Xu Suying chatted happily with her mom as they walked toward the kitchen area. Behind her back, she gave her brother and Xiong Jingfei an okay with her hand. She has their mom handle. Plus, if her mom knew this was her idea. She would never hear the end of it!
Xu Cheng waited until his sister and mom's figures disappeared. Returning to his professional self, he asked, "Are you ready?"
Xiong Jingfei nodded her head. She sat across from him in the living room with papers and a pen. She didn't have her tablet and didn't have time to go buy a new one. Using her phone was convenient, but she learned that it should be the last thing she should use as a communicator during a face-to-face conversation.
Coincidence or not, but whenever she does use it. Her phone will suddenly get a bunch of calls or bombarded with text messages. It was hard to text a sentence without being interrupted every five minutes.
Xu Cheng took the yellow envelope that Xiong Jingfei also took out. Inside, there were the papers she wanted him to review.
The living room became dreadfully quiet. Only the rustling sound of papers was heard. Without Xu Suying talkativeness around, she wasn't sure on how to interact with Xu Cheng.
Xiong Jingfei can't recall the last time she spoke with Xu Cheng, or the last time they were left alone together. The Xu Cheng in her memories loved to tease her at any chance he gets. Still, he was like an older brother to her since she doesn't have one. Eventually, his teasing became less and less once she entered high school. Their interaction was a "barely" when he went off to college, but once he left to study abroad, they stopped talking to each other.
She would have never imagined the teasing boy back then would grow up to be a handsome looking man. On top of it, a successful lawyer too. Well, it was to be expected already in the Xu family.
They had a bloodline of a lawyer running through them. Xu Suying's grandfather was one, her father is one, and Xu Cheng became one too. It won't be long until Xu Suying also leaves to study abroad to become one too. Since they were kids, Xu Suying mentioned over and over that her lifelong dream was to become a lawyer. Bring justice to those who are innocent.
It sounds pretty corny, like something they would say in a movie. But, Xiong Jingfei had always believed in Xu Suying's words. Even now, Xu Suying never once wavered this dream of hers.
After reading through the papers, Xu Cheng had a pair of serious eyes staring back at Xiong Jingfei. Intimidating, she must say. A Xu Cheng she never knew existed.
"You wrote this?" Xu Cheng asked, setting down the papers onto the table.
Xiong Jingfei shook her head and tilted her head toward the kitchen. She did write it, but it would not have been that great without Xu Suying's help. Something like this was in Xu Suying's expertise.
Xu Cheng chuckled, "It's... Very detailed."
Xiong Jingfei blushed. If she had a choice, she did not want Xu Cheng to be the person reading it. However, the only people she could trust was Xu Suying's family. She can't ask anyone else in Sinwang City as they blabbed about it to Yang Zheyan's family. His family must not find out about this.
"It looks good," Xu Cheng nodded his head in approval. "The hard part is getting the other person's signature. Will he sign it?"
Xiong Jingfei gave him an unsure nod. He should?
The conditions in this written contract were in his favor more than hers. He is a womanizer, so his faithfulness and loyalty will not be there. All she really wants from him is to respect her during their marriage and let her keep her chastity. She doesn't believe their marriage will last long anyway.
They can pretend to be in love and have a civil marriage for a year or two Then say they fell out of love, and will go their separate merry ways to find happiness. She won't even ask for alimony from him. She did not want to have unnecessary burdens and obstacles in the future.
At least, between the both of them, they will fulfill the promise between two elders.
Xiong Jingfei's grandfather may no longer be alive, but Yang Zheyan's grandfather held on firmly on wanting to witness them tying the knot. He must see the marriage happen, or else he won't be happy closing his eyes. So, dragging out the engagement wasn't a long term goal.
Apparently, Yang Zheyan's grandfather and Xiong Guozhi were the only two who wanted to make this marriage happen. She even heard that Yang Zheyan's grandfather insisted on moving their marriage to a closer date than the arranged time.
Thanks to Li Roulan's wonderful idea of informing the world of Xiong Jingfei being a mute. She suggested letting Xiong Changchang replace her. This gave Yang Zheyan's grandfather an even more fantastic idea too... Move the marriage to date! Let Xiong Jingfei be welcomed into the Yang's family at the age of eighteen. It shouldn't make a difference by letting her come into their family sooner. They will care for her and help her voice recover.
"No!" Li Roulan vehemently denied it at that time.
They were having a meeting after hearing about Xiong Jingfei's side lover and her becoming a mute. Everyone's attention was on her for her loud outburst. Because it wasn't her turn to talk, but she continued on with her lies, "I-I will dearly miss my daughter. I may not be her birth mother, but I raised Feifei from when she was an infant. She is like my real daughter!"
"She won't be going anywhere. You can visit her whenever you want." Yang Zheyan's grandfather scowled. "Unless you want to dissolve the promise between two elders?"
"No! Of course not!" Li Roulan bit her tongue, trying to find a valid excuse for her behavior. She can't afford to go up against the Yang family head of the household. "I... I just don't want her to get married so early in life. There is so much more for her to learn to become a mature person."