On a quiet, secluded stretch of road with almost no pedestrians in sight, Chen Pingjiang walked at a slow, leisurely pace in a baseball cap. Zhang Xinyue walked right alongside him, leaning almost her entire weight against his side.
"So your mom wanted to set you up on a blind date, you weren't having it, so you ran out—and right before leaving, you deliberately riled her up by saying I had arrived?"
Zhang Xinyue shook her head.
"I didn't say you arrived; I just said my boyfriend arrived. Are you telling me you're not my boyfriend?"
"Of course I am, but how are you going to explain yourself when you go back?"
"I'll just say I tricked her! Anyway, I don't want to go on a blind date. Unless... do you want me to go?"
Whenever Zhang Xinyue was with Chen Pingjiang, she loved doing her signature head-tilt—a habit she had picked up back in high school that she almost never did at work.
Chen Pingjiang let out a hearty laugh.
"There's no way in hell I'd let you go on a blind date. But you dodged it this year—what about next year, or the year after that? Your pressure in the future won't be light. I've experienced your mom's capabilities firsthand."
At the mention of this, Zhang Xinyue's expression dimmed.
"Let's worry about future stuff in the future. I'll take it one day at a time, living happy for every day I get."
She was different from Ge Mengshi, and even more different from Cong Nini.
Ge Mengshi already had a child with Chen Pingjiang. Though they didn't have the legal title of husband and wife, they had the reality of it, and she held a high position in the publicly traded Zhizhen Catering Group.
Whether for public or personal reasons, Chen Pingjiang would never let Ge Mengshi leave him.
Besides, Ge Mengshi loved Chen Pingjiang enough and was so focused on her career that she didn't particularly care about a marriage certificate; feeling that Chen Pingjiang treated her well was enough.
As for Cong Nini, she simply wanted to cling to a big tree for support for the rest of her life—clinging with a clear conscience, without any deeper ambitions.
Zhang Xinyue was different. She and Chen Pingjiang shared a past; she was his "white moonlight"—the pure first love.
Demoted from primary girlfriend to a secret side-partner had been a choice born of helplessness. She wanted to give up, yet she loved Chen Pingjiang deeply. Her sensitive nature left her torn between conflicting desires and deeply confused about the future.
Just as Chen Pingjiang had said: she could dodge her family's push for blind dates this year, but what about next year? Or the year after that?
Was she supposed to stay in this kind of relationship with Chen Pingjiang for the rest of her life?
Would Chen Pingjiang abandon her somewhere down the line?
Zhang Xinyue knew full well that she could maintain this vague, undefined relationship with him right now.
But five years from now? Ten years from now? What then?
Sooner or later, she would have to face the ultimate question: to leave, or to stay.
Setting aside whether Chen Pingjiang would even allow her to leave, if the time truly came, could she really let go of a romance that had spanned over a decade, starting from back when they still wore high school uniforms?
She knew that even if she truly left Chen Pingjiang, it would be almost impossible for her to find a fulfilling marriage.
Chen Pingjiang occupied too grand and heavy a place in her heart for anyone else to fit.
He was simply too exceptional; hardly anyone could ever compare to him.
How could someone who had seen the grandest mountain ever fall in love with a mere hill?
Yet, staying came at a heavy price: facing her family's relentless pressure and misunderstanding, while accepting a life devoid of legal marriage and total, exclusive companionship.
It was a agonizing dilemma—one where only the truly bold and free-spirited could find a clear answer.
Chen Pingjiang was thinking about the exact same things, even if he hadn't spoken them aloud just yet.
The path the two of them were currently walking happened to lead toward their old high school alma mater.
The county high school sat halfway up a hill. Walking upward from the lowest vegetable market meant an elevation gain of at least two to three hundred meters.
Not having visited in five or six years, the changes were a mix of good and bad.
The good part was that the school now had a proper dining hall—something that hadn't existed in their day—and many parts of the campus had been renovated.
