The next evening, Su Qiqi had not yet arrived home from work when she received a call from Jin Muchen.
"Mr. Jin, what's the matter?"
"I won't be coming home for dinner today."
"Oh, then I'll prepare dinner for two."
Su Qiqi didn't take it to heart, after all, it's normal for employees at a large corporation like JT to work overtime, even until late at night.
"No, you're coming out with me. I've booked a hotel, inviting your family."
Su Qiqi was filled with questions, has Lin Hui started stirring trouble again?
"There's no need for that Mr. Jin, my family didn't mean to pick a fight with you the other day. It was my…"
"City Hotel, Room 302. I'll pick you up."
Jin Muchen hung up before Su Qiqi could finish speaking.
He truly is... stubborn.
Su Qiqi waited in the underground parking lot for more than ten minutes before Jin Muchen's car arrived.
Jin Muchen gracefully alighted from the car, opened the passenger door for Su Qiqi to get in, and then took out a bunch of gifts from the trunk.
Su Qiqi was taken aback, and she asked, "What is this for?"
"I've discussed the dowry issue with my family."
In fact, Jin Muchen found out from his informants at Su Tiancheng's apartment complex that Lin Hui had been spreading rumors these past few days, claiming that Su Qiqi had eloped with a poor, powerless man and was planning to take the family's house with her.
Obviously, Su Qiqi had no idea about this, so Jin Muchen decided to solve the problem at its root.
As the car was about to pull up to the hotel, Su Qiqi finally softly said, "About the dowry, I'll pay for it, not because I look down on you, but because I feel sorry for you."
Jin Muchen raised an eyebrow, showing a hint of surprise, "Why?"
"My family's attitude that day, was too unpleasant."
Su Qiqi lowered her head, feeling very ashamed, having a family like this was a disaster to anyone.
Jin Muchen had not lived with his parents since he was little, so he didn't have a clear understanding of what a family should be.
But he knew, this was absolutely not Su Qiqi's fault.
The two arrived at City Hotel room 302 and saw Su Tiancheng, who had been brought there by Jin Muchen's people, looking guilty.
"Qiqi dear, it's not good for a newlywed like you to visit your parents' home too often. You know what they say, a married daughter is like water that's been splashed out. You can't rely on your parents for life."
Lin Hui's mouth was as sharp as ever.
"Is that so? Well, big sister-in-law, try not to visit home so often in the future, otherwise people might think you're secretly putting the Su family's money into your own home."
Su Qiqi rolled her eyes and sat down, making up her mind that she wouldn't let Lin Hui bully Jin Muchen today.
Before Lin Hui could argue, Chen Shujuan stepped forward and went straight to the point.
"Muchen, you called us here today to discuss the dowry, right?"
Jin Muchen did not hide his intentions. He respectfully laid out all the gifts he brought and then said, "One hundred and eighty-eight thousand, not a penny less, but I have a condition."
Upon hearing this, Su Xingchen quickly expressed his concern, "What kind of condition is there for paying a dowry? Don't go too far. My sister is already married to you. She can't possibly come back. Just pay the money and get it over with."
Su Qiqi felt even more disheartened as she listened to his words and remained silent.
"The condition is that this money can only be given to the parents-in-law, and no one else."
"What?"
"Impossible!"
Jin Muchen's words echoed in the hotel suite like thunder, and Lin Hui and Chen Shujuan exclaimed in unison.
"Why not? Only my father and mother raised me. My brother has only caused trouble all these years, and my sister-in-law has practically sold me. This money can only be given to my parents."
Su Qiqi reacted quickly, immediately continuing Jin Muchen's words,
Although Chen Shujuan will definitely secretly give some to Su Xingchen's couple, Su Tiancheng can also oversee a portion of the betrothal money.
