Extremely Handsome: My Perfect Man

Chapter 10

"Why did it take so long to open the door? I thought I heard a man's voice!"

Ava: "…………"

She smiled awkwardly.

Her uncle responded with a stern "Hmm?"

When Ava was very young, her uncle had been very kind to her. After her parents' unexpected death, he had treated her as his own daughter—indeed, with even more strictness than he showed his biological daughter, Lucy.

Ava supported her uncle's arm. "Uncle, please come in..."

Her uncle remained resolute. "I heard a man's voice."

"…………" Ava hurriedly fetched slippers for her uncle—she dared not let him near the shoe cabinet, which contained Liam’s shoes. She placed two pairs of slippers in front of her uncle and Lucy. "Uncle, you must be joking. Where would there be a man in my home…"

As her uncle bent down to change his shoes, Ava quickly signaled Lucy, who immediately chimed in, "Yes, Dad. If Ava could hide a man in her house, would you still be so concerned about her marital prospects?"

Ava: "…………"

Although they were allies, the more she heard, the more uncomfortable it felt.

As Ava invited her uncle into the house, Lucy’s voice rang out before she could speak:

"Ahhh! Ava!!!"

Lucy dashed to the dining table, circling the table—or more precisely, the delectable spread on it—several times. She wiped her mouth and sincerely praised, "I can't believe this! These can’t possibly be your cooking! They must be from somewhere else! Looks like your single life is pretty splendid! Do you eat so lavishly on your own? Wow, wow, wow, look at this roasted fish—"

Lucy grabbed Ava’s chopsticks and stuffed a piece of fish into her mouth, chewing a few times before exclaiming, "Wow! This taste… is incredible! Where did you buy this, sis?"

Ava: "…………"

She mumbled, "From that place just outside the neighborhood, turn right then left…"

Her uncle looked at Ava with confusion.

Lucy rolled up her sleeves, continuing to devour the roasted fish while saying, "Sis, Dad wanted to bring you along for a barbecue, but we never expected your place to be so sumptuous!"

"Dad, let’s not bother with barbecue. Let’s just eat here at Ava’s. After all, she can’t possibly finish all this on her own!"

Ava awkwardly smiled. "Alright."

So, her uncle took the seat that Liam had previously occupied, and the three continued their meal.

Her uncle was more reserved. Although he enjoyed the food, he merely nodded frequently.

Lucy, however, couldn’t contain herself, exclaiming with every bite of the mussel dumplings.

Only Ava…

Though she said “Alright,” her mind was preoccupied with Liam hidden in her bedroom—

If her family discovered a man was hiding in her home…

Oh, my God! The consequences would be unimaginable…

Ava took a bite of the roasted fish. What had been a heavenly taste moments ago now seemed bland.

"Ava." Her uncle took a sip of beer. "We came today mainly to offer you some psychological counseling."

Ava: "…………"

"Though your previous blind dates haven't been ideal, those men who rejected you will surely regret it in the future!"

"But don’t be afraid of blind dates… You’ll eventually find someone satisfactory. Xiao Xu is someone your aunt and I selected for you with great care. His mother was your aunt’s high school classmate. The whole family has good character, and your grandparents are also satisfied."

Ava: "…………"

Besides her, even her grandparents had met him…

"Regardless of the aspects, you and Xiao Xu are well-matched and come from comparable backgrounds—"

"Even in our time, matching backgrounds are very important. We don’t want you to suffer, but if you marry into some wealthy family, we won’t agree! So-called wealthy families are full of corruption. A girl from an ordinary family like ours marrying into such a family will surely suffer endless hardships…"

"Uncle, uncle!" Ava finally gave in to her uncle, "It’s not so easy to marry into a wealthy family. Because of work, I only know one or two young masters from rich families, and they’re all married…"

Amid her eating, Lucy suddenly interjected, "The rich young masters you know? Is it Lion? Oh right… he’s also married… But speaking of Lion, I used to wonder if he liked you. I didn’t expect him to be married already…"

Lion liked her?

Ava almost spat out her food. "Can you stop joking? Lion is a genuine wealthy scion. How could he possibly like me?"

"Why not?" Lucy retorted, "You’re not any less pretty than his wife…"

Her uncle interjected, "Enough! Stop with the gossip. You two discuss such matters privately. I’m here to speak with Ava about serious matters!"

Of course, her uncle and Lucy had no idea that a man was still hidden in Ava’s bedroom. They treated it as a visit to Ava’s home, and after dinner, they spent some time in the living room drinking tea, continuing their educational talk.

Although Ava was internally reluctant, she could not disappoint her uncle’s goodwill. So she reluctantly agreed to the blind date with the white-collar worker for the next day.

"—Dress nicely."

Her uncle gave her this final piece of advice before leaving.

Once her uncle and Lucy were gone, Ava rushed into her bedroom—

The room was pitch black.

As expected, Liam had followed her instructions, remaining silent and not even turning on the light.

Ava gently turned on the light.

Liam was lying on the bed, his back to her.

"Liam?"

Ava called softly.

Liam remained motionless.

Uncertain if Liam was asleep or angry, Ava tiptoed over and gently sat at the edge of the bed.

After a moment’s contemplation, Ava leaned forward and patted Liam’s arm. "They’ve left. Would you like something to eat?"

A few minutes later.

Liam grumbled, "I’m not hungry."

Ava smiled. "Are you angry?"

In a lower, gruffer voice, he replied, "No!"

"Oh..." Ava chuckled, "I know you’re angry. After all, it’s your cooking that everyone else got to enjoy without you. If it were me, I’d be even angrier. But they’re my family, so there’s no other way. How about this: I’ll take you out to eat tomorrow?"

Liam suddenly flipped onto his side and sat up.

Ava wasn’t prepared for Liam’s sudden movement, and she was pushed onto the bed, lying on her back.

"You weren’t mistaken; I am indeed angry."

Ava smiled, about to get up, but Liam’s next action froze her smile in place—he grabbed her arm and forcefully pressed her back onto the bed.

"Liam!"

Liam squinted slightly.

At such close proximity, he could clearly see his reflection in her dark eyes—his face, him!

They say eyes are the window to the soul. How he wished that her heart reflected him too.

"Ava, I hope you understand that I’m not angry because I missed a meal. I’m angry because you need to dress beautifully tomorrow for another man to see!"