Chapter 371: Damn It, Don’t You Understand What Bloodline Bonds Are!?

“Her looks are good. Dignified and gentle.”

“Her figure isn’t bad either. Looks like she could bear a son.”

After Shen Zhengsheng spoke, Pan Xiaomei immediately added, “If she were a senior executive at one of the Big Four state-owned banks, that might be worth something. But a senior executive at China Merchants Bank? It’s a pointless position. You’re constantly in the public eye, and you don’t even earn that much in a year.”

“If you really want to marry into our family in the future, you’ll definitely have to resign from that executive position. Just find some cushy job with a base salary, as long as the company pays for your social insurance and housing fund.”

“I’ve taken care of our Haochen since he was a child. I’ve always waited on him hand and foot. In my view, a man should focus entirely on his career, and the woman should shoulder as much of everything else as she can.”

From the moment Luo Xiwen had entered the private room, Pan Xiaomei had been scrutinizing her with a critical eye. Now that she was speaking, her condescending arrogance was completely unconcealed.

Every other word was about resigning or what a woman “should” do.

Luo Xiwen had already been furious about being tricked into coming here by her parents and third aunt. Now, after hearing such overbearing words from Shen Zhengsheng and Pan Xiaomei, she was so angry she had to laugh.

Her gaze swept over her mother and father, then over her third aunt and uncle-in-law. Her eyes seemed to say: ‘So this is the wonderful family you so carefully picked out for me?’

“President Shen is a self-made man; he’s always been about efficiency.”

Noticing the tense atmosphere, Hou Meixia tried to smooth things over with a laugh. “And Sister Pan is just very straightforward. She never beats around the bush. In reality, she’s a very kind person, or else she couldn’t have raised such an outstanding son.”

‘An outstanding son?’

Luo Xiwen’s eyes fell on the young man sitting between Shen Zhengsheng and Pan Xiaomei. He was dressed neatly and cleanly, with above-average looks and build, but he gave off the impression of a dull simpleton.

He hadn’t said a single word since Luo Xiwen entered. He would either glance at Pan Xiaomei beside him or stare blankly at Luo Xiwen, the lenses in his glasses nearly as thick as bottle caps.

‘The ultimate mama’s boy!’

Luo Xiwen could see exactly what kind of person he was in a single glance.

“Yes, yes, yes.”

“Actually, President Shen and Sister Pan have always had very high standards. Over the years, countless people have tried to introduce potential partners to Haochen, but none of them were ever good enough in their eyes.”

Luo Xiwen’s third uncle-in-law, Ye Taihong, chimed in, “Look, they came in person today and even chose the Zhenshui Banquet, the most exclusive restaurant in all of Beichun. It just goes to show how much they value and approve of you.”

“But…”

“I have my own ambitions and aspirations.”

“Right now, my annual salary plus bonuses comes to over 700,000 a year.”

Luo Xiwen asked with feigned hesitation, “Uncle, Auntie, if I marry into your family and quit my current job, will my standard of living—my daily expenses for food, clothing, and other necessities—be better than it is now?”

‘You like to act all high and mighty, don’t you?’

‘You like pretending you’re some great, prestigious family?’

‘Bear a son, support my husband, raise the children… What, does your family have a throne that needs an heir?’

Luo Xiwen had been spending time with Gu Heng lately and had met plenty of powerful and influential people, but she had never met anyone this arrogant.

Since they hadn’t shown her or her family a shred of respect, Luo Xiwen wasn’t about to be polite either. To use one of Gu Heng’s favorite phrases:

‘You wanna act tough? I’ll make you fly.’

While Luo Xiwen was thinking this, on the surface she maintained a modest and virtuous demeanor.

“Heh…”

“Young people are so shortsighted, after all.”

“To our family, 700,000 is just a month’s profit, maybe less.”

“If you marry into our family, you’ll live in a large villa, and you’ll even have a maid.”

“Your food, clothing, housing, and transportation will all be taken care of. You wouldn’t know what to spend money on even if you wanted to.”

Pan Xiaomei chuckled softly, her tone full of disdain for the 700,000 annual salary Luo Xiwen had mentioned.

“But as a girl, I like pretty clothes and designer bags too.”

“With my own salary, I can buy whatever I want right now.”

“So if I marry into your family, will I also have 700,000 a year to spend as I please?”

Luo Xiwen saw that Pan Xiaomei was evading the main point and twisting the concept. She refused to let her get away with it and brought the issue of money directly to the forefront.

‘You want to flaunt your wealth, don’t you?’

‘You want to act like the matriarch of some great, wealthy family?’

‘Fine, then I’ll see just how capable you really are to make you so arrogant, so clueless about the meaning of respect!’

Sure enough, as Luo Xiwen landed this direct blow, both Pan Xiaomei’s and Shen Zhengsheng’s brows furrowed.

“Xiaoluo, a woman needs to know how to be frugal and manage a household.”

Pan Xiaomei said in a patronizing tone, “And to think you work at a bank. Don’t you understand the principle that if you don’t manage your finances, your finances won’t take care of you?”

“As long as you have clothes to wear, that should be enough. Besides, you’d be a married woman. Wouldn’t it be inappropriate to keep dressing up all flashy like a young girl?”

“As for those designer bags, they’re just a tax on stupidity—a marketing scam used by capitalists to prey on ordinary people. When the time comes, the family will give you a credit card with a monthly limit of 10,000. That’s more than enough for your normal living expenses and anything you might want to buy.”

Hearing Pan Xiaomei’s response, Luo Xiwen burst out laughing.

She didn’t say anything, but to Shen Zhengsheng and Pan Xiaomei, her smile seemed to carry an unmistakable trace of mockery.