Tao Ran was in an excellent mood.
See? She hadn’t even needed to put much effort into “snatching” him—Fang Ming was the one enthusiastically volunteering to go home with her!
“Slow down. Even if we don’t wait for Liu Jie, shouldn’t we at least wait for Xiao Ai?” Tao Ran looked back deliberately.
Fang Ming froze, instinctively refusing with a guilty tone. “Let her go with Liu Jie.”
“It takes time to get a cab anyway. Let’s wait for Liu Jie.”
“No need. We’re not taking a taxi. Xiao Ai already called a car—it’s parked in the lot. We can go ahead.”
“We’re going to ride in Xiao Ai’s rented car while leaving her to take a taxi back? Doesn’t that seem a bit wrong?”
“Your health is more important.” Fang Ming turned and said sharply, “Xiao Ai, you go back with Liu Jie in a cab. You don’t mind, do you?”
His warning look made Xiao Ai’s stomach twist. She could only nod.
“I’ll wait here for Liu Jie,” she said, handing her suitcase to Fang Ming.
Tao Ran smiled. “You sure, Xiao Ai? Taking a cab from the airport is quite far—it’ll cost you a few dozen bucks at least. And since you and Liu Jie have been fighting lately, don’t let another fifty dollars start a new argument.”
“That’s none of your business.”
“Good to hear.”
After walking a few steps, Tao Ran turned back with a bright smile. “Oh, Xiao Ai—thanks for the car!”
Another few dozen dollars saved.
Then she smiled again—exactly the same smile that had caused that “accident” on the staircase days ago.
Watching it, a chill ran down Xiao Ai’s spine.
As soon as they got in the car, Tao Ran told Fang Ming she had prepared a grand dinner and a surprise he would never forget.
Fang Ming, in turn, took out a small box, saying he’d carefully chosen a gift for Tang Ran from the East Coast.
Inside was a heart-shaped shell necklace.
It looked decent—but cheap.
Definitely under twenty bucks.
Tao Ran pretended to be delighted.
Then Fang Ming’s phone buzzed with a message. He squeezed Tao Ran’s hand and said, “I thought it over. I really need to see my advisor tonight, so I won’t be staying home. But I’ll spend time with you until ten.”
“That’s fine. Your work is important,” Tao Ran said with an easy smile. Whether that message came from Xiao Ai or Lu Sitong didn’t matter—she’d make sure he didn’t leave.
She had arranged dinner at a Western restaurant across the street from their apartment complex.
Since Fang Ming planned to go straight back to campus afterward, he brought his suitcase with him.
“Here? You want to eat here?” he asked in shock. Tao Ran was usually the type who couldn’t even bear to spend money on a movie ticket. “A meal here costs at least a hundred dollars per person—it’s expensive.”
Her surgery had already cost nearly ten thousand. The thought made his head—and wallet—ache. He’d been planning to persuade her to ask her parents for money to fill the gap.
“A huge surprise?”
“An incredible one!”
His curiosity was piqued. What could possibly make the stingy Tao Ran splurge like this? Now that he thought about it, she hadn’t mentioned the surgery expenses at all today. Something definitely felt off… but he couldn’t put his finger on it. Maybe it was tied to this “surprise”?
Without further comment, Fang Ming let her order.
She ordered steak, fish, crab, and even lobster.
And a bottle of red wine.
“Are you out of your mind?” he muttered under his breath.
“I’m just happy!”
“Return the wine. I still have to go back to school.”
But Tao Ran insisted and had the waiter pour two glasses anyway.
“I still can’t drink because of my health, but since I’m so happy today, you can drink for me.”
Her stubbornness irritated him.
This meal was easily going to cost three or four hundred dollars—painful.
He yanked off his napkin, ready to storm out, when his wife said softly:
“Honey, we’re about to get rich!”
“…What?” Get rich?
Absurd as it sounded, those two words were enough to make him sit back down.
This woman really was acting strange tonight. Her eyes sparkled, her whole face glowing with excitement and energy. The last time he’d seen her like this was probably the day they got their marriage certificate.
“Honey, it’s a windfall!” Tao Ran said mysteriously.
“Explain.”
Tao Ran pushed his wineglass toward him, motioning for a toast.
He downed it in one go.
“Soon, we’ll have a big savings account and a brand-new car!”
“Your salary’s going up by a few hundred dollars? You’re buying a used car? That’s hardly a windfall.”
“Not a few hundred—it’s hundreds of thousands, maybe even a million. And not a used car. You can pick any one you like.”
“You won the lottery?”
Fang Ming was thrilled.
And the first thought that flashed through his mind was: If we really hit millions… should I just enjoy life for a while—or get the money in my hands first, then divorce her?
He stared eagerly at Tao Ran.
Tao Ran only smiled and pushed another glass toward him.
To suppress the rush of excitement, he downed that one too.
Tao Ran said with a laugh, “It’s pretty much like winning the lottery. Remember I once told you about my uncle who went missing years ago?”
“Hmm… maybe?” Honestly, Fang Ming couldn’t remember. He’d long stopped paying attention to half the things Tao Ran said.
“Well, my little uncle’s been found—and he’s rich. Filthy rich. He’s come home and reunited with the family.”
“So…”
“So he has more money than he can spend and wants to help his relatives. We’re on his list.”
“Really?”
“Yes. His adoptive parents passed away, leaving him their company. He regrets not being there for our elders and wants to make it up to the family.”
Tao Ran took out her phone and showed him a call record—a thirty-minute call from her hometown two days ago.
“He was overjoyed when he heard I was overseas. Said I was the most accomplished one in the family and wants to show his full support. He’s already bought a plane ticket—he’ll be visiting next week.”
Fang Ming’s head was spinning—maybe from the wine.
But he couldn’t help drinking again.
The sweet bitterness on his tongue reminded him this wasn’t a dream.
He poured himself another glass.
Under the haze of alcohol, the story seemed more and more believable. Even his wife looked prettier now.
Fang Ming’s excitement grew; his cheeks flushed, his eyes lit up. He started eating and drinking heartily.
So that’s why his frugal wife was suddenly spending money tonight. He loved that reason.
“Really?” he kept confirming.
After several reassurances, he even ordered two desserts.
“So… your uncle—how exactly is he going to help us?”
“That depends on you,” Tao Ran said sweetly. “He said as long as we can convince him, he’ll fully support us.”
“Perfect! Maybe he can invest!”
“Then you’d better come up with a proposal that’ll impress him.”
“Great idea! How much do you think he’d invest?”