Lin Rui's sudden statement caught Xu Wanrong off guard for a moment. Lin Entai's eyes widened in surprise. Xu Wanrong blinked her beautiful eyes and asked Lin Rui, "Son, what... what did you just say?"
Lin Rui smiled lightly and replied firmly, "I said, I won't marry Xu Bingbing."
This time Xu Wanrong heard it clearly, and her eyes sparkled with sudden understanding. However, her expression still held a trace of confusion. "Son, you... didn't you say you wouldn't marry anyone else but her? Why the sudden change of heart?"
Although Lin Entai didn't speak, he moved closer to Lin Rui, hoping to understand if his son had truly changed his mind.
Glancing at Xu Wanrong and then at Lin Entai, Lin Rui said, "Mom, Dad, I'm sorry for causing you so much distress over this matter. I feel ashamed for being such an unfilial son."
This statement left both Lin Entai and Xu Wanrong feeling a bit perplexed. After all, the original owner, who had always been spoiled, had never apologized to them before, let alone sincerely. This sudden change in attitude made them feel somewhat unreal.
To ease the tension, Lin Rui sighed lightly and explained, "Mom, Dad, three days ago, I was deeply in love with Xu Bingbing, to the point where I agreed to her unreasonable demands and even argued with you when I returned home."
"But in these past three days, I've reconsidered. It's not wise to give up nearly half of our family's assets for her as a dowry. After all, Xu Bingbing is just an ordinary woman. Although she's beautiful, she's not worth sacrificing so much for."
At the mention of "ordinary woman," Lin Entai couldn't help but burst into laughter, finding it genuinely amusing. It had been a long time since he had laughed so heartily. Xu Wanrong playfully tapped Lin Rui's arm and scolded him, "This child has no filter. He speaks so bluntly in front of his parents."
Then, she turned to Lin Entai, jokingly saying, "And you, why are you laughing? You should respect your elders."
Lin Entai immediately stopped laughing, but the sudden change in his son's attitude brought him an indescribable sense of relief.
"Rui'er, are you joking with us?" Lin Entai couldn't help but ask, hoping to confirm if Lin Rui had truly changed his mind.
Shaking his head, Lin Rui replied, "I'm not joking. There's a saying, 'Why fixate on one flower when there are so many in the world?' Besides, Xu Bingbing isn't as perfect as I thought. Although I do want to marry a beautiful girl, after carefully considering it, I've realized it's not worth it, especially with her unreasonable demands."
Hearing Lin Rui's explanation, both Lin Entai and Xu Wanrong couldn't hide their joy. Lin Entai praised his son, "Well said, son. It's good that you've come to your senses. It's a relief for us as parents."
"You're right. Xu Bingbing isn't worth sacrificing so much for. Besides her, there are plenty of other suitable girls for our family," Xu Wanrong agreed, nodding.
Then Lin Entai turned to Xu Wanrong and instructed her, "My dear, starting tomorrow, mobilize your friends and all our relatives to find a suitable girl for our son. As long as it's not Xu Bingbing, everything will be fine."
Xu Wanrong nodded in agreement, saying, "Alright, I'll start arranging it."
At this moment, Lin Rui raised his hand, interrupting their discussion. With a faint smile, he said, "No need to trouble yourselves. I've already found a new marriage prospect."
"What?" "She's already been found?" Xu Wanrong and Lin Entai exchanged glances.
The next moment, they realized why their son had changed his mind so quickly. It was because he had fallen in love with someone else.
Despite their initial surprise, Lin Entai and Xu Wanrong felt relieved. As long as it wasn't someone from the Xu family, they were open to the idea.
"Which family is the girl from?" Xu Wanrong asked eagerly.
Lin Rui blinked and replied, "The Gu family."
"The Gu family?" Xu Wanrong and Lin Entai exchanged glances again, their expressions filled with bewilderment.
Lin Entai pondered for a moment and then said, "As far as I know, there aren't many girls around Rui'er's age in the Gu family. Apart from Gu Zhiyong's eldest daughter, there's only the second daughter of the late second son who passed away a year ago."
Furrowing her brows, Xu Wanrong said, "But Gu Zhiyong's daughter, Gu Sinan, is several years younger than Rui'er. She's only in her freshman year. As for the second daughter of the late second son, Gu Chenxi, she went mad shortly after her father's death."
Lin Entai shot Lin Rui a look that could only be described as "you scoundrel."
Unable to contain his curiosity, he asked, "Rui'er, when did you make contact with Gu Sinan? She's still in her freshman year and can't possibly marry you. Even if we agree, Gu Zhiyong wouldn't."
Xu Wanrong nodded in agreement. "Gu Zhiyong is conservative and reserved. Rui'er, I advise you to let go of this idea."
With a sigh, Lin Rui said, "You're misunderstanding. I don't know who Gu Sinan is. Why would I want to marry her?"
