The Rich Man's Life Begins with a Comeback

Chapter 281 You bastard, don't you even know what blood ties are?!

"Miss Luo, please come in..."

Zhou Shunan, the deputy general manager of Zhenhai, personally welcomed Luo Xiwen to the Xige private room, showing the utmost respect and daring not to be negligent in the slightest.

"Thank you."

Luo Xiwen responded politely.

At the same time, she turned her gaze to the round table in the center of the private room.

Ok?
When Luo Xiwen saw the people sitting around the round table, her brows furrowed slightly.

Isn't today a family dinner?
Why are there outsiders here?

Luo Xiwen looked at the three strangers sitting in the main seat, feeling slightly puzzled, but he didn't show it on his face and continued walking into the private room.

"Mom and Dad."

"Third Aunt, Third Uncle, Xiaoming."

The private room at Xige isn't very large; it's probably a standard ten-person table.

As soon as Luo Xiwen entered the private room, everyone turned their attention to him, including the three strangers.

The two unfamiliar older men, with their condescending and scrutinizing gazes, made Luo Xiwen feel inexplicably uncomfortable.

"Xiwen, you're here."

Luo Xiwen's third aunt, Hou Meixia, is the younger sister of Luo Xiwen's mother, Hou Meilan. Hou Meixia is the third child, Hou Meilan is the second child, and above them is Luo Xiwen's maternal uncle, but he passed away when Luo Xiwen was only a teenager.

When Luo Xiwen's maternal uncle was still alive, the three families maintained a close relationship. However, after Luo Xiwen's maternal uncle passed away, and when Luo Xiwen was very young, his maternal grandparents also passed away one after another. Without their pillars of support, the relationship between the three families became much weaker.

Unless someone has a major or minor event that requires their presence, they might not see each other for two or three years at a time. For example, the last time Luo Xiwen saw his aunt's family was two years ago.

Compared to Luo Xiwen's parents, who were ordinary state-owned enterprise workers, Luo Xiwen's third aunt's family was much better off. They ran a farmers' market supermarket on their own. Although they had to work from dawn till dusk every day, earning several hundred thousand yuan a year was not a problem.

Especially during the special period a few years ago, they made a fortune.

They went from a small three-bedroom apartment to a large four-bedroom apartment, and from an old Mercedes-Benz E-Class to a new BMW 7 Series – it was a complete upgrade.

At this moment, Luo Xiwen looked at his third aunt, who was dressed in gold and silver, and replied with a smile, "Third aunt, why are you all here so early? I'm not late, am I?"

"No, no, no."

"You're not late, we're early."

Hou Meixia looked at her stunningly beautiful niece and smiled even more broadly: "Xiwen, please sit down first, and your aunt will introduce you."

“That’s your third aunt’s husband’s friend. You can call him Uncle Shen. He’s known your third aunt’s husband for many years. He’s a real big boss who operates four large agricultural markets in various parts of Jilin Province. His annual profits are in the tens of millions.”

"The boy sitting next to your Uncle Shen is your Uncle Shen's son. His name is Shen Haochen. He is two years older than you, has a master's degree from a prestigious university, is unmarried and single, and is currently a teacher at Jilin Agricultural University."

"The woman on the far right is Haochen's mother, and also your Uncle Shen's capable wife. According to your Uncle Shen, if it weren't for your Aunt Pan helping him manage the household all these years, his business wouldn't have grown so big."

Luo Xiwen, who had just sat down, finally realized what was going on after listening to his third aunt's introduction.

Family dinner?

This is practically a blind date!

For a moment, Luo Xiwen's expression turned somewhat unpleasant.

“Xiwen…”

"Mom knows you really hate blind dates, but you're 27 years old this year, and you really can't keep putting it off any longer. Besides, the boy your aunt introduced to you is really good in every way, which is why Mom kept it a secret from you."

Just as Luo Xiwen was about to get up and leave, her mother, Hou Meilan, placed her hand on her thigh. Then, with a pleading look on her face, she said quickly in a low voice, "Since we're already here, let's sit down and have a proper meal. We can talk about whether we like each other or not after the meal."

