Chapter 197 - 172: Once Upon a Time + Fear (4)

"Um... My dad told me he wants to set us up on a blind date. I figured since we already know each other, we could just meet up and talk directly. Having him arrange it would probably be a little awkward."

Sang Yuan looked at her gently, his face calm and unruffled, but his ears couldn’t help but turn red.

’Instead of pursuing a girl directly, he’d taken a roundabout approach, going through her family first. Even though the circumstances were special, it was still a bit embarrassing to admit.’

"Oh, that’s fine. Should I start by telling you about my situation? That’s usually how blind dates go, right?"

Under his gaze, Ni Bingyan barely managed to finish what she was saying. Unable to continue, she simply nodded along.

’This was the standard procedure for a blind date, after all.’

’Even though she had no intention of dating him, Sang Yuan had managed to get this opportunity from her dad, so she wasn’t going to be perfunctory about the process.’

"You already know my family situation. My parents have two kids, me and my older sister. My sister is more than ten years older than me and is already married. You’ve met my nephew. You know what my parents do for a living, and you know our home address. As for me, this is a list of my current assets..."

Sang Yuan unlocked his phone and pulled up a spreadsheet.

Seeing him about to hand it over for her to see, Ni Bingyan’s fair face instantly turned beet red!

"I... I don’t need to see that... Really, there’s... there’s no need."

’She had everything she needed herself, so she really didn’t have any requirements for a man’s financial assets.’

"You’re right. I should show this to my future father-in-law. I’ll send it to him later. In that case, let me tell you about my personal details. Here, this is my resume..."

With a swipe of his finger, Sang Yuan pulled up another document.

Besides basic information like his height, weight, ethnicity, and political affiliation, the document listed everything from where he went to kindergarten to where he attended university and graduate school.

A normal resume would list any positions held in school, awards won, post-graduation jobs, and achievements. His profile, in addition to all that, also included a list of investment projects he’d started in high school.

Ni Bingyan only glanced at it before she started fidgeting, unable to sit still.

’He’s so incredibly serious!’

’It’s just a blind date, but he’s treating it like a business negotiation. That determination to win is honestly terrifying!’

"Why are you interested in me? I really don’t get it."

’Love without reason is even more frightening than hate without reason.’

"It was love at first sight!"

Sang Yuan, of course, couldn’t bring up things like being reborn.

"It’s like when I see a project I know will be profitable—I invest without hesitation. When I saw you, I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you, so naturally, I’m not hesitating."

’That’s so ridiculous!’

Ni Bingyan’s eyes widened.

But before she could say anything, Sang Yuan leaned forward, moving much closer to her, and said with a solemn expression:

"Love can fade, but money is our forever friend. I’m asking for your hand in marriage, and I won’t do any of that prenuptial agreement nonsense. Whatever I earn, half of it is yours. Other people date and might end up losing both the person and their money. But even if you bet on me and lose, you’ll still walk away with more money than you can spend. So, what are you afraid of?"

"I..."

’Damn it, that’s a hard offer to refuse!’

"Besides, how could I possibly let you lose? Think about it. If we get married, I’ll do all the housework, and I’ll take care of the kids too. We won’t need our parents to help at all. If you don’t trust me, we can just hire a few experienced nannies. You’ll be completely free to focus on your career. And if you’re worried you won’t see the kids and me because you’re on set for long periods, we can just follow you. I mean, I’m my own boss, so I don’t have to worry about getting time off. So, if you’re even considering marriage, I’m absolutely your best choice!"

Ni Bingyan started to panic. She grabbed her bag and made to leave.

’Holy crap, this guy is terrifying!’

’We’re still on the blind date! And he’s already figured out how to raise the kids!’

’How am I supposed to continue this date?’

’If she didn’t leave now, she was afraid she might accidentally agree.’

"Hey, hey, hey, wait a second! I didn’t bring any money. We can’t dine and dash!"

Seeing her desperation, Sang Yuan resorted to being shameless.

If he’d asked to bum a ride home, she definitely wouldn’t have stopped. But hearing the words "dine and dash," she immediately ran back, her face red, "You said you were treating me!"

’If people found out she’d dined and dashed, her reputation would be ruined forever!’

Sang Yuan immediately grabbed her arm. "If you mind that I’m too rich, I don’t mind being a kept man."

’Holy crap, who ever heard of a kept man being so brazen about it?’

"Also, if you feel insecure living in a house I bought, we can live in your house after we get married."

Seeing him grabbing onto her, just short of hugging her leg and shouting, "My Queen, I’ll do anything!", Ni Bingyan finally lost her composure.

"Get off! It’s late, I’m going home to sleep!"

"Don’t rush, don’t rush. We can take it slow. It’s not like I’m forcing you to agree today."

Not wanting to cause a scene, Ni Bingyan quickly took out a face mask and sunglasses and put them on, fully equipping herself.

Seeing that she wasn’t insisting on leaving, Sang Yuan smiled and paid the bill.

The two went downstairs, and he even offered to drive.

Ni Bingyan didn’t argue with him.

They didn’t discuss the topic again on the way. When he dropped her off at her house, Sang Yuan didn’t linger. He just smiled, said goodbye, and went back to his own home.

Ni Bingyan went to bed at her usual time, but she just tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep.

"I guess heaven just can’t stand to see me happy..."

The next day, Ni Bingyan dragged herself out of bed with dark circles under her eyes. After breakfast, she was in the yard sowing lettuce seeds when she saw Sang Yuan jogging past outside.

"Hey! Bingyan, morning!"

He stopped in his tracks. Ni Bingyan took a closer look and—yep, he had the same dark circles under his eyes.