Murut Town.
Inside the Great Blue Residence.
It was half past seven in the evening, and Yi Chen was invited by the maid into the family dining room inside the main quarters.
It was a room filled with exquisite artefacts and paintings. In the middle, there was a mahogany table big enough for four people to dine. On one of the seats, Master Ru was sitting.
"Yi Chen, you're here!" Master Ru welcomed Yi Chen and said, "Sit there, Yuri will be coming in just a few minutes."
Yi Chen obeyed and sat on the seat facing Master Ru.
"So, are you done with your shifting?" Master Ru asked.
"Yes, all my items have been brought here with the help of the man servants," Yi Chen told.
"That's good. If there's anything you need, be sure to tell your maid servant. I want you to be as comfortable as possible here since this place is going to be your new home," Master Ru said with a slight smile.
"I understand," Yi Chen nodded in understanding.
At that moment, the door to the dining room was opened once again, and Miss Yu's graceful figure walked in.
She was wearing a light green robe this evening with thick green borders. Her black hair was tied into a bun, and like always, a transparent veil covered half her face, making only her purplish, green emerald-like eyes visible.
"Yu'er! You look as elegant as always. Here, take a seat next to Yi Chen." With a happy expression, Master Ru gestured towards Yi Chen.
"Yes, father," Miss Yu responded curtly. There was a hint of embarrassment in her voice, which Master Ru was able to discern as the smile on his face widened.
"Now that everyone is here, let's start the dinner," Master Ru ordered the servants outside next, and warm and delicious dishes were soon brought to their table.
When the servants went away, Master Ru said with a little hesitancy in his voice, "You may take your veil off now, Yu'er. No one in this room is bothered by your appearance."
"I understand, Father, but still I would like to keep the veil on while eating," Miss Yu said.
Hearing her, Master Ru sighed internally and, while forcing himself to smile, said, "Alright then, Yi Chen, since this is your first meal with your new family, I've deliberately told the cook to prepare the finest dishes possible."
"Thank you, Master Ru." Yi Chen made his thankfulness known.
"Haha, don't be since we are going to be a family soon, let's dig in before the food gets cold." With that said, Master Ru grabbed the chopsticks and started eating.
Yi Chen glanced at Miss Yu, who was sitting next to him and had just grabbed her chopsticks. Noticing his gaze, Miss Yu smiled under her veil and nodded at him encouragingly.
Seeing this, Yi Chen too smiled and nodded back at her and picked up his chopsticks. The three of them got busy with the food, and it was only when they were reaching the end of their dinner that Master Ru started the conversation again.
"About your engagement ceremony," Master Ru said as he wiped his face with a napkin, "I've talked with the Town Priest and your engagement is scheduled in ten days when the next full moon will come."
"I see, that's good," Yi Chen responded with a smile. In his heart, however, he was cursing his fate. From the knowledge he had acquired after reading so many martial arts web novels, he knew that he had no way of saying no in this situation.
If he said no to the engagement now, then in all likelihood, he would be killed by Master Ru.
'I have no choice but to marry her,' Yi Chen thought as he glanced at Miss Yu.
Miss Yu was already staring at him, and the moment their eyes met, she immediately turned away with a bashful smile, which was visible through the veil.
'God…please save me from this predicament,' Yi Chen felt like crying at his plight, but couldn't. He could only force himself to give a smile as Miss Yuri furtively looked at him.
Looking at this scene, Master Ru thought of something and said, "Haha, look at me doing all the talking here, it's you two who are going to get married soon, so shouldn't the one talking be you two? Since I'm finished with dinner, I'll busy myself with other things."
With that said, Master Ru pushed himself off his chair and left the room.
An awkward silence took over the room, and the very next moment, several thoughts rushed through Miss Yu's and Yi Chen's heads.
Finally, Yi Chen took the initiative and said with hesitancy, "Umm…Hello Miss Yu,"
Hearing him, an amused expression formed on her face as she said, "Yu'er."
"Huh?" Yi Chen's mind was too preoccupied to make sense of her words.
"Just call me Yu'er from now on, I'll be doing the same as well, Chen'er, got it?" She asked softly. Her voice carried a calming effect.
"Ah, alright then…Yu'er," Yi Chen replied awkwardly.
Miss Yu's smile brightened when she heard Yi Chen call out her name in this manner.
"Chen'er, do you know why I chose you among all the other men?" She asked Yi Chen while placing her hands on her lap.
Miss Yu had a calming presence to her, and it helped Yi Chen become more comfortable with her.
"I don't actually. It doesn't make sense to me at all. I'm not good-looking at all, and I even have short hair, which most people don't like.
The man beside me, Tan Sen, was the most handsome amongst the crowd, so it was a shock for me when you rejected him and chose me in front of everyone," Yi Chen answered truthfully.
Miss Yu softly chuckled when she saw Yi Chen's confused expression.
'It's good that I'm not the only one who feels confused,' She thought to herself in an amused manner and decided to clear his confusion.
"It's because you were the only one…" Miss Yu paused a little.
'Only one?' Yi Chen frowned when he heard that, but continued to listen.
"…the only one whose gaze towards me was different. While others looked at me with disgust and abhorrence, it was only your gaze which contained traces of awe and admiration," Yuri finished her words.
'So that's what happened.' Everything finally started making sense to Yi Chen. It was because of his intense reaction when he saw the golden number above her head.
'In the end, all I have to blame is myself…' Yi Chen chided himself. He felt like hitting his head several times for making such an irreversible blunder.
"Now that I have cleared your confusion, would you also help me clear mine?" Yuri asked the next moment.
"S-Sure…" Yi Chen answered hesitantly while gulping his saliva. He had somewhat guessed what question she was going to ask and was already building up several responses in his head.
"Why weren't you disgusted by my face like others?" Miss Yuri asked Yi Chen with both fear and anticipation apparent in her eyes.