Chapter 4: What's best for you

After another long day full of Activities, Lijuan returned home and right in time for dinner.

The second she pulled out her seat, the house keepers served her specific portion of food. The servants in white long sleeve shirts and red skirts moved wordlessly to and from the table as the rest of the family joined Lijuan to eat In the household's exquisite dining room.

"Good evening, mother and father." Lijuan greeted before she picked up the polished silver spoon and put some rice mixed with peas in her mouth.

"Good evening my dear" Her father responded. As for her mother, she turned her face, clarifying that she was upset with her daughter after their little quarrel from before.

As they ate, the maids dropped the peach colored curtains over the tall mullioned windows since it was already nighttime, and the moonlight wasn't needed.

"How did the photoshoot go? Did you run into your cousin?" her father asked, but In that instant, Lijuan noticed her mother's brief sneer at her father who wasn't supposed to talk to her, as commanded by her mother.

"The photoshoot turned out well. A copy would reach us soon." Lijuan turned to her mother "Mom..." she wanted to apologise if she sounded rude before, but she just couldn't consent to her mother's wishes. Especially when they'd affect her.

"I'm sorry..." 

"I don't want an apology. I want you to agree." Her mother snapped.

Lijuan turned to look at her father with a frown on her face, but the old man raised his hand in surrender. 

He didn't want to get involved. He was on Lijuan's side, but as her stepfather, he assumed her mother would know what's best for her.

"Mother, please. I understand why you want me to do this, but I just can't...Not with Fu Hong." 

"And why is that? Why do you refuse to see things the way I do? I care about nothing but your wellbeing." 

Lijuan's half brothers excused themselves from the table, and her stepfather was ready to do the same but his wife stopped him.

"Please help me talk some sense into her" She begged.

Mr Qin turned to Lijuan who looked so sad, and he didn't know what to do. He didn't want to voice who he was fully in support of, and he didn't want to lie about it either.

"I'm neutral. I'm sorry" It was better than telling the woman he loved dearly that he didn't agree to her plans. He was sure his precious Lijuan would understand why he wasn't taking sides.

Lijuan and her mother understood the perspectives of one another, but there were some certain things they couldn't agree to.

"Mom, what if I find someone that will love and respect me?"

"Where would you find someone better than Fu Hong? He's a successful son of a politician, and he has a reputable company. He's one of the richest in beijing and it will benefit our household."

Once again her mother was dictating something personal to her daughter despite her age.

"I mean, you're not growing younger? Where will you find someone like Fu Hong?" 

"I'm not looking for someone like Fu Hong mom!" Lijuan raised her voice and silenced herself immediately after. "Why don't you let me decide for myself." 

"I know what's best for you!" 

Mr Qin cleared his throat "Ladies please—" 

"OH NOW YOU WANT TO GET INVOLVED?!" the two women snapped, obviously angry for his interruption, and he regretted bothering to calm the heated atmosphere.

"I will find someone. A decent man that will love me! Someone that will see me for who you made me to be." 

"Who I made you to be? What does that even mean?" 

Lijuan shook her head "Nevermind. All I ask is for a few months to bring a good man home." 

"And what if you cannot do that?" 

"I'll agree to whatever you've arranged with the Fu family." 

"Alright then. Your father is a witness to this agreement. A year is all you have." 

"Perfect." She said confidently, despite not knowing where to start from.

Back in her room, Li Juan remained before her window, the twilight drenching her skin as she glanced through her contact list. 

"This is sad," She dropped her shoulders and pulled her head back in a deep sigh "If only I had a better social life. But she ruined those chances, and I take some blame too."

All her life, all she knew was elites that ended up turning into A-class arrogant people in the world.

She was looking for a good man, but nothing would make her choose those that were a wannabe Fu Hong. They tried their best to imitate him, both his bad and his bad side. 

There was nothing good attached to his character, but since he was rich and handsome, he could get away with anything.

Lijuan knew a lot of popular people, and also she knew how they all were behind the camera and their marketing personalities for teenage girls.

She sulked as she thought of the few men she came across over the years, but none fit into her description of a likeable man except one.

"the man that returned my wallet!" Her eyes widened. Ever since then, she hadn't checked if anything at all was missing. She did leave a lot of money inside, but that was too small compared to what she earned daily. To a low-class person, it would be a jackpot, but to her, it was something she could wipe her nose with.

Her gaze moved along with her hand that brought out a few things in the order in which they were placed, and nothing was missing. Not even a dime from the money in the envelope.

"Does that mean he might just be a good Samaritan? Maybe a fan ever since my first episode on Lunar TV?"

There was no way someone in that bar could actually return such an amount of money. "But he was in Darba...a place known for delinquents...wait...no... I'm not supposed to judge him by that. I come from a rich family and I downed a few glasses there."

There were a few possibilities that he might be an undercover rich man, or so she thought. He already perked up her interest, but a new problem arose.

"what's his name again?"