His anger burned within him, yet he just held her tightly. Poor Xixi, she’d endured such terrible treatnt. It was impressive she’d managed to bear it until today.
In a low voice, she said, "Every wedding date we chose, your mother called it an ill-oned day. Actually, she simply doesn’t want us to get married."
Suppressing his anger, Huang Xiaojue said gently, "Xixi, don’t worry. We’ll get our marriage certificate tomorrow."
"If we really do this," she said softly, "your mother will surely sever ties with you."
"You’re marrying , not my mother. It’s decided, Xixi. We’ll get our marriage certificate tomorrow."
Amused by his eagerness, she felt a sense of relief and said, "Xiaojue, don’t rush. If we get the certificate tomorrow, it will only infuriate your mother even more. Let’s take it slow."
Huang Xiaojue said resolutely, "I don’t want to delay anymore. The longer we wait, the more excuses she’ll co up with."
Yan Xixi said, a hint of unease in her voice, "Xiaojue, as you know, I don’t have any other relatives. I can’t afford to be on bad terms with your parents too. I actually really hope for their approval, at least enough for us to feel like a real family."
Huang Xiaojue sighed deeply. "Xixi, I hate seeing you so troubled."
She smiled radiantly. As long as he remained firm, what else could she possibly feel wronged about?
Just then, her phone rang. When Yan Xixi saw the caller ID, she exclaid, "Oh no! I forgot to tell Xiaoya."
"Xixi, why aren’t you back yet?"
"I forgot to tell you, I’m with Xiaojue. I’ll be back later..."
Xu Xiaoya was clearly surprised but didn’t say much more.
After ending the call, Yan Xixi said in a low voice, "Xiaojue, there’s actually sothing I want to discuss with you..."
"Go ahead."
"The new shop is about to open, right? Xiaoya and I discussed it. We plan to invest all our savings into it. This ans for future stock and rent, you won’t need to contribute anymore. If you agree, we can split the profits three ways. If not, we’ll gradually reimburse you for the initial rent and renovation costs you advanced..."
Huang Xiaojue raised an eyebrow. "What’s this, trying to ditch now that I’ve served my purpose?"
She replied candidly, "I only dared to take it on because of your help. But it’s not just . Xiaoya and I both want a business that’s truly ours, one where we don’t have to rely on others for the rest of our lives."
Huang Xiaojue chuckled. "No problem. Since you two are putting in the money and the work for the shop, I won’t take a third of the profits. I’ll withdraw completely. However, you don’t need to repay the capital I put in. Just consider it your personal stake. You and Xu Xiaoya can split the business fifty-fifty."
"We can’t do that."
"Why not?"
"Xiaoya and I count as one share. We will repay your capital, just gradually. Once we start making a profit, we’ll pay you back with interest."
The ’we’ in this case referred to Yan Xixi and Xu Xiaoya.
Huang Xiaojue said with a half-smile, "Xixi, I have to say, I’m a little jealous of Xu Xiaoya..."
"Why?"
"You’re so ticulous about settling accounts with , yet you and Xu Xiaoya are an inseparable team. It definitely feels like you love her more than !"
Yan Xixi couldn’t help but laugh.
But inwardly, she remained firm. There truly was no such thing as a free lunch in this world. Until she was married, there was no reason for a man to foot the bill for the rest of her life.
She even found herself hesitant to agree to marry him anymore—who could predict what would happen after marriage?
Marriage wasn’t like the Alipay system. With Alipay, you only paid if you were satisfied. You could return goods whenever you wanted or, at worst, leave a bad review. Buyers and sellers kept each other in check.
Marriage was different. By the ti you decided to leave that ’bad review,’ your best years would already be gone.
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