Zhou Hong immediately took the phone.
"Hello."
"Brother Zhou Hong, it's me, Huo Ling'er."
"I know it's you, what's wrong?"
"I...!" Huo Ling'er seemed unsure how to proceed.
"You saw today's video too, right?" Zhou Hong asked with a wry smile.
"Mmm, my family wants me to call you and ask if you have any way to deal with this."
Zhou Hong felt helpless. What could he possibly do? He couldn't exactly erase the memories of everyone who had seen the video.
"There's no other way, just be thick-skinned," he replied.
"Oh!" Huo Ling'er nodded dejectedly. In truth, her family had asked her to call Zhou Hong to see if he had any solutions, hoping he might consider taking Huo Ling'er as a concubine. But he had simply suggested being thick-skinned.
"Then I'll hang up for now."
"Bye-bye."
After Zhou Hong ended the call, Qiao Ying'er snorted from behind him, "Brother, you're being too irresponsible."
"What do you expect me to do? Should I dig out the eyes of everyone who saw the video?" Zhou Hong said speechlessly.
"Are you truly clueless or just pretending? The Huo family wanted Ling'er to call and ask if you had a solution, which was essentially asking how you would handle Huo Ling'er, given you ruined her reputation. Your response about being thick-skinned is quite scummy."
"Heh, so what do you suggest I do? How can I break off my engagement with Changsun Qinghe and get engaged to her instead?"
"The Huo family certainly doesn't mean that. If I'm not mistaken, they'd be content if you just took another wife. You're a disciple of a sixth-rate family, and while Huo Ling'er has great talent, she's ultimately from a ninth-rate family. Having her as a concubine would be a great match for them."
"Is that what they mean?" Zhou Hong frowned slightly. Changsun Qinghe had just mentioned a "buy one get one free" deal, and now another concubine was being added. Heavens, two in one night.
Just then, Zhou Hong's father walked over.
"Zhou Hong, what has happened, has happened. We must accept it. What's wrong with taking another wife? Besides, Huo Ling'er is also a peerless beauty with exceptional talent."
Zhou Hong felt a wave of helplessness. He hadn't even completed his mission on Earth, and yet he was accumulating several wives.
"Just marry her. The family elders have also discussed it. Their opinion is that since her reputation is already ruined, it's best to take her in. It would be good for our family to have another genius."
"Yay, yay! Ling'er will be my sister-in-law from now on, and I can share a room with her!" Qiao Ying'er exclaimed, clapping her hands. The thought of Huo Ling'er becoming her sister-in-law and living under the same roof filled her with anticipation.
Zhou Hong couldn't help but roll his eyes at Qiao Ying'er.
"Zhou Hong, don't overthink it. I believe the Changsun family won't have any objections either. I'll go report this to the family patriarch immediately and have them arrange for someone to speak with the Huo family." Qiao Zhenhua was about to leave to find the patriarch.
"Wait, I have one more thing to mention," Zhou Hong called out, stopping Qiao Zhenhua.
"What is it? Speak quickly."
"Just now, I also spoke with Changsun Qinghe. She told me that her family wants to do a 'buy one get one free' deal."
"What does that mean?" Both Qiao Zhenhua and Qiao Ying'er frowned.
"It means they want to marry Changsun Ruoyan to me as well."
"Ah, Changsun Ruoyan? Is she Changsun Qinghe's biological sister?" Qiao Zhenhua asked, slightly surprised.
"Yes."
"No way! This Changsun Ruoyan is quite renowned in the capital. She attends another top three martial arts academy there. While her talent isn't exceptional, she's famously known as the number one school beauty. The Changsun family actually wants to marry both sisters to you? What are they trying to pull?" Qiao Zhenhua appeared perplexed.
"I don't know either. I refused just now, but Changsun Qinghe insisted that I must accept, otherwise she won't forgive me for what happened with Huo Ling'er," Zhou Hong said, shaking his head helplessly.
"Haha, if they aren't afraid, why should you, a man, be scared? You should be happy. It's one wife either way, so marrying two isn't much different," Qiao Zhenhua laughed heartily.
Qiao Ying'er beside him quickly chimed in, "Dad, marrying three at once, aren't you worried he won't be able to handle it physically?"
"Practitioners of martial arts are not ordinary people. What's so unbearable about three? As for you, you should work harder and strive to enter the Heavenly Rankings within your lifetime. That way, you might have a chance to marry into a higher-tier family."
Qiao Ying'er pouted a little, feeling dejected. She was currently ranked in the top ten of the Earth Rankings, and at only 19 years old, with a bit of effort, she still had a chance to make it into the lower end of the Heavenly Rankings. If she achieved that, with her beauty, she would have a good chance of marrying a disciple from a higher-tier family.
However, deep down, Qiao Ying'er didn't wish to marry into a higher-tier family.
"Then it's settled. Zhou Hong, marry them all. I'll report this to the family and go through the procedures." Qiao Zhenhua left, seemingly disregarding Zhou Hong's opinion.
Zhou Hong opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but found himself speechless, feeling coerced.
Zhou Hong couldn't help but think of Qiao Xiaoyu. If Zhou Hong knew he was marrying three women at once, he wondered what Qiao Xiaoyu would think.