"Come, let's go to the hospital! I'll call Tang Wan now and ask her to come and accompany you."
Jiang Fan had no way to deal with his mother-in-law. She was not just a woman; she was absolutely a BOSS in a game that could slaughter players at will, or possibly a max-level character stuck in a beginner's village.
Going to the hospital was definitely not an option. If Li Jinhe found out he was lying, Jiang Fan would really be in danger.
Jiang Fan sighed and sat down on the chair, speaking in a low voice.
"Mom, my marriage with Tang Wan was just a transaction. When I was in trouble years ago, my mother needed 400,000 yuan for her surgery, and I had no choice but to make a mistake. I begged Tang Wan to save me. We got married because she had something to hold over me. I helped her deal with you and your husband. Now the contract period is up, and I can't waste Tang Wan's youth."
There was no way around it. Trying to be clever in front of Li Jinhe would only lead to a worse outcome. He had to confess honestly, although when confessing, Jiang Fan took all the responsibility on himself.
However, Li Jinhe's attention seemed to be no longer on their contractual marriage but on questioning Jiang Fan with a frown, asking if she was old?
"No, no, no! You're not old at all."
Li Jinhe replied calmly,
"You missed a word."
"Mom! You're not old at all. People always say you and Tang Wan are sisters when we go out."
Li Jinhe was satisfied and then said,
"I can consider your contractual marriage as if you were in a relationship for these three years. Tang Wan does have quite a few shortcomings. She's messy but always claims to have a cleanliness fetish. She lacks any practical skills. Besides her academic qualifications and good appearance, she doesn't have any other advantages. Could it be that you don't like Tang Wan at all? Even if it's a dog that has been by your side for three years, you should have some feelings for it, oh! I'm not saying you're a dog, I'm talking about Tang Wan."
Such a formidable mother-in-law!
The sweat on Jiang Fan's forehead hadn't stopped. He wiped it away and spoke in a low voice,
"Mom! You know my background. If I didn't have something to hold over me, a girl like Tang Wan wouldn't even talk to me in this lifetime. It's all about matching social status. Even if I like Tang Wan, it doesn't matter because she likes someone else."
"You mean Lin Xuan from the Lin family? None of the men in the Lin family are any good. Isn't it that Lin Xuan is just after the 17% shares of Changxiang Group that Tang Wan holds? Only a fool like Tang Wan would think that her 'Lin Xuan gege' really likes her. And you, you didn't even tell me before divorcing. What should we do now? When Lin Xuan comes back, this fool Tang Wan will rush headlong into danger. Are we going to give away everything that Tang's father worked for all his life to the Lin family? I regret not having a son."
Jiang Fan really didn't know how to respond to this. Nodding or shaking his head would both be inappropriate.
Fortunately, Li Jinhe didn't make things too difficult for him. She took out ten thousand yuan from her bag and threw it to Jiang Fan.
"You've divorced, and I'm not the kind of person who sticks to old traditions. You've called me 'Mom' for these three years. Even though you're not my son-in-law now, you're still like half a son to me. Tang Wan is narrow-minded. If you have more than ten thousand yuan in your hand, I would consider my life a waste. Take this and use it first. Don't think about leaving this city. In the future, if anything happens to me and Tang's father, we'll still need you to help out. If you dare to refuse, I'll..."
"I'll ask the military to shoot you. No, no, I won't refuse."
Taking money from someone, and not a small amount.
But Jiang Fan really couldn't refuse. He had experienced his mother-in-law's fierceness for quite some time. While eating, Li Jinhe suddenly spoke up.
"Has Tang Wan gained acceptance in Changxiang?"
Jiang Fan, who was eating heartily, nodded and said,
"The initial planning proposal has been completed. The department store has been renamed 'Rongzhuang Guodu' (a name that suggests a connection to military attire or a patriotic theme). We've stopped renting out shops and are now selling everything ourselves, offering the lowest prices that older people can accept. The social response has been good. It also provides a place for middle-aged and elderly people to shop. The daily sales are around a hundred thousand yuan. Although the profits aren't high, the main thing is the social response. Compared to Glorious Department Store, our side seems more bustling. Tang Wan was responsible for all these things in the later stages and should have gained recognition. Afterwards, I gave her some other plans, and the response was also good, but they weren't significant and not worth mentioning."
Li Jinhe looked at her son-in-law and found him to her liking. He was handsome and matched Tang Wan well, and he was also very talented. She squinted and smiled at Jiang Fan, saying,
"Do you want to return to Changxiang Group? I can ask Tang's father to give you a position as the head of the planning department."
Jiang Fan shook his head with a bitter smile.
"Mom, don't joke around. If I go back to Changxiang, Tang Wan will think I'm pursuing her relentlessly. We should keep some distance after the divorce. Moreover, while the employees at Changxiang don't know about my relationship with Tang Wan, the higher-ups have seen me. I can't go back to Changxiang. Plus, that other person is coming back. As Tang Wan's ex-husband, it won't be comfortable to see my ex-wife walking with another man. So, please let me off the hook, okay?"
Li Jinhe's expression clearly showed some disappointment, and she sighed softly.
"You, you use all your pride on us and didn't give any to that ungrateful little Tang Wan. She still foolishly thinks that all your abilities are taught by her. Since you are so adamant about this, I won't force you. Jiang Fan, you're only twenty-five this year, right?"
Mentioning his age, Jiang Fan was slightly taken aback, then smiled and nodded.
"Yeah, I'm twenty-five."
"Twenty-five is still young. Don't rush into marriage. If you meet a girl you like, tell Mom. If soft approaches don't work, we'll use money to overwhelm her. If that doesn't work, I'll..."
"Will you use the military? I won't be getting into a relationship for a while. I want to resolve the troubles first, then buy a house in this city before considering romance. Mom, you should go play mahjong. This is Aunt Zhao's fourth phone call."
As they were talking, Li Jinhe's phone rang. It was the latest model, priced at eighteen thousand yuan, which made Jiang Fan hesitant. Li Jinhe answered the phone and scolded,
"Don't worry, if you keep urging me, I won't go! Can't a mother have a meal with her son-in-law? What's the rush? Are you eager to lose money to me?"
"Oh? Is Xiaofan with you? Bring him back together. Let your sister take a good look at him. Xiaofan is a great cook. Your sister-in-law isn't home tonight, oh."
"Tsk! Don't be shameless and seduce my son-in-law. There are plenty of stray dogs outside. Jiang Fan! Your Aunt Zhao is asking if you're coming. Are you going?"
Jiang Fan quickly shook his head.
"No, no. Aunt Zhao, I have something to do in the afternoon. I need to buy groceries for Tang Wan."
At this point, Jiang Fan suddenly froze. It turned out that life could really become a habit.
The mature woman on the phone gritted her teeth and angrily said,
"Call me sister! Li Jinhe, come here and face the consequences!"
The formidable mother-in-law left, driving a very低调 (low-key) A6. Jiang Fan, back on the street once again, had a bitter expression on his face. Then he clenched his fist.
"A new life is beginning! Off to buy cigarettes!"