Chapter 21: Marry a Wife Who Can Support the Family

"Xiaoxian, have you asked Chu Yourong out yet?"

Seeing Zhang Xian step out of the room, Zhang Pandi, who had been waiting for a long time, immediately asked.

"Uh, she's busy with work today."

After returning to his room last night, Zhang Xian had been playing games and hadn't contacted Chu Yourong at all; luckily, when Zhang Pandi had told him to ask Chu Yourong out yesterday, he'd already prepared his excuse in advance.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Pandi was momentarily disappointed, but she could understand—after all, she was a big star, and a busy schedule was normal.

"Where are Lao Zhang and Zhaodi?" This chapter is originally published on Tiantian Kan Xiao Shuo, Zangshu Guang, ttks. tw, offering you error-free, non-disordered reading.

Zhang Xian pulled out a chair and sat beside the dining table; seeing neither his father nor his third sister Zhang Zhaodi, he asked.

"Dad took Zhaodi out, saying they're going shopping."

When Zhang Dongshan left, he'd also asked Zhang Pandi if she wanted to come along, but she thought she might meet Chu Yourong today, so she didn't go with Dad and Zhang Zhaodi.

Zhang Xian understood his fifth sister Zhang Pandi well—studying medicine was dull and tedious, and during her graduate years she spent most of her time assisting her supervisor at the hospital; she was usually busy and rarely had time off. If not for Chu Yourong, she'd probably have gone out with Dad by now.

Aah~

Zhang Xian sighed silently, then sent Chu Yourong a WeChat message: Want to go fishing?

Zhang Xian would rather die than accompany two women shopping, but taking them fishing was something he could accept.

This way, he wouldn't break the Air Force Curse, and he'd also help his fifth sister Zhang Pandi fulfill her dream—two birds with one stone.

After sending the WeChat message, Zhang Xian happily ate breakfast; since his father's income had skyrocketed, the family's breakfast quality had soared too—he could now enjoy authentic mutton broth or slow-simmered beef every morning.

At the same time.

Chu Yourong had just finished a phone call with her agent lawyer, Jiang Hong.

Yesterday, Jiang Hong had already held negotiations with the legal team of Chu Yourong's entertainment company, but the outcome was bleak—the other side was firm and refused to budge.

Chu Yourong and her agent lawyer Jiang Hong had both anticipated this result; from the entertainment company's perspective, they wouldn't surrender right away.

Negotiations are essentially a process of haggling; at the start, both sides always set their prices extremely high, then gradually compromise.

But how far they ultimately reach depends on the leverage each side holds.

Jiang Hong's suggestion was for Chu Yourong to immediately get married and present the marriage certificate to the company's legal team—that was the most direct and effective method.

If she didn't want to get married, she could at least take a set of wedding photos and throw a betrothal banquet, making the company believe she was truly planning to marry.

Of course, she could also do nothing at all and just stall for a while.

But stalling clearly benefited Chu Yourong little; right now, the entertainment industry was fiercely competitive, with new talents emerging one after another.

As long as she didn't terminate her contract, she couldn't take on new work; the exposure from her relationship was temporary—stars ultimately relied on their works to speak for themselves.

After ending the call with Jiang Hong, Chu Yourong happened to see Zhang Xian's WeChat message.

Fishing? Again?

Who goes fishing every single date?

Chu Yourong pouted, silently ranting in her mind.

But right now, she still needed Zhang Xian's cooperation; she could use the fishing trip to bring up the wedding photos.

Chu Yourong's plan was to take a set of wedding photos and post them online to see how the company reacted.

So she immediately replied to Zhang Xian's WeChat: Okay, I'll come to your place!

The Zhang Family.

After finishing a large bowl of offal soup, Zhang Xian rubbed his belly; living a lazy life was comfortable, but if he kept eating like this every day, his abs would vanish farther and farther away—he might even turn into a fat guy.

Hmm, I need to control my diet.

I can't be too indulgent.

As Zhang Xian thought this, his phone suddenly rang—it was Chu Yourong's reply to his WeChat.

I thought she was still mad and wouldn't agree.

Seems like a no-nonsense girl.

Zhang Xian gave positive feedback on Chu Yourong's "forgiving" attitude.

"Xiaoxian, how's your job search going?"

"I heard from your eldest sister that your brother-in-law finally managed to secure you an interview for a university librarian position, and you messed it up during the interview."

"You're not a child anymore—you can't stay cooped up at home forever. You need a real job."

Seeing Zhang Xian finish eating, his fifth sister Zhang Pandi began giving him a political ideology lecture.

"I'm not cooped up at home every day."

"I go out every day, and it's for legitimate reasons," Zhang Xian retorted.

"You call fishing a legitimate reason?"

Zhang Pandi rolled her eyes.

"Fishing is definitely a legitimate reason—do you know how I met Chu Yourong?"

"Did you meet her while fishing?"

"Bingo!"

Zhang Xian snapped his fingers: "If I hadn't gone fishing every day, rain or shine, I never would've met Chu Yourong."

"But you can't spend every day just fishing and dating—you're a man. A man needs his own career. Otherwise, how will you ever marry and support a family?"

Zhang Pandi spoke with solemn seriousness, trying to steer her "good-for-nothing brother" back onto the right path.

But after hearing her words, Zhang Xian laughed: "Just marry a wife who can support the family."

Uh...

Zhang Pandi froze, momentarily speechless.

"You mean you want to live off your wife's money, become a son-in-law who moves in?"

"Xiaoxian, you're the only boy in our Zhang Family generation. Since childhood, our parents had high hopes for you—how could you think like this?!"

Zhang Pandi slapped the table in exasperation: "Xiaoxian, your thinking is too dangerous—you must be corrected!"

"Who said I'm going to be a son-in-law who moves in with his wife's family!"

Zhang Xian waved his hand, then declared with boldness: "Haven't you heard the phrase 'eat soft rice with hard guts'?"

"Eat soft rice with hard guts?"

Zhang Pandi frowned and retorted: "What 'eat soft rice with hard guts'? That's just thick-skinned and shameless!"

"Face is useless anyway!"

Zhang Xian shrugged: "When you have no money, your face is worthless—no one respects you. But when you have money, you don't need to care about anyone's gaze."

"So-called face is just a shackle you put on yourself!"

"Look at all those so-called successful people—none of them care about face!"

Zhang Xian spoke with conviction, and after hearing his "heretical nonsense," Zhang Pandi fell silent. She pondered his words carefully—and found they actually held some truth.

"By the way, I'm going fishing soon—want to come?"

Zhang Xian stepped out of the house to organize his fishing gear.

"I'm not going!"

"What girl goes fishing?"

Zhang Pandi sneered.

But no sooner had she spoken than Zhang Xian added: "Chu Yourong is going too."