"From a young age, I dealt with hundreds of thousands of cash. Our houses and cars, it seemed they weren't earned but fell from the sky. I never cherished them."
"My dad told me he only wanted me as his child, and the family business would all be mine. He said I was born to be a boss, so studying wasn't important. He'd make those who studied well work for me. That's why I never considered studying."
"'Unlearned and ignorant,' that's how you'd describe someone like me."
Chen Jiaojiao spoke with self-deprecation.
"I went to private schools all the way, from kindergarten straight through high school. If not for that, I wouldn't have met scum like Li Pengcheng."
"You can't trust men's words, not even your own father. He said he only wanted one child, but in my fifth year of primary school, he changed his mind. He started desperately wanting a son."
"My mom, bored, gave him a son. Later she found out he still wasn't honest. He had 'Ah San,' 'Ah Si,' and 'Ah Wu' outside."
"My maternal grandfather's family had a mine locally. Though not as big as my dad's family's, my mom grew up pampered and couldn't stand his mistreatment, always arguing with him."
"That's when I learned my paternal grandfather had a good relationship with someone when he was sent down to the countryside. He arranged a marriage for me and that man's grandson. That man was in Nancheng."
"Every time my dad argued with my mom, he'd tell me he hoped I'd grow up quickly and marry into Nancheng, so I wouldn't have to see them fight every day."
"I was married, but not to the person you saw yesterday. It was to my arranged fiancé. We divorced less than three months after getting married."
"So, what Li Pengcheng said wasn't entirely wrong. I'm certainly not some obedient and innocent person."
Listening to her self-abandoning tone, Xiang Yang, though taken aback by her life experiences, still felt sympathy for her.
"About the one from yesterday, can I ask why you two broke up?"
"He's a coward."
Chen Jiaojiao picked up her wine glass and took a frustrated sip.
"When I first met him, I genuinely liked him and intended to marry him. Who knew he'd be such a coward?"
"When my arranged fiancé found out we were dating, he threatened me a few times, and then he ran off and abandoned me."
"My arranged fiancé ended up hating me for it..."
"It's all a mess. In my life, I've never done anything right. It's all chaos."
Xiang Yang listened and realized that in matters of the heart, she was also a victim. The fault wasn't hers.
If she had any fault, it was trusting men too easily and giving her heart to the wrong person.
"Don't talk about yourself like that. You're clearly not like that."
Chen Jiaojiao put down her wine glass and looked at him.
"Tell me honestly, do you have feelings for me?"
The question was so direct that Xiang Yang suddenly felt a bit embarrassed.
But seeing Chen Jiaojiao's firm gaze, he quickly regained his composure.
"Yes. I've realized I might have fallen for you. I always want to be with you."
"That's not right, Xiang Yang. The reason I'm telling you all this today is to let you know."
"My past is very complicated, and my future will also be complicated. These things will accompany me my whole life. We're not on the same path."
"You are very pure, and you need to find a pure girl..."
Xiang Yang disliked how she always spoke of herself that way.
"Who says you're not pure? Does anyone who reaches 20 without a boyfriend or girlfriend become impure? Is dating and breaking up impure?"
Chen Jiaojiao shook her head. "Don't you understand the point of my words? I didn't just simply date and break up, I was married!"
"At 20, I became a divorced woman. I..."
"I don't care. As long as I don't care, what does it matter if others gossip? What does it have to do with them?"
Listening to his simple words and looking at his innocent face, Chen Jiaojiao was stunned for a few seconds, then couldn't help but laugh sadly.
"Fine. You don't care. Then tell me, what do you plan to do next?"
"Chase me? Make me your girlfriend? Date for a while and then break up if it doesn't work out? Or will you endure no matter what, and want to marry and have children with me?"
Xiang Yang: "..."
He hadn't thought that far ahead yet.
He simply felt Chen Jiaojiao was good, liked her, and wanted to be with her.
But since she asked, as a man, he had at least the courage of his convictions.
"If we date for a while and find we're both suitable, and you can wait until I graduate and don't mind that I'm poor, why can't we marry and have children?"
Chen Jiaojiao didn't have much dating experience. The one she met, Hu Jiasheng, was scared off before anything even happened.
Instead, this seemingly clueless young man was talking about marriage and children with her.
Her heart moved for a few seconds, then she couldn't help but laugh again.
"If I'm not mistaken, you're an only child, right? Your family has high hopes for you."
"I hate dealing with men who carry too much family responsibility."
"I'm used to freedom since I was a child and can't stand restraint. You want me to get married and have children, to stay at home managing the household and raising children forever; that's impossible."
Xiang Yang quickly said, "You don't have to stay home managing the household and raising children forever. You can go out and do what you like..."
"Do you know what I like? I like drinking, dancing, looking at handsome men, and traveling."
"I'm uncultured, I won't be a good mother, and I won't be good at educating children..."
"Then I'll drink with you, dance with you, look at handsome men with you, and travel with you."
Xiang Yang looked at her intently.
"Sooner or later, you'll crave having children. When you want them, we'll have them."
"What if I never want them?"
"Then we won't."
Chen Jiaojiao couldn't help but laugh again. "I keep telling you you're naive, but you won't admit it."
"Alright, alright. I admit it first. You're young and handsome. It's not a loss to date someone like you. I do have some feelings for you too."
"But let's be clear in advance, we're just playing around, not to be taken seriously."
"I've seen through love and marriage. I don't want to pursue them anymore, nor do I want to be responsible for anyone's family. Don't force me."
"When we feel something, we'll be together. When we don't, we'll part ways. Neither of us will hold the other back. If you can agree to these conditions, we can try dating."
Xiang Yang never imagined that his first romantic relationship would start this way.
It was as if their genders had been swapped.
But if he refused, Chen Jiaojiao would turn and leave.
He truly didn't want to miss her.
Xiang Yang believed that time could change a person.
As long as he was sincere enough, Chen Jiaojiao wouldn't think of breaking up with him.
Even if they didn't get married, they could still get along harmoniously.
"No problem, I agree."