Fu Ming remained silent in the face of Fan Yangli's criticism.
Though her words were harsh, they were the truth.
They were no longer young; to get married, one would at least need a house, but how many could achieve that?
Sometimes, one couldn't blame women for being materialistic, as the future was uncertain.
Fortunately, Wu Tingting was not such a material girl. She had been with Fu Ming for years, not demanding he buy a house or a car, as long as he treated her well and was ambitious.
Although they were at the age to marry, they had only been in society for a few years. Buying a house in Modu was simply unrealistic.
One would have to consume too much "poisonous chicken soup" to believe they could earn a fortune in a few years; reality was far from that easy.
If you spend too much time scrolling through Douyin, you'll find everyone claiming to earn millions annually.
Few people today can afford to buy a house before the age of 25 through their own efforts. Even if a house is bought for marriage, it's often with family support.
From Fan Yangli's perspective, her concern for her daughter's happiness was not wrong.
The mistake was that money was hard to earn but easy to spend.
The mistake was that this was reality.
Many lovers parted ways over a deed to a house.
One could only say: meeting the right person at the wrong time.
"Shall we go over and say hello?" Liu Jingru whispered to Xia Lin.
She had initially thought Fu Ming was also dining here; now, the atmosphere seemed rather off.
"Let's wait a bit longer. They're old classmates; maybe we can help," Xia Lin said.
"Auntie, even if you force Tingting and me to break up, have you considered her feelings?" Fu Ming asked Fan Yangli, his eyes red.
"As long as you agree to break up with Tingting, she'll give up on this. You don't need to worry about the future; I'll be honest, I've already found another prospect for Tingting."
After speaking, Fan Yangli glanced at her phone and continued, "Given the time, he should be arriving soon."
Fu Ming was stunned.
Was this meant to deliberately humiliate him?
Hearing Fan Yangli's words, Fu Ming's expression turned awkward.
It seemed she was determined to make him let go today.
"Fu Ming, you're actually a decent young man. Auntie hopes you can be more open-minded. You'll meet someone better if you work hard for a few years. Why fixate on Tingting?"
Seeing Fu Ming remain silent, Fan Yangli began to give him the "friend zone."
If not for marriage, Fu Ming was indeed a good young man.
He was good to her daughter and worked diligently.
Unfortunately, in this society, hard work alone was of little use.
Diligence only ensured survival; there was still a gap to achieving wealth.
"Let's go take a look," Xia Lin said to Liu Jingru, seeing Fu Ming with his head down, looking conflicted.
"Okay," Liu Jingru nodded, and the two walked towards Fu Ming.
"Fu Ming, you're here too."
Xia Lin and Liu Jingru walked over and greeted him.
Hearing them, Fu Ming looked up. He looked at Xia Lin and Liu Jingru approaching and managed a weak smile.
"Are you two dining here?" Fu Ming asked.
"Yes, and you?" Xia Lin replied, nodding.
"Auntie, let me introduce you. These are my classmates, Xia Lin and Liu Jingru," Fu Ming quickly introduced Xia Lin and Liu Jingru to Fan Yangli.
He then continued, "This is my girlfriend's mother."
"Fu Ming, I can't accept that," Fan Yangli said ungraciously.
She glanced at Xia Lin and Liu Jingru. These two were much prettier than her daughter, and this boy had such classmates.
This only strengthened her resolve not to let her daughter marry him. Who knew if he would betray her in the future?
After all, a man's IQ drops to zero in the face of beauty.
Xia Lin and Liu Jingru had intended to greet her, but seeing her attitude, they swallowed the words that were about to escape their lips.
Fu Ming felt a bit awkward and said to Xia Lin and Liu Jingru, "You've seen my embarrassment. I'll treat you to a meal another day."
"It's fine. If you have any difficulties, tell me. Maybe I can help," Xia Lin waved her hand.
"Heh... such big talk."
Before Fu Ming could respond, Fan Yangli couldn't stand it and let out a cold laugh.
"Help with what?"
"Help him buy a house?"
"Or help him find a girlfriend?"
Just as Fu Ming was about to get angry, Fan Yangli's phone rang.
"Hello, Xiao Li? Are you here? I'm in the lobby, you'll see me as soon as you come in. You're bringing your cousin? Okay, okay, no problem."
After answering the call, Fan Yangli seemed to transform. Her previous harsh words towards Fu Ming turned into a desperate effort to please.
Xia Lin and Liu Jingru were appalled, feeling it was a disgrace to womanhood.
"It's so hypocritical, so materialistic."
The "Xiao Li" on the phone was likely the new prospect she had mentioned for her daughter.
Before her daughter had even broken up, she had already found her a new match.
Would this bring her daughter happiness?
The other man, knowing your daughter already has a boyfriend, still intervenes. It's just for the thrill.
"Fu Ming, I don't mean to embarrass you. Take a look at the boyfriend I found for Tingting. His family owns two apartments in Modu, and he runs a small business himself. See how much happier Tingting would be with him than with you."
Fan Yangli said with a touch of smugness, looking at Fu Ming.
In essence, she looked down on Fu Ming and highly valued the wealthy.
Little did she know, no matter how rich others were, it had nothing to do with her daughter. Only money earned together had the right to be enjoyed.
Receiving without effort would never earn dignity.
Just as Fan Yangli finished speaking, two young men walked in through the entrance.
Seeing them, Fan Yangli beamed and proactively walked towards them, waving at one of the men. "Xiao Li, over here."
"Hello, Auntie. This is my cousin," the man called Xiao Li greeted politely and introduced the man beside him.
"Very good, very good, come over and sit," Fan Yangli nodded repeatedly.
The two followed Fan Yangli. Halfway there, Xiao Li spotted Xia Lin and Liu Jingru.
His pace slowed slightly. Their beauty had simply stunned him.
Wu Tingting was merely acceptable; he could still look at her. But compared to these two, she was like a village girl next to fairies.
Xiao Li deliberately slowed his pace, staying close to his cousin, and whispered, "Cousin, look, these two are the real gems."
Seeing his cousin stop, Xiao Li thought he was captivated and nudged him. "Cousin, what's wrong?"
Zhang Li recognized the three people in front of him. To be precise, Xia Lin had left the deepest impression on him.
Seeing Xia Lin again, his legs began to tremble slightly, and he dared not step forward.
He completely ignored his cousin's calls.
Xia Lin and the other two also saw Zhang Li. He had caused trouble at a classmate gathering not long ago.
How could they run into this guy again?
This guy was cursed.
...
(PS: This is quite realistic, but life is indeed like this. Even as a woman, I work so hard; you should all cheer up, strive forward, and don't leave regrets for yourselves.)