Chapter 103 - Feeling Unjust ("Is it that Mu's that you don't like or is it me?") (1)
The old madam only brought up marriage briefly. After the two had walked inside the house, they started talking about work and other subjects and marriage was never brought up again.
Xu WanZhi chatted with the old madam and Mu Ling but she saw out of the corners of her eyes that Mu XueLin and Xu Tian were discussing something and looked as thought they had reached some sort of an agreement.
Xu WanZhi looked over at Mu ZhenYu. The man was reading a financial magazine while sitting properly on the couch. He was nice and calm as though nothing had happened.
Nobody inside of this house was normal!
Dinner was ready shortly after 6 PM. Xu WanZhi saw that Mu ZhenYu had put down the magazine and walked over to the bathroom. She stood up and pretended that she happened to be heading over that direction as well.
The two of them met at the foyer. With a sidestep, Xu WanZhi blocked in front of him.
She rarely talked to him and this was the very first time that she had blocked him like this. There was finally a smile on Mu ZhenYu's long face. "What's the matter?"
Xu WanZhi checked both sides of them and, only after she had made sure that there was nobody around them, said to him softly, "Just a few days ago, I told you that your father and my father..."
She had a great sense of hearing. Now that she had lowered her voice purposefully, she sounded like a mosquito. He could hear what she was saying herself but Mu ZhenYu was completely baffled. "Speak louder."
"A few days ago..." She raised her voice. Then, feeling that it was too risky, finally reached out and put her arms around his neck to pull him down some and closer to her. "Didn't you say a few days ago that perhaps your father met up with my father to talk about our marriage? Did you know something that you didn't tell me about?"
Mu ZhenYu humphed and said with a mocking look, "Xu WanZhi, what are you thinking? Do you really think that I will collude with Mu XueLin instead of talking to you?"
Hearing that, Xu WanZhi, albeit still feeling suspicious, had no choice but nodded. "I guess that make sense..."
Before she was done talking, Mu XueLin also walked over as though purposefully. He smiled when he saw the two of them in the foyer, their faces next to each other's and their breath mixed together, and said loudly, "Oh, you two kids. You even need to show some affection for each other just going to wash your hands before dinner. This is making me envious."
Mu ZhenYu stood up straight, casted him a glance before he pulled Xu WanZhi into the bathroom and locked the door behind him.
The old madam and Mu Ling were unusually quiet over the dinner table. Nobody at the dinner table talked until half way through dinner when Mu XueLin finally looked up and said, "The two of us had gathered everyone around today to talk about your marriage. I've only met Lao Xu not too long ago but we get along very well with each other. Both of us are very supportive of your marriage but we would like to solicit your opinions. After all, Miss Xu was the girl's side and we, as the man's side, should take the lead. What are your thoughts, Miss Xu?"
Hearing that, Xu WanZhi looked over at Mu ZhenYu. She saw that he just kept on eating his dinner as though he didn't hear anything. All of a sudden, she was not certain what she should do.
Should she accept or decline?
All of a sudden, she recalled the part in the original novel when Mu ZhenYu learned that the original owner wanted to marry into the prestigious family for money, he had his hand around the original owner's neck and pinned her to the wall. His strength was so strong that he had almost snapped her neck.
He said to her, "You need to always remind yourself and keep in mind your own status. Don't get any ideas. To me, crushing you is even easier than crushing an egg."
Xu WanZhi shuddered and kept her mouth tightly shut.
Chapter 104 - Feeling Unjust ("Is it that Mu's that you don't like or is it me?") (2)
Before either one of the two of them had responded, Mu XiYuan looked up and toasted Xu WanZhi with his wine glass. "Congratulations, Miss Xu. You have been scheming every day and going above and beyond. Your dream to marry into a prestigious family has finally come true."
Xu WanZhi gave him a look.
She knew that Mu XiYuan was just goading her. He wanted her to turn it down. She had set him quite a few times and, naturally, Mu XiYuan hated her. As much as he didn't get along with Mu ZhenYu, he still didn't want her to become his sister-in-law.
That had, however, offered her a way out. She was already leaning toward turning it down. She only worried about stepping on Mu ZhenYu's toes and she'd have to pay the price if he was upset. Now that Mu XiYuan had brought this up, she would be able to use that as an excuse to go down that path.
She wiped her mouth with a napkin, also picked up a win glass, and toasted Mu XiYuan. "XiYuan, you are exaggerating. Truth is, I feel that I am still young and I'm not sure that I am ready to take on the responsibilities of being a wife and having my own family. Besides, ZhenYu and I have a good relationship. Whether we get married or not, it's just a matter of a piece of paper. It doesn't make a lot of difference to us. As for marrying into a prestigious family... The Mu's are strong and had further reached a new height by grandma and grandpa's generation. There is no doubt that it is a prestigious family. That being said, us the Xu's are well aware of where we stand. We should push this marriage on the back burner for now."
Having said that, Xu WanZhi could strongly feel that the atmosphere over the dinner table had dropped.
Let it be Mu XueLin or Mu ZhenYu, they both now have a long face on them.
Seeing that, the Old Madam quickly stood up to ease the situation. "If you ask me, WanZhi, you are overthinking this. Money is just materialistic goods. One isn't born with it nor can one take it away with them. Just because the Mu's are wealthier doesn't mean that those from the Mu's are more superior. If you feel that the Mu's background is too much pressure for you, you can have a prenuptial agreement with ZhenYu. Of course, if you marry into the Mu's, then ZhenYu's money will be yours. The prenuptial agreement is just for your peacefulness of mind that's all."
