Zheng He's home. Xia Liang naturally knew where it was, as he had been there once before, but Kong Man still diligently fulfilled her duty. Soon, the three of them arrived at the apartment building.

The wedding car hadn't arrived yet.

Inside the wedding car, Kong Man looked at Zheng He's excited smile. Will he still be able to smile later? she thought maliciously. It's a shame, really. He could have married up and secured his future, but he had to go and offend that particular boss.

Kong Man didn't feel sorry for Zheng He at all. In her eyes, he was just a backup plan. A bootlicker to the end, destined to have nothing.

Downstairs at Zheng He's home, the car finally arrived.

Xia Liang and Luu Qi jolted upright. "They're here! They're here!"

Xi Yiqian looked at the excited pair with a puzzled expression. She didn't understand why they were so worked up about someone else's wedding. And for some reason, she had a nagging feeling that everything that had just happened was somehow connected to Xia Liang.

The car door opened. Zheng He eagerly crouched down and said excitedly, "Honey, we're home. Get on my back."

Hearing this, Kong Man said indifferently, "Don't call me that. Who's your honey? We're not home yet."

"But we're so close," Zheng He said, not minding her tone. "I'll carry you upstairs right now."

"Hey, wait," Kong Man said, stopping him again.

"What is it now?" Zheng He's heart skipped a beat, and an unreasonable sense of panic washed over him. Please, don't let there be any last-minute tricks.

Just as he was praying, Kong Man's words mercilessly shattered his hopes. "Where's the fee for getting out of the car?"

"The what?" Zheng He was stunned, then he grew anxious. "Manman, what are you talking about? I gave you the red envelopes, I paid the bride price. I even scraped together the extra money when you raised the bride price. What more do you want? Stop fooling around, Kong Man."

"I'm not fooling around," Kong Man replied, her tone much calmer than his. "The bride price is the bride price, the red envelopes are the red envelopes, and the car dismount fee is the car dismount fee. You can't skip any of them."

"You!" Zheng He's face went dark, his chest heaving. "How much do you want for this 'car dismount fee'?"

Kong Man seemed completely oblivious to his anger. "One of my friends got a car dismount fee of eighty-eight thousand, eight hundred and eighty-eight..."

Hearing that number, Zheng He's entire body started to tremble.

Fortunately, Kong Man wasn't finished. "I don't need that much. Just sixty-six thousand, six hundred and sixty-six will do."

It was over twenty thousand less... but it was still an astronomical sum.

***

"It's already come to this, how can she keep jacking up the price on the spot?" a member of the crowd gathered about ten meters from the car muttered.

Xi Yiqian couldn't help but chime in again. "This is outrageous."

Seeing Xi Yiqian's righteous indignation, Xia Liang couldn't resist teasing her. "If you were marrying me, would you be like this?"

"Of course not," Xi Yiqian replied without a second thought. "If it were me, I wouldn't ask for a single cent of the bride price..."

The moment the words left her mouth, she realized what she'd said and her face turned beet red. How could I say something like that? Will Xia Liang think I'm being frivolous? That I'm desperate to marry him? Worrying, she cautiously glanced at Xia Liang.

Xia Liang found it amusing. "Oh? Is my dear Yiqian already planning to marry me?"

Hearing Xia Liang's teasing laughter, Xi Yiqian hid behind Luu Qi, her face as red as a ripe tomato.

Luu Qi shot Xia Liang a look. "Bro, stop teasing Sister Yiqian. Look how embarrassed she is." He patted Xi Yiqian's shoulder. "Sister Yiqian, don't mind him. He's being mean. We won't let you marry him; we'll find someone else for you."

"No!" To everyone's surprise, even though it was a joke, the beet-red Xi Yiqian shook her head and refused.

A wave of warmth spread through Xia Liang's heart. He decided to stop teasing the adorable girl. He gently patted her head and changed the subject. "You know, I'm the one who hired that girl."

"You hired her?" Sure enough, Xi Yiqian looked up at him again, her face full of confusion. "You asked her to do this? Why?"

Xia Liang just raised his eyebrows. "No reason. I just thought it would be fun." He gave her a slight smile. "So, do you think I'm a bad person?"

Xi Yiqian shook her head seriously. "I don't believe that..." Her eyes were full of conviction. "I believe you're not the type of person to do something like this for no reason."

"You, you..." Xia Liang felt a little helpless. She was always so earnest that it was impossible to even tease her. "Do you remember what I told you last time, about my brother's wedding?"

"Yes, I remember." Xi Yiqian nodded, then a thought struck her. "Could it be..." She pointed toward the people by the car. "Is that man the brother of your brother's ex-fiancée?"

"Exactly," Xia Liang confirmed with a nod. "And that girl is the one he's in love with. I wanted them to experience a little of what my brother went through back then."

So that was it. That's why Xia Liang was targeting them. They were so cruel.

When Xi Yiqian looked at Zheng He again, her eyes held no more sympathy or pity. There was only anger. They were getting a taste of their own medicine. They deserved it, especially since the original victim had been Xia Liang's own brother.

***

Back at the car, Kong Man was fully immersed in her performance. She knew Xia Liang was watching nearby, and as long as he was happy, she'd get her cut.

She discreetly pinched her own thigh. A sharp pain shot through her, and her eyes immediately reddened.

"Zheng He! What is the meaning of this? You don't even want to pay the dismount fee? Do you have any idea that I fought with my own mother just to marry you? Do you know that because of you, my parents and my relatives aren't even here for my wedding?" By the end, Kong Man was practically roaring.

One had to admit, women were natural-born actresses. In reality, her family and friends weren't there simply because she had never bothered to invite or even tell them. But now, she was making it all Zheng He's fault.

And it was working.

Zheng He, who had been furious just moments ago, felt his heart ache with pity at the sight of her distress. "Manman, I'm sorry, it's my fault. Please don't cry! I'll figure something out. Don't worry, I will definitely marry you. I'll find a way right now."

Saying this, Zheng He immediately picked up his phone and made a call.

On the other end of the line was his mother, Dai Yingyue.

Upstairs, Dai Yingyue had been overjoyed, muttering to herself, "Our Zheng family finally has a successor." Her son was finally getting married today. But why haven't they come up yet? Did something happen?

She was starting to worry when her phone suddenly rang. Seeing it was her son, she quickly answered. "Hello? Son, what's wrong?"

Zheng He's anxious voice came through the phone. "Mom, do you have any money left?"

"Money?" Dai Yingyue was taken aback, confused.

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