Today I have to go to the hospital for a check-up, so I probably won’t be able to go back to the Lu family. But Gu Xingmo will accompany me to the hospital later, so the matter of the betrothal gift can be put on the agenda first. I need to hint at it.
When Su Jiaobai went downstairs, Gu Xingmo was already up and eating breakfast in the dining room.
Seeing that Sister Zhou and Junzai were not around, she guessed that Junzai had not woken up yet.
Su Jiaobai had a medical examination in the morning and couldn’t eat breakfast, so she sat on the sofa waiting for Gu Xingmo.
While waiting for him, she rehearsed the scene in her mind.
She really wasn’t thick-skinned. Although she was asking for money that rightfully belonged to her, it felt like asking someone for money, and she couldn’t bring herself to say it.
Su Jiaobai couldn’t help but curse herself again—useless.
At the same time, she also reflected on herself. Although she had good academic qualifications and a good job, and had always been considered a promising child by relatives and neighbors since childhood, that was only in school.
After leaving school and entering society, it was no longer about academic ability.
She still had to study the subject of “social studies” well.
While Su Jiaobai was lost in thought, Gu Xingmo had finished his breakfast. He walked over and greeted her, “Get ready, I’ll go get the car.”
The car was in the underground garage, and he just had to drive it up. So, after Gu Xingmo went out, Su Jiaobai said hello to Liu Ma and immediately followed him out.
Su Jiaobai didn’t know much about cars, but she recognized this Cayenne.
Gu Xingmo had a dedicated driver who was also an employee of his company. But today, it was probably for personal reasons that he didn’t call the driver.
The car quickly drove to the outside of the white fence. Su Jiaobai stood by the car, hesitating for a few seconds before finally opening the passenger door.
This was probably the first time Gu Xingmo had driven, and she was sitting in the passenger seat.
The visibility from an SUV was better than that from a regular sedan. It was also Su Jiaobai’s first time sitting in the passenger seat of this type of car, and the different view made her mood even more different.
There was a faint fragrance in the car, subtle and not her favorite scent, but not unpleasant either.
Su Jiaobai guessed it was the scent of a men’s perfume.
In a daze, the car had already left the community and merged into the traffic outside.
It was awkward to just sit there in silence, so Su Jiaobai pondered the matter of the betrothal gift and carefully began to speak, “Our marriage was so rushed, it seems like there were no ceremonies at all?”
Gu Xingmo had been silent because he was waiting for her to speak first.
This second daughter of the Lu family, who had been lost for many years, was guileless; everything was written on her face. Just now, she looked preoccupied, as if she had something to tell him.
Since she had something to say, he would wait for her to be ready to speak first.
But he didn’t expect that she would bring up the matter of the wedding.
“It was indeed a bit rushed,” he replied after a brief silence.
In fact, it was more than rushed; it could be described as extremely simple.
There were no ceremonies. After getting the marriage certificate, she returned to school to attend classes, and he went to a meeting at the company.
But the absence of these was not because he was unwilling to provide them.
At that time, he had formally approached the Lu family, mentioning where the wedding banquet would be held and how much of a betrothal gift he would give.
It was the Lu family who said that the second daughter of the Lu family was simple and disliked extravagance, and refused to accept anything.
In other words, no betrothal gift was needed, the Lu family would not provide a dowry, and they would not hold a wedding banquet.
He had expressed his sincerity, but he also respected the woman’s wishes, so everything was done according to her wishes.
Now that the matter was brought up again, Gu Xingmo, although he didn’t know her true thoughts, was indifferent to compensating her with a grand wedding banquet.
So, he asked her, “Then do you want a Chinese or Western style? A hotel or an outdoor venue?”
She wanted money, so forget about the wedding banquet.
“Why waste that money?” she immediately refused.
Gu Xingmo then slightly turned his head, glanced at the person beside him, and then smiled, “Holding a wedding banquet is a tradition passed down for thousands of years in China. Although destination weddings are also popular now, wedding banquets are still the mainstream. How can it be considered a waste of money?”
Su Jiaobai thought to herself, if you have the money, it’s better to transfer it directly to my account.
“But a wedding banquet is a complicated matter. If we really want to make up for it, we’ll have to plan it carefully. However… the matter of the betrothal gift and dowry can be handled first,” Su Jiaobai said, mustering her courage and deciding to bring it up directly.
Gu Xingmo glanced at her again. This time, he understood her true intentions.
Giving a betrothal gift for marriage was a matter of course for her.
However, from last night to now, her unusual behavior made him suspicious.
What was the reason that caused her to undergo such a big change in such a short period of time?
Su Jiaobai was eager for money, and Gu Xingmo’s brief silence was interpreted by her as a silent refusal.
“What, you’re not willing to give it?” If he really refused to give it, she might not be able to get the money back. But she wouldn’t give up until the last moment, “Mr. Gu, you are a prominent figure in Shanghai. Who would you marry without paying a price? Moreover, I have given you a healthy baby. Although I didn’t ask for anything when we got married, it was a sudden situation, and I was deeply affected by that incident, so I couldn’t think about anything else. Now that I’ve sobered up and calmed down, I think that since we are married, there should be some gestures. Don’t you think so?”
Fearing that he might think she was only trying to extort money from him, she immediately added, “Whatever betrothal gift you give, the dowry from the Lu family will be even more, not less.”
And she thought about extorting a large sum from the Lu family.
