Chapter 191: 1990s: A Family by the Spring Chapter 191: Domineeringly Protecting His Wife, Slapping Faces at the Mansion

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Protagonist:

Lin Xiyu

"You haven't returned in five years; Xiyu surely has a knot in her heart and won't let go so easily..."

Wu Meng, for the sake of fifty thousand yuan, gave him a little face and didn't provoke him further: "Fine, I'll handle this. I'll definitely max out your favorability, make her change her mind, and give you another chance."

"Thanks."

Guben pressed his palms together, striking a grateful pose.

"You really don't need a female secretary?"

Wu Meng found it amusing and felt like teasing him again.

"Hurry up and go."

Guben waved him away: "It's almost dark, Xiyu is home alone, and no one is cooking for her."

"Fine, I'm leaving, going to take care of your sweetheart now."

Wu Meng stood up from the chair, and before leaving, waved the envelope in front of his eyes: "I won't be polite then, I'll take it..."

"Take your time, no need to see me out."

Guben made a gesture of seeing a guest out.

"Bye-bye, contact me if anything comes up."

Wu Meng stuffed the envelope into her small shoulder bag, humming a little tune, and left the cafe happily.

Guben watched her departing figure thoughtfully, took out his mobile phone from his pocket, and dialed a phone number.

"Old Iron, you finally remembered me."

The call connected, and Qu Peng's excited voice came from the earpiece: "Is this an overseas call? Or did you return from the United States?"

"I'm back, just arrived yesterday."

Guben heard the familiar loud voice, and the corners of his mouth curved slightly upward.

"You're there, where are you?"

Qu Peng spoke incoherently in excitement: "BJ? I'll come find you."

"Shanghai."

Guben poured a basin of cold water on him.

"......."

Qu Peng was obviously very disappointed, and there was no response for a long while.

"What about Li Liang?"

Guben didn't give him a chance to complain, and asked again: "Is he still in the Three Armed Forces Honor Guard? Have you been in touch recently?"

"Yes."

Qu Peng's excited voice came again: "This kid is on duty at Tiananmen Square; you can see him every morning at the flag-raising."

"He can be considered to have realized his ideal."

Guben sincerely rejoiced for his brother: "If I get the chance, I'll also go to Tiananmen to watch their flag-raising."

"Come."

Qu Peng strongly urged: "You're back, what are you waiting for? It's just a plane ticket; for you, an internationally renowned lawyer, it's nothing."

"Heh, you're quite well-informed..."

Guben laughed and teased: "You even know I'm a lawyer."

Qu Peng said frankly: "Your Sixth Grandfather said so."

"Is Sixth Grandfather doing well?"

Guben's eyes dimmed slightly; thinking of five years ago when he knelt and begged Sixth Grandfather to plead for his mother, and the disappointment revealed in the old man's eyes, his mood was extremely complex.

"The old man has already retired; his health is okay, nothing major, but around the time your Grandfather passed away, his mood was heavy, he fell ill with an urgent sickness, and recuperated for a while..."

Qu Peng knew the inside story and tentatively advised: "Actually, your Sixth Grandfather has always cared about you, often asking about your news. Knowing you became a lawyer in the United States and won several lawsuits, he was very happy for you."

"Thank you."

Guben sighed faintly: "These years, you've been taking care of Sixth Grandfather for me."

"What thanks..."

Qu Peng spoke with resentment: "What's our relationship? We grew up together as iron brothers; do you need to be polite with me? If you say that again, I won't be willing; it's too distant."

Guben smiled with relief: "Hearing you say everyone is doing well, I'm relieved."

"When are you coming to BJ?"

Qu Peng couldn't wait, eager to see him.

"Not these two days; just got back, there are still some matters at the law firm that need handling."

Guben casually made an excuse: "Tell Sixth Grandfather for me, just say I'm back, and I'll stay in the country to develop from now on, not returning to the United States."

"Okay."

Qu Peng agreed, then hinted indirectly at urging him: "Just letting me pass a message shows no sincerity at all; it's better if you come in person."

"I know..."

Guben had his own plans: "Give me some time; let me handle the matters in Shanghai first. At most half a month, I will definitely go to BJ to visit the Old Man."

"Alright."

Qu Peng, having received a definite answer, was very happy: "We've agreed; no going back on it. We'll wait for you in BJ."

"Tell Li Liang to have her call Wu Meng."

Guben took a roundabout way, only revealing his true purpose at the end: "Have her find time to go to BJ, and we'll get together."

"No problem."

Qu Peng readily agreed: "I'll tell Li Liang right now to have her call Wu Meng."

