Chapter 555: Chapter 555: Argument

Zhang Xiaozhen’s words made Zhang Dahai’s face turn an even deeper shade of red.

Upon hearing Zhang Xiaozhen, Mrs. Zhang’s eyes lit up. Meanwhile, Zhang Shenghai, his wife, and Mr. Zhang looked utterly bewildered. "Who is Su Qing? Whose daughter is she?"

Neither Zhang Xiaozhen nor Mrs. Zhang had mentioned anything about Su Qing to the rest of the family. After all, nothing had been settled yet. But from the looks of it today, it seemed things were finally starting to move forward.

Mrs. Zhang immediately grinned and said, "She’s a girl our second son likes. Let me tell you, this girl comes from a good family, she’s beautiful, and she’s a student at Beijing University! Most importantly, she’s bought several courtyard houses! Courtyard houses, you know? Those big compounds! A single one has at least seven or eight rooms. Oh my, that girl even bought one right in Xilin Alley, not far from here."

Mrs. Zhang’s words made Zhang Shenghai’s wife’s eyes sparkle. ’Goodness knows the Zhang family’s three-bedroom apartment is crowded,’ she mused. ’I’ve always hoped that Zhang Shenghai and I could move out on our own. If Zhang Dahai really manages to get together with that Su Qing girl, then couldn’t we ask her if we could live in the courtyard house in Xilin Alley? They said Su Qing has several of them... how could one person possibly live in all those places?’

However, even though Zhang Shenghai’s wife was thinking this, she didn’t say it out loud. She had only recently married into the family, after all, so it was best to be cautious. In any case, if there were real benefits to be had later, she could just nudge Zhang Shenghai to ask for them. So, she simply sat quietly beside her husband without a word.

"Mom!" Seeing his mother’s behavior, Zhang Dahai felt a little embarrassed and quickly said, "Don’t be like that. I don’t have any special relationship with Su Qing. How could I possibly be worthy of her? Don’t just jump to conclusions and believe everything my sister says."

Zhang Dahai had tried to reason with his mother and younger sister about Su Qing before, but it was no use. The two of them were blinded by her wealth and were hell-bent on pushing him and Su Qing together. ’If we were from similar backgrounds and she actually liked me, that would be one thing,’ he thought. ’But as it stands, it’s completely impossible.’

"What did I say?" Zhang Xiaozhen retorted, annoyed. "Then what’s that you’re holding? Why are you treasuring it so much? Go on, tell us. Where did you get what’s in your arms?"

Only then did Mrs. Zhang notice Zhang Dahai was clutching something. She also asked, "Da Hai, what are you holding?"

As she spoke, Mrs. Zhang stepped forward to get a look. Catching the delicate fragrance of tea leaves, she asked in surprise, "Tea? Did you buy it, or did someone give it to you?"

Zhang Dahai answered honestly, "Someone gave it to me."

"Who gave it to you?" Zhang Xiaozhen pressed.

Zhang Dahai couldn’t lie, so he had no choice but to say, "It was Su Qing."

He quickly added, "Don’t get the wrong idea. I just helped Su Qing out with something, and she gave me a packet of tea in return. That’s all there is to it."

Zhang Xiaozhen’s face lit up with joy. She stepped forward and clapped Zhang Dahai on the shoulder. "Not bad, Second Brother! Here I was trying to come up with a plan, and you were quietly making big moves all along. Su Qing is already giving you gifts! You have to keep up the good work and press on. Whether our family can become rich and powerful all depends on you now!"

Zhang Dahai frowned. "Little Sister, what nonsense are you talking about?"

"How is it nonsense? You’re clearly making progress!" Zhang Xiaozhen urged. "You have to seize this opportunity and spend more time with Su Qing. As long as you can make her fall for you, everything will be easy." In her mind, she was already fantasizing about her family’s meteoric rise thanks to Su Qing, and about the wonderful days ahead when she herself would find a wealthy husband.

"Exactly! Listen to your sister. Would she ever steer you wrong?" Mrs. Zhang chimed in, thinking her daughter had a point. "You need to grab this chance. Girls need to be pursued! You like her, but you won’t even chase her? Are you a blockhead?"

"Mom!" Zhang Dahai was exasperated.

Just then, Mr. Zhang spoke up. "All right, that’s enough. I understand what’s going on. Stop pressuring Da Hai. Finding a partner is a matter of fate; you can’t force it. He knows what to do in his own heart. You two, stop giving him misguided advice."

"Dad, Mom and I aren’t giving misguided advice!" Zhang Xiaozhen quickly laid out all the details about Su Qing. "Just imagine, Su Qing’s maternal grandparents are both high-ranking officials! Big shots! Even though they’re retired, they still have influence. And that’s not to mention her two maternal uncles! If our family could get connected with a background like that, the benefits would be endless."

Hearing this, both Zhang Shenghai and his wife’s eyes lit up. ’Wow, so this Su Qing girl has such an incredible background,’ they thought. ’If she really becomes a daughter-in-law of the Zhang family, our family will soar to new heights overnight!’

The very thought was thrilling.

Clearly, however, Mr. Zhang was as level-headed as Zhang Dahai. He frowned and said, "I said you were being ridiculous, and you really are. Look at that young woman’s background. How could an ordinary family like ours possibly hope to associate with them? She’ll be looking for someone of equal social standing. Stop your wishful thinking. There’s no way she would ever be interested in a family like ours."

"Why is it impossible?" Mrs. Zhang disagreed. "In the old storybooks, rich young ladies fell for poor scholars all the time! Besides, our Da Hai has the looks, and he has a job. How is he not good enough?"

"Stop this nonsense!" Mr. Zhang slammed his hand on the table. "None of you are to meddle in this. Da Hai helped the girl with something, and she gave him a packet of tea. That means she doesn’t want to be indebted to him. Can’t you even see that?"

Hearing his father’s words, Zhang Dahai knew deep down that he was right. Still, the thought that Su Qing gave him the tea because she didn’t want to owe him anything—that she didn’t want any further connection with him—left a sour feeling in his heart.

For a while, the Zhang family argued over Su Qing, but in the end, no one could convince anyone else. The lunch that followed was not a pleasant one.

Su Qing had no idea that she had caused such a dispute within the Zhang family. After returning to campus, she fell back into her usual routine of classes and studying. But a few days later, Hua Zifeng actually showed up at Beijing University.

Su Qing had assumed that even if Hua Zifeng suspected something, he had no proof, and their paths wouldn’t cross again. She never would have imagined that he would actually track her down.

"Student Su Qing, aren’t you going to invite me to your courtyard for a visit?" Hua Zifeng asked with a cheerful smile.

Su Qing raised an eyebrow. "Mr. Hua, you certainly live up to your reputation as a detective. You’ve investigated me inside and out. What I don’t understand is, since you’ve already found out everything about me, why come looking for me again? I shouldn’t have any more clues to offer you."

Hua Zifeng chuckled. "It seems Student Su Qing isn’t very happy to see me."

Su Qing had to resist the urge to roll her eyes at him. "Would you welcome someone who investigated you inside and out?"

"No, I wouldn’t," Hua Zifeng admitted, quite honestly.

Then, Hua Zifeng changed his tone. "Ah, well. What can I do? My job is to be a nuisance."

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