Chapter 192: Nineties: Spring Water Family Chapter 192: A Photograph, Catalyst of Feelings

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Protagonist:

Lin Xiyu

"In the country, can't you also fight international lawsuits?"

Wu Meng wholeheartedly tried to curry favor with a certain someone: "She's an internationally renowned lawyer, with an International Lawyer Qualification Certificate."

"You now, talk too much nonsense......"

How could Lin Xiyu not see through her little schemes? She gave her a white eye: "All day 'Guben this, Guben that,' strangers would think he's your boss, you're blowing him up so much he could almost fly to the sky."

Isn't he just a Rich Woman!

And an especially generous one at that, the type to transfer Ten thousand yuan in one go......

Wu Meng thought sneakily, smiling like a cunning little fox.

The inadvertent micro-expression made one unable to hold back laughter; Lin Xiyu found it amusing and laughed while teasing her: "What are you secretly Stupid Happy about? No wonder Wang Fan calls you Dumb Cute, all your shrewd calculations are written on your face, anyone can see them at a glance......"

"Guben is originally good......"

Wu Meng went all out to earn extra money, continuing to praise without bottom line: "That's why I say, you marrying Guben is fortune accumulated over Eight Lifetimes. A man this capable and emotionally faithful is practically extinct. Not to mention anything else, just take Wang Fan — you two only broke up how many days ago, and he already has a new Girlfriend, driving a Sports Car flaunting himself on Huaihai Road......"

"He's still in Shanghai?"

Lin Xiyu's delicate brows furrowed slightly: "Didn't he go back to Germany?"

"He is."

Wu Meng was very certain: "That Ferrari Sports Car of his is very eye-catching, recognizable at a glance. And this new Girlfriend he swapped in is a minor celebrity with some fame. They were caught entering and leaving a Hotel by paparazzi, and it was even published in the Newspaper."

"This is the real him......"

Lin Xiyu was Stunned for a moment, then smiled Relieved: "These years, to Confess to me, he pretended to be pure and desireless — truly Wronged him."

"You actually believe he was pure and desireless?"

Wu Meng curled her lip: "That's just what he said to Deceive you. If his words can be believed, sows can climb trees."

"You put it like that......"

Lin Xiyu smiled Bitterly: "Makes me feel even more stupid."

"Don't mention that Flirtatious Big Carrot anymore."

Wu Meng swiftly changed the Topic: "Guben bought you a house, vented anger for you — haven't you thought of thanking him?"

"How to thank?"

Lin Xiyu gave her a sidelong glance: "What way would be worthy of that gossip-written-all-over-your-face expression of yours."

"At least treat him to a meal."

Wu Meng gave her an Ambiguous little look: "You two rarely have a Chance to meet, I won't tag along and meddle. Pick a good place properly, have a romantic Candlelight dinner."

"You're quite the arranger?"

Lin Xiyu smiled with a Teasing Smile, then asked: "Then may I ask, where do you think is suitable? Where is most suitable for a Candlelight dinner?"

"I think your place is not bad. Though a bit small, it wins in coziness. Guben isn't a picky person either. As long as you're the one treating, he'll definitely come."

"Going by your words, having him come to my place for a meal wrongs him instead?"

"Hey hey, that's not what I mean......"

Wu Meng laughed and glossed over it: "I just feel, hosting at home and at a Restaurant have different meanings. Personally cooked Rice has Sincerity."

"You really are good at Explaining......"

Lin Xiyu laughed and glared at her again.

"I'm not deceiving you......"

Wu Meng continued happily: "I truly feel home is better than outside. Besides, you've kept him shut out for a Long Time already. You should give him a Chance to show his face in front of the Neighbors, get familiar. Otherwise, with the husband often not home, people might Suspect things, and the Influence on you isn't good either."

"I can already confirm, you've been bought off by Guben......"

Lin Xiyu looked at her profoundly, smiling meaningfully: "With your IQ, you couldn't say such deep words. It's definitely him making you say this."

"No, absolutely not."

Wu Meng blinked, a little guilty.

"Denying is Useless."

Lin Xiyu was very certain: "With Guben's ability to Manipulate hearts, making someone willingly work for him is too easy. Just use a little trick and the goal is achieved."

"You understand him this well....."

Wu Meng reacted fast too, teasing with a giggle: "Then why still not Believe him? He cares about you so so so much, it makes me envious. If I had such a Good Husband, contract marriage my foot — on the day we get the Certificate, I'd have to consummate the Married Couple Relationship, make it so he can't Escape even if he wants to."

"You're comparatively fierce, I Admit......"

Lin Xiyu extended a thumb to express admiration: "Your Li Liang fell into your hands just like that. One kiss sealed the deal. Even Director Du and them said TV dramas wouldn't dare act it out like this."

"I'm just this fierce, so what?"

