Take her as my wife

What Liu Jiaren just said had no effect on Tan Wen. He didn't need to make any promises to Liu Jiaren or swear that he was different from Tan Yan.

Anyway, he had already made up his mind to want Jiang Ni.

After leaving Jiang Ni's house, Tan Wen took a taxi to X University to find Tan Yan.

Strictly speaking, it was Tan Yan who asked him to meet, saying she needed his help with something.

Ever since Tan Yan learned that He Xiaoling and the others had gone to Jiang Ni to ask for a house and a car, Tan Yan has been so angry that he has started a cold war with his family. He didn't even come back for Tan Mei's son's birthday a few days ago.

Although Tan Wen didn't go back, it's not easy for them to get leave from university anyway, and he even sent Tan Mei an 888 yuan red envelope, so naturally no one said anything to him.

Tan Yan, on the other hand, was subjected to He Xiaoling's sarcastic and mean-spirited nagging in front of relatives and friends all day long. Of course, Tan Yan could easily guess that Jiang Ni was also included in He Xiaoling's nasty remarks.

This is also why Tan Wen rarely returned to Ning County after going to university.

Before Tan Yan and Jiang Ni broke up, He Xiaoling and Tan Mei tried every means to scheme against Jiang Ni, trying to get benefits from her.

Jiang Ni bought gold bracelets and necklaces for He Xiaoling and Tan Mei, and also gave them large red envelopes during holidays. These became the mother and daughter's capital to show off to outsiders, while they would turn around and mock Jiang Ni as a naive and foolish girl who was easy to manipulate.

If they said anything too offensive, Tan Wen would kick open the bedroom door and glare at them, saying, "It's so noisy!"

He's always been like this; He Xiaoling can't control him and doesn't care. The two of them remained silent, only daring to continue speaking after he slammed the door and left.

In fact, Tan Wen felt that even if Tan Yan didn't cheat on Jiang Ni, their relationship wouldn't last. This was because even though Tan Yan disliked how He Xiaoling and the others treated Jiang Ni, he had a deep-seated tendency towards blind filial piety and had never truly protected her in his actions.

When a person suffers too much injustice, they will eventually explode.

Tan Yan's belated "rebellious spirit" is worthless in Tan Wen's eyes.

Knock on the door, wait.

Tan Yan opened the door and greeted him, "You're here. No need to change your shoes, just come in."

Tan had never been to his apartment before, and he discreetly observed the interior design and furnishings.

There was a pair of women's slippers on the shoe rack.

There were some cute dolls and ornaments on the sofa, and couple mugs on the dining table... Clearly, Tan Yan had started living like a cohabitant with the female student he had cheated on with.

Tan Wen felt pleased—the more stable Tan Yan's relationship with other women became, the smaller the chances of Tan Yan and Jiang Ni getting back together would be, until they reached zero, at which point he would be completely at ease.

Tan Yan poured him a glass of water, sat down opposite him, hesitated for a few seconds, and then spoke up: "Xiao Zong, I want to borrow money from you."

"Xiao Zong" is Tan Wen's nickname.

He Xiaoling had a son again late in life, and he was such a handsome little boy. She loved him very much and named him "Tan Jizong".

But Tan Wen was always sick when he was a child. He Xiaoling was superstitious, so instead of taking him to the doctor, she took him to a fortune teller. The master said that his name was too grand and not conducive to having children, so He Xiaoling spent fifty yuan to have him give him a new name.

That's how the name "Tan Wen" came about.

However, he had been called "Xiao Zong" for several years and got used to it, so he continued to be called that.

Tan Wen noticed his awkward little movements and asked, "How much do you want to borrow? What do you need it for?"

Tan Yan pursed his lips and said a considerable sum: "...two hundred thousand. Yun Qing...is my girlfriend. She's pregnant. I'm not young anymore, and I want this child."

He had 1.05 million yuan in renovation fees that Jiang Ni had returned to him, plus other miscellaneous money that had been discounted, totaling about 1.15 million yuan. But he definitely couldn't afford to buy a house in the main urban area of ​​Yicheng.

Shen Yunqing's parents are locals from Yicheng. They own two houses and know that he teaches at a university and has an excellent academic background. They treat him very well and agree to let him register his marriage with Shen Yunqing if he pays a dowry of 68 yuan.

Tan Yan recounted the incident, and Tan asked, puzzled, "Don't you have 68?"

"I bought Yunqing a car outright a while ago..." Tan Yan didn't want to talk too much about these issues, so he promised and pressed, "I promise I can pay you back within two years, so just tell me if you're willing to lend it to me."

He knew that Tan Wen could come up with the money.

