Chapter 881

Have I been too rash?

Li Ye held his daughter with one arm while secretly wondering to himself.

However, after he pondered it carefully, he finally sensed that something was off.

If Zhao Meiwen simply wanted to study abroad, Grandma Wu Juying would have already arranged it for Li Ye directly; there would be no need for Zhao Meiwen to tell Li Ye herself.

【What's the matter? Your step-sister can go to Hong Kong to study, but this cousin can't? Don't you know that blood is thicker than water?】

So Li Ye asked Zhao Meiwen, "Meiwen, listening to Grandma, is there some hidden story here?"

Zhao Meiwen's face turned red instantly, and she lowered her head to pick at her fingers.

What could make a young girl in her prime blush? Li Ye guessed it immediately.

But before he could continue his questioning, Grandma Wu Juying had already become irritable.

"Look at you, look at you, what did I just say? Why are you being so shy? With skin as thin as yours, you're too embarrassed to even say it at home, yet you want to follow someone else to the foreigner's territory to live?"

"If you were as bold and sharp-eyed as your sister Li Yue, we wouldn't be worried. You could go wherever you wanted. I, your grandmother, understand the principle that reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles,

but you can't even handle things at home. What will you do if that boy bullies you after you go to the Lighthouse? What if he sells you? Do you know how far the Lighthouse is? It's over twenty thousand li away! Your mother only has one daughter like you."

"."

After hearing Grandma's words, Li Ye roughly guessed what was going on.

His cousin was dating a boyfriend, the boyfriend was going abroad to study, and she wanted to follow him!

【There's nothing wrong with that, is there?】

At eighteen or nineteen, isn't this the season when love is supreme? If Wen Leyu had chosen to study abroad back then, Li Ye would definitely have followed her.

So Li Ye advised, "Grandma, Grandma, don't be so anxious. The more anxious you are, the more awkward Meiwen will feel. Let's listen to what Meiwen has to say first."

But Wu Juying let out a cold snort and said, "Hmph, if she could explain things clearly, would I let her talk to you?

I just said, if she could explain it to you with reason and evidence, we wouldn't oppose it, but look at her now? If she really encountered a problem, what could she do besides cry?"

"."

Now Li Ye finally understood what Grandma meant by "bold and sharp-eyed."

When two people in love are together, whoever is smarter and more assertive takes the initiative, while the shy, inarticulate, and honest one is likely to be in a "submissive" and weaker position.

Although sensible parents and elders believe that mutual love and equality make for the best marriage, what parent or elder doesn't worry about their children being in a weak position in love?

Therefore, parents are more at ease with a woman like his sister Li Yue, who is sharp-tongued, decisive, and strong-willed, while they are inevitably worried about someone like Zhao Meiwen.

Seeing tears welling up in Zhao Meiwen's eyes, Li Ye knew he couldn't push too hard, so he turned to ask Li Juan.

"Yang Xiaojuan, you tell me what's going on!"

Li Juan had been holding it in for a long time and immediately said, "When Meiwen was at school, she dated a... very close classmate, and this year that classmate was selected for a government-sponsored study abroad program,"

"Meiwen tried hard too, but she wasn't selected. But that boy is leaving, so she got anxious and wants to go first, and then find some random school..."

【Cousin, you're going to be a study-abroad companion!】

"When did I say I was going to find a random school?"

Zhao Meiwen didn't dare to argue with her grandmother or her eldest cousin, but she still had some confidence facing her good friend Li Juan, so she pouted and began to defend herself.

"I've already asked around. There are several universities in the city where Jiawei is studying. If I go there and study hard for a year, I can definitely get in..."

"Also, the Lighthouse is a civilized society, how could they sell me? You can't think of him as so evil."

"Hey, hey, hey, I have to clarify this point for you,"

Li Ye interrupted Zhao Meiwen and said very seriously, "The Lighthouse isn't as wonderful as you've heard. Human trafficking is common, and there are even cases of cannibalism..."

"."

Zhao Meiwen's eyes froze, as if she were frightened by Li Ye's words, and then her face was full of disbelief.

Cannibalism? Which era was that ugly business from?

