Chapter 181 Sweet Romance
"Daphne's name is lovely, and she's quite attractive too," commented Damian as everyone agreed with nods. They didn't notice Charles's eyes gleaming.
"I was just about to introduce Daphne to them; it's good for young people to get to know each other," Marcus sighed.
"I'll call that rascal back," someone offered.
"Me too," another joined in.
"Young people really should get to know each other well," the elders agreed as they all pulled out their phones to make calls.
Old folks often share a certain intuition about each other, so after Marcus made his comment, they all understood what he meant. Marcus’ approval wasn't something many in their social circle could boast about. The fact that this young girl was favored spoke volumes about her character.
As they made call after call, faces among the young men soured, their moods altogether dampened. Rex, who was indeed among them, was more of a social butterfly than Charles and had many friends. Seeing their gloomy faces, Rex paused his pool game. "What's with all the long faces? Did your girlfriends call it quits?"
"Worse than that!"
"It's like a personal hell on earth."
"Yeah!"
"Exactly!"
Their seriousness piqued Rex's interest, "That dramatic, huh?"
"Marcus is making me go on a blind date," said one of the Zhou sons, with his soft, boyish looks that made him seem like an innocent puppy.
Rex responded with his typical carefree demeanor. "Marcus got you all on blind dates too?"
"Yes…" They all replied in unison.
Rex was puzzled. What a coincidence? Going together?
"Our blind dates are actually brought by Marcus himself," said one of the Zheng sons, his heart heavy. They had received the calls, and they dared not refuse. "Though it was under the guise of getting to know each other, everyone knows at our age that means a blind date."
"Why do elders always like to play matchmaker?"
"What excuse did they come up with this time?"
As everyone looked worried, Rex latched onto the key detail. "Brought by my Marcus?"
"Yes," they chorused.
"What's the girl's name?" Rex felt like he was onto something, his curiosity ignited.
"We don't know," they exchanged glances, shaking their heads before adding, "Marcus only said on the phone that he and Daphne were there. We're not sure of her real name."
Rex laughed to himself. Daphne? That was Daphne. Putting his game aside, he enthusiastically urged them. "Since they're already here, it wouldn't be right not to show up. Let's go."
Everyone remained rooted to the spot. Hadn't Charles said he'd help them dodge this bullet? Yet the call still came through.
"What are you all waiting for?" Rex's interest in the drama unfolding was evident.
If nothing unexpected happened, she would be there too. He was suddenly very curious to see how Daphne would react to going on a blind date, especially one arranged by Marcus.
"What if the girl ends up liking me?" lamented a member of the Feng family, the worry visible in his voice. "She's a friend of Marcus's. If she really likes me, I can't reject her too bluntly."
The others didn't speak, but they all shared the sentiment. They just wanted to have fun, were far from interested in dating, and wanted nothing to do with marriage.
"Don't worry about it," Rex reassured them, administering a dose of calm, "I've met that Daphne before, and she dislikes blind dates just as much as you guys do. She probably agreed to come because today is Marcus's birthday."
"Really?!" The others named Charles perked up with interest at once.
"No kidding," Rex said with a roguish grin, hooking a smile, "when have I ever lied to you?"
Seeing that he wasn't joking, everyone breathed a sigh of relief and went to meet her.
They were at the hotel as well, though on the entertainment floor, not the same area where Marcus and company were.
Marcus was already deep in conversation with Daphne and some old friends.
After hearing the stories Marcus told, everyone started to look at Daphne with new eyes, appreciating her even more.
"I wish I had a granddaughter who knew how to do everything."
"Marcus, you're the lucky one."
"By the way, Marcus, how did you meet Daphne? How come we didn't know you had an honorary granddaughter?"
A barrage of questions followed.
Charles leaned in surreptitiously and whispered in Marcus's ear, "If you spin a web of lies, it's going to be tough to unravel later."
Marcus thought to himself in exasperation, smug little punk... why did he have to put his two cents in!
"I'd like to, but the gentleman here advised against taking Daphne as an honorary granddaughter," Marcus bluffed with a straight face, "but as far as I'm concerned, Daphne is my granddaughter."
The crowd nodded with knowing looks.
Daphne sat there, mindful of her own business, reducing her presence to the bare minimum.
Before long, Rex and the other four wealthy friends made their entrance.
At the sight of Daphne, Rex broke into a smile and strode over to greet her, "Sis…," he caught himself before getting the word out, realizing it wasn't quite appropriate.
He corrected himself, "Daphne."
Charles was puzzled.
The rest of the gentlemen were equally baffled, "Daphne...?"
"Why didn't you tell me you were coming?" Rex had a genuine admiration for Daphne, taking a seat next to Charles, "I would have come up here earlier if I'd known."
"I heard you were out enjoying yourself, so I didn't want to bother you," Daphne replied diplomatically.
The other gentlemen's faces lit up with a hint of amazement when they saw Daphne, as if they hadn't expected the girl that Marcus had brought to meet them to be so attractive.
"You rascals only know how to have fun," Damian scolded playfully, putting on a stern façade, "Miss Daphne here has been waiting for you guys for a long time."
"Sorry to keep you waiting," they apologized.
"I'm Roger."
"I'm Jasper Montgomery."
The four people introduced themselves one by one, occasionally glancing over at Daphne.
Daphne figured they were just acting obedient due to pressure from their elders, so she didn’t think much of it and simply introduced herself with a straightforward, "Daphne.”
“That’s a beautiful name,” commented Roger with a dazzling smile that revealed his pearly white teeth, “as lovely as you are.”
Rex couldn't hold back and suddenly spurted out his drink. Luckily, he moved quickly, and the drink spilled onto the floor.
“Cough, cough!” he coughed violently a couple of times and teased Roger, “I’m shocked, man! All quiet until you say something stunning.”
“I’m not joking,” Roger said, a bit flustered, a stark contrast from his earlier complaints about not wanting to go on dates. “I genuinely think Daphne’s name is beautiful, and so is she.”
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