Modu.
Jun Chen walked aimlessly down the street. He had been bombarded with nearly fifty phone calls a day by his mother back home, dragging him back from overseas for a blind date. Jun Chen had obeyed, rushing right back from abroad, but he hadn't followed instructions entirely—he caught a connecting flight straight to Modu instead of returning to Kyoto.
When Jun Chen's mother, Ye Qingcheng, received the news, she wasn't angry at all; in fact, she stopped pushing him about blind dates altogether.
How could Jun Chen fail to understand his mother Ye Qingcheng's intention? She was simply afraid that if he acted too recklessly abroad, he would tick off those old folks, who might drop all dignity and use their senior status to bully a junior, just to ensure her precious son didn't get the short end of the stick.
Are you kidding? Who was Jun Chen? Kyoto's top young master, the crown prince! Did he need a blind date?
Under the lingering glow of the setting sun, Jun Chen's shadow was stretched very, very long.
Jun Chen had been back in the country for over a month now. He wanted to find something to do, but hadn't been able to land any reliable job. A week ago, he happened to see a recruitment notice online for Modu University, looking for three ideological and political teachers. The requirements were a doctoral degree, teaching experience, no criminal record... aged twenty-six and above, major unrestrictive, gender unrestrictive.
Jun Chen's face instantly lit up with joy—this position was practically tailor-made for him.
Are you kidding? Yours truly was a legitimate PhD graduate from a prestigious 985 university, and had once taught close-range combat to no less than five hundred people... He had just turned twenty-seven this year, perfectly fitting the requirements! He decisively submitted his job application.
Jun Chen truly experienced the employment pressure of Huaxia Country today: three openings, and over four hundred competitors, all of whom met the application requirements. There was a written test in the morning and an interview in the afternoon. By the time Jun Chen finished his interview and walked out, it was already sunset.
All the way there, Jun Chen had been wondering whether he should pull some strings and pull a few backdoor favors, feeling like his chances were a bit slim. For the first time in his life, he felt less than confident; no matter what, those competitors were all far too outstanding.
Walking alone down the street, Jun Chen strolled by himself.
A red Ferrari drove straight toward him and pulled to a stop right in front of him. The car door opened, and a woman stepped out. She was dressed in a black professional suit, with her hair pinned up high. Her skin was delicate, her figure tall, and she possessed a beauty that could sink fish and drop geese, eclipse the moon and shame flowers, a countenance that could topple cities and states. As a woman, she was flawless in appearance—an absolute perfection.
The woman walked up to him and said in a clear voice, "Hello, Shen Liuli. Do you have a moment to talk?"
Jun Chen nodded.
Shen Liuli! True to her name, she was crystal clear and translucent.
At the nearest cafe by the road, Shen Liuli ordered a cup of coffee, while Jun Chen ordered a glass of juice; he had no desire to be overly wired at night and fail to sleep.
The two of them sat for a long time, gazing at each other in silence. Neither spoke first, staring at each other without a word.
Jun Chen raised an eyebrow and looked at Shen Liuli. Didn't you want to talk? Speak up then, what's the deal with just sitting there saying nothing?
Shen Liuli subconsciously cupped her coffee with both hands, her gaze fixed blankly on the cup in her hands. Jun Chen could clearly sense that she was nervous. She had reviewed this meeting with Jun Chen many times in her mind today, making thorough preparations before coming. But now that she was actually seeing Jun Chen and sitting face-to-face with him, she felt a bit hesitant and nervous.
Outside the window, people came and went on the bustling street, a stream of endless traffic. The sunset dipped completely below the horizon, and night fell!
Shen Liuli took a deep breath, slowly let it out, and raised her head to look at Jun Chen. She couldn't wait any longer; there was no time left.
Jun Chen sat up straight and looked back at Shen Liuli. Had she finally figured out what she wanted to say?
"I'm pregnant!"
Shen Liuli said it casually, as if it were no big deal, but it was something she had managed only after mustering immense courage and going through a fierce internal struggle.
Pre-marital infidelity, scoring a bullseye on the very first try—in the ideological education Shen Liuli had received since childhood, this was completely unacceptable. Yet, less than a month before her wedding date, she had a one-night stand with a total stranger. Although it was just an accident, she had no regrets afterward, because she couldn't make her own decisions regarding her marriage; she had no love in it. Since there was no love, who she gave her body to no longer mattered. It wasn't until she discovered she was pregnant that she felt a trace of panic and helplessness.
After a fierce internal struggle, Shen Liuli still decided to tell that person the news—namely, Jun Chen.
Shen Liuli had no intention of aborting the child; the baby was innocent. Perhaps this child could help her escape this commercial marriage, even if it meant her reputation was dragged through the mud and she fell into the abyss; she would pay any price.
"Really? You hit the jackpot on the first try?" Jun Chen wore a look of utter astonishment! He didn't process it for a moment, and it was only after a long pause that he asked.
Jun Chen had flitted through countless flowers without a single leaf sticking to him. Strictly speaking, Shen Liuli was Jun Chen's very first woman, and the moment she stepped out of the car, Jun Chen recognized her at a glance.
That looks, that figure—Jun Chen wouldn't forget them even if he tried.
Shen Liuli picked up her handbag, pulled a single sheet of report from it, placed it on the table, and looked out the window in silence.
Jun Chen picked up the report from the table and read it carefully. Accidentally becoming a dad was a big deal; he had to treat it with caution.
It was a diagnosis certificate issued by the Modu Municipal People's Hospital: Name, Shen Liuli... Pregnancy duration: 3 weeks... Doing the math, the timing lined up perfectly!
Jun Chen put down the report in his hand, took a deep breath, and after a moment of silence, said, "I'll take responsibility. Let's get married."
The corners of Shen Liuli's eyes grew moist, and she said in a hoarse voice, "I came today just to tell you about the child, since you're the father after all... Also... I'm getting married... tomorrow."
Jun Chen wore a blank expression and hurriedly asked, "Wait! What do you mean, you're getting married tomorrow?"
Shen Liuli wiped away her tears, forced a smile, and said with fortitude, "I mean exactly what those words say: I'm getting married tomorrow."
"It's getting late, I should head back to prepare. We'll never see each other again!"
With that, Shen Liuli stood up and turned to stride away gracefully, without the slightest hesitation. Originally, she had wanted to ask Jun Chen to crash her wedding, as exposing the matter that way might have salvaged her reputation a bit. But Shen Liuli could never summon the resolve to let a stranger plunge into danger for her sake and potentially lose his life. She knew all too well the methods of those people—they would stop at nothing to achieve their goals.
Jun Chen stared blankly at Shen Liuli's retreating figure, lost in a daze for a long time, until she drove away and vanished from his field of vision.
"What is the meaning of this? Is she planning to let someone else be the dad to Jun Chen's child? And never see each other again? What an international joke! If the old man at home finds out that his great-grandson is wandering out among the common folk and even called another man dad, would he still leave him a way to survive?"
Jun Chen was utterly bewildered. Coming back to his senses without a shred of hesitation, he immediately pulled out his phone and dialed a number.
The call connected, and a lazy male voice came through the receiver, "Young Master Jun, is the blind date over? Makes sense though, it's been over a month, time it ended. If you ask me..."
Jun Chen interrupted, "Blind date? My ass, I've got a kid now."
"Cut the crap, get some men over here for me!"
"Your grandpa here is going to snatch a bride tomorrow!"