A Visitor at the Cheng Family Home

Lin Xiaofei was more impatient. When Cheng Dongxue still did not answer, she spoke for her. "Yes!"

Cheng Dongxue glanced at Lin Xiaofei, but there was no reproach in her eyes.

"Xiao Xue, if something's troubling you, tell us. We'll face it together, and we'll find a way through." Liu Mei was perceptive. She knew the real problem was not the five million yuan itself, but what it had set in motion.

Cheng Dongxue was trapped, caught on one painful point she could not get past.

"Xiao Xue, if you won't say it, I will." Lin Xiaofei stepped in as her best friend.

"Xiao Fei, how am I supposed to say it?" Cheng Dongxue complained. It was too embarrassing to put into words. She blushed just thinking about it, yet her own mother had been capable of doing it. That shocked her.

"Fine, I'll say it!" With Cheng Dongxue's permission, Lin Xiaofei held nothing back.

"Her mother, Yang Su, introduced Xiao Xue to a man today. He said that if Xiao Xue divorced Zhang Yang and married him, he'd put up five million yuan to help Cheng Company through its crisis." Lin Xiaofei summed it up in one sentence.

"What...?"

"Mm..."

Liu Mei was stunned. Zhang Yang found it unbelievable too. Even Wang Po in Water Margin had only tried to marry off another man's wife. Yang Su had turned into a real-life Wang Po, trying to marry off her own daughter while she was still married. It was unheard of.

Zhang Yang and Cheng Dongxue had not even divorced, and her mother was already arranging another marriage for her. Wasn't that a little hasty?

"Xiao Xue, you're a good daughter-in-law, and you'll be a good wife. I like you, and Xiao Yang loves you. I hope you'll think carefully. Marriage isn't something to take lightly." Liu Mei did not flatly reject the idea. She offered Cheng Dongxue a gentle reminder instead.

"Mom, I know, but..."

"Xiao Xue, what anyone else thinks doesn't matter. I only want to hear what you think. Your answer will decide what I do."

Zhang Yang cut in as soon as Cheng Dongxue spoke. He had made his position clear without rejecting or denying anything. First, he left the choice to her.

"Zhang Yang, what choice do I have? Without the money, the company will be gone. I can't bear to imagine what Mom and Dad would be like after losing it." Cheng Dongxue was tormented. No matter how Cheng Hai and Yang Su treated her, she still had a daughter's duty to care for them.

Liu Mei was not angry. If anything, she felt a little comforted. Whatever else might be said about Zhang Yang, his eye for a wife was no worse than his father's.

"Don't worry. Heaven sees what people do. When the time comes, Cheng Company will still be standing," Zhang Yang said meaningfully.

"Zhang Yang, if you have a plan, tell me! Oh, you know a lot about antiques. I still have some money, and maybe we can borrow some from Xiao Fei. I'll sell my car too. We can make a big deal and earn enough to save the company." Cheng Dongxue seized on the idea. If Zhang Yang said the company would survive, he had better have a way. If he was just boasting again, she would kill him.

Cheng Dongxue was genuinely anxious. To Zhang Yang, that was a good sign. Her reaction told him where she stood, and it brought him comfort. His wife had still not chosen to abandon her "useless" husband.

"Don't worry, honey. I'll find a way." Zhang Yang took Cheng Dongxue's hand. Beside them, Lin Xiaofei was suddenly consumed by jealousy, but she kept it in check and merely made faces at him.

"Honey, the car is yours. You don't need to sell it, and we don't need to borrow Xiao Fei's money. We can keep living as we are. Just give me a few days."

Zhang Yang did his best to reassure Cheng Dongxue. He believed his words might help her, but Yang Su was another matter. In her eyes, whoever could save Cheng Company would get Cheng Dongxue as his wife—or even as his possession.

"But I'm afraid..." Cheng Dongxue lost control for a moment, and tears spilled from her eyes.

"Xiao Xue, you have to trust Zhang Yang. I certainly do," Lin Xiaofei said in support.

"Xiao Yang, I have a few tens of thousands saved. Take it. It's our family's contribution." Liu Mei started to fetch her bank card.

"Mom..." Touched by Liu Mei's gesture, Cheng Dongxue called her back.

"Mom, save your money! We appreciate the offer. Spend it on yourself—eat well, dress well, and don't worry about the future." Zhang Yang knew how much his mother had suffered raising him. He was grown now; he could not let her keep sacrificing for him.

Zhang Yang was blunt, but Liu Mei did not take offense. Lin Xiaofei simply led her back beneath the jujube tree.

"Zhang Yang, what's your plan?" Cheng Dongxue asked uneasily. Right now, she needed to know what he intended to do. Otherwise, she could not put her mind at ease.

"I have some friends I can borrow from. And you know I'm doing business with the Lin Family. Raising five million yuan won't be a problem, but it'll take time," Zhang Yang said.

Cheng Dongxue already knew Zhang Yang was doing business with the Lin Family. He had told her.

What Zhang Yang said was true. Borrowing money was never easy, especially not five million yuan.

"Mm." Cheng Dongxue thought it over. It would be difficult, but not impossible. Even if Zhang Yang could not borrow the full five million, he should be able to raise some of it. Her family could scrape together more, and that would bring them close.

Zhang Yang looked up. It was already past five, but summer sunsets came late, and the sun had yet to go down.

"Mom, I'll make dinner. Once we've eaten, we'll head back to the city." Zhang Yang got up to cook. It was his specialty, and none of the others could compete with him.

In fact, they all tried to take the job from him. None of them wanted him to overwork himself.

With all four pitching in, dinner was ready before long. The sun still had not set.

After dinner, while it was still light, the three of them returned to the city with Liu Mei's reminders ringing in their ears.

By the time they reached the Cheng Family home, night had just fallen.

As soon as Zhang Yang got out of the car, he spotted a brand-new BMW 7 Series parked outside the villa. It was the sort of car a boss rode in.

"A visitor?" Lin Xiaofei frowned in puzzlement.

Cheng Dongxue searched her memory. Among all the relatives, friends, and clients connected to the Cheng Family, she could not think of anyone who had bought a new car.

Zhang Yang could not work it out either.

Then Cheng Dongxue remembered Xu Mingxian's arrogant manner earlier that day. Could the visitor be him? He had dared come to her home to provoke them. Was he not afraid of Zhang Yang?

What was there to fear about Zhang Yang? she then wondered.

Zhang Yang watched Cheng Dongxue's expression. They had been married for years. Though they had never quite grown into a couple, he still knew her well. She definitely recognized the visitor.

And the disgust on her face suggested that the car belonged to that man.

"Let's go in and see," Zhang Yang said. There was no point speculating when they were already at the door.

The three went inside. Sure enough, the visitor was Xu Mingxian. He had made himself thoroughly at home, sprawled across the sofa like he owned the place, lounging without a care.

Yang Su waited on him with tea, water, fruit, and snacks.

It was easy to imagine how much Cheng Dongxue would suffer if she married a man like that.

"Well, if it isn't the Cheng Family's live-in son-in-law. The useless fool is back." Xu Mingxian opened his mouth and let the insults fly.