The Servant Ghost 09

Fang Zhiyi listened to his venting and finally couldn't help but remark, "That is a bit excessive." He hadn't expected the day would come when Lin Zhou would be the one being exploited.

Hearing him finally respond, Lin Zhou instantly perked up. "Right? You think so too, don't you? Let me tell you, I actually did you a favor. If you had ended up with her back then, well... tsk."

Fang Zhiyi nodded. "You're absolutely right. You're a saint."

Lin Zhou continued to pour out his bitterness. Fang Zhiyi was somewhat amazed by his astonishing memory; he could recall clearly when and where Sun Xiaomei bought a bag of potato chips down to the exact date!

With a talent like that, why not put it to better use?

"What do you think I should do now?" Lin Zhou's question pulled the daydreaming Fang Zhiyi back to reality.

"Huh? You... Oh, couples are like that. Just be a bit more tolerant." Fang Zhiyi gave a vague, noncommittal answer.

Lin Zhou shook his head. "I really don't think I like her that much anymore... seriously."

Fang Zhiyi, afraid he might suddenly decide to quit the relationship, quickly added, "But think about all the money and time you've already spent on her."

Lin Zhou froze, frowning in thought. "Yeah, it doesn't seem worth it to walk away now."

Fang Zhiyi smiled faintly. "It's actually simple. You've spent so much money. If you try to ask for it back, she'll make a scene, and you'll lose face, won't you?"

Lin Zhou nodded repeatedly.

"So, I suggest you strike while the iron is hot. Get married."

"Really get married?" Lin Zhou was surprised. "Where would I get the money to get married?"

Fang Zhiyi laughed. "Are you stupid? Don't you have a good 'big brother'? Borrow the money to get the wedding done first, otherwise, your initial investment will be completely wasted."

"Borrow money to marry?"

Fang Zhiyi lowered his voice. "Think about it. Don't you collect cash gifts at a wedding? And if you go home and tell your dad you're getting married, even if he's stingy, he has to show some financial support, right?"

Lin Zhou's eyes lit up, but a moment later he wilted. "The bride price is three hundred and eighty thousand. Where am I going to get that kind of money?" He looked at Fang Zhiyi, but realized upon reflection that this guy was currently poorer than he was; there was no way he could borrow it from him.

Fang Zhiyi patted his shoulder. "I have a plan."

The two huddled together, whispering conspiratorially.

Meanwhile, in another coffee shop, Sun Xiaomei was venting her own frustrations.

"He doesn't care about me as much as before. And sometimes when I contact him, he doesn't reply in time. Xuanxuan, do you think he's seeing someone else?"

Chen Xuan looked at her miserable best friend and comforted her patiently, "Probably not. He doesn't look like that kind of person." She had met that Lin Zhou twice. For some reason, she felt the man was very pretentious and fake, but seeing how happy Xiaomei was, she hadn't wanted to say anything.

"I told him the bride price to marry me is three hundred and eighty thousand. You be the judge, is three hundred and eighty thousand too much? Am I not worth three hundred and eighty thousand?"

Chen Xuan choked on her coffee. Three hundred and eighty thousand?!

"Xiaomei, I think you might be overthinking things."

"No! He definitely just doesn't cherish me now that he has me! He probably has someone on the side!"

Seeing her best friend fuming, Chen Xuan could only play along and agree with her. After venting her spleen, Sun Xiaomei felt much better.

Night fell.

"I ran into that kid Fang Zhiyi today. He's doing terribly, can't even afford to eat. Since we've known each other so long, I bought him a meal," Lin Zhou said.

Sun Xiaomei frowned at the mention of Fang Zhiyi's name. "Don't contact him. He's a scammer."

Lin Zhou laughed. "Sigh, who knew he'd turn out like that? He used to be so honest. You know what he told me today? He said you're a gold digger and told me to watch out for you."

Sun Xiaomei was furious immediately. "What kind of person is that! You are not allowed to hang out with that kind of person in the future! Me, a gold digger? Zhou, tell me, there are plenty of guys chasing me with better conditions than you. If I were a gold digger, why wouldn't I choose someone else?"

Lin Zhou smiled sheepishly. "That's just what he said, don't get mad at me." In reality, those were exactly the words he had wanted to say himself.

Sun Xiaomei calmed herself down. "My best friend is the same. Her boyfriend works overtime all day, leaving her lonely, so she dragged me out to keep her company. Then she started picking you apart, saying this isn't right and that isn't right."

Lin Zhou's expression also changed. "I don't even know her well. Why is she talking about me?"

"Jealousy, obviously." Sun Xiaomei leaned into Lin Zhou's embrace. "She's just jealous that you have more money and time than her boyfriend. She even said you're unreliable and told me to break up with you."

"What did you say?" Lin Zhou asked somewhat nervously—though this nervousness stemmed from other reasons.

Sun Xiaomei reached out and scraped his nose. "Of course I refused! My baby is the best in the world!"

Lin Zhou beamed with joy.

Suddenly, he looked Sun Xiaomei in the eye. "Since we're on the subject, let's get married."

"Huh?" Sun Xiaomei was shocked by this sudden proposal. "You're annoying, what are you saying?"

"It's just three hundred and eighty thousand, right? Your husband has it. I want to show those people who are jealous of us just how happy our life will be!"

Sun Xiaomei seemed to visualize her best friend's envious expression. Hearing that Lin Zhou was willing to pay the three hundred and eighty thousand bride price, she nodded shyly. "Okay!"

Neither of them knew about the calculations in the other's heart.

Lin Zhou got busy very quickly. Because he had some money and was always out, when his father asked, he claimed he was doing business with partners. His father didn't suspect anything. Hearing that he was bringing a girlfriend home to discuss marriage, his father was overjoyed.

Listening to his dad's affirmation, Lin Zhou felt a sense of satisfaction; his father, who had suppressed him for years, finally praised him for once.

To welcome his daughter-in-law, Lin's father cleaned the house for the first time in ages and hid away some old junk he couldn't bear to throw out. Sun Xiaomei was confused when she arrived; Lin Zhou didn't seem to lack money, so why did he live here?

But Lin Zhou dispelled her doubts: "This is my dad's house. He lives here."

The negotiation between the Sun family parents and Lin's father went smoothly, except for Lin's father's expression changing slightly at the mention of the three hundred and eighty thousand bride price. However, since Lin Zhou said he had a way to handle it, his father didn't say anything further. He figured he would just provide his share, and Lin Zhou could figure out the rest himself.

Choosing the hotel, setting the date, getting the marriage certificate.

Fang Zhiyi received an invitation. He excitedly went and gave a red envelope containing two hundred yuan. After all, he was the matchmaker for this couple! He had to witness this major event with his own eyes!

The busyness of the wedding made the couple dizzy, leaving them no time to think about their hidden agendas.

It wasn't until nightfall, when Lin Zhou was sitting on the bed counting money, that Sun Xiaomei asked the question: "Why is our marital home in your dad's house?"

Lin Zhou continued counting the money, replying nonchalantly, "So what? It's still a marital home, isn't it? And stop saying 'your dad, your dad.' It's 'our dad' now."