The bad part was that as the surrounding population moved away, the local pool of students had shrunk drastically, forcing the school to recruit students from other regions just to fill classrooms.
Rounding a corner, the gates of the county high school came into view in the distance.
"Fang Yuting told me she often dreams about high school," Zhang Xinyue said, lightning the mood with a lighthearted topic. "In her dreams, she finds herself sitting in the college entrance exam hall, doing morning reading, or facing our strict head teacher. I'm pretty much the same way."
Chen Pingjiang searched his memory carefully.
"How come I've never had a dream like that?"
Zhang Xinyue looked at him, her bright eyes filled with affection.
"You were still writing web novels during our senior year! Where would you have gotten any exam pressure from?"
That brought a wave of memories rushing back to Chen Pingjiang.
He had truly been the student with the least sense of exam urgency during that entire senior year.
While every other classmate was desperately listening to lectures, taking practice tests, and cramming for review...
He was the only one reading novels. And when reading wasn't satisfying enough, he started writing his own—churning out a staggering 200,000 words in his notebook over the course of half a semester.
Fortunately, his mock exam scores remained rock-solid every time—neither rising nor falling.
Walking up the stone steps side by side, they stepped through the school gates.
In a small town with few visitors around, there was no security guard, and the side gate was left wide open.
"Do you still remember what happened back then?"
Zhang Xinyue pointed toward the entrance of the science laboratory building, asking Chen Pingjiang with a smile.
"Are you talking about the day we ran into each other when submitting our college preference forms?"
Of course Chen Pingjiang remembered—wasn't that the very first day of his rebirth?
"Yeah! Actually, I saw you and Zhou Guanghan walking behind me early on. I deliberately ran over to Tan Ke's side to talk to him—he was so surprised! I did it entirely to get your attention and make you jealous."
Recalling her past willful pride, Zhang Xinyue couldn't help but laugh at how childish she had been.
"But you didn't seem to care at all. You weren't like that before—you used to be so possessive, getting jealous whenever any guy spoke to me. Ever since that moment, I felt like you had changed into a completely different person."
Chen Pingjiang smiled without speaking. Only he knew what had actually happened that day.
Before long, their footprints were left all across the campus—on the sports field, inside the main teaching building, and inside the empty classrooms.
They even playfully sat in their old senior-year seats: one in the second row, and the other all the way in the back row.
"Look, your picture is actually up there!"
Following the direction of Zhang Xinyue's finger, Chen Pingjiang spotted his photo and biography displayed near the stairwell. He had actually been featured on a "Distinguished Alumni" plaque—something he knew absolutely nothing about.
"The school leaders probably put it up," Chen Pingjiang mused. "I think a while back someone reached out to me through our high school alumni chat group, asking if I had time to come back and give a speech. I was buried in preparing for Renren.com's IPO at the time, so I didn't have a single second to spare and declined."
Zhang Xinyue let out a soft giggle.
"Then we really ought to calculate the size of the principal's emotional damage back then!"
After taking a full lap around the campus, both of them felt a wave of reluctance as they stepped out through the main gate, casting one last look behind them.
That single backward glance was laden with nostalgia.
Because that campus represented their youth.
High school life had certainly been dull and exhausting, but it was beautiful all the same—because that was what true youth looked like.
This bittersweet reluctance felt even more intense than anything tied to their university campus.
As they walked down the steps, tears unexpectedly began streaming down Zhang Xinyue's face. Her eyes reddened slightly at first, before tears began falling like broken strings of pearls.
Chen Pingjiang didn't think too deeply of it, assuming she was simply feeling sentimental.
Passing by the teachers' residential compound, neither of them expected to run into their old high school Chinese language teacher.
"Teacher Yao!"
Zhang Xinyue quickly composed herself and took the initiative to greet her.
Teacher Yao was out playing with her young son. She initially looked at the two with a curious gaze, as if trying to recall where she had seen them before. After a moment, a look of pleasant surprise broke across her face:
"Are you... Zhang Xinyue?"
