Fan Delun was angry enough to make bad decisions.
He normally wouldn't be this impulsive.
The moment Bing Lan turned away from him, he brought his phone out, and sent a text message.
"Account number" the text Bing Lan received read.
She was pissed when she saw the words.
She expected him to argue why she needed the money, or that since she had already agreed to be his for his life, he had no need to pay the cash…
Then, she would explain her family situation, and ask for a favor.
That had been her plan.
Instead, he told her she would get money after a wedding night like she is some.. Some ..some.. Gold digger.
Sure, she was caught as one, but she would never sell herself out for money.
It is one thing to maintain advantageous social relationships by selling Meng, and it's entirely another to be a mistress to someone married, just for the sake of money.
She had not crossed that line.
Yet, she felt ashamed.
Sure, she has married him to save her own life. Sure, from the beginning they had a master and slave relationship, but the way he treated her made her feel like a friend.
Now, she has handed her self esteem to him on a platter, with her own hands.
What difference is there between girls who do not leave abusive relationships and herself?
'No', she told herself.
I am thinking about it in the wrong manner.
The words she spoke to him are correct.
She is settling with her kidnapper.
And she is sleeping with her husband.
If she had lowered her head because of money, then was Delun right in the first place?
He wasn't. He was not right in a legal sense, nor was he right in an ethical sense.
'Yes , He was more in the wrong.' Bing Lan convinced herself.
She walked to the bus stop, building up her anger more and more, like a sand castle.
A very expensive looking car stopped in front of her.
The chauffeur walked out and opened the door for herself.
Bing Lan could see Delun was in the car, if only watching the other side.
She got in silently.
The moment she sat in the car, the car took off at an express speed.
Fan Delun raised the privacy window.
"We need to set some rules." He said, looking at her seriously.
Bing Lan glared right back at him.
"Skin ship is not allowed with any males, no matter how close or young they are." He told her.
Bing Lan nodded her head in acquiescence.
Then she spoke.
"We will hold a proper wedding, with wedding dresses, three bows and a pictorial." she said.
Delun accepted.
She proposed it only to inconvenience him. She did not expect him to agree so easily.
However, that is also good.
"Later, I will send you another necklace. You will wear it no matter where you are. " Delun told her.
Bing Lan thought for a moment.
"Husband! I married you because I did not want to lose my dream. No matter what you ask, as long as it is a request that disrupts my career, or harms it, I will not agree to it." Bing Lan told him.
"You will follow any and every rule, no matter how superficial to the T, as long as it's not something related to your career. There will be no exceptions any more. " Delun demanded.
Bing Lan nodded her head.
"Send the account number." he told her.
Bing Lan got her phone out, and sent him her bank account number.
Delun transferred five hundred thousand directly.
Just as she was about to get down, he stopped her.
"This is for you." he told her, as he gave her a present.
Bing Lan looked at the package suspiciously, and opened it.
There were two boxes in the package.
She opened the boxes curiously.
The first one is a Hermes perfume, not the flowery one, but the non flowery one meant for working women.
She loved the smell.
The other one is a box.
She opened it curiously.
There's a flower necklace, along with the flower earrings.
'Perfume and flowers' - doesn't this look strangely like a drama related trope?
It's only after a moment it struck Bing Lan that he is giving her the trifecta of presents, containing perfume, flowers and a kiss given to a girl on the day she becomes an adult. The kiss is not given yet.
She blushed when she realized the meaning.
Delun was watching her as she opened the presents.
It's only then it dawned on her why he was so angry.
He came here thinking it's a date, when she turned it into a business meeting of the worst kind.
No matter how much she tried to deceive herself, this time she was in the wrong.
She felt bittersweet for a moment, because this is the kind of attitude she was hoping for.
She could have told him just as well about what happened, and asked for his help directly.
What was she doing trying to push and pull? She would never be as good at such things as most other women he has seen.
It's better she be honest with her husband.
Since she is in for a penny, she may as well go in for a pound.
"I .. I am sorry for my words earlier." She told him.
Delun was silent for a few moments.
"No. You did not say anything wrong. " he answered her.
Bing Lan settled into the seat rather than getting down.
"Something happened in my family. My brother is in the police station." she told him.
Delun looked surprised.
Unknown to her, Fan Delun is more embarrassed than shocked. He was angry earlier because he received a picture of her hugging a young man.
There was only that picture, no explanation one way or another. He obviously suspected it is one more admirer of his wife.
"Brother ..? " Delun repeated doubtfully.
"Half brother, if you are trying to be technically correct. More like a son. I think I changed more of his diapers than my mom herself…" Bing Lan was going to say more, but she realized she was about to babble, and stopped herself.
"Anyway, he is in detention, and I need to post bail ,as well as find a criminal lawyer. " Bing Lan told him.
"Where is he at?" Delun asked her all of a sudden.
Bing Lan, though surprised by his question, told him where it was at.
Soon, she received a call from the police station, saying the case had been withdrawn.
Her brother is released.
She was shocked enough for eyebrows to touch her hair line.
Is Fan Delun this powerful ?
Hells, it's 2010, the mafia still has this much power? Era of smartphones and CCTVs...and still, the Mafia has this much power!
Wow!
Wowzes!!!
Once she recovered from her surprise, she wanted to transfer the money back.
"I don't need it any more. Let me send it back to you!" she said, as she opened the phone.
"No." Delun stopped her.
"It's the bride price. For you alone." he told her.
"No skin ship, even with your brother or another. " he added.
Bing Lan looked at him carefully once more. Does this guy have any psychological insecurity?
Being jealous of her brother is a bit understandable. Most of her suitors were, at one point or another, despite her not dating any of them.
However, isn't this a bit too stringent? Before she could say anything else, he continued.
"The wedding and wedding night will also go as planned." Fan Delun informed her.
Bing Lan's blush, which slowly receded, came back in full force.
Damn it, the boss was really serious about it, wasn't he?
"Alright." she told him, looking down at her hands.
"Wife. " Delun called.
Bing Lan raised her head in shock.
Her eyes were caught in his.
Delun raised her face up by the chin, and kissed her.
Bing Lan was surprised for a moment, but then closed her eyes and let herself enjoy the sensation on her lips.
Delun leaned back, and imprinted her blushing face with a smile in his memory.
Bing Lan opened her eyes, but couldn't meet his eyes any more.
"See you later." She said, then ran away with all her gifts, and the voice bug in her coat pocket.
She went home directly, and waited for her brother to come by.
However, before that, she probably should complete her university enrolling procedure.
It is only after she joined the semester and paid the fees she allowed herself to bask in the giddiness of the new relationship.
It is only as she held her phone she realized, she has no genuine girl friends.
She was an early admission graduate.
I.e. She started college at fifteen rather than seventeen. Worse yet, after being admitted early she could not even say she is the super cute youngest student.
That honor belonged to Sheng Dayu, the once in a thousand year prodigy, who entered college at ten. Thus, she, the once in a hundred year genius just had to take a backseat.
Together, she and Dayu competed for the first and second spots in the university.
Dayu always won the scholarship, but she rejected it year after year, giving it over to herself.
This year though, she probably could get a scholarship on her own. If not that, she has enough cash to pay the fees.