How He Shiyu pursued Xiao Hua was not something Jiang Chan paid much attention to. What remained for her now was the final task, to watch Xiao Hua find a suitable partner and naturally marry and have children.
Of course, matters of the heart could not be rushed. Xiao Hua was still young. Even if she stayed clingy with Jiang Chan for a few more years, Jiang Chan could accept it. Whether He Shiyu could accept it was another matter.
After divorcing Zhou Dayou, Jiang Chan returned to the capital once more and left Zhou Fugui and his wife without any contact information. The couple’s business had done fairly well over the years, and they had seen more of the world than before.
Thinking back to how officials had fawned over Jiang Chan, the couple realized that she must have done very well for herself. Money stirred people’s hearts, and the two of them completely forgot Jiang Chan’s earlier warning.
In their view, Jiang Chan was still Zhou Fugui’s mother. Whatever belonged to a mother would eventually belong to her sons. After discussing it, the couple decided to go to the capital to find Jiang Chan and see if they could squeeze some money out of her. After all, no one ever thought they had too much money.
For some reason, Zhou Xiaobao insisted on coming along as well. It happened to be summer vacation, so the couple brought him with them to the capital.
It could only be said that when people had no shame, they were truly invincible. Jiang Chan believed she had completely severed ties with Zhou Dayou’s family, so she paid no attention to Zhou Fugui’s movements.
On the second day after the Zhou family arrived in the capital, they accidentally saw Jiang Chan participating in a financial interview program. On television, Jiang Chan was radiant and articulate, speaking with confidence.
Zhou Fugui and Wang Mei, who had only ever run small businesses, were stunned. Was the woman on television really his own mother, who could barely read a few characters?
What followed was overwhelming excitement. If Jiang Chan was already appearing on financial programs like this, how much wealth must she have accumulated? Just imagining that astronomical figure made Zhou Fugui and Wang Mei’s breathing grow rapid.
Finding someone, especially a well known entrepreneur like Jiang Chan, was not difficult at all. That very evening, the Zhou family of three met Jiang Chan at a hotel.
The couple had already planned their approach. They would not mention Jiang Chan’s assets at first. Instead, they would start with Xiao Hua. Wang Mei would play the role of a loving mother. If Xiao Hua warmed up to them, then there would be room to negotiate.
When Zhou Fugui and his wife came looking for her, Jiang Chan had already anticipated this day. She had meetings in the afternoon and could not leave, so she simply gave He Shiyu a call.
Wasn’t he pursuing Xiao Hua rather enthusiastically lately? Now was his chance to perform. Whether he could send Zhou Fugui and his wife away tonight would depend entirely on him.
To be honest, this was also a test Jiang Chan had set for He Shiyu. If she handled it herself, it would be simple and brutal. But she did not want to do that. She also wanted to see Xiao Hua’s attitude.
When He Shiyu received Jiang Chan’s call, he was overjoyed. Leaving such a matter to him meant that Jiang Chan might already be acknowledging him. No matter how pleased he felt inside, He Shiyu knew that tonight would be a tough battle.
Whether he could successfully earn points in Jiang Chan’s eyes would depend on tonight.
Over this period of time, he had managed to familiarize himself with Xiao Hua. He was very good at finding excuses, asking her out to dinner one day, inviting her to watch a movie the next. No matter how slow Xiao Hua might be, she could sense He Shiyu’s intentions.
Since He Shiyu never stated things outright, Xiao Hua did not point it out either. To be honest, spending time with He Shiyu was quite comfortable. He was humorous without being affected, interesting without losing his grace, and an exceptionally outstanding person.
On top of that, He Shiyu’s looks hit Xiao Hua’s preferences perfectly. Especially when he wore his gold rimmed glasses, the little figure in her heart could not stop screaming.
Xiao Hua, in a sense, could be called a bookworm, though not in a derogatory way. She did not like people who knew a bit of everything but were mediocre at all of it.
She admired, even revered, people who could reach the pinnacle in a single field. Coincidentally, He Shiyu fit her taste exactly, even though she did not understand much about law.
The complexity and depth of legal statutes, which He Shiyu could recite with ease, filled Xiao Hua with admiration. So when He Shiyu deliberately or inadvertently appeared in front of her, she tacitly allowed his presence.
After all, she was only eighteen. No matter how many academic achievements she had, she was still, at heart, a young girl. Besides, young girls admired strength, and she had little interest in boys her own age.
The first issue was the imbalance in academics. She was about to graduate from university, while boys her age were still in their final year of high school. That alone was something Xiao Hua could not accept. Some of Jiang Chan’s partners had nephews who pursued her, but their intentions were too obvious. They were after Jiang Chan’s money.
With such motives, how could Xiao Hua possibly get along with them? Call her idealistic or aloof if one wanted. She simply wanted a pure relationship, one that had nothing to do with Jiang Chan’s wealth or background, only with herself as a person.
From what she had seen so far, He Shiyu was not bad. Xiao Hua gradually lowered her guard toward him, at most considering him a friend.
That afternoon, when Xiao Hua received He Shiyu’s call, she had assumed he was inviting her out for food or a movie again.
When she heard that Zhou Fugui and his wife had come looking for her, Xiao Hua could not describe the feeling in her heart. She knew that if it were not for her, Jiang Chan’s life over the years would have been much easier. She would not have needed to carry around such a burden.
Jiang Chan had told her bluntly that if she had not needed to wait until Xiao Hua came of age, she would have severed ties with Zhou Dayou’s family long ago. Now that Jiang Chan had divorced Zhou Dayou, her nominal parents had come knocking. There was no need to say why. They were coveting Jiang Chan’s wealth.
Xiao Hua curled her lips in self mockery. “Do you think I was born just to be a burden on others? Back then, Grandma put in so much effort to treat my face. From the capital to overseas, she spent so much time and energy. I finally grew up, Grandma divorced Zhou Dayou, and now they swarm over like leeches. Don’t you think I’ve dragged Grandma down?”
He Shiyu rarely saw Xiao Hua this dejected. Seeing that it was still early, he parked the car in a quiet corner and decided to play the role of a caring older brother, properly guiding her through this.
“You’re overthinking it. I’ve never seen Grandma treat you as a burden. On the surface, it looks like she’s been taking care of you all along, but you’re also very filial to her. When Grandma gets older in the future, it’ll be our turn to take care of her.”
Discover more from Lilly Translations
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.