Chapter 645: The Fishing Princess

My ideal wife?

Hearing the Wangnu's question, Li Ang, who had never thought about this before, couldn't help but pause slightly, then began mulling it over along those lines.

First of all, she definitely has to share a common language with me, so that conversation comes naturally. At the very least, our values can't be too far apart — otherwise it'd just be a mess of trivial squabbles, and I might as well stay single.

Secondly, her looks and figure can't be too bad either. After all, finding a wife isn't the same as making friends — if there's no mutual attraction to begin with, then everything that comes after simply can't be discussed.

And lastly, she has to get along with Anna and the others, have a harmonious relationship with her sisters-in-law, like children, and be able to accept my work at the Cleanup Bureau, and be mentally prepared for her husband dying at any moment…

……

"Would you mind if I summarized that for you?"

After hearing Li Ang out, the Wangnu couldn't help but smile, then summed it up with a twinkle in her eye:

"You said so much, but really there are only three conditions — someone you can talk to, someone who catches your eye, and someone who can accept your family situation… I summarized it correctly, didn't I?"

"……"

It really was…

"Then it's simple."

Looking at Li Ang, who gave a small nod of agreement, the Wangnu — who had spent years navigating political circles and was well-versed in the art of negotiation — smiled and said:

"Although I haven't had much contact with you, I'm very satisfied with your family conditions, I get along well with Anna, and you don't deny my charm either. So even if I'm not the most ideal candidate, I still meet two-thirds of the conditions, don't I?"

Not noticing that the Wangnu had quietly switched the concept, turning three veto items into scoring items, Li Ang thought it over and nodded again, offering no objection.

If you don't object now, you won't be able to get away~

Watching Li Ang begin thinking along her lines, the Wangnu's lips curved up slightly, then she continued her offensive:

"As for whether we can talk easily… actually, I feel your thinking is a little biased."

Hearing the Wangnu's words, Li Ang couldn't help but ask curiously:

"What do you mean?"

"A little too idealistic."

Pressing her well-proportioned, slender legs together and sitting elegantly sideways on the sofa, the Wangnu gazed into Li Ang's eyes and said earnestly:

"It's simply impossible for two people to completely 'get along' with each other. Even people with very similar views will inevitably encounter disagreements on certain details.

Like the people following behind me, hoping to change the kingdom — even though everyone's goal is the same, they still have their own ideas, and some completely different, even conflicting, demands."

Using the "Wangnu Sect" as an example and sharing her views, the Wangnu — Princess Veronica — said gently, watching the thoughtful Li Ang before her:

"Building a family is the same, Li Ang. You can't expect to find a wife who thinks exactly like you and live a harmonious life forever without a single quarrel — that possibility is just too low.

Even if you really did find one, as you two encounter different people and things, your respective ideas would slowly change. They can't stay aligned forever — so what would you do then?"

"I…"

"You'd be tormented by the constant conflicts, yet unable to truly let go because you can't bear to give up everything you've been through with her.

So rather than facing all of that in the future, why not from the very start find a clever partner — a wife who, even when she disagrees with you, is still willing to listen to your thoughts and knows how to reach a consensus with you… am I right?"

"……"

Something seemed off… but it also seemed… not really wrong? Following the Wangnu's line of thought for a while and still finding no obvious flaw, Li Ang couldn't help but nod in agreement.

"Right~ What a shame — I clearly fit your conditions, yet you still want to think it over."

After a coquettish little complaint, a certain perfect candidate who was both "clever and understanding," "easy on the eyes," and able to "accept the family situation" didn't rush to reel in the line. Instead, she loosened the fishing line in her hand slightly, letting Li·upturned-mouth·Ang keep swimming around in the pond, and smilingly took the initiative to change the subject:

"Speaking of thinking it over… Li Ang, besides me, do you have any other 'candidates'? Could you tell me about them?"

Other candidates?

Hearing the Wangnu's words, several figures immediately flashed uncontrollably through Li Ang's mind.

The first one to pop up was, surprisingly, a head of striking red hair…

Stop! Nipping that one in the bud right now!

Remembering the mountain of empty wine bottles piled up in the Bureau Chief's office, and the near-drowning incidents in wine vats he'd suffered as her drinking companion, Li Ang felt a chill run down his spine and hurriedly strangled that lethal thought on the spot.

Setting aside the Bureau Chief, who would be tantamount to marrying an ocean of wine, there was Senior Emma — gentle and mature, good to me, fair-skinned, beautiful, and charming, powerful and skilled, with a giant executioner's blade sitting in her room… um…

Thinking of that room full of bloodstained torture instruments, and that two-and-a-half-meter-tall suspended executioner's blade, Li Ang couldn't help but shudder and sensibly gave up on that idea.

Then… Miss Yisha?

But the Secret Police's work is incredibly busy, so they'd definitely be apart more than together. Plus she's a kick-the-balls expert. Although she's a great person, loyal to a fault, and a top-tier friend, actually marrying her would probably mean chaos every single day — the chickens flying and the eggs getting smashed… no good! No good!

Little rich girl Amy?

Hmm… although she does seem to have a bit of that kind of interest, my own feelings are missing a tiny bit, and we haven't had much contact so far either, so she probably isn't quite right either…

After running through them all in his head, Li Ang found, somewhat speechlessly, that among the women he'd had more contact with, aside from his sister Anna, the most suitable candidate for starting a family really did seem to be the Wangnu right in front of him.

Not to mention, with the Wangnu's abilities, household peace was at least not something to worry about. She also had an extremely high acceptance of the possibility of her husband dying, and if something really did happen to him, she could take good care of his younger siblings. So then…

……

About time~

Based on her earlier investigation, if evaluated by those three criteria, among the women Li Ang could come into contact with, there was absolutely no one with better qualifications than herself.

Noticing Li Ang's gaze wandering for a moment before finally settling back on her, the Wangnu — who had expected as much — smiled slyly, then slowly began to reel in the net:

"You didn't think through a whole bunch of options, only to realize in the end that I'm still the best, did you?"

"……"

"Don't worry, I'm not some little girl with nothing but love on the brain. I don't mind being your second choice — for me, the result matters far more than the process."

Shifting closer on the sofa and sitting a little nearer, the Wangnu took the initiative to hold Li Ang's hand and said softly:

"I know you might want a purer sort of marriage, feeling that the engagement between us has too many other things mixed in, that my motives are too calculating.

But besides you, my other 'options' would all require me to leave the capital, even leave the kingdom, and give up everything I've worked so hard to build for all these years.

So whether you believe it or not, in my heart, no other 'option' can compare to you — you are the only prince consort candidate in my mind."

Lifting Li Ang's hand and pressing it against her heart, letting him feel her heartbeat, the Wangnu rose to her knees on the sofa, gazed down at the Li Ang who wanted to look away, and said earnestly:

"Hearing Li Ang, I'm very certain that you are my best choice, and I have the confidence that I can become your best choice!

Trust me—even if you aren't prepared yet, don't reject this marriage outright. Give me, and give yourself, a chance!"

"..."

The two of us... did we pick up the wrong script?

(End of chapter)