Chapter 453: I’ll Marry!
“Even if that’s true, I’m sure Qianqian and Mu’an could handle it easily.”
“Where do you get that confidence?” Sheng Xiao shook his head, at a loss for words.
“Can’t you see how sure Lin Mu’an is about Qianqian? And as long as he is beside her, she won’t lose her strength.”
“Put away your silly sweet thoughts and help them more instead.” Sheng Xiao gave her a light smack on the head.
“Such as?”
“No one could help Lu Qianqian if she can’t prove herself, so she and her mother would have to concede. Still, we could improve her leverage at the negotiation table—since you are the niece of Mayor Shen and the wife of Zhongteng’s CEO, not many would to cross you. I’ll back you up whether you make a measured response or stir trouble.”
“You want me to do bad stuff again, am I right?” Mu Qiqi could not help rolling her eyes—the man was always inciting others to be up to their worst.
“So? Are you doing it?”
“Of course I would.”
As soon as Mu Qiqi spoke, Sheng Xiao picked her up and carried her into their bedroom.
“What are you doing?” Mu Qiqi gasped.
“You did say that you would!”
Mu Qiqi was speechless.
***
It has been days since Third Brother was locked in his room in his dark, unlit room, and did not take one step out of it.
He did not care much about anything now.
All he wanted to know was who he would be married off too.
Weirdly, however, Old Sheng let him out tonight, and allowed him to come to the dinner table.
Third Brother did not ask why. He only knew that he was very hungry and wanted to get full as soon as possible now, and did not need to know who their guests today were.
Sheng Kai was looking worriedly at him, but Third Brother simply a.s.sumed that it was him and the family feeling sympathy for him.
He was not aware at all that his future father-in-law had come to visit a prospective son-in-law.
It was only after dinner and Chief Hu left that Sheng Kai told him the truth. “Do you remember the faces you met at dinner?”
“I didn’t. What do they have to with me?”
“The man wearing gold-rimmed gla.s.ses is a property magnate. His daughter is twenty-four this year.”
“I get the idea, but why did he not bring his daughter too long? Is she too ugly or something?” Third Brother understood immediately that it was about his marriage.
“Her mind broke in an accident two years ago. She has the intelligence of an eleven-year-old now.”
Third Brother was speechless, and unable to decide if he should laugh or cry at that.
“I see. So I don’t even deserve a normal woman.”
“Third Brother…”
Sheng Kai was looking at Third Brother in concern but did not know what he should say. Even though their grandfather had gone too far this time, who in the Sheng family would dare to raise their voice?”
“I’ll marry! Shouldn’t I be counting my blessings as long as I’m not dismembered?” Third Brother laughed albeit in tears.
Even though Sheng Kai could not bear with it either, he advised Third Brother, “You could still look for any girl you like even after you marry. The old man would not care as long as you’re not getting a divorce.”
“No. I would fulfill my responsibility as a husband since I’m getting married. Doesn’t matter if she’s blind or deaf—I would care for her until the end as long as she is my wife.”
With those words, Third Brother returned to his room.
To think that the price of a full belly was that expensive.
***
Meanwhile, over at the Hu family, Chief Hu proved very pleased about Third Brother, and kept praising how good-looking and how talented he appeared to his current wife and daughter.
“Xiao Ran definitely would not be given grief if she marries him, right, Xiao Ran?”
Hu Ran was sitting on the floor and playing with her princess doll—she really only had the intelligence of a grade schooler even though she was already twenty-four, and simply did not understand what her father and stepmother was saying.
“Ah, she could only flash that silly smile.”
“I just hope that Third Young Master would not bully her, or I would not be able to face her mother’s departed spirit.”
“Oh, you’re worrying too much. Look at the young lady of the Gu family who married there—she is living the perfect life now.” Hu Ran’s stepmother a.s.sured her husband.
‘The problem is that my daughter is mindless.’
Papa Hu said nothing else, but it was obvious he was pleased with the arrangement.
But even though Hu Ran’s stepmother thought that the arranged marriage was made in Hu Ran’s favor, but with how the Sheng family frequently devoured people whole, how could Hu Ran ever be happy marrying there?
Late at night, Hu Ran was brought back to her room by her attendants and coaxed to sleep.
After the attendants left, Hu Ran opened her eyes again, but her gaze was not as naïve or innocent as the one she showed in the living room.
She promptly got up and walked up to her computer, swiftly digging information about Third Brother. She decided from the photos that her soon-to-be husband was satisfactory.
If Third Brother would bully her, she would keep acting crazy so that he would have no dignity for the rest of his life.
But if Third Brother proved to be a good person, she would tell him that she was not really crazy, and was only forced to pretend for self-preservation.
After all, the car accident two years ago was of her stepmother’s design.
She might not be alive if she did not put up the mindless act.
As a matter of fact, how was her situation any different from Third Brother? Though everyone else might find this arrangement ridiculous, but what if it eventually prove to be a match made in heaven?
And now, what was left for the two families was for them to make the announcement.
***
After the date of Papa Lu’s cremation was decided, the other members of the Lu family actually came to discuss with Mama Mu about the next arrangements for Xu Holdings.
Unwilling to let Lu Qianqian get involved with an adult discussion, Mama LU had her go upstairs with Lin Mu’an to rest.
Papa Lu did not leave a will, which also meant that Mama Lu was the biggest shareholder at Xu Holdings. Under the impression that she knows nothing about management, the other family members suggested choosing a delegate to pick an acting chairman.
Mama Lu listened to it all on the sofa, before finally saying mildly, “My husband, your brother is still in his coffin and not cremated. I don’t have the mood to speak of such things even before his body is cold—there’s no rush to take power, Lu Holdings is always here and would never leave.”
“Eldest sister-in-law, we are in a hurry to keep Lu Holdings running. Eldest Brother’s matter needs seeing to, but the company needs to stand too. Since you’re still in pain, and Qianqian is too young to understand, we hope that someone would help you shoulder the burden of family.”
“What do you mean, help? You are clearly here to force my mother. All of you are less than animals—wanting your cut right after my father pa.s.sed away.”
Lin Mu’an held Lu Qianqian back, persuading her, “They are not in this all for personal benefit. They want to protect you and your mother too.”
“Bleh! I’m just fine. Whose protection do I need?”
“How about mine?” Lin Mu’an asked in return.