"Okay."

Having achieved his goal, Guben smiled leisurely.

——

That evening, when Wu Meng received Li Liang's phone call at Lin Xiyu's home, she was quite bewildered.

She didn't know what wind he had caught, insisting that she go to BJ next weekend to meet old classmates.

The old classmates he mentioned are right here in Shanghai, hello?!

Why spend that wasted money flying to BJ when they had met at a cafe just a few hours ago......

Surprise lasted less than one second; seeing Lin Xiyu's flower-like smile under the lights, she suddenly had a flash of inspiration and realized.

It turned out that old classmate's interest lay not in the drink; the person he wanted to see was not her, but someone else.

For the sake of the fifty thousand yuan reward, she silently looked down on herself a little, then immediately began acting coquettish and cute, using soft and hard tactics in her clingy mode.

She wouldn't stop until Lin Xiyu agreed to go to BJ with her.

At Lin Xiyu's school, final exams followed immediately after New Year's Day; one week later, just as exams ended, students began their winter break.

Guben had calculated it well, thinking she should have free time, which was why he set the date for that period.

Lin Xiyu, as expected, couldn't bear to refuse Wu Meng's request, and before long was pestered by her to the point of helplessness, admitting defeat.

Wu Meng secretly rejoiced, quietly sent Guben a message, and deliberately showed off her incomparable status in her best friend's heart.

Guben casually transferred another thousand yuan into her bank card.

Seeing the reply, Wu Meng was overjoyed and became even more persuasive in her coaxing.

——

Lin Xiyu was concerned about the welfare housing allocation, so she didn't rest much and went to school the next day to handle the application registration procedures.

Arriving at the Academic Affairs Office and opening the housing allocation register, her heart sank halfway.

Indeed, the appeal of welfare housing was incomparable; of the three unmarried older unmarried youths, two had already obtained marriage certificates and submitted application forms.

The remaining one was Ge Jie, the son of that arrogant aunt who had come to her home to make a scene.

"Teacher Lin? You're also here to submit an application form?"

When a person is unlucky, even drinking cold water gets stuck in their teeth; she was feeling depressed, and just at that moment, Ge Jie walked into the office and immediately saw the application form in her hand.

"Yes."

Lin Xiyu saw it was him and showed some displeasure.

"Are you married?"

Seeing that her application form stated she was married, Ge Jie's expression instantly turned ugly.

"What's strange about that?"

Lin Xiyu said righteously: "My fiancé and I have been together for six years; he returned from the United States this time to marry me."

Ge Jie's face turned dark: "That person yesterday, is he really your fiancé?"

"Yes."

To make him give up, Lin Xiyu answered decisively.

"I don't believe......"

Unwilling to accept it, Ge Jie glanced at her application form again and blurted out: "You must be marrying someone temporarily just to get the house."

"You can eat more rice, but you can't talk nonsense......"

Lin Xiyu's pretty face sank, and she shouted sternly: "What evidence do you have to slander me as having a fake marriage in front of so many teachers?"

"Don't I know whether you have a boyfriend?"

Ge Jie spoke with certainty: "A wealthy man who drives a sports car has been pursuing you; you two often go out to eat and date, so it definitely isn't that person from yesterday."

"How would you know whether I have a fiancé?"

Lin Xiyu was very disgusted by his entanglement: "Who are you to me, and what right do you have to interrogate me? Whether someone pursues me is my business, and whether I agree to his pursuit has nothing to do with you."

"You, you wait, I won't let you succeed......"

Ge Jie, feeling stifled by her rebuttal, resentfully flicked his hand and left the Academic Affairs Office.

Lin Xiyu's heart skipped a beat, and a bad premonition surged up.

This man was narrow-minded and vengeful; judging by his words, surely he wouldn't also rush to marry to compete with her for the housing allocation quota, right......

——

Her premonition was correct; the welfare housing had huge appreciation potential, and even if Ge Jie wasn't doing it to take revenge on her, he couldn't resist the temptation of RMB.

One week later, before the winter break, the ownership of the three sets of houses was decided.

As expected, Ge Jie rushed to marry, obtaining his marriage certificate before submitting the application, and seized the last housing allocation quota.

Upon learning this, Guben that same day bought a 400-plus square meter duplex luxury home at a riverside high-end development in Lujiashui that was selling well, at a price of five thousand yuan per square meter, and personally delivered the house purchase contract to the school.

Ge Jie had fantasized about using a house to mock Lin Xiyu, but was slapped in the face by the luxury home on the spot.

Guben domineeringly protected his wife; the owner's name on the house purchase contract was his beloved wife's name.