Luo Xiwen, whose anger was already rising to her throat, had to suppress it again when she saw the pleading look on her mother's face.

Looking back on the entire Spring Festival, the topic of being pressured to get married never stopped.

Whenever her mother gets a little free time, no matter what the two of them start talking about, they will almost always jump back to the topic of urging each other to get married within a few sentences.

However, she never expected that despite her refusal to go on blind dates throughout the entire Spring Festival holiday, her mother would still force her to go on one at the very end.

"it is good."

Luo Xiwen suppressed his anger and reluctantly agreed.

Just as the mother and daughter were talking, Luo Xiwen's third aunt, Hou Meixia, said to the three people sitting in the main seats: "President Shen, Haochen, Sister Pan, this is my niece Luo Xiwen, a top student who graduated from the Central University of Finance and Economics, and is now the manager of the strategic customer department at the China Merchants Bank branch in Jilin Province."

"At such a young age, he is already a senior executive at the China Merchants Bank branch in Jilin Province. He is indeed young, promising, and has a bright future."

Shen Zhengsheng looked at Luo Xiwen and commented, then changed the subject: "However, China Merchants Bank is ultimately just a joint-stock bank, not comparable to the four major state-owned banks. The leadership positions change too much. Unless you reach the level of a branch manager, it is ultimately not very stable."

Everyone present was an adult, and anyone could understand the implication of Shen Zhengsheng's words. He was clearly referring to Luo Xiwen's position as a senior executive at a branch of China Merchants Bank, which sounded impressive but was actually quite dubious.

"She is good-looking, dignified and gentle."

"She has a good figure and looks like she should be able to have a son."

After Shen Zhengsheng spoke, Pan Xiaomei followed up with, "If it were a senior executive at one of the four major state-owned banks, there would be some prospects. But if it were a senior executive at China Merchants Bank, it wouldn't really be worth it. You'd be in the public eye every day, but you wouldn't earn much money all year round."

"If you really want to marry into our family in the future, you will definitely have to resign from this senior management position. Just find a relaxed job with a basic salary, and have an employer pay your social insurance and housing fund."

“I have taken care of Haochen since he was a child. He has always been waited on hand and foot. In my opinion, men should focus on their careers and women should share the burden of other things as much as possible.”

From the moment Luo Xiwen entered the private room, Pan Xiaomei had been scrutinizing him with a critical eye. Now, when she spoke, her haughty arrogance was completely undisguised.

He talks about resigning all the time, and he always says "it should be".

Luo Xiwen was already furious at being tricked into coming here by his parents and aunt. Now, after hearing Shen Zhengsheng and Pan Xiaomei's arrogant words, he was so angry that he laughed.

Her gaze swept over her mother and father, then over her third aunt and uncle, as if to say: This is the good family you carefully selected for me.
"Mr. Shen started from scratch and has always been efficient in his work."

Hou Meixia noticed that the atmosphere was a bit off, so she smiled and smoothed things over: "Sister Pan is very straightforward and never likes to hide anything. In fact, Sister Pan is very kind-hearted, otherwise she wouldn't have been able to raise such an outstanding son."

An excellent son?
Luo Xiwen glanced at the young man sitting between Shen Zhengsheng and Pan Xiaomei. He was dressed cleanly and neatly, and his appearance and figure were above average, but he gave people the feeling of being a dull fool.

Since Luo Xiwen entered the room, he hadn't said a word. He would either glance at Pan Xiaomei beside him from time to time, or stare blankly at Luo Xiwen. The lenses of his glasses were almost as thick as bottle caps.

Top-tier mama's boy!

Luo Xiwen could immediately tell the quality of the other party.

"Yeah."

"Actually, President Shen and Sister Pan have always been very picky. Over the years, Hao Chen has introduced countless potential partners to them, but none of them have met their standards."

Luo Xiwen's third aunt's husband, Ye Taihong, chimed in, "Look at them coming here in person today, and choosing Zhenhai Shengyan, the most upscale restaurant in all of North Chun. It's clear how much they value and approve of you."

