"Yes! Ye Chen, what should I do now?" Fatty was clearly lost, as anyone in his position would be.
"Don't worry just yet. Let me figure something out first."
Ye Chen needed to determine one crucial thing: who was asking for the money. This was vital.
If Hao Lina was the one demanding the money, the marriage shouldn't proceed. As the saying goes, "Marry not a sister-dependency demon, nor a momma's boy." Here, "sister" doesn't just refer to a younger sibling but includes brothers and sisters as well.
If the money was Hao Lina's demand, marrying her would bring endless troubles in the future.
Alternatively, if her parents were asking for the money but Hao Lina was complicit, the marriage shouldn't proceed either. This would indicate that Hao Lina had no autonomy and would always obey her parents, leading to a lifetime of similar issues.
However, if Hao Lina was unaware of this or opposed it, things would be different. Both Fatty and Hao Lina were innocent. It would be cruel to let money stand between two people who genuinely loved each other.
Ye Chen called the female emcee over again. "I'm sorry to trouble you, but could you make another trip?"
"It's okay. What do you need?"
"I need you to find a way to meet with Hao Lina."
"What? That's..."
"Please, find a way."
"Alright, I'll try." The female emcee nodded and went back inside.
She returned quickly, after just five or six minutes. Seeing her, Ye Chen quickly asked, "Did you meet with Hao Lina?"
"Yes, I did," the emcee nodded. "I met her under the pretext of finalizing the ceremony details. She asked me to relay a message to Mr. Guo Yishou."
"What did Lina want to tell me?" Fatty eagerly asked.
The emcee looked at Fatty and said, "She said you should not give them the money and that you should take everyone back."
"What? Are you sure Lina said that?" Fatty looked at the emcee in disbelief.
"Yes, she told me personally. She also said she won't leave you, even if it means not having a wedding. But the money must not be given."
"Not having the wedding? That's not going to be easy. Her parents have no bottom line. She thinks that if the wedding is called off, everything will be fine? It's not that simple," Ye Chen said with a bitter smile.
"Indeed, from my experience hosting many weddings, she is underestimating the problem. Unless they elope, this issue won't just go away," the emcee added.
Hearing this, Ye Chen shook his head and said, "Eloping isn't an option. They would just cause trouble at Fatty's house every day. Unless the entire Guo family moves away, but then there's another issue."
"What issue?" the emcee asked.
"Hao Lina can't avoid her parents forever. No matter what they've done, they are still her parents. If Fatty took her away, it would be selfish, not considering her feelings."
Fatty smiled bitterly and said, "Don't worry, I won't do that. If I were going to, I would have done it already, not waited until today."
"So, what now?" the emcee asked.
"Give me a moment. I'll call home and explain the situation," Fatty said, taking out his phone.
Before he could dial, Ye Chen stopped him. "Don't make that call. It will only worry your parents and won't solve anything."
"But..."
"No buts. Look at the time. Even if they managed to gather the money and bring it here, it would be past noon."
"So, what do we do?"
"Leave it to me. I'll make sure you marry your bride today."
After thinking it over, Ye Chen decided the wedding should proceed. Money has a price, but love is priceless. Letting 300,000 yuan come between two people in love would be too cruel.
"You have a plan? Tell me!" Fatty grabbed Ye Chen's arm, genuinely anxious.
"Yes. I know a wealthy friend who might be able to provide some cars, and I can also ask her to lend us the 300,000 yuan. But..."
"Ye Chen, don't worry. I'll find a way to repay the money as soon as possible," Fatty said.
"Okay, I'll make the call."
Fatty nodded repeatedly. Ye Chen stepped aside, took out his phone, and called Xiao Chen. It was just after six, so she might not be at work yet.
However, she answered after just two rings, showing how much she valued Ye Chen.
"Hello, Mr. Ye! What can I do for you this early?"