Da Yu sneered, "You think you're done just by explaining things to him? That little girl from Huotang also went to City 5. I'm quite looking forward to what will happen when they bump into each other. Let's go. If we go fast, we can reach the settlement tonight, so we won't have to sleep in the wilderness."
Right now.
After running wildly across the wilderness for a whole day, Qin Yiyi finally saw the outline of City No. 5.
She sat on the hillside, took out a piece of dried beef from her small handbag, and put it in her mouth to chew.
After finishing her meal, she carefully tidied her clothes, but no matter how much she pulled, they remained filthy from the long journey.
She was somewhat annoyed and checked the gold bars in her small handbag. It seemed she would have to go to the city to buy some new clothes.
In her small crossbody bag was her federal citizen ID card, which she hadn't used in a long time. After being in the wilderness for so long, it felt as if she had truly become a wilderness dweller.
...
...
Return countdown: 42:00:00.
Qing Chen opened his eyes on the sofa. His phone was lit up, displaying a message from Qing Ji: "A car will be waiting downstairs to pick you up for your blind date in half an hour."
Qingchen was shocked when he glanced at the time. It was six o'clock in the morning, and it wasn't even dawn yet. He had to go on a blind date?
Couldn't the blind date be arranged in a more mortal time? Going on a blind date now, people who don't know any better would think that Qing Shi arranged a ghost marriage for him!
He hurriedly went to wash up and was brushing his teeth when the door opened.
A kind-looking middle-aged man pushed open the door and entered. He simply smiled and greeted Qingchen before starting to clean as if no one else was there.
The other party was extremely meticulous in their work, leaving no corner of the room untouched.
Qing Chen spat out the foam in his mouth: "Hey... what do you do for a living?"
The middle-aged man showed Qingchen a digital display panel, which clearly stated: "I am a servant of Ginkgo Manor, and I come here every day to clean. Young Master, the car is already downstairs; you may leave at any time."
This was the first time Qing Chen had ever seen these legendary mute servants, and the first time he had ever been addressed as 'Young Master'. He asked curiously, "Were you all poisoned and rendered mute by the Qing family?"
The mute servant was both amused and exasperated. He wrote on the LCD screen: "We are soldiers of the Shadow Force. During a field operation, we accidentally drank water contaminated by biological weapons used by the gods. Of the 500-strong battalion, 61 people were barely saved, but they were all poisoned and became mute. We were supposed to retire, but the master transferred us to the Ginkgo Manor and made us servants there."
Qing Chen nodded: "I see. By the way... what kind of person is the head of the Qing family?"
The mute servant gave a simple, honest smile, but didn't answer, continuing to clean up on his own.
These people are absolutely loyal to the head of the Qing family and are responsible for all the odd jobs in the entire Ginkgo Manor. Over the years, they have also been in charge of managing this house.
Qingchen put on a mask and turned to go out, but ran into the girl next door. The two didn't even greet each other and went into the elevator together.
The girl was wearing a low-cut top with a butterfly tattooed on her chest, and her hair was dyed pink, making her look exceptionally... cool.
In the elevator, the girl casually looked at Qingchen: "Don't try to get close to my mom, you hear me?"
Qing Chen didn't even glance at her. Once the elevator reached the first floor, he quickly walked out.
In the parking lot downstairs, Qing Ji sat in a rustic pickup truck: "Get in."
Chapter 766, Blind Date in Progress
Qing Chen sat in the pickup truck and asked, "Why are you driving such a dilapidated pickup truck? Are you afraid that someone will covet my status and wealth? Such a vulgar tactic."
Qing Ji glanced at him: "Using a beat-up car to see a rich girl and a luxury car to see a commoner girl is a way of seeing people's hearts. The trick may be old, but it works. But you misunderstood. I drive this pickup truck because I've always driven this pickup truck, and it's convenient."
"Human nature cannot withstand testing," Qingchen said, pursing his lips.
