Chapter 89: Chapter 89 Don’t Get Married!_1
March 18, 2011, 17:30
Zhou Ning sat in his office, staring at the transparent large screen in front of him. He hesitated about whether to submit the task because submitting it meant giving up the third option, and Zhou Ning was not willing to do that.
Although his leads were thin, he still wanted to give it a try.
But eight days had passed, and the investigation had made no progress; his confidence was waning with each passing moment.
He had sent people to check all the urology and infertility clinics in Qindao, looking for patients with XXY genes, and there were only a dozen or so.
All these dozen people’s information had been carefully verified. Five had obvious female characteristics and incomplete or entirely concealed male features, and they had undergone the necessary surgeries. Two were boys around twelve or thirteen years old, the rest were between their forties and fifties.
They were diagnosed either because they had no children or during a physical examination that revealed anomalies.
There was only one twenty-six-year-old patient whose male features were complete. His identity revealed his name was Zhu Junle, and after contacting him, they learned he worked at Yunlian Port and hadn’t returned to Qindao for a year.
Zhou Ning’s computer screen was currently displaying this man’s identity information.
Although the young man looked androgynous, the slight upturn of his lips and relaxed eyes gave the impression of a sunny disposition. After all, if he could look this good in an ID photo, he must be even better in person. Zhou Ning slowly closed the image.
Mr. Zhao came in briskly, and seeing Zhou Ning focused on his computer, he glanced at the time in surprise.
"It’s five-thirty. Aren’t you off work yet?"
Zhou Ning glanced at Mr. Zhao and clicked to shut down his computer.
"You haven’t left either."
Mr. Zhao moved closer.
"I just passed by Xu Da’s office and heard him on the phone. Mr. He and his team have gone to Huining Province, the two previous victims have been thoroughly vetted; it’s almost been three years since they last contacted their families. They’ve taken blood samples from the families, and if the results are out tomorrow, they will proceed with the DNA report comparison."
This news invigorated Zhou Ning.
"Have they compared the photos to the reconstruction images yet?"
Mr. Zhao nodded.
"Mr. He said they’re identical."
"Then we just wait for the comparison results. Are Mr. He and his team going to continue visiting the other suspects’ families?"
"Yeah, out of the twelve suspects, seven have been located and ruled out. The rest are still under cooperative investigation. There’s not much we can do; let’s knock off work."
Zhou Ning smiled.
"Alright, let me pack up; you’ll give me a lift to Xilaideng Hotel."
"Comrade Zhou Xiaozhou, I see your blind dates are quite high-end these days. Damn, I’ve been hoodwinked again by you!"
Zhou Ning punched Mr. Zhao and hurriedly put on his coat and picked up his backpack.
"Today my sister, Zhou Xiaoyu, and her boyfriend are meeting both families for the first time. Even though my second aunt doesn’t quite agree with the marriage, she can’t resist Xiaoyu. She asked me to keep an eye on things, but honestly, at this point, there’s not much use in objecting."
Mr. Zhao suddenly understood.
"I thought since it’s Friday, it was your time for blind dates again. But checking a person out is not difficult; just search in our system to see if there’s any enforcement or punishment record."
"I checked that a while ago. Xiaoyu’s boyfriend is also a teacher at No. 1 Middle School, teaches chemistry, and is even a class head. I haven’t even seen what the guy looks like yet."
Mr. Zhao sighed and patted Zhou Ning on the shoulder.
"Buddy, hang in there. Your sister is getting hitched, and she’s only a few days younger than you. We need to get a sense of urgency."
"Cut it out. Are you taking me or not?"
Mr. Zhao raised his hand.
"Of course, I’ll take you. Let’s go!"
The two went downstairs; Mr. Zhao drove Zhou Ning to the front of the hotel. Zhou Ning got out of the car and went straight to the designated private dining room in the restaurant. As soon as he entered, he saw his uncle waving his hands.
"Xiao Ning, come and sit here."
It was then that Zhou Ning realized he had arrived a bit late; his second uncle’s family and grandfather were all seated on the left, while a pair of elderly couple and a not-so-tall, refined-looking man with glasses sat on the right. There was a mole on the right side of his nose—this must be Cui Guanglin.
People from Ludong were generally tall. With a height less than 170 cm, it could be considered a significant disadvantage—after all, Xiaoyu was also 170 cm tall. When Cui Guanglin saw Zhou Ning coming in, he also stood up smiling and said as Xiaoyu introduced him:
"This is my cousin, although he’s only a few days older than me, he’s still my brother. Bro, this is Cui Guanglin."
Zhou Ning hurriedly went forward and shook hands with Cui Guanglin, who had reached out with both hands, smiling and nodding. The Band-Aid on Cui Guanglin’s hand caught Zhou Ning’s glance; as he withdrew his hand, he reflexively clenched his fist.
"Brother, hello, I’m Xiaoyu’s boyfriend, Cui Guanglin!"
The polite tone carried a hint of nervousness. Zhou Ning also felt somewhat awkward with this brother-in-law who was older than him.
