The banquet concluded, and the remaining guests were entertained by Wang Dong's groomsmen, heading to a nearby teahouse for tea and card games.
Liu Fang accompanied Hu Min in one of the private rooms, just in case Luo Meihong caused any more trouble.
Wang family's elderly matriarch, seated at the mahjong table in the room, saw Hu Min sitting on the rattan sofa and was about to say something when her eldest sister shot her a glare, causing her to fall silent.
*Old, old, it's time to let go. If I don't, as Eldest Sister said, my eldest grandson will resent me.*
Liu Chen and his mother noticed the Wang family matriarch's reaction and were somewhat curious. What had happened? Why did it seem like their in-laws' matriarch had suddenly compromised?
However, since the elderly lady was right there, Liu Fang didn't press for details.
While Liu Fang let the matter drop, Liu Chen's maternal grandmother, Yang Shu, was not about to give up on questioning Liu Fang about the proposal.
Liu Chen's grandmother sat next to Liu Fang, took one of her hands, and asked, "What does this child who proposed to you do?"
"He's a sales general manager at a food factory."
Hearing "sales general manager," Liu Chen's grandmother frowned slightly. After all, her second daughter had been charmed away by Hu Xingfa's sweet talk. Now, nearing forty, she was dating a salesman again. Could she be infatuated by sweet talk once more?
With this thought, Liu Chen's grandmother turned to look at Chen Chen sitting beside her.
This child was smart. Her second daughter, being directly involved, couldn't see things clearly. It was better to ask Chen Chen.
"Chen Chen, what do you think of your mother's boyfriend?"
Liu Chen thought for a moment and then sincerely shared her feelings:
"He's very good. After my mom got together with Uncle Chen, she's been smiling a lot more, and the house is much livelier. When I go to college in the future, there will still be some warmth at home. Besides Uncle Chen, I don't think anyone else is more suitable for my mom."
Liu Fang hadn't expected her daughter to have such a high opinion of Chen Long, thinking he was the most suitable for her.
Chen Long, who had been eavesdropping outside the room by the door, couldn't help but nod. *Good child! See! Smart children are different!*
With Liu Chen's endorsement, her grandmother and eldest aunt finally stopped dwelling on the choice of partner and turned to ask:
"Then, second sister, when are you planning to get married?"
"Huh?" This time, Liu Fang was flustered. "I don't have any plans to get married for now. I..."
As soon as she spoke, someone knocked on the room door. The women chatting on the rattan chairs instinctively looked up.
Chen Long was seen pressing the doorknob and opening it a crack, smiling and waving to Liu Fang, who had stopped mid-sentence:
"Sister Liu, could you come out for a moment? Something's happening outside."
Hearing that something was amiss, Liu Fang assumed it was Hu family's mother and son. She immediately stood up from the rattan chair with a serious expression and walked out. Liu Chen, worried about her mother being taken advantage of, followed her out a while later.
After searching for a while, she finally found her mother on the rooftop, looking at the ring in her hand with a shocked expression, then yelling at Chen Long:
"Are you crazy! Spending a hundred thousand yuan on a ring!"
Chen Long shook his head:
"I'm not crazy. In my heart, you are always worth the best. When we get married, I'll work hard to buy you bigger diamonds, jewels, and bags!"
Perhaps it was Chen Long's overly sincere expression when he said this that made even her mother unable to say much more. She merely glanced to the side, pursed her lips, and said:
"Chen Long, I, I never thought we'd get married this quickly, do you understand? My previous marriage was too damaging. It took me a long time to recover, and I don't have the confidence right now to maintain a good marriage."
Hearing this, Chen Long felt a little disappointed, but he didn't get angry, blame her, or question her. Instead, he held Liu Fang's hands tightly and said sincerely:
"It's okay, I can wait. I can also sign a prenuptial agreement for you. Tell me your concerns, and I'll sign them all."
In this world, a sincere heart is often irresistible, and Liu Fang was no exception. After a long hesitation, she could only say:
"I need to discuss it with Chen Chen."
Then, she pulled away from Chen Long's hand and walked towards the fire escape door on the rooftop. Liu Chen, seeing this, quickly left.
...
Around eight in the evening, after relatives and friends had left, Liu Fang drove the three generations of women in the Liu family home. Liu Chen's uncle and cousin left in Mi Zhuzhu's car.
Living together had its conveniences.
In the car, Liu Chen's grandmother continued the topic from the afternoon that Chen Long had interrupted.
"You can remarry, but you must make sure the shop and the house are properly divided for Chen Chen. Whether you transfer the deeds or do something else, it's not that I think Chen Long is bad, but precisely because I think this child is good, that I want you to sort out the financial matters from the start.
Otherwise, if the money is always there, who knows if one day you'll suddenly lose your mind and make the wrong decision?"
Liu Fang's hands on the steering wheel tightened. She only replied when the traffic light turned red:
"I'm thinking the same way. If we really get married, I'll change the business license to Chen Chen's name, and all three houses will be in Chen Chen's name. In the future, I'll take 50% of the profit from the store each month, considering it as managing it for Chen Chen."
