Although all eyes were on her, Qin Jiao had seen her share of intense situations. She said calmly, "Let’s not rush into marriage. I’m sure we can find another way to help Shen Yi."

"Oh." Xiao Shi didn’t quite understand, but she was a little disappointed.

She really liked Grandpa Du and Aunt Du, so she had been hoping Shen Yi would become her brother-in-law.

Du Liya and Beidou, however, looked even more disappointed than Shen Yi himself. Their gazes toward him were blatant, screaming that he was being stupid and letting them down.

Shen Yi was suffering in silence. He had already made a pact with Qin Jiao not to tell anyone about their rebirth, and especially not about the forced plot.

All he could do was silently return to the courtyard and resume planting vegetables.

For some reason, the couple, Qin Zhonghui and Su Yun, breathed a sigh of relief, yet they also felt a twinge of regret. Su Yun turned and busied herself with preparing lunch, while Qin Zhonghui walked into the courtyard, patted Shen Yi on the shoulder, and went back to planting vegetables.

Sitting on the veranda, Mr. Du closed his eyes for a moment.

’He was quite disappointed, of course. After all, he was very fond of that girl, Xiao Jiao. But marriage is a serious matter; it was right for her to be cautious.’

’It was a pity, though, that he would never hear her call him Grandpa. After all, there was a world of difference between being her actual grandpa and simply being "Grandpa Du."’

The atmosphere at lunch was rather silent. Everyone ate quietly before returning to their rooms. Qin Jiao hadn’t expected it. ’My refusing a sham marriage with Shen Yi is affecting everyone this much, huh?’

It was one thing for the Du family to be disappointed; that was understandable. Qin Jiao could sense that in this life, Du Liya was actually quite fond of her.

And that went without saying for Grandpa Du; she’d shared a strong connection with the old man in both of her lives.

’But what was with her own parents?’

Qin Jiao went to the kitchen to help her mom prep the vegetables. "Mom," she asked in a low voice, "do you want Shen Yi to be your son-in-law?"

Su Yun froze for a moment. "Of course not. The choice of a son-in-law is up to you."

"Then why did you and Dad both look so disappointed?"

"It wasn’t exactly disappointment. We just think that kid Shen Yi is a pretty great guy. His family is wealthy, but he’s a hard worker. He’s good-looking, he goes to the same university as you... even without his father’s factory, he’ll have a bright future."

Su Yun wasn’t wrong in her assessment. If not for the whole business with her rebirth, Qin Jiao would likely have developed feelings for the Shen Yi of this lifetime.

But the events of her past life were like a thorn in her side. Even if a forced plot was truly at play, she was a firm believer in "once bitten, twice shy." When given the chance at a new life, why would she willingly jump back into the same old trap to see how deep it was?

As she prepped the vegetables, Qin Jiao said, "Don’t worry, Mom. In the future, I either won’t date at all, or if I do, I’ll be sure to find someone truly outstanding—someone who will treat you and Dad with the utmost respect."

Su Yun believed her. She nodded. "My Xiao Jiao is so exceptional. Of course the person you find in the future will be just as great!"

And so, Qin Jiao’s family settled down in North City. Qin Zhonghui and Su Yun continued to scout for a storefront near North City University every day, while also helping to get the courtyard house completely cleaned up and organized.

Du Liya had said she could still arrange for them to work in the clothing factory’s cafeteria, but if the cafeteria was still under Shen Zhengfeng’s control, Qin Zhonghui and his wife would likely be targeted and given a hard time if they went to work there.

Therefore, the couple decided to stick with their plan of looking into opening a small restaurant.

Meanwhile, Qin Jiao and Shen Yi had a few more driving practice sessions, and soon it was time for their test.

They waited for a few days, hoping the forced plot wouldn’t reappear. But on the day their test was over, as they were walking out of the DMV, they happened to see Li Xiaomei, who was there with Chen Feng for his own driving practice.