Lang Youyuan wanted nothing more than to pack her bags immediately and meet this boy in person.
If her son truly intended to marry him, she needed to be prepared; she couldn’t allow herself to be caught off guard.
Just as Lang Youyuan was planning to have someone thoroughly investigate the boy, the dossier sent over by Lu Zhili arrived just in time to resolve her urgent dilemma.
According to Lu Zhili’s information, the boy came from an impoverished background. His parents survived on odd jobs, and he had a younger brother who was a compulsive gambler with a massive amount of gambling debt.
The more Lang Youyuan read, the deeper her brow furrowed. Such a family environment was hardly a proper upbringing.
What followed—photos of the boy in restaurants, bars, and dance halls—made Lang Youyuan’s fingers tremble even more.
Working in such places at such a young age! How could he be a decent person!
Lang Youyuan couldn’t comprehend what her otherwise brilliant and rational son could possibly see in this boy!
In one of the photos where his face was clearly visible, the boy tilted his face up to look sycophantly at the camera, wearing a completely flattering smile.
The revealing, seductive black leather jacket he wore, along with skin-baring micro-shorts that rode all the way up to his thighs, left Lang Youyuan gasping for breath from sheer anger.
Fu Qianyu was entirely rational when it came to business, yet why did his romantic life have to be such a chaotic mess every single time?
Lang Youyuan couldn’t help but suspect there was a flaw in her own parenting. Why was her biological son’s taste so utterly abysmal? Getting deceived time and time again!
She shook her head, pressing a hand to her forehead as she let out heavy, despairing sighs.
When Fu Qianyu’s father, Fu Yingyi, returned home, he found his wife looking completely dejected and disheartened.
Fu Yingyi wrapped an arm around his wife’s shoulders with a chuckle: “What’s wrong, honey? Who made you this upset? I’ll go teach them a lesson.”
“Who else but your wonderful son!” Lang Youyuan smacked her thigh, deeply regretting how hands-off she had been regarding her son’s love life.
Had she known earlier, she should have scouted a marriage partner for him since childhood and raised them in the house like a child-bride. That would have been far better than letting him get coaxed away by some crooked, worthless outsider!
“What did our son do? That brat! He only knows how to make you angry.”
Fu Yingyi massaged his wife’s fair hand, smiling like a large cat.
He found it amusing. Ordinarily, Lang Youyuan was proudest of their son, constantly keeping “my son,” “my son” on the tip of her tongue. But the moment he made her angry, he became “your son.”
“Sigh, what sin did I commit to have a son who stays away from home day and night. It wasn’t easy getting him to agree to an engagement with Zhili, and I figured he’d finally settle down and come home more often. Who would have thought he’d suddenly back out on Zhili, only to want to marry some messy little boy from the outside! Tell me, isn’t he infuriating?!”
While Lang Youyuan wore a face full of worry, Fu Yingyi kept a relaxed mindset: “Our son can date whoever he wants to date, he’s a grown man.”
He thought about it, and ultimately couldn’t resist adding: “If you ask me, romance between men is nothing more than a matter of sex; they’ll break up in a couple of days. Breaking up and getting back together is perfectly normal. If he wants to marry, it’s still best to do it with a woman. Having a child creates a real bond. How wonderful is it to have a wife, a kid, and a warm bed!”
Lang Youyuan rolled her eyes at him: “What era do you think we are living in? Still clinging to that old, feudal mindset. Same-sex marriage has been legalized for ten years now; can you still not accept it? You want Qianyu to marry a woman, but he has to be willing first!”
Although same-sex marriage had been legal for a decade, people’s deep-seated traditional views could not be altered overnight.
There were still plenty among the older generation who disapproved, casting disdainful looks at the men and women holding hands on the streets.
Some bold youngsters didn’t care about their stares at all, proudly twirling around under those judgmental eyes to engage in a full French kiss, completely unfazed, leaving the elders cursing about the decay of moral values.
There were also shyer ones who feared the judgment of others and didn’t dare display affection out on the streets. Anything went once they got home, but outside, they would at most hold hands to avoid drawing gossip.
In short, while modern society legally recognized same-sex marriage, it didn’t mean everyone accepted it.
