Chapter 251 - 249: The Onlooker Sees Clearly

Chapter 251: Chapter 249: The Onlooker Sees Clearly

With the business settled, Teacher Wang didn’t plan to stay long and was about to leave.

Her reason was simple: being a third wheel was no fun.

But Xia Yi stopped her.

Anyone else would have had no chance of making Sister Wang stay.

But Miss Xia had a way with her.

"Sister Wang, I’d like to ask your advice on a personal matter."

"Huh?" Teacher Wang’s brow twitched. She instinctively glanced at Zhang Zhe. "Oh, no. Zhang Zhe is already a professional. If you have a question, ask him."

"I’m no good. I’m too new at this."

"No, no, no. Those involved can’t see clearly, but an outsider can. The problem I need advice on is about the two of us."

Xia Yi took the initiative, lacing her fingers with Zhang Zhe’s and holding their joined hands up for a moment.

The gesture was meant to show how strong their relationship was.

"So what do you want to ask?" Teacher Wang asked, looking puzzled.

She wasn’t the only one who was confused; Zhang Zhe couldn’t figure it out either.

’Does Xia Yi have some worries about our relationship?’

Feeling the warmth of her hand in his, Zhang Zhe suddenly remembered that the system had a reward that seemed perfect for this exact situation.

[Heart-Opening Fruit]

[Consume the fruit. For the next two hours, by lacing your fingers with a member of the opposite sex, you can read their innermost thoughts.]

[Cost to redeem: 100 Happiness Points]

’Zhang Zhe’s current balance was nearly 800 points. If he didn’t use it now, when would he?’

He quickly redeemed the Heart-Opening Fruit in the system and consumed it.

Just then, Xia Yi began to speak.

"Teacher Wang, Zhang Zhe and I have been together for a while now, and I feel like we’re a great match, but... how do we take the next step toward marriage?"

"He’s already met my parents, but I feel like there’s still something missing before we can get married..."

As Xia Yi spoke, she unconsciously squeezed Zhang Zhe’s hand.

Her thoughts flowed into him, completely unfiltered, through their joined hands:

’Zhang Zhe’s career is just getting started. If we get married now, will all the pressure that comes with marriage affect his work?’

’But if we don’t get married now, how long will we have to wait?’

’He’s going to become more and more successful, while I’m stuck in a dead-end job at the kindergarten. Will I be able to keep up with him in the future? Will I still be a good match for him?’

’Why hasn’t Zhang Zhe introduced me to his parents yet?’

’Sigh, marriage is so hard... I’m so torn...’

Xia Yi’s thoughts were so numerous and complex. It was a good thing Zhang Zhe had been taking all sorts of physique-enhancing elixirs, or the sheer information overload might have knocked him out.

"Hey, Zhang Zhe?"

"Teacher Zhang?"

Teacher Wang had to call his name twice before snapping Zhang Zhe out of his trance.

"Aren’t you going to offer your opinion?"

"Miss Xia is asking about you two, you know."

"Sister Wang..." Xia Yi said, shaking her head. "Zhang Zhe and I are both too close to the situation. I want to hear your advice."

Teacher Wang was a sly old fox. She knew she couldn’t just jump in, so she insisted, "Zhang Zhe has to state his own thoughts first. Then I’ll talk."

"Zhang Zhe, what on earth did you do to make Miss Xia feel so insecure?"

"I’ve probably been a bit of a workaholic lately." Zhang Zhe gave Xia Yi’s hand a firm squeeze. When she squeezed back, he looked directly into her eyes. "It’s my fault."

"I’ve always felt that my family’s material circumstances don’t yet measure up to yours."

"I was afraid my parents’ enthusiasm might overwhelm you."

"So I wanted to wait until the time was right to introduce you..."

"Your parents... will they like me?" Xia Yi asked, also looking into his eyes.

"Excuse me, sorry to interrupt." Teacher Wang stood up. "My corpse is feeling a bit unwell. I’m going outside to recover a bit."