She didn’t like Gu Xingmo, but she didn’t hate him either; she was indifferent. But towards everyone in the Lu family, she harbored a faint sense of hatred.
However, now that she had come to her senses, she would not let that hatred affect her mood and life too much.
She didn’t want the Lu family’s money, and there would be plenty of people to spend it in the future, so why shouldn’t she?
Gu Xingmo didn’t take the matter too seriously. Seeing her earnestness, he said, “Then how much do you want?” He was quite generous, “Cash, property, cars, even shares in Gu Group… you can ask for anything.”
Su Jiaobai: “…”
This… this made her at a loss.
She didn’t understand the world of the rich, and she didn’t know how much was appropriate to ask for.
If she asked for too little, she would regret it. But if she asked for too much, it might backfire, and she would regret it.
Everything required a degree of moderation, but that degree was difficult to grasp.
She didn’t speak easily about things she couldn’t grasp, so she kicked the ball back to Gu Xingmo.
“How much does Mr. Gu plan to give?” she mimicked his tone, “Cash, property, cars, even shares… What is your sincerity?”
Gu Xingmo felt that she was truly different now. It was as if overnight, she had become a different person.
Or rather, she had grown.
Did that fall really hit her head?
Gu Xingmo was like a slippery loach; he never gave a clear answer, only saying, “Since you’ve brought this up again, why don’t you go back to the Lu family and discuss it with your father-in-law first.”
Xinghewan was a wealthy residential area in the city, not far from Zijin Hospital. While they were chatting, the car soon arrived at the hospital entrance.
Su Jiaobai needed to get out of the car first, and Gu Xingmo went to find a parking space. Naturally, their conversation came to a temporary halt.
Afterward, Su Jiaobai used the express lane, and in less than two hours, she had undergone a full body examination.
At ten o’clock, Gu Xingmo handed Su Jiaobai a stack of expedited forms from the doctor and informed her, “The MRI results won’t be out until tomorrow. The other results are here.” He added, “I asked the doctor, and everything is normal, no problems.”
“Thank you,” Su Jiaobai felt grateful for his thoroughness and thoughtfulness. After thanking him, she quickly said, “You’ve already wasted your morning. Don’t worry about me, you go take care of your business.”
Gu Xingmo took the opportunity to agree, “There’s actually something at the company, so I won’t escort you back.”
Su Jiaobai was eager for him to leave quickly, and she didn’t want to spend more time with him, so she immediately waved goodbye, “Okay, bye-bye.”
Gu Xingmo looked at her again before turning to leave. Su Jiaobai watched his tall figure gradually disappear, and only when he had completely vanished from sight and wouldn’t turn back did she quickly take out her phone.
[Emergency help needed.] She took out her phone, opened WeChat, and immediately sent a message to her good friend Lu Yuanyuan.
Lu Yuanyuan had been her good friend since junior high school. They attended the same school for high school and university. Although she later successfully pursued a master’s degree and became a teacher, and Lu Yuanyuan entered society early, it didn’t affect their friendship at all.
In that novel, Yuanyuan also made an appearance. Although it was only mentioned briefly, to her, Yuanyuan was her light.
When she was about to cheat on her first love in her marriage, Yuanyuan advised her to calm down and not do anything immoral. But she didn’t listen to her advice, and when she finally paid a heavy price for her stubbornness, it was Yuanyuan who stayed by her side, constantly encouraging and comforting her, and cheering her on.
And knowing these things in advance had added a layer of protection to their already strong friendship, making it even more unbreakable.
Lu Yuanyuan replied almost instantly: [What are the young lady’s orders.jpg] She casually sent a cute emoticon.
Su Jiaobai hadn’t eaten breakfast that morning. She guessed that Lu Yuanyuan had probably just woken up, so she invited her to have brunch together.
Lu Yuanyuan readily agreed and immediately replied: [I, I, I want to eat hot pot.]
Su Jiaobai: [Arranged.]
Su Jiaobai was familiar with this area and knew where to find food, so she immediately sent the address of a popular hot pot restaurant.
[I’ll go ahead and order the dishes, you get ready and come over quickly.]
After that, there was no more news from Lu Yuanyuan. About half an hour later, she appeared opposite Su Jiaobai.
Su Jiaobai had already ordered the hot pot base and dishes. Their tastes were consistent, so Lu Yuanyuan started eating as soon as she arrived.
After eating their fill, Lu Yuanyuan didn’t forget the original reason her friend had asked her to meet and asked, “Tell me, what kind of emergency do you need me to help with?” Then she suddenly thought of something and exclaimed, “It’s not that you want me to give you advice on how to deal with that Lu Leyao again, is it?” Lu Yuanyuan earnestly advised again, “Bai, listen to your sister’s advice, let’s just forget it. You can’t beat her. Even if you could, it would be a lose-lose situation in the end, and it’s meaningless.”
She went on to elaborate on her current life: “Look at you now, you have a cute son and a handsome, rich, and powerful husband. You’ve already surpassed most women in the world. You should just live a good life as a wealthy wife.”
Lu Yuanyuan had said such things many times before. But not once had she listened.
In fact, as she nagged more, Su Jiaobai even thought she was speaking up for Lu Leyao and got angry with her.
But now, she could understand that she was sincerely helping her and wishing her well.
“Let’s go, I’ll treat you. Let’s go somewhere else to talk,” Su Jiaobai thought, no longer wanting to live frugally. She wanted to take her best friend out to enjoy life.