Chapter 22: Luming: Please Have a Child with Me

Chapter 22: Luming: Please Have a Child with Me

We waited with Li Fan from eight until ten. That Octopus Sister seemed to be another trigger for him; he grumbled after every few bites.

Finally, approaching half past ten, I spotted a woman entering the night market.

She was tall and slender, dressed in a black and gold gown that hinted at a purple tattoo around her neck. However, she wore a hat and a mask, obscuring her face.

As I gazed at her, Li Fan slammed his palm on the table so hard that it nearly split the wooden stall owner's table in two, sending my spare ribs tumbling.

"What are you doing?" I stared at him wide-eyed, whispering, "Do you need to be so agitated? Everyone's watching."

"Agitated?" Li Fan sneered, exuding an overwhelming aura of hostility. "I can be even more agitated!"

"Sit still. I'll be back soon. Don't wander off."

With that, he strode towards the woman. The distance made it difficult to hear their conversation, but from Li Fan's body language, it was evident that he was on the verge of losing his cool.

Soon, they disappeared into a dim alley, leaving me completely unable to see what was happening.

Strange, what kind of woman could reduce Li Fan to such despair? His expression made it seem as if the person owed him five million dollars.

If he had fox ears on his head right now, they would surely be perked up like two antennas.

But I wasn't overly concerned with their feud. What did it have to do with me? Even if that woman came over to find the father of her child, it still wouldn't involve me. At most, I'd just grab a seat and watch the spectacle, as long as it didn't escalate towards me.

Soon, my pan-seared lamb chops arrived. Focusing on my meal, I suddenly heard a commotion nearby.

I turned to look and saw in the small square adjacent to the night market, someone had arranged candles into a heart shape, seemingly preparing for a proposal.

I wanted to join in the excitement, but Li Fan told me to stay put. So, I carried my stool over - does that still count as sitting properly?

The small square was already packed with people. Arriving early, I secured a great spot and could clearly see the face of the man about to propose.

Hmm, quite handsome, with a gentle, neighborly vibe. With his level of attractiveness, he could easily rank within the top three at my university, Yuquan, where handsome men were aplenty, and perhaps even rival my playboy cousin.

With this setup, there was a ninety percent chance of success for his proposal.

As more people gathered around, I noticed him carrying a large bouquet of black-gold adorned roses. Many from the crowd behind him were taking out their phones to capture the moment, amidst the flashes of cameras and excited squeals from girls.

Then I saw the guy holding up the roses, even though I still hadn't spotted the female lead, the crowd was already cheering, "Marry him, marry him!"

With a half-eaten lamb rib in my mouth, I clapped along, wearing an aunt-like smile. But soon, I couldn't maintain it as I watched the guy kneeling before me with the flowers, both knees on the ground.

"Bai Ci, I love you. Will you give me some children?"

Me: !!!!!

Crowd: ????

With a thud, the lamb rib fell from my mouth, followed by a few dropped phones behind me, and my three principles of life did a nosedive.

I was truly naive, really. I had only heard of proposals with flowers in public squares, not such direct requests for children.

Not just me, but the people behind me were also struck dumb, stunned into silence.

My inner self was roaring, finding this absurd to the extreme. I didn't even know this person! Alright, even if we put that aside, asking someone to bear your children right off the bat is highly impolite!

I was frozen, staring at his sincere gaze, with countless words stuck in my throat.

I didn't know how he managed to disperse the curious onlookers, but I found myself back at the original barbecue stall with him still gazing at me earnestly, seemingly awaiting my response.

"Oh, right, I haven't introduced myself yet. My name is Luming, like the deer's call in the poem," Luming said, flashing a bright smile and revealing his pearly whites.

"If you didn't like my previous approach, let me try again in a different way. Please, have children with me, I beg of you! Please..."

After three seconds, I finally processed this overwhelming revelation. I looked at Luming with a mix of confusion and skepticism.

I felt like he was playing a prank on me, but to my surprise, there wasn't even a hint of jest in his eyes. He was deadly sincere, as if "having children" was just a small favor I could easily do for him.

"Luming, I don't know you, and I don't understand why you know my name. But I need to know, why do you suddenly want me to bear your child?" I stared at him, wondering if he had escaped from some mental institution.

Luming paused in thought before looking up at me. "I realize I've been too forward, but we can get to know each other. Tell me, at what level of familiarity would you be willing to help me have children?"

"At least we'd have to date first, right? No one jumps straight into having kids," I blurted out without much thought.

Luming responded swiftly, "So, would you be willing to date me?"

"No way!"

Luming was indignant. "But we have an engagement! We were promised to each other since childhood!"

I nearly spat out blood.

An engagement? What engagement? What childhood promise? Was I set up?

"I want to see that agreement," I stretched my hand towards him.

Luming began rummaging through his pockets but found nothing. "Sorry, I left it at home in a hurry. But trust me, we do have an official engagement."

I was tempted to slap some sense into him. Such a good-looking guy, why was he so naive?

Could he be mentally challenged? Maybe he was even insane!

"As for who sent me here... well, it's not a secret. It was my parents. They're eager to have a grandchild," Luming blinked innocently.

Dude? Your parents want a grandchild so badly they send you out to snatch any random girl off the street and have kids with her?

That's utterly ridiculous!

"Do I know your parents? What are their names? In which... ahem, where do they reside?" I spoke through clenched teeth on my right hand, fearing I might slap him in the next moment.

Luming looked at me quizzically before vigorously nodding. "Yes, you do. Of course you do. It's not important where they live, but their names are OOXX."

Me: ?

I felt a question mark slowly forming above my head. What were those names he just mentioned?

Assuming I hadn't heard him clearly, Luming repeated, "My parents are called OOXX. You know them."

Me: ??

Another question mark appeared above my head.

I could tell he had indeed uttered two name-like sounds, but all I caught was a strange rolling of the tongue. I couldn't comprehend the words, let alone repeat them.

We stared at each other for a while until he seemed to have a sudden realization, his eyes widening in understanding.

"Oh, I get it now. You can't understand them yet. No wonder... no wonder we can't communicate!"

I was on the verge of collapse. "What do you understand? I don't understand anything!"

"Um... given your current state, it's hard for me to explain it to you. You probably wouldn't understand anyway," Luming looked even more troubled than I was.

I saw a naive clarity in Luming's eyes, and my heart ached. What kind of odd people were these?

"If you can't clarify it to her, then explain it to me. I also need an explanation," Li Fan's voice echoed behind me, followed by his slender, fair hand resting naturally on my shoulder.