Chapter 33: Rejected

"Yes, you are right; there is someone I like." Han Zhixin announced

"Pffft!!!!!!" Han Zihao choked again and patted his chest.

He gaped at his big brother in horror.

'What the hell is wrong with him? Did he lose his mind after spending the night at her house? Even he didn't have the guts to tell his parents after two years of one-sided love. His brother said it as if he had already proposed and the girl he liked had accepted him!?'

He glanced at his parents.

Mother Han was dumbfounded by this revelation.

Father Han was no better; the food in his chopsticks fell on the plate, and his pale blue eyes widened at Han Zhixin.

Mother Han tried to control the intense emotions that were about to burst out. Her expression looked unnatural; with a forced smile and twitching eyes, she turned to her right and asked.

"H-honey? Did I hear correctly? Did our Zhi'er say there was someone he liked? Like a person??"

Father Han composed himself before he focused on his eldest son.

"Z-Zhi'er didn't you say there was no girl in your life when I asked you two weeks ago?" He asked curiously.

"Yes, And I also remember telling you if there was anyone I liked, then I would let you know. At that time, there wasn't, but now there is." He corrected.

Father Han was taken aback by his words and didn't know how to respond in this situation.

After being confirmed by her son, Mother Han's eyes gleamed with happiness.

"Zhi'er, that's great news!! So, who is this girl? Do we know her? When are you bringing her home?" Mother Han was thrilled to hear this and couldn't hide her excitement anymore.

The boy who was always picky about everything actually had someone he liked. She really couldn't believe her ears.

Han Zihao suddenly didn't know what to say about his mother's enthusiasm. Will she be alright after she learns that it's Tang Li Mei?

He was very anxious.

He wanted to divert the topic, but when he was about to open his mouth, he received a glare from his brother.

Han Zihao cursed his stupid brother in his heart.

He didn't know if his parents would be as open-minded as he was.

"Mom probably knows her. But right now, I cannot bring her home." Han Zhixin nonchalantly informed.

"What? Why?" Mother Han asked in a panic.

He looked at his mother, who was eagerly waiting for his answer. He suddenly didn't know how to explain his situation.

"She rejected my proposal." He whispered in a barely audible voice.

"What??" Han Zihao asked in utter shock.

"BIG BROTHER, YOU PROPOSED TO HER AFTER JUST KNOWING EACH OTHER FOR A WEEK?" He cried out.

"Not a week, the next day." He corrected him seriously.

Han Zihao was dumbfounded.

'HOW IS IT ANY BETTER?? IS THAT SOMETHING TO BE BRAGGED ABOUT?'

He pulled his hair in frustration.

'Why do I have a brother like him?' He cried out again.

The parents were startled when they heard what Han Zihao said.

They already couldn't wrap their heads around their son being rejected. Now this.

Mother Han stared at Han Zihao, and when she finally registered his words, her eyes widened.

"HAO'ER, YOU KNEW ALL ALONG??" She gasped.

The woman was shocked.

She always thought this son of hers couldn't hide anything and liked to gossip.

Who knew he was this tight-lipped?

She prided herself on being a mother who knew her children well.

But now she couldn't state the same.

Han Zihao finally realized what he had done.

He glanced at his brother, who had a furious look on his face.

He visibly gulped.

'How did I get into this mess?? Me and my stupid mouth!'

"Mom, I asked him to keep it a secret." Han Zhixin explained.

"Why? If you let us know who she is, maybe we can help you." She anxiously stated.

Father Han was on board with this idea.

Right now, he had no clue who she was. What if she was not the right person for his son? It's better to know who she is in the first place.

"Zhi'er, why would she reject you? It doesn't make any sense. Although you look a bit cold and unapproachable and scare people with that cold look of yours, yo-"When her auburn gaze met his pale blue ones, she was tongue-tied.

She awkwardly laughed and tried to mend the situation.

"I'm not saying you are a bad person. Mom just feels you should smile a bit more so that people around you feel comfortable approaching you." She explained stiffly.

"That's not the issue here." Han Zhixin corrected

He didn't know whether she was scolding him or praising him.

"But Zhi'er also has good points, like your job, a good family, and you are good-looking and warm-hearted. What is there to not like??" Mother Han tried to think of her son's negative aspects, but there weren't that many that could affect this.

When he saw how anxiously his mother was trying to cheer him up, he felt a little better. He just never thought there would be a day like this when he would be rejected.

He realized there would also be awkward days like these because of her. But that also made life interesting for him instead of this monotonous pace.

He suddenly missed her and the little bun.

