Chapter Thirty-Two: Decision

  Guo Ming did not give a direct answer, but instead asked: "Do you believe in love at first sight?"

  Han Rui thought for a moment, and of course, he understood that the other party had ulterior motives, although he didn't understand what they were. However, he wisely kept silent. Guo Ming saw that he wasn't responding and continued to say: "As soon as I saw you, I knew you were a man of iron blood living in the military camp with a strong sense of justice, so I intentionally reminded you. Love at first sight exists, but the probability is too small. Do you think it's right to decide a woman's lifelong happiness through this so-called blind date method? When men get tired, they can indulge in romance, but can women do the same? What kind of girl is Zi Yu, I believe you also know. Do you think letting such a spirited and elegant girl spend her life alone is what you hope for?"

  As soon as he thought of the girl's bright and charming smile, Han Rui said without hesitation: "Of course not."

  Guo Ming smiled and said in a low voice, "Zi Yu is only 16 years old, she has the right to choose everything for herself. She has already asked me to pretend to be her suitor, but I have an unavoidable reason that forces me to give up, so I'll let you take this opportunity. Of course, after this, we will act as if nothing happened. If you have the chance, maybe you two can be together."

  After finishing speaking, Guo Ming left immediately, leaving Han Rui in shock.

  This doesn't mean that Guo Ming was lying, but when he really arrived at this villa, Guo Ming only discovered that he had been a frog in the well before. Not to mention anything else, he had already seen at least four or five people here who could match him, and he wasn't an idiot. The ones who came were not even the peak of martial arts power, and although he was a cultivator with a high starting point, what could he do? Before becoming a great achievement in cultivation, he must keep a low profile. He could have just left, but what about his parents? These people here are all county leaders, so it's fine, but there are also provincial and municipal officials, and the birthday banquet of a noble family's direct descendant actually brought so many people. How much influence does this noble family have? It was hard for him to imagine.

  Looking at the people coming and going around him, Guo Ming felt a deep sense of loss for the first time, which was a loss of his own identity. Birds of a feather flock together, and what kind of identity determines what kind of friends you can make. There were not a few young masters from noble families here, but none of them approached him. What does this show? Guo Ming used to think that these things were vulgar and he could ignore them, but now that he was really in such a situation, his heart didn't think so anymore.

  People are afraid of being isolated, Guo Ming is after all a young man at heart, although he has read many books and has a wide range of knowledge, but this cannot change his youthful mentality. In the center of the grand ballroom, many desserts and foreign wines were placed, surrounded by many tables, with people gathered in twos and threes, chatting in hushed tones.

  Guo Ming sat alone in the corner, looking at the elegantly dressed young talents. His eyebrows relaxed slightly as he thought to himself: although these people are excellent, they are still far from his own level. No matter what, he would one day become immortal and roam freely among the stars. At that time, he would be carefree and unrivaled. He would hold the nine heavens and the Milky Way in the palm of his hand, traversing the five lakes and four seas in an instant, becoming the world's top master. Did he really need to envy their current accomplishments?

  No need, no necessity, Guo Ming understood these things, and a faint smile reappeared on his face.

  Chen Ziyu's boudoir, Chen Baichuan looked at Chen Ziyu and said softly: "Ziyu, many talented young men from the family have come today, go down and take a good look later."

  Chen Ziyu wore a pink skirt with several delicate lotus flowers embroidered at the hem, matching the flush on her face perfectly. Her face was carefully made up, with two crystal earrings hanging from her ears and a beautiful blue diamond pendant around her neck. Upon hearing this, she trembled slightly and said in a hoarse voice, "Must it really be so?"

  "This is your fate," Chen Baichuan said with a sigh.

  The hopeful glint in Chen Ziyu's eyes quickly sank. Chen Baichuan also felt a pang in his heart and said, "Don't blame Dad, I had no choice either, this is our family rule. Every daughter of the Chen family must choose one from a noble family or an excellent man from among ordinary people."

