Born Into Villain's Family: I Have a 200\% Rebate System-Chapter 558: Dating

When the waiter arrived, she ordered a few items for herself and casually added Theodore’s usual favorites as well.

By now, both of them already knew each other’s tastes very well.

After spending so much time together, they were practically as close as friends... yet strangely, neither of them had ever actually called the other a friend.

Theodore looked at Jacqueline for a moment before speaking in what he tried to make sound like a casual tone.

"How long have you been here?"

Jacqueline thought for a moment before replying. "About fifteen minutes, I think."

Theodore’s smile stiffened slightly. ’Liar...’

He had clearly seen her through the glass window long before he walked in.

She had been sitting there for at least thirty minutes, maybe even close to an hour.

And he had personally watched her chatting with that man for nearly half an hour.

It felt like someone was quietly rubbing salt into a wound.

Taking a slow breath, Theodore continued. "So you just sat here alone all that time?"

Jacqueline frowned slightly.

"Oh, no. A friend dropped by for a few minutes earlier," she explained casually.

"He was talking about some films and work stuff. I didn’t really pay much attention."

’Liar again...’

From Theodore’s point of view earlier, she had definitely been blushing during that conversation.

After a brief pause, he finally decided to bring it up directly.

"I happened to see that guy when I arrived," Theodore said slowly. "You two were talking for quite a while... and I even saw you blushing."

He looked straight at her. "Do you... have a crush on him?"

Jacqueline blinked once. Then a faint, amused smile appeared in her eyes.

’So he really was jealous...’

If she wasn’t mistaken, Theodore was definitely feeling jealous.

And that realization made her heart skip slightly.

’Has he finally started to like me?’

The moment that thought appeared in her mind, she didn’t hesitate any longer.

"Oh, you misunderstood," Jacqueline said quickly, shaking her head with a light laugh.

"I was actually talking about my crush with him earlier, which is why I was blushing. There’s nothing going on between us."

Theodore’s heartbeat suddenly accelerated.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

At that moment, he finally understood his own feelings clearly.

He had been secretly hoping that Jacqueline didn’t already love someone else.

He had been secretly wishing that if he confessed to her one day... she might accept him.

Taking a steady breath, he gathered his courage and looked directly at her.

Then he asked the question that made his chest tighten with anxiety.

"So... what kind of person do you like?" he said carefully. "What’s your ideal type?"

Jacqueline paused for a moment before smiling slightly.

"Well... to begin with..."

She tilted her head playfully. "That person should be an actor."

Theodore’s eyes widened slightly. ’An actor... that’s me.’

Jacqueline continued casually, tapping her finger lightly against the table.

"He should also be very good at physics."

Hearing that, Theodore almost felt like his heart was about to leap straight out of his chest.

Then she added with a soft smile,

"And it would be even better if he’s a little cocky and arrogant... but at the same time goofy and silly."

Hearing those words, Theodore frowned slightly and leaned back in his chair.

’I’m not cocky,’ he protested, crossing his arms. Then a faint grin appeared on his face. ’Though I admit I’m definitely a very puppy-like and cute person.’

Jacqueline calmly continued listing the traits as if she hadn’t even heard his objection.

"He should also be a narcissist."

Theodore’s brows knit together immediately.

’I’m definitely not a narcissist...’

For a brief moment he looked troubled, but then another thought appeared in his mind.

’Well... if she likes narcissists... I could always become her narcissist.’

Before he could speak again, Jacqueline continued casually.

"And he should have almost reddish hair."

Theodore subconsciously raised his hand and touched his own hair. The soft strands brushed between his fingers as he stared at her for a moment.

Finally, he sighed softly and looked straight at Jacqueline.

"You don’t need to continue."

Jacqueline tilted her head slightly, waiting.

"If you want..." Theodore took a steady breath. "I can become your boyfriend."

Jacqueline arched one elegant brow, and the smile on her lips turned slightly sharp.

"You don’t need to do me a favor by saying that."

Theodore froze.

