Return of the Antagonistic Lady Boss

Chapter 342 - 316: Engagement Arranged

Jia Xiufang felt a bit embarrassed by the sincere and overwhelming praise from Mrs. Yu.

"Your words are too kind, really. Our whole family likes Minglang too, but Qian still has a little—"

"That’s fine! Don’t worry, old sister. We absolutely won’t delay the child’s studies. Our family likes children who study. If Qian wants to continue her education, even to a postdoctoral level, there’s no problem. Minglang has a job now, the young couple can support each other and grow together. That’s precious, isn’t it?"

Jia Xiufang didn’t even have a chance to speak, as Mrs. Yu used the same tactic Yu Minglang once did, gently dismissing all of Jia Xiufang’s rebuttals.

She came with a mission; if Qian isn’t settled, she won’t leave.

Jia Xiufang was already agreeable to the match but wanted to observe how Minglang’s family treated Qian.

After Mrs. Yu arrived, she praised Qian to the skies, making Jia Xiufang feel embarrassed. She knew her daughter was good, but really that good?

Once Mrs. Yu starts praising someone, it’s like a faucet with no valve; it simply doesn’t stop!

According to Mrs. Yu, Qian is a 21st-century all-round talent, perfectly matched for her son, a match made in heaven. While praising Qian, she also mentioned Minglang casually but without overshadowing him. The main focus remained on Qian, with Minglang just getting a few quick praises, leaving Jia Xiufang unsure how to respond.

Typically, when the groom’s side comes seeking marriage, the groom’s relatives usually praise him and the bride’s relatives praise her. In this case, Mrs. Yu took over both roles entirely, leaving Jia Xiufang no choice but to mention shortcomings, like Qian burning things in the kitchen.

"Actually, my Qian isn’t that great. She can’t cook; it’s my neglect that I haven’t taught her well in that area."

"It’s no problem if she can’t cook. We’re bringing a daughter-in-law into our family, not hiring a maid. When Minglang isn’t home, Qian can come to us to eat. It’s nearby; Aunt can cook easily, and besides, my youngest has plenty of shortcomings too. At his age, he still seems immature, reading comics."

Mrs. Yu would point out minor, insignificant faults of Minglang to keep up the harmonious atmosphere.

The atmosphere was so harmonious that Jia Xiufang felt that if she didn’t agree to Qian and Minglang’s engagement, she’d lose her moral standing.

She had previously worried that their family’s high standing might look down on Qian. She had seen many cases where engagements fell apart because families couldn’t agree when meeting face to face. Jia Xiufang thought hard about it; if they didn’t cherish Qian, she’d rather not marry her daughter off than let her pursue such a high-status marriage.

After the demolition, Jia Xiufang felt more confident, hoping her daughter could have a good match; an equal standing was fine as long as her daughter was treated well and not bullied. There was no need to pursue a high-status match.

However, the "high status" approached with a better attitude than an equal match, doing and saying everything appropriate. Jia Xiufang found no faults upon careful observation of Minglang’s mother, who seemed to have strong eyebrows and eyes; she didn’t appear to be domineering. Her words implied a genuine affection for Qian.

Seeing their genuine intention to get engaged, there was no reason to refuse, so a date was set. Mrs. Yu directly handed the money to Qian, calling it a gift for buying her clothes and jewelry—not as a bride price, just engagement money, matching the 88,000 that Minglang mentioned.

Generally in Q City, engagement gifts of this amount are uncommon. Jia Xiufang didn’t even have time to refuse when Minglang quickly took the money and stuffed it into Qian’s hand.

"Quick, thank Mom—no, don’t change what you call her, keep calling her Aunt. Only change it after marriage when she gives us a name-changing fee. If it’s too little, we won’t change it."

He and Qian sat on the side, watching these two old ladies compliment each other, with the kids having no say in this occasion, just listening to the praise session before some self-mockery. They were nearly yawning when they finally reached the key step.

With the engagement gift for buying clothes, Qian was practically half a wife to Minglang, just waiting to set a table for some wedding money.

Minglang felt at ease, like a heavy stone had been lifted from his chest.

Mrs. Yu was both amused and annoyed, "Look at him, dear in-law. You don’t need to worry about him bullying Qian; his eagerness to side with Qian is a good thing, better than siding with outsiders."

Jia Xiufang laughed too, finding this future son-in-law adorably silly and good.

The engagement day was set for after the New Year, with Mrs. Yu getting Jia Xiufang’s agreement to have a small ceremony in Q City and then having Minglang take Qian back to his hometown to meet his grandfather. With more relatives there, they’ll have another ceremony.

The Yu family, despite being low-key people, simply can’t stay low-key due to their extensive connections over the years. Even if they wanted to, the longstanding friends of Mr. Yu and Mrs. Yu’s friends in the art world must be notified.

In some ways, Mrs. Yu resembled Yu Minglang, probably fearing to scare Jia Xiufang. She only introduced the family relations briefly after Minglang handed Qian the card, making the engagement official, leaving Jia Xiufang stunned.

Chen Zilong directly choked on his apple card, coughing repeatedly.

"Lang, you’re actually the son of a listed company group? Oh my goodness, I had tutoring from such a big company’s young boss? I’ve eaten food he treated us to?"

Feeling extremely shocked!

"You also got scared by the young boss in the middle of the night, biting your apple, so keep quiet."

Qian stuffed another apple into Chen Zilong’s hand, eat more, talk less, useless boy!

Jia Xiufang’s surprise was no less than her son’s. Had she known Mr. Yu’s identity earlier, she definitely wouldn’t have agreed so quickly, merely thinking Minglang’s family condition was decent. But now it turned out not just decent!

"Dear in-law, really, our family is just an ordinary family, not much different from regular people. It’s just that our living conditions are slightly better. Qian is now a part of our family. We’ll definitely cherish her well. You absolutely shouldn’t feel any pressure."

Even if there’s pressure, there’s no way around it—the engagement gift had been accepted and is non-refundable. Inside, Mrs. Yu laughed softly, exchanging a knowing look with Minglang, son, I’ve secured your bride, now it’s up to you to prove yourself!

Jia Xiufang’s sense of disbelief lingered until after dinner, when she escorted the Yu Family away.

Sitting on the bed and wearing the same expression as her son, she said to Qian.

"I’m going to be in-laws with the CEO of a listed company. If this were feudal society, wouldn’t that be an extraordinarily important status? Would our family need to kneel to his father?"

After watching too many melodramas, she imagined scenarios rather creatively.

"Yes, if you don’t kneel, his father will come with a knife, swish swish!" Qian said in cooperation.

"Raise a knife to behead me and mom?"

"Raise a knife to puncture your bike tires, hahaha!" Qian thought of a comedy skit that fit just right here, laughing heartily.

What a joke—merchants were ranked last; who would even consider stabbing someone’s bicycle tires back then, assuming bicycles had tires...