C1 You Have to Marry Him

"Mom, stop it! I'd rather die than marry that man!"

*Slap!*

A loud smack landed on Yueyue's face, leaving a clear handprint on her fair skin, and her high ponytail whipped across her cheek.

Yueyue clutched her reddened cheek, staring at her mother, Soong Yan, in shock. "Mom, have you lost it? Why did you hit me?"

Soong Yan, gritting her teeth in frustration, shouted, "I think you're the one who's lost it! You're 27 and still single, and your aunts talk about it every day. Now there's a man willing to marry you, and you're being picky!"

Yueyue felt utterly wronged, tears glistening in her eyes. "Mom, does a girl have to get married and have kids? Are you living for other people? Just because they gossip, I have to marry someone I don't love?"

"Enough with the excuses! This time, you don't have a choice. You must marry Aquan," Soong Yan insisted firmly.

Her brother, Jiabao, who had been watching the scene unfold, chimed in, "Sis, just marry him. Aquan promised a $50,000 dowry for the down payment on my house."

Yueyue turned to look at her brother, shocked once more. So money was the real reason she had to get married.

Tears blurred Yueyue's vision as she looked at Soong Yan, a bitter smile forming on her lips. "So, you're selling me off for $50,000? Are you even my real mom?"

She had met that guy, Aquan, before—a newly rich, obnoxious man who made her stomach turn.

Soong Yan was determined to marry off her daughter and said firmly, "I gave birth to you and raised you. I have the right to decide your marriage!"

Yueyue turned her pleading eyes to her father, Dongming, who was smoking silently. "Dad, please say something. Stop Mom from doing this."

Her father, always under his wife's thumb, took a deep drag on his cigarette, glanced at his wife's angry, flushed face, and said helplessly, "Yueyue, apart from being a bit overweight, Aquan is a good man. Marrying him won't be bad for you. Listen to your mom."

Her father's stance left Yueyue both hopeless and furious. Her eyes hardened with anger as she retorted, "No wonder my sister ran away with her boyfriend. Having parents like you is just too much. Fine, you want me to get married? I'll do it my way! Forget that fool Aquan; I'll choose my own husband!"

Jiabao, her younger brother, was anxious and tugged at Yueyue's sleeve, shouting, "Sis, if you don't marry Aquan, where am I supposed to get $50,000 to buy a house?"

Wooh Yueyue gave her brother a light tap on the head. "You want to buy a house? Why don't you earn the money yourself? I'm not here to support you. You've got hands and feet, so go out and make it happen!"

With that, Wooh Yueyue dashed out of the house, jumped into her car, and drove away, leaving Soong Yan and her brother chasing after her. She floored the gas pedal, the car speeding away as she desperately wanted to escape the suffocating atmosphere.

...

Tears streamed down Wooh Yueyue's face as she drove aimlessly down the road. Today was supposed to be a day for family reunions, but she hadn't even had a bite of the holiday meal before everything turned chaotic at home. The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. Her parents and brother were willing to sell her off to a disgusting man for a mere $75,000. Is this what family means? It's worthless.

Suddenly, a thought crossed her mind. She pulled over to the side of the road, wiped her tears, and calmed herself before calling her best friend. "Xia Hee, remember you mentioned your friend's friend was looking for someone for a fake marriage? Is that still a thing? I want to get married."

Xia Hee, well aware of the situation with Yueyue's family, immediately understood that Yueyue had been pressured about marriage again during her visit home. Her heart ached for her friend. "Yueyue, don't worry. I'll make a call and find out for you."

A few minutes later, Xia Hee called back, "Yueyue, I asked around. That guy still hasn't found the right person to marry."

Wooh Yueyue, having long lost hope in love and marriage, replied with a heavy heart, "As long as he's not a criminal and doesn't look like a monster, I'll marry him."

"Don't worry, he's definitely not a criminal. My friend only knows business elites."

"Alright, Xia Hee, I have just one condition: we get the marriage certificate, and after that, we live our own lives without interfering with each other."

Xia Hee asked with concern, "Yueyue, have you really thought this through? It's not just a spur-of-the-moment decision?"

Wooh Yueyue answered with certainty, "I've thought it through."

She had been on countless blind dates, meeting men who were mostly disappointments. She had long given up on expecting anything from men. A fake marriage would do; she couldn't handle the real thing.