Wu Meng raised a brow, very proud: "Back then if I hadn't moved fast, the Good Husband would've been snatched away. You didn't see how popular the Three Armed Forces Honor Guard is when raising the flag at Tiananmen. So many infatuated women, their eyeballs practically glued to them, couldn't be pried off."

"Can tell......"

Lin Xiyu laughed in agreement: "You're really quite proud."

"Sigh."

Wu Meng deliberately acted silly, then Pretended to be a boudoir resentment sighing: "Pity we're one south one north, living apart in two places. The Distance is too far. Can't guard Tiananmen every day watching them raise the flag. Can only lick the screen facing the Television."

"Pfft."

Lin Xiyu couldn't hold back, laughed and Sprayed.

——

Wu Meng calculated well, wanting to take advantage of persuading Lin Xiyu to invite Guben to their home for a meal, using a candlelit dinner to deepen their feelings.

However, man proposes but heaven disposes; she still hadn't managed to coax her successfully when an unexpected event occurred.

A postman delivered a registered letter to Lin Xiyu's home, inside which was a photo of Guben when he was injured in the United States.

In the photo, a woman stood by the hospital bed, bent down, and kissed his cheek.

Although it was only a profile, Lin Xiyu recognized her at a glance; that woman was surprisingly Zhang Xiaoqian, who had fled to the United States with her mother five years ago to escape trouble.

——

Guben harbored some resentment in his heart toward his grandfather's family's decision back then, and refused assistance from his domestic relatives.

He had to attend school and also take care of his mother; the United States did not allow foreign students to work, so he could only do black work at night.

When he first went to the United States, unfamiliar with the local environment, to save on expenses he lived in a black district with poor public security.

Returning home in the dead of night, he was often harassed by people with ill intentions; beatings and robberies occurred from time to time.

At first he didn't want to cause trouble, forcibly enduring it, until he could endure no more, and conflict broke out with them.

He was besieged by a group of black people; in the chaos someone fired a shot, hitting his abdomen.

He fled for his life, evading their pursuit, and fainted outside a local private clinic.

Perhaps it was arranged by Heaven; his karmic bond with Zhang Xiaoqian had not ended.

After Zhang Xiaoqian and her mother went abroad, they happened to live in that same city.

That night she had a fever; a Chinese acquaintance she knew locally took her to the clinic, and as the two drove past, they discovered a person who had fainted by the roadside.

Zhang Xiaoqian did not know that her father's death was related to Guben; recognizing him, she was overjoyed, and together with her Chinese friend sent him to the hospital for rescue.

Fortunately the rescue was timely, and Guben barely managed to pull back a life.

From then on, Zhang Xiaoqian took on the identity of a benefactor and again began thinking of every possible way to cling to him.

Her Chinese friend also fell in love with her at first sight, and using the guise of a senior sister threw out an olive branch to him.

This woman was precisely the one who returned to the country before Guben, the woman who called him that night at The Bund, Liu Rushi.

——

Zhang Xiaoqian had an impulsive and easily angered temperament; Liu Rushi was clearly a notch above her.

The matter of Guben spending a fortune to buy a luxury mansion to win a beauty's smile, deliberately spread by someone with ulterior motives, reached Liu Rushi's ears.

Zhang Xiaoqian was a useless pretty face, having beauty but no brains, posing no threat to her whatsoever.

Lin Xiyu was different; she was the person Guben had cherished in his heart for five years, and upon returning to the country they immediately rekindled their old flame, interacting closely.

Liu Rushi's schemes ran extremely deep; not wanting to eliminate her love rival personally, she directed the scheme onto Zhang Xiaoqian.

Zhang Xiaoqian indeed could not withstand provocation; after just a few words she was incited by Liu Rushi until her head heated up, and she rushed back from the United States in a panic.

——

"Do you know how Guben survived these years in the United States?"

"How much suffering, how much hardship he endured?"

"Where were you when he was besieged?"

"Where were you when he was injured?"

"Where were you when his mother committed suicide and he had an emotional breakdown?"

"These years it was me and Sister Rushi who stayed by his side, comforted him, cared for him; you contributed nothing, on what grounds do you reap the rewards? What qualifications do you have to accept the house he bought for you?"

Liu Rushi had calculated everything: first she sent Lin Xiyu a registered letter, letting her see Guben's intimate relationship with another woman, then deliberately had Zhang Xiaoqian call to stimulate her.

Zhang Xiaoqian indeed did not disappoint her expectations; the moment she got off the plane she couldn't wait to take out her mobile phone and let out a roar at the other party.

The two originally thought they could strike at their love rival; unexpectedly their stupid behavior instead became a catalyst for the other party's feelings.

——

Upon seeing the photo, Lin Xiyu's mind involuntarily conjured the scar she had seen on Guben's abdomen.

Tears instantly blurred her eyes, falling uncontrollably.

Zhang Xiaoqian's words were even more like a steel needle piercing into her heart, hurting her so much she could barely breathe.

She did not resent Zhang Xiaoqian; on the contrary, she was very grateful to her.

