Avoid the Protagonist
chapter-193

Chapter 193: “Are the days before marriage even worth being compared to the days after?” (1)

While she was on her way to work the next day, Xin Siyue sent Zhong Qin a message, asking about the unexpected development between her and Zhuang Zhu.

Zhong Qin was in the middle of rushing to work, so her response was a simple “I’ll explain later when I’m free.”

Thus, the two arranged to meet for dinner in the evening. When Chen Sinan called her and said that he was going to pick her up after work, she told him to figure out dinner on her own because she had an appointment in the evening.

“A dinner appointment?” He sounded unhappy.

“Yes, I’m going with Zhong Qin.”

Immediately, Chen Sinan understood the reason for their dinner appointment. For a moment, he regretted being a busybody the night before. He’d shot himself in the shot. “When will you be home?”

“It’ll depend.”

This was the worst type of answer.

Chen Sinan replied: “Then I’ll pick you up at 8:30 after I finish working overtime tonight.”

“How come I didn’t know that you were working overtime today?” she asked dubiously.

“How can I be home when my wife isn’t? Do you want to force me to guard an empty house?” he grumbled.

This made Xin Siyue happy. “Then how come I’ve never heard you complaining about guarding an empty house before we got married?”

“Are the days before marriage even worth being compared to the days after?”

“Hmm, that’s true,” she agreed with a smile.

After the call ended, Chen Sinan called for Assistant Wang. The latter rushed into the office only to learn that his boss wanted him to inform every department head that they had to work overtime tonight. Furthermore, their quarterly conference would also be held in advance.

Assistant Wang silently gauged Chen Sinan’s expression. Though his face wasn’t particularly happy, it didn’t look like he was in a bad mood either. It didn’t seem like he had fought with the lady boss.

Nonetheless, Assistant Wang still double-checked his boss’s expression before answering, “Yes, President Chen.”

As he closed the office door, he silently lit a candy for each of the department heads. At this rate, he was certain they would become too busy to even eat dinner.

***

When Xin Siyue saw Zhong Qin at their meeting place, Zhong Qin was absentmindedly stirring her coffee with a spoon.

“What happened to you?”

Zhong Qin immediately recognized her friend’s voice and turned around, her expression somewhat dark. “Ha, let’s not talk about that. I couldn’t fall asleep until 3 o’clock last night, then I was almost late to work in the morning. I’ve been feeling out of sorts all day.”

Xin Siyue looked at her and saw that indeed, she looked exhausted. “Because of Zhuang Zhu?” she asked probingly.

“More or less, I guess.”

“So what are your thoughts on him?” Xin Siyue asked.

“What can I think? It’s impossible,” came the unhesitant response.

“You’re that certain?”

“We’re not compatible.”

Drawing upon her understanding of Zhuang Zhu, Xin Siyue responded, “Though he is a bit muddle-headed, the main reason is because he hasn’t met the right person for him. Who knows, maybe all of his bad habits will change once he finds them.”

Zhong Qin’s expression remained indifferent, so she added, “Lust and infidelity are common flaws of men.”

Lifting an eyebrow, Zhong Qin smiled and asked, “I’ve never thought of myself as a particularly charming person. Besides, how come your Chen Sinan doesn’t share this ‘common flaw’?”

At the mention of Chen Sinan, Xin Siyue couldn’t help but smile and refute, “He’s a different kind.”

Zhong Qin sighed. “To be honest, even without you saying it, I know that men can change after they’ve met the right person. But it’s impossible for Zhuang Zhu and I. You said it’s okay to just fall in love and get married, but that’s not suitable for me. My parents are both humble public officials, and our family background is average. Zhuang Zhu is a rich second generation. The moment my parents learn about his family background, they will try to stop me from seeing him again. Last time I saw them, my cousin had gotten divorced within three months of marrying a rich man. They reminded me that it’s always better to marry within one’s own social class.”

After listening to her friend’s thoughts, Xin Siyue fell silent. Indeed, love was a matter between two people, but marriage was a matter between two families.

Then, Zhong Qin added one of her own concerns. “Besides, I’m not even interested in dating someone, let alone marrying them. It’s fine if I can still retreat afterward, but if I really end up pouring my heart into a relationship that fails, I can’t afford to start a whole new relationship. I don’t have that luxury.”

“But don’t you think it’ll be too late to talk about love when you find a man who meets all of the right conditions? Moreover, finding one like that will be hard.”

“It’s whatever, I’ll go with the tide.” She never thought much about love anyway.

Xin Siyue really couldn’t continue trying to persuade her friend, so she just said, “You should think over it again.”