"Yes! You still remember me, Teacher?"
"How could I forget? You were a little beauty back then, and you've grown even prettier now!"
Zhang Xinyue had indeed grown more beautiful, but Teacher Yao was no longer in her youthful prime.
Back then, she had come to teach right after graduating from normal university.
High school students who had never seen such a young and attractive teacher before naturally turned her into the dream crush of half the boys in school.
Who could have guessed that in just a few short years, her child would already be this big?
"Is this your boyfriend?"
Teacher Yao asked, looking over at Chen Pingjiang.
Zhang Xinyue beamed warmly.
"Yes! Can't you recognize him, Teacher? Has he changed that much?"
Teacher Yao was entirely puzzled.
"Do I know him? Did I teach him back in the day too?"
"Of course! He was even caught red-handed by you reading novels during class!"
With that hint, memories flashed through Teacher Yao's mind. A moment later, she asked in utter shock:
"You... you aren't Chen Pingjiang, are you?!"
Chen Pingjiang smiled, taking off his baseball cap.
"Teacher Yao, long time no see! Which lucky guy ended up taking the goddess of every boy in our school?"
"My goodness, it really is you! You're a big celebrity now! You haven't come back to visit in all these years. Your old head teacher, Yan Guoping, became so insufferably proud afterward! He'd constantly throw out the line: 'My student is the richest man in the country—what about yours?'—shutting down half the teachers in school! Though he's been transferred elsewhere now."
Seeing Chen Pingjiang in person, the surprise on Teacher Yao's face grew even stronger. After all, a person's reputation precedes them—this boy had made it truly big!
To rise from such an average county high school into what he was today was genuinely astounding to everyone.
"The principal brings up your name at almost every single staff meeting," she added. "Because of you, the Education Bureau even increased our school's funding quota significantly! Not only was the campus renovated, but the teachers' benefits and salaries improved too!"
Well, well, Chen Pingjiang thought. He had zero idea all of this had happened behind the scenes.
It truly proved the old saying: when one person achieves enlightenment, even his associates benefit.
After catching up for a bit, the two bade farewell to Teacher Yao.
"Shall I drive you home? It's getting late,"
Chen Pingjiang offered.
Zhang Xinyue shook her head.
"No need. I don't want to risk running into my mom. I'll just hail a taxi back."
"Alright then. We'll talk more once we're back in Dongjiang."
Chen Pingjiang didn't push the matter. He watched Zhang Xinyue get into a taxi before stepping into his own MPV.
However, after sitting in the car for a long while and smoking a single cigarette, he turned the steering wheel around anyway and drove toward Zhang Xinyue's home.
Inside the taxi, Zhang Xinyue experienced intense mood swings as memories kept flooding back.
She remembered scenes of them falling in love during high school, scenes of their arguments—every little detail.
In the end, tears streamed down her face once more.
By the time she arrived home, her eyes were still noticeably red.
Shi Xingmei was currently eating dinner. Seeing her daughter walk through the door, she gave her an odd look:
"Didn't you go out to play? I thought you weren't coming back for dinner."
Instead of answering, Zhang Xinyue asked,
"Where's Dad? Not back yet?"
"When has your father ever not spent New Year's Day playing cards with his colleagues?"
Shi Xingmei scoffed.
"Today's the only day they can play freely—tomorrow they all have to accompany their wives to visit relatives."
Turning her gaze back to her daughter, Shi Xingmei asked,
"That 'boyfriend' you mentioned today was just to anger me, wasn't it? I guessed as much—otherwise, why would you rush back home without even eating dinner?"
Zhang Xinyue didn't feel like debating the topic.
"Mom, today is New Year's Day. How many restaurants in the county are even open?"
Hearing what sounded like a rebuttal, Shi Xingmei frowned.
"You silly girl! So did you go out with a classmate or a boyfriend? If you really have a boyfriend, bring him home so we can meet him. If you don't, then come with me tomorrow to meet that young man! He graduated from a top-tier university and holds a great job now."