If not for her straightforwardly revealing the truth, she would not have known how much suffering Guben endured in the United States these years.

Given his own temperament, he would never have spoken of it no matter what.

——

"This silly goose."

Outside the airport, Wang Fan sat in a sports car, hearing Zhang Xiaoqian's words through the car window glass, and immediately understood his efforts had been in vain.

He had thought Liu Rushi was a smart woman, capable of breaking up Guben and Lin Xiyu; he never expected she would actually not dare to act herself, delusionally hiding behind the scenes, pushing the responsibility onto Zhang Xiaoqian, causing him to rejoice in vain.

Zhang Xiaoqian was still babbling nonsense; he no longer had the inclination to listen, stomped hard on the accelerator, and the sports car roared away from the airport.

——

Wu Meng never imagined that the thing she couldn't accomplish even after wearing out her lips, Zhang Xiaoqian actually managed to do.

Lin Xiyu knew the truth, her heart aching until it bled; that very evening she personally cooked, inviting Guben to visit her home.

Guben was unexpectedly delighted; after getting off work he didn't return to his own apartment, but went straight from the law firm to her place.

The moment he entered the door, he was tightly embraced by someone.

Lin Xiyu found it hard to express her heartache for him, and could only use this way to vent her emotions.

Guben's back stiffened; sensing something was wrong, he just wanted to ask, when soft lips were blocked by someone.

Lin Xiyu stood on tiptoe, her movements clumsy yet urgent as she kissed him, as if venting, not giving him any chance to speak.

Guben was stunned for merely a second, then immediately pulled her into his arms, seizing the initiative.

In the cramped little house candlelight flickered; the meticulously prepared dinner became a mere decoration.

The two of them kissed all the way from the doorway to the bedroom, the emotions suppressed in their hearts completely erupting at this moment.

——

"Does this mean I've been made official?"

Early the next morning, Guben watched as Lin Xiyu personally tore up the contract agreement, the corners of his mouth unable to help but curve upward slightly.

"No."

Lin Xiyu gave him a coquettish glare with a smile, then splashed a basin of cold water on him: "As far as I'm concerned you've passed, but my mother and them, you'll still have to explain yourself. In my mother's heart right now, you're not the favored son-in-law. As long as we go home for the New Year, she'll be enthusiastic about all kinds of blind dates, forcing me to forget you."

"Hiss."

Guben sucked in a breath of cold air, his teeth aching a bit: "This mother-in-law hurdle really isn't easy to cross."

"Who told you to leave without a word."

Lin Xiyu gloated: "You made your own bed, now lie in it."

"So cruel?"

Guben embraced her from behind, his tone carrying resentment: "You can just watch me get scolded by your mother alone, without saying a good word for me?"

"Better if I don't say anything; if I do, my mother will be even angrier."

"What about Maternal Grandmother? Wouldn't Maternal Grandmother be more reasonable than your mother, not excessively harsh?"

"Maternal Grandmother won't help you either; you'd better fend for yourself."

"Then I can only kneel and apologize, hoping your family's floor isn't too hard."

"Disappointing you again; my family still has the floor tiles laid five years ago, cold and hard......."

"At least put down a soft cushion."

"Don't even think about it; you want to kneel and apologize and still make demands?"

"Really not a single bit of room for negotiation? You'll just watch me get bullied by your mother?"

"None."

"So cruel, then don't blame me for not being righteous."

"What do you want to do?"

"Your mother bullies me, I'll bully her daughter."

Guben gave a black-bellied smile, then scooped her up horizontally.

"No, put me down......"

Soft, powerless coquettish rebukes, drowned in a fervent kiss.

——

Lin Xiyu was enthusiastic about making money and had long since had a financial plan; her meager treasury was also reasonably allocated. Besides stable, value-preserving savings deposits and treasury bonds, she had also purchased a small amount of stocks.

From 1996 to 1997, the Shanghai Stock Exchange Index rose from 512 points to 1510 points, lasting a year and a half, with a rise of up to 195%.

At that time, many classmates at school were discussing stocks, and she followed the trend and bought some, gaining some small profits.

Since then, she had kept an eye on the few stocks she favored, and when the timing was right, she would sell high and buy low, earning the spread.

Having followed the stock market for a long time, she had also figured out the patterns: Chinese people have a New Year custom; they like to sell off stocks before the New Year and hold cash for the New Year.

Before the Spring Festival the index usually falls; waiting until after the New Year during the Two Sessions period for a turnaround, there would be a nice rise.

Reverse thinking: during the period when the index falls before the New Year, it's also a good time to buy in.

Right now there's still a month until February 16, the Spring Festival. She planned to divide the money Guben gave her to manage into three parts: one part deposited in the bank, one part for house buying, and another part invested to buy stocks.

As for the specific amounts, she still needed to discuss it with him. After all, in the big A-share market bull runs are short and bear runs long; if she really bet wrong and tens of thousands went down the drain, she wouldn't be able to answer to him.