Chapter 19: Are you really going on a blind date with Representative Qin?

In reality, it had only been about ten minutes.

But how could Lu Qiaoling have imagined that such a major incident could occur in such a short amount of time?

Lu Qiaoge said to Lu Qiaoling, "The Zhao siblings are here. They're in the first-floor lobby."

She had just seen them as well.

However, when Liu Feng was framing her, she had noticed that Sister Zhao's expression didn't look very good.

After that, she hadn't directed her gaze in that direction again.

After thinking for a moment, Lu Qiaoge decided to tell Lu Qiaoling what had just happened.

Lu Qiaoling had been somewhat nervous, but at this moment, all her nervousness vanished.

Her eyes widened in shock, and then, in a fit of rage, she rolled up her sleeves. "Where is Liu Feng? That shameless..."

Lu Qiaoge held her back, because at that moment, the restaurant doors were pushed open, and Sister Zhao and Zhao Jinbao emerged from inside.

They were standing on the steps.

The two Lu sisters were standing at the bottom of the steps.

Looking down at the Lu sisters from her vantage point, Sister Zhao had originally intended to join them for a meal.

However, she felt it was better not to continue here.

She was already quite dissatisfied; the recent matters involving Lu Qiaoge, Liang Aishu, and Shen Yun, while not causing a massive public scandal, were certainly not pleasant to hear about.

Sister Zhao glanced at her brother and pinched his arm, then descended the steps and said to Lu Qiaoling, "Qiaoling, I haven't seen you in several years. In the blink of an eye, you've become a young lady."

Lu Qiaoling didn't know what to say and could only offer a dry, "Sister Zhao..."

Lu Qiaoge, on the other hand, asked directly with a smile, "Sister Zhao, what do you mean by that?"

Sister Zhao replied, "How about the two of us chat here, while my brother and your sister go for a stroll over there?"

She had no intention of entering the restaurant.

Lu Qiaoge looked at her sister and asked, "Want to go?"

Lu Qiaoling lowered her head and remained silent.

That was a tacit agreement.

A look of joy appeared on Zhao Jinbao's face as he immediately started walking forward.

Lu Qiaoge said, "Let's just talk under that tree. Don't wander too far."

Night had already blanketed the entire sky; even though they were acquaintances, Lu Qiaoge did not particularly trust Zhao Jinbao's character.

Once Sister Zhao and the others had moved away, she tentatively asked Lu Qiaoge, "Are you really on a blind date with Representative Qin?"

Lu Qiaoge glanced at her and said, "It's fake."

Sister Zhao hadn't expected Lu Qiaoge to answer so bluntly.

For a moment, she didn't know what to say.

A cold sneer curled at the corner of her mouth. *No wonder,* she thought. *To go on a blind date with Representative Qin right after a broken engagement—one wouldn't even dream of such a thing.*

Lu Qiaoge caught a glimpse of Sister Zhao's contemptuous expression and said calmly, "When my sister and I arrived, you hadn't arrived yet. At the time, I thought that unless there was an accident, there was no reason for you to be late. So, I thought to ask the waitress, but she misunderstood and led me upstairs, where I happened to run into Representative Qin. Therefore, Representative Qin confirmed that I have no relationship with Liu Feng; he was kindly helping me out of a difficult situation and acting as a witness."

Then, Lu Qiaoge countered, "Why were you late?"

A flash of embarrassment crossed Sister Zhao's face; it was because both she and her mother disagreed with the arrangement.

But her younger brother knew that Lu Qiaoling had returned without a partner and was anxious to find someone to introduce her to.

Seeing Lu Qiaoge staring at her for an answer, a hint of displeasure flashed in Sister Zhao's eyes. "You girl, so what if we were late? Why do you insist on a reason?"

Lu Qiaoge smiled. "True. Whether Representative Qin and I are on a real blind date or a fake one, why do you insist on an answer as well?"

Sister Zhao: "..."

Fuming, she turned her back, refusing to look at Lu Qiaoge.

Lu Qiaoge, however, said unceremoniously, "Actually, if you hadn't been late, none of this mess would have happened. But since you won't even give a reason, how am I supposed to explain this to my parents? I can't exactly tell them you were late because you, as the eldest sister, weren't satisfied, can I?"

Sister Zhao spun around abruptly, glaring at the leisurely Lu Qiaoge.

Meanwhile, over there, Zhao Jinbao hesitated for a moment before saying to the silent Lu Qiaoling, "Is your household registration still in the countryside?"

Hearing this, Lu Qiaoling looked up, meeting Zhao Jinbao's gaze directly.

She knew Zhao Jinbao, but having not seen him for several years, to be honest, she was a bit disappointed.

She actually preferred men who were tall, thin, and good-looking. She had thought that after several years, Zhao Jinbao would be quite tall. To her surprise, he was about the same as before; his only redeeming quality was that he was chubby.

In this era, being chubby was actually quite difficult for both men and women; people generally believed that being plump was a sign of good fortune and a symbol of being well-fed.

Lu Qiaoling thought so too, but she could not hide her disappointment.

Hearing Zhao Jinbao ask her this, she nodded. "Yes, I don't have a quota to move back to the city."

Zhao Jinbao frowned and said with difficulty, "The matchmaker said your father could resolve your household registration. Do you know what you'll have to wait for? Nowadays, a child's registration follows the mother. If you have a rural registration, it won't do if our future children have rural registration. As for work, that's not an issue; you don't have to work. You can stay home, cook, take care of the children, and serve my parents... I'm telling you, as soon as you go back, find your father. No matter what, you must find a way to move that registration back..."

Lu Qiaoling's expression had changed long ago.

She looked at the blustering Zhao Jinbao in disbelief and raised her voice, "Zhao Jinbao, if you're so capable, say that again!"

Not only Zhao Jinbao, but also the embarrassed Sister Zhao nearby and the frowning Lu Qiaoge heard her.

Without a second thought, Lu Qiaoge ran over.

"What's going on?" she asked, looking at the short, side-parted Zhao Jinbao.

Sister Zhao also hurried over, her face already looking grim. She grabbed Zhao Jinbao and asked, "What happened?"

Lu Qiaoling rattled off everything Zhao Jinbao had just said to Lu Qiaoge.

"Who does he think he is? Demanding that I go home and pressure my dad to fix my registration, telling me to stay home to cook, raise kids, and serve his mother? Did I ever agree to marry him?"

Facing the sharp-witted and eloquent Lu Qiaoling, Lu Qiaoge felt relieved.

This girl was quite formidable.

She had even managed to go to the production brigade while bringing her grandmother along, and she had gone back to their hometown; it was clear she was quite clever.

Lu Qiaoge didn't look at the two of them, only asking Lu Qiaoling, "What do you want to do? Go home or continue?"

Lu Qiaoling grabbed her elder sister's hand and started to walk away, but after realizing they were heading in the wrong direction, she turned around huffily and headed toward home.

Zhao Jinbao's face flushed with anger. "Sister, I haven't even said that since I'm the only boy in our generation, she must bear a son!"

Sister Zhao had already looked down on Lu Qiaoling's circumstances, and now she said with disdain, "One with a broken engagement, the other with a rural registration. Lu's eldest son married a girl from the countryside too; not a single person in that family has any prospects. And they have the nerve to be picky? She should be thanking heaven that we aren't picking her. Fine, let's go. It's a good thing it didn't work out, otherwise, what a burden you would have been?"

After his anger subsided, Zhao Jinbao hung his head in silence.

Sister Zhao added indignantly, "And that fourth Lu child, always sickly. If you two married, wouldn't the Lu family be coming to our house to borrow money every single day? They'd be a bottomless pit..."