When Lu Cheng heard that Lu Dezhao disapproved of the marriage, his face turned even sterner than his father’s. “What right do you have to disagree?”  

“Because I’m your damn father!”  

“Even if you’re my father, my marriage isn’t yours to decide!”  

“Goddammit, are you rebelling against me now?”  

Seeing Lu Dezhao red-faced and furious, Lu Cheng realized arguing wouldn’t solve anything.  

He calmed down. “Tell me, why do you disagree? What about Moli displeases you?”  

Noticing his son backing down, Lu Dezhao reined in his temper.  

“Her reputation is terrible! Look for yourself—it’s a disgrace. Are there no other women left in the world? Why must you set your sights on this one?”  

“Even though you’re my father, she’s the future mother of my children. Show her some respect.”  

Lu Dezhao: “…”  

Lu Cheng picked up the background check documents thrown at him, growing angrier the more he read.  

“What kind of nonsense is this? Just gossip from busybodies. If they dare say it to my face, I’ll tear their mouths apart.”  

“Stop dodging the issue! A woman with so many flaws—even if I agreed, the higher-ups wouldn’t approve. Give it up! In my opinion, Meng Wei is a much better match for you. Just marry her.”  

“If you like her so much, marry her yourself. I won’t. Since Mom likes her too, why don’t the three of you live together?”  

Lu Dezhao exploded. “What the hell are you spouting?! Lu Cheng, don’t push me to beat you right here in the office!”  

Lu Cheng realized he’d gone too far and quickly steered the conversation back.  

“They say she’s lazy and gluttonous—who isn’t? Food is fuel. Who dares say they don’t eat? As for being lazy, I hate chores and tidying up too. Why doesn’t anyone call me lazy? Just because I have my mom to take care of me, I’m excused, but since Moli lost her mother, she’s labeled lazy? That’s unfair discrimination!”  

Lu Dezhao slammed the table. “Stop twisting logic! She graduated high school three or four years ago and still hasn’t worked a day. She contributes nothing to society, just loafs around all day. Isn’t she just a good-for-nothing?”  

Lu Cheng argued, “Plenty of people don’t have jobs. How many fight tooth and nail for a position? Moli quietly lives off her family, not causing trouble for the government. What’s wrong with that?”  

“If laziness isn’t a flaw, then what about her gold-digging? What kind of spell has she cast on you? With so many good girls out there, why must it be her?”  

“What’s wrong with loving money? Everyone has their preferences. You don’t have to understand, but you should respect it.”  

Just as Lu Dezhao was about to erupt, Lu Cheng added, “I’m actually glad she loves money—because I can earn it. If she loved something else, I wouldn’t know what to do.”  

Seeing his son’s rare sincerity, Lu Dezhao fell silent.  

“I admit her reputation isn’t great. But if she were both beautiful and well-regarded, she’d have been married off long ago, with kids running around already!”  

“Her not wanting to work is fine too. It frees up a job for someone who does. She can stay home, raise our kids, and take care of our family. That’s called playing to her strengths.”  

Lu Dezhao laughed.  

Sometimes, when you’re speechless, you just have to laugh.  

“You little bastard, you’ve really got a way with words! You could revive the dead with that mouth. Why don’t you join the Foreign Ministry?”  

Seizing the softening in his father’s stance, Lu Cheng handed over the household register.  

Lu Dezhao flipped through it. “She agreed to this marriage, right?”  

Lu Cheng lied without blinking. “Of course. Otherwise, how would I have gotten the household register?”  

As long as she agreed.  

Lu Dezhao closed the register, tucked it and the marriage application into a file, and said, “Alright, get out. I’ll bring the marriage certificate when it’s ready.”  

“Hurry up.”  

“Yeah, yeah, quit nagging!”  

Leaving his father’s office, Lu Cheng walked with a spring in his step, exhilarated.  

Finally, he’d secured his wife.  

As for whether Jiang Moli would be angry about getting married without her knowledge—Lu Cheng wasn’t too worried.  

He’d just have to coax her more.  

His wife loved money, after all. He’d give her all of his!  

And if that wasn’t enough, his father had a hefty retirement fund saved up. He could borrow some of that.  

No way he couldn’t win her over.  

Hehe.  

…

At the Entrance of the Agricultural College

Seeing Lu Tingting, Wu Meixia, and Song Ke walk out of the school gate, Jiang Moli stepped forward to greet them.  

“Three beautiful ladies, I’ve been waiting for you for ages!”  

The three were used to Jiang Moli’s flattery and didn’t take it seriously.  

“Jiang Moli, you still dare to show your face? I haven’t settled yesterday’s debt with you yet!” Lu Tingting snapped.  

Jiang Moli smiled sweetly. “Don’t be angry, Tingting. I forgot to bring money yesterday, but today I came specifically to make it up to you. Look, I brought money this time—five whole yuan!”  

Seeing that Jiang Moli had cash, the three finally followed her into a dessert shop.  

Besides sodas and other drinks, the shop sold sweets like sesame paste, mung bean soup, and egg cakes.  

Lu Tingting and her friends didn’t hold back, ordering a table full of food and drinks.  

Wu Meixia teased, “We ordered so much. You’re not going to regret it, are you?”  

Jiang Moli thought, This is nothing. Once I complete my mission and get that 100 million bonus, I could bury you three alive with cash. 

“Eat as much as you want. Order more if it’s not enough.”  

The three weren’t fools, though.  

Unwarranted kindness is either deceit or theft.

“Spit it out. What do you want from us?”  

Jiang Moli gave Lu Tingting a thumbs-up. “As expected of a well-bred young lady—sharp as ever!”  

“Cut the crap. Just say it!”  

“Alright, I’ll be straight. Tingting, with your family connections, arranging a job for me should be a piece of cake. In return, I’ll split my monthly salary four ways—one share for each of us. How’s that?”  

Lu Tingting glanced at Wu Meixia and Song Ke, annoyed. “If I’m the one arranging the job, why should they get a cut?”  

Jiang Moli remained unruffled. “First, as the one doing the work, I deserve a share, right? And if this gets out, we’ll all be in trouble. Paying them to keep quiet is just smart, isn’t it?”  

Wu Meixia and Song Ke nodded vigorously.  

Free money? Only an idiot would refuse.

Lu Tingting fumed. “Are you stupid? Why didn’t you just talk to me privately?”  

The implication was clear—if the other two didn’t know, they wouldn’t need to be paid off.  

“Ohhh, I didn’t even think of that!”  

Jiang Moli laughed it off, then turned to Wu Meixia and Song Ke. “But it’s no fun just taking money without doing anything. So you two should help out too—can’t let Tingting shoulder all the work alone.”  

Wu Meixia and Song Ke readily agreed.  

Jiang Moli grinned like a fox that had just stolen a feast.  

Making money wasn’t her goal—she just needed a job.  

With a job, she wouldn’t have to go to the countryside.  

And the meager salary? Compared to the 100 million bonus, it was nothing.  

With three people helping, her chances were much better than relying on Lu Tingting alone.  

After eating their fill, the three