“That’s why those who can withstand the test are precious,” Qing Ji calmly started the car. “That girl named Qin Yiyi is quite good. I can tell she doesn’t care about your status or wealth at all. Huotang has a close relationship with the Qing family. If you win over Huotang’s only goddess, it’s no different from winning over Huotang itself. They’re in the wilderness, so they won’t affect the power structure in the city. That’s good.”
Qingchen said weakly, "Just drive carefully... By the way, how many people do I need to meet today?"
“32,” Qing Ji said.
Ding! Qing Chen's phone received a message from Yi: "Wow, this is amazing! I didn't expect the Qing family to arrange such an exciting project. It was worth coming out with you!"
Unlike Yi's excitement, Qingchen was completely out of sorts.
"What the hell? Why do they need to meet so many girls!" Qing Chen was going crazy: "32 a day, 224 in 7 days, are there really that many good girls in the whole city of No. 5?"
“That depends on whether our definitions of good and bad are the same,” Qingji said, turning the steering wheel. “Your definition of good might be a girl like Chen Yangyang, with a good personality, good looks, good character, understanding, and the ability to fight alongside you.”
"Then what is your definition of 'good'?" Qingchen asked.
Qing Ji looked at Qing Chen with surprise: "These 224 women, none of them have any dominant genetic diseases. If such women become mothers, it will greatly reduce the risk to their offspring. The thing to note is that Lao Shen's mother has Alzheimer's disease, which is inherited in her family. Once one parent has it, the probability of their children getting the disease is 50%. So Lao Shen is already a bit forgetful and can hardly take on a big responsibility."
This time, Qing Chen was truly astonished. He hadn't realized that the way wealthy families chose spouses for their heirs was so scientific and cautious, even going so far as to test genetic samples...
"How did you obtain their genetic samples?" Qing Chen asked, puzzled.
“Oh, we organized a city-wide free health checkup just for you,” Qing Ji said. “Didn’t you see the news?”
"Why would I care about this kind of news!" Qing Chen was speechless. This news had indeed appeared on the federal network. At the time, some people speculated that the Qing family was going to conduct some kind of experiment, while others said it was a benefit given by the conglomerate. But he never associated this with himself.
This is such an overreaction!
"So, you selected 224 women from the city's 13 million residents," Qing Chen said. "Are these women the minority without genetic diseases? Please respect women! How can you choose a partner so mechanically!"
“They are not partners,” Qing Ji said seriously. “Their cultural levels vary, and not everyone is qualified to be by your side. All they can do is accompany the children and give them maternal love, but they will not accompany you, and they cannot even freely see you or influence you.”
Qing Chen sighed, "What's the fun in living like a robot? You only married her because she's healthy?"
Qing Ji said, "It's because of love."
Qing Chen: "Why is it that you can have love when you're looking for a wife?"
Qing Ji glanced at him and said, "I'm not going to be the next head of the family."
There was also an expression in his eyes that seemed to say, 'Why ask such a basic question?'
Qing Chen originally thought it was a secret blind date, after all, he had so many enemies in City 5, and there were countless people who wanted to kill him.
For example, Qingwen's mother, Qingyun, and Qingyuan and his father—these people would be extremely reckless and ruthless when they got into a fight, and even the head of the family might not be able to control them.
Now, with such a grand matchmaking event, those enemies can't help but know about it.
"You're planning to use me as bait to kill someone, aren't you?" Qing Chen said speechlessly, "Use me as bait?"
Qing Ji glanced at Qing Chen: "Don't think too much. Most of the 32 people selected today aren't very outstanding. But don't be so picky. Pick two to carry on the family line first. The probability of having ancestral blood is 16%, which is actually quite low. Try two to test the probability first, and the success rate will be higher later."
Qing Chen: "???"
Do you think this is like upgrading equipment in a game, where you have to wait for the probability to drop?!
Qing Chen realized that although Qing Ji looked serious, he was definitely not a decent person.
...
...