Li Ye sighed. He didn't tell his cousin about darker things, but asked practically, "What did that Jiawei say to you after he got the spot to go abroad? Don't hide anything, tell the truth."

Zhao Meiwen's face turned redder, but she finally said, "He said that no matter how far the distance, it couldn't break our... relationship.

A mere two years is just over seven hundred days and nights. He will write me a hundred letters, and every letter will prove his heart..."

Good heavens, Li Ye exclaimed.

"Meiwen, your Jiawei, he wouldn't happen to be a poet, would he?"

"."

Zhao Meiwen's face stiffened for a moment, and then she began to shake her head vigorously like a rattle-drum.

Because she knew very well that although her eldest cousin was considered a "man of letters," he was very repulsed by certain poets.

But how sharp was Li Ye's observation? How could he not see that this little girl was lying to him?

A boy who could make a girl lie for him was no ordinary person!

Art comes from life. If a plot can easily resonate with the audience, then in reality, such a plot must exist, and it's not an isolated case.

Li Ye was already guessing if that Jiawei was in the same situation as Teacher Mu's ex-boyfriend.

Mu Yunning gave her study-abroad spot to the other party, and the other party actually married a white woman, leaving Mu Yunning single to this day.

Even if Li Ye had the ability to send his cousin out so they could be lovey-dovey, who could guarantee that Jiawei wasn't a "profit-first" Chen Shimei?

To be honest, if Zhao Meiwen were Li Ye's own sister, he would have broken up the couple right now. There are millions of men in the world; why find someone who has maxed out his skills in "sweet talk"?

Even if there's a one percent chance, it's not worth the risk!

But a cousin is different from a sister, and Li Ye found it hard to intervene.

So Li Ye could only ask with concern, "Then do you think he treats you well?"

Zhao Meiwen nodded hurriedly, "He's quite good. When I'm sick, he buys me food. When it's cold, he reminds me to keep warm. When I'm bullied, he stands up and argues for me..."

【Sigh, the cost of coaxing a girl these days is really damn low!】

Looking at Zhao Meiwen counting on her fingers to list her boyfriend's merits, Li Ye knew this matter was tricky.

If he didn't help her go abroad, the two of them would likely not end up together, and Zhao Meiwen would inevitably resent him.

But if he helped her go abroad and Zhao Meiwen ended up hurt, wouldn't Li Ye be doing a bad deed with good intentions?

"Meiwen, does his family know about you and Jiawei?"

Li Ye decided to follow the "standard procedure" of the Central Plains.

To see if a boy is sincere to a girl, you only need to look at his parents' attitude.

A boy bringing a girl to see his parents is ten times more reliable than any empty vows.

If his parents don't even know you exist, then it goes without saying that he's a jerk who's keeping you on a string while looking for better options.

The same goes for the reverse: if a girl only talks about love and enjoys being provided for, but doesn't bring him to meet her family, she's not a normal, good person either.

But after Li Ye asked this, Zhao Meiwen went silent again.

Li Ye's heart sank, and he looked sternly at his sister Li Juan: "Yang Xiaojuan, you tell me!"

"."

Li Juan shrank her neck and said helplessly, "A few days ago, after Ruan Jiawei was selected for the government-sponsored study abroad program, his classmates celebrated for him. Meiwen and I attended.

At the time, we met Ruan Jiawei's parents. His parents told Meiwen that she must get a government-sponsored study abroad spot within a year... Meiwen was angry and said she could go abroad this year..."

Li Ye was stunned.

【So I guessed it backwards! It's them who look down on our family's girl!】

What familiar words, what a familiar scene.

No wonder Grandma Wu Juying didn't break up the couple herself and let Li Ye do it!

Didn't Lu Jingyao's father play the same hand back then?

【If you get into university next year, I won't oppose your relationship with Jingyao.】

Damn it, keeping you on a string and giving you a one-year deadline?

Li Ye couldn't help but say, "The classmates' celebration party, Jiawei's parents were all there, so this Jiawei is from the capital?"

Li Juan nodded, "Yes, his father seems to be in some Economic Committee, everyone calls him Section Chief Ruan, and his mother seems to be a vice-principal of an elementary school."

【My goodness, I thought he was some big shot! This is simply bullying people too much!】