Chapter 96: Fate

Chapter 96: Chapter 96: Fate

"Huh?" Lin Xiaoli and Lin Yingjun were just about to pick up their teacups to drink when they suddenly froze. Fang Meng also stared at them blankly.

"Hmm?" Fang Meng’s Mother asked her husband, "Honey, did this really happen? Or am I remembering it wrong?!"

Fang Meng’s Father recalled, "No, no, no, it did happen. Have you two forgotten? Back when you were dating in college and practically glued at the hip, Fang Meng’s Mother and I were also dating. The four of us agreed that if our future children were close in age, we’d arrange a childhood marriage for them. Did you two really forget?!"

Lin Xiaoli and Lin Yingjun stared blankly at each other, their eyes wide. They recalled the bits and pieces of their college days, and then said in unison, "There does seem to be something like that..."

The couple didn’t say anything else, but they felt a sense of impending doom. After all, the arranged childhood marriage was purely a joke back then. They never expected that they would both get pregnant within the same year, give birth in the same year, and coincidentally have a boy and a girl. After so many years, the two of them had long put this matter out of their minds.

It wouldn’t have been a big deal to remember it now, but they knew their son Ranran was different from other boys... Setting aside his two childhood friends and a female classmate—which already made three—his grandfather had also introduced a fiancée to Ranran not long ago. If they were to add another one for their son now...

Fang Meng’s Mother said, "Looking at your expressions, I’m guessing you both remembered?!" She waved her daughter over. "Mengmeng, come sit down too. It’s the perfect time to talk to you about this."

Fang Meng obediently came over and sat down, never expecting to encounter such a situation herself. "An arranged childhood marriage? I have one of those?"

Fang Meng’s Mother nodded. "You do! The four of us were super close back then, absolute besties and closest friends, so we set up this arranged childhood marriage. By the way, Li." She asked Lin Xiaoli, "What was your son’s nickname again? Where does he go to school now?"

Lin Xiaoli broke a sweat. "His name is Ranran, and he goes to the nearby high school, First High."

"Oh, isn’t that a coincidence?! Our Mengmeng is also at First High!"

Lin Yingjun was surprised. "Huh? Then aren’t they at the same school?"

Fang Meng’s Father laughed heartily. "This is a great stroke of fate. You must have pictures of your son on your phones, right? Can we take a look?"

Lin Yingjun and Lin Xiaoli exchanged glances. Lin Yingjun chuckled and glanced at Fang Meng. "Sure, let me find one."

Since things had already reached this point, they could only let nature take its course. Lin Yingjun thought, "Ranran... don’t blame Mom and Dad for causing trouble for you. This is all a choice of fate, and Meng is indeed quite pretty... I bet a lot of boys like her..."

He dug out a photo of Lin Zhengran from last year’s winter break and handed his phone over. "This was taken last year. Take a look."

Fang Meng’s Father and Mother took it. Upon seeing the photo, they were extremely surprised and said in unison, "He’s this handsome?!"

Their astonishment was not faked. Because Lin Zhengran already had extremely high natural good looks, the System’s Charm had also caused his appearance to skyrocket crazily over the years. Even if it was just a photo, anyone who glanced at it would instantly develop a favorable impression of him.

"Your Ranran has simply inherited all the best traits from both of you! He looks so incredibly likable."

Lin Xiaoli was genuinely proud of this. "Ranran is indeed very good-looking. Even Yingjun and I feel inferior by comparison." She handed the phone to her daughter. "Mengmeng, take a look. This is Ranran, the partner for your arranged childhood marriage."

Seeing her parents’ shocked expressions, Fang Meng wondered just how handsome he could really be. Among all the boys she had met, Lin Zhengran from her class was actually the most handsome. She felt that no matter how good-looking this guy was, he couldn’t possibly be better-looking than the boy Qianqian liked.

Who would have thought that the moment she took the phone, she would suddenly freeze, even rubbing her eyes in disbelief. She stared at the figure in the photo standing in the snow wearing an overcoat.

She thought, "This... this boy looks so much like Lin Zhengran. Except for the different clothes, everything else is exactly the same. Wait... isn’t this just Lin Zhengran?!"

Fang Meng’s pupils dilated, her red lips parting in shock as she was left speechless. She thought, "In other words, Lin Zhengran is actually my fiancé?! And the person Qianqian likes is my boyfriend?! Am I getting cucked?"

Fang Meng’s Mother asked, "Mengmeng, what do you think?"

"Huh?" Fang Meng snapped back to reality.

Fang Meng’s Mother smiled. "Why are you zoning out? I’m asking if you want to meet Zhengran? Anyway, Mr. and Mrs. Lin live in the same city as us, so it’s not far. We can go visit their house another day and let you two meet."

Fang Meng looked at the photo. "Well..." She didn’t know what to say.

Finally, under the expectant gazes of the adults, Fang Meng’s lips slowly parted as she uttered a single sentence: "Sure, let’s meet..."

Fang Meng’s Father and Mother clapped happily. "Great! Then, Li and Yingjun, is it a deal? Next time there’s a chance, we’ll visit your house and let the two kids meet and become friends. The four of us can have a nice get-together while we’re at it."

Lin Yingjun chuckled, accepting reality, and said seriously, "Sure. Give us a call whenever you plan to come over. Since we’ve met up and reconnected today, the four of us can also take the kids out around the city when we have time in the future."

Fang Meng stared at the figure of the boy in the photo. She thought, "Since Qianqian still likes him even though he has a girlfriend, my only option is to continue digging for his weaknesses. Only by getting closer to him will I be able to discover what his weaknesses truly are..."

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Today was the weekend. However, ever since Lin Zhengran started high school, he no longer went home every week, opting to go back once every two weeks instead. After all, every time he went back, he was just accompanying those girls to practice their respective special skills. So, spending the weekend at school made no difference.

Since he had to accompany Xiao Heqing to a competition next week, Lin Zhengran planned to sleep in his dorm for a whole day this week. Even though his Energy rarely flagged with the System’s enhancement, catching up on sleep from time to time was still considered one of life’s enjoyments. He went to a large supermarket outside the school, intending to buy some deli food and instant noodles to eat in his dorm room.

As he was picking out items from the shelves, an older woman wearing high heels and with slightly curled long hair suddenly approached him. She picked out a cup of instant noodles, gave Lin Zhengran a meaningful look, and smiled as she brushed past him.

Lin Zhengran didn’t pay it much mind at first. However, a notification suddenly popped up from the System.

[Encounter: First Meeting with the Imperial City Empress]