“A-Yan!”
“Don’t think it over any longer. Zhizhi really is wonderful!”
“I promise, if you let her go, you’ll regret it!”
Nan Zhou sounded like a salesman pitching his wares—humble, with a stiff smile and an earnest plea in his voice.
Shen Yan’s hesitant gaze lingered on Lin Zhixu’s beautiful face. He considered it again and again, but in the end, shook his head.
“I’m not discussing romance today. Let’s talk about it another time.”
Lin Zhixu smiled faintly, withdrew her gaze from Shen Yan, and swept her eyes around the room as if searching for prey. At last, they settled on Nan Zhou.
“My ex-husband really was generous. When he married me, he spared no expense. My betrothal gifts were every bit as substantial as they should have been.”
She wasn’t saying this only for Shen Yan to hear; she wanted the other young masters from wealthy families to hear it, too.
Anyone who wanted to marry her had to provide a generous betrothal gift.
After all, she knew she was beautiful enough to find a husband.
Xiao You couldn’t help asking, “How much did A-Zhou give you in betrothal gifts back then?”
“Twenty million, three years ago. Prices have gone up since then, and I’m getting married for the second time, so surely the amount should go up a little.”
“Pfft!” Gu Tingshang couldn’t help laughing again.
He’d heard of people becoming less valuable after a second marriage, but never of someone raising her price.
Xiao You asked, “So would you marry anyone who offered you fifty million?”
“Not just anyone!” Lin Zhixu might be greedy for money, but she was choosy about the man, too.
She laid out her requirements as clearly as if counting pearls.
“He has to be under thirty and at least 180 centimeters tall. He can’t be too fat or too thin. As for looks…at the very least, he can’t be uglier than my ex-husband.”
Nan Zhou was so enraged by her words he nearly spat blood.
“I’m ugly? What’s ugly about me?”
Lin Zhixu smiled and patted his chest to soothe him. “Ex-Husband, of course you’re not ugly. I just want someone a little more handsome than you.”
Nan Zhou wasn’t as devilishly handsome as Gu Tingshang or Shen Yan, but he still stood out from the crowd.
Finding a man taller and more handsome than him, who was also richer, would be no easy task.
She could just wait until she was left an old maid.
Xiao You sized up his own height. He seemed to be just a little short, so he said no more.
Another young master glanced at his own potbelly and kept quiet.
A divorced company president had been thinking of spending fifty million to bring home a beautiful young wife to warm his bed. But hearing her age limit of thirty, he gave up on the idea as well.
In the end, Shen Yan couldn’t resist asking one more question.
“Is the fifty million a one-time buyout, or…?”
Lin Zhixu waved her fingers and made herself perfectly clear.
“No, no, no. Fifty million is just the betrothal gift.”
“On top of that, you’ll have to give me five million a month in spending money. You’ll need to buy me gifts for New Year, holidays, and my birthday. The more expensive, the better. I’m vulgar—I like luxury.”
“If you want me to have a baby, you’ll have to reward me with two hundred million, and we’ll have to sign a prenuptial agreement. No matter why we get divorced, I get custody of the baby.”
Lin Zhixu’s greedy demands left everyone stunned.
This wasn’t getting married—it was plundering a household.
Everyone turned to look at Nan Zhou in unison. The clothes he wore were all knockoffs.
Could it be that he’d divorced her because he couldn’t afford to keep this money-burning beauty?
Brothers, that’s the truth.
Back then, in order to break up her son and Lu Mengwei, Madam Nan had spent a fortune to bring home a daughter-in-law of incomparable beauty. She’d even signed a prenuptial agreement.
Now, her son was no longer pining after the daughter of his enemy, but the Nan family was nearly ruined by this money-guzzling daughter-in-law.
They’d thought Lin Zhixu had only asked for a twenty-million betrothal gift to raise her own value.
Who knew she really meant to collect it? She’d taken a full twenty million in cold, hard cash and hadn’t brought back a single cent in dowry.
And she’d also received five million a month in living expenses. Add in all the other odds and ends, and it came to at least seventy million a year.
Over three years, that was more than two hundred million.
Even a mountain of gold wouldn’t be enough for the Nan family to keep up with her spending.
No one knew where she’d put all that money. But once it was in her hands, there was no chance she’d give even a cent back.