Hearing this, Liu Chen, sitting in the back seat, quickly waved her hands.
"No, no, Mom. Just change the old house into my name. You can change the business license if you want. The money you earn is still yours. Besides, you're my mom. Are you going to stop spending money on me after you get married?"
"Of course not!"
"Then it's settled. This way, even if Uncle Chen has some issues with his thinking after marriage, he'll only be able to get half of your apartment in Phoenix City at most. He won't get anything else. The wholesale store's business license is mine, so he can't get it either."
Liu Fang listened to her obedient daughter's words and felt they were increasingly feasible.
She didn't notice that initially, she didn't want to get married and preferred to just keep dating.
When they arrived home and lay in bed, Liu Fang held her hand up to her eyes, looking at the diamond ring on it.
She thought of the past few months, of the bits and pieces of time spent with Chen Long.
She turned over and dialed Chen Long's number.
...
Liu Chen, who had slept very little, only remembered when she was soaking in her bathtub.
"Ah... I forgot to video call yesterday. It should be fine, right? Today is May Day! Who would stay up late studying the night before May Day?"
Although she said this, Liu Chen still got out of the bathtub, dried herself with the pink towel her mother had bought, put on her pajamas, and went to the study.
As soon as May began, the nights became a bit muggy. She turned on the fan facing the desk at the lowest setting. The slight breeze made it feel a bit cooler.
She opened her computer and, as if by habit, clicked on the QQ video request.
Soon, Ren Yu's familiar face appeared on the computer screen.
"In this provincial joint exam, I got first place."
For some reason, the first thing Liu Chen wanted to do when she saw Ren Yu's face was to tell him this news, hoping he would feel that his student had not let him down with his daily teachings.
"Impressive."
A flicker of a smile crossed Ren Yu's fox-like eyes behind his silver-rimmed glasses, then he returned to his usual demeanor.
"With this score, Tsinghua and Peking University will be fighting over you when you take the college entrance exam. You can negotiate with them."
Hearing Ren Yu's words, Liu Chen couldn't help but smile happily, while also complaining:
"This is just a joint exam, not the actual college entrance exam scores. What if I get nervous during the actual exam and don't perform well?"
"Will you?"
Liu Chen thought about it and wasn't entirely sure.
"Although I have confidence in myself, the college entrance exam is a major life event. I will still be nervous."
"Even if you're not the top scorer, you can still get into Tsinghua."
"But I want Tsinghua to come looking for me to study there, not for me to look for Tsinghua."
As she said this, both of them on either side of the screen laughed.
"I've simulated some comprehensive science problems here. I'll fax them to you. Do them, and ask me directly if you have any questions."
"Okay!"
...
Liu Fang revealed her entire plan to Chen Long and waited for his reply.
Chen Long's voice came from the other end of the phone:
"Sister Liu, I'm very happy. You have the awareness to protect yourself. We can find a law firm to draft the conditions you proposed into a prenuptial agreement and get it notarized before getting the marriage certificate."
Hearing Chen Long's voice on the phone, who seemed completely unbothered, Liu Fang felt even more uneasy.
In fact, even though she kept saying she trusted Chen Long and believed he wasn't after her money, deep down, she wasn't confident. She also felt that Chen Long might, to some extent, be interested because she was capable of earning money.
"Aren't you angry?"
"Why should I be angry? Sister Liu, I told you, since I proposed, I've considered the rest of my life.
I, Chen Long, swear to heaven, even if we get married, the money you earn will always be yours, and the money I earn will always be joint marital property.
Tomorrow, you can ask Sister Yuan Ying to accompany you to Fangda Law Firm. I'll take you to write a prenuptial agreement."
"Tomorrow?"
"Yes, tomorrow!"
Early on the morning of May 2nd, Liu Fang, Chen Chen, and Sister Yuan Ying met at the entrance of the law firm.
Ren Yuanying wore a black suit today, making her look very sharp.
"Let's go in. Fangda Law Firm is an acquaintance of mine. The divorce agreement with Ren Yu's father was handled by them."
Liu Chen: "..."
This is considered an acquaintance?
Led by Ren Yuanying, the three women took the elevator directly to the partner's office at Fangda Law Firm.
As soon as they entered, they saw Chen Long with a happy expression.
"Sister Yuan Ying! Thank you for your trouble!"
Ren Yuanying saw the smile on Chen Long's face and couldn't help but roll her eyes.
"I'm here to check if there are any hidden traps in the prenuptial agreement for my sister Fang. What are you smiling so broadly about? Showing off your white teeth?"
Chen Long didn't get angry, still smiling cheerfully:
"I'm happy. By signing the prenuptial agreement, Sister Liu has essentially accepted my proposal, hasn't she?"
Lawyer Fang explained the prenuptial agreement to Liu Fang, then organized their requests and added them to the prenuptial agreement.
After having Ren Yuanying notarize it, they each received one copy, had the couple sign it, and then locked one copy in the safe.
After signing his name, Chen Long asked with a smile:
"Sister Liu, shall we pick a good day to get the marriage certificate!"