Yi Chen's mind started working in overdrive the moment he heard this question. Several suitable answers began popping up in his mind, but it all came to a halt the very next moment. The reason you ask? The eyes.
Looking at the fragile eyes filled with both fear and expectation, Yi Chen couldn't help but feel guilt-stricken. The hope those eyes carried was similar to that of a person who had found water for the very first time in a ruthless desert.
"This…" Yi Chen's expression faltered a little, and hesitancy appeared on it.
Seeing this, Miss Yu's forehead furrowed as her heart started to grow heavy. Various doubts that had been lying dormant inside her once again took shape, and she couldn't help but ask shakily, "W-Why aren't you answering?"
'No! This isn't the time to be guilt-stricken! If I don't answer properly, then I'll end up losing my life here…'
Yi Chen tried to think of suitable answers once again, but due to the urgency of the problem, he was finding it even more difficult to recall them now.
Noticing Yi Chen was still not answering, Miss Yu felt a piercing ache in her heart as disappointment clouded her whole being.
'That's right…How could someone make such an expression while seeing an abomination like me? It's my own fault for having expectat-'
"Your brightness…" just then Yi Chen interrupted her train of thoughts, "…you shone the brightest, that's why,"
'Shit…I messed up. What the hell does that even mean…'
Yi Chen wanted to bang his head on the ground a few times out of frustration.
However, to Yi Chen's surprise, Miss Yu's expression regained brightness as she repeated those words to herself while looking at Yi Chen inquisitively, "I shone the brightest? What do you mean by that?"
'It can't be helped then. I'll just add to it!' Yi Chen took a deep breath and tried to infuse logic into his earlier statement.
"The way you carried yourself on the stage, the subtle tremor in your commanding voice, the gentleness in that fierce gaze and a thirst for love in that lonely soul…it all became apparent to me when I saw you on stage, Yu'er…
…What I saw was not just the burnt face but the person inside as a whole, the person whose soul has reached the epitome of compassion and gentleness. That's why I couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration at that time,"
Yi Chen paused a little, not daring to meet Miss Yu's eyes and immediately continued while scratching the back of his head, "I'm sorry for hesitating earlier. It was just too embarrassing to say things like that,"
'Please be satisfied with this answer…' Yi Chen kept repeating to himself in his mind.
And as if his prayers were being answered, a gentle fragrance enveloped his whole being the very next moment, as an expression of disbelief appeared on Yi Chen's face.
'This…'
Miss Yu's figure was tightly embracing him right now, leaving Yi Chen at a loss for words.
"T-Thank you…" A voice that was almost on the verge of breaking down entered Yi Chen's ears, and the next moment, Miss Yu pulled back and immediately left the dining room with the excuse of going to the washroom.
Her tear-filled emerald eyes that carried affection while looking towards him were very vivid in Yi Chen's mind and lingered even after she had long left the room.
Cough Cough
It was at that time that Yi Chen's attention was attracted by Master Ru, who was standing at the door.
"Let's go for an evening walk, shall we?" He asked with a smile.
A few moments later, Jin was walking alongside Master Ru in the residence's vast garden. Lanterns were lit every few meters, so the place was well illuminated and looked very scenic.
"So how did the talk go?" Master Ru asked after a while.
"I-I don't know…it was all too sudden for me," Yi Chen stated his confusion.
"Haha, it's understandable since you're young. Although unintentionally, I did overhear the conversation between you two, and I must say, I'm glad that Yu'er chose you, haha!" Master Ru laughed loudly and patted Yi Chen's back a few times, making Yi Chen almost groan out in pain.
A few seconds later, Master Ru sighed deeply and muttered, "Just how long has it been since that girl has hated herself. No matter what I told her to uplift her, she never really believed my words and kept drowning herself in the belief that she's not meant to be loved by anyone."
Master Ru gazed at the starry sky and exhaled once again.
"Yi Chen…no Chen'er, I'm really thankful to you. Your heartfelt words were able to do what mine never could. Therefore, I have a request for you tonight. Not as the town head but as a father. Please give my daughter the joy and happiness which I never could as her father."
Hearing such emotionally infused words, Yi Chen couldn't help but sympathise with the man who only wanted his daughter to be happy.
Fully understanding that all roads of escape had been closed shut for me, Yi Chen accepted his fate and replied in a serious manner, "I'll do my best…father-in-law,"
Master Ru smiled when he heard Yi Chen's words and said while lightly patting his back, "Good, you must be exhausted after a hectic day. Go and rest properly. Starting tomorrow, I'll personally teach you martial arts."
"Martial arts?" Yi Chen's eyes widened in surprise the moment he heard this.
Satisfied with the reaction, Master Ru chuckled and said, "Indeed, now that you're marrying my daughter, how can I allow you to be physically so weak? Worry not, though, I'll take things gradually so that your body isn't burdened,"
'This is great!' Yi Chen thought with a brightened expression on his face. What was the most important thing to do in a cultivation world? Was it to explore the huge world? To build a large harem? No! It was to get stronger!
"I'll be sure to wake up early, then father-in-law," Yi Chen bowed towards Master Ru, who nodded in a satisfied manner.
"It's good that you're enthusiastic. Rest well then," Master Ru waved his hand, and Yi Chen soon left for his quarters.
All by himself in the vast garden now, Master Ru looked up at the crescent moon with a reminiscent expression and muttered, "Our daughter is finally going to get married, Xing'er"