Electronic Nezha

Chapter 158 A good match
My dad said Ma Chaoran was hired, not because he had a particularly sharp eye, but because the contrast between me and her was stark. I'm a 40-year-old man crying and begging to stay 39 but unable to, while Ma Chaoran standing next to me could easily pass for her uncle...

I know that Ma Chaoran, Jinli, and Shark are about the same age. Judging from her appearance, she looks more like 25 or 26. The main reason is that this girl is naturally beautiful and 1.723 meters tall. Although she doesn't dress up or wear perfume, she has a unique charm. You can imagine what kind of scenes a female agent who can pull out a gun at any time hasn't seen. How could her temperament be bad?
But Ma Chaoran's sudden move caught me completely off guard; there was no prior plan for it.

Faced with my father's soul-searching question, Ma Chaoran quickly got into character. With a displeased look on her face, she said to me, "It seems you haven't mentioned me at all before, have you?"

My dad waved his hand and said, "Girl, stop acting. Did he pay you or are you here to film a skit?" The old man must be on his phone quite often.

My mom tugged at my dad and whispered, "What if it's true?"

My dad asked Ma Chaoran, "How did you two meet?"

Ma Chaoran said, "I met Lao Liu at the police station once when Zhang Biao caused trouble."

"Oh, what was the reason you were in there?"

Ma Chaoran was taken aback for a moment and said, "Uncle, I'm a reporter!"

"So, in the end, you're still a blogger, a self-media creator?"

Ma Chaoran said speechlessly, "I'm a reporter from converged media, the kind with a license."

My dad held out his hand: "Let me see the certificate."

Ma Chaoran didn't hesitate and swiftly handed a document to the old man.

"It really is a press card—girl, people with jobs don't lie."

The next second, Ma Chaoran suddenly moved closer to me, put an arm around my neck, and asked the elderly couple opposite, "Are we really that mismatched?"

Although she's not as tall as me, when she hugs me like that, it feels like I'm being hugged by an older brother...

However, the elderly couple were from the older generation, and their expressions clearly changed when they saw us making physical contact.

My mom clapped her hands and said, "What does this girl see in him?"

I'm annoyed, what kind of talk is that?

My dad looked at us scrutinizingly, his attitude questioning, and said in a consultative tone, "Shall we eat first?"

Before I could speak, Ma Chaoran said, "Great! I smelled the aroma as soon as I got off the elevator. Auntie's cooking must be excellent—I'll wash my hands first."

Ma Chaoran went into the bathroom. I thought my dad would take this opportunity to interrogate me about something else, but he just stared at me blankly. That's how people are. If you come home and say you found a hundred yuan on the street, everyone will ask you where you found it and if anyone saw you. If you bring home a million yuan and say you won it in the lottery, everyone will be stunned. Their minds can't keep up with the plot.

I took the initiative to say, "I didn't tell you because I was afraid you wouldn't believe me."

My dad said, "You didn't exaggerate your family's wealth to anyone, did you?"

I said dismissively, "We met at the fruit market. If she were after money, would she be dating a fruit vendor?"

My dad scratched his head and said, "Why would a proper reporter with a permanent position hire someone like you, a freelancer?"

At this moment, Ma Chaoran came out, took off her coat to reveal a hoodie underneath, with three large characters printed on the front: "What's wrong with that?"

This girl seems to have some kind of cross-dressing fetish...

"Let's eat, let's eat," my mom said warmly.

Ma Chaoran followed along, picking up bowls and chopsticks without any hesitation.

My mom didn't expect there to be "guests," so the food was all very affordable. There was a big bowl of stewed old hen with potatoes and mushrooms, and only one cold dish: mixed bean sprouts. My dad kept giving my mom meaningful glances, and my mom got up and said, "I'll go cook two more dishes."

Ma Chaoran was sitting next to me when she leaned over and pressed down on my mother's arm, saying, "If you're so polite, I'll feel embarrassed to come again."

My mom thought she was just going through the motions and being polite, but Ma Chaoran really wouldn't let her move. The old lady already had rheumatism, and being held down by an agent meant she couldn't get off the stool at all... I quickly pressed Ma Chaoran back down as well, saying, "It's just a simple home-cooked meal, no need for anyone to stand on ceremony."

My dad put a thigh into Ma Chaoran's bowl, glared at me, and said, "Next time you bring people home, tell me earlier." Then he started eating himself.

Ma Chaoran said, "I've wanted to visit you two for a long time, but you wouldn't let me—it's so delicious." My mother's stewed chicken was cooked to perfection; the meat was almost falling off the bone. Ma Chaoran slurped and gnawed until only a bone remained in her hand.

My mom said, "From now on, if you come by yourself, just call me in advance and I'll cook for you."

Ma Chaoran chuckled, "That's so embarrassing—" She rolled up her sleeves and started serving rice, filling a large bowl and handing it to my dad first.

My dad waved his hand: "I can't eat that much."

When my mom saw Ma Chaoran about to offer her food, she quickly said, "You eat, you eat, we'll do it ourselves."

I took the rice scoop and continued serving myself rice. My mom asked, "What exactly is a reporter from this integrated media company?"

My dad said, "When radio and television merge, it's called converged media, but it's really just TV reporters."

My mom said, "That's a good job. Do you know Zhu Juan?" Zhu Juan is a female news anchor who broadcasts local news, and her status is equivalent to Li Zimeng on CCTV's "News Broadcast".

"We know each other." Ma Chaoran picked up her phone and casually swiped to show a photo of her and Zhu Juan in front of the TV station. "Not very well."

My mother's face radiated pride when she saw photos of people around her with celebrities.

My dad said, "Why haven't I seen you on camera before?"

"Oh, I'm mainly responsible for news gathering and editing."

What does the editorial team do?

My mom said, "Let them eat first!"

That big bowl of rice eventually ended up in Ma Chaoran's hands. I have to admit that I wouldn't have been able to eat that bowl of rice if I hadn't been so hungry. Ma Chaoran ate while chatting. The two old people kept putting food on her plate, and she accepted everything. She ate in a nice manner but it didn't affect her progress. I seriously suspect that she came up to help me out, partly because she was hungry.

Perhaps surprised by Ma Chaoran's appetite, my dad suddenly remarked, "She really did find someone young."

Ma Chaoran said, "Uncle, I'll be 30 after the New Year. My name is Ma Chaoran, you can just call me Xiao Ma."

My dad pointed at me and said, "You're a whole ten years older than him!"

I said innocently, "How can you blame me? There are plenty of girls on the street who are 20 years younger than me."

Ma Chaoran laughed heartily and said to my dad, "It's not Liu Chuanfeng's fault, I was the one who pursued him!"

My dad asked instinctively, "Why?"

Ma Chaoran patted me on the shoulder: "Old Liu is a warm-hearted person, and he has a good way of talking. I think he's reliable."

My dad suddenly asked, "Xiao Ma, are those false eyelashes you're wearing?"

Ma Chaoran asked curiously, "No, it's not like that." When we first met, her long eyelashes left a deep impression on me. I felt like you could put a pencil on them. I always thought they were fake.

My dad said, "Is it because your eyelashes are too long that they're affecting your eyesight?"

Ma Chaoran was taken aback for a moment, then chuckled and said, "No wonder, he inherited his way of speaking from you."

My dad didn't respond, then suddenly stammered, "My son is a good person—"

"Huh?" We all felt a little strange. The father was praising his son as a good person. The logic was sound, but why did it feel so awkward?
The old man lowered his eyes and said, "As long as he's not lying to you and you're willing to be with him, I'd be more than happy."

(End of this chapter)