Chapter 408: Chapter 407: He’s Good-Looking

"Mom, I know you’re doing this for my own good, but I can’t just accept having the rest of my life decided for me so casually."

Ding Ruzhi’s mother looked at her, very disappointed.

"I don’t think it’s casual at all. Every man we’ve introduced you to was carefully considered. What is there to be unhappy about? Growing up requires sacrifice. What’s so bad about us letting you skip that step and go straight into marriage?"

Ding Ruzhi said, "I want to experience it. Can I just have a normal relationship, like other girls?"

Mrs. Ding narrowed her eyes.

"Be honest with me. You haven’t actually started dating someone, have you?"

Ding Ruzhi shook her head. "No. The way I am, I doubt anyone would like me anyway."

Hearing this, Mrs. Ding let out a sigh of relief. "Good, as long as you haven’t. If you want to date, that’s fine too. I’ll introduce you to someone. You can get married first and fall in love later, or it wouldn’t be bad to date a bit before getting married."

No matter how she put it, it still came down to setting Ding Ruzhi up on a blind date.

"Tomorrow morning, I’m personally taking you there, and I’ll be watching from outside. If you dare mess this one up again, I’ll disown you."

Ding Ruzhi stared at her mother in shock.

"I’m not just saying that. You’d better listen." After saying her piece, Mrs. Ding left Ding Ruzhi’s room.

Ding Ruzhi flopped onto her bed, her gaze fixed on a single spot as she zoned out.

「That evening, Ding Ruzhi’s father returned.」

Hearing that Ding Ruzhi was back, he made a point of coming to knock on her door.

"Come in," Ding Ruzhi said, her voice listless.

Mr. Ding opened the door and saw Ding Ruzhi lying on the bed, looking unwell.

"Are you all right?" he asked worriedly, reaching out to feel her forehead.

Ding Ruzhi pouted.

Mr. Ding was one of the few people in the family with whom Ding Ruzhi could have a peaceful conversation. Half of her current personality was a result of her father spoiling her.

He had sheltered her from the world since she was a child, which made her a bit arrogant. But because she had never faced any real hardship, she had no resilience whatsoever.

"I heard what happened from your mother. It’s good that you’re back. Hotels are filled with all sorts of people; they aren’t safe. From now on, no matter how upset you are, you need to come home at night. You’re a young woman, and we have to think about our reputation, don’t we?"

Ding Ruzhi remembered she had just extended her stay at the hotel. If she didn’t go back, the money would be completely wasted.

"Dad, Mom set me up with the son of some director. I really don’t want to go. Can you help me turn it down?"

Mr. Ding sighed. "Ruzhi, tell me, what kind of guy do you like?" 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

Ding Ruzhi bit her lip, hesitating for a few seconds.

Then she asked tentatively, "Dad... what would you think if I found you an exceptionally handsome son-in-law?"

Hearing this, Mr. Ding didn’t rush to object like Mrs. Ding would have. Instead, he asked, "Is there a boy you like?"

Ding Ruzhi nodded. "Mhm."

Mr. Ding was silent for a moment. "How old is he? What does he do for work?"

Ding Ruzhi said, "I don’t know how old he is. He works at a hotel."

"A hotel?" Mr. Ding paused, then looked at Ding Ruzhi. "You haven’t been staying there these past few days, have you?"

Ding Ruzhi’s eyes darted away, and Mr. Ding understood.

"Did he tell you to stay there?"

Ding Ruzhi quickly shook her head. "No, I decided to stay there myself. We don’t really know each other."

"You don’t know each other?" Mr. Ding was a little surprised.

Ding Ruzhi had to explain. "Ugh, it’s just... I like him, but he doesn’t know. And I don’t know if he likes me. We’ve barely said a few words to each other. So—we don’t really know each other."

Mr. Ding looked at her with a complicated expression, momentarily at a loss for words.

Ding Ruzhi gave an awkward smile.

"Dad, do you also think I’m being a little weird?"

’Ever since I met He Zichen,’ Ding Ruzhi thought, ’I haven’t been normal. I’m not acting or talking like myself anymore.’

Mr. Ding was simply astonished, but at the same time, he felt it was also quite normal.

Everyone is young once. It’s easy to fall for someone, but getting a happy ending is the hard part.

"A secret crush, is that it?"

Ding Ruzhi smiled.

"Dad, you even know the term ’secret crush’?"

Mr. Ding smiled too. "I was your age once, of course I know what a secret crush is. Before I married your mother, I liked someone else too. But in the end, I married your mom, and we have a good life now."

"So, it’s normal to like someone, but it’s also possible to come to like someone else."

Ding Ruzhi didn’t quite understand what he meant.

"Dad, can’t you only like one person at a time?"

Mr. Ding said, "You’ll understand in the future. Time changes, and love changes with it. What doesn’t change are mutual interests. That’s why your mother and I want to find you a good match from a similar background. Because our interests will be aligned, the relationship will be stable."

Ding Ruzhi found she couldn’t agree with this view. ’Business is business, and love is love. You can’t just lump them together.’

"Since it’s just a crush, I suggest you give up on the idea sooner rather than later. Your mother will never agree to it."

Ding Ruzhi said resentfully, "Dad, you’re saying that too? Do I really have to live a life so predictable I can see the end from the beginning?"

Mr. Ding patted Ding Ruzhi’s head. "Sweetheart, one day you’ll understand. A stable life is true happiness."

"I don’t want to understand! I just want to follow my heart. Why is that so hard?"

Ding Ruzhi was heartbroken. It was the first time her heart had ever been moved. The feeling was hard to describe—her heart had a mind of its own, completely out of her control. But she was also enjoying it, because a feeling like that was so rare.

Mr. Ding’s brows furrowed. "So you want to learn the hard way?"

Ding Ruzhi lowered her head and mumbled, "I want to try. I don’t think it’s guaranteed to fail. Maybe it’ll work out."

It was only then that Mr. Ding realized his daughter was serious.

After a slight pause, he asked, "What’s his name?"

"He Zichen."

Mr. Ding had indeed never heard that name before.

"Where’s he from?"

"I don’t know. All I know is that his name is He Zichen and he works at a hotel. I don’t know anything else."

Mr. Ding had to hand it to his daughter.

"Then tell me, if you don’t know anything about him, what is it that you like?"

Ding Ruzhi said bluntly, "He’s handsome."

Mr. Ding froze on the spot.

Ding Ruzhi continued, "I’m serious. He’s so, so good-looking, and he has a great body. When he just stands there, he looks like a movie star. Dad, can you imagine that feeling?"

Mr. Ding’s mouth twitched.

"No, I can’t."

Ding Ruzhi shot her father a look. "Ugh, there’s no explaining it to you people. Anyway, he’s exactly my type in every way. I just like him."

Mr. Ding took a deep breath and stood up.

"Sweetheart, you’re not a little girl anymore. You’re past the age for daydreaming. Let’s be more realistic." Then he left, closing the door behind him.

Ding Ruzhi stared blankly at the door, confused. ’I wasn’t even finished talking... What was that all about?’