"But……"

"I have my own pursuits and ambitions."

"My annual salary plus performance bonus is over 700,000 yuan now."

Luo Xiwen feigned hesitation and asked, "Uncle and Aunt, if I marry into your family and quit my current job, will my daily life be better than it is now?" You like to show off, don't you?
You like to pretend to be from a wealthy and prestigious family, don't you?
You even gave birth to a son and raised your child well. Does your family have a throne to inherit?
During this time, Luo Xiwen had been by Gu Heng's side and had seen many powerful and influential people, but she had never seen anyone so arrogant.

Since the other party showed no respect whatsoever to him and his family, Luo Xiwen naturally wouldn't hold back either. To use a phrase Gu Heng often used:
If you try to show off, I'll make you fly!

Luo Xiwen thought this to herself, but on the surface she still maintained a humble and virtuous appearance.

"Ha ha……"

"They're still young after all; their vision is too limited."

"Seven hundred thousand is just a month's profit for our family."

"If you marry into our family, you'll live in a big villa, and there will even be a housekeeper for you."

"Your food, clothing, shelter, and transportation are all taken care of, so you have nowhere to spend your money even if you want to."

Pan Xiaomei chuckled twice, her disdain for Luo Xiwen's claim of an annual salary of 700,000 yuan.

"But as a girl, I also like pretty clothes and designer bags."

"Now I can buy whatever I want with my own salary."

"So, once I marry into your family, will I also have 700,000 yuan a year to spend as I please?"

Seeing that Pan Xiaomei was avoiding the main issue and changing the subject, Luo Xiwen refused to let her have her way and brought up the matter of money directly.

Aren't you just showing off?

Aren't you pretending to be a wealthy socialite?
Then I'll see what kind of strength you have that makes you so arrogant and disrespectful!

Sure enough, as soon as Luo Xiwen threw that straight punch, Pan Xiaomei and Shen Zhengsheng both frowned.

"Xiao Luo, a woman must know how to be thrifty and manage a household well."

Pan Xiaomei said in an elder's tone, "You work at a bank, don't you understand the principle that if you don't manage your money, your money won't manage you?"

"As long as you have clothes to wear, that's fine. Besides, you're already a married woman. It's a bit inappropriate for you to dress up like a young girl."

"As for those designer bags, they are all a tax on intelligence. They are marketing scams used by capitalists to exploit ordinary people. At that time, your family will give you a credit card with a limit of 10,000 yuan per month. It will be enough for your normal living expenses. You can buy whatever you want."

Upon hearing Pan Xiaomei's reply, Luo Xiwen burst out laughing.

Although he didn't say anything, the smile that fell into Shen Zhengsheng and Pan Xiaomei's eyes carried a strange hint of mockery.

Who is Pan Xiaomei?

At home, he has always been the one to have the final say.

Seeing Luo Xiwen's expression now, I felt a surge of anger.

"okay."

"Everyone is here."

"Let the waiter bring the food."

Seeing his wife's expression change, Shen Zhengsheng changed the subject at the right moment: "Waiter, please read out the dishes we just ordered, and then bring the menu over."

"Ok."

The waitress responded, and just as she was about to turn around to get the menu from the preparation room, she saw Zhou Shunan, the restaurant's deputy general manager, walk quickly out of the preparation room with the menu in his hand, while giving her a look that said "Don't make a fuss."

The waiter swallowed back the greeting that was about to come out, then returned to the round table and read out the dishes they had just ordered again, as instructed by Shen Zhengsheng.

"Little Luo."

“Zhenhai Feast is probably the most upscale restaurant in Beichun. I guess you and your parents don’t usually have the chance to eat here. Consider today as a way to get used to it. If you are lucky enough to marry my son, your family should have more opportunities to come to places like this often.”

Pan Xiaomei was still furious at Luo Xiwen's slightly mocking smile. She thought that if it weren't for the fact that Luo Xiwen was excellent in terms of appearance, figure, education, job, and other aspects, and that she was the only girl her son had ever taken the initiative to say he liked after seeing her photos, she probably would have already turned her back on him.