The pickup truck stopped in front of a tea restaurant in the third district. Qing Ji got out and said, "Let's go. There are four people here, at tables 2, 8, 16, and 32. You can meet them one by one. Once you've made the appointment, you can use a playing card to prove your identity. Don't worry, I'll pay for your breakfast."
"Do I need the money for breakfast?" Qing Chen went inside with a playing card in hand, while Qing Ji kept his distance and observed from a corner of the tea restaurant.
Qingchen went to table number 2 and looked at the girl in front of him who looked like a high school student.
The other person was still wearing their school uniform, a navy blue pleated skirt that just reached their knees, and sat quietly in their seat.
The school uniform also has the words "Qingshi First High School" embroidered on the chest.
A message came from Yi: Add her now! Add her as a friend now!
Qing Chen took out a deck of cards from his sleeve and placed them on the table: "Hello, I'm Qing Xiaotu. My family sent me here."
The girl breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Qing Chen's youthful appearance: "I thought he would be an old man..."
Qingchen asked curiously, "You must be quite young, why are you here for a blind date?"
The girl whispered, "My dad said that if you choose me, it can alleviate my family's debt crisis... Our family's cash flow is about to break down. If it does, we won't even be able to keep our house in the third district, and we'll have to rent a place in the lower third district. Also, I won't be able to continue my studies."
"Why did the cash flow break down?" Qingchen asked curiously.
The girl said, "My family is in the intercity import and export trade business. My father mortgaged all our assets to transport a precision CNC machine tool, which was robbed in the wilderness. There were mercenaries in the caravan, and this had never happened before. I don't know what happened this time."
The girl looked tired, clearly indicating that her family's finances were on the verge of collapse.
Qing Chen suddenly realized that... the girl's goods were most likely intercepted by Qing Ji and his men.
Why the hell would those wilderness people steal precision CNC machine tools?! Nobody in the wilderness would steal something like that, okay? They only intercept food convoys that don't have many mercenaries!
Qingchen asked, "So someone approached your father and said that as long as you come and I take a liking to you, someone will help your family get through this difficult time, right?"
“Yes,” the girl nodded.
"Is the person looking for your father that one?" Qing Chen turned and pointed to Qing Ji in the corner...
Qing Ji raised his eyebrows.
The girl nodded...
Qing Chen was helpless. The Qing family seemed to be too ruthless. They actually used such methods to force people to go on blind dates.
Moreover, this is a choice that cannot be made.
The patriarch knew that Qing Chen would be able to guess the truth and that it was the Qing family that was driving these families to their doom.
So the patriarch made each of these suitors suffer terribly, and only when Qingchen agreed to date these girls could their entire families be saved...
Absolutely amazing!
Can't this family head discuss things properly? Why does he always make things so extreme? This girl is only a 16-year-old high school student. She's not even of childbearing age yet!
Qingchen was very unhappy because this behavior was too much.
Consequently, his opinion of Qing Ji also plummeted.
“I’m sorry, we’re not a good match, but I’ll look into your family situation and try to help,” Qing Chen said. After the girl left, he came to Qing Ji and said, “This kind of tactic is too despicable.”
Qing Ji looked up at Qing Chen: "You think I intercepted their goods?"
"Isn't that right?" Qing Chen asked.
Qing Ji calmly said, "Her father was a gambler who squandered his fortune in the casinos of the Fourth District and even signed his daughter's indenture to the Li Ji Entertainment Group. If nothing unexpected happens, she will have to serve this entertainment company as a servant for the rest of her life. The so-called transportation accident is just a lie. In fact, he didn't transport anything at all. It's just an excuse because he didn't have the courage to be honest with his wife and daughter."
"I'm sorry, I misunderstood you," Qingchen said.
Qingji said, "Finding pitiful people to force you to sympathize with them is indeed the patriarch's strategy, but we do not intentionally create tragedies."
"You're really that kind?" Qing Chen asked in disbelief. "How can someone in a position of power still maintain a conscience and principles?"