This statement left Lin Entai and Xu Wanrong momentarily stunned. Then, their expressions turned horrified.
"So, the girl you want to marry is..."
Before they could finish their sentence, Lin Rui nodded and said, "Exactly, I want to marry that madwoman, Gu Chenxi."
...
"What?" "You want to marry that crazy woman?" Mother Xu Wanrong and father Lin Entai heard it clearly this time. But as soon as they understood, their faces froze.
Immediately, Xu Wanrong nodded repeatedly, "No, no, this child just seemed normal for a moment, how can he suddenly be abnormal again?" "Even though Gu Chenxi is stunningly beautiful, she went mad a year ago because of her parents' death. It's known throughout the city. How can a normal young man like you marry a woman who's gone mad?" Lin Entai's eyebrows furrowed tightly. Although he didn't express his opinion for the time being, he was also very resistant. Although his son was known as a good-for-nothing in the city, at least he looked decent and had no problems with his mind. If he married Gu Chenxi, who had been mad for a year, wouldn't their Lin family become the laughingstock of the whole city?
Lin Rui sighed lightly, "Being mad doesn't matter. What matters is that Gu Chenxi is beautiful. Moreover, she became crazy a year ago due to trauma from her parents' death, not congenital madness, so it won't affect the next generation."
Because of Lin Rui's words, Xu Wanrong couldn't help but smile bitterly. Subconsciously, she asked, "Son, is your criteria for choosing a partner solely based on their appearance?" Lin Rui replied, "It's not just about appearance. Besides looks, the figure must be perfect too. Gu Chenxi completely fits my criteria for a spouse. Besides, mom and dad, think about it carefully, her madness won't bring any harm to our Lin family. At least, she won't covet our family's assets like Xu Bingbing, right?"
Unable to help herself, Xu Wanrong gently tapped Lin Rui's arm. "What are you saying? As long as you're happy, what does it matter if your dad and I have to sacrifice a little more? You can't ruin your happiness for the rest of your life just because of Xu Bingbing's matter."
Lin Rui smiled and said, "Mom, don't worry. As long as I can marry Gu Chenxi, the rest of my life will definitely be happy enough."
Xu Wanrong couldn't help but feel a bit strange. She couldn't help but worry if her child had also been traumatized by Xu Bingbing's matter and gone mentally unstable.
Just as she was about to continue persuading him, Lin Entai said to Lin Rui, "Since you now like Gu Chenxi so much again, if your mom and I keep stopping you, with your character, you probably won't listen to us. So, handle this matter yourself. Your mom and I won't intervene for the time being."
Lin Rui laughed and nodded. "Okay, Mom and Dad, I'll go to the Gu family now."
Xu Wanrong felt a rush of anxiety, but Lin Entai stopped her. Lin Entai then asked Lin Rui, who was about to leave, "Since you're not planning to marry Xu Bingbing anymore, how are you going to handle this matter? Do you want to go talk to Xu Bingbing about it first?"
Lin Rui stopped in his tracks. His eyes flickered as he pondered, "Talking is necessary, but I won't go talk to her in person."
Lin Entai was taken aback. "So do you want me, as your father, to help you reject this marriage proposal?"
Lin Rui shook his head lightly and said casually, "What's the status of a father? Letting you go to the Xu family to reject the marriage proposal would be giving Xu Bingbing too much face."
Then, Lin Rui beckoned to the old steward not far away. The old steward hurriedly came over respectfully. Lin Rui patted the old steward's shoulder and instructed, "Steward Lin, you will represent our Lin family in going to the Xu family to reject the marriage proposal. This is a glorious and sacred task. You must do it well."
Although the old steward was sweating profusely in his heart, he agreed repeatedly. Lin Rui continued, "Steward Lin, before you go to the Xu family, go to several banks where my bank cards are located. Check my past transactions, pull out a few million of transactions, then take the list to the Xu family."
"Tell Xu Bingbing that although I haven't touched her for the past two years, I won't ask her to split the bills for the meals and entertainment we had before. But she must return the money I spent on those precious jewelry and branded bags. So, when you go to the Xu family this time, not only do you have to reject the marriage proposal, but you also have to collect debts. Both tasks must be carried out simultaneously. As for how much you can collect, it depends on your abilities, Steward Lin. If you can collect one million, I'll reward you with fifty thousand. If you can collect two million, I'll reward you with one hundred thousand. It's up to you."
After hearing this, the old steward was stunned. He couldn't help but wonder if this was the same young master he knew before? But the generous reward given by the young master made the old steward extremely excited. With almost no hesitation, he expressed his determination. Mother Xu Wanrong and father Lin Entai were even more surprised. But deep down, they couldn't help but feel a sense of relief. After so many years, their wastrel child finally showed some backbone.