Oh no! They all seem a bit off!

Chapter 80 Self-destruction!

“Father, I think what Qiuyue said makes sense. The two children can support each other and make progress together. They should learn from each other and work together more.”

Mrs. Ji Ye joined the conversation at the right time, saying softly, "Besides, Xiao Xue is only eighteen years old after all, and she still has a lot of room to grow. With Qiu Yue-jun around, she will surely grow up quickly, so we can rest assured."

"Humph."

After Ji Yelongjun snorted coldly, his expression softened slightly, as if he agreed with his daughter's point of view.

"...?"

However, Ji Yelong's expression softened, but Qiu Yuecheng suddenly sensed something was wrong, his expression changed slightly, and he could no longer laugh.

From the very beginning, after meeting Ji Yexue's family, he felt that something was wrong.

But the family seemed quite kind, showed no hostility towards him, and even treated him warmly, so he didn't think much of it.

Just now, after hearing Mrs. Ji Ye's words, he immediately realized that no matter how he listened or looked at it, it sounded like a scene of dating and meeting the parents!
No wonder this family praised him as soon as they arrived, and then scolded Ji Yexue in front of him. It turns out they thought he was Ji Yexue's boyfriend.
"???"

So, Akizuki Makoto looked at Himeyasu, wanting to question her with his eyes.

But Ji Yexue had already lowered her head, so his attempt to question her failed.

"Hehe, Qiuyue-kun, I hope you will take good care of my Xiaoxue in the future."

Mrs. Ji Ye stroked her face with one hand, her smile gentle and kind, and her tone of voice was also very tender.

"I...I am the one. Please take good care of me."

Akizuki Makoto smiled stiffly, bowed his head in response, and thought to himself that he should deal with it first.

It wouldn't be good to directly ask Ji Yexue what she meant—mainly because he was afraid he wouldn't be able to leave the Ji Ye family's gate.

Although this family appears very kind now, he will not forget that they are big capitalists, cold-blooded animals who prioritize family interests above all else.

"I know Xiaoxue's personality. If you ever have a disagreement with her, be sure to tell me, and I'll talk to her on your behalf."

The more Mrs. Ji looked at Qiuyue Cheng, the more satisfied she became, because no matter how you looked at it, Qiuyue Cheng was the best son-in-law.

Just the fact that this is someone Ji Yexue likes is already quite remarkable; all other conditions are secondary.

As a mother, she naturally hopes that her daughter can be happy and marry the person she likes.

However, large families are very particular about passing on their bloodlines; only those with equally excellent genes can do so.

This leads to the situation where the men Ji Yexue likes are likely not to like, and the men they think are good are not to Ji Yexue.

Romantic relationships are entirely detrimental to the continuation of a family; they are the most unnecessary thing.

Even if Mrs. Himeya could agree to her daughter's freedom to choose her own partner, her father, Himeya Ryūjun, would not agree.

If Ji Yelongshun doesn't approve of it, then everything is meaningless.

He is the actual person in charge of the Ji Ye family; Madam Ji Ye is merely the nominal head of the family.

After that, there was another round of casual conversation about everyday matters, mostly led by Mrs. Himeya, who asked Akizuki Makoto questions while everyone else listened quietly.

Himeya Ryushun only asks questions at crucial moments, such as inquiring about his past achievements and notable accomplishments.

Speaking of this, Akizuki Makoto mentioned that he was pretty good at badminton.

When he was a freshman at Fengcheng University Affiliated High School, he joined the badminton club and defeated an older student as soon as he joined.

Even at Ming Sheng High School, the badminton ace was no match for him.

"Then why didn't you participate in the competition? It seems... I haven't seen any awards in major competitions on Akizuki-kun's resume."

Mrs. Hime asked curiously, and all they knew was Akizuki Makoto's great character.

This refers to his repeated acts of bravery while he was still in Takamatsu City, which led to him being recognized as an outstanding youth and a Good Person of the Year.

"Because I don't like participating in competitions."

Akizuki Makoto smiled slightly and revealed the inside story: "It might seem arrogant to some people, but I just feel that I don't deserve those awards because I rely solely on my talent and haven't put in that much effort."

It was for this reason that he later left the badminton club.

The senior members of the club practiced day and night since they were young, but they were easily defeated by him, who treated it as a hobby. How unwilling they must have been.
She was clearly unwilling, but she had to praise him while crying and laughing, which made him feel guilty.

Destroying someone else's dream is more cruel than he imagined.

So, he arrogantly quit the badminton club and chose to become an amateur player.

"Hahaha, arrogance, huh..."

Ji Yelong laughed loudly and said emphatically, "It is true that people with talent who give alms to the weak may be seen as arrogant, but on the contrary, it is the demeanor of a person in a superior position!"

The awards from the competition are unnecessary; a person's achievements cannot be affirmed by a single award.

This is a false proposition. Capable people do not need awards to prove themselves, but they also need awards to prove themselves. It all depends on the individual.