Only then did he realize how his words might have sounded. It almost seemed as if he was doing her some kind of charity by agreeing to date her.

’Idiot... that came out completely wrong.’

He quickly straightened up and shook his head. "No, that’s not what I meant."

As he spoke, he reached into his coat pocket and took out a small box.

Before coming here, he had bought a pendant for Jacqueline.

At first he himself hadn’t fully understood why he was buying it. The decision had felt almost impulsive.

But the moment Jacqueline mentioned her crush earlier, everything suddenly became clear to him.

Taking a slow breath, Theodore placed the box on the table and gently pushed it toward her.

"I like you," he said sincerely. "And I hope... you can become my girlfriend."

Jacqueline blinked in surprise and looked down at the box.

She slowly opened it.

Inside lay a delicate necklace, the pendant gleaming softly under the café lights.

Her eyes widened slightly. She immediately recognized it.

Once, while casually browsing through jewelry during a shopping trip, she had paused in front of that exact pendant.

She had liked it very much, but unfortunately it had been completely sold out at the time.

The store had told her she could wait for the next restock.

However, strangely enough, the pendant had later disappeared from her wishlist notification entirely.

She had never received any restock alert again, and over time she had almost forgotten about it.

Now, seeing it in front of her again, she suddenly understood.

Theodore must have bought it before it even returned to stock publicly.

Across the table, Theodore waited silently for her answer. His heart felt unbearably heavy.

’She’ll probably reject me...’

Just when he was preparing himself for disappointment, Jacqueline suddenly reached forward and took the necklace.

Then she looked up at him and smiled. "Yes."

For a moment, Theodore didn’t even process the word. Then his brain caught up.

His chair scraped loudly against the floor as he shot up to his feet. "YES!"

His voice rang through the entire café.

The moment the shout escaped him, nearly every customer turned their heads toward him.

Realizing what he had just done, Theodore instantly shrank back down into his seat and covered his face with both hands.

Meanwhile, Jacqueline burst out laughing.

After the surrounding customers slowly returned to their own conversations, she leaned forward slightly and said with amusement,

"You can stop acting like a frightened quail and come out of your shell now."

Theodore cautiously peeked around. When he was certain that no one was paying attention anymore, he patted his chest dramatically and let out a long breath.

Then he looked at Jacqueline with a wide grin.

"I really didn’t think you’d agree," he admitted. "After all, even though I match ninety percent of the traits you want in your future boyfriend..."

He shrugged lightly. "Your crush sounded a little different from me."

Jacqueline leaned her chin on her hand. "Different how?"

Theodore scratched the back of his head awkwardly.

"I’m not cocky... and I’m definitely not a narcissist."

Jacqueline suddenly leaned closer and whispered dramatically, "Oh... there’s a fan."

Theodore instantly panicked. "Where? Where?!"

He quickly covered his face again and hunched slightly in his seat.

Jacqueline couldn’t hold back her laughter anymore.

"Why are you hiding?" she teased. "Who said that he was your fan."

Hearing that, Jacqueline chuckled again.

Only then did Theodore realize what she had done.

He slowly lowered his hands and looked at her with a wronged expression.

"You really know how to twist words."

Jacqueline laughed even harder.

Seeing her laugh so freely, Theodore felt as if an invisible arrow had pierced straight through his heart.

She looked unbelievably cute at that moment.

The happiness between them was so obvious that even their family noticed.

Some of them even wondered privately whether the two of them could possibly be any more obvious about their new relationship.

For example, Theodore had recently developed a strange habit.

He would constantly stare at his phone while typing messages, a faint smile appearing on his face every few seconds.

Even when he sat at the breakfast table in the morning, he often looked as if he had completely drifted into his own little world.

His expressions and behavior made several people around him secretly roll their eyes.

Aurora, however, was not amused.

Recently, she hadn’t received any visions concerning Theodore’s future. Normally that would have been a good sign, but instead it made her uneasy.

Even without a vision, she couldn’t shake the feeling that something might be happening behind the scenes, something she simply wasn’t noticing yet.