In marriages of familial alliance, because there would be no offspring, this type of same-sex union was far less stable than a heterosexual one.
Therefore, Fu Yingyi hadn’t cared about Fu Qianyu and Lu Zhili’s engagement at all.
In his eyes, it was just children playing house. For a true union, it still had to be between a man and a woman.
Lang Youyuan had been actively arranging Fu Qianyu’s marital alliance, but regarding the engagement between Fu Qianyu and Lu Zhili, the only ones among the parents who took it most seriously were Lang Youyuan and Madam Lu.
Both were mothers acting out of deep love for their children—one wanted a reliable, male daughter-in-law whose background she knew inside out, while the other wanted to fulfill her son’s infatuation.
Fu Yingyi curled his lip, still somewhat refusing to give up as he coaxed:
“Honey, look at you. You want Qianyu to marry Zhili, but Qianyu has to want to as well! Now that he doesn’t want to, forget it. Why force him? We might as well take this opportunity to persuade Qianyu to find a woman to marry and have children with early on. After that, he can see whoever he wants—”
“Ouch! Honey, what did you hit me for!” Fu Yingyi covered his face pitifully.
Lang Youyuan had slapped Fu Yingyi in her anger—it was loud enough, though it didn’t actually hurt much.
Lang Youyuan poked his forehead sharply with her index finger: “Setting aside the fact that our son doesn’t like women, even if he did, I won’t allow you to degrade someone like that!”
What Lang Youyuan despised most was her husband’s chauvinistic attitude of viewing women merely as reproductive tools.
But having lived together for so many years after all, Lang Youyuan could only tolerate it, slapping him whenever she grew truly too furious to bear it.
Fortunately, Fu Yingyi was the type who always apologized the moment he knew his wife was angry and shut his mouth whenever he saw her displeasure. This was how the two of them had managed to sail through decades in relative peace.
Fu Yingyi, a middle-aged man, covered his face to play the victim: “Honey, I just want to hold a grandchild. Don’t tell me you don’t want to hold a grandchild?”
Lang Youyuan snapped: “You think everyone is just like you!”
Yet, deep down, she truly did love children. Her son had grown up to be cold and taciturn, nowhere near as cute or affectionate as he was during childhood.
Having another child herself was unrealistic. Watching her peers flaunt their grandsons and granddaughters one by one, she didn’t say it aloud, but she was envious in her heart.
Lang Youyuan had poured all her maternal tenderness into finding a partner for her son; even without grandchildren, she would be satisfied if her son could have a stable, reassuring partner.
But now, look at the kind of person Fu Qianyu had found!
Lang Youyuan’s anger flared up anew, and she smacked Fu Yingyi hard a few more times.
Fu Yingyi didn’t dare show anger or speak out, letting his wife vent her frustration on him entirely.
Meanwhile, after delivering the file to Lang Youyuan, Lu Zhili sat smiling as he swirled a glass of red wine.
How could a low-class wretch like that ever be worthy of his Qianyu.
No doubt Aunt Lang was just like him, her heart ablaze with an unquenchable anger upon seeing the despicable behavior of that lowly creature in the dossier.
Lu Zhili had deliberately deleted the parts highlighting Jing Jiaxi’s excellent academic performance and character, leaving behind only the pathetic images of him working odd jobs everywhere.
A few of those photos were genuine photos that had been photoshopped; a blend of truth and falsehood was always the easiest way to deceive the eye.
Even if Aunt Lang investigated further later on and discovered discrepancies, the bad impression would already be formed in her mind.
Once prejudice existed, it was incredibly difficult to alter.
Even if that little wretch used every trick up his sleeve, he would never be able to step through the doors of the Fu family.
When the time came, with the assistance of Uncle Fu and Aunt Lang, his union with Qianyu would happen as a matter of course.
Lu Zhili had long since forgiven Fu Qianyu for his rough behavior toward him. All of this was that little wretch’s fault; as long as he disappeared, Qianyu would recognize his worth and fall in love with him!
Lu Zhili viciously scratched out Jing Jiaxi’s face on a photo, filled with immense regret. Why hadn’t he thrown sulfuric acid onto his face during the kidnapping?!
If that wretch’s face were ruined, Qianyu wouldn’t be bewitched by him anymore!