Xiao Zhou has been spoiled by his father and me since he was a child. He hasn't experienced much hardship and is very simple-minded.
We always hoped he could find someone from a similar family background, someone we knew well, someone with whom he could support each other in the future, saving him a lot of unnecessary trouble.
Her words were tactful, but the meaning between the lines was crystal clear.
She disliked Lu You because she was an adopted daughter of the Yu family, her status was not legitimate enough, and she was not good enough for Cheng family's precious son.
It's climbing the social ladder.
Cheng Zhou's face instantly darkened. He put down his chopsticks, his tone already showing displeasure.
"Mom, why are you saying all this? Youyou and I are doing fine together, that's enough."
Madam Cheng seemed not to hear her son's dissatisfaction and continued to look at Lu You with a condescending concern in her eyes.
“Miss Lu, please don’t mind. I’m doing this for your future. Some differences can’t be bridged by feelings alone.”
Lu You lowered her eyes and remained silent, showing no reaction.
Mrs. Cheng got more and more excited as she spoke: "Marriage is a matter between two families, involving many aspects, such as social networks and living habits. Over time, these minor details will inevitably lead to friction."
“I’m worried that you’ll find it hard in the future, and that you’ll feel like you’re letting Xiao Zhou down.”
Madam Cheng's words were quite blunt; she was practically pointing her finger at him and saying that Lu You was unworthy of Cheng Zhou in every way.
Lu You listened quietly, her face expressionless, only her knuckles holding the chopsticks turned slightly white.
Cheng Zhou saw this and felt extremely distressed.
He jumped to his feet: "Mom! You've gone too far! Youyou, she..."
"Cheng Zhou".
Lu You suddenly spoke, interrupting him with a calm voice.
She raised her head and looked directly at Madam Cheng. Her usually languid eyes were now clear and filled with a hint of mockery.
She didn't look at Cheng Zhou, but only at Madam Cheng.
"Mrs. Cheng, the problems you are worried about are actually very easy to solve."
Mrs. Cheng raised her eyebrows slightly, seemingly wanting to hear what solutions she could come up with.
Lu You put down her chopsticks, picked up a napkin and elegantly wiped her mouth before slowly saying, "Since you feel that I am marrying above my station with the Cheng family, and you are afraid that I will wrong Cheng Zhou, and that the Cheng family will suffer any losses because of my existence..."
She paused, her gaze sweeping over Cheng Zhou before finally settling back on Madam Cheng's face.
"Then let Cheng Zhou sever ties with the Cheng family and come with me."
“In that case, it wouldn’t be me trying to climb the social ladder by marrying into the Cheng family.”
A cold smile curled at the corner of her lips. "It's not that Cheng Zhou is unworthy of me, Lu You."
Upon hearing this, the entire restaurant fell into a deathly silence.
The Cheng family's servants were dumbfounded.
The composure on Madam Cheng's face vanished.
She slowly widened her eyes, staring at Lu You in disbelief, as if she had heard something unbelievable.
How can she be so confident? How dare she say such a thing!
Cheng Zhou was also stunned; he had never expected Lu You to offer such a solution.
After Lu You finished speaking, she turned her head and looked at him calmly.
The coldness that had been in his eyes when he was facing Madam Cheng was gone, replaced by pure inquiry and waiting.
“Cheng Zhou.” Lu You looked at him. “Are you willing to leave the Cheng family and come with me? I can open a restaurant you like, or do something else. Just the two of us, we can live a good life.”
Her tone was calm, without coercion or emotional appeal; she was simply waiting for his choice.
Cheng Zhou looked into her eyes, and almost without hesitation, he smiled with relief and a hint of excitement, and nodded emphatically.
"Yes, of course I'm willing."
He grabbed Lu You's hand, held it tightly, turned to look at his mother who was still in shock, and spoke with a resolute tone.
"Mom, you heard it too, I think Youyou's idea is very good."
“From today onwards, everything about the Cheng family has nothing to do with me. I will leave with Youyou, and whether we are doing well or badly in the future, it is none of your concern.”
After saying that, he stopped looking at Madam Cheng's pale face, grabbed Lu You, and turned to leave without hesitation.
His movements were swift and decisive, without the slightest hesitation.
"You, you've all rebelled!"
Madam Cheng was so angry that she trembled all over. She slammed her hand on the table and stood up, pointing at their backs, but she couldn't utter a single complete sentence.
Her carefully prepared reprimands and discipline turned into a complete joke.
And so, Cheng Zhou pulled Lu You along and strode out of the Cheng family's old house.
They got into the car and drove away from that suffocating area without saying a word.
Outside the window, the city lights shone brilliantly. Cheng Zhou's tense nerves slowly began to relax.
He turned his head to look at Lu You in the passenger seat.
She was looking out the window, her profile somewhat blurred in the flickering light and shadow.
“Youyou…”
Cheng Zhou called her softly, his heart filled with heartache and lingering fear, "I'm sorry, I didn't expect my mother to offend you like that."
Lu You turned her head, her face showing no anger or grievance, but rather a sense of relief.
She said calmly, "No need to apologize, this isn't your problem."
Lu You paused, her gaze fixed on the rapidly receding lights outside the car window.
"Cheng Zhou, remember this: not all problems in this world need to be solved, and not everyone is worth my effort to please."
"No matter what I do, if this person is prejudiced and doesn't approve of me at all, the best approach is not to argue, but to stay away."
Lu You withdrew her gaze and looked at Bie Chengzhou: "I respect her as your mother, so I came here today with a gift to be polite, but this is the limit of what I can do."
She's being unreasonable, so I won't give her that face anymore. If I can't deal with her, I'll just sever the connection with the Cheng family that's causing us both trouble. It's that simple.
Cheng Zhou was deeply moved by her words.
He had always known that Lu You was clear-headed and decisive, but only now did he truly appreciate the resoluteness and strength in her bones.
She neither depends on nor begs.
That's exactly the kind of Lu You he likes.
Cheng Zhou freed one hand and held her hand tightly, their fingertips intertwining.
"You're right. I was always trying to smooth things over and make her accept it, but it only made you feel wronged."
"It won't happen again. Wherever you want to go, whether we open a restaurant or do something else, I'll listen to you."
Lu You felt the warmth of his palm, and finally a relaxed smile appeared on her face for the first time that night.
She grasped Cheng Zhou's hand in return, her tone becoming lighter.
"I haven't decided yet, we can take our time. Anyway, from now on, it'll be up to the two of us to make the decisions."
"Yes, the two of us."
Cheng Zhou smiled as well, glancing at the Cheng family's direction receding further and further away in the rearview mirror.
He felt no lingering attachment, only a sense of sudden enlightenment.
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