Chapter 2

Su Wen left in shock.

Not for any other reason, as a well-known high-consumption venue in Jinghai, the value of a fully free Purple Gold Card from Jiufeng Restaurant was self-evident.

On his way back, he once again magically produced five coins. A bucket of instant noodles cost 3.5 yuan, and he kindly added a sausage for Yin Zeping.

The phone suddenly rang.

"Xiao Shi, what's wrong?" Su Wen was a bit puzzled.

Xiao Shi, full name Liu Xiaoshi.

His girlfriend.

They met in their freshman year, officially became boyfriend and girlfriend in their sophomore year, and now they were both seniors about to graduate.

"Brother Wen, my parents have arranged a dinner with you at Jiufeng Restaurant tomorrow. It's about our relationship," Liu Xiaoshi told Su Wen over the phone.

"What time? I'll definitely be there."

"11:30 AM."

He looked at the Purple Gold Card in his hand and had a bad feeling.

The next day, 10:30 AM.

Su Wen, dressed in formal attire and wearing a tie, left home.

Jiufeng Restaurant.

"Wife, how do we make that guy back off?" Liu Mingyuan scratched his head.

"Hmph, I've already thought of a way. The reason I chose to have dinner here today is to let him know how inadequate he is. He can't give Xiao Shi happiness, and in his shame, he will definitely break up with her," Cai Yuemei said, pointing at the menu in front of her.

"Wife, I understand," Liu Mingyuan was overjoyed.

At 11:10 AM, Su Wen arrived at the entrance of Jiufeng Restaurant.

Liu Xiaoshi saw Su Wen walking over and ran excitedly, "You're finally here, my parents have been waiting anxiously."

Su Wen subconsciously glanced at his watch; it was clearly not yet 11:30 AM, but he naturally wouldn't say he wasn't late. He just said, "Let's go in quickly, I hope your parents aren't angry."

Jiufeng Restaurant, a beautifully decorated private room.

Su Wen looked at the couple in front of him; these were Liu Xiaoshi's parents.

During his college years, Su Wen had met Liu Xiaoshi's parents, but this was the first time they were having a meal together.

"Uncle, Aunt." Su Wen bowed slightly.

"Sit down!" Cai Yuemei said coldly.

"Mom, it's Brother Wen's first time having dinner with you, he might be a bit nervous," Liu Xiaoshi began to smooth things over for Su Wen.

"He's not nervous about having dinner with us for the first time; he's nervous about being in such a high-end place. Given his living conditions, he probably doesn't know how many times in his life he can come to such a high-end place," Cai Yuemei said without mercy.

Su Wen felt a chill inside and his face turned sour.

He was indeed a bit nervous about meeting Liu Xiaoshi's parents, but not to the point where it was obvious.

Cai Yuemei's words made it clear that she didn't consider him her daughter's boyfriend. It seemed that in her eyes, he was worthless.

Su Wen had his dignity and was about to argue, but Liu Xiaoshi secretly held his hand. Feeling the warmth in her palm, he remained silent.

Endure!

For Liu Xiaoshi, he endured.

"Alright, the dishes are coming." Liu Mingyuan saw the waiter walking in from the door.

A hint of a cold smile appeared on his lips; the main act was about to begin.

Eight dishes, very exquisite.

Liu Xiaoshi looked at her parents. She had a good eye; these eight dishes were clearly not cheap. With such expensive dishes, who would pay the bill?

"Su Wen, you're from the countryside, you might not have eaten such good food before. Let me introduce them to you," Cai Yuemei said sweetly, but her words were full of mockery. "Look at the dish in the middle. It's called Grass Mushroom Steamed Chicken, made from the best young hen meat and grass mushrooms through multiple cooking processes. This is Jiufeng Restaurant's signature dish, 1888 yuan per serving, no discount."

"Over here, there's a dish called Oyster Sauce Abalone, soft and tender, with a fresh and delicious broth, 1999 yuan per serving... Braised Fish Maw, 2188 yuan per serving... Silver Ear Mushroom Stew, 1288 yuan per serving... Buddha's Hand Shrimp, 1999 yuan per serving..."

After describing the eight dishes, the room fell silent.

"Mom, why did you order such expensive dishes?" Liu Xiaoshi broke the silence, a bit resentful.

"Expensive?" Cai Yuemei laughed coldly. "Su Wen, which of these eight dishes can you afford?"

Su Wen remained silent, already guessing Cai Yuemei's intentions.

"You're just a poor boy. Beijing is not a place for you. The cost of a single meal for us is enough for you to work for months. I'm sorry, I should say that you don't even have a job, so you can't even enter such a place."