Even when the Nan family was short on funds and needed a loan to tide them over, they couldn’t borrow a thing from her.
This wasn’t bringing home a daughter-in-law; it was bringing home a money-grubbing deity.
Madam Nan regretted it bitterly. In the end, she gritted her teeth and agreed to let Nan Zhou date Lu Mengwei, telling him to hurry up and divorce Lin Zhixu.
They simply couldn’t afford to keep this golden goddess.
After thinking it over again and again, Shen Yan decisively gave up.
There were so many beautiful women in the world. He should choose one with noble character and a pure heart.
“Miss Lin, those are fine wishes. I hope your dreams come true and you find a good husband soon.”
Lin Zhixu smiled politely and demurely, then answered him softly and sweetly.
“Thank you! I hope you find yourself a cheap wife soon, too.”
“Pfft!”
Gu Tingshang lost control once again. This time, he actually sprayed his drink all over the dining table.
From the moment he’d come in and sat down until now, he hadn’t said a word. He’d only coughed once, yet he’d burst out laughing three times.
Three years had passed, and he was even more taciturn than before. His self-control, however, had deteriorated considerably.
It was the first time anyone had seen him laugh hard enough to spit out his drink.
Lin Zhixu waved to Nan Zhou in farewell.
“Ex-Husband Hubby, I’m off. Bye-bye!”
Her voice was soft and sweet, stirring everyone in the private room.
No wonder Nan Zhou was willing to spend his entire fortune on her. Who could resist such a sweet, soft, adorable act of coaxing?
“You’re already here. Have a meal before you go.”
“No. I have to hurry back to livestreaming. You’re not supporting me anymore, so I have to earn money to support myself.”
From the day they divorced, she’d already figured out how she would make money: either find a rich man to keep supporting her, or go online and reel in a few big spenders to earn some kitty cash.
After all, she was pretty, had a great figure, and spoke sweetly. She couldn’t let a face like hers go to waste.
She’d been born to make money.
Her sisters had raised her to be soft, delicate, and beautiful so she could go out and catch herself a rich husband.
“Lin Zhixu, wasn’t all the money I gave you enough? You’re even going to livestream? Do you have any idea how low-class that is?”
“What’s wrong with livestreaming? I make money with my looks. A bunch of big spenders sent me gifts yesterday, and I made over a hundred thousand. If things keep going like this, I won’t need you to support me. I can make three to five million a month myself.”
Lin Zhixu made Nan Zhou’s heart and liver ache with anger all over again. This woman only ever thought about money, money, money. What on earth did she need so much money for?
“Lin Zhixu, are you seeing nothing but money?”
“Mm-hm! I dream of sleeping in a nest of money.”
Lin Zhixu really was greedy for money, but she was frank and straightforward about it. She never hid it or resorted to scheming.
She was the kind of person whose greed you knew about, yet somehow didn’t resent.
Aside from her love of money, she was gentle and obedient, lively and adorable, thoughtful and sensible, and an excellent cook. She truly had no flaws.
If the Nan family’s business hadn’t been running at a loss for the past couple of years, leaving them unable to afford her, Nan Zhou genuinely couldn’t have borne to divorce her.
This little moneygrubber was so innocent, simple, and clueless. What if some old man tricked her?
“Zhizhi, no more livestreaming. If you really need money, I’ll find a way to get you this month’s spending money first.”
“Hubby Brother, you’re so good to me. Why are you still so good to me after we’ve divorced? I can’t bear to leave you. Hubby…”
Lin Zhixu clung to Nan Zhou’s arm and swayed against it, her voice so soft it seemed to seep into his ears, as sweet as a babbling brook.
It wasn’t Nan Zhou she couldn’t bear to leave; it was his money.
Nan Zhou was generous and honest, and his money was the easiest to earn.
For three years, she’d done nothing but act coy, be cute, play the obedient girl, and lie back collecting money.
And she’d been lying back by herself—not the sort that involved sleeping with anyone.
She’d made a killing.
“All right, darling. Let’s eat first.”
Out of habit, Nan Zhou stroked Lin Zhixu’s head and made room for her to sit on his left.
He failed to notice the immense chill that had inexplicably begun to rise on his right. The cold made everyone shiver.
“Boss Gu, what’s wrong?”