And a melancholic smile appeared on his face.

The other three felt their hearts tighten at his expression. They had never seen him this low in his life. For them, he was always someone who was very decisive and cold. Nothing could move his heart unless it was related to his family.

"Maybe it's because we just met, or maybe because she couldn't afford to take a chance with me."

Han Zhixin didn't know how to explain his feelings to them.

He felt embarrassed.

"Alright, I will rest for the night. I have surgery scheduled for tomorrow morning. Good night"

Mother Han quickly held his hand to stop him.

She suddenly felt very sad.

She never wants to see that expression on his face in this life. And she'll make sure of that.

"Zhi'er, at least finish your food. You barely ate anything."

"I'm not hungry anymore." He politely declined.

"Alright, if you do, then have something, okay? You'll spoil your health like this." Mother Han lightly chided

"Zhi'er, since you don't want to tell us who she is and she has already rejected you, why don't you try the blind date?" Father Han asked.

Han Zhixin felt a pang in his chest when he was reminded of being rejected again.

"Dad, I will take care of my problems. For me, there's only her. Otherwise, I would rather not marry at all." He squinted his eyes and walked off.

Mother Han looked at her son's fading figure and glared at her husband.

"You stupid old man, why would you say that??" Mother Han chided.

"That child is already closed off and wouldn't talk to us unless necessary. It's already a miracle that he opened up about his feelings, and that's how you respond??" She scolded her husband.

Father Han felt embarrassed when he heard her.

He behaved insensitively just now; he should have been more understanding toward his son.

"I'll talk to him, okay?" He promised.

Mother Han lightly nodded and turned towards her youngest.

"Hao'er, who is this girl your brother likes?" She questioned.

Han Zihao felt like he was being scrutinized by his parents and scolded his brother for dropping the bomb and leaving him to clean up the mess.

"Both of them are the same." He muttered in annoyance when he remembered what Tang Li Mei did to his Rose Garden.

"Didn't Big Brother say that it was a secret? How am I supposed to face him after breaking our promise?" Han Zihao cleverly reasoned

Mother Han was angry when she heard him sneakily dump all responsibility on his brother.

"YOU!!!" She was fuming.

"Mom, don't you understand why brother is avoiding discussing further on this topic? Being rejected is also a reason, but he is also worried whether you two would approve of his decision." Han Zihao solemnly explained.

Mother Han and Father Han glanced at each other and felt embarrassed. He was right; they wouldn't approve just because their son liked her. It's also important to know what kind of girl she is.

Mother Han looked at her youngest and hesitated.

"B-but Hao'er, we are your parents, and of course, we want the best for the two of you. What if she couldn't get used to your brother's cold personality, or what if their personalities clashed after marriage? We are just worried." She explained.

Han Zihao looked at his mother, who seemed crestfallen, and sighed.

"Mom, have some faith in my brother. He wouldn't randomly pick a girl for such a life-changing decision. He must have thought things through. Anyway, I think she's an amazing person and would be compatible with not only my brother but also with our family." He voiced out his thoughts.

"B-But" She stammered.

"Mom, just promise me you'll be open-minded when my brother introduces her." He pleaded

Mother Han looked at her husband, who nodded his head toward her.

"We promise alright." She exhaled.

"Hao'er, can you at least tell us a little about this girl?" Father Han requested

Han Zihao glanced at the two of them awkwardly. What was he supposed to tell them?

"What do you want to know? I cannot tell you who she is or which family she belongs to," He firmly replied.

He didn't give them any chance to fool him.

The parents looked at each other in dismay.

Father Han gave the reins to his wife and backed out.

"Okay, tell us whatever you can, then?" She dropped the ball in her son's court.

Han Zihao's lips twitched.

"Okay. She is a nice person, just a bit cold and scary, like Big Brother. But she wouldn't judge a person by their status. She would also risk her life to save anyone who needed it." When he said this, his eyes gleamed with pride.

'That's his sister-in-law, alright.'

"I hope this answers your question because I cannot say anything more." He awkwardly said.

Father Han was very attentive to his son's expression and body language and felt confused.

He had quite a lot of questions.

'Who is this mysterious girl? Not only was his eldest smitten by her, but this dumb son, who had tons of complaints about aristocratic girls, also praised her.'

"Alright, we won't ask you anymore. Go check on your brother." Mother Han shooed him.

She was worried after her eldest son's outburst.

"Okay."

Han Zihao took his chance and ran away as fast as he could.

When the parents noticed how eager he was to get away from them, they were dumbfounded.

They were not demons!!!