In the elegant private room of the New Jinjiang Hotel in Jiangbei City, separated by a decorative screen, a significant moment was unfolding.
"Qiuling, this jade pendant has been passed down through generations in my family. Once you wear it, you'll officially become a member of the Chu family," Chu Yun declared solemnly as he handed the antique jade pendant to his girlfriend, Luo Qiuling.
"Chu Yun, hold on a second," Luo Qiuling responded with a hint of discomfort. Instead of allowing Chu Yun to place the pendant around her neck, she held it in her hand and glanced at her mother, Zhou Lichun, who was seated beside her.
Understanding the cue, Chu Yun quickly placed two gift boxes filled with cash on the table. He addressed his future mother-in-law with careful respect, "Mom, as per your request, I've prepared the betrothal gifts: three jin and three liang, and a mix of ten thousand purple, a thousand red, and a hundred green notes."
In the local customs of Jiangbei, "three jin and three liang" referred to 3.3 jin of hundred-yuan bills, amounting to approximately 150,000 yuan. The "ten thousand purple, a thousand red, and a hundred green" represented ten thousand 5-yuan notes, a thousand 100-yuan notes, and a hundred 50-yuan notes, totaling about 200,000 yuan. Combined, these gifts amounted to 350,000 yuan, neatly packed into the two large boxes.
"Don't call me 'Mom' just yet!" Zhou Lichun suddenly slammed the table, cutting Chu Yun off. She then demanded loudly, "If you want to marry my daughter, you'll need to add another 300,000 yuan to the betrothal gifts, plus a BMW 5 Series car!"
"What? What do you mean? We had already agreed on the betrothal gifts, and even set the wedding date. Why are you suddenly asking for so much more money and such an expensive car?" Chu Yun asked, his eyes wide with shock.
Chu Yun's family was of modest means. Purchasing a house and a car, along with gathering the 350,000 yuan for the betrothal gifts, had nearly depleted his savings from years of work and his parents' life savings. The additional 300,000 yuan and a BMW 5 Series, totaling 600,000 yuan, was a financial abyss he simply couldn't fill.
"Plans change, and what we agreed on before is no longer valid!" Zhou Lichun waved her hand dismissively and addressed Chu Yun directly, "The additional condition I just mentioned—you must fulfill it, or forget about marrying my daughter!"
"This condition is so sudden! How could I possibly manage that?" Chu Yun felt a wave of dizziness wash over him.
"That's your problem to solve! How else can I feel assured about entrusting my daughter to you?" Zhou Lichun looked at Chu Yun with disdain. "If you can't even handle this, I don't know what my Qiuling sees in you!"
Chu Yun was momentarily speechless. Across the table, apart from Zhou Lichun, who was shouting at him like a fishwife in a market, there was also his future father-in-law, Luo Yunshan, with a grim expression, his brother-in-law Luo Tianning, engrossed in a mobile game in the corner, and his silent girlfriend, Luo Qiuling.
The situation was clear—this family had come prepared, especially given Luo Qiuling's reaction, which made Chu Yun's heart sink...
Nevertheless, Chu Yun suppressed his anger and turned to his girlfriend, Luo Qiuling, who was sitting opposite him. "Qiuling, I've already paid a dowry of 200,000 yuan, and the house and car will be in your name. I promise to treat you well after we're married. You know my family's financial situation—we really don't have the means to come up with another 600,000 yuan. Could you talk to your mom and ask her to go easy on me?"
"There's nothing to discuss!" Before Luo Qiuling could respond, Zhou Lichun slammed the table and shouted at Chu Yun, "Listen here, Chu, if you can't do it, then get lost! I raised my daughter all these years, and I'm not happy about her marrying a poor guy like you!"
Chu Yun's face darkened. The wedding was supposed to take place in a week, but today Luo Qiuling had suddenly called him here, saying there was something important to discuss. He hadn't expected it to be this.
Moreover, his future mother-in-law, Zhou Lichun, was so greedy—demanding an additional 600,000 yuan out of the blue. It was an outrageous request.
The atmosphere instantly became tense...
"Ahem..."
After a brief silence, Luo Yunshan, the prospective father-in-law, cleared his throat and addressed Chu Yun, "Xiao Chu, this additional condition we’ve just brought up is something you absolutely must meet!"
"Why?" Chu Yun quickly asked.
"Well, here’s the situation," Luo Yunshan began, "A while back, our Xiao Ning went on a blind date with a rather attractive young lady. He really liked her, but she demanded a dowry of 300,000 yuan and a BMW 5 Series before she’d consider continuing the relationship..."
Finally revealing the real reason, Luo Yunshan added, "Xiao Chu, you’d better figure out a way to get the money together quickly! Xiao Ning is in urgent need of it."
From the corner of the room, Luo Tianning shot Chu Yun a glance and deliberately remarked, "If you can’t even help with this, it’s clear you don’t really love my sister! I think she should find someone who loves her more and is willing to spend more on her..."
Hearing this, Chu Yun’s veins bulged on his forehead, and his hands clenched into fists under the table, trembling slightly.
This Luo family wasn’t looking to marry off their daughter; they were selling her!
Moreover, Chu Yun was well aware of Luo Tianning’s character—lazy and indulgent, spending his days either gaming or clubbing. Whenever he ran out of money, he’d just reach out to Chu Yun or Luo Qiuling for more.
