Elder Yan was a generous person, but anyone who had to face requests like these during a formal meeting would surely hesitate. Besides, the request was asking for too much.
The KING Space project was in a period of tension, and a large portion of Little Lucky Stars funds had to be injected into the project. Dealing with the pressure of the financial oligarchs, Little Lucky Star and OMG were both working hard. In light of their current situation with a cut-off in funds, they had to increase their capital investments.
But An Mei’s mother was firm, insisting that the betrothal gift must be given before the engagement and that there was no room for negotiation. Furthermore, she felt that the Yan family had no sincerity. Her precious daughter had chosen to follow Yan Xiaosu, yet he was hesitant about giving up this sum of money.
Actually, this was the aftereffect of Yan Xiaosu’s bragging. In the eyes of An Mei’s mother, the Yan family was extremely wealthy. She perceived them as though they possessed mountains of gold and silver. Yet when the time came, the Yans said that they didn’t have money. Wasn’t that not showing sincerity?
To determine if a man loved a woman, it boiled down to whether the man was willing to spend on the woman. This was An Mei’s mother’s world view.
Just as Elder Yan was making a call to think of a solution, Yan Xiaosu had decided to talk to An Mei’s mother in a bid to gain favor with his future mother-in-law. But he did not expect to hear An Mei’s mother reproaching An Mei instead.
What Little Lucky Star? What space project? It was all blown up by the media. They were so hesitant to give up 60,000 dollars! What kind of taste in men do you have!? The son is so contrived, and the same goes for his father. Even a classy suit looked like a renovation worker outfit on his father. It seems their family is countrified to their bones. What a waste for being decked out in branded clothes. If I were to add on their stingy personalities, they couldn’t even match up to a pinky finger of the An family.
If she was referring to Yan Xiaosu, he was already used to it, so his skin was as thick as a wall. This small insult would not have triggered him.
But! She was referring to his father!
Yan Xiaosu was enraged. He was seldom angry, but no one! No one could say such things about his father!
Unfortunately, Xiaosu accidentally hit the door just as he was about to leave. The discovery of this insult had meant that the conflicts between the two families could never be resolved.
Elder Yan was magnanimous; it was not the first time someone had said that he was uncouth. It did not matter, for An Mei was a good girl. As long as his son was happy, everything else could be discussed further. Money was not something that would stay with an individual for his entire life. But Yan Xiaosu wasn’t agreeable. Others could laugh at him, but definitely not at his father. Furthermore, they were going to become a family in the future.
Wang Zheng shook his head. He felt so helpless over this matter. “Is An Mei alright?”
Wang Zheng knew Yan Xiaosu well. He knew that deep inside, Xiaosu still cared about this. He would not be unbothered if those words were said by outsiders. But when someone close to him said such words, it would hurt him to the core.
“How do I put it… she is okay I guess? After all, that is her mother, and she can only say that she understands it.” Ye Zisu laughed. “Anyways, I came looking for you today because there is a highschool gathering! Are you coming along?”
“Can I not?” Wang Zheng replied.
“Come on, accompany me to the event! You are considered famous now, you will be looked down on by our classmates if you don’t go,” Zisu said.
“Okay. Hmm…oh, yes, when is the gathering?” Wang Zheng scratched his head. He did not mean to put on airs and not attend the gathering, but the truth was, he was an outcast during his highschool days. He wasn’t sure how many of them would remember him, and those who remembered would probably not have a good impression of him either.
“It’s today, 7:30 in the evening.”
“The time now is… 5 o’clock. Shall we set off now?” Wang Zheng hurriedly changed the topic. Yesterday, he joked about making Yan Xiaosu bring his two girlfriends over. He did not expect Xiaosu to take it seriously, as Xiaosu had not come over to look for Wang Zheng.
“Let’s drive there, I have a car now.” Wang Zheng smiled.
After his return, Gu Te rewarded Wang Zheng with a maglev car in the name of the college. It was a tradition to reward students from their respective faculties for their remarkable performance, especially those who brought honor to the college.
“Did you take the driver’s license examination? How about letting me drive instead?” Zisu questioned.
“… Zisu, you’re looking down on me. As a super warrior who can maneuver a mech, driving is considered easy to me,” Wang Zheng said.
Half an hour later…
“Hey, Brother, we’re going a little slow.” Ye Zisu shook her head as she watched other cars overtake their car one after another.
“Safety comes first.” Wang Zheng was a little dispirited. There were two matters altogether. If not for Ye Zisu, he would have taken this opportunity to go for a fast and exciting ride. But there was another person onboard, hence he wasn’t able to do so. He had chosen to drive slower instead. After all, social order and military special training were two separate matters.
“You’re sure that you don’t want me to take over?”
“…” Wang Zheng pretended to not hear anything.
“Just let me do it.”
“…” Wang Zheng continued his pretence.
“There’s a rest stop in front, how about we take a rest there?”
“Okay.” Wang Zheng heaved a sigh of relief. He was rather stubborn.
The levitating car slowly moved towards the signal transmission area which had a speed limit control. Not long after, it entered a vertically-falling lane diverter and directly landed in a rest stop on the ground.
The rest stop was huge. Many cars were parked there, and the rest of the area was very lively. Although it was an expressway rest stop, the nearby residents would also come over to spend time in the cafes, bars, restaurants, and the fairly-priced supermarket.
The two of them walked into the cafe and ordered two cups of coffee without caffeine. Just as they sat down, a surprising voice came from behind. “Zisu?”
Turning back, they could see a lady decked out in a women-styled suit looking in their direction. The stranger looked pleasantly surprised. “It really is you!”
“Lan Lan!” Ye Zisu called out in surprise. “You’re attending the gathering too?”
Xia Lan was one of Ye Zisu’s good friends from highschool. After completing her studies, she did not enrol in any of the universities but instead chose to pursue a career.
“Yes. There have been plenty of news about you recently and I’m so happy for you. I’m finally able to congratulate you face-to-face!”
“Thank you! Where did you go after graduating? You didn’t even attend the graduation ceremony.”
“I went into fashion design, and I was so busy that I did not have the time to attend your birthday celebration. It was a pity not attending the graduation ceremony either. After a year and a half, I guess I’m a little famous now.”
“And now you’re a designer! Congratulations!”
“Here’s my name card. Zisu, please keep it. Feel free to come and visit me anytime.”
“Wow! You opened a company? Tailor-made? That’s great! If I need anything, I will definitely look for you!”
“Wah, a big client from OMG. I won’t give you a discount! Haha!”
“It’s not a good habit to make money from your friend like this.”
Wang Zheng looked on from the side. He drank his coffee while he watched the two girls bicker and laugh. It was pleasing to his ears…it felt like he had returned back to his highschool days. It was a good feeling.
“Wang Zheng, this is Xia Lan, my good friend.” Ye Zisu smiled as she introduced Xia Lan to Wang Zheng.
Xia Lan blinked her eyes and extended her hand to Wang Zheng. “Wang Zheng, although we weren’t classmates, I still know you. After all… hehe, you’re a real celebrity now. You were featured on the news, IG Captain. He he, you’re an actor on the Milky Way stage now.”
“Thank you! For the glory of Earth, I’m giving my best!”
Wang Zheng smiled while nodding his head. He asked Xia Lan how things were going for her recently.
“I started a small company, which is doing fine I guess.”
Xia Lan’s character was a little rash. After speaking a few words, she pulled Ye Zisu to one side. “Let’s have our own women’s private talk. We’ll be back soon.”