If You Don’t Go To Hell, Who Will? - Chapter 57

Before this, Zhong Yuan had told me that his grandfather worked at a bank, his father was a university professor, and his mother was a housewife. As a result, I had always thought that his family wasn’t even middle-class, at most comfortable with their basic needs met and some extra money on the side. Originally, he didn’t spend money recklessly, although occasionally he indulged a bit. But later, when I heard that he earned money himself, I thought everything was reasonable and didn’t think too much about it. That’s why I didn’t feel any pressure to be with him. Even though there was a difference in our family backgrounds, we both belonged to the working class, so the gap wasn’t too difficult to overcome.

However, today I learned that working at a bank was not at all what I had imagined, not to mention his grandfather’s involvement in some kind of financial conglomerate back in the country…

Now, looking back, my initial thoughts were indeed naive. Where do you find ordinary kids forced to trade stocks at the age of seven or eight? Moreover, Zhong Yuan, this guy, though not into luxury goods, subtly revealed in our conversations that he was quite knowledgeable about corrupt things and even knew a lot about the rules and affairs of upper-class society. Initially, I thought these were just the “essential knowledge for pretending” mentioned in a bystander’s guidebook, but now I see that I was really naive.

In fact, if I had known how wealthy Zhong Yuan’s family was when I first met him, maybe I wouldn’t have fallen for him. You see, my dad always advised me to stay away from rich people, especially as a potential spouse. It’s not that we have anything against the wealthy or have some kind of pride; it’s just that my dad firmly believed that class differences couldn’t be overcome. People from regular families who marry into wealth usually don’t have a good life. This conclusion was drawn after years of exposure to television, radio, and gossip from the Zhang family at the east end of our village. Both my dad and I firmly believed in this.

But now…

I arrived at a rather poetic conclusion with a heavy heart: I, Mu Er, fell in love with someone I shouldn’t have…

“Mu Er? Mu Er?” Zhong Yuan gently shook my chin.

“Uh…” I blinked at him, unsure of what to say.

Zhong Yuan tilted his head slightly, leaning closer to me, and softly kissed my forehead. Then he whispered, “Mu Er, do you believe me?”

“Zhong Yuan,” I lowered my head, feeling a bit downcast, hesitated for a while, and finally said, “Don’t you think there’s too much of a difference between us?”

Zhong Yuan grabbed my shoulders excitedly; his grip was a bit strong. “I don’t think so.”

“Uh,” I felt somewhat helpless about Zhong Yuan’s uncooperative attitude, “but I feel like our circumstances are not quite compatible…”

Zhong Yuan’s tone grew firm. “Then we’ll make them compatible.”

I was touched and saddened at the same time. “But… some things are just hard to bridge…”

Zhong Yuan’s voice trembled slightly. “So what, are you thinking of breaking up with me?”

“I…”

But suddenly, Zhong Yuan pulled me into his arms and held me tightly, speaking with frustration, “Don’t even think about it!”

I let him hold me, but I started to feel lost and uncomfortable. Of course, I didn’t want to break up with Zhong Yuan, but there were certain things I had believed for almost twenty years that were hard to change. Even if I did change, what difference would it make? The reality was that beliefs never changed with a person’s feelings, and what we had to face was likely this reality.

In this situation, would I be happy if I married Zhong Yuan? Forget about happiness; would we even be blessed? Zhong Yuan’s parents already had a suitable daughter-in-law candidate from a similar background; would they accept me? And in their social circle, could I fit in? Even if I could, would I like that kind of life? Zhong Yuan had been groomed as his grandfather’s successor, and his wife should be someone who could greatly assist his career, right? If I were honest with myself, other than causing trouble for Zhong Yuan, what could I possibly offer him? Regular people have to consider everyday matters like groceries and household chores in their relationships and marriages, let alone the affairs of an affluent family. Someone like Zhong Yuan—what kind of wife could he marry? I doubt it’s something he can decide.

I’m not someone who likes to overthink things, but the facts were right in front of me, and I couldn’t help but think about them. Especially in this kind of reality, it was the last thing I wanted to see.

Zhong Yuan held me tighter and tighter, and I began to squirm uncomfortably. He loosened his grip on me a bit but still held onto my hand tightly, as if he was afraid I would run away.

After taking a few deep breaths, Zhong Yuan calmed down and said to me, “Mu Er, tell me, before you found out about all this, did you feel any pressure being with me?”

I shook my head and replied honestly, “No, except sometimes I felt you were too smart.”

Zhong Yuan seemed satisfied and used one hand to gently ruffle my hair. “See, those are just external conflicts, objective conditions that can be ignored. Love is just a matter between two people, so why let unrelated things disturb us?”

I wasn’t so easily fooled by him. “Love may be between two people, but if two people want to be together, it’s not just about love.”

With a long sigh, Zhong Yuan said, “Mu Er, have you watched too many melodramas?”

I argued, “The facts are right in front of us, okay? Let’s start with the simplest thing: will our families oppose us being together? If my dad finds out how wealthy your family is, he’ll definitely advise me to leave you.”

Zhong Yuan chuckled, “I’ve already clarified things with your dad. He said he has no objections as long as you’re willing. He even mentioned that he believes I can take care of you.”

I looked at him in surprise, scrutinizing him for a while, and felt that he didn’t seem like he was lying. “When did you talk to him?”

Zhong Yuan replied, “A long time ago.”

I couldn’t help but sigh. It seemed that Zhong Yuan had deeply influenced my dad, to the point of no return.

Still feeling uneasy, I asked, “What about your parents? They must want to choose a suitable wife for you, right?”

Zhong Yuan narrowed his eyes. “I’m the one getting married, so they can at most offer some guidance.”

I continued to inquire, “What about your grandfather? He invested so much in you; he surely wouldn’t want you to casually choose a wife, would he?”

Zhong Yuan seemed quite displeased. “Marrying you can’t be considered casual, can it?”

I tried to please him by lightly nuzzling his neck with my hair. “That’s not what I meant.”

Zhong Yuan bent down and lightly bit the corner of my lips. “Next week, come with me to Shanghai and meet my grandfather.”

Uh… Meeting the parents? I’m so nervous…

Suddenly, Zhong Yuan pressed me onto the couch, leaned down, and gazed at me with a half-smile. He said, “Actually, there’s another way to dispel your concerns.”

I blinked at him and said, “What?”

“Mu Er,” Zhong Yuan’s face came closer, his lips almost touching mine, his warm breath brushing against me. He said, “Let’s turn this situation from raw rice into cooked rice, shall we?”

“O-Okay, but you need to let go of me first.”

Zhong Yuan’s eyes sparkled, and a deep curve formed at the corner of his mouth. He got up, releasing his hold on me.

I wriggled out of his arms, jumped off the couch, and nervously said, “I’ll go cook now; turn raw rice into cooked rice.”

I heard Zhong Yuan’s low, muffled laughter behind me, a mixture of pleasure and regret.