Chen Liuyue also said with an envious look:
"Is Little Qin sister's fiancé?"
Wu Peihua looked at her in surprise. "How did you know?"
Chen Liuyue replied with a smile:
"I saw their photo together in a frame last night. Sister said he was her fiancé and that she'd invite me to be a bridesmaid when they get married."
Seeing her innocent manner,
the resistance Wu Peihua felt towards her in her heart lessened slightly.
Although her biological daughter looked like her late sister, her temperament seemed more straightforward, less scheming.
No matter what, she was still the flesh and blood of her and Old Chen.
Wu Peihua's tone softened a bit.
"Yes, Little Qin is called Qin Xuanye. His family is well-matched with our Chen family."
"He and your sister have a very good relationship. Remember to call him brother-in-law when you see him in the future."
Chen Liuyue curved the corner of her lips.
Thinking to herself: Got it. When she sees her ex-boyfriend again, she'll definitely call him brother-in-law.
Qin Xuanye would surely be very surprised then, right? Or perhaps shocked.
Just thinking about that scene made Chen Liuyue a little excited.
Meanwhile, Chen Zhenye, sitting on the sofa, suddenly seemed to remember something.
Back then, Ruanruan's engagement to Qin Xuanye was to strengthen the cooperation between the two family conglomerates, intended as a business marriage.
To show his regard, Chen Zhenye had even given Chen Ruanruan five percent of the company's shares.
This was a signal.
After Chen Ruanruan married into the Qin family, these five percent of shares would be part of her dowry.
The Qin family was naturally very happy upon learning this and quickly facilitated the matter. Although Little Qin was unwilling at first, he gradually grew to like Ruanruan as he spent time with her.
Both families were pleased with this outcome.
But now... their biological daughter, Chen Liuyue, had appeared.
If the baby mix-up hadn't happened, the business marriage should have originally been Liuyue's.
Little Qin should also have been Liuyue's fiancé.
Fortunately, she didn't know about this. Chen Zhenye silently decided to compensate Chen Liuyue with something more.
"Huh? Dad, you're giving me a 180-square-meter apartment in the city center? Really?"
Upon hearing Chen Zhenye's proposal, Chen Liuyue was so surprised her mouth hung open.
On the side, Wu Peihua frowned with some disdain at her easily startled manner.
She was her daughter now, how could she still be so lacking in sophistication?
Taking her out would probably get her laughed at by the other society ladies!
It was just a small city apartment.
Chen Zhenye nodded slowly, saying gently, "Of course it's true. Consider it a gift to make up for your eighteenth birthday."
Chen Liuyue said loudly:
"Thank you, Dad! Shall we go transfer the title now?"
She then glanced up at the clock and added, "If we go now, we can finish the procedures before lunch."
Seeing her anxious, worldly manner, as if afraid the benefit would slip away,
Wu Peihua felt some disgust and contempt.
If it were Ruanruan, she would have remained unflustered by honor or disgrace. Forget an ordinary small apartment, back when Old Chen said he would give Ruanruan five percent of the company shares,
she had merely smiled lightly and nodded, saying, "Thank you, Dad and Mom."
She never even asked when the share transfer procedures would happen.
Chen Liuyue, of course, knew her biological mother looked down on her petty-bourgeois attitude.
She had done her research thoroughly before coming to the Chen household.
She thought to herself: That's why Chen Ruanruan is foolish. Her shares were only verbal; the formal documents haven't been signed yet.
She was different.
Since you want to give it, she'll take it, and she'll take it securely.
Only having it transferred under her name would she feel at ease!!!
What use was having a good reputation in front of the Chen couple?! No amount of praise could compare to that Chen Ruanruan.
Better to take tangible benefits instead.
Chen Zhenye's desire to compensate was sincere.
Moreover, a large city-center apartment, an unattainable jackpot for Chen Liuyue, was nothing more than pocket change to him.
"Alright, then go upstairs and change your clothes. I'll have the driver take us to the notary office to transfer the title."
Chen Liuyue curved her lips into a smile and called out affectionately, "Thank you, Dad! You're the best, Dad!"
With that, she turned and happily ran upstairs, clattering, to change her clothes.
Wu Peihua watched her back disappear from view and couldn't help but sigh.
She looked at Chen Zhenye with some helplessness and complained,
"Old Chen, how did we end up with such a shortsighted daughter?"
"Getting this excited over just one apartment, it's really..."
Too unsophisticated.
Hearing his wife's nagging, Chen Zhenye waved his hand.
"The Tao family may be highly educated, but they're in low-paying public sector jobs. How much money could they make?"
"They also had two elderly parents to support. Their financial situation certainly wasn't as good as our Chen family's. Liuyue all these years... hasn't had the material abundance Ruanruan enjoyed."
"Don't look down on her. She is our daughter after all."
"We can gradually teach her proper manners later."
Hearing him say this, Wu Peihua also felt there was some truth to it.
But she still couldn't help constantly comparing Ruanruan and Chen Liuyue. No matter how she looked at it, the daughter she raised herself, Ruanruan, was more outstanding and excellent.
Last night before bed, she had even wished the baby mix-up was just a bad dream.
Unfortunately, it was reality.
It seemed she could only accept it slowly.
The only thing that comforted Wu Peihua was that although this biological daughter was shortsighted, at least she seemed simple-minded.
She looked foolish.
As long as she behaved obediently, she wouldn't treat her poorly.
...
Chen Liuyue, of course, didn't think she was foolish.
Coming out of the notary office, looking at the fresh, newly issued red property certificate for the successful transfer, she launched into her emotional performance again.
With teary eyes, she said to Chen Zhenye and Wu Peihua:
"Dad, Mom, you are so good to me."
"I will definitely take good care of you and be filial in the future."
"Dad, if you get dementia when you're old, I'll sit beside you and read the newspaper to you."
"Mom, if you become paralyzed later, I'll be right by your bed to help you with... everything."
Chen Zhenye: "..."
Wu Peihua: "..."
This child! Couldn't she wish for something better for them?