Ge Jie's face alternated between white and green, and he left the office dejectedly.

——

"Xiyu, I'm so, so envious of you."

"Did you save the galaxy in your past life? That's why you're so lucky in this life; Guben can truly be considered a perfect husband. Marrying him is a win for you—you got rich overnight, a two million yuan house. Why doesn't one fall on my head?"

"Li Liang stands guard at Tiananmen, coming and going in wind and rain, earning that bit of hard-earned money. The two of us saving for a lifetime still couldn't buy a luxury mansion."

—

Wu Meng knew about this and started another round of flattery, praising Guben as rare under heaven and unmatched on earth, to the point Lin Xiyu felt embarrassed for her.

"Just tell me straight: how many good things did Guben give you, making you neglect your proper work all day, not doing your job at the company properly, and running over here to curry favor for him?"

"Am I that kind of person?"

Wu Meng gave an awkward laugh and firmly refused to admit she had been bought off: "If not for seeing that he truly and sincerely treats you well, even if he used mountains of gold and silver to smash me, I wouldn't say a single good word for him."

"Is that so?"

Lin Xiyu glanced at her suspiciously: "There's something I've always wondered about. These past few days I was busy with final exams and didn't have time to ask. Guben just returned from the United States, yet he knew my home address. Did you tip him off? He was in the United States, how could he know your phone number? When did the two of you get in touch?"

"Uh."

Wu Meng was embarrassed, her gaze shifting, not daring to meet her eyes.

"Confess honestly, don't think you can fool me."

Lin Xiyu saw her guilty little look and knew there was inside information: "If you don't tell me, I'll call Guben right now and let him tell me."

"Wait, I'll tell you, I'll tell you, okay?"

Wu Meng's mind turned quickly too, using Li Liang as the topic: "Actually it's not that I'm in contact with Guben, it's Li Liang and Qu Peng and them. The three of them are such close buddies, they have so many private dealings. Even if Guben's mother committed a crime and had a bad reputation, it wouldn't hinder the friendship between classmates."

"He can have a few close buddies; that's also a blessing in misfortune..."

Lin Xiyu thought of Wang Fan and Guben having developed a grudge, and her brows and eyes dimmed again.

"Wang Fan and Guben have already broken off relations?"

Wu Meng clearly thought of this question too: "Would he be so petty? Not being able to win someone is his own lack of ability; this isn't your fault. The son is his, you're the one who got hurt, what else does he want?"

"Sigh."

Lin Xiyu wearily rubbed her brow, not wanting to continue this topic.

"Xiyu, didn't you say Guben let you be his financial advisor, helping him manage his property?"

Wu Meng rolled her eyes and again used the house as a topic: "Have you ever thought about buying several more houses? Now house prices change almost every day, rising very fast. Many people see the business opportunity and are rushing to buy."

"I've considered the matter of buying houses..."

Lin Xiyu was indeed interested in this topic, her brows and eyes brightening: "These past couple of days I've looked at many advertisements and selected several good locations."

"Let me see..."

Wu Meng wanted to tip Guben off and impatiently asked: "Which locations? Let me give you some reference."

"I remember one seems to be near Xizhong Road..."

Lin Xiyu took out the newspaper with the advertisements and found the spot she had circled and marked.

"Xizhong Road is fine..."

Wu Meng's eyes lit up: "Not far from Nanjing Road, it's considered one of the most prosperous areas in Puxi."

"I think so too..."

Lin Xiyu counted on her fingers: "This house isn't big, 3,200 per square meter, 46 square meters, total price around 150,000. At 150,000, calculating by monthly rent of 1,500, one year can also bring in 18,000. Much more suitable than keeping it in the bank."

"Then buy it."

Wu Meng smiled and encouraged: "The money Guben gave you is enough to buy over ten houses. In the future you could do nothing, be a landlady, just live off collecting rent, and live very comfortably."

"Can't put all the money into houses."

Lin Xiyu had her own considerations: "This person of his spends money extravagantly. Not having ready cash on hand won't do. One house costs 2 million, plus buying a car, renovation, buying furniture—another large sum has to be sunk in. The speed at which he spends money makes me ache just watching. He said he'd give me 5 million to help him manage finances, and just like that half is sunk at once."

"People who spend a lot also earn a lot..."

Wu Meng didn't care: "The commission from one lawsuit is over ten thousand. Would he care about that bit of money for renovation and furniture?"

"He used to earn a lot..."

Lin Xiyu knew the situation: "It's because he earned US dollars abroad. Converted into RMB, domestically there isn't that much."