Chapter 8: Meeting Li Zhenguan’s Dad

In the following days, besides occasionally contacting Li Zhenguan, Wang Zhao spent the rest of her time in the library.

Although there was no need to further understand this world, the civil service exam was just a few months away and time was of the essence. Unlike the original who had been reviewing for a long time, she had to start preparing from scratch, which meant she needed to spend more time.

Fortunately, she found a lot of information from the original’s computer that could be used directly, saving her quite a bit of effort.

The meeting with Li’s parents was also scheduled for this weekend, which happened to be a day when Mother Wang was off work and at home.

She knew that Li Zhenguan’s family was well-off, with his parents being in business. The timing was clearly arranged according to their side’s schedule. Even Wang Zhao couldn’t help but sigh in her heart at how thoughtful and considerate Li Zhenguan was.

But this thoughtfulness and consideration was obviously meant for the original and the Wang parents. Thinking of this, Wang Zhao couldn’t help but press her temples. With her personality, there was no way she could tell Li Zhenguan that she was no longer the original, but a person from another world who had transmigrated into this body.

Even if she said it, others would only think she was telling a joke. No one would believe her. Over time, they would instead think that something was wrong with her mentally.

From another perspective, telling Li Zhenguan this matter would instead make him feel that she might be saying such an unbelievable big lie because she didn’t want to take responsibility. Not only would it be of no help, it might further aggravate the situation.

One could only say that the child in Li Zhenguan’s belly came at a very inopportune time.

This thought only flashed by. Wang Zhao didn’t think too deeply about it. In any case, the child was innocent, and she had to bear this responsibility.

If it’s marriage then it’s marriage. Once a person has made a decision after thoroughly considering all the pros and cons, the heart will be at ease. From the few interactions with Li Zhenguan so far, she didn’t dislike his personality. So the decision to get married was not so hard to accept. For her, getting married was not something that would tie her down.

It’s just—

Wang Zhao thought of his age and felt a bit of a headache. At Li Zhenguan’s age, he should still be in school, right?

Now that he was pregnant, his studies would definitely be neglected. He would probably have to take a leave of absence. No matter what world it was, this kind of thing should be very rare. She didn’t know where Father Wang found such a young child to set her up with, and it was unknown what the Li family was thinking.

All she knew was that if she were Li Zhenguan’s parents and learned that her child was pregnant at such a young age, she would want to beat the person who got her child pregnant to death.

The original also didn’t know what she was thinking, letting such a young child get pregnant. It could be said to be very irresponsible.

The original dug the hole, and she, the latecomer, could only fill it in.

As Wang Zhao was thinking about things, she left the library and was lost in thought for a while. Only after her cell phone rang several times in her pocket did she notice. Looking at the caller ID, it was a call from Li Zhenguan.

Only then did she remember that she had an appointment with him later. Wang Zhao answered the phone while walking towards the subway entrance.

“I’ll pick you up later.” She said as she got off the escalator.

At this time, the sound of the train arriving at the station also rang out. It was very noisy. The other party should have heard it.

Li Zhenguan’s voice came through the phone, “Are you outside?”

Wang Zhao got on the subway. Although it wasn’t the peak of rush hour, there were still a lot of people. It was very crowded and all kinds of noises kept coming, very clamorous.

She could only put on her earphones, so it took a while before she spoke, “Just got out of the library, on the subway now. Need to go home for a bit. I’ll pick you up in an hour.”

She had left the library two hours early just to avoid getting stuck in rush hour traffic later when going to meet Li Zhenguan.

“Mm.” Li Zhenguan responded, then quieted down. He knew Wang Zhao’s daily schedule.

He actually didn’t know what to say. Listening to the jarring electric current coming from Wang Zhao’s side on the subway, he was silent for a moment. Then, as if he thought of something, he said, “I registered your license plate number with the gatehouse. You can drive straight in later.”

Wang Zhao hmmed to indicate she understood.