"Ugh, Mom, stop talking about it! If you keep pushing this, I'm heading back to Dongjiang tomorrow morning!"
Zhang Xinyue's fiery temper flared up as she vented her frustration out loud.
Shi Xingmei's hand froze mid-air, her chopsticks suspended.
"You girl... you make it sound like I'm trying to harm you! Getting married and having kids is something you'll have to face sooner or later."
"But I told you I already have a boyfriend!"
"Who, then? Or did you just make him up?"
Goaded by her mother's skepticism, and with her emotions already raw from visiting her high school alma mater earlier that afternoon, Zhang Xinyue blurted out a name without thinking:
"Chen Pingjiang!"
Direct and blunt—the moment the words left her mouth, she felt a wave of regret.
Sure enough, upon hearing that name, Shi Xingmei gasped in shock:
"Don't go spewing nonsense! Are you two really in a girlfriend-boyfriend relationship right now?"
Yet right after asking, Shi Xingmei contradicted herself as if trying to rationalize it away:
"No, wait. If you were actually together with him, there's no way I'd object—which means you'd have zero reason to hide it from me. You're lying to me, aren't you?"
"Believe what you want."
The reason Shi Xingmei wanted to confirm it again and again was that she couldn't tell if her daughter was truly back together with Chen Pingjiang or just using his name as a shield.
If they were truly together, why hide it? If they weren't, why use Chen Pingjiang as an excuse?
Suddenly, a terrifying possibility flashed across Shi Xingmei's mind.
"You... you aren't in some vague, improper relationship with him, are you?! I've watched the news on TV—he has a girlfriend!"
At this point, Zhang Xinyue had no intention of hiding it any longer. She simply threw caution to the wind:
"That's right! I'm one of his girlfriends—the secret one, the one kept in the dark! Are you satisfied now?!"
Shi Xingmei felt as though she had been struck by a sledgehammer. Her face turned ghost-white.
"Why?! You're so beautiful, you're not inferior to anyone! You were with him all the way back in high school, defying our arrangements for his sake and going all the way to Dongjiang just to attend the same university! Calling you childhood sweethearts wouldn't be an exaggeration! Why on earth would you settle for being a secret side-partner?!
Do you have Chen Pingjiang's phone number? Give it to me—I'm calling him myself to demand what he thinks he's doing! How can he bully someone like this? Has his conscience been eaten by dogs?!"
Looking at her mother flailing her arms in righteous fury, Zhang Xinyue felt only deep disappointment and exhaustion.
"Mom, stop making a scene. Back then, you were the one who relentlessly tried to break us up! You ran to the school to find my teachers, you said passive-aggressive things right in front of his parents, and you even pulled him aside to warn him personally! Is it any surprise we broke up after that?
Going to Dongjiang for college was my attempt to reconcile, but he kept getting more and more successful—I couldn't keep up with his pace, and better girls came along to stay by his side."
"And after that, when I realized I couldn't get over him, I chose to actively pursue him and throw myself at him. I did it voluntarily! What right do I have to demand anything more? Stop throwing a fit—every bit of this is thanks to what you did back then!"
Shi Xingmei opened her mouth, standing frozen in place as a wave of intense bitterness rose from the back of her throat.
Yesterday's cause, today's effect!
She desperately wanted to pull out the speech she had used earlier—to explain that her choices back then were what any normal parent would have done, that she couldn't be blamed.
Yet the words felt utterly hollow and powerless now.
The regret in her heart grew heavier and heavier.
Why on earth did I have to tear those young lovebirds apart back then?!
At the same time, she felt immense anger—angry at Chen Pingjiang for ignoring past affection, angry at her daughter for throwing herself at a man who already had a girlfriend, and angriest of all at herself.
After a long pause, Shi Xingmei snapped out of her daze and shook her head vehemently.
