020
Yu Ningxuan seemed to sense someone looking at her. She turned her head and saw Lu Tian. Her sweet smile almost faltered, and she forced a smile at Lu Tian before turning back to the podium.
Lu Tian found it strange. Ever since her true identity was revealed at the engagement ceremony, Yu Ningxuan had considered her a mortal enemy. This was the first time she’d shown a semblance of a conciliatory smile.
What was she up to? Did she want to reconcile?
In the original plot, Yu Ningxuan had taken this step, standing from the perspective of the righteous female lead, intending to reconcile with the original owner and hoping for peaceful coexistence. She even said, “Grandpa’s wish was this. I don’t care about the past; you shouldn’t keep pestering me either.”
But the original owner didn’t accept it. In a public setting, she wouldn’t be insincere with Yu Ningxuan. She would make things difficult for Yu Ningxuan, leaving her pitiful and garnering sympathy from others.
Reading the novel from the female lead’s perspective, you’d think the female supporting character was hateful. But when the female supporting character is no longer a flat character, deviating from the original storyline, would the original female lead change in response to the female supporting character’s change? To be honest, Lu Tian was full of anticipation. She wouldn’t oppose Yu Ningxuan, but she also wanted to see what would happen.
After class, Lu Tian and her roommates returned to the dorm. On the way, they ran into Yu Ningxuan and her roommates. Yu Ningxuan approached and said, “Lu Tian, I want to talk to you. Shall we go to a coffee shop outside the school?”
Yu Ningxuan was originally a cute girl, spoiled by the Gu and Yu families, her character in the original story set as jealous of Lu Tian’s effortless good life.
With the other six watching intently, Lu Tian smiled lightly. “I’m sorry, I don’t want to talk to you.”
The person who wanted her dead hadn’t been caught yet. She only wanted to be with her roommates in crowded places. She was afraid of dying inexplicably if she went out alone.
“But…” Yu Ningxuan pursed her lips. She didn’t intend to compete with Lu Tian. She could give Lu Tian the love of her grandparents. If possible, she hoped they could coexist peacefully in the future. She didn’t care about what Lu Tian wanted to take; she just wanted the two families to get along.
But Lu Tian didn’t give her a chance, turning to leave after speaking.
Yu Ningxuan’s roommate spoke up for her. “Lu Tian, what’s your attitude?”
Lu Tian didn’t even look at her and left directly. It was better to spend her time thinking about how to make more money than to waste her breath on them. She was currently backed by the Gu family, the Lu family, and Meng Jingdong. Using their influence to build her own business would be twice as effective. No matter how the future changed, having her own resources was the most reliable.
The compensation from the Gu and Yu families had been transferred to her name, and Lu Chengyang’s two houses had also been transferred. She didn’t have much liquid assets and couldn’t easily sell the houses yet, but the total was a considerable amount that she could invest. The project still needed investigation.
Lost in thought, Tian Jing called and asked her to come home.
“Is something wrong? Did Grandma leave?”
Tian Jing laughed and cried. “Are you afraid of her? She went to your uncle’s house yesterday.”
Mother Zou, having nothing to do, loved to stay at her two sons’ homes to keep them company. Her elder son’s son was Yu Ningxuan’s ex-boyfriend, Zou Yi, who had been spoiled by Mother Zou since childhood.
“It’s not that I’m afraid of her; I’m just afraid of accidentally offending her.”
“I promise she’s not here. Come back quickly.”
Why was she so anxious to call her back? When Lu Tian got home, she found Tian Jing and Zou Rui at home, even Zou Fan sitting properly, hinting at a sense of separation?
“We’ll meet the Meng family in two days. Your marriage isn’t a joke, so we need to clarify your dowry and everything that should have been given to you earlier.”
Lu Tian thought Tian Jing was just casually mentioning it, feeling uneasy. She accepted the things from Lu Chengyang and the Gu family readily, but Tian Jing’s assets were earned through her hard work. How could she accept them?
“Dowry or no dowry, it’s nothing, right?”
Tian Jing glared at her. “What nonsense are you talking about? Which girl gets married without a dowry?”
“It’s not ancient times. Besides, I have a house and money now.”
Tian Jing and Zou Rui exchanged a glance. Zou Rui smiled. “Tiantian, you’re still young. Just listen to your mother. She won’t harm you. Besides, you’re marrying Meng Jingdong. How could your mother feel at ease without a dowry?”
“Besides, these things are for you. It’s just passing from one hand to another. If Mom needs to borrow money from you later, will you refuse?”
Lu Tian scratched her head. “Okay, you can decide.”
Tian Jing was satisfied. She let Lu Tian review the documents one by one. The company shares would be transferred to her name, the agreed-upon dividends over the years would be given to her in the form of real estate and other fixed assets, and the dowry would be calculated from their combined assets: real estate, cars, and jewelry. A rough calculation showed that this marriage would take away about one-fifth of their combined assets.
Lu Tian now felt that the divorce agreement she signed with Meng Jingdong was a bit casual. Would Tian Jing want to beat her if she knew?
