Chapter 970: Perplexed and Smitten (30)
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
The temperatures were much cooler at night, although they were still considered to be unbearably warm.
The tent was left open in order to allow ventilation and prevent the air from getting too stuffy inside.
It was so warm that almost every single one of them could not fall asleep.
An Xiaoning lay on the straw mat on the ground, which caused her great discomfort because of how rigid it was.
However, she had no choice but to bear with it for a night.
“Ms. An, how did you and Jin Qingyan meet?”
An Xiaoning answered, “I helped his mother get rid of a spirit that was pestering her back then. That’s how we met.”
“I read in the news before that you married Jin Qingyan right after you divorced Shi Shaochuan. Is that true?”
“Ms. Wen, does knowing about these gossip benefit you in any way?”
“No, I’m just plain curious.” Wen Lele turned over to face her and continued, “Since we can’t sleep, let’s have a chat. Jin Qingyan and I were table mates in Year 3 of high school. I still remember clearly what happened back then. Although he seems to be polite and mild-mannered on the surface, he’s actually very arrogant and self-righteous deep down.”
“That’s just how he is.”
“He had so many suitors back then, but none of them managed to win his heart at all. All the girls from the other classes were all envious of me for being able to sit beside him and be in such close proximity to him. Actually, I barely talked to him throughout the entire year of being his table mate. Ms. An, I only realize now after interacting with you that you’re different from what the news make you out to be,” said Wen Lele, who recalled her high school days.
“How am I different?”
“To be honest, I’ve read a lot of news about you guys, and those comments are really awful. They criticize you so harshly. When you sat next to Jin Qingyan during the gathering that night, you were really eye-catching and you complemented his aura. I’m not trying to suck up to you, it’s just my genuine opinion.”
An Xiaoning kept a straight face and stared at the dark sky above. She asked, “Ms. Wen, how many boyfriends have you had before?”
Slightly taken aback because she did not expect An Xiaoning to bring that up all of a sudden, she answered, “I had one boyfriend in university, but we broke up a while after we got together. I never dated anyone since.”
“Do you hold your standards and expectations too high?”
“That could be one of the reasons. I’m a very pragmatic person. It’s okay for my boyfriend to not have a car, but he must have a house. I’m sure you know how expensive properties are in A City. The prices have soared to a ridiculous high. Throughout all these years, those whom I’ve carried a torch for never reciprocated my feelings. On the other hand, none of my suitors own a house. My parents have been rushing me to get married and even resorted to forcing me to attend matchmaking sessions. However, none of those worked out either. Ms. An, I know you and Jin Qingyan are acquainted with many promising bachelors. Why don’t you introduce me to a few?”
“I do know many good catches, but I won’t introduce you to them.”
She asked, “Why?”
An Xiaoning answered bluntly, “Material possessions may be important, but they can’t possibly matter more than a man who truly loves you. Yet, all you care about is whether they own a house or not. I think you’re way too materialistic.”
“Ms. An, you have no idea at all. It’s not that we women are materialistic. Honestly speaking, I would be willing to make compromises if he doesn’t own a house on the condition that he’ll truly love me for the rest of my life. However, the reality is that most men who don’t own a house are hideous playboys who can’t stay loyal to one woman. Of course I have to give myself some assurance beforehand.”
“You have a point. However, I don’t agree with you completely. You’ve already shut out the doors to your heart the moment you place a house as your priority. Women can give themselves assurance by being financially self-sufficient. Why must you rely on men? When a woman can genuinely be independent and love and respect herself, she would no longer have to be afraid of anything that comes her way. Even if her man has an extramarital affair, she can choose to leave him proudly. She can tell the man straight that she would be able to live well even without him. She wouldn’t have to comfort herself pitifully that her man would one day return to her and that her child can’t do without a father. If you’re not financially independent, life will be tough even if you get half of the house and matrimonial assets.”
“Ms. An, you’ve already divorced Jin Qingyan twice. How much money did you get from the divorces? Tell me honestly, I won’t spread it to others.”
“I walked out of the marriage without a single cent.”
“I read about that too online, but I thought it was impossible that you really left without a cent. You’re entitled to so much money by divorcing Jin Qingyan. How could you possibly not take a single cent? Don’t tell me, you were the one at fault?”
An Xiaoning closed her eyes, not wishing to answer her. However, after some thought, she drawled, “You told me to tell you the truth and I did, but you still refuse to believe me. Does it benefit you in any other way, apart from having your curiosity fed, to know whether I really left the marriage without a single cent? I’ve invested in a movie in the past and I’m currently investing in a television series. I have enough money for myself, and since I’m self-sufficient, is there really a need for me to take his money?”
“But you can never have too much money. It’s obviously better to have more money.”
“It’s good to have more money, but that also depends on where the money comes from. Since you love gossip so much, I suppose you’ve seen the news about Ye Xiaotian and Mo Li’s divorce, haven’t you?”
Wen Lele answered, “Yes, I have.”
“I didn’t want to gossip about others, but let’s take them for an example. When they got a divorce, Mo Li didn’t take a single cent of alimony from Ye Xiaotian at all. Why didn’t she want to, despite not being wealthy? I think Mo Li values her pride and dignity more than money. Not every woman shares the same thoughts as you.”
“But most women do have the same mindset as me.”
“That’s why everyone is different.”
Wen Lele was at a loss for words for a rebuttal.
“Um, I saw He Yi at your place when I went to look you up before. Why was he there?”
“For some private matters.”
“Ms. An, do you know exactly what He Yi does for a living?”
An Xiaoning said in annoyance, “If you want to find out, just go and ask him yourself. Are you starting to find him to be a suitable potential partner for you because you saw that expensive car of his?”
Wen Lele denied, “I’m not such an easy person. Although my prospective husband must own a house, not every single person who does will attract me.”
An Xiaoning did not answer her and soon dozed off. However, she was jolted awake again by the mosquito bites she had gotten.
She barely got any sleep that night.
After exiting the tent with Wen Lele, she caught sight of Jin Qingyan walking toward them with two sets of breakfast. Noticing the food he was carrying, Wen Lele grinned widely and said, “I didn’t expect Jin Qingyan to be such a gentleman. There aren’t any bistros nearby at all. You must have driven to a faraway place to buy us breakfast, haven’t you?”