"You two, carry on."

"..." Zhang Zhe and Xia Yi exchanged a knowing smile.

They actually waited until Teacher Wang had left before they continued their conversation.

"They will. Don’t worry," Zhang Zhe said with a smile. "My mom has already gotten the family heirloom ready—a silver bracelet passed down from my great-great-grandmother. She’s just waiting to meet you."

"Mm, okay. I understand," Xia Yi said, lowering her head shyly, her cheeks feeling a little hot.

’So that’s how it was.’

’Zhang Zhe must have said so many nice things about me to his parents.’

’I’m so happy...’

The stream of thoughts from Xia Yi came to an abrupt halt as she pulled her hand back to touch her own flushed cheeks, smiling shyly.

Zhang Zhe smiled too, but he wasn’t finished.

’Since we’re already on the topic, I might as well clear everything up so Xia Yi won’t have any lingering doubts.’

"Actually, my parents have been nagging me to get married every day."

"But my thinking is, this matchmaking agency has been open for less than a month. If this were a regular corporate job, I’d still be in my probation period."

"Claiming I have an established career right now would sound like a joke."

"It’s okay," Xia Yi said, shaking her head. "I think you’re on the right track. It’s only a matter of time before the matchmaking agency becomes a success."

"I think so too," Zhang Zhe said with a smile.

He was sure he was on the right path, but no one could say for certain how far it would take him.

He briefly explained his thoughts to Xia Yi.

He wanted to wait at least half a year, just to prove the matchmaking agency wouldn’t go bankrupt, before they could properly talk about marriage.

Xia Yi listened, her eyes darting in thought before she nodded.

"Alright, I’ll go with your plan."

’Actually,’ she thought, ’three months would be more than enough.’

But she was too embarrassed to say so, because it would make her sound desperate to get married.

’Half a year it is, then,’ she thought. ’But I’m not thinking about getting engaged in six months; I’m thinking about getting married.’

According to big data from the matchmaking market, the average time from a first date to getting a marriage license is about 100 days. However, the lowest divorce rates were among couples who married six months to a year after meeting.

...

Seeing the look of relief on Xia Yi’s face after their talk, Zhang Zhe also breathed a sigh of relief.

’Miss Xia’s habit of speaking her mind made her so easy to be with.’

’In a relationship, the worst thing you can do is hide your problems and let them fester.’

’The fact that Xia Yi thought to ask a third party like Teacher Wang for help already puts her ahead of 90% of all women.’

"Oh, right. Where’s Teacher Wang?"

Zhang Zhe suddenly remembered that someone had gone outside, without saying whether she was waiting by the door or had just gone home.

He quickly pulled Xia Yi out the door to check.

When they opened the door, they found Teacher Wang sitting on a stool by the entrance. Her head was bowed, one hand on her forehead and the other clutching her chest, as if in deep, pained contemplation.

A skinny girl was standing next to her, head bowed as she fiddled with her phone.

Zhang Zhe didn’t recognize the girl.

But he had seen Teacher Wang in this state before.

Zhang Zhe hurried over. "Sister Wang, are you okay? Did she say something to upset you?"

The "she" Zhang Zhe was referring to was, of course, the strange young woman standing nearby.

She was probably a potential client who had come for a consultation.

And whenever Teacher Wang had to deal with a particularly frustrating client, she would get like this—distressed and wanting to be left alone.

"I’m fine, I’m fine." Teacher Wang waved a hand weakly. "She’s here for a consultation. You talk to her. I can’t."

"I just need some fresh air to recover."

"Alright." Zhang Zhe nodded. He knew Teacher Wang wasn’t the type to hide a serious problem. If she said she just needed to recover, it probably wasn’t a big deal.

Right now, the most important thing was to remove the "source of her affliction" from the scene.

Zhang Zhe quickly ushered the young woman into the matchmaking agency.