At the beginning of this year, before the university started, Tan Yan bumped into Tan Wen, who was also talking business with several bosses at a hotel, while having dinner with his superiors.

Tan Yan had no idea how Tan Wen knew these big bosses, where he got his start-up capital, or what kind of business he was in. He could only tell that those well-dressed bosses trusted and admired Tan Wen, and that he must be doing very well.

Tan Yan did not tell anyone about this.

Although he was better at studying than Tan Wen from childhood and didn't cause trouble, He Xiaoling just preferred Tan Wen. If they knew that Tan Wen was already so capable before even entering society, it would only further damage his pride as the older brother.

Tan Wen would certainly lend the 200,000 yuan; not only would he lend it, he could even give it directly to Tan Yan as a wedding gift.

"Brother, don't be so formal," he said, his mind racing and his words exceptionally pleasant. "I don't have that much money in my phone. Tomorrow morning at ten o'clock, you'll come with me to that XX bank on Huisheng Road to withdraw the money—no need to rush to pay it back. I'd like to congratulate you in advance, brother, congratulations... to my new sister-in-law, happy marriage, and may you have a baby soon."

Seeing that he agreed so readily, Tan Yan's tense emotions immediately relaxed: "Thank you. You're already twenty, do you have a girlfriend? If you like someone, just go for it. With your good looks, you definitely won't have trouble finding someone."

Tan nodded: "I have someone I like, I'm pursuing her, and I'm so worried. I really envy you, brother."

Tan Yan encouraged him: "Keep it up, I also wish you success in winning the heart of your beauty soon."

Tan Wen smiled and said, "Thank you, brother. I appreciate your kind words. Once I've won you over, I'll definitely bring you here to see you first."

To express his gratitude for Tan Wen's generosity, Tan Yan took Shen Yunqing out of class that evening and invited Tan Wen to dinner.

Shen Yunqing is still in the early stages of pregnancy. She is already thin, so there are no signs of pregnancy at all.

"This is my younger brother, Tan Wen, who studies at Yicheng Public Security University," Tan Yan introduced to Shen Yunqing.

Shen Yunqing praised, "Teacher's younger brother is so handsome and capable. He'll be a policeman when he grows up. His future is bright."

Tan looked at her, still managing to say the polite words: "Sister-in-law is also very beautiful, she and my brother are a perfect match."

There were only three of them, so they didn't sit in a private room. Their seats were on the left-hand side by the window as they entered the restaurant.

Before all the dishes were served, Tan Yan casually glanced up at the doorway, then froze, his pupils contracting.

"Jiang Fengyu, that foodie, knows every restaurant around X University like the back of his hand. This place is at least half a city away from his home."

Liu Jiaren linked arms with Jiang Ni and complained to her, "Now I'm starting to believe he's still a virgin. He spends all his time eating delicious food or playing games. He doesn't go to bars or nightclubs. He's a complete shut-in."

Jiang Ni didn't think there was anything wrong with it, and even said a few words in Jiang Fengyu's defense: "In the second-generation circle, he is considered to be clean-living and without any bad habits. If you are only interested in his body, you should choose someone else."

Last time, when Liu Jiaren said things like "take responsibility for him" and "we can always get married," Jiang Ni didn't believe her at all. She didn't have any feelings about marriage, while Liu Jiaren scoffed at it. Liu Jiaren came from a wealthy family, and her parents kept many lovers outside the marriage. They each did their own thing, didn't interfere with each other, and didn't get divorced.

"Okay, okay, he invited a few friends today. If there's a handsome one later, I'll switch my target, alright?"

Upon hearing her mention "handsome," Jiang Ni suddenly asked, "Isn't Tan Wen your type?"

Before Liu Jiaren could reply, Jiang Fengyu's loud voice suddenly rang out: "Jiajia! Jiang Ni! Over here!"

The name "Jiang Ni" was Tan Wen's attention trigger. He put down his chopsticks and looked in the direction of the sound.

A man strode up to Jiang Ni and Liu Jiaren, casually put his hands on their backs, and pushed them toward the private room.

In fact, Jiang Fengyu was very careful; his hands didn't actually touch the two ladies' bodies. It was just a matter of perspective, so Tan Wen couldn't see it clearly.

For some reason, the words "blind date" that Liu Jiaren had mentioned that morning popped into his head.

Where did this man come from?

Surely it couldn't have been a blind date, could it?

Tan Wen felt as if someone had forced a pot of vinegar down his throat; it was unbearably sour, but he had to pretend to be calm.

He turned to look at Tan Yan, who was clearly also in a daze. He knew that Tan Yan was still harboring feelings for Jiang Ni.

His handsome face looked even uglier.

"Brother, I need to go to the restroom."

He stood up and left without waiting for Tan Yan's response.