Having a brother who owns a bustling department store and is very wealthy certainly has its perks.
The very next morning, as soon as Yue Jiannan got up, he found high-end cigarettes, liquor, and beautifully packaged health supplements already arranged on the living room table.
Zhang Ying handed him a gorgeously brocaded pouch.
"This is the initial meeting gift money. Don’t just take it out in front of everyone. Sneak it into the box with the gifts to avoid any awkward refusals later on," she instructed.
Yue Jiannan was a posthumous child, with a significant age gap between him and his eldest brother, Yue Jiandong, and his family had always cared for him.
Yue Jiannan’s eyes reddened as he saw the bills in the pouch were brand new and even had consecutive numbers.
Without a doubt, his sister-in-law must have gone to the bank early that morning to exchange them.
It was a spur-of-the-moment decision to bring his partner home, but his family had thought through everything for him.
Yue Jiannan was moved, "Big brother, sister-in-law, you are really good to me."
He was promptly thumped on the head by Yue Jiandong. "What’s the use of talking such nonsense? That girl has been following you for years now. The sooner you settle things and marry her, the better."
Yue Jiannan rubbed his head and chuckled sheepishly, but then he started to worry about the events of the day.
He knew that this hurdle would not be an easy one.
He also blamed himself for being foolishly oblivious, having not noticed his fiancée’s feelings all this time.
If only he had realized... would his entire university life have been so empty and lonely?
If he were in the girl’s family’s shoes, he would certainly not be pleased with such an insensitive young man either.
Yue Jiannan was well aware of his own shortcomings.
Inside the Lin Family Villa, Lin Yushan sat on the living room sofa, head bowed, not uttering a word.
Lin Pengyi had been angrily ranting for a while, but seeing the girl’s obstinate attitude, he was unable to cool his temper.
"Tell me, what is so good about that boy that you’re so bewitched to follow him? Why, huh? Why?" he demanded.
Lin Yushan spoke softly, "I don’t know, but I’ve chosen him."
Lin Pengyi leaned back in his chair, enraged, and Miao Cui hurriedly tried to calm her husband.
"Oh, even though it was a sudden announcement, you should have been prepared. It’s not like it’s the first day you’ve realized how stubborn Yushan is," she said.
The room could have done without more words, but upon hearing them, Lin Pengyi started to blame her.
"Look at the daughter you raised: followed a man to university and wasted five years. Who knows if that kid’s playing dumb or is genuinely a fool?"
Miao Cui was also upset. "What do you mean ’the daughter I raised’? You also pursued me for several years, so why not say that Shanshan inherited this trait from you?"
Lin Pengyi fell silent, unable to argue. After a while, he finally spoke up, "Why drag up the past? Anyway, I don’t agree to this marriage. My daughter has been cherished since she was young. Can I allow her to be treated so lightly? That’s how men are: what comes easily to them, they don’t value."
Miao Cui glared at him and turned to comfort Lin Yushan.
"Don’t listen to your dad. I think Yue Jiannan is decent. He worked hard and got into university; he has a bright future. Both of you are graduate students; it’ll be convenient for you to find jobs and settle down."
At this, Lin Pengyi became even more irritated. "You don’t know why Yue Jiannan went to university in the first place? It was all for his ex-girlfriend, Yu Yaxian, who was beaten to death two years ago! If he could fancy that kind of woman, I question his taste. Is our Yushan anything like her?"
Miao Cui fell silent, as the Song Family’s affair had spread throughout the social circle.
Song Qiming, who once was seen as a promising young man, married a woman named Yu Yaxian. The couple hardly ever had peaceful days.
Two years ago, Song Qiming ended up killing Yu Yaxian, and he went mad, constantly complaining of headaches, and is now confined to a mental hospital.
Du Lianxin went around blaming Yu Yaxian for ruining her son, and although everyone thought the Song Family was in the wrong, when they learned about Yu Yaxian’s actions like initiating an affair with Song Qiming even though she was engaged, they didn’t have much sympathy for her.
This was a major reason behind Lin Pengyi’s disapproval.
In any case, he was absolutely against Yue Jiannan joining the family!