“Zou Fan, this is what your sister deserves. When you get married, Mom and Dad will give you the same thing. Understand?” Tian Jing didn’t intend to hide it from her son to avoid future conflicts between siblings.
Zou Fan didn’t know the value of these things. He was very sensible and shook his head. “Give it all to Sister. I’m a man; I can earn my own money!”
“I can earn my own money too!” Lu Tian shouted.
Zou Fan made a face and insisted on dragging Lu Tian to play games. The two went upstairs laughing and playing, leaving Tian Jing and Zou Rui looking at a stack of documents with wry smiles.
“Don’t worry, Lu Tian will understand your good intentions.” Zou Rui comforted his wife.
Tian Jing sighed. “I just hope she won’t blame me when she knows the truth. My methods are no different from the Gu family’s; they both use money to settle things.”
Zou Rui patted her hand, offering silent comfort. “When will the Lu family reveal everything?”
“Not yet, but it can’t be hidden. I just found out that the Lu family’s business focus has shifted here recently. Combined with the Gu family’s relationship, people will notice sooner or later. Many people from those days know me. It’s better for me to tell Lu Tian about it than for her to hear it from others.”
“Lu Tian has become much more sensible recently; don’t worry too much.”
Tian Jing was still uneasy, but seeing her husband’s expression, she understood that it was not a good time to talk about the past. She concealed her worries and smiled, asking, “Don’t you think I’ve given Lu Tian too much?”
Lu Tian’s marriage to Meng Jingdong was an alliance between the Zou and Meng families. Outsiders wouldn’t ask about the size of the dowry, but both families would be watching closely. Regardless of the betrothal gifts, Tian Jing would certainly not mistreat her daughter. From a profit perspective, the benefits the Zou family would get from the alliance far outweighed the dowry.
“Material things are temporary; people are what matters. Besides, Fan doesn’t care, so I don’t either. I’ve watched Tiantian grow up, and I naturally hope she’ll be happy marrying into the Meng family.” Zou Rui said sincerely.
Tian Jing’s furrowed brows gradually relaxed. She didn’t want to differentiate between her husband, son, and daughter. This situation was the best.
On the weekend, the Zou and Meng families met at the appointed hotel. Both families arrived around the same time, eliminating the issue of waiting or picking someone up. Mr. and Mrs. Meng were dressed formally, showing their seriousness.
Tian Jing breathed a sigh of relief. The Meng family was wealthy and influential. If Mother Meng looked down on Lu Tian or interfered between the couple, her daughter would ultimately suffer.
During the banquet, Mr. and Mrs. Meng were very polite, showing no disdain for Tian Jing, a self-made woman.
“Since they’ve already obtained their marriage certificate, let’s discuss wedding preparations. We’ve prepared the betrothal gifts; we won’t mistreat Tiantian.” Mother Meng said with a smile, as if Meng Jingdong had been unable to find a wife.
Although Tian Jing had prepared the dowry, the wedding date was up to the couple. She smiled and declined. “They both have their own ideas; let them decide.”
Both sets of parents, along with Mother Zou and Zou Fan, looked at Lu Tian and Meng Jingdong, waiting for their answer.
Meng Jingdong remained silent. Afraid of saying the wrong thing, Lu Tian secretly poked his leg under the table. He calmly moved his leg away, a smile playing on his lips. “Tiantian is busy with her studies in her third year of university, and the wedding venue and wedding dress require time to prepare. It’s too rushed this year. We plan to hold the wedding next year or after Tiantian graduates.”
“That’s right, the wedding dress is important. Tiantian, what style do you like? Mom can contact a designer for you.”
Lu Tian smiled. “Thank you, Mom.”
Then, the Meng family presented the betrothal gifts to Tian Jing and Zou Rui to review. It was a generous sum, making Tian Jing very satisfied. Then she started to worry whether her family’s prepared dowry was a bit underwhelming.
While the adults were discussing the betrothal gifts and dowry, Lu Tian got up and went to the restroom, thinking things over. The Meng family’s attitude was very different from the original story. Although the original story didn’t describe this meeting, the original owner and Mr. and Mrs. Meng didn’t get along. Mother Meng wouldn’t have been so enthusiastic. Did they know her true identity? The original story didn’t mention Meng Jingdong’s relationship issues. He was Yu Ningxuan’s admired idol and a kind of unattainable ideal, someone she only dared to admire from afar. She replayed the plot in her mind and couldn’t think of any other reason.
Leaving the restroom, Lu Tian still hadn’t figured it out. After washing her hands, she turned around and saw Meng Jingdong standing at the restroom entrance, giving her a fright.
“What are you doing?”
Meng Jingdong glanced at her. “You were gone for so long; I thought something had happened to you in the restroom.”
“Thank you, I’m fine.” Lu Tian said unhappily, following Meng Jingdong’s pace back to the private room. She walked slowly along the short path, unable to contain her curiosity.
“Are your parents so eager for you to get married?”
Meng Jingdong nodded indifferently. There was a reason his parents wanted him to get married, but it wasn’t necessary for her to know.
Lu Tian was half-believing, but he seemed unwilling to say more, and she wouldn’t press him. Knowing or not knowing didn’t matter; it was just a transaction.
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