  "What? There's another version of the story?" Chen Ziyu exclaimed in surprise.

  Looking at his daughter's rekindled hopeful expression, Chen Bachuan let out a deep sigh and said: "It's just that the second situation is rarely seen, he needs to get recognition from several family elders."

  "What does it mean for several elders to recognize her? Chen Ziyu seemed to have not heard her father's sigh and continued to ask."

  Chen Bai Chuan could only say, "The several elders are the foundation of my family, with profound skills. Whoever wants to marry a daughter from the Chen family must have both moral character and martial arts that meet their approval. Zi Yu, you also know that apart from the sons of aristocratic families, how many truly skilled masters are there among the common people? Of course, I don't deny that there are some, but even if they pass the test, they still need to agree to one condition set by the Chen family."

  "What's the requirement?" Chen Ziyu asked in a dull tone. After listening to her father's account, she somewhat understood the difficulties involved and that the family's elders were not ordinary people, but rather top-notch individuals who had been selected from among the best of the best. So where could they find such an expert? Yet she still subconsciously asked the last question.

  The next four words made Chen Ziyu's heart feel a chill, "Join the Chen family as a son-in-law." The four words completely shattered Chen Ziyu's hopes. Becoming a son-in-law was absolutely shameful for men in ancient times, and even though things are more open now, who would normally want to do that? And yet it was being asked of such an outstanding talent, making the possibility almost zero.

  Looking at Chen Ziyu's dejected expression, Chen Baichuan gritted his teeth and continued: "At least in the past hundred years, there hasn't been a single son-in-law in our Chen family." He had to do this; only by doing so could he completely eliminate Chen Ziyu's little thoughts. After some deliberation, he finally understood why Chen Ziyu wanted Guo Ming to come over. He couldn't help but laugh at Chen Ziyu while feeling sorry for Guo Ming - the power of aristocratic families was truly formidable! If Chen Ziyu had publicly announced that Guo Ming was her boyfriend and Guo Ming had agreed, he could be certain that Guo Ming would definitely be in big trouble. Those young masters from aristocratic families might not have impressive abilities, but when it came to sabotaging others behind their backs, they were absolutely top-notch! Alas, the ignorant are truly pitiful!

  After a moment, Chen Ziyu wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, looked in the mirror, forced a smile and said softly: "Dad, I understand."

  Wanting to reach out and stroke his daughter's face, Chen Baichuan found himself powerless to do so. When Ziyu's mother had entrusted Ziyu to him back then, she had asked him to take good care of her, but had he done so? What a woman wants most in life is not wealth or power, but someone worthy of entrusting herself to; yet he couldn't let her make that choice.

  He withdrew his hand listlessly, and Chen Bachuan turned around to say: "Zi Yu, no matter how big or small the family is outside, as long as you like it, I will definitely make your wish come true." After saying this, Chen Bachuan quickly left.

  Staring at her father's swift and agile figure, Chen Ziyu's tears still flowed down. Her father was escaping! What Guo Ming said was right, she had been unaware of the blessings in her life, and her father's love for her had always been ignored. Her father's words earlier had already exceeded his authority. Chen Ziyu naturally understood that today's main characters were only a few, and the other young masters from smaller families were just supporting actors. Among them, there were only a few who were truly worthy of her choice, including Dongfang Jian from the Dongfang family, Han Rui from the Han family, and Sun Ru from the Sun family. These three were today's main characters. She couldn't help but think of Guo Ming outside and muttered to herself: "No matter how outstanding they are, I would rather choose Guo Ming, that little rascal. Is it possible?"

  A melancholy and bitter expression crept onto her stunning face, as if the sorrowful cry of a parted lover, as if the scattered blood in the snowy night, as if the hazy eyes at parting, making one feel such heartache, making one feel such pity.

  What can be done? The world's cage imprisons itself, and I, a weak woman, can escape? Perhaps only heaven knows.