Even though he was being snubbed, Shen Yi wasn’t the least bit angry.

But when Du Liya came out and saw this, she couldn’t help but worry.

She didn’t know if Xiao Yi wanted to get married, but she suspected that Xiao Jiao probably didn’t.

Most of their things were loaded onto the truck. Since it wasn’t suitable for passengers, Du Liya’s boyfriend had driven over in a car to pick up Mr. Du and Shen Yi.

Qin Jiao’s family of four had bought train tickets. Once they arrived in North City, they would meet up with Du Liya’s group.

Shen Yi had actually planned to take the long-distance train with his grandfather and Qin Jiao’s family. ’Just think,’ he had thought, ’over twenty hours together. What a perfect opportunity to get closer.’

This was why his attitude toward Du Liya’s boyfriend was a bit sour.

Du Liya’s boyfriend was of mixed heritage. He was tall and handsome, and his Chinese name was Beidou. When he met Shen Yi, he told him to just call him "big brother."

Du Liya had only been nineteen when she gave birth to Shen Yi. She was now thirty-eight, while Beidou was thirty-two.

Shen Yi had been over thirty when the incident happened in his past life, so calling Beidou "brother" was acceptable. ’But calling him "Dad"?’ He couldn’t bring himself to do it.

Although Shen Yi looked sullen the entire way, Beidou didn’t seem to mind at all. He even gave him a knowing look and said, "Xiao Yi, that Xiao Qin is your girlfriend, isn’t she? Wow, she’s gorgeous. You’ll have to keep a close eye on her once you’re in college."

Shen Yi was annoyed. He crossed his arms, frowning at Du Liya. "Mom, you told him about that?"

"We’re partners, of course we’re close. By the way, we’re planning to pick an auspicious day to get our marriage certificate soon. Dad, Xiao Yi, you two don’t have any objections, do you?"

"No!"

"It’s too soon!"

The two people she cared about most had rejected the idea in unison. Du Liya was suddenly a bit dismayed.

Beidou, who was driving, said cheerfully, "Liya, you’re being a bit too hasty. Dad and Xiao Yi only just met me today. You have to give us time to get to know each other. Once we’re all familiar with one another, they’ll understand me, get me, and accept me. Then we can get married, right?"

Mr. Du immediately said to Du Liya, "See? He’s younger than you, but much more sensible!"

Du Liya looked sheepish and didn’t bring up getting married right away again.

Shen Yi sighed softly. ’No matter the era, Mom is always so love-brained.’

He still felt annoyed looking at Beidou. ’It’s his fault I missed the perfect opportunity to get closer to Jiao Jiao!’

Perhaps because Shen Yi was being too cold toward Beidou, Du Liya couldn’t help but defend her younger boyfriend. She quickly brought up the issue with Shen Zhengfeng’s clothing factory and then, just like that, dropped the problem squarely in her son’s lap.

"So, Xiao Yi, what do you think we should do about this?"

Shen Yi was stunned for a moment. This hadn’t happened in his past life, though something similar had.

Back then, the incident where he and Jiao Jiao were found in a guesthouse room had blown up into a huge scandal. The stress had made his illness worse. Du Liya, desperate, had found a fortune teller somewhere. The fortune teller claimed that the only way to alleviate Shen Yi’s condition and extend his life was through a *chongxi* marriage—a celebratory wedding to ward off misfortune.

’What a joke. In this day and age, who still believes in a *chongxi* marriage?’

But Du Liya believed it. She even found a girl whose birth chart was supposedly a perfect match for his and threatened to kill herself if he didn’t marry her.

And that girl, the one with the perfectly matched birth chart, was Qin Jiao.