"Mom!"

"Xiao Shi, Mom is doing this for your own good," Cai Yuemei pointed at Su Wen. "This person can't give you happiness. He has no house, no car, and no job in Beijing. How will he support you in the future? Do you plan to follow him and live in poverty?"

"Xiao Shi, Dad has something to add," Liu Mingyuan said. "Even if Su Wen had a job, how much could he earn in a month? Let's say 10,000 yuan a month. Look at the housing prices in Beijing now; it's 30,000 yuan per square meter outside the Fifth Ring Road. If you want to buy a 100-square-meter small apartment, it will cost 3 million yuan. That would take him 300 months, or nearly 30 years. By then, you'll be old and haggard."

Liu Xiaoshi's face turned sour at this.

"Xiao Shi, if you two are together, you have two paths ahead of you," Cai Yuemei continued. "One is to live a hard life in Beijing. You won't have money for cosmetics, you can't eat what you want every day, you must cook every day, and you must run around for daily necessities. In ten years, you'll be no different from a street sweeper. Your skin will become rough, your face will turn yellow, and at 30, you'll look like a 50-year-old grandmother. At that time, will your child call you mom or grandma? Think about it."

"No... I don't want that." Liu Xiaoshi imagined the terrifying scenario.

"The second path is for you to go back to Su Wen's hometown. You should know what Su Wen's hometown is like. It's a place full of uncivilized people, still living in the 1970s. Living there for a few years, you won't be much different from a woman selling vegetables on the street. Do you want to see that?"

"I... I don't want to go there either." Liu Xiaoshi clutched Cai Yuemei's hand.

"Xiao Shi, that's right," Cai Yuemei smiled smugly. "Mom has many acquaintances in Beijing. I can introduce you to a family with good conditions, so you don't have to live such a hard life. As for Su Wen, forget it! He's not suitable for you."

Tears welled up in Liu Xiaoshi's eyes; she was scared by Cai Yuemei's words.

"Brother Wen, I..." Liu Xiaoshi looked at Su Wen, feeling ashamed.

A few words from her mother had already made her betray their love.

"Give me three years, okay?" Su Wen didn't argue with Cai Yuemei. He looked into Liu Xiaoshi's eyes and asked this question, his last attempt to hold on.

"Three years? Even thirty years wouldn't be enough," Liu Mingyuan shouted. "Xiao Shi doesn't like you anymore. Don't linger here, get lost!"

Su Wen looked at Liu Xiaoshi again and saw her deliberately avoiding his gaze.

"Alright, I understand." Su Wen stood up, looked at Liu Xiaoshi one last time, and drew a line under this relationship in his heart, though his heart was bleeding. "Sorry for the disturbance."

Liu Xiaoshi watched Su Wen's back, feeling like she had lost the most important thing in her life.

"Alright, let's pay the bill and go home," Cai Yuemei stood up. "A table of dishes costing over 10,000 yuan, what a waste. If I had known this guy would be so easy to deal with, I wouldn't have ordered such expensive dishes. But for my daughter, it's all worth it."

"Waiter, pack it up," Liu Mingyuan said with a smile. "We can't waste it, right?"

"Sir, packing is fine, but there's no need to pay. The young man who just left has already paid," the waiter said with a smile. She had been quite shocked by the Purple Gold Card in the young man's hand, as it was said that there were fewer than thirty in all of Beijing.

"Su Wen paid?" Cai Yuemei laughed loudly. "That poor boy doesn't have the money to pay. You must be mistaken."

The waiter was unhappy. "Madam, please don't insult our most honored guest. He doesn't need to pay with money. With the Purple Gold Card from Jiufeng Restaurant, all his expenses are free. As for the poor boy you mentioned, I really can't understand. Sorry!"

Cai Yuemei's mouth dropped open.

A free card from Jiufeng Restaurant, could Su Wen really have it?

"Impossible, absolutely impossible!" Liu Mingyuan shouted, as if he had heard the biggest joke in the world.

"A Purple Gold Card that costs millions, do you think we would mistake it?" The waiter looked disdainfully at the couple, feeling that she had encountered real country bumpkins. "The food is packed for you. If you have no more questions, I'll serve others."

The Liu family looked at each other, speechless.

Liu Xiaoshi rushed out the door, but Su Wen was nowhere to be seen.

Back in the dormitory, Su Wen was extremely disheartened. Three years of love, solemn vows, but they couldn't withstand a few words from others.

"Mozi, what's wrong?" Yin Zeping asked.

"Leave me alone, I want to sleep." Su Wen climbed into bed, and in his mind, a small figure sighed like an adult.

PS: New book, rolling on the ground for collections.

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