“Hold on,” Chen Long was interrupted by Ren Yuanying.
“Stop right there. I know you’re eager to start your happy family, but Chenchen is in the final stretch of her senior year. As a stepfather, Chen Long, I think you should also consider the child’s feelings.
The girl is understanding and hasn’t objected to her mother starting a new family. But you can’t just push your luck, proposing and then wanting to get married right away?
Do you think life is that easy?
I think Hu Min’s idea yesterday was great. A wedding first, then the marriage certificate is also good.”
Liu Chen understood that men generally don’t cherish women who are too easily obtained. Besides, her godmother seemed to know Chen Long well, and it was always best to follow her advice!
With that in mind, Liu Chen nodded at her mother’s gaze.
Liu Fang then said,
“Then let’s have a simple wedding. In that case, I’ll need to understand more about your family and your ex-wife.”
During Chinese New Year, Liu Fang had noticed Ren Yuanying’s attitude towards Chen Long was a bit strange, not like that of strangers meeting for the first time.
You see, Ren Yuanying was usually reserved with strangers and conducted herself with great propriety, never giving the impression of bullying anyone.
But the first time she saw Chen Long, she would intentionally or unintentionally retort to him.
Therefore, they definitely weren’t meeting for the first time. She hadn't inquired about it for the past few months simply because she thought they were just dating, and there was no need to pry into such matters.
However, if they were preparing to get married, it was a different story.
Chen Long scratched his head upon hearing Liu Fang’s words and glanced at Ren Yuanying beside him.
Ren Yuanying rolled her eyes.
“What are you looking at me for? You two deal with your own issues. I’ll take Chenchen back to Phoenix City.”
…
In his godmother’s car, Liu Chen sent the problems he had solved last night to his homeroom teacher, Lai Jing, with a note that it was a mock exam paper found by Ren Yu.
The college entrance examination countdown entered its final sprint. Over the past six months, his classmates in Class 6 of Senior Three had taught Liu Chen that friendship among classmates requires no reason.
Simply because we are classmates, we must protect you.
After completing the comprehensive science paper last night, Liu Chen also discovered that the mock exam paper compiled by Ren Yu included almost 70% of the question types from the comprehensive science paper of 2009, as he remembered from his past life.
If he hadn’t been exposed to it for so long, Liu Chen would have suspected he had a reborn companion if he saw this paper for the first time!
With such a comprehensive science paper, let alone anything else, as long as they listened carefully to the explanations, failing to score 240 on the comprehensive science section of the college entrance examination would be a disgrace!
As for the remaining sixty points, Liu Chen didn’t plan to make a big fuss about it. He summoned Ren Mo, Mi Zhuzhu, and Lai Jielun to his study for tutoring.
The three who were summoned to Liu Chen's house thought they were coming over to relax. Ren Mo even brought the Monopoly game they used to play.
However, all their expectations were shattered when they saw the test papers Liu Chen handed them.
Although Ren Mo took the paper, his upper body instinctively leaned back. His entire face contorted like an old man’s, and he asked with a glimmer of hope,
“Sister Chen, what is this? A paper you want us to do? Can we touch it?”
Mi Zhuzhu didn’t reject the paper in her hand as much as Ren Mo did. She vaguely felt that Sister Chen intended to tutor her so she could get into China Communication University, a dream she had never dared to dream.
But…
Could it work?
With only a month left…
Lai Jielun, holding the paper, guessed Liu Chen’s good intentions. He thought, just do it. Although he was now following the art student route, getting a high score could shut up those people who assume art students are just bad at academics and can’t get into university.
Since the study desk wasn't large enough for four people to write on, they finally moved their “battlefield” to the dining table.
The eight-person dining table was also sufficient space for four people to write papers and do scratch work.
One comprehensive science paper, set the alarm for two and a half hours.
After finishing, Liu Chen had the three of them look at their respective papers and began explaining each question.
The explanation continued until past seven in the evening. The orange glow of the summer twilight shone in from outside the window into the living room and onto the dining table, transforming the originally milky white dining table into a warm yellow.
“Clatter.”
The security door suddenly opened. Liu Chen looked up and saw Liu Fang walking in from outside, her face etched with some worry.
What was wrong?
She hadn't come to an agreement with Chen Long? Impossible. The prenuptial agreement Chen Long signed today was practically written in black and white stating that he wouldn’t touch a cent of Liu Fang’s earnings after marriage, and he’d be struck by lightning if he did.
Seeing Liu Fang’s expression, Lai Jielun proactively said,
“My mom called me home for dinner. Can we stop here for today? Sister Chen?”
Mi Zhuzhu was about to say something but was given a look by Lai Jielun. She turned to look at Aunt Liu.