"No! I still can't accept this! This improper relationship of yours has to end right now! I am your mother, I'm doing this for your own good, and I have to take responsibility for your entire life!
You're blinded by love right now and throwing caution to the wind, but what about the future? When relatives and friends ask why you aren't married yet, how are your father and I supposed to explain it? Who's going to take care of you when you're old? When you're in your thirties and Chen Pingjiang grows tired of you and kicks you to the curb, what will you do then?!"
As she spoke, tears began rolling down Shi Xingmei's own face. She stepped forward to wrap her arms around her daughter.
Just then, a knock sounded at the front door.
"That must be your father coming back. I'm going to have him help me talk some sense into you."
Saying that, Shi Xingmei stood up to open the door.
"Old Zhang—"
Halfway through calling out, the door opened completely, revealing Chen Pingjiang standing in the doorway. Shi Xingmei froze on the spot, almost believing her eyes were playing tricks on her.
Still fuming, she had intended to demand answers right away. But the moment Chen Pingjiang's identity registered in her mind, a wave of intimidation washed over her. In the end, she managed only a weak:
"Chen... Pingjiang, please come in!"
Zhang Xinyue, who was still softly sobbing in distress, thought she had misheard. She hurriedly stood up and walked toward the entryway.
The moment she saw Chen Pingjiang's familiar smiling face, she realized it was real.
In an instant, an overwhelming mixture of joy and aggrieved sadness surged within her. Her emotions finally found an outlet—with a soft sob, Zhang Xinyue lunged straight into Chen Pingjiang's arms, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist.
Seeing this scene unfold before her eyes, Shi Xingmei felt a complex tangle of emotions. Unsure of what to do, she hastily sent off a text message to Zhang Xinyue's father.
"I was standing at the door just now and thought I heard my name being called,"
Chen Pingjiang said with a smile, patting Zhang Xinyue's back while looking over at Shi Xingmei.
"What were you talking about?"
As times changed and years slipped by, Chen Pingjiang didn't harbor any deep-seated hatred or resentment toward Shi Xingmei anymore.
Especially after having a daughter of his own, he had gradually come to understand Shi Xingmei's actions back then.
If the tables were turned and his own daughter tried to engage in a high school romance during her senior year, Chen Pingjiang would probably break the boy's legs himself.
To Chen Pingjiang today, Shi Xingmei was merely an ordinary mother—an ordinary person whose past actions had vanished like smoke.
Having weathered massive storms in his life, did he really need to flex his power against an ordinary person? Besides, out of respect for Zhang Xinyue, he wouldn't make things difficult.
Faced with his question, Shi Xingmei's face flushed with intense embarrassment.
Who could have guessed that talking behind someone's back inside one's own home would be overheard by the very person in question?
On the other hand, she felt genuine intimidation facing Chen Pingjiang.
As an accountant, Shi Xingmei knew the true power of money better than most. She habitually followed news about Chen Pingjiang, which made her acutely aware of this young man's massive influence and wealth.
It meant she held far greater awe and reverence toward him than an average worker or farmer might!
"I... I'll go make some tea!"
Even under Chen Pingjiang's casual, offhand glance, Shi Xingmei felt her heart pounding in panic. She quickly grabbed an excuse and scurried off into the kitchen.
Meanwhile, Chen Pingjiang put his arm around Zhang Xinyue and walked grandly over to sit on the living room sofa.
"What were you two raising your voices about just now? Look at how hard you've been crying,"
Chen Pingjiang teased with a chuckle.
Zhang Xinyue continued to cling to Chen Pingjiang like a koala bear, refusing to let go.
At this exact moment, she felt absolute certainty about her future choices, without a single shred of regret.
Chen Pingjiang's arrival was timed too perfectly.
Right when she was being cornered by her mother and feeling entirely helpless—right in the middle of her confusion and despair—he had appeared like a beam of sunlight, bringing surprise and warmth.
"It's nothing,"
she whispered.