Feeling the pressure from all directions, Xu WanZhi felt that she was cornered. She looked over to Mu ZhenYu for help.
Mu ZhenYu continued to look down and refuse to say a word.
Xu WanZhi was displeased. With her cheeks bulged up, she nudged him on his hand. "Well, what do you say?"
Mu ZhenYu finally put down his chopsticks, gave Xu WanZhi a look, looked up, and said to everybody sitting around the table. "I quite like the idea of getting married. I'll talk to WanWan after we get back. I will let Grandma and Aunty take care of the date and the other details. We can have Tiana for design the wedding gown. I'll wake WanWan to try it on when the time comes."
Xu WanZhi's mouth dropped open when she heard what he had said.
Whatever happened to the ruthless and unruly villain in the original novel?
Nevertheless, the Old Madam, Mu Ling, and the two fathers all looked very happy. They clapped and they toasted each other. All of them have a happy look on them. Xu WanZhi and Mu XiYuan, for the first time ever, both looked defeated.
Getting married... how did she end up selling herself before the 6-month contract was even up?
After dinner, the entire family sat in front of the TV and waited for "Blossoming Us"'s series finale to air. When Xu WanZhi saw Xu Tian went over to the back yard to smoke, she put her fruit down and followed him out.
Chapter 105 - Feeling Unjust ("Is it that Mu's that you don't like or is it me?") (3)
It was the end of summer and the weather was starting to get cold. Xu WanZhi leaned against the door and asked coldly, "Xu Tian, why did you come all the way here all of a sudden. Not only did you get close to Mu XueLin, you even brought up marriage. What are you thinking?"
Xu Tian turned around and didn't care that she had referred to him with his full name. Quite the contrary, he smiled at her and said, "WanZhi, do you really not know what it is that I want?"
Xu Tian let out a sigh and blow out some smoke. Extinguishing the cigarette, he walked over to Xu WanZhi. "I was young and wasn't thinking straight at the time and didn't know that it was so difficult to marry into the Chen's back in the days. Now Mu XueLin had offered a handsome amount to let you marry Mu ZhenYu. The wealth is right at our fingertips. The two of us should be on the same side."
"Mu XueLin is going to pay you for me to marry Mu ZhenYu? Has he lost his mind?" Xu WanZhi rolled her eyes at Xu Tian then, as though something else had occurred to her, she asked, "You said it was difficult to marry into the Chen's? Which Chen's? Chen Yi?"
Xu Tian paused for a second before he said to her, "It's nothing. It's all in the past. Mu XueLin dotes on his second son and is worried that his older son would scheme away all of the Mu's fortune. He is willing to pay for you to pretend to get married to Mu ZhenYu. You will then ditch him and run off. That would be a blow to him. See? You don't even need to do much other than going through the motions. You will be a rich divorcee afterward. Wonderful, right? Plus, Mu ZhenYu is someone who had gone bankrupt. He might never rise back up again. It doesn't befit you to stay with him. Once this is over, you can stay in the entertainment circle or be in a relationship with anyone of your choice. I promise I will not interfere again."
"I can't believe you can even say such a thing. You are worse than an animal." Xu WanZhi snickered. "You are all wrong. Mu ZhenYu doesn't like me. He is with me simply because he didn't want to be with Liang ZhiQuan. Now that Liang ZhiQuan is out of the picture, I am of no value to him anymore. I am afraid your plan isn't going to work out as you have wanted it to. And now, Xu Tian, you need to tell me what is your involvement with the Chen's."
Xu Tian's brows furrowed deeply. "That... that was all in the past. You know, my business hasn't been doing well. I wanted to have a chance for a comeback and that required a large investment. Back then, the Chen's was one of the prestigious family in town. I gave you to Chen Yi for my livelihood. I did it so we can both have a bright future. Don't blame your old dad."
Xu WanZhi's heart sank. "You gave me to Chen Yi? Why didn't I know about it?"
"You were drunk that day..." Xu Tian explained softly. "But... daughter, it's okay. He didn't do anything. He just sent someone to take you home. I can guarantee that."
Xu WanZhi was infuriated. She snickered and spoke through her gritted teeth, "Xu Tian, I don't care how much Mu XueLin had promised you. Don't you worry. As long as I am around, you will not get your hands on even one penny of it."
Everybody had their own thoughts in their own minds when they watched the two-episodes finale. As soon as the show was over, Xu WanZhi faked illness and dragged Mu ZhenYu off with her.
Mu ZhenYu didn't look all too happy either. He was gloomy and quiet the entire way home. When Xu WanZhi wanted to get out of the car after they got into the garage, she realized that Mu ZhenYu sat in the driver's seat, refusing to unlock the door to let her out.
Xu WanZhi knew that he wanted to talk to her so she sat back and asked, "What is it?"
"Why did you react the way you did when they brought up our marriage? Was it really that awful marrying into the Mu's?"
Releasing his seatbelt, Mu ZhenYu pressed himself closer to Xu WanZhi.
What he really wanted to ask was, "Was it really that awful marrying me?" But he changed his wording the very last minute.
Xu WanZhi did not want to get into that with him. She merely explained genuinely, "Mu ZhenYu, that's just a plot between my father and yours. Your father offered mine a handsome amount to pretend that I am going to marry you and run off once it is done."
"But you didn't found that out until after dinner, right? But you turned it down without even giving it a thought over dinner. Why was that?" He voice was low and he looked vicious. "Was it the Mu's or the me that you don't like?"