Chapter 1648: Chapter 1469: This Man Is Not Good Enough for My Mom
"No."
"Then what is it? Do you think she’s too old?"
"There’s an old saying that if a woman is three years older, it’s like holding a golden brick. I don’t discriminate based on age."
Your current mood is quite conflicted. In all your past missions, you’ve never had to sacrifice your own feelings like this.
Yes, you heard right, it’s about feelings, not appearances.
If it were just a one-night stand, you wouldn’t mind. But, you can see that Cen Nong takes relationships seriously and is very cautious. Once her psychological defenses are breached, she would fall for you wholeheartedly, and by then, you wouldn’t be able to get away.
Even if he could easily change his face back to himself, doing so would seriously hurt Cen Nong, something you don’t want or wish to see.
Although Cen Nong is a strong woman in the business world, her feelings are delicate and fragile. Any harm would be intolerable, and if you did this, it would hurt her greatly, possibly even damaging her life.
"Since there are no issues at all, why are you so conflicted? After all, I’m just trying to introduce you two, just as friends. If it works, then naturally you can get together. If it doesn’t, you go your separate ways. Anyway, you don’t have a girlfriend now. This condition should be extremely tempting for a single man, something many people yearn for but can’t have."
You thought about it, then suddenly came up with an idea and said, "Actually, I’m quite laid-back. Ever since I got my heart broken, I’ve never invested real feelings in anyone. Because I don’t believe in them. In this materialistic era, feelings are way too cheap."
"Since you say that, you should try it, especially for someone like my sister, she’s one in a million."
You looked at Zhang Qiang, quite speechless, and said, "Director Zhang, you sound just like a TV shopping host right now. Do you always act like this as a brother?"
Zhang Qiang mimicked your posture, shrugged, and sighed, "I’ve doted on her since she was young. I don’t want her to be unhappy and I hope she finds happiness."
"How do you know I can make her happy? Maybe I’m a scumbag?"
Upon hearing this, a low laugh suddenly came from the door.
The sound was light, but both you and Zhang Qiang heard it because it was a very pleasant voice.
You both turned to look at the door at the same time and found a person standing gracefully there.
It was a girl, youthful and pretty, looking no older than fifteen or sixteen. She had two ponytails, wore a school uniform, and carried a backpack, looking at the two men in the room with a grin.
You instinctively said to Zhang Qiang, "Director Zhang, is this your daughter?"
"I wish, but her mother’s never shown up." Zhang Qiang would love to have a lovely daughter like her, but he has been single and thus never got the chance.
At this moment, the young girl bounced in, sat casually beside Zhang Qiang, snuggled into the sofa, and said to Zhang Qiang, "Uncle, I heard everything just now. You were talking about my mom behind her back. Hmph, I’ll tell her later."
You couldn’t help but laugh at this. So Cen Nong has such a big daughter, which meant you and Cen Nong had no chance.
Seeing your expression, Zhang Qiang patted the young girl on the head and said to her, "Xiaxia, introduce yourself to this uncle."
"Hey, should call him brother, shouldn’t I?"
"Uncle, you look past thirty and still want a little girl to call you brother, aren’t you ashamed?" The young girl brushed her tender cheek with her slender finger. Her expression was very cute, making you utterly speechless.
The young girl looked you up and down, shook her head, and said, "Uncle, this person isn’t fit for my mom."
"Hmm, I actually think so too," you agreed, smiling at the young girl’s words.
"Wow, didn’t expect you to have some self-awareness, not bad." The young girl clapped her hands and said with a smile, "My name is Cen Panxia, age ten, uh, that’s a secret. Anyway, you’re not suitable for my mom."
You smiled at Zhang Qiang and said, "Director Zhang, you see even Cen Nong’s daughter says this, so let’s drop it."
Saying that, you stood up, cupping your hand to Zhang Qiang, "I’ve been out a long time, got to get back to work. Thanks for the thought, but love can’t be forced. Maybe you should talk to CEO Cen sometime, let bygones be bygones. Dust to dust, earth to earth. Finding a confidant is hard enough in life, and meeting someone who’d take a bullet for her is fate, but now that fate is over, it’s time for her to find her own true love and life."
After you left, Zhang Qiang said to Cen Panxia beside him, "Xiaxia, what do you think of this lad?"
Cen Panxia picked up a Huangyan Honey Orange from the table, peeling it with her thin fingers and batting her cute lashes, "Hmm, how should I say? I don’t dislike him, but my mom’s lifelong happiness is at stake. Better keep evaluating."
Zhang Qiang smiled faintly, wisdom glinting in his eyes, and said to Cen Panxia, "How about I give you this task?"
"What task?" Cen Panxia pretended not to know.
"To assess and determine if he qualifies to be your stepdad."
Cen Panxia held out her hand to Zhang Qiang with a calm expression, "And the reward?"
Zhang Qiang adored this little niece, though by hierarchy he was her great-uncle, he had watched her grow up, so Cen Panxia simply called him uncle, feeling their relationship was more than father and daughter.
Upon hearing this, Zhang Qiang couldn’t help but tap Cen Panxia’s little head and said with a smile, "You cheeky girl, always thinking about that. You know, if things work out, you’d have one more person to dote on you."
"True, but I just feel he’s not reliable."
"Such a clever little devil!" Zhang Qiang embraced Cen Panxia’s shoulder, laughing, "Alright, alright, I promise you, whether it works out or not, I’ll take a week off to take you back to the countryside for some fun, okay?"
Cen Panxia, being rather cunning, knew this was the best time to negotiate, held out ten fingers, "A week’s not enough, I want ten days."
"Ten days is a bit long, there are still many things back at the group I need to handle."
"Oh please, just leave those trivial tasks to your secretary and employees. Plus, my mom and Sister Xiaoyou are there too, aren’t they? Uncle, you know me the best, I don’t care for branded bags or sports cars, I just want to explore the mountains. I still remember you telling me when I was little that there was a bear den in the mountain behind grandma’s old home. I wonder if that bear is still there."
Hearing this, Zhang Qiang scratched his head. That was a story he made up to coax his little niece to sleep. His hometown’s back mountain was merely a few hills, quite flat, with only a few sparse trees, nothing else, certainly no bears, just the odd squirrel.
However, Zhang Qiang dared not say this aloud. This little ancestor was known for her unruliness at home, usually only Cen Nong could manage her. With him, she was absolutely unrestrained.