While Ge Chen was talking, Xue Lin had carefully observed his body language. As he talked, how many times he sighed, his breathing, how many times he halted while talking how many times he blinked, when he blinked, his tone, his movements, his discomfort, the way he moved his lips, and the language of his eyes.
She discovered that his eyes were full of sadness when he talked about his mother but he tried to surpa.s.s it. His manner of speaking was flawless and he hid his emotion well. While he was speaking, it sounded as if he was talking about someone else. She felt sympathy for him. She knew how it felt to be hurt by the people they cared about.
However, when she realized that he was the son of the Ge Family, she guarded herself. "Is he here on purpose? It can be. But it doesn"t make sense. But if he has ulterior motives, there is a chance for him to spy on me. Then, our coincidental meeting twice in a row cannot be coincidental. But it"s the reason? He already found out that I don"t like rich people and the Ge Family. Then, what is his motive to approach me?"
"It cannot be that he wants me to join hands with him since we are both victims of his family. If that"s his objective, then he wants to use me." She narrowed her eyes thinking of the possibility. "I can"t let it happen. I won"t let him use me. Unless there are some benefits for me, I won"t help him."
As she was thinking about it deeply, Ge Chen asked, "Is there something that matters?"
"I"m thinking…" She muttered softly. Her frown deepened. "Should I take this chance or should I back down?"
"What is it?" He asked. He looked nervous.
"Let"s get married." Xue Lin blurted out.
Ge Chen froze. A few seconds pa.s.sed; he still couldn"t give any reaction. His brain stopped thinking properly. He was still thinking whether he heard correctly or not.
At the same time, Louis choked hard. He was about to gulp down the pastry he was chewing, but after he heard Xue Lin"s proposal, he couldn"t take it down and that led to the disaster. He coughed vigorously. He coughed till he teared up.
"There, there." Ming Yu patted his back. He was also surprised but he wanted to know what Ge Chen was thinking.
"This should be enough." Xue Lin thought. She gave a fake smile and said, "I was just joking. You don"t have to be so shocked. It came out of nowhere. I apologize." When she saw his expression, she realized that he didn"t have any ulterior motives like using her. Her tense body relaxed.
Louis stopped coughing. He wiped his tears and commented, "She is scary."
Only then Ge Chen moved. His head began to function properly. He did expect her to catch him off guard like this. He collected his thoughts quickly and said, "I"m not shocked because it sounded outrageous. I"m surprised that the person I knew to be docile is so bold."
"Oh, I see." Xue Lin expected nothing less. When she was in Europe, she tried not to take the spotlight. She wished that she could call Mu Liang and ask him more about the guy sitting in front of her. He is more interesting than she thought.
Ge Chen commented, "I"m impressed by your bravery."
Xue Lin let out a small laugh. "My bravery? He has no idea about that."
He continued, "I don"t know what made you joke like this. But if I think about it, I know you will benefit from this marriage and so will I."
Xue Lin asked, "Are you trying to say that since we are being forced by your family if we get married, they won"t be able to do anything? That might be true but I don"t want to play with my married life."
He calmly said, "I have no intention of playing around either. I"m serious about this."
Xue Lin looked at him in the eyes and said, "I can"t guarantee your happiness."
Ge Chen blinked. He steadily asked, "Why do you say so?"
It was supposed to be a man"s line, not a woman"s.
Xue Lin said in a serious expression, "I can"t fall in love. I don"t think I ever will fall in love. But if I get married once, I have zero interest in getting divorced in the future. You have a bright future. You can always find a woman who will love you and you can love her back. You won"t want to tie yourself with me for the rest of your life."
"Did she go through some sort of rejection?" Ge Chen didn"t like this kind of idea. He didn"t want to waste his time thinking about it. He a.s.sured her saying, "Please don"t worry about falling in love. Since we will knot together, we have plenty of time ahead of us. You can take all the time you need."
Xue Lin asked bluntly, "Don"t you have a woman you like?"
"Miss, I like you very much." Ge Chen replied with a sincere smile. His pair of grey eyes narrowed as he spoke.
Xue Lin sighed. "That"s not what I meant. This is hopeless. Is there anyone who talks about their future like us?"
His lips held a small smile. "There is no need to be people like us. We can be the only one."
She warned him, "Hey, mister, just to make sure, you cannot physically or mentally abuse me no matter what condition you are in or I"ll make you suffer like you will regret that you are born."
Ge Chen raised his hands. "I don"t have a perverted habit like this. I believe I"m quite a gentleman."
Xue Lin said in a poker face, "My father also thinks that way. If I think that you are harming me in any situation, you are dead meat. So, what you believe is a little important."
Louis whispered, "This kid is a hot chilli pepper. I would be careful if I were him."
Ming Yu didn"t comment.
Ge Chen told her, "I understand and I think you don"t have to worry about that. I"ll take night duty. This way, I can do household ch.o.r.es while you work outside."
"Hold on a second. Aren"t you going there quickly?" Xue Lin interrupted.
"Am I?" Ge Chen blinked. Truthfully, after he heard her proposal, he couldn"t contain his excitement.
Xue Lin said, "You are. Aside from being forced to marry, what else will benefit me if I marry you?"
Ge Chen explained, "They won"t be able to force you to do anything and they can"t stop you from getting a job either. They will have to watch their manners around you. And of course, you will be able to live in a city where they can"t even touch you. You will be under my protection, I can do house ch.o.r.es and I can cook whenever you are tired. My cooking isn"t bad either."
"If that"s how it is then I don"t have to worry about my pa.s.sport and credit card anymore." Xue Lin paused. She was tempted, she had to admit. "But what will you gain from marrying me?" For some reason, she felt that it was too favorable for her. There is something amiss but she couldn"t catch what it is.