“I’m a man.” He was a little angry.
No wonder Ann acted like it was no big deal when dealing with my problem. Sure enough, problems that aren't yours become very simple.
"So what?" With Luo Lin and Jiang Chen leading the way, what can't I withstand?
"He's a man too," Kurosawa Yu continued, stating the obvious, yet seemingly trivial, fact.
"Your parents don't agree?" So what if they don't agree? Wasn't Hayakawa's aunt moved by Hayakawa's "sincerity"? At worst, Hayakawa can try again. Besides, this time she has experience, so there won't be any problem.
“My parents died early, and I only have one younger sister.” He lowered his head.
"She..." Could it be that her younger sister is conservative? That's even less of a problem. Let An talk to her a little, and the child will understand everything... I believe An is very experienced in leading children astray.
"She said she only cares about whether I'm happy." That was his answer, which saved the day for Ontario.
What other problems are there? It's unbelievable! With the support of friends and the consent of parents, we haven't even embarked on such a promising path yet. I'm speechless.
So, in An's eyes back then, Shao Yuzhe and I were mutually attracted, no wonder she said it wouldn't be a problem to get married the next day.
"And what about yourself? Putting aside family, status, and your gender, just as a person, do you even know what you truly think?" I said. What a cliché line, yet I still dared to recite it. I've finally succumbed to this.
I glared at him, and decided to make a mental note of this.
His head drooped even lower.
Could it be...?
Men should also have some self-respect.
Suddenly, Hayakawa Noriyuki's classic quote popped into my head: If he really is being stubborn for this reason, I'll kick him out. Hayakawa Noriyuki is the root of all evil.
After a long silence, he finally looked up at me.
“What are you fussing about? Look, as soon as I mentioned he was sick, you broke my record. You rushed over without even thinking it through,” I said.
That's based on instinct.
That's truly irrefutable, bloody evidence.
He was speechless.
"Are you really that concerned about his gender?" I sighed. "If all else fails, there's one last option: have him undergo gender reassignment surgery. The cost shouldn't be a problem for him anyway," I suggested earnestly.
I just don't know if he'll look good when he transforms. I imagined it, and his face is alright. If he successfully transforms into a woman, he could be modified into a wild beauty, but his figure would probably be a problem. Hayakawa's figure is top-notch for a man; if he were a woman, kids might have nightmares. Let me turn around and look at Kurosawa, who's a bit more gentle, for comparison.
"Don't joke around." His expression was hard to describe.
"What can we do then? Seeing how unwilling you are, I really want to suggest you just run away, but he's so persistent, he might keep looking until he finds you." I shrugged. "Then why don't you just whack him on the head and erase him from memory, once and for all? I can help you set up the scene and make up evidence to say it was an accident, anyway, he won't remember anything then." It just requires skill to apply the right amount of force. Or maybe we should call that dean to provide technical guidance; he's a bit crazy, he'd definitely be interested in participating. And he's quite professional too.
"Hey." A cold voice came through. My lips twitched slightly; I really wanted to laugh.
Of course I knew about the medicine I gave him, but I pretended to be asleep.
silence.
I thought about it and said,
"How about this, you two don't need to bother with this. Kurosawa, if you really hate Hayakawa and never want to see him again, just say so, and then promise Hayakawa you'll never appear in front of him again. This is where you two met, and I'm the only witness, so let's just end it there." I'm so thoughtful; it'll make our memoirs a little more romantic when we're old.
I glanced at Hayakawa, and he nodded with difficulty.
He looked very sad.
“He agreed, so go ahead and tell me,” I said. If I press him now, it’ll be easy to get the truth out of him.
I just don't believe he could really say something like "I don't want to see you, go away." Even if he did say that, Hayakawa Noriyuki, being honest and simple, would definitely keep his promise and disappear completely from his sight. Then Kurosawa would realize that this person is missing from his life, and then everything would fall into place and everyone would be happy. That's how it's always written in novels.
Hayakawa should thank me.
I looked at him and decided to write this down.
Silence. Such immense pressure.
Kurosawa Yu suddenly stormed out of the door without saying a word and ran away without looking back.
I turned to look at Noriyuki Hayakawa.
Then he quickly chased after him.
I looked at the open door and considered whether I should follow them to gossip a bit, but what if I ruined the atmosphere after the two of them had finally gotten to this point? Besides, it would be a real shame if people said I was on the same level as An.
Anyway, there's no suspense anymore. After reading so many romance novels, I can easily figure it out by just doing a simple simulation. I might as well think about how they should pay back those two debts.
I closed the door and glanced into the kitchen. This was probably the second and last lesson Hayakawa Noriyuki had given me. It seemed I had learned a lot this time, and I would have someone to guide me from now on.
However, even though I didn't learn anything, I still have to pay the tuition.
Next, there is something very important and urgent waiting for me to do.
Chapter Eleven
"Dad, someone proposed to me." After confirming that the person answering the phone was my dear dad, I cleared my throat and calmly spoke.
Anyway, we need to tell them this. It doesn't matter who comes first or last; it just depends on who answers the phone.
However, I personally hope that my mom will answer the phone, because my dad always has a hard time controlling his emotions when it comes to this issue.
So after I finished speaking, I took the phone receiver away from my ear, silently counted to five, and then put it back.
"What!"
I caught the tail end of a scream, which shows I really understand my father's unchanging habits perfectly.
