The whole performance went off without a hitch, leaving the married couple staring in stunned silence.
Good heavens!
Normally, they couldn’t even find a place like this, yet their daughter acted as if she ate at restaurants like it all the time!
Qiu Fuyang was furious.
What kind of unfilial daughter enjoyed the finer things in life without giving a thought to her parents?
But since they hadn’t managed to get the money, he could only swallow his anger and put on a smiling face. “Qiuyun, tell us—which sugar daddy are you seeing?”
Qiuyun glanced over. “Tell me first. How did you find this place?”
Her mother, Fang Fang, said, “We saw the donation to the orphanage in the newspaper! You’re our own daughter, after all. I recognized you in the crowd at a glance!”
The two of them had followed the information in the newspaper to the Jiang residence, and that was how they had found her.
Qiuyun was speechless.
She never expected to be caught because of that.
“So now can you tell us?” Qiu Fuyang hurriedly asked. “Which sugar daddy are you seeing?”
Qiuyun gave a mocking laugh and put on a smug expression. “The eldest grandson of the main branch—the kind who’ll inherit the Jiang family one day.”
Gasp—
The couple looked at each other and simultaneously sucked in a sharp breath.
Qiuyun’s expression turned cold. “That’s why I told you not to make a scene in front of their house! Luckily, Uncle Liao owed me a favor just now. Otherwise, if this had reached the Eldest Young Master, how would I have explained it?”
The couple didn’t understand. Fang Fang asked, “Explained what?”
Qiuyun looked at them with disdain. “Why do you think I kept hanging up on you before? I had a fake diploma made and told the Eldest Young Master that I’d returned from studying abroad, that my parents were overseas running a small business, and that our family had assets worth several hundred million yuan. Otherwise, did you think the Eldest Young Master would accept just anyone?”
The couple’s eyes widened.
Good grief! She had practically blown the whole sky apart with that lie!
“Heh, look at how pathetic you two are!” Qiuyun snorted. “Did you really think I only wanted to be the Eldest Young Master’s caged songbird? The Old Master Jiang is seriously ill right now. As long as I win the Eldest Young Master’s heart, have his child, and give birth to the Old Master’s first great-grandson, would I still have to worry about using my child to secure my position and becoming the mistress of the Jiang family?”
Qiu Fuyang and Fang Fang were completely stunned.
What kind of level was the Jiang family’s wealth? At most, they had imagined their daughter becoming the Eldest Young Master’s little mistress, collecting ten or twenty thousand yuan a month in pocket money for them to spend. That alone would have been enough to make them ecstatic!
They had never imagined that their daughter’s ambitions were even greater.
She wanted to marry into the Jiang family and become its lady of the house!
Of course, they had no objections.
As her parents, they naturally supported her—wholeheartedly and without reservation!
“Oh, my! Why didn’t you tell us sooner?” Qiu Fuyang regretted it bitterly. “If we’d known, we would have told that Uncle Liao fellow that we were your relatives!”
Qiuyun rolled her eyes. “What good would that have done? Still, it’s fortunate that Uncle Liao is on my side. We’ll give him a hush-money payment of one or two hundred thousand yuan and have him keep this from the family. He’s about to retire anyway. Once he leaves his job, we won’t have to worry about this anymore.”
One or two hundred thousand yuan!
The couple’s hearts bled. If only they hadn’t been so quick to run their mouths!
Just then, the dishes began arriving.
The server brought out the food with a gentle smile, arranged the bowls and chopsticks, handed them hot towels, and even asked whether they wanted their wine decanted.
“No need. You can leave,” Qiuyun said, waving her hand.
“Certainly. I’ll be right outside. If you need anything, please press the service bell beneath the table.”
Once again, silence settled over the private room. Several expensive seafood dishes were laid out on the table, filling the air with a fresh, sweet, and savory aroma. Qiu Fuyang, however, couldn’t spare a glance for the food. He hurriedly asked, “Why does it cost so much? Can’t we just tell him we were joking around and that we’re actually poor relatives? Say that you ignored us because of that?”
Qiuyun picked up the serving chopsticks. “Do you take him for an idiot? Besides, what’s a few hundred thousand yuan? Once I marry the Eldest Young Master and become the young master's wife, one of his watches costs eight hundred thousand yuan. What does this little bit of money matter?”
The couple thought it over.
That was true. The Jiang family donated millions and millions to orphanages. How much more generous would they be toward the daughter-in-law who gave birth to their precious great-grandson?
Their cheeks flushed, and their faces lit up with delight.
If their daughter married into the Jiang family, they would become the Eldest Young Master’s parents-in-law!
An endless life of wealth and glory would be waiting for them!
But… hold on!
This wicked girl had said her parents were wealthy small-business owners overseas?
Qiu Fuyang immediately asked, “What do you mean, your parents are overseas? You’re not planning to acknowledge the two of us?”
Qiuyun tugged at the corner of her mouth and answered righteously, “Of course I’m not! Just look at the shabby state you’re in. Do you look like overseas millionaires? The moment you open your mouths, you’ll give everything away! But don’t worry. I’ll find someone to pretend to be my parents. Since they’re supposed to be from overseas, all they have to do is show up at the wedding.”
“No!” The older couple refused vehemently. “You unfilial daughter! We’re still alive, and you already want to rent yourself a pair of parents? Do you think we’re dead?”
Qiuyun snapped, “What are you getting so worked up about? It’s not as if I won’t give you money. I’ll still pay you!”
How could that be the same?
Taking money secretly was nothing compared to openly becoming the Eldest Young Master’s father-in-law and mother-in-law!
The difference was like heaven and earth!
“No! Absolutely not!” Qiu Fuyang slammed his chopsticks onto the table. “There’s no discussion about the fact that I’m your father. If you dare to rent parents for the wedding, just see whether I’ll come and cause a scene!”
Qiuyun rubbed her temples. “Then what do you suggest I do? I already told the Eldest Young Master that I returned from studying abroad and that my parents run a small business overseas. I’ve already said it—do you expect me to take it back? Besides, I told him our family runs a small business overseas. If the Eldest Young Master secretly supports us, and I insist on staying with him after becoming pregnant, his parents might even agree to the marriage! But if the Jiang family learns the truth about our situation, do you still think I’ll be able to marry into the Jiang family? Keep dreaming!”
Qiu Fuyang also knew that, with their current circumstances, they were hopelessly out of the Jiang family’s league. But a chance to rise from the mud into the heavens and change their fate was right before his eyes. How could he bear to give it up?
“You said you’d hire someone to play the part, but surely you don’t actually plan to find a real overseas millionaire, do you?” Qiu Fuyang racked his brains and, for once, managed to come up with a clever idea. “Why not let your mother and me play the roles? Wouldn’t that make everything seamless?”
Qiuyun frowned, as if considering whether the plan was feasible.
Fang Fang brightened. “Exactly! Why can’t we pretend? We’re acting either way, and it’ll look more convincing if it’s really your own family!”
Qiuyun reluctantly conceded. “I suppose it could work. But can you two act convincingly? Forget that miserly, low-class air of yours—you can’t even speak English properly!”
Fang Fang said, “Then we just won’t speak English, will we? Can’t we speak Portuguese or Jamaican or something? We can just babble away. No one will understand us anyway.”
Qiuyun rolled her eyes. “Do you take everyone for an idiot? What if we run into a Portuguese person later and they greet you? Wouldn’t we be exposed immediately? Tsk, but… Singapore has a large Chinese population, and I never told the Eldest Young Master exactly which country my family is in. If you claim you’re doing business in Singapore, you won’t even need to learn another language.”