Throughout the years Chu Yun had been dating Luo Qiuling, Luo Tianning had frequently borrowed money from him under various pretexts, with no intention of ever paying it back.
In fact, since Chu Yun graduated from university and started working, a large portion of his monthly salary had gone to Luo Qiuling, and most of that money ended up in Luo Tianning’s hands, squandered away!
This time, Luo Tianning was taking advantage of the situation to make exorbitant demands on Chu Yun, treating him like nothing more than an ATM.
A wave of desolation washed over Chu Yun. He hadn’t expected that Luo Qiuling, who was usually quite gentle, would so blindly side with her family, especially her brother Luo Tianning, whenever they were involved, without ever considering his feelings or situation...
And Luo Tianning’s brazenness clearly had the backing of his family. From the looks of it, the entire family was intent on squeezing Chu Yun dry!
Just then, Luo Yunshan added, "Xiao Chu, don’t think our demands are too high. Our Qiuling is as beautiful as a flower; she’s worth every bit of it!"
"Qiuling, do you... feel the same way?"
Chu Yun felt another chill run down his spine. He decided to confront Luo Qiu Ling directly, his gaze fixed on her. However, Luo Qiu Ling didn’t respond. Instead, she turned her face toward the window, avoiding his eyes.
Her silence only deepened the coldness in Chu Yun’s heart. He took a deep breath and asked, “So, according to your logic, if Luo Tian Ning gets married someday, I’m supposed to throw him a banquet and buy him a house, is that it?”
Luo Yun Shan’s expression turned awkward, but Zhou Li Chun couldn’t hold back any longer. She snapped, “What’s wrong with that? Qiu Ling is Tian Ning’s older sister, and once you marry her, you’ll be his brother-in-law. As his brother-in-law, helping him out is the least you could do!”
Chu Yun was seething with anger. He shot back without hesitation, “If I’m doing everything that parents are supposed to do, then what’s the point of you two being parents?”
Zhou Li Chun was momentarily speechless, but her temper flared up again. She lashed out, “Chu Yun, raising my daughter hasn’t been easy! Let me make this clear: if you can’t come up with 600,000 for Tian Ning, forget about marrying my daughter!”
Chu Yun was on the verge of exploding. It was clear now—the Luo family wasn’t interested in a marriage; they were selling their daughter!
Zhou Li Chun, seeing Chu Yun’s reaction, added fuel to the fire with a venomous tone, “Chu Yun, since we’ve come this far, I might as well tell you the truth. I already knew a poor guy like you wouldn’t be able to scrape together 600,000. That’s why I’ve found a more suitable man for Qiu Ling—a wealthy young man from a rich family…”
Chu Yun couldn’t take it anymore. He shot to his feet, his eyes locked on Luo Qiu Ling. “Qiu Ling, is this true?”
“Mm…” Luo Qiu Ling finally broke her silence, her head hanging low as she responded with a faint nasal sound.
“Why?” Chu Yun’s voice trembled as he asked.
“No reason!” Luo Qiu Ling still didn’t face him. Instead, she gazed out the window and said softly, “Chu Yun, I know your situation, and I understand your struggles. But Tian Ning is my only brother. If I don’t help him, who will? If you really can’t come up with 600,000, then… I’ll have to find someone more capable than you.”
Upon hearing Luo Qiuling's words, Chu Yun felt as though his heart had been stabbed repeatedly. He stood frozen for a long moment before finally regaining his composure. With a voice heavy with sorrow, he asked, "Qiuling, I never imagined you’d think this way... Were the five years we spent together just a joke to you?"
"Chu Yun, I... I didn’t treat those five years as a joke. But... this is about marriage, and we need to face reality," Luo Qiuling replied, her head still lowered, avoiding his gaze.
"By 'facing reality,' do you mean that if I can’t come up with 600,000 yuan, you’ll break up with me?" Chu Yun asked bluntly.
"Yes..." Luo Qiuling nodded.
At that moment, Chu Yun felt utterly defeated. Over the past five years, he had devoted himself wholeheartedly to Luo Qiuling, working overtime, saving every penny, all to meet her and Luo Tianning’s demands. Yet, in the end, this was the result. He felt exhausted, both physically and emotionally. His sincere efforts had been met with such cold and clichéd indifference.
Seeing Chu Yun’s silence, Luo Qiuling sensed his turmoil and decided to speak up. "Chu Yun, to be honest, by inviting you here today to discuss this, I was giving you a chance. But you... you’ve let me down."
"You’ve let *me* down!" Chu Yun’s suppressed anger finally erupted. He slammed his hand on the table, his voice rising. "Luo Qiuling, I never thought you’d be like this! Ask yourself—haven’t I been good to you? Haven’t I worked hard? Why are you treating me like this? What have I done to deserve this? Tell me!"
Luo Qiuling’s face turned pale. She didn’t dare to argue back, nor had she expected Chu Yun, who was usually gentle, considerate, and understanding, to react so fiercely. She was caught off guard.
Luo Yunshan, who had been sitting nearby, quickly cleared his throat and tried to mediate. "Chu Yun, calm down. Let’s talk this through properly. We can all sit down and discuss this rationally..."
