu Wanxi, there wasn’t a single person in the Ling family he trusted.

So that path was blocked as well.

“Fine, take your time. But no matter what you decide, next month, Deng Ruyan will arrange to meet you, and you must attend.”

Hearing this, Ling Qiu replied, “Alright, if it’s just a meeting, I’ll do it. After all, you asked. I can’t refuse the request of my beautiful aunt.”

“Such a smooth talker.” Xu Wanxi said, “That’s settled then. Oh, and you mentioned you planned to attend Jiangnan University, right? I’ve already arranged the connections for you, so—”

Ling Qiu laughed, “Connections? Is that necessary?”

“Of course it is. Do you have any idea how terrible your grades are?”

Ling Qiu smiled. “If I attend Jiangnan University, it’s an honor for them. They should be the ones begging me, not the other way around.”

“Alright, alright, you’re amazing. If bragging were a crime, you’d be serving a life sentence.” Xu Wanxi retorted, “Just remember what I said. Don’t screw this up. Whatever you decide, don’t disappear on me, or else... I’ll scrub a layer of skin off you!”