Chapter 182: Heartbeat

Who could compare to your uncle, who is as fierce as a tiger?

But Xu Hu dared not say it; he was a little afraid of Jiang Cheng.

He always had a stern, unsmiling expression, except when he was facing his wife.

Jiang Zhi's aunt looked like a very kind and beautiful woman, and she always spoke very gently.

When Jiang Cheng spoke to her, his tall body would always lean down accommodatingly, and occasionally a happy smile would appear on his face.

For instance, if Si Rong picked up some dish from the kitchen for him to taste, he would smile with a look of complete satisfaction.

But when he met his eyes, his face would suddenly turn cold again.

Xu Hu:...

He knew that Jiang Zhi's uncle was very dissatisfied with him.

But he and Jiang Zhi were truly in love, and Jiang Zhi was a good girl.

Although the family conditions of their two families were quite different, he believed Jiang Zhi was not the type of person to despise the poor and love the rich.

In the future, he would definitely be good to Jiang Zhi as well.

But Jiang Zhi must be filial to his mother; it hadn't been easy for his mother to raise the six of them, and she had suffered a lot.

Now that she was old, she deserved to enjoy the blessings of her son.

Actually, his mother was only about ten years older than Si Rong, yet they looked like they were from two different generations.

The Jiang Family even had a nanny.

Finding an opportunity, he asked about Jiang Zhi's parents.

Unexpectedly, Jiang Zhi became very angry at once, "My uncle and aunt are my mom and dad."

She didn't seem ready yet to share these private matters with Xu Hu.

"The difference between an uncle and aunt and a mom and dad seems quite big, right?"

Xu Hu felt she was a bit willful, "Your uncle and aunt's house can't really be considered your home; why don't we go back to school early?"

He actually really wanted to go out and rent a place to live with Jiang Zhi, but Jiang Zhi had never agreed.

"Then you go back to school by yourself!"

Jiang Zhi didn't like hearing him say that; her uncle and aunt's house was her home.

Home was a place where one felt at peace just by being there.

Xu Hu looked at her back; this young lady was angry again.

He really wanted to slam the door and leave; although his family was poor, he had been the cherished Yaozu in his family since he was a child—when had he ever suffered such grievances?

Besides, he hadn't said anything wrong.

He loved Jiang Zhi, so it was fine to endure some difficulty from her parents, but if it was just an uncle and aunt, what right did they have?

And all of this was with Jiang Zhi's tacit approval; Xu Hu felt she didn't love him enough.

The next day, Xu Hu woke up with his legs so sore it felt like someone had beaten them with a rolling pin all night, yet Jiang Zhi's uncle still wanted to take him to tour Huaiyang.

He was a student at Jingshi University; why would he tour a dumpy place like Huaiyang?

This time it wasn't just the two of them; there was another young boy.

He looked like a soldier under Jiang Cheng; although he was wearing an ordinary white shirt and black trousers, one could still tell from his gestures that he was a well-trained soldier.

This time they were climbing a different mountain.

Xu Hu looked at the two people who had left him far behind and felt very aggrieved; Jiang Zhi's uncle was just dissatisfied with him, so he was intentionally tormenting him in every way possible.

Making him climb a mountain in such hot weather—it was a pity that silly girl Jiang Zhi didn't seem to see it.

Last night, he had just complained once and was immediately snapped back at.

"If my uncle wasn't satisfied with you, would he still take you mountain climbing? Do you know how many people want to go mountain climbing with my uncle?"

Xu Hu:...

It was said as if the opportunity to climb a mountain with Jiang Cheng was something glorious.

By the end of the day, he was more exhausted than a dog.

They ate dinner at a hotel.

A seafood banquet at Zuiyun Pavilion.

The entire Jiang Family turned out; Xu Hu met Jiang Zhi's uncle's family and her grandparents, but still didn't see her parents.

At this moment, Xu Hu had actually already guessed in his heart that Jiang Zhi's parents might both be dead.

She was afraid he would look down on her, which was why she refused to say anything.

The most awkward person at this dinner table was probably the young boy who had climbed the mountain with him and Jiang Cheng today; it seemed his name was Chen Yun.

Chen Yun was the youngest son of Chen Shuo, and because Jiang Cheng was his father's student, they were in frequent contact.

As for why things turned out like this today, he actually understood very well in his heart.

It was a disguised blind date.

Old Chen must have hit menopause during this period; he started worrying that he wouldn't be able to find a wife in the future, so whenever he met an acquaintance, he asked them to introduce a partner for him.

Chen Yun was also studying at Jingshi University, having been admitted a year before Jiang Zhi.

Based on his knowledge and experience, Chen Yun believed the probability of finding true love on a blind date was zero.

Until he saw Jiang Zhi.

With eyes that were clear, innocent, and clean to the extreme, he suddenly understood what it meant to have one's heart skip a beat.

The salt his father had eaten was indeed more than the rice he had eaten; a blind date was actually a very good thing.

Chen Yun continued to analyze in his heart based on his knowledge and experience: first, two people who could go on a blind date were relatively well-matched in social status.

Secondly, from the perspective of the people who set them up, they were a good match.

No one would set a prince up on a blind date with Cinderella.

Although he had met his muse, the fly in the ointment was that Jiang Zhi seemed to already have a boyfriend.

However, Chen Yun quickly regained his confidence; the fact that he was able to be here meant that Jiang Cheng was not satisfied with that partner of Jiang Zhi's.

He still had a chance.

Moreover, during the hike, he learned from Jiang Cheng that Jiang Zhi had grown up by Jiang Cheng's side since she was little.

Therefore, Jiang Cheng must be the person who had the greatest influence on Jiang Zhi.

At the same time, he also felt that Jiang Zhi must have had a very difficult upbringing over all these years.

No matter how deep the love of an uncle and aunt might be, it could never replace the love of parents.

After the banquet began, Chen Yun did not rashly strike up a conversation with Jiang Zhi, but instead interacted frequently with Jiang Cheng.

Previously, under his father's influence, he had always thought Jiang Cheng was a reserved, straight-laced man, but from now on, in his eyes, he was his noble father-in-law.

He toasted him frequently, and Jiang Cheng first sought his wife's opinion with a look.

Finding a partner for his niece was certainly important, but he also did not want to sleep on the sofa when he got home at night.

Si Rong nodded; a man should drink when he ought to, and a man's true colors are best seen after he has had a drink.

Jiang Zhi finally noticed Chen Yun, a poised and graceful young man with a scholarly air, very much like the good students in her class from before.

When eating king crab, he would look after everyone at the table, unlike Xu Hu, who had actually dropped his chopsticks under the table.

After getting drunk, Xu Hu was even more embarrassing, actually starting to talk about his status at home.

It was as if being put through university by five older sisters was some kind of glorious achievement.

In short, by comparison with Chen Yun, Xu Hu was made to look exactly like a clown who had never seen the world.

Jiang Zhi felt a bit embarrassed.

She urged Xu Hu to drink less, but Xu Hu flicked his arm and nearly pushed her to the ground.

Fortunately, Si Rong, who was sitting next to Jiang Zhi, caught her in time.

"Xu Hu, how could you push Xiao Zhi?" From Si Rong's perspective, she thought Xu Hu had pushed Jiang Zhi and became angry immediately.

Xu Hu stood up unsteadily, "Aunt, I didn't push her..."

Jiang Zhi let out a cold snort, "Drink less!"

Then Xu Hu got angry and slapped the table, "Do you all look down on me? Do you despise me because my family is poor? But Jiang Zhi, I never despised you for having no parents!"