Jiang MingYuan frowned, turned, and got ready to leave.
"Where are you going?" asked Gu MingLi as she grabbed him by his arm.
"Going back to my office," said Jiang MingYuan. "I have a videoconference in a little bit."
"Is your company going to go belly up if you wait until tomorrow?!" Gu MingLi wasn't going to buck. "You are here already. You must at least have dinner here."
"Mom." Jiang MingYuan felt a bit of a headache coming on. "You know what I meant by that."
"Of course I know what you mean. You just don't want to see me happy!" Gu MingLi became upset all of a sudden. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she was talking.
"Your dad passed away early. It was me who raised you. My biggest wish is to see that you have a career, a family, a child or two. Even if you don't want to think about me; you should at least think about your dad. Don't you think he'll want you to have children of your own?" said Gu MingLi.
Jiang MingYuan took a deep breath and said in a controlled voice, "We will discuss this later."
"No later. Now." Gu MingLi pointed at the chair in front of them. "Have dinner with me."
The mother and son could never see eye to eye when it came to his marriage. Gu MingLi wanted him to find a gentle, virtuous wife from a family that could rival theirs. Jiang MingYuan hated these kinds of arrangements. Both of them were hard headed and had clashes more than one and each time ended unpleasantly.
But this time it was different.
There was an outsider there. Jiang MingYuan didn't want to make too big of a scene with his mother in front of an outsider. That was precisely what Gu MingLi had counted on, which was why she didn't tell him ahead of time.
Finally, Jiang MingYuan sat down at the dinner table.
The girl who was there was Chu Xun. She was the daughter of the Chu's in Province A. The Chu's were in the daily appliance business. They were no Jiang's but still a prestigious family of sortso.
Chu Xun was 25 years old and just returned from studying overseas. She has the perfect look that Gu MingLi liked – round face, big eyes, rich lips, thick earlobes. All and all, a very fortunate look; the kind that'd bring about prosperity to the family.
From Gu MingLi's perspective, Chu Xun's look, family background, and personality were all good enough for her son. She had liked her since the first time she had laid eyes on her. She started contacting her after finding out that she didn't have any messy romances in the past.
The Chu's were different from the Jiang's in that Jiang MingYuan's father was a workaholic who didn't care too much about romance. Once he had Jiang MingYuan as his heir, he felt that his responsibilities had been completed and poured all of his passion into building his business empire.
The Chu's housemaster was quite the opposite. He was a Third Generation Rich who had inherited the business from his previous generation. He was capable, but not so much that he was able to expand their businesses any further. He didn't have a lot of ambitions or aspirations. He spent most of his time and energy on women. At least 8 or 9 of his lovers had been exposed in the past, and he had over 10 illegitimate children. Imperial-level dramas unfold at his house on a daily basis.
Father Chu was a chauvinist and felt that the company must be succeeded by a son. Chu Xun's oldest illegitimate brother was just three months younger than her and had already joined the company. Regardless of how capable she was, she had no chance at succeeding the company. As such, why not marry into a family that was bigger and better than her own. That way it wouldn't matter which of her siblings ended up inheriting the company; they'd all have to bow down to her.
Jiang MingYuan had been up and rising in recent years, and Chu Xun had heard of him even from overseas. It was said that his style was experienced and brutal, and he has a good eye on investments. He has had some crazy days back in his days, but had for the most part, stayed away from any scandals as of late.
As long as he had changed, that's already better than her father. Chu Xun's pretty eyes stayed on Jiang MingYuan's eyes. She smiled slightly and raised the wine glass in her hand.
"Nice to meet you, Boss Jiang. I would like to make a toast," said Chu Xun. "Aunty told me that Boss Jiang likes fish. I hope you will enjoy my cooking."