C9 9 Apologize

Chen Yong's face was ashen. He couldn't believe Director Zhang was defending Chen Mengyao so fiercely. What on earth did she do to make him so devoted?

"That woman!" Chen Yong slammed the table in frustration. The idea of begging Chen Mengyao was out of the question. He'd already been humiliated; was he supposed to offer the other cheek too?

Buzzz... Buzzz...

Just then, Chen Wenchao's phone buzzed again. Seeing the caller ID, his face fell. "It's Grandma," he almost whimpered. The last thing he wanted was a call from Old Madam Chen. He was in charge of the project, and if things went south, he'd be the first to take the blame.

"Answer it," Chen Yong said sternly.

With a defeated look, Chen Wenchao picked up the call. "Hi, Grandma," he greeted.

"Wenchao, how's the project with Director Zhang going?" Old Madam Chen got straight to the point. Her main concern was the project, as the Chen family had invested heavily in it. If it failed, the losses would be significant.

"Don't worry, Grandma, everything's going smoothly," Chen Wenchao lied quickly. "We've already talked with Director Zhang, and we're just waiting for him to have time to sign the contract."

"Good," Old Madam Chen replied. "Keep a close eye on it. If anything goes wrong, you'll have to answer to me!"

After speaking, the other person hung up the phone. Chen Wenchao's palms were sweaty. He knew all too well what kind of temper his grandmother had. If things really went south, it wouldn't just be about losing his status as the Chen family heir; the whole family would be in trouble.

"Dad, what do I do? What should I do?" Chen Wenchao was as anxious as a cat on a hot tin roof. It was all that wretched Chen Mengyao's fault. No wonder she didn't make a fuss when he kicked her out; she had this up her sleeve all along. She was cunning and shameless, a real piece of work.

Chen Yong's face alternated between pale and flushed. Were they really going to have to beg Chen Mengyao? That would be like handing their dignity over on a silver platter. For Chen Yong to bow his head to a younger generation was worse than death.

"You made this mess; you fix it," Chen Yong said sternly. "Remember, even if you have to get on your knees, you must bring Chen Mengyao back."

"But Dad..."

"When you kicked Chen Mengyao out, didn't you see me stopping you? Why should I be the one to go?"

"Watch your tone!" Chen Yong was furious. For him, as an elder, to plead with someone younger was unthinkable. If word got out, how could he hold his head high in the Chen family?

"If you don't go, when Grandma holds you accountable, it won't just be your pride at stake; it'll be your right to inherit the family name."

Hearing this, Chen Wenchao was instantly deflated.

It's all about saving face, right? Once I become the heir of the family, I'll have plenty of chances to regain it. No way am I letting Mengyao or anyone else get the better of me. With this resolve, Wenchao gritted his teeth and, putting on a brave face, drove once more to Mengyao's house.

At that moment, Mengyao's family of four was having dinner. Qiang was picking through the dishes, looking displeased. "Why are there only two pieces of meat?" he grumbled.

Yulian, unable to hold back her frustration, snatched the plate from in front of him. "Meat, meat, meat—is that all you think about? Do you have any idea how expensive meat is these days?" She glared at him. "Look at our situation. If we don't start saving, how are we going to manage?"

Especially now, with another mouth to feed, their already tight budget was stretched to the breaking point. Qiang, cowed by Yulian's outburst, meekly continued eating.

Her husband was a pushover, and now her daughter had married a good-for-nothing deserter. How were they going to get by?

"Mom, I have $200 here. Take it." Mengyao pulled out a wad of cash she had saved from scrimping and saving. Since the family distributed pay and bonuses based on individual contributions, and neither Yulian nor Qiang had jobs, it was up to her to help out.

So every month, Mengyao's take-home pay is quite low, with eighty percent going to offset the previous family subsidies.

Taking the money, Yulian shot Xiao Tian a glare and snapped, "Eat, eat, eat—that's all you know! Let me tell you, we don't support freeloaders here! If you're staying, you need to pay rent and food expenses on time every month!"

"Mom, what are you saying?"

Mengyao bit her lip. Xiao Tian was a deserter, so there was no military subsidy to expect. He had no diploma, no skills—how could he afford it?

Xiao Tian was taken aback by this. Then he asked, "How much?"

Yulian sneered, "Rent is a thousand, and food is three thousand! That's four thousand a month."

What? That much? Their small house only cost four hundred a month. A thousand could rent a decent two-bedroom in the old part of town. And three thousand for food? Their family only spent two thousand a month.

"Mom, how can you do this?"

"Only four thousand?" Xiao Tian chuckled. He thought it would be much more. Four thousand to share a room with Mengyao and enjoy such delicious meals? What a deal!

"Big talk for someone with empty pockets," Yulian mocked. "If you're so capable, pay up now."

Xiao Tian smiled, reached into his pocket, and then realized he was in an awkward spot.

When he left the military, he was in such a rush that he forgot to bring any money!

"Can't come up with it, can you?" Yulian sneered without mercy. "Don't say I didn't warn you. If you don't have the money by the end of the month, you're out of our house."

Xiao Tian awkwardly scratched his head. "Mom, don't worry. I won't short you on the money."

*Knock, knock, knock*

Just as the atmosphere was getting tense, there was a knock on the door.

Qiang glanced up, quickly shoveled the food into his mouth, and after a few bites, silently retreated to the bedroom and turned on the TV.

Ugh!

Yulian stomped her foot in frustration and shouted, "Who is it?"

"It's me, Wenchao!" came the reply.

Yulian exchanged a puzzled look with Mengyao. Why was he here again? Could it be, as Xiao Tian suggested, that he was here to ask Mengyao to come back?

Instinctively, Yulian glanced at Xiao Tian, but he just kept his head down, focused on his meal. Her anger flared—eat, eat, eat, that's all he does.

Yulian walked to the door and opened it. Wenchao immediately put on a smile.

"Aunt, is Yao here?" Wenchao asked, rubbing his hands together, his face full of smiles, a stark contrast to his previous arrogance.

"Whatever you need to say, just say it here," Yulian said coldly, clearly not intending to let him in.

Wenchao's smile faltered; she wouldn't even let him through the door. This old woman! If he didn't need something from them right now, he would have lost his temper.

Swallowing his anger, he called into the house, "Yao, I was wrong before. I'm here to sincerely apologize."

Mengyao was taken aback, and the sound of the TV in the bedroom turned down.

Yulian looked at Wenchao in disbelief. Was he really here to ask Yao to come back?

"Fuhua Real Estate can't do without you."

Wenchao bent slightly at the waist and, taking advantage of Yulian's momentary distraction, slipped inside. He looked at Mengyao with an awkward smile, "Yao, come back. The family can't do without you!"