Lin Xiang involuntarily looked at Peng Yuexin, only to see the sa helpless expression on his face as hers.
"Stop!" Lin Xiang couldn’t help but stop Zheng Miaoyue and asked, "Do you want to marry Mr. Peng because you fancy him, because he is a suitable marriage partner, or because you want to use Mr. Peng to avoid your stepmother introducing you to soone?"
"Can’t it be all of the above?"
Lin Xiang said nothing and just silently looked at Zheng Miaoyue.
It seed that under her gaze, all sches and plots were unable to hide.
Zheng Miaoyue stopped being stubborn and honestly said, "The third point. But Mr. Peng Yuexin does fit my criteria for a partner."
Zheng Miaoyue had known since she was a child that when choosing a marriage partner, one mustn’t choose soone domineering or from too wealthy a family.
She already had enough inheritance from her grandmothers, grandfathers, mother, and stepfather, leaving her without any financial worries. Moreover, she had been admitted to Huaqing University on her own efforts, and as long as she didn’t make any principled mistakes, her future was secure both in terms of employnt and sustenance.
If she were to choose soone from a wealthy family, their personalities would likely be domineering as well, and she was afraid that after being together for a long ti, they would inevitably clash.
Peng Yuexin was her stepfather’s nephew, and because she trusted her stepfather’s character, Zheng Miaoyue believed that Peng Yuexin was of good character as well. Plus, he was admitted to a university, although not as prestigious as Huaqing University, but given the differences in educational resources between small towns and Beijing, it was understandable.
Moreover, Zheng Miaoyue also found Peng Yuexin’s appearance to be quite to her liking.
Considering all these factors, she decided to make Peng Yuexin her boyfriend.
After listening to Zheng Miaoyue’s analysis, Lin Xiang truly didn’t know what to say.
She remained silent for a while before tentatively asking Zheng Miaoyue, "Before making this decision, did you ask Mr. Peng what he thought? Does he want to be in a relationship with you?"
Zheng Miaoyue subconsciously looked at Peng Yuexin, who was smiling helplessly at her, his expression suggesting refusal.
"Why?" Zheng Miaoyue furrowed her brows, "I have excellent conditions in all aspects. If you date and eventually marry, you’ll get household registration in Beijing. Don’t you want to work and stay in Beijing?"
"Mr. Zheng, if staying in Beijing depends on marriage, then I’d rather not."
"You are wonderful, the best among the girls I’ve t, but at present, I just want to focus all my energy on my studies. I don’t plan on dating for now. So I’m sorry, I might have to disappoint you."
Having said this, Peng Yuexin stood up, bowed deeply to Zheng Miaoyue, and then left Quanfu Building.
Zheng Miaoyue initially wanted to chase after him, but Lin Xiang held her back.
"Yueyue, I didn’t expect you to be so confused," Lin Xiang said. "Marriage is not like buying things where you can return or exchange them if you don’t like them. Marriage involves a lifeti of happiness, affecting not just the two of you, but the union of two families, and you also have to consider future children."
"If it’s just to escape your stepmother introducing you to soone, you don’t need to randomly choose soone to marry."
"It wasn’t random," Zheng Miaoyue defended herself. "I truly think Peng Yuexin is quite good."
Lin Xiang shook her head helplessly, "Yes, he’s excellent, but there’s no emotional connection between you two. Moreover, would your mother and stepfather agree to this? Did you tell them?"
Zheng Miaoyue mumbled, "I thought I’d wait till Peng Yuexin agreed before telling them."
Lin Xiang concluded, "So, deep down, you also feel that your union with Peng Yuexin is inappropriate. Otherwise, you wouldn’t bypass your parents to directly talk to Peng Yuexin about it."
"As your friend, I hope you approach marriage cautiously. Please don’t act rashly."
Lin Xiang could only say this much, and the choice of what to do next ultimately lay with Zheng Miaoyue herself.
"Let’s not think about it anymore and eat first."
Lin Xiang moved the plate closer to Zheng Miaoyue, "These dishes are specialties from several top chefs, and if I hadn’t reserved them in advance, we might not have been able to try them today."
The business at Quanfu Building had improved a lot, and reservations were still necessary. So dishes with hard-to-find ingredients needed to be ordered several days in advance; otherwise, they wouldn’t be available.
Comforted by the delicious food, Zheng Miaoyue gradually stopped thinking about Peng Yuexin.
After eating and drinking her fill, Zheng Miaoyue said to Lin Xiang, "After you left my grandmother’s place last ti, early the next morning, with my mother and stepfather as witnesses, my grandmothers and grandfathers gave all their savings from these years. As my grandmother put it, this is her way of giving confidence."
"I don’t know what my mom talked about with my father’s parents, but that woman has not ntioned introducing to anyone since. However, a day later, after my grandmother found out that I received savings from my maternal grandparents, she told that since she has two granddaughters, she cannot show bias. So she and Grandpa decided to divide their savings in half to give to us."
At this point, tears welled up in Zheng Miaoyue’s eyes, clearly showing how much her grandmother’s decision had hurt her.
"Actually, I don’t lack money. What I got from my maternal grandparents, combined with what my mom and stepfather gave , is enough to ensure that I have no worries for the rest of my life. I am not greedy for my paternal grandparents’ savings."
"But they clearly promised that it was all for . So why do they want to divide it now? I’d rather not take a single penny!"
Lin Xiang could understand Zheng Miaoyue’s feelings.
Initially, she thought her paternal grandparents were firmly on her side. So even if her biological father, spurred on by her stepmother, didn’t care for his own daughter, Zheng Miaoyue didn’t mind because she had her maternal grandparents, paternal grandparents, mother, stepfather, and brother.
However, the grandparents who once treated her like a precious gem are now telling her that they must be fair between the two granddaughters so as not to hurt anyone.
"Xiangxiang, why do you think this is?"
Why indeed?
The grandparents’ deepest love has always been reserved for their own son.
They treated Zheng Miaoyue well partly out of sympathy for their granddaughter who grew up with divorced parents and partly because she is their son’s daughter.
While the other granddaughter isn’t as close emotionally, being their son’s daughter entitles her to the sa rights as Zheng Miaoyue.
Additionally, by doing this, they hope that Zheng Miaoyue’s stepmother will behave, not bringing trouble to their son.
In summary, although the grandparents love Zheng Miaoyue, this love is always secondary to their love for their own son.
At first, their promise might have been sincere, but sincerity is fleeting.
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