“There’s nothing much to discuss. Let’s talk it over.”
Li Xianrong grabbed Lin Xiaoman by the arm. “Come on, Xiaoman. Let’s go over there and talk.”
After taking two steps, she turned and called out to Ye Xiaochen, “Hey, you there, keep an eye on our bicycle for us. Don’t let anything happen to it.”
Ye Xiaochen was speechless.
Fine, fine, at least she still considered me a person!
Lin Xiaoman was dragged by her cousin to a corner.
“Sis, what are you doing?” Lin Xiaoman grew anxious. “He’s going to be very rich in the future. He’ll never have to worry about food or clothing, and he’ll be able to buy whatever he wants and travel whenever he wants. He’ll have a fortune worth tens of millions. Don’t offend him.”
Lin Xiaoman even wanted her cousin to agree to the marriage as quickly as possible.
“Sis, when you become rich, don’t forget me.”
It should still be in time for her to cling to her cousin’s coattails!
“Lin Xiaoman, can you have a little more ambition?” Li Xianrong said. “You only know that he’s rich. Don’t you know that he’ll have plenty of women and children too?”
“I know. I’ve heard about it, but so what? Isn’t being rich wonderful? Sis, you know what happened to me in my previous life. I married a penniless man. Being poor didn’t stop him from cheating on me or flirting with his elementary school classmate. It didn’t stop him from cheating at all.”
“That’s true. You even refused to divorce him because of the child and ended up living a miserable life.”
“Exactly. Cousin, if I get another chance at life, I’d rather cry in a BMW than laugh on the back of a bicycle.”
“That makes sense.” Li Xianrong nodded. “Xiaoman, then I’ll give Ye Xiaochen to you. I’m not interested in him. If you want money, you go for it.”
What?
“Sis, he’s your blind date.” Lin Xiaoman was stunned. “Besides, he came here to meet you. How could he possibly take a liking to me? And how are we supposed to explain this to Auntie?”
Apparently, Ye Xiaochen had been introduced by her aunt’s cousin. She had come along to accompany her cousin on the blind date, only to steal the man from her. Just thinking about how fierce her aunt could be, Lin Xiaoman was certain she would chase after her and scold her.
“I’m afraid Auntie will chase me with a knife and chop me to pieces across several ridges.”
“She won’t. I’ll explain everything to my mother.” Li Xianrong said, “I only came here to go through the motions anyway, which is why I asked you to come along. The Ye family is actually quite simple, and his parents are easy to get along with. It’s just that he’s too much of a womanizer. I definitely don’t want him. I’d rather go find my…”
She stopped there, her face turning red. The shy expression on her face left Lin Xiaoman stunned.
“Sis, that person you like, does his family have money? Don’t be like me in my previous life and marry a penniless man.”
Lin Xiaoman was genuinely worried that her cousin had completely lost her head over love.
In her previous life, the man her cousin married… Oh, he seemed to have money too. His parents had been workers in the city, and after the man took over his father’s position, he was eventually laid off. Later on, her cousin gradually lost contact with her…
“Don’t worry. I love him, and marrying him is the wish I’ve carried through both of my lives. The moment I realized I had been reborn, my first thought was that I had to marry him.”
A hopeless romantic, absolutely hopeless!
Lin Xiaoman was deeply concerned.
“Sis, I’m afraid you’ll regret this…”
She was giving up a blind date who would be worth hundreds of millions in the future just to chase after the man of her dreams. It all seemed incredibly surreal.
“Xiaoman, since I’ve been given another chance, I refuse to let myself have regrets.” Li Xianrong said, “Xiaoman, if you can really put up with his wandering eye, then go for it. At least you’ll never lack money in the future.
It’ll definitely be better than your previous life…”
“I…”
Lin Xiaoman felt a little timid, but at the same time, her heart began to flutter.
“Comrade Li, have you two finished discussing?” Ye Xiaochen was obviously getting impatient. “I have an appointment at eleven to discuss some business. If you haven’t reached a decision, we can arrange another meeting next time.”