There was no way Zhang Xinyue was going to recount the argument under these circumstances.
Even if she didn't say it, Chen Pingjiang could easily guess.
Since he had come here today, he was here to lay all his cards on the table.
"I just sat down at the card table right after dinner! What on earth was so urgent that you called me back in such a rush?"
Zhang Xinyue's father, Zhang Yang, had been playing cards at a nearby mahjong parlor, so he had rushed back quickly.
He was asking out of curiosity as he entered the house, but when he turned around and spotted Chen Pingjiang sitting inside, he jumped in surprise.
He didn't dare recognize him at first glance, only confirming it on the second look.
Moments later, Zhang Yang and Shi Xingmei sat across from the coffee table like obedient school children, each pulling up a small stool.
Awkward smiles were plastered on their faces as they tried to mask their inner embarrassment with fidgety hand gestures, completely at a loss for what to say.
Yet they roughly guessed what Chen Pingjiang was about to speak about.
On the other side of the coffee table, Chen Pingjiang sat relaxed and dominant on the sofa.
"Uncle Zhang, you smoke, right?"
Chen Pingjiang started by offering a cigarette to Zhang Yang.
Zhang Yang turned to look at his wife, silently seeking permission.
Shi Xingmei pretended not to see his look and chimed in hastily,
"He smokes! Go ahead and smoke—I'll fetch an ashtray for you two!"
Zhang Xinyue twitched her lips. Her mother had been so fierce before Chen Pingjiang arrived, but now she was so easygoing. Normally, when did her father ever dare to smoke inside the house without getting chewed out?
Chen Pingjiang watched with quiet amusement as Shi Xingmei went as far as pulling a spotless, crystal-clear new ashtray from the cabinet.
Flicking open his lighter, Chen Pingjiang extended the flame across the table toward Zhang Yang. Shocked, Zhang Yang quickly waved his hands:
"I have my own, I have my own! Please don't be so polite!"
Seeing that, Chen Pingjiang didn't push it and instead lit his own cigarette.
Under any other circumstances, Chen Pingjiang wouldn't act like this. Doing so today was simply a minor show of authority—taking command of the atmosphere right from the start.
"Uncle, Auntie, we're old acquaintances, so I'll just speak frankly."
The phrase old acquaintances made Zhang Yang and Shi Xingmei feel somewhat unnatural, knowing that Chen Pingjiang was about to get down to real business.
"Xinyue has been with me for a long time now. Please don't make things difficult for her anymore. She and I grew up together, and I won't mistreat her—I'll make sure she gets her fair share of everything."
Shi Xingmei squeezed out a stiff smile, her mind racing to figure out how to respond.
Zhang Yang, on the other hand, was still somewhat bewildered. Didn't they break up years ago? How did these two get mixed back together? And what does 'a fair share' mean?
Before either of them had time to ponder further, Chen Pingjiang continued,
"Uncle Zhang, if I remember correctly, you work at the state-owned Equipment Repair Plant in the county, right?"
"Yes, that's right!"
"I'll drop a word to the county leadership later. They can put you in a Deputy Plant Manager role first so you can gain some experience. Whether you want to start a business later or keep rising up the ranks, it won't be an issue."
Zhang Yang froze, staring blankly at Chen Pingjiang. Once the meaning clicked in his head, an immense surge of joy flooded his heart!
Right now, he was merely a team leader of a single workshop shift—a deputy plant manager position was miles away from him! If such a golden opportunity truly landed in his lap, he'd wake up laughing in his sleep.
He didn't doubt Chen Pingjiang's words for a single second.
Everyone in Tongcheng knew about the Renren.com customer service center in the north of the city. Rumors held that top municipal leaders had personally rushed to Chen Pingjiang's home, blocking his front door for days just to convince him to place it there.
Putting in a word for a small plant position was an absolute walk in the park for him.
"Pingjiang... do you think I can handle it? Won't people gossip?"
