Chapter 192: Chapter 193: A Man Blooms at Forty-One
"..."
Hearing Ian Preston say "soon," Thea Lynch’s lips moved slightly, hesitating to speak.
She turned her head to look out the window without saying anything.
Combining Ian’s words with the expressions and looks from earlier,
Thea silently let out a breath, realizing it was even more absurd than she had imagined.
Seeing her remain silent, Ian squeezed her hand gently and asked softly, "Are you upset?"
Thea was taken aback for a second, then shook her head, "No."
"Why aren’t you looking at me if you’re not upset?"
"..."
Through the reflection in the car window, she glanced at Ian, who was also watching her, his gaze tracing over her and finally landing on the window, colliding with her own reflection.
Thea’s breath caught slightly.
After a brief eye contact, she was the first to look away, sitting up straight, answering his question, "I think you’re moving a bit too fast."
"Is that so." Ian seemed to disagree.
"It’s still early..."
After all, it’s marriage. They still have some distance to cover before being together.
Marriage isn’t something that happens quickly.
Ian chuckled, "I was just teasing you."
"I said there’s no such plan for now, but when we reach that step, we’ll invite them to the wedding banquet. Is that okay?"
In the end, he didn’t forget to ask about her feelings.
Thea was stumped, "You’ve already said it. What use is it if I say no?"
He couldn’t take his words back.
Ian was laughing so hard that his chest shook.
"Then I won’t take it back. It’s something that will happen sooner or later. It’s good to let them be mentally prepared."
"..." Thea couldn’t help but turn her head to look at him, "You seem very confident and determined."
Hearing her say this, Ian suddenly felt a bit uncertain.
"Have you never thought about marriage?" he asked.
They hadn’t talked about this before. Thea thought it was too early and had never even considered it. Ian, on the other hand, assumed they would end up together.
His gaze was focused, seemingly unwilling to miss any subtle expression of hers.
After a quick glance at him, Thea asked, "Do you want to hear the truth?"
He didn’t speak, but his expression said it all.
"I haven’t thought about it yet." Since he wanted the truth, Thea held nothing back. "If we’re talking about marriage, I was thinking not before I’m twenty-eight."
After twenty-eight, that would be three years later.
How old would Ian be then?
Thirty-three.
Getting married at that age isn’t considered late in their circle. Ironically, never mind thirty-three; with Ian’s conditions, many would still like him even ten years later.
How does that saying go? A man is in his prime at forty.
Thea relayed this to Ian, who gave her a sinister glance, "I’m not worried about not getting married at my age, but it depends on who I marry."
"Don’t worry." Thea coughed, "I was just saying. Don’t take it seriously."
"I won’t make you wait until forty."
"But for the next two years, this certainly isn’t in my plans."
Thea had a complete plan in her heart.
She has a clear understanding and goals for her career.
Although outwardly she seems carefree, she has long mapped out her goals for each year in her mind.
For instance, right now, she wants to wait for a project to land before being with Ian.
Every year is especially busy for her, and she might not have the energy to prepare for marriage.
Because in her impression, marriage seems like a lot of trouble.
"Although it’s a bit embarrassing to say this to you, no matter how hard I try, I can’t reach your level. But right now, I really need to focus all my energy on the company."
"After all, Stratus, which you’ve meticulously paved the way for me to use, I have to achieve something to live up to you."
Ian lightly furrowed his brows, his thin lips moving slightly. Thea interrupted with a small exclamation to stop him from speaking.
"I know that in your view, no matter what I achieve, it doesn’t make a difference to you."
"But if I just go on living without achieving anything tangible, I can’t get past it myself."
"When my fourth brother persuaded me to stay in the country, part of what moved me was his mention of our elders getting older."
"Another part was him saying that having learned so much, I should give back to the country."
"Even though there was a bit of moral coercion when he said it, I actually took it to heart."
"I’m not overly optimistic about making a large contribution to society or the country. I’m well aware that I’m just an insignificant existence among the masses."
"But sometimes, there is still a yearning to follow in the footsteps of our predecessors. Of course, I know it’s impossible, but regardless of the outcome, I still want to try and do my best."
"Even if I’m not successful, eventually there will be someone who will work hard on my foundation and surpass me. That would be good."
Talking about work, Thea turned slightly, her eyes sparkling:
"At the exhibition this time, I saw FK’s robot. Although their technology isn’t particularly mature, although we’re not from the same company and in some aspects, we’re competitors – I still felt genuinely happy for them when I saw it."
Because at that moment, they weren’t just representing their companies at the exhibition.
"I should have taken you to the exhibition that day. You know, even though their robot design was a bit ugly, but..."
Suddenly, Thea stopped mid-sentence.
Ian watched her, his smile growing, "Why did you stop?"
Thea opened her mouth, "How about we change the topic?"
At first, it all seemed kind of pointless.
"Why change?" Ian didn’t understand, "If you don’t finish, I might lose sleep tonight. Since when do you like keeping people in suspense?"
He teased.
"..." Thea was a bit surprised. After hesitating for a moment, she tentatively asked, "I took some photos. Do you want to see them?"
"Sure." He responded, seemingly interested in the robot.
Thea took out her phone with one hand, found the photos and videos from that time in the work group, and handed them to Ian.
Worried that just looking at the appearance wouldn’t reveal much, Thea couldn’t help but start explaining to him.
The assistant in the front row secretly glanced back upon hearing the voice.
It’s night, slightly tipsy; clearly an opportunity to promote intimacy.
But who would have thought these two would use such a rare opportunity...to talk about robots???
The assistant shook his head, not understanding these big shots.
After listening to her explanation, Ian felt like she might have such aspirations too.
"Would you like to give it a try? I can invest."
Thea was stunned, her gaze shifting from the phone screen to his face.
