In an instant, it was as if a sharp blade had been driven deep into Bai Beichen's flesh, causing him indescribable pain.
"What does this have to do with her? Mom, why do you all have so much hostility towards her?"
Mrs. Bai asked someone to put away the blue - and - white porcelain vase and looked at her youngest son with a complicated expression.
All along, Bai Beichen had been the most favored one. His elder brothers and sisters in the family already had their own careers, while he was still idle.
Even so, she had no demands on him. With the Bai family's financial resources, it would be no problem to support Bai Beichen for a lifetime. But the prerequisite was that he had to be obedient!
"If you want to marry Shen Youjin, your father and I will cancel all your cards, and the house you're living in will be taken back. Beichen, you choose for yourself!"
Just like before, Mrs. Bai threatened him with the family's financial control.
Bai Beichen clenched his fingers tightly. His gaze swept past Mrs. Bai and landed on Bai Guozhi, who had rushed out of the study upon hearing the commotion. There was a glimmer of hope in his eyes.
"Dad, do you think so too?"
Although Bai Guozhi was over fifty, he took good care of himself and looked only in his forties. He exuded an air of authority even without getting angry.
"Son, are you so sure that Shen Youjin loves you? If you weren't the young master of the Bai family, do you have the confidence that she would even give you a second look?"
As soon as his own father said this, Bai Beichen, who had been so enthusiastic just now, fell into deep silence.
Shen Youjin's first four boyfriends were all powerful people in the capital. If he had nothing, would she still be with him?
"Son, your mom is also doing this for your own good." Before he could answer, Bai Guozhi patted his youngest son on the shoulder. "You're not a kid anymore. If you don't want to start a career, you should at least have a family!"
Bai Beichen was stunned. "Dad, what do you mean?"
"What do I mean?" Mrs. Bai snorted in frustration. "Your dad means that you've been bewitched by that woman and forgotten the right path! If you were willing to help your elder brother in the company, your elder brother wouldn't be so busy running around all day long..."
Hearing this, Bai Guozhi glared at his wife, signaling her not to talk nonsense. Mrs. Bai was so angry that she didn't bother to care anymore and just turned around and went upstairs.
"I thought you were still young before and let you fool around for a few years, thinking that you would settle down after having enough fun. I didn't expect Shen Youjin to come along." Bai Guozhi said slowly. "Someone introduced a good blind - date partner to you these days. Go and meet her!"
Bai Beichen was shocked all over. "Dad, can't you really accept Shen Youjin?"
"Son, if you really care about Shen Youjin." Bai Guozhi didn't give a definite answer. "You'd better go to this blind date. Otherwise, with your mom's temper, she might make things difficult for Shen Youjin."
In an instant, Bai Beichen deflated like a punctured balloon. His mother had visited Shen Youjin once a long time ago, and she had almost broken up with him at that time.
If it happened again, there would really be no chance for him and Shen Youjin.
"Okay..." Bai Beichen closed his eyes and let out a breath. "I'll go on the blind date!"
Ten minutes later, Bai Beichen sat back in the car. There was already a WeChat friend on his phone with the remark "Chi Tingwan".
He never thought that this time when he came, instead of convincing his parents, he would be forced to go on a blind date. He hated his idleness in the past few years for the first time.
If he had his own career now, he wouldn't be controlled by his family!
"Hello, my name is Chi Tingwan. Are you free to have a meal together?"
The other side sent a message actively, seemingly eager for this date.
Bai Beichen frowned and numbly set the time and the restaurant on his phone. His heart felt like it was blocked by a stone, heavy and suffocating.
The next day, Shen Youjin arrived at the company early and enjoyed a rare quiet morning.
Perhaps because Yun Mianmian was no longer around, the atmosphere in the office was much more harmonious. She even heard some gossip.
"Do you know that Yun Mianmian was actually a member of a gold - digger training class?"
"Ah? Really? Then doesn't she have other sugar daddies?"
"I have a friend who is a journalist. He sneaked into the gold - digger training class and took pictures. Look, this is what Yun Mianmian used to look like."
"Damn, did General Manager Jiang know what she used to look like? She's entirely relying on plastic surgery! Was she like this before she met General Manager Jiang?"
"She really went all out to climb up. I heard she had dozens of surgeries to look like this. If General Manager Jiang knew, he would probably regret it!"
"Fortunately, they didn't get married. Otherwise, their children... tsk tsk..."
Shen Youjin listened quietly and then smiled.
Jiang Zeshen was a financial giant. The millions he spent were just a drop in the bucket of his balance. What he cared about was never money.
And he would never marry these women. Just like when he came to chat her up back then, it might not be that he really liked her!
But she didn't care either. The days when she was with Jiang Zeshen were the most relaxing days of her life.
He gave her enough freedom and happiness, and his consideration was just right, just enough to help her get out of the shadow of being controlled by Fu Qingye.
He had no demands on her. If it hadn't been for that time when he wanted to sleep with her, they wouldn't have ended up breaking up.
At noon, Jiang Zeshen sent a message, saying that he was very busy today and couldn't accompany her. He asked her not to mind.
By the way, he also transferred 10,000 yuan to her and told her to go to a nearby restaurant for lunch.
Shen Youjin didn't know what kind of lunch would cost 10,000 yuan. She directly clicked to return the money.
"Rather than lunch, I'd like you to think more about the investment."
Rather than a man's favor, she wanted to have her own career.
Jiang Zeshen didn't reply, but Shen Youjin knew he must have seen it.
She sat at her workstation, looking through the contact list, and began to think about the candidates for a business partner. Unfortunately, in these years, she didn't have a single reliable female friend.
Except... Her finger stopped on a name called "Ling Qiuqiu", and her mind was filled with memories of her college days.
At that time, her mother had already passed away. She worked part - time to support herself and lived on campus. Ling Qiuqiu was her roommate, a very sunny girl.
After Shen Tianzhen sent someone to spread the news in the school that her mother was a mistress and a murderer, as the school belle, she was isolated. Even when some men came to chat her up, their looks had nothing to do with love.
Only Ling Qiuqiu stood in front of her when others harassed her and even fought back when other women attacked her.
Ling Qiuqiu said to her, "Youzi, I believe in you. Even if aunt was really like that, it has nothing to do with you. You're really a good girl!"
Only Ling Qiuqiu would call her Youzi. Ling Qiuqiu said she was the best girl in the world.
She still remembered that it snowed heavily that day. It was the first time she hugged someone other than her mother and cried silently.
But later, her half - brother Shen Qilin set his eyes on Ling Qiuqiu. She would never forget that look, sticky and disgusting.
In order to prevent Ling Qiuqiu from being implicated, she decisively cut off contact with Ling Qiuqiu.
At that time, Ling Qiuqiu looked for her many times and asked her why she ignored her, but she pretended not to see.
Later, Ling Qiuqiu went abroad as an exchange student, and they never saw each other again...