On her first day with Xu Hengzhou, Shen Zhi knew she was nothing but a tool.
His beloved Lu Xinwei came from a poor family, and his family opposed their relationship. So Xu Hengzhou carefully selected Shen Zhi, whose background, looks, manners, and education were all inferior to his beloved's.
There was another important reason, too.
She'd once heard Xu Hengzhou tell a friend, "I chose Shen Zhi because I know there's no way I'd ever fall for someone like her."
As Lu Xinwei's foil, Shen Zhi had to show up at Xu Hengzhou's mother's house at a set time every week, according to their contract.
Whatever Mrs. Xu disliked, Shen Zhi would do.
Luckily, she was already an ill-mannered person, so she was perfectly suited to the job and handled it with ease.
All she had to do was behave as she normally did, and she could outdo her peers by a mile.
Whenever Mrs. Xu angrily threw a bank card at her and told her to leave her son, Shen Zhi silently prayed: Give me more, please. Just a little more.
But unfortunately, they never managed to reach an agreement on the price.
-
After two years of this, Mrs. Xu still wouldn't give in, and Lu Xinwei remained out of touch overseas. Nothing had changed.
Shen Zhi was counting on this job to support her in her old age.
She never expected to be the one to break their agreement first.
Her own beloved was coming back to the country.
That's right. Xu Hengzhou wasn't the only one with a beloved.
Hers was as pure and perfect as could be: a noble gentleman, as bright and clear as a fresh breeze and a shining moon, nothing like Xu Hengzhou's arrogant, domineering nature.
A month after her beloved returned, she picked an auspicious day to "break up" with Xu Hengzhou.
"So soon? Did he agree to be with you?"
She answered honestly. "No."
Xu Hengzhou, as expected, couldn't resist a sarcastic remark. "He hasn't even agreed, and you're already throwing yourself at him?"
She'd expected the ill-mannered woman to snap back as usual, but instead, her eyes sparkled and a tenderness he'd never seen before flowed across her face. Her voice was firm.
"I want to give it one try. Whether he likes me or not, I want to fight for him. Even if he rejects me, that's okay."
A woman who'd always loved money more than life suddenly didn't care about money anymore.
How strange, he thought.
-
On the 108th day after the breakup, on a dark and windy night, Xu Hengzhou was once again loitering beneath Shen Zhi's building.
Through the car window, he saw her return to her rented apartment, her face covered in tears.
So they'd broken up.
He couldn't suppress the curve of his lips. He immediately opened the car door and got out, pretending to comfort her.
"Why are you crying? You've still got me as your backup."
"Uh..." Shen Zhi was so taken aback that she immediately broke free of his embrace. "I'm crying because he proposed to me."
Sharp-tongued, handsome man x cheerful little money-lover
Theme: Sincere love is priceless.
