Chapter Fourteen: The Wager

Soon, Chu Dong and little Yu’er arrived at the entrance of the Tan family’s residential complex. He parked the car to the side and got out first. Taking out a bottle of mineral water, he washed the tattoo off his arm, then waved at Yu’er.

“Come on, let’s go home.”

“What about the car?” Yu’er asked.

“If anyone’s foolish enough to steal this car, they’re blind. I’ll just leave it here—the keys are still in it. Let’s go.” Chu Dong strode ahead, and Yu’er scampered after him.

Now, Yu’er regarded Chu Dong as a great hero. If anyone dared speak ill of him, she would be the first to protest.

Tan Xue had learned yesterday that Chu Dong would be coming. She originally wanted to avoid him, but her father insisted, “Since Chu Dong is coming, reschedule anything tomorrow.” Thus, she had no choice but to return home early with her father and wait for the “son-in-law’s visit,” feeling quite uneasy. Sullenly, she sat on the sofa in the living room, flipping through a magazine. When Chu Dong entered, she neither raised her head nor opened her eyes, ignoring him completely.

Chu Dong didn’t mind at all. He greeted everyone warmly, as if he were at home. Old Mr. Tan liked him this way, and seeing this, Tan Xue inwardly lamented that her family was being deceived by Chu Dong’s polished exterior. How unlucky she felt.

“Brother-in-law, have a seat! I’ll pour you some tea.” Yu’er was now nothing short of a sycophant, flitting around Chu Dong.

“Yu’er!” Tan Xue, still irritated, nearly choked when Yu’er called him brother-in-law. She sharply summoned her younger sister, shot Chu Dong a glare, and lowered her voice. “Who told you to call him that?”

“No one told me. He is, after all, sooner or later. Hehe.” Yu’er giggled and tried to leave, but Tan Xue grabbed her.

“You’re not allowed to call him that anymore, understand? Or I won’t give you any more money.” Threats were all Tan Xue had left.

“If you won’t—fine, I won’t call him that. But…” Yu’er wanted to protest, but remembering she never had enough spending money, she compromised, squeezing a little extra from her sister.

Resigned, Tan Xue dragged her to her room, took out her purse, and handed over five hundred yuan.

Yu’er drew out the word, clearly implying it wasn’t enough.

“That’s all there is. I don’t even know how you spend so much. When I was in school…” Tan Xue emptied her wallet, slapping the remaining bills into Yu’er’s hand, about to launch into a lecture, but Yu’er interrupted her.

“Times have changed! Thanks, sis. I’ll go hang out with—no, with big brother Chu!” Yu’er corrected herself mid-sentence.

“Hey, you…” Unable to hold her back, Tan Xue could only watch her wolfish sister run off.

After dinner, the family sat together chatting. The old man had recovered well, his face ruddy and cheerful, laughing and talking. Yu’er was unusually enthusiastic, while Tan Xue kept yawning.

“Xue’er, go chat with big brother Chu. Your mother and I will rest.” The old man never missed an opportunity to create a moment for Chu Dong.

“Dad,” Tan Xue called softly, biting her lip as she finally looked up. “I know what you mean. It’s not that I won’t listen, but he has to be ambitious. Here’s my condition: if he fulfills it, I’ll agree to be with him. If not, don’t blame me.”

“A condition? You’re making demands of me?” The old man, accustomed to having the final say at home, was annoyed.

“Uncle Tan, don’t be upset. It’s only fair. Let Xue’er speak. I doubt she’ll ask me to reach for the moon,” Chu Dong said with a smile.

“Fine, let’s hear it. I’m curious what your condition is.” Tan Songhai tapped his cane, waiting for his eldest daughter to speak.

“If he can, within one year, revive the Chu family’s business—not necessarily surpassing the Tan family, but at least restoring it to the level it was five years ago—that will prove his ability. If he succeeds, I’ll agree to marry him.” Tan Xue slowly revealed the condition she had long considered.

“You’re making things too difficult.” Tan Songhai protested. He didn’t object to building from nothing, but to reach the Chu family’s former level in a year was nothing short of impossible.

“I accept.” Chu Dong, secretly backed by one of the country’s largest funds, found Tan Xue’s demand a trivial challenge.

“I have another condition: you must not use funds of unknown origin, nor accept help from family or friends. Otherwise, it doesn’t count,” added Tan Xue.

“You’re out of your mind, girl. Could you do it?” Tan Songhai was amused by his daughter’s stipulation.

“I can’t, but the person who marries me should be better than me, shouldn’t he? You wouldn’t want me to marry a fool, would you?” Seeing her father wasn’t angry, Tan Xue acted coy.

“Uncle Tan, I accept Xue’er’s conditions. Prepare the bridal carriage, and wait for me to come claim my bride,” Chu Dong declared, spurred by Tan Xue’s challenge, his courage swelling as he promised without hesitation.

“Dongzi, it’s good to strive, but a joke is still a joke. Don’t worry—even if you don’t succeed, with your uncle here, you won’t walk away empty-handed,” the old man reassured him, patting his chest as his daughter returned to her room.

“Thank you, Uncle Tan.” Chu Dong replied politely.

“Sis, I bet—big brother Chu will definitely succeed!” Yu’er chattered away in her sister’s room.

“Go to bed. If you can’t get up tomorrow, I’ll spank you.” Tan Xue, annoyed, was angered by her sister’s confidence in Chu Dong.

Making a face, Yu’er ran off.

That night, Chu Dong delivered the car to the repair shop, instructing the workers to fix it as quickly as possible. He didn’t care about their expressions—he wrote the owner a check, and work began at once.

He took a taxi back to the hotel, where his two friends were drinking. They acted as if it was their own home, unconcerned whether the host returned.

“Listen up, you lot. From today, no more free drinks here. I need to start saving for marriage. At the very least, you’ll pay for what you drink,” Chu Dong said, tossing his jacket aside and pointing at a particularly inebriated friend.

“It’s not my fault—Qiangzi opened this bottle,” a fair-faced lad, cheeks flushed, instantly tattled.

“Haozi said we should drink it. I’m just following orders. You can’t blame me for the bill,” Qiangzi, whose hair was shortest, slurred defensively.

“My fate is bitter. I’ve got you two leeches—each richer than me, yet you sponge drinks at my place. Damn it, leave me some!” Chu Dong lunged, snatching the half-empty foreign liquor from Haozi’s hand. The group descended into chaos.