Author's Note: I've decided to hold an extra chapter event. There will be an extra chapter if the number of comments reaches 1,000, and an extra chapter if the number of favorites is divisible by 500.
Take it easy for now, I don't have many drafts saved up!
Chapter 26
After the four people sat down and introduced themselves, the competition of the adult world began.
Xiang Yuan was evaluating Fang Haoping, and Fang Haoping was also evaluating Xiang Yuan. Both were impeccably dressed and had impeccable manners, so they simultaneously adjusted their expectations of each other.
As the groom's parent, Fang Haoping spoke first, saying, "This matter came too suddenly. Yesterday, Zidu simply told me that he needed his household registration certificate to process some documents. I thought it was work-related, so I mailed it to him without any suspicion. It wasn't until this morning that he told me he had already married Xiang Lan, which shocked me greatly. So I came here immediately to discuss this matter with you and see how to handle it."
“Uncle Fang is an elder, don’t you think?” Xiang Yuan said unhurriedly.
Fang Haoping pondered for a moment; it seemed neither of them wanted to reveal their trump cards.
Hu Li observed the expressions of the two men, sighed slightly, and Liu Nanyang gave her a helpless look.
These businessmen really can't see reality. The young couple has happily become a legally married couple, yet they each think they have a huge trump card up their sleeve and can close a huge deal.
"According to Zidu, Xiang Lan is still a college student?"
"Yes, I'm a senior, graduating this July. I'm still too young."
"You had many plans and arrangements for her, didn't you?" Fang Haoping said with a look of agreement.
“Yes, she has good talent. We plan to send her to New York to study art in the second half of the year.” Xiang Yuan still couldn’t hide the anger in his eyes as he looked at Liu Nanyang and said, “My uncle has been nurturing her since she was a child and has high expectations for her. I didn’t expect her to fail halfway through.”
Fang Haoping nodded, “Me too. Both of us are only children, and from the day he was born, I planned his future. He's very gifted; he learns everything quickly, whether it's music, art, or science. He never forgets anything he's seen. My teachers and I discussed it for a long time and decided that someone who excels in a particular field must be single-minded, so we cut all his courses except science. He lived up to expectations; at fifteen, he received offers from three Ivy League schools, and he chose Princeton. He's only twenty-two this year and has already earned his PhD in biology. His two papers in Nature caused such a huge stir. He's never disappointed me, except for this—”
Clearly, both men harbored immense resentment.
"She was overprotected by her family since childhood and was used to being willful. It's understandable that she was blinded by pride for a moment." Xiang Yuan didn't think Fang Haoping's boasting was of any use. Scientists can't put food on the table, and he had never planned for his sister to live a life of hardship. Even though Fang Zi was a genius who was admired by everyone, spending decades with a bookish man would be too boring.
"Zidu is the same. He skipped grades several times, and his classmates are all older than him. He doesn't have normal friends or classmates, and he hasn't dated girls his own age." Fang Haoping naturally didn't think that an outgoing and lively girl working in the arts could endure the tedium and loneliness of scientific research. This was definitely not a suitable marriage.
Therefore, both men implied that the other was at fault.
The initial probing is over; neither of them are easy to deal with. We need to adjust our strategy and move on to the next step.
Xiang Yuan gritted his teeth, "Uncle Fang, why don't we be frank?"
"That's exactly what I was thinking too," Fang Haoping said magnanimously.
“Xiang Lan is too young and got married on a whim. She doesn’t really understand what starting a family means. Besides, our family strongly disapproves of this kind of marriage. It’s said that it was your son, Xiao Fang, who proposed marriage first—” He didn’t want to admit that his sister was pregnant.
With each sentence he spoke, Fang Haoping nodded, saying, "I share the same thought. With Zidu's abilities, he's simply not ready for marriage right now, nor can he afford to be distracted. He should focus all his energy on scientific research. I have high expectations for him; I hope he can single-mindedly become a scientist, rather than being so preoccupied with romantic relationships. If we do get married, I hope his partner will fully support his work and life, and not let trivial matters bother him—"
Xiang Yuan is feeling very uncomfortable? What does that mean? Does he look down on Xiang Lan? Does he want to turn a lively and innocent young girl into a haggard housewife?
He cleared his throat and said, "Actually, this is also a problem that Xiang Lan has to face. She spends many years studying and sketching away from home, and also has to work on design for long periods of time. She needs a strong family to support her in pursuing her dreams. It's impossible to create excellent works of art if you're constantly immersed in the mundane details of daily life."