“Then Chenchen, we’re leaving~~~”
Liu Chen nodded, collected everyone’s papers from the table, and then said to Ren Mo,
“Yes, tomorrow morning at nine, be here on time.”
After all, Mi Zhuzhu lived right downstairs. If she was late, she could just go down and knock on her door. With Mi Zhuzhu there, Lai Jielun was basically guaranteed not to be late.
Only Ren Mo, this guy, needed a stern reminder.
“Got it, got it, bye~~~”
Ren Mo ran off as if flying, waving goodbye without looking back.
After all three had left, the spacious living room suddenly fell silent.
Liu Fang went to her room to change into pajamas and came out. She must have washed her face, as it was still wet.
Seeing that everyone in the living room had left, she seemed a bit surprised.
“I was going to ask them to stay for dinner and order some KFC for you all?”
After putting the papers back in the study, her mother was already sitting on the sofa, watching the local channel’s audition program for "Super Girl."
Seeing Liu Chen come out, she smiled and remarked,
“I watched it with your aunt for a while and got hooked.”
Liu Chen then sat down next to his mother, squeezing hand cream onto his hands while pretending to ask casually,
“What’s wrong? Is Uncle Chen’s family very troublesome?”
Liu Fang, who was watching the talent show, shook her head.
“It’s not troublesome. Uncle Chen’s father is also over sixty, almost seventy. He’s a small owner of a private business. It’s just that Uncle Chen’s ex-wife is the daughter of his father’s old comrade-in-arms. They were betrothed in the womb.
They were supposed to get married when they grew up. After only a few years together, Uncle Chen proposed divorce. Since he initiated it, his father has felt guilty towards his old comrade-in-arms all these years and hasn’t been willing to see Uncle Chen.”
The chairman of Meili brand sausages is a small private business owner?
Liu Chen paused his hand-rubbing motion and continued to knead his hands, asking,
“Then what do we do? Will you two’s second marriage also involve a lot of wrangling with the man’s elders, like your aunt?”
“That’s not the issue,” Liu Fang said, putting down the remote control on the table and sighing leisurely. “Uncle Chen’s ex-wife has returned from Australia with a six-year-old mixed-race girl.”
Liu Chen didn’t quite understand. What was wrong with a mixed-race girl? Did Chen Long’s ex-wife get so deeply hurt by Chen Long that she found a foreign husband?
“But Uncle Chen divorced his ex-wife only five years ago.”
!!!
Wait!
Divorced five years ago, and the ex-wife returned with a six-year-old mixed-race child?
Liu Chen hesitated for a moment and slowly asked,
“Could it be that her ex-wife’s current husband had a child with his previous ex-wife?”
Liu Fang pursed her lips and shook her head silently.
“Originally, Uncle Chen Long didn’t intend to tell his father, but now, in order for his father to attend the wedding, he not only has to tell him this news but also have Uncle Chen Long’s father see it with his own eyes.”
“This… can he handle it?”
“Alas, whether he can handle it or not, it has to be said… Otherwise, even if the wedding is held, if his family doesn’t accept it, then married life will be stifling.”
Liu Chen suddenly remembered that Chen Long’s time as the chairman of Meili brand sausages was around these two years in his past life.
Could it be…
He didn’t tell the old man, and the old man saw it himself, so he died of anger?
It shouldn’t be that coincidental, right?
“Then when will Uncle Chen Long go to tell him?”
Liu Fang turned her head to look at Liu Chen.
“Now.”
…
Chen Long hadn’t returned to the old mansion for five years. Ever since the divorce, the old man had forbidden him from setting foot in the old mansion again.
The old man said so, and he complied. Neither of them was willing to back down, and so five years passed.
Now…
Thinking about holding a wedding, Chen Long couldn’t care about the pride of who backed down first.
The Chen family old mansion was a self-built house on a residential plot located outside the Third Ring Road on the west side of C City. Because the old man had done business in Russia when he was young, the self-built house was also built like a Russian castle, ostentatious.
He parked his car and entered through the main gate. He intended to go directly to the study on the third floor to find the old man, but he saw the old man sitting in the living room on the first floor watching a singing talent show on the local television station.
Chen Long leaned against a pillar at the entrance of the living room and whistled, laughing,
“Old man, not bad. At your age, you’re quite fashionable, watching the same shows as young people?”
The sudden voice almost made Old Man Chen drop the remote control. When he tightened his grip on the remote and turned to see that it was Chen Long, a smile involuntarily appeared on his face.
Then, remembering something, he quickly suppressed the smile.
“What are you back for! I told you! You scoundrel, unless you remarry Xue’er, you are not allowed to step into my Chen family’s old mansion again!”
Chen Long heard this and still grinned playfully, walking over and sitting on the single sofa next to Old Man Chen.
“Isn’t your Xue’er back in the country with your six-year-old mixed-race grandson?”