Forget about next time. If this didn’t work out today, then so be it.
If this woman hadn’t been introduced by Teacher Wu from the Land Bureau, he would have turned around and left after being left hanging like this.
“Coming, coming. What are you rushing for? Men these days have absolutely no patience. You…”
Li Xianrong looked him up and down. “You’re passable, I suppose, but I’m not interested in you.”
What?
“You’re Comrade Li? The niece of Teacher Wu from the Land Bureau?”
“Yes. I’m not interested in you, so you can give my uncle your answer.”
“Sis…”
Don’t do this!
Don’t be so direct. The man still had his pride.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I’m just a straightforward person. If I like someone, I say I like them, and if I don’t, I say so directly. You won’t take offense, will you?”
Li Xianrong asked him in an overly sweet tone.
“Heh, it’s good to be direct. I suppose we simply weren’t meant for each other. Goodbye.”
Ye Xiaochen added silently in his heart, Never see you again!
With a face like hers, she actually had the nerve to be picky about him.
What a strange woman!
Ye Xiaochen turned around and left, but Lin Xiaoman grew anxious.
“Sis…” She grabbed Li Xianrong’s hand, her face flushing bright red. She wanted to say something, but she was too embarrassed to speak.
“Hey, Ye Xiaochen.”
“Is there something you need?”
Ye Xiaochen turned around and looked at her.
Was she playing hard to get?
Or had she changed her mind and wanted to give it a try, to see if they could get along? If so, how was he supposed to respond?
“Well…” Li Xianrong pushed Lin Xiaoman toward him. “My cousin has something to say to you.”
Ah!
Lin Xiaoman stumbled and ended up standing directly in front of Ye Xiaochen. The two of them were less than three feet apart, and her face instantly turned bright red.
“Xiaoman, take your time talking to him. I’m going to buy something. I’ll take the bicycle with me first.”
Li Xianrong made it clear that she had no intention of being a third wheel.
“Your name is Xiaoman?”
“Yes. My name is Lin Xiaoman, and I’m eighteen years old.” Lin Xiaoman thought about everything that had happened in her previous life and remembered her cousin’s encouragement just now. Suddenly, she gathered her courage and asked with a flushed face, “Well, my cousin isn’t interested in you, but I am. Would you be willing to date me?”
“You?”
Ye Xiaochen’s gaze fell on her. He looked her up and down, his smile carrying a hint of scrutiny and amusement.
His smile made Lin Xiaoman’s scalp tingle.
But then she thought about the weakness and humility of her previous life, how she had endured everything only to end up covered in wounds, carrying a lifetime of pain and poverty.
Her cousin was right. If she could endure all that in her previous life, why not choose someone else to endure in this life?
After all, Ye Xiaochen was destined to have another family outside his home in the future. She wasn’t after him as a person. She only wanted his money.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful to take his money and live her own life?
A person had only so many chances in life to meet a wealthy man. If she missed this one, she would lose out on a fortune.
The moment she imagined herself living another life of poverty and hardship, and thought about how that man had been poor not only in money but also in spirit and conscience, she began to tremble.
She had finally been given another chance at life. Heaven had given her an opportunity to start over, and she had to seize it.
So she simply braced herself and faced Ye Xiaochen’s scrutinizing gaze.
“Well, are you satisfied with me?” Opportunities had to be fought for, and Lin Xiaoman treated this as if she were applying for a job. “If there’s anything you don’t like about me, just tell me. I’ll definitely change.”
This girl was interesting. Was she actually treating this like a competition?
Ye Xiaochen glanced at Li Xianrong, who was hiding behind the cinema pillar.
She really didn’t hold back at all. Was she making sure the benefits stayed within the family?
“Well, since you and my cousin didn’t hit it off, could you consider me instead? I can marry you…”
“You want to date me?” Ye Xiaochen asked with a smile.
Behind the cinema pillar, Li Xianrong was hiding and watching the spectacle unfold.
Her cousin was really bold. She had skipped several steps and gone straight to the point.
The only question was, would Ye Xiaochen agree?