Fang Haoping was also a little annoyed. How could he let Fang Zidu abandon his important scientific research to spend time with women and indulging in romance?
Both men sensed the blade in each other's words, and the second step was equally difficult.
Liu Nanyang couldn't help but chuckle, and shot Xiang Yuan a glare, clearly displeased with his uncle who had undermined him.
"Weren't we here for dinner? We've been waiting for an hour, shouldn't the food be served by now?" Liu Nanyang glanced at the table. "Shall we talk while we eat? Or after we finish eating, take the two kids away, and then we can talk?"
Hu Li got up, opened the door to call the waiter to serve the food, but the two children were nowhere to be seen.
She took out her phone and dialed, and Xiang Lan answered promptly.
"You two hurry back to the private room and start eating," Hu Li said.
"Sister-in-law, you guys eat first. Zi and I are having porridge outside."
Hu Li was puzzled. Her brother was arguing with someone else's father in the private room about her future, and this girl, well, she ran away.
"Why didn't you say goodbye before leaving?"
"You were clearly talking about me and Zidu, but you kicked us out. You wouldn't even let us listen in. What's the point? Just let me know when you've come to a conclusion. Also, you guys eat first, and Zidu and I will come back to settle the bill later."
Hu thought about it and agreed. He hung up the phone, called a waiter, and arranged for the meal.
Hu Li returned to the private room, where Xiang Yuan sat fiddling with a lighter—a sign of his frustration. Liu Nanyang and Fang Haoping were close in age and got along quite well.
"What about them?"
"They ran away." Hu Li said expressionlessly.
"They ran away?" Xiang Yuan wanted to throw his lighter.
Hu Li nodded, and seeing Fang Haoping looking over as well, explained, "The two of them went out to get some porridge."
The two men, who had just been at odds, both looked somewhat aggrieved. Asking them to go out for dinner was just a polite remark, yet they actually went out.
Without a word, Xiang Yuan immediately took out his phone, found Xiang Lan's number, and dialed it. While waiting for the call to connect, he kept tapping his fingers on the table. His first reaction was to curse, but when he coldly looked at Fang Haoping, who seemed completely unconcerned and had already won him over, he hung up the phone.
Hu Li naturally understood her husband and knew that he was currently surrounded by a manic-depressive aura. She said, "Uncle Fang, I am a junior, and I will speak the truth."
Fang Haoping quickly said, "Please speak."
"I just overheard your conversation with Xiang Yuan. It seems that neither of you approves of this marriage and you're just arguing about your feelings. But I think that whether Xiang Lan is not good enough for Fang Zidu or Fang Zidu is not good enough for Xiang Lan, it's no longer the point."
It's a little embarrassing when a man's true intentions are exposed.
"They're already married, and Xiang Lan is pregnant—that's a fact. Talking about other things won't help; it'll only cause more tension between the two families. Instead, let's put aside our differences and discuss how to handle this. After all, these two little ones are unruly. No matter what you argue about here, they'll eat and drink as usual, and it won't affect them at all. What do you think?"
Liu Nanyang laughed heartily, "That's right, that's exactly what I meant. When have young people these days ever listened to what others say? They advocate for self-awareness and self-expression. Even if you tell them there's a pit ahead and they shouldn't jump in, they'll still try to jump in in different ways to see just how deep the pit is, right?"
“Uncle, you were the one who instigated this.” Xiang Yuanyin said.
"What does this have to do with me?" Liu Nanyang shrugged. "I care about Xiang Lan's physical and mental health, and I even kindly gave her tools for protection—"
So the culprit really was here!
Xiang Yuan and Fang Haoping both turned to look at him. He sensed something was wrong and stopped talking. He looked up at the ceiling and thought to himself, "It's these ignorant people who are blocking and harassing us, causing us to misunderstand the young people's thoughts. In the end, they don't even tell the young people when they get into trouble. They deserve it."
"First, we need to set a general direction: should we break them up or let them stay together?" Hu Li quickly changed the subject, seeing that everyone was uncomfortable.
After Hu Li spoke, the two men hesitated, neither willing to express their opinion first.
“If the goal is to break them up, you can start discussing methods now,” Hu Li said with a sour face. “Make them divorce directly, or isolate them until they submit, or impose an economic blockade, or cut off their escape route—choose whatever works best. Or—” she paused, “...let’s just get rid of this child.”
“If you can’t bring yourself to do it, you can find someone else to do it,” Hu Li paused for a moment and said, “But that would definitely be a long battle. Is it necessary to consider the little one in Xiang Lan’s belly? What would be the best way to arrange things?”