Lin Hui could no longer pretend to be the gentle sister-in-law from before, she ranted like a shrew: "Su Qiqi, I have introduced you to countless suitors in the past, but because you didn't like them you ran off with someone else. But I shouldn't suffer for nothing. It's not too much to ask us for a hundred thousand out of the one hundred and eighty-eight thousand, right? After all, we are the ones having the Su family's first grandson."
Upon hearing her daughter-in-law mention their grandson, Chen Shujuan was even more convinced and advised earnestly,
"Qiqi, you need to be reasonable. Muchen doesn't understand our family's struggles, but you should. This is the time when a child needs money the most. We two old folks can't spend that much. It's better to give some to your brother's family."
At this point, Su Tiancheng disagreed again. However, upon the mention of his grandson, he seemed a little willing to compromise.
"It can't all be given to them, but a few thousand for the child is acceptable, right Qiqi?"
Su Tiancheng's gaze was sincere, seemingly advising Su Qiqi to know her limits.
As Su Qiqi watched her family change their attitudes at the mere mention of a grandson, she felt her blood run cold.
"You all..."
"The betrothal gift from our house, I have the final say."
Jin Muchen finished her sentence for her.
In the end, the Su family still prioritizes males over females. Even if Su Tiancheng had a bit of conscience, it would be overridden whenever his grandson is mentioned.
Jin Muchen frowned, they were ready to sell their daughter for just one hundred and eighty-eight thousand. It was not easy for Su Qiqi to maintain such clarity growing up in such an environment.
"The money that you gave us is ours, and besides, you are not at a loss. Qiqi still has a property belonging to our family."
Lin Hui still hadn't forgotten about the property certificate in Su Qiqi's possession, which had been a thorn in her side all these years.
"This house has nothing to do with you, sister-in-law. Even if we were to give the house to your son, my brother should be the one buying it."
"We've raised you for so many years, wasn't it all for the sake of posterity? Are you still going to make distinctions about yours and ours?"
Lin Hui refused to back down, she could not let this opportunity slip by.
"I'm already married. I'm 'water that's been splashed out' according to you, impossible to get back. Do you still want to get my house back? Why don't you just take all the good fortune in the world while you're at it?"
"You... in any case, mom will decide about the money. You two just need to provide the money."
Su Qiqi was not someone to be easily bullied. Her verbal battles with Lin Hui over the years had always ended with her just getting tired, never once being outmatched.
Both parties were locked in a stalemate. At that moment, the boss of the hotel, along with the waitstaff, suddenly appeared in the private room.
Jin Muchen reacted instantly, sharply turning his head. He recalled that he had met the City Hotel's owner several times.
Mr. Jin's last birthday banquet was held in City Hotel.
This hotel owner was no ordinary man. He started from scratch and established a nationwide chain of City Hotels, which had business collaborations with every JT branch.
"Sorry to disturb you, customers. The fish you ordered earlier was a live one. Unfortunately, due to an accident on the delivery route, all of our live fish were lost. We would like to offer you two other dishes instead, what do you think..."
Seeing the guilt-ridden boss approaching, Su Tiancheng quickly stood up.
Living in Dragon City for so many years, he understood. Despite being a customer, he couldn't carelessly offend the owner of the City Hotel.
"It's okay, our family doesn't have that many rules, it doesn't matter whether the fish is live or dead, sorry for troubling you, boss."
Even the picky Lin Hui did not raise any objections this time.
The boss scanned his surroundings and noticed someone, who was continuously looking sideways. It seemed odd, and more importantly, the man looked familiar. He tried to take a closer look at the man's face.
The boss's actions were too conspicuous, everyone saw his reaction, and the private room immediately fell silent.
"President Jin! Oh my, why didn't you..."
The boss shouted out loud. Jin Muchen frowned and quickly gave him a warning glance.
Lin Hui reacted quickly, as if she had discovered something, she shouted,
"President Jin? Brother-in-law, you've really been modest! I knew that anyone who could afford a meal here wouldn't be an ordinary person."