After Zhao Yongfeng and his companion left, Qin Mu sat alone in the room, carefully considering Zhao Yongfeng's words and thoroughly analyzing them.
The other party had only one demand: they must get married by the end of the year!
Otherwise, Zhao Yanan would have to break up with him.
Qin Mu was very puzzled by this. The two families were so familiar with each other, so why was Zhao Yongfeng in such a hurry to make him agree to get married at the end of the year?
Couldn't they get married next year?
What difference would a two-month delay make?
Unable to understand, Qin Mu immediately took out his phone again to call Zhao Yanan, but the phone was always switched off.
It seemed Yanan was also unavailable right now?
Qin Mu trusted Zhao Yanan's character; she wouldn't hide anything from him. This time, she was probably being controlled by Zhao Yongfeng.
In that case, Qin Mu would have to try to get on his grandfather's good side.
Otherwise, wouldn't this matter reach a stalemate?
Thinking this, Qin Mu could only rummage through his contacts, find his grandfather's number, and dial it.
It was his grandfather's rest time at this hour, so he should be able to listen to his rambling.
"You brat, you actually dared to call this old man?"
As soon as the call connected, his grandfather's familiar voice came through the phone.
"Grandpa, I'm so sorry, I've been so busy lately and haven't had a chance to call you. I'm truly sorry!"
Qin Mu needed something from his grandfather, so he naturally had to be polite. Otherwise, how could he possibly ask for his grandfather's permission?
"It's alright. You've done a great job in Huaining, I know that."
Sure enough, you can't hit a smiling face. Qin Mu's apology softened his tone considerably, and he encouraged him, saying, "Keep it up, you'll become a role model for the new generation of our Qin family!"
"Thank you for your praise, Grandpa."
Qin Mu breathed a sigh of relief. Judging from his grandfather's tone, he was clearly very satisfied with his work in Huaining. Would he get his grandfather's approval if he brought up Zhao Yanan now?
"Grandpa, I have something I want to tell you..."
"Say whatever you want, as long as it's not about the Zhao family, you can say anything!"
Qin Mu mustered his courage, just about to mention Zhao Yanan, when his grandfather interrupted him.
What's going on?
Grandpa knows the Zhao family came looking for him?
"That person from the Zhao family came to see you, didn't they?"
Grandpa smiled like a fortune teller and asked proactively.
"How did you know?"
Qin Mu was genuinely confused. "The head of the Zhao family did come just now, he's Ya Nan's father. He made his demands, wanting Ya Nan and me to get married as soon as possible!"
"I knew it, that guy's up to no good!"
Grandpa immediately said, displeased, "You can't agree! This matter involves two major families, the Qin and Zhao families. Why should he put all the pressure on you?"
"He's a family head, yet he dares to bully a young person like you!"
"I'm ashamed for him!"
Uh…
What's going on here?
Wasn't it about my marriage to Ya Nan? How did it get to bullying me?
"Grandpa, I don't quite understand what you're saying."
Qin Mu asked in a deep voice, "I can understand what Ya Nan's father means. As a father, he obviously wants his daughter to get married as soon as possible, right? The Zhao family isn't an ordinary family. They probably think that Ya Nan and I have been dating for a long time, so..."
"Nonsense!"
Before Qin Mu could finish speaking, his grandfather interrupted him.
"The Zhao family isn't an ordinary family, but my Qin family is?"
Grandpa snorted coldly and said, "It's simply that other families want to form a marriage alliance with the Zhao family. He's set his sights on Zhao Ya Nan, but he doesn't want to give up on our Qin family, so he's forcing you to get married!"
"If you don't agree, he'll just turn around and arrange for his daughter to marry into that family. This little thing just wants to make sure that whether it's the Qin family or that other family, the Zhao family won't lose out!"
Uh...
So that's what he means!
Qin Mu finally understood. No wonder Zhao Yongfeng was so anxious, forcing him and Ya Nan to get married by the end of the year, or else they'd break up. It turned out someone else was already waiting for him.
It seems marriages in these large families are all about weighing the pros and cons!
Qin Mu had naively thought Zhao Yongfeng disapproved of his and Ya Nan's relationship, believing it was wasting Ya Nan's youth without any intention of marriage…
Now that he thought about it, he was too naive!
"You shouldn't think so simply," his grandfather Qin Ji's voice continued, calmly.
"Now that you know the truth, what are you thinking?"
"Do you still want to marry Ya Nan?"
Qin Mu knew his grandfather was asking this to ascertain his thoughts so he could arrange the next steps.
"Ya Nan was definitely forced; she might not even know about it."
Qin Mu said with absolute certainty, "I trust Ya Nan's character; she wouldn't lie to me. This was definitely Zhao Yongfeng's doing!"
"It seems you want to marry Ya Nan, right?"
Qin Ji asked calmly.
"Ya Nan is very good to me. She's a good woman, and as a man, I definitely have to take responsibility for her."
Qin Mu said with great certainty, "Grandpa, once you get to know Ya Nan better, you'll definitely be satisfied too."
"Before this, I didn't agree to your marriage. I also thought you and that girl from the Zhao family were just casually dating, so I didn't interfere."
After a long silence, Qin Ji slowly said, "But now it seems you're both serious, so there's no point in me continuing to oppose it. I personally agree to your relationship, and marriage is no problem!"
"But it can't be at the end of the year. Our dignified Qin family can't succumb to the Zhao family's pressure. If you can persevere, and that girl from the Zhao family firmly stands by your side, then I have no objection to your marriage!"
Hearing this, Qin Mu felt much more at ease.
If his grandfather agreed, he would have the motivation to persevere and could also persuade Zhao Ya Nan.
"Grandpa, I understand what you mean. Don't worry, I won't let you down."
Qin Mu readily agreed.
"Work hard. Your career is the foundation of your livelihood. It's almost the end of the year. I'm in Beijing, waiting for you to come home for the New Year."
Finally, Qin Ji added one more piece of advice.
"Okay, I'll definitely come home for the New Year."
Qin Mu replied, then hung up the phone. There was only a little over a month until the New Year. Beijing was a place of fame and fortune, especially during the New Year. In previous years, he was on duty at the military base, but this year he would definitely be experiencing that arena of fame and fortune. His grandfather would probably take him to meet quite a few people.
After all, it was the Qin family. His grandfather was getting old, his father wasn't young anymore, and he, the only son of the third generation, needed to step out and meet people.