Although Shen Zhengsheng changed the subject, she still had to vent her anger. In her opinion, it was an immense honor for Luo Xiwen to be chosen by their family, and they would never refuse.

In this situation, Naroshwen is essentially a "prospective daughter-in-law". As her mother-in-law, she must teach her what rules are. If she dares to disobey before even marrying into the family, what will happen when she actually comes to the house?
Thinking of this, Pan Xiaomei turned her gaze to Luo Xiwen's parents: "Luo's dad, Luo's mom, you two come with Luo and take a look at the menu. Lao Shen and I just ordered some dishes that we often eat, so it's not particularly lavish."

"Take a look and see what you'd like to eat. You and Xiao Luo can just tell the waiter." Pan Xiaomei then looked at the waiter: "They might not be very worldly-wise. If there's anything they don't understand, please help them explain it."

If Pan Xiaomei's previous words were all subtle belittling, then her last words to the waiter were no different from directly saying that Luo Xiwen and her parents were country bumpkins.

As soon as Pan Xiaomei said this, not only did Luo Xiwen and Hou Meilan's expressions change, but even Luo Xiwen's third aunt Hou Meixia and her husband's expressions changed, and even Luo Xiwen's cousin's expression fell.

Although Luo Xiwen's parents didn't make a lot of money in their lives, as state-owned enterprise workers, they lived a decent life in Beichun. At least they had no worries about food, clothing, or medical care.

They are indeed worried about their daughter's marriage, and they really want her to marry into a good family, but all of that must be based on respect and equality.

However, from the moment Luo Xiwen entered the house, everything the parents said and did was utter contempt, even disdain, in their eyes.

Can this be tolerated?
They are marrying off their daughter, not selling her.

In Northeastern dialect, it means, "You have money, so what?"
Luo Xiwen's parents were furious at Pan Xiaomei's words, and Hou Meixia, who had been trying to smooth things over since Luo Xiwen entered the house, also couldn't hold back her smile.

You were the ones who wanted to find a wife for your son!
You were the ones who initially set your sights on our niece and asked us to help you match them up!

So you found the people and set up the meeting, and this is the last thing you did?
Even though the relationship between our two families has faded a bit over the years, Hou Meilan will always be my older sister, and Luo Xiwen is my niece whom I watched grow up.

Soul pale!

Do you even understand what blood ties are?

Do you even know what respect is?!

Don't you even know what politeness is?!

I respect your family calling you President Shen, but if I don't respect you, then your whole family is a bunch of bastards!

What about the upstream suppliers?

There are plenty of farmers' markets in Beichun. Will we starve to death if we leave you?

Hou Meixia had helped her husband run the farmers' supermarket for so many years, working like a man through thick and thin. She was also a person with a strong temper and personality. Now, after hearing Pan Xiaomei's last words, the powder keg hidden in her heart was just one spark away from exploding.

At this moment, Luo Xiwen's parents and his third aunt's family all turned their attention to Luo Xiwen. If Luo Xiwen showed even the slightest sign of grievance or humiliation, they would immediately overturn the table.

Luo Xiwen's cousin, Ye Ziming, gripped his water glass tightly with his right hand, his eyes fixed on Shen Haochen sitting in the middle. If things went wrong, he was confident that, based on his years of experience throwing notes in class, he could splash all the water in his glass onto the other man's face.

Oh shit!

He'd disliked the other person for a long time!

He's had a long face ever since he came in!
Do you think you're cool?
Do you think you're very profound?
With your awful appearance, your mom thinks my sister isn't good enough for you?

Even a female dog paired with a dead mama's boy like you would be the perfect match, a match made in heaven!
Hou Meixia and Ye Taihong, who had been tempered in the complex business world for many years, were both losing their temper. Not to mention Ye Ziming, who was young and impetuous. He had already cursed the other party's family to the bone in his heart.

However, just as both families were seething with anger and waiting for Luo Xiwen to give the signal to launch a full-scale attack, to everyone's surprise, Luo Xiwen's expression remained completely unchanged after hearing Pan Xiaomei's words, and even...

She actually laughed!

(End of this chapter)