"Someone proposed to me." I kept my voice calm.
"You, you, you, you don't even have a boyfriend, how come someone suddenly appears and proposes to you?" That tone, that reaction—it's obvious where my personality comes from.
"I forgot to mention it." I tried to brush off the question by saying it casually. In fact, I hadn't really forgotten to tell them about Shao Yuzhe's existence. It was just that I didn't know how to tell my parents before everything was settled. Because I took him so seriously, I became overly cautious.
"I forgot to mention, I forgot to mention this big thing... Who is he? What does he do? How did you two meet? How long have you known each other?" I could almost hear the phone cracking on the other end. I swallowed hard and decided to hold the receiver a little further away to avoid damaging my eardrums.
I remember someone telling me that every father has a daughter complex.
I've experienced this firsthand for a long time. Although I've never been in a relationship, whenever my mom tries to discuss boyfriends with me, my dad will walk around us with a long face, trying to find a way to change the subject.
At that time, I thought my dad was incredibly cute.
Now I can finally see my dad's hidden potential.
"Get out of the way, I'm talking to my daughter." Hearing the voice, I knew it was my mother. I quickly sat up straight, ready to be questioned by her.
"Go ahead and tell me." As expected of my mom, she was very magnanimous on this issue. With just two simple words, she got me to obediently start telling my story from when I was twenty years old.
Because my mom didn't set any boundaries for the questions, I could talk on and on without any limits. As a result, everything I wanted to know, unexpectedly, was already answered by my mom.
"It sounds like this child is very satisfactory in every way." That was my mother's evaluation after hearing my account.
“You can’t just listen to what she says. What she’s saying isn’t to protect that kid.” That was Dad’s comment after hearing Mom’s assessment.
I remained silent on the other end of the phone, feigning innocence.
"Don't mind your dad. Your daughter is so old, why are you so nervous? But although your dad is overreacting, what he said makes a lot of sense. I think we definitely have to go back."
I think so too. Anyway, I've already met Shao Yuzhe's parents, and he'll have to meet mine sooner or later.
I glanced at the ring on my hand. Ever since he put it on my finger that day, I haven't taken it off. Every time I see it, I think of Shao Yuzhe's smiling face, and then I unconsciously start to smile along with him.
What a typical little woman's face!
At this moment, I would think of what An said: falling in love with someone is the kind of feeling where you know you have become the little woman you used to despise the most, and then do those silly things, but you still feel very happy.
I agree.
Wait, seeing the ring suddenly reminded me of something.
"Mom, don't hang up yet, there's something else I forgot to tell Dad."
"Tell me what's wrong. Your dad is already calling the airline to book tickets." Mom's voice revealed a sense of helpless acceptance.
I'm getting chills... It can't be that fast, can it? Should I tell him or not? But if I wait until I'm face to face with my dad, I'll definitely be in big trouble. I might as well give him a heads-up now and be prepared to see his reaction.
"Um..." I'll just hesitate for a moment.
"The airline said today's flight has already taken off, and all the tickets for the next week have been booked. What kind of world is this? So many people, what urgent matter do they have to take a plane? Hello... daughter, is there anything else you need to call your dad?" Dad's voice finally came closer to the phone.
Wiping the cold sweat from my brow, I cleared my throat twice and then announced in a calm tone:
"Dad, someone proposed to me..."
"Didn't you just say that?" My dad is always impatient; he didn't wait for me to finish speaking.
"Then, I agreed." I remained calm, just as I had before my dad interrupted me.
"Oh...what..." The call ended before I could even take the receiver away from my ear.
Mom, I am so grateful.
After putting down the phone, I stretched vigorously, and a dark blob darted past my feet.
"Black Feather, you're a cat, not a dog. Don't be so sensitive, okay?" I really want to step on its tail. It always reacts like this whenever Shao Yuzhe comes. I can't stand it.
Sure enough, the doorbell rang.
"Good morning." A big smiling face appeared at the door, which suddenly reminded me of Tang Lei after An accepted the marriage proposal.
Of course, it's not as silly as Tang Lei's smile.
"Hasn't Hayakawa arrived yet? Today isn't the day he's supposed to have a cooking class." He bent down, picked up Kuroba, and then carried her on his shoulder.
"Um, well, he, oh, he came today, but because he had a fever, I had his parents pick him up." Huh, why am I stuttering?
"You're not inviting me in, you're just talking in the entryway." He ruffled my hair and looked at me with amusement.
Oh right, I forgot. Because I was blocking the way, he had to stand in the entryway the whole time.
Wait, what's going on? What am I so nervous about? I've read countless romance novels, I've seen it all. Besides, I'm a 25-year-old adult, not a child. Calm down.
"Um, I just spoke with my parents on the phone." After settling down on the sofa, I decided to tell him about it as soon as possible.
"Hmm." He stopped playing with my hair and looked at me, listening attentively.
"I've told my parents about us, about accepting your proposal."
"That's only right. I would have been worried if you hadn't told them." He said, making an exaggerated gesture of relief, then suddenly took my hand with the ring on it and gently kissed it. Looking into my eyes, he said, "So, have your parents agreed to let their precious daughter marry me?"
"My dad really wanted to fly over and see the 'boy who stole my daughter' as soon as possible, but unfortunately, he could only get a ticket for a week later." I casually pinched his cheek. I've always thought his skin was so elastic, so I've wanted to do this for a long time.