Himeya Ryushun could understand and even acknowledge Akizuki Makoto's "arrogance".

"It seems that Qiuyue Jun is accomplished in both literature and martial arts."

Mrs. Ji Ye covered her mouth and smiled, turning her head to look at Ji Yexue, who was drinking tea in silence, and said softly, "Xiaoxue, you've found a good man."

"..."

"..."

Upon hearing this, Ji Yexue and Qiu Yuecheng both seemed to be under duress, their faces stiffening and falling silent. Ji Yexue's cheeks flushed slightly. The main reason she kept her head down wasn't out of fear of her grandfather's power, but because she felt Qiu Yuecheng's gaze frequently glancing at her.

She no longer dared to face Akizuki Makoto.

"Hehe, this child..."

Mrs. Jiye saw her daughter's cheeks turn red, shook her head with a wry smile, and readily let her off the hook.

This was the first time Mrs. Ji Ye had seen her daughter like this, which filled her with mixed emotions and made her truly realize that her daughter had grown up.

After that, we chatted for a while, and before we knew it, it was evening.

Mrs. Himeya called the maids and told them to inform the chef that they could begin preparing dinner.

Then, she asked Akizuki Makoto in a soft voice, "Akizuki-kun, if you don't mind the trouble, how about you take a bath and change your clothes first? The clothes have been prepared and are made to your size."

"Well... alright, then I'll gladly accept."

After hesitating for a moment, Akizuki Makoto nodded in agreement, thinking to himself, "Mrs. Himeya, you've already said so much, is there any room for me to refuse?"
And so, Akizuki Makoto was led away from the main room by a maid wearing a black kimono with the Himeya family crest embroidered on her chest.

After twisting and turning for a while, they entered a beautifully decorated Japanese-style room with a subtle fragrance.

Upon arriving here, the maid did not stop, but led him through layers of screens, finally arriving at a steaming bath.

This bathhouse isn't very big; it's square, about the size of a bed.

"Young master, please. I'll put your clothes behind the screen and wait for you outside."

After bowing, the maid slowly withdrew from the bath and closed the screen embroidered with peonies and the mythical bird Bifang.

Seeing this, Akizuki Makoto felt relieved and took off his clothes. He took a shower first, and then soaked in the steaming hot bath to enjoy himself.

"call……"

He leaned against the edge of the bathtub, looked up at the crisscrossing beams and pillars of the roof, and let out a long breath, feeling completely refreshed.

Then, he couldn't help but start thinking—when did he become Ji Yexue's boyfriend?

What kind of nonsense has this guy been spouting to his family?!
Regardless of whether he likes Ji Yexue or not, he is already unhappy about the fact that he is marrying into her family.

If one marries into the Ji Ye family, wouldn't that make one nothing more than a velvet ball belonging to the Ji Ye family, to be manipulated and played with at will by Ji Yexue and her family?

Moreover, he is the only male heir of the Qiuyue family. If he were to marry into the family, wouldn't that mean the Qiuyue family line would end?

He couldn't possibly expect someone to be willing to marry into Qiuyue's family, could he?
"Akizuki-kun, are you inside?"

Just as Akizuki Makoto was lost in thought, the screen behind him was suddenly knocked on, and at the same time, a questioning voice came from behind.

He was immediately startled and recognized the voice as belonging to Ji Yexue.

"W-What are you doing?"

"I'm in."

As soon as Ji Yexue finished speaking, the screen was pushed open with a "whoosh."

"Wait, what are you doing here?!"

Akizuki Makoto shouted loudly, submerging his entire body in the bath, leaving only his neck and above exposed.

Fortunately, authentic hot spring water is murky white, and with its high temperature and rising steam, Ji Yexue couldn't see much.

"Of course I wanted to talk to you."

Ji Yexue glanced at him sideways and said the words she had prepared beforehand: "I'm sorry, but actually all of this was done on purpose. I took advantage of you."

"Ok?"

Upon hearing this, Akizuki looked puzzled.

He could understand what it meant by doing it intentionally.

It likely refers to actively approaching him, showing goodwill, and creating a misunderstanding.

But utilizing...

He didn't quite understand.

He didn't realize that Ji Yexue had taken advantage of him.

Because Ji Yexue was being scolded by Ji Yelongjun the whole time.

Ji Yexue isn't a masochist, so why would she use him to get scolded?

"..."

After a moment of silence, Ji Yexue took a deep breath, as if making a decision, and slowly said, "My family wants to introduce me to a blind date and ask me to marry him, but I..."

"Okay, I got it. You mean you want me to pretend to be your boyfriend, right?"

Qiu Yuecheng couldn't hold back any longer after hearing Ji Yexue say just one sentence, and immediately interrupted her.

Code.

That's too classic.

My family introduced me to someone, but I didn't want to. So I thought I'd find someone decent-looking and pleasing to the eye to pretend to be my boyfriend and just get by.

(End of this chapter)