Li Zhenguan’s side didn’t seem to want to hang up the phone and was still talking. Ever since leaving their house that day, he had become a bit clingy. She didn’t know if it was a pregnancy effect. He had to call her every day and definitely send messages in the morning and evening.

After a few days, Wang Zhao had gotten used to it. Later, she would video call him every night. Usually she would be at her desk doing practice questions while Li Zhenguan did other things on his end. It really had a bit of a dating feel.

Now his voice was very soft when he spoke, as if afraid she would back out. This was the first time in days that Wang Zhao had asked to meet him.

“My mom and sister are at work. Dad is home today, so you might see him later.”

Perhaps worried that she would be too nervous or misunderstand, he quickly added, “My dad has a very good temperament, he’s gentle with people and gets along well with others.”

Hearing this, Wang Zhao laughed bitterly in her heart. What Li Zhenguan said might not be false, but towards a future daughter-in-law who had gotten his son pregnant out of wedlock like her, maybe his attitude wouldn’t be the same.

This was what she thought in her heart, but she couldn’t show it in front of Li Zhenguan.

The arrangements for their engagement did not follow the traditional process at all. The Li family hadn’t seen her more than a few times and probably only heard about her from Li Zhenguan.

Normally, she should also visit the Li family before the parents meet, so that both sides could get to know each other.

But their current situation did not allow for slow probing. Li Zhenguan’s belly wouldn’t allow it. They had to settle things as soon as possible. This kind of matter couldn’t be delayed.

To prevent Li Zhenguan from worrying, her voice also softened a bit, “I understand. Just stay at home and relax.”

She comforted him a few more times. Anyway, these words didn’t cost money. Saying a few more wouldn’t hurt. But because she wasn’t a very enthusiastic person to begin with, these soft words were just those few phrases repeated over and over. Fortunately, Li Zhenguan was simple and gentle, so for now she could still appease him.

She didn’t know how the original got along with him. She had met him a few times and Li Zhenguan had no suspicions at all. The parents at home were the same. They never doubted her changes, as if she had always been like this.

Ten minutes later, she arrived home. Only Father Wang was home, preparing dinner. Seeing Wang Zhao, he paused.

“Why are you back so early today?” Father Wang asked, standing at the kitchen doorway, his hands still wet.

Wang Zhao walked towards her room and replied, “I have plans with Zhenguan later. I won’t be eating dinner at home.”

“Going out now?” Father Wang asked. After a while, he remembered something and said, “The car is parked in the garage. Your mom rode her bike to work today. The car keys are in the usual spot. It’ll be more convenient for you to drive out later.”

Mother Wang was a teacher at a nearby school. It was very close. Most of the time, she would bike or walk there as exercise. She only occasionally drove.

Wang Zhao nodded to indicate she understood. She had told Mother Wang yesterday that she needed to use the family car today.

But she felt she still needed to buy a car. Otherwise, transportation now was not very convenient, especially if she got a job later.

The thought of buying a vehicle for commuting only flashed through her mind. Wang Zhao returned to her room, took a quick shower, changed clothes, and went out.

Although she said an hour, in fact, she arrived at the neighborhood where Li Zhenguan lived in just forty minutes.

This was a high-end neighborhood, with housing prices that were rarely seen even in Jiangcheng. She drove in and stopped along the navigation, only to find that the final address was a villa, or rather, this side was a villa complex.

Almost as soon as her car drove over, the door there opened. It was clear that Li Zhenguan had been waiting for her.

Before her car had even steadied, Li Zhenguan ran out, wearing thin clothes.

His face was very fair and he looked to be in good health, with red lips and white teeth. Although the two of them hadn’t seen each other for almost a week, they had video called every day. For Wang Zhao, this meeting didn’t feel as unfamiliar as it did at the beginning.

She smiled, opened the car door, got out and said, “It’s still a bit cold outside, yet you come out without putting on more clothes.”

It was autumn now. Wearing just a shirt would make one feel cold, let alone Li Zhenguan who was only wearing a thin knit top.