Xu Mingzhu had always known her family loved her.
They loved her beauty, her intelligence, and the fact that she knew when to act a little less clever.
Her mother was from Jiangnan. She had brands and properties under her name, as well as a marriage everyone envied.
Her father was firmly rooted in Beijing, cared most about appearances, and loved saying, “We’re family. Why be so particular about keeping score?”
Until, at her grandmother’s birthday banquet, someone announced that her mother was retiring, someone else arranged for her cousin to take over, and still someone else had already picked a husband for her.
Three happy announcements, and not one had asked the people they concerned.
Xu Mingzhu set down her wineglass.
“I haven’t agreed to this marriage.”
“If my mother is retiring, let her say so herself.”
“As for everyone’s dignity...”
She smiled.
“I'm afraid you’ll have to look after it yourselves today.”
Later, some called her spoiled, some said she was relying on her family background, and some said she had simply won Xie Wenzhou’s favor.
When Xie Wenzhou heard the last comment, he only laughed.
They didn’t know that when Xu Mingzhu was truly unhappy, she’d send even him away.
She was born a pearl.
But she had no intention of becoming anyone’s possession.
Theme: I don’t want to win only love. Nor do I want to pretend I don’t want to be loved just to prove I’m independent. The heroine doesn’t have to always be right or never feel jealous. She doesn’t have to reject love to prove her independence, or repeatedly explain to readers that she “has it hard too” just because she comes from a privileged background. She can be beautiful, vain, clever, softhearted, and vengeful. She can want to outdo other women, and she can also suddenly understand why one of them feels she has to win.
