In the office, a middle-aged woman sat the chairman’s seat. It was the same woman I had seen in the United States. That’s right, Xia Jing’s mother.
“I hope Aunt is well!” I instantly calmed down. After all, I have also met people harder than her, and situations stormier than this. I even went to Zhao Junsheng’s office and talked condition, let alone a situation like this.
Xia Jing’s mother was a bit surprised by my reaction. To her, it seemed strange that I was so calm before her. In her perspective, students like me should not be as calm as I am. Even her employees were very restrained when before her, let alone a student like me.
“Have a seat.” Xia Jing’s mother pointed towards the sofa next to the desk and said to me.
“Thank you!” I didn’t act polite and sat on the sofa relaxedly.
After Xia Jing’s mother told me to sit, she no longer looked towards me. Instead, she focused on the documents on the table before her.
I laughed in my heart. Did this woman think that a trick like this would work on someone like me? Before I was reborn, I was also a major businessman. You want to act like you don’t care about me, let’s see who is more patient than. I am not in a hurry for you to speak either.
Since Xia Jing’s mother ignored me, I too didn’t say anything. I just sat there quietly and started to flip through the company profile that was placed on the table before me.
Soaring Dragon Group. A state-owned joint-stock company with a wide range of business projects from real estate to food processing. Their main business involved the import and export of clothing and the textile industry.
Just looking at the pages, one could see that the yearly net profit made by Soaring Dragon Group ranged from 150 to 200 million. The company was also second to none in the domestic SMEs!*
In the recent years, these state-owned enterprises were not very profitable. The fact that Xia Jing’s mother could let the Soaring Dragon Group have such achievements was a testament to her capabilities. No wonder she was such a proud woman.
“Oh… Liu Lei. Sorry, I had to look over some important documents, and hope I didn’t make you wait too long. You don’t mind, do you?” Xia Jing’s mother said as she put down the documents in her hand and took off her gold-rimmed glasses.
“Nope, I didn’t mind. I was just looking through this coloring book that you have here.” I nodded and said. Heh! Can’t act any longer, can you! What important documents, it’s all just an excuse! I was also a veteran in my past life. Do you think I can’t tell whether someone is looking over an important document or just pulling over a sham? Ah, see. I didn’t speak when you were putting on the act of reading a document. Not like I couldn’t tell you were just looking at yourself in the reflective table! But I can’t say that now, can I?
“Secretary Wang, please pour a cup of tea for me and also bring along a chair.” Xia Jing’s mother said in the intercom.
After a while, a young girl came through the door. She was Secretary Wang whom Xia Jing’s mother just called. Bringing a chair, she placed it near the chairman’s desk. After that, she handed a cup of tea to her.
After Secretary Wang walked out, Xia Jing’s mother said to me, “Let me introduce myself first. I am Wu Xueping, Xia Jing’s mother. You can call me Aunt Wu.”
“Ah, hello, Aunt Wu. I am Liu Lei, Xia Jing’s Boyfriend.” After sitting on the chair, I said politely. However, I especially emphasized the word “Boyfriend.”
“Boyfriend? Oh, you say that but haven’t even met each other’s parents, yet you are already in a relationship between men and women.” Wu Xueping said lightly.
“Xia Jing has already met my family, and aren’t I meeting you right now,” I said with a smile.
Wu Xueping looked towards me and stared into my eyes. I estimated that she didn’t expect me to give such a reply. But Wu Xueping wasn’t some noob, she had experienced a lot in life. It wasn’t so easy to make her lose her temper. On that wedding day, the reason she lost her temper was due to the mutual accusations and the fact that her daughter ran away. All that had made her confused, forcing her to lose her temper.
“Hehe, my goal to call you here is very simple. I want you to leave my daughter!” Wu Xueping came right to the point.
“Why?” I asked.
“Why? I will speak frankly then. It is because you and my daughter are people from different worlds. I have investigated your family. Though your family can be considered to be better off compared to average families; your family and our family’s status are too far apart.” Saying all this, Wu Xueping spoke without any reservations, “What I want is for my daughter is to marry a man who can give her happiness!”
“Happiness? And what is this happiness that you speak of?” I said with anger rising in my tone, “Was marrying Xia Jing to Lei Xiaolong what you call happiness? Or marrying her into riches what you call happiness?”
“In my opinion, that’s what happiness is! What does a woman pursue for a lifetime? Isn’t it an easy and comfortable life? Romance, and love; in my opinion are just shallow ideals. They are nothing realistic, and so, I hope that my daughter will have a good home and a comfortable life that she could return to!” Wu Xueping said.
“Easy and comfortable life? Can’t I provide Xia Jing with all that? Since you have investigated me, and are also clear about my family’s situation, then you should know that though they are not the richest or the most powerful in the societies rank, they are still rich enough.” I didn’t explain my own matter and only talked about my parent’s situation. That’s because I felt that the time to announce my identity wasn’t just now.
“Yes, they are. But there are better ones.” Wu Xueping said, “And the most important thing is that you, yourself are the biggest issue. As far as I know, you still have ambiguous relationships with a lot of other women now. Do you think I will give my daughter to an unfaithful man like you?”
“True and I admit as well. I have other women besides Xia Jing. But I will let you know that I am true to every one of them. Can you guarantee that after Xia Jing marries Lei Xiaolong, Lei Xiaolong won’t go out and find other women? Can you guarantee that he will give all his love to Xia Jing? Luxurious life is indeed important, but do you really have the heart to marry your daughter to someone whom she doesn’t even love?” I asked.
By now, I had affirmed that Wu Xueping was a woman who believed that money was the supreme authority. You couldn’t find a woman like this in malls where other woman haggled over every other thing. Thank god, my Liu Yue was not a woman like her.
“I know that it is possible for you to provide Xia Jing with food and clothing. But with that many women, how long can you provide for her? At the rate that you will need to spend, it is impossible for your family’s business to last too long. In the end, you will lose everything that you have, and then, what happens to my daughter. Who is going to support Xia Jing and provide her when she grows old in a worthless marriage like that? I will certainly not accept those hardships for my daughter.” Wu Xueping said without any hesitation.
Although I felt angry over what she said; I had to agree that what Wu Xueping said was absolutely correct. If I were to squander my parent’s money as I do my own; they will soon go bankrupt!
However, I decided to stir her up again, and said, “If I go bankrupt; aren’t you rich? Can’t you even provide food and clothing for your own daughter.”
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* SME: Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises.
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