"Hello, I’m sorry, I’m a bit late."
Everyone settled down and the main dishes were served gradually; only the old man and the two fathers were drinking lightly. Xiaoyu and Cui Guanglin kept pouring tea for everyone. Since the second uncle was in logistics, he was good at conversation and started the mode of mutual understanding.
From work to family situations they basically laid their cards on the table. Zhou Ning had heard from his second uncle that Cui Guanglin’s parents had gone to support border education when they were young. Cui Guanglin was the eldest, and he had benefited from the various compensations from the land acquisition in Qidong.
He also had a younger brother, Cui Guangxu, who was two years younger and a lawyer in Ying City. Two years ago, their parents had also moved to Ying City, and this time they had specifically returned to arrange Cui Guanglin’s marriage. Of course, they wouldn’t live in China afterward.
As for Cui Guanglin, he had been living with his grandparents in Qidong until they passed away when he was seventeen, and he had been living alone for many years thereafter. He was a person who liked cleanliness and had an orderly life. After all, from schooling to work, he hadn’t bothered his parents.
This introduction fitted well within the older generation’s value system—home-oriented, clean, decent, filial. These four points scored extra points. The main reason why he had only started looking for a partner to talk about marriage at the age of thirty-two was mainly his parents’ responsibility.
As for the marriage, if the Zhou Family had any requirements, they could propose them directly. If there were no objections regarding the bride price, they would offer 131,400 yuan for a lifetime of good fortune.
The marriage house was fully paid for and would be directly put in the young couple’s name. There was no need to prepare a car since Cui Guanglin had just switched to a silver-grey Teana, which he had mentioned had only been driven for a month.
Hearing this, the second aunt’s face relaxed somewhat. After all, this sincerity was touching; both the substance and appearances were accounted for, which demonstrated that the Cui Family valued Xiaoyu highly.
Looking at the tall Mr. Cui and Mrs. Cui, the second aunt said with a touch of regret:
"How much money there is, whose name it’s in, that’s all secondary. Ultimately, it’s all prepared for the two of them. We don’t have any complaints. Their relationship is strong, and that’s what counts. There’s just one thing—Guanglin doesn’t seem to be as tall as Xiaoyu, and he does appear quite thin and weak. Why don’t you two go for a check-up first? It’s a matter of responsibility to both sides."
Cui Guanglin was taken aback and slightly lowered his gaze, and Zhou Ning could not see his expression from his angle.
The second aunt’s words might not have sounded pleasant, but they definitely reflected a mother’s concern. However, Mr. Cui and Mrs. Cui looked stunned for a moment and then looked at Cui Guanglin together. When Cui Guanglin looked up again, he had a smile on his face.
"Auntie, we have physical exams twice a year at school, and Xiaoyu and I have both been checked. You can rest assured about this," he said.
The second aunt waved her hand.
"I’m not talking about that kind of physical exam. I mean the professional pre-marital check-ups, including a genetic analysis and things like HPV, to see if there are any hereditary diseases.
A colleague of mine had this test, and she was identified as a carrier of hemophilia. After that, they decided not to keep a pregnancy if it was a boy, but if it was a girl, she was born without the condition. This is about taking responsibility for your future, and you can ask Xiao Ning about it; he is a professional."
The second aunt was a bit anxious, and Zhou Ning understood what she meant. This was truly considering the children. As the saying goes, "Inspect the family for three generations"—this was certainly spot on, as one would want to know if the other family carried genes prone to cancer or had a history of familial diseases.
However, looking at the expressions of the Cui Family members, Zhou Ning had many questions in his mind. Were they hiding something?
"Second Aunt, don’t worry; when they need to go, I’ll help arrange it. Actually, this is about being responsible to each other. I think Uncle and Auntie Cui wouldn’t oppose it. After all, Guanglin isn’t young any longer; you’re planning to have children as soon as you’re married, and who doesn’t want to have a healthy baby?" Zhou Ning said.
This comment made Mr. Cui and Mrs. Cui nod in agreement and smile, which apparently meant that the Zhou Family was satisfied with the Cui Family’s arrangements.
"Then we’ll trouble the young man from the Zhou Family to arrange it. When Guanglin was born prematurely, we left him when he was not even a hundred days old. He has been a little frail since he was a child, though our family doesn’t have any major illnesses. For the next generation, let’s do a thorough check!" said Mr. Cui.
Xiaoyu looked at Cui Guanglin worriedly. Everyone in the room was smiling, except for him, who still had his head slightly lowered. Zhou Ning’s gaze never left this man; he felt that Cui Guanglin seemed to be controlling his emotions.
Was he feeling that the mention of a check-up was an affront to his dignity?
Or perhaps he felt that the Zhou Family should have shown a certain response that had not met his expectations?
As he pondered this, Cui Guanglin raised his head and looked directly at Zhou Xiaoyu.
"Xiaoyu, let’s just call it quits. Let’s not go through with the marriage!" Cui Guanglin said.
Zhou Xiaoyu was stunned; the cup in her hand slipped, and she stood up, her face turning pale.
"Why?" she asked.
