Han Sheng Ming's heart was beating fast. He never felt this much nervousness in front of anyone. Not that he was worried about his father not approving their marriage, but he was more scared of leading a life without Zheng Mian by his side.
As his father came home, he gathered some courage and confronted him, "Dad, I have something to tell you."
Han Changhong was surprised to see his son sporting such a serious expression while standing beside Zheng Mian, the friend of his niece. He finally asked, "What do you want to talk about?"
"Dad, I know you are expecting something great from me, but I cannot marry Tang Mei. I will reach your expectations, I promise. Please don't let me marry someone I don't even like." Han Sheng Ming lowered his head.
"Sheng Ming," Han Changhong stood up. He spoke rather calmly, "I know you must be having a hard time accepting a sudden engagement. Why don't you try to get along with her? She is kind, quiet and a shy girl. It might be hard at first but once she opens up to you…"
Han Sheng Ming flinched. "Eeek! Kind, quiet, and a shy girl?! Dad, don't be fooled by her decent facade. She almost gouged out my eyes from the sockets. But in the end, she showed some mercy on me and only scratched my face."
He pulled off the band-aid and showed his injured cheek to his father. "See, dad. My handsome face has been ruined by her."
"…" Zheng Mian quietly observed the conversation between the father and son duo. She was prepared to be scolded and scowled at, but she wasn't even mentioned for once. She sighed inwardly. 'What was I expecting?'
Han Changhong was shocked to hear that. "Eeh?! Xiao Mei did this to you? I don't believe this. She isn't the type to hurt others. She doesn't even have the heart to harm a bug."
He could see a deep cut on his son's cheek. Even so, he didn't want to believe his son that easily. He had seen how meek Tang Mei was. He couldn't imagine her being violent toward his son. He would rather believe in the other way around.
"Dad, are you saying that I'm worse than a bug?" Han Sheng Ming pointed at himself. He didn't expect his father to think that lowly of himself. His expression showed that he was deeply hurt.
Han Changhong sat down and tried to ease his son by saying, "Sheng Ming, I didn't mean this way. Are you sure she did this to you, not any other person?" While speaking, his eyes swept toward Zheng Mian. In his eyes, Zheng Mian was that kind of brat who would scratch or beat someone if she was offended.
[A/N: He's not wrong about that (-.-") ]
"You believe in some other girl rather than your own child. Am I that of a bug to you?" Han Sheng Ming was completely heartbroken. "Fine, I have to show you this. This is proof of what you think of that vicious Tang Mei is totally wrong," saying that he handed an envelope to his father.
"Hmm?" Han Changhong took the envelope and opened it. He got several pictures and gaped at them. "This is…"
The pictures were from the hotel where Tang Yujin's birthday party was held. Since the hotel was under Tang Co. he didn't have to work that hard to get the shots from surveillance cameras.
The pictures Han Changhong was holding were of Tang Mei after she injured Han Sheng Ming and came out of the dressing room. She was wearing a simple top, paired with a jacket and shorts. There was a helmet in her hand. It was obvious that she was going to drive a bike. And then, there were pictures of Tang Mei retrieving her scooter from the parking lot before rushing off to a bar.
Han Changhong was so surprised that he couldn't let a single sound out. He couldn't believe the traditional girl he had met a couple of times was entirely a pretense. For the first time in his life, he misjudged a human.
"Now you believe me, dad? I wish there was a surveillance camera inside the dressing room but there wasn't any." Although he said that, Han Sheng Ming didn't want anyone to find out what Tang Mei told him in the fit of her anger. He was rather glad that there was no proof of what she said. It was the most humiliating day in his life.
"…There must be some mistake," Han Changhong mumbled. He was looking at those pictures in disbelief.
"Of course, there is a mistake! The mistake is not finding out who she really was and letting us get engaged abruptly." Han Sheng Ming pleaded to his father, "Dad, please just agree to the cancellation of the marriage between Tang Mei and me. I promise I will make it up to you. You won't have to do anything and you don't even have to face that geezer Tang. I will take care of it. I don't want to marry her."
Han Changhong rubbed his forehead. He began to worry. "Sheng Ming, I know where you are coming from, but this will be hard. What about Xiao Mei? Elder Tang will be furious when he finds out. He will never agree with you. This is about his family's reputation as well. The result of the new project is also attached with this marriage between our two families."
"Tang Mei said she will make her parents agree with the cancellation of our political marriage too. If we work together, there will be no problem. Trust me on this, dad." Han Sheng Ming grabbed his father's hands and squeezed them tightly.
Han Changhong saw how desperate his son was. He sighed and said, "But, Sheng Ming, about the project…"
Han Sheng Ming eased his father by saying, "Xiao Yujin is taking care of the project from their side, right? Let me handle this one from our side. Don't let little Luo Luo take over the project. Geezer Tang still doesn't like her so much."
He was right about that. After Tang Yujin and Han Luo's potential engagement was canceled, Elder Tang thought it was his grandson's fault and was rather lenient toward Han Luo. However, his behavior changed after she got engaged to Mo Yuan. He saw Han Luo and Mo Yuan as his personal enemies.
"I understand.. But, what is she doing here in the middle of this conversation?" Han Changhong looked at Zheng Mian.
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