Xiang Yuan's face was even uglier than Hu Li's. He said, "Don't talk nonsense."
"Am I talking nonsense? If you keep dragging this out, even if a few more people come, we still won't reach an agreement. Uncle Fang, what do you think?"
Fang Haoping listened calmly to Hu Li's words while observing Xiang Yuan's expression. When she mentioned not wanting the child, his expression clearly showed signs of wavering, and he immediately realized that Xiang Lan's brother probably had this intention. He immediately stated, "Zi Du values this child highly and will definitely keep him."
People fight for their pride, even Buddhas fight for their incense; when the man relented, Xiang Yuan's expression softened a little.
Hu Li tugged at his hand under the table, and he gave a soft "hmm." She said, "Okay, then let's discuss how to handle letting them be together." Hu Li held out her hand. "First, what about the two weddings? That's definitely unavoidable, right?"
"Of course, the Fang family isn't unreasonable," Fang Haoping said with a wry smile, "We can't afford to lose face like that—"
"Second, after the marriage, how to arrange the work and life of the newlyweds."
"We don't need to worry about Zidu's work." Fang Haoping was very confident in his son.
Xiang Yuan found it too conspicuous and said, "Is your income enough to buy a house here? Is it enough to support Xiang Lan's current lifestyle?"
"Xiang Lan should focus more on Zi Du—"
"Xiang Lan is the one who needs the most care."
Liu Nanyang couldn't stand it any longer and said, "You're thinking so much for them, do they even appreciate it?"
Hu Li nodded, "Yes, we're still hungry, they've already gone out to get some porridge."
Xiang Yuan and Fang Haoping were both embarrassed.
"They're so lawless. If they don't learn a lesson this time, what will they do next? Will you be able to handle it then?" Hu Li laughed.
"Xiao Hu, their brains are all mush right now, so just tell me your opinion."
Hu Li glanced at Xiang Yuan, then at Fang Haoping, and shrugged. "I'm just suggesting that we should do what needs to be done, but when it's time to teach these two little rascals a lesson, we shouldn't hold back. As for the specific methods and extent, we can discuss it with Mom and Dad tomorrow, how about that? Tonight, everyone should calm down and discuss it properly."
Xiang Yuan and Fang Haoping exchanged a glance and finally reached a small consensus.
After eating and drinking her fill, Xiang Lan bought some snacks and fruits, and then took Fang Zi back to the hotel to pay the bill.
Hu Li and his group of four had finished eating and drinking and were ready to leave. Xiang Lan smiled and took out a prepared gift box from the corner of the private room and gave it to her brother, sister-in-law and brother-in-law, saying, "These were all picked out by Zidu as a gift for you. Please don't mind them."
Xiang Yuan reluctantly accepted the gift, considering that he had reached a consensus with Fang Haoping. Looking at Fang Zidu, who was standing to the side smiling and looking at Xiang Lan, he couldn't stand him no matter what. He gritted his teeth and said, "Pretty boy."
Hu Li pinched his skin, twisted it once, and gritted his teeth, saying, "Don't cause trouble."
Fang Zi glanced at Xiang Yuan, smiled at him, and seemed completely unconcerned.
"Lanlan, come back with us tonight," Hu Li said with a smile. "We all made plans to have lunch here again tomorrow, and Mom and Dad will be there too."
Xiang Lan looked at Fang Zidu with reluctance, and Xiang Yuan said, "Xiang Lan, don't embarrass yourself, okay?"
She rolled her eyes at her brother and moved closer to Fang Zidu, saying, "I'm afraid you'll trick me into going back and locking me up."
Xiang Yuan raised his hand to slap her head, but she hid behind Fang Zidu, which angered him.
"Xiang Lan, how can you doubt your own brother like this?"
She snorted and said to Fang Zidu, "Zidu, will you come pick me up tomorrow morning?"
"Okay. Send me the address—"
Xiang Yuan's hair was practically standing on end. He glared hatefully at the well-matched young couple. Damn it, if he didn't teach them a lesson, he wouldn't be Xiang Yuan.
Xiang Lan and Fang Zi were naturally unaware that their parents had quickly formed an alliance, and the main topic of the alliance was how to make them aware of the hardships of surviving in this cruel world.
Author's Note: My friends are amazing! We've got almost 900 comments now, and we're close to adding more chapters soon. *sweat*
However, could you please give it a 2-star rating in the comments? Thank you!
Chapter 27
Xiang Yuan was so angry that he kept a cold face and didn't speak to Xiang Lan on the way home. After arriving home, he reached out his hand to Xiang Lan.
"What?" Xiang Lan asked warily.