"What if his mother doesn't like me at all?"
To avoid arousing Lu Zhengqian's suspicion, Gan Tang hugged Lu Zhengqian's arm tightly, leaned on his shoulder, and said pitifully, "Dad, I'm scared! People say that mothers-in-law can't stand their daughters-in-law no matter what they look at."
"It's not that exaggerated." Lu Zhengqian had thought about this question carefully. He knew that although Chu Mingxuan liked doing business, he didn't want his son to marry a merchant's daughter.
"At worst, you can act first and ask for permission later, and have a child first."
Good heavens, this was actually Lu Zhengqian's idea.
Even after lying in bed, Gan Tang still thought she had misheard.
The eldest daughter of the Lu Group is pregnant out of wedlock; how shameful would that be if word got out? He actually disregarded the reputation of the Lu Group and himself.
The wind rustled outside the window, and the piece of paper with white residue slowly turned to ashes in Gan Tang's hands. She buried her head in the pillow and wept bitterly.
Mo Huaixing was right. If her relationship with Chu Jiahe ran into trouble, Lu Zhengqian would definitely be able to find out about Yun Bo. Making Chu Jiahe's parents dislike her was the only way she could think of.
But now, Lu Zhengqian has even blocked this only road.
She was so stupid. She thought marrying Chu Jiahe was better than living in a drug den, and she carefully maintained his affection for her. Little did she know that she had fallen from the abyss into hell.
...
Chu Jiahe acted quickly, saying he was taking Gantang home to meet his parents, and gave her a reply the next day. The meeting was scheduled for the weekend, but not at home; instead, it was at a long-established restaurant in the city center.
Only his mother.
Mrs. Chu loved paintings, so Lu Zhengqian personally selected a flower and bird painting, which was the last work of the late, famous painter Xu.
Gan Tang asked Lu Zhengqian if it was too expensive, considering it was their first meeting. Besides, his purpose was obvious at a glance.
Now their goals are aligned: to get engaged to Chu Jiahe.
As long as there is hope for an engagement, she will have plenty of time to find a way; but if there is no chance for an engagement, her first choice will be to sleep with a drug addict and then have a child.
Lu Zhengqian agreed with his daughter's reasoning and opted for a jade bracelet that had been passed down for three hundred years. Firstly, Mrs. Chu liked wearing jade, and secondly, an antique jade bracelet was presentable. Most importantly, whether she would wear it in public would reveal her true feelings.
On the weekend, Mo Huaixing drove Gan Tang to the restaurant. Along the way, Gan Tang clutched the gift box, her expression tense.
Mo Huaixing tried to comfort her: "Don't be nervous, Mrs. Chu is a very nice person."
"You talk like you're meeting your mother," Gan Tang teased him.
Mo Huaixing stopped talking and silently turned on the music.
The soothing music gradually helped Gantang relax.
"Hey!" Gan Tang called out softly, asking, "Do you know just how powerful the Chu Group is?"
Why did she have to marry into the Chu family? This was the question she had been pondering for the past few days. In terms of wealth, it seemed that the Chu Group was not as wealthy as the Lu Group.
Seeing that he didn't speak, Gan Tang looked out of the car and said, "Never mind if you don't know."
The road was unusually congested, and by the time the car arrived, it was almost time for the appointment.
Chu Jiahe and others waited at the entrance of the restaurant. When the car stopped, he went over to open the door for Gan Tang.
"I'm sorry I'm late. Has Auntie arrived yet?"
"No, don't worry!" Chu Jiahe gently reached out to take Gan Tang's hand. A gust of wind blew by, and a strange smell rushed into Gan Tang's nose, startling her and causing her to pull away.
Is this what poison tastes like?
Realizing that her reaction was a bit too much, Gan Tang quickly explained, "Jiahe, don't be too intimate with me, it won't look good if your aunt sees it."
"Not here yet!" Chu Jiahe thought she was nervous, but still held her slightly cold fingertips.
Shortly after the two entered the private room, Mrs. Chu arrived late.
Gan Tang felt an instinctive fear in this situation. In the past, even when toasting her superiors, she would always hide in the most inconspicuous place in the crowd.
"Xintang!"
Seeing her standing there blankly, Chu Jiahe called her softly.
At this moment, Gan Tang completely forgot all the etiquette that Lu Zhengqian had taught her. With a determined heart, she pushed the gift box onto Mrs. Chu's table and bowed deeply at a ninety-degree angle.
"Auntie, this is my gift to you. I hope you like it."
It was a truly impolite yet undeniable action. Swift, powerful, and decisive, carrying the air of someone ready to die for their cause.
Mrs. Chu leaned back instinctively.
Chu Jiahe suppressed a laugh and helped Gan Tang sit down, then helped his mother open the gift box.
A bright green bracelet appeared.
"Mom, it's beautiful!" Chu Jiahe said, helping his mother put on the bracelet. Her son didn't recognize jade, but Madam Chu did. She pressed down on the box, politely declining, "Miss Lu's gift is too valuable; I cannot accept it."
"It's not valuable!" Gan Tang retorted subconsciously, only realizing her mistake as soon as the words left her mouth. Fortunately, Chu Jiahe stopped her from speaking.
When Gan Tang's brain restarted, she was already holding a box. It looked like food.
But these days, who would give food to young people unless she never intended to get married in the first place? Gan Tang could only accept it politely.
After exchanging greetings, Chu Jiahe sat between the two and called the waiter to serve the dishes.
At the dinner table, Mrs. Chu would occasionally ask Gan Tang questions, mostly about her experiences, education, and past romantic relationships.
Gan Tang answered carefully, and before the meal was even halfway over, she could already clearly sense that Mrs. Chu didn't like her. Not that she disliked her as a person, but rather her family background and education.
Gan Tang could understand the academic credentials, since they were fake. It's not easy to fake a world-class university; Lu Zhengqian had only forged a third-rate world university for her.
But Gan Tang couldn't quite understand the family background. In the entire Tianjin market, if even the Lu Group wasn't good enough for the Chu family, how many families could?
Just as Gan Tang was racking her brains for a way to salvage the situation, a waiter came up to her and served her food, kicking her heel repeatedly.
Gan Tang frowned, turned her head to look, and her mind went blank.
It's Cao Yunbo!
What is he going to do?
Gan Tang kicked him in frustration.
Cao Yunbo steadily put down the steamed sea bass, stood up and said to Mrs. Chu, "I'm sorry, Madam, there's something I need to tell you. But this is entirely my fault, so please don't blame anyone else."
As he spoke, he reached out to grab Gan Tang's hand.
Startled, Gan Tang dodged away. His greasy hand brushed against her sleeve, leaving an oil stain. In her panic, she yelled at him, "What are you doing? Get away from me! You're filthy. You stink! Get out of here!"
Seeing that Cao Yunbo was still standing still, she was really worried that he would say something irreversible, so she stood up and called for help, "What kind of waiter is this? Call your manager over here right now."
Because it was a VIP room, the manager didn't dare to delay for a moment and rushed over.
"Hello, ma'am, how can I help you?"
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