Xu Wang had no idea that handing out wedding candy this time had made many employees at Pei Corporation curious about him.
Xu Wang exhaled, drew his limbs back, and stretched.
Just as Xu Wang was about to sit down and meditate where he stood, his phone rang on the sofa.
Xu Wang walked over to the sofa and picked up his phone. As soon as he swiped the screen open, he saw the word "Father."
Looking at that word on his phone, Xu Wang suddenly remembered that although the original owner had only a small role in the novel, his family, the Xu Family, counted as a minor cannon-fodder family. After the original owner died, they kept using his name to take advantage of the Pei Family.
Pei Yanchuan did not care about his marriage in name only to the original owner, so after repeated displays of greed from the Xu Family, he simply bankrupted them.
At the time, Father Xu had even accused Pei Yanchuan of disregarding their past ties, but he shut up when Pei Yanchuan produced a list. It neatly detailed every project and all the profits the Xu Family had obtained through the Pei Family over the years.
Xu Wang was glad that, because he had particularly liked the main villain, Pei Yanchuan, he had paid especially close attention whenever he read scenes involving him.
Xu Wang remembered that the first project on that list through which they had taken advantage of the Pei Family happened right around now. The Xu Family had received a small project from the Pei Family, with profits of approximately fifty million yuan.
A wicked grin suddenly appeared on Xu Wang's face. Since you've come knocking of your own accord, I'll gladly take that fifty million first.
Xu Wang sat on the sofa and answered the call.
"Hello?"
"Wang, it's your father." A middle-aged man's voice came through the phone.
"Father, you finally called. I thought you'd sold your son for personal gain and didn't want him anymore." Xu Wang's face was full of mockery, but none of it showed in his voice.
"Wh-why would I do that?"
At the Xu home, Father Xu exchanged an awkward look with his wife.
Mother Xu looked equally awkward.
Beside them, a boy who looked quite young was playing with a toy car.
"Mom, I want three big lobsters today!" the boy shouted to Mother Xu without even looking up.
"All right, all right, big lobsters for Rui." Mother Xu drew her younger son close and leaned down to soothe him quietly in his ear.
Of course, Xu Wang had heard the boy too. That had to be the original owner's alpha younger brother, Xu Rui.
Xu Rui's ending in the novel had been utterly miserable. Spoiled rotten from childhood, he had offended plenty of people after growing up. After the Xu Family's decline, someone had crippled his lower body, leaving him unable even to care for himself.
"Father, how come I didn't know the family was eating so well these days?" Xu Wang asked, feigning curiosity.
"Oh, the company just finished a project recently and got some money back." Father Xu sounded a little strained.
"Oh my, that's wonderful news! Father, why didn't you tell me?" Xu Wang's voice brimmed with sincerity.
"Well, I'm telling you now, aren't I? By the way, how are things between you and President Pei?" Father Xu gave an awkward laugh and managed to steer the conversation back.
"They're all right..." Xu Wang sounded a little down.
"What's wrong? Don't tell me President Pei doesn't like you?" Father Xu immediately grew anxious.
"No, President Pei and Grandpa both treat me very well. It's just..." Xu Wang deliberately drew out his words.
Sure enough, Xu Wang's words scared Father Xu so badly that his heart leaped into his throat. If the Pei Family doesn't like Xu Wang, how is our Xu Family supposed to secure this connection?
"Forget it. Perhaps I shouldn't mention it. Telling you would only give you more worries." Xu Wang sighed.
"You usele-cough, child, tell your family if something's wrong. We'll definitely help if we can." Father Xu had nearly blurted out the insult in his head, but fortunately, he reacted in time to cover it up.
"Since you've said that, Father, I'll tell you." Hearing Father Xu's words, Xu Wang smiled, but it did not reach his eyes. What a piece of shit. You actually wanted to curse at me.
"Go ahead."
"Here's what happened. I met Uncle Pei and Aunt Mu the day before yesterday. They handed me a bank card straightaway as a wedding gift, and then they kept asking, directly and indirectly, whether you and Mother had given me anything..." Xu Wang left the rest unsaid. After all, sometimes what people imagined was the most frightening thing of all.
Father Xu did not disappoint Xu Wang. Sure enough, he imagined a whole scene, right down to their disdainful, contemptuous looks. He even imagined them attending some gathering of friends and letting all this slip. That would be disastrous.
"How much did they give you? Our family may be small, but we can't let people look down on us." Father Xu's voice carried anger.
"Fifty million." Xu Wang gave the precise amount.
"H-how much?" At the amount, Father Xu instantly lost his bluster, his tongue tying itself in knots.
"Fifty million. Father, I know things aren't going very well for the family, so why don't we just forget it? After all, our Xu Family isn't some major family. If we lose face, so be it." Xu Wang sounded understanding and considerate.
Father Xu nearly burst into curses. What did he mean, the Xu Family wasn't some major family? The whole reason he had made Xu Wang marry Pei Yanchuan was to bring the entire Xu Family into that glamorous circle.
"We'll give it. Our Xu Family can afford it." As Father Xu said those words, he felt as though he had aged ten years.
"Really? Father, that's wonderful!" The corners of Xu Wang's mouth rose uncontrollably.
After hanging up, Father Xu gritted his teeth and instructed the company's finance department to transfer the money.
"Is this really worth it?" Mother Xu's heart ached in spasms at the thought of the fifty million that had only just arrived flying right back out again.
"Nothing ventured, nothing gained. We'll just spend less for the next few days. There'll be more in the future."
It had to be said that Father Xu really did care about appearances. Before long, Xu Wang received a bank notification confirming the deposit: exactly fifty million.
Just as Xu Wang was about to put his phone away, another notification suddenly popped up. Someone had tagged him.
Xu Wang tapped it open and laughed. Father Xu wasn't completely stupid. He had even used the Xu Family company's account to post a short essay congratulating him on his marriage. Of course, throughout it, the main emphasis was still on the fifty million given as a wedding gift.
The comments were full of amazement.
In a good mood, Xu Wang left a comment underneath: "Thank you, Father."
After replying, Xu Wang closed the app and stood up, stretching luxuriously. The fifty million is in my account. What should I do with it?
Thinking of the empty fridge at home, Xu Wang decided to make a big supermarket run. After all, the first episode of the variety show seemed to be filmed in everyone's own homes. All he had to do was take Zhong Ran's path and leave him nowhere to go.
Before you continue