Chen Pingjiang took a drag from his cigarette, his voice sounding cool through the hazy ring of smoke.
"Gossip? What gossip? You've worked at the repair plant for how many years now? Even if you don't have legendary achievements, you have decades of hard work. I think you're perfectly suited for it."
Sitting beside him, Zhang Xinyue hugged Chen Pingjiang's other arm, clinging to him like a sweet, dependent bird. The pride in her heart was beyond words.
Just as Shi Xingmei realized Chen Pingjiang was systematically winning them over, Chen Pingjiang's voice sounded again:
"Auntie Shi, if I remember correctly, you're about the same age as my mother, meaning you're close to early retirement age anyway. There's no need to keep working. I'll arrange a property for you two in both Dongjiang and Tongcheng, plus 10 million RMB in cash savings. Spending your free time getting beauty treatments, traveling, or having tea with other ladies—wouldn't that be nice?"
Shi Xingmei couldn't help but gulp hard.
Zhang Yang's cigarette had burned all the way down to the filter, burning his fingers before he finally snapped out of his trance and hastily put it out.
Both of their hearts were pounding wildly against their chests!
Just these few casually spoken sentences... how much money was that?!
The two of them had worked tirelessly their whole lives just to own a single apartment, yet this young man tossed out tens of millions without batting an eye!
"I recall Xinyue's uncle runs a trading company in Hefei that supplies local supermarkets, right? I'll introduce some business connections to him later. While it might not make him filthy rich, it'll ensure a steady stream of solid income."
"..."
Shi Xingmei's psychological defenses collapsed completely! Chen Pingjiang had considered everything far too thoroughly, and what he offered was simply too overwhelming.
She was someone who cared about her reputation above all else—caring deeply about how her side of the family viewed her, always wanting to showcase a glamorous life.
This struck right at her softest spot.
Zhang Xinyue, meanwhile, felt a wave of curiosity. She had never spoken to Chen Pingjiang about her uncle's business—how did he know?
Though on second thought, while such information was hard for average people to uncover, was it even a challenge for Chen Pingjiang?
"I notice Uncle doesn't have a car right now, right? How about I get you an Audi A6?"
Zhang Yang and Shi Xingmei exchanged a glance, swallowing every single objection they had prepared earlier right back down their throats.
How could anyone possibly object to this?!
This was pure, unadulterated, unreasonable power—crushing opposition by throwing money around.
People with absolute backbone who dared to say "No" to such a deal certainly existed, but they were exceptionally rare.
And Zhang Yang and his wife, living an ordinary middle-class life, clearly were not among them.
After a long silence, Shi Xingmei let out a deep sigh.
"Pingjiang... it was all Auntie's fault back then. I really shouldn't have done those things. Every time I thought about it afterward, I felt deeply regretful. Seeing the two of you back together now makes me so thrilled. As long as you treat Xinyue well, her father and I have no other demands."
"Ah, yes! I always thought Pingjiang was a great kid back in the day!"
Zhang Yang slapped his thigh enthusiastically.
"When you two broke up back then, I felt sorry about it for the longest time. Seeing your massive success later made me so happy for you!"
Standing up, he added,
"Today is a happy day! Go whip up some fresh dishes—don't serve yesterday's leftovers, cook fresh ones! Pingjiang and I are going to have a proper drink together!"
Saying that, Zhang Yang and Shi Xingmei hurriedly retreated into the kitchen to busy themselves.
They honestly didn't know what else to say if they stayed in the living room.
Whether it was the shock of overnight wealth or the reality of their daughter being with Chen Pingjiang, their minds were a complete whirl right now.
Watching her parents act like this, Zhang Xinyue didn't know whether to feel amused or helpless.
The good news was that her troubles had been swept away, and her family would never pressure her into blind dates again. The helpless part was realizing how much these two "loving parents" could be bought off so quickly.
Looking up at Chen Pingjiang, she whispered with a sweet smile:
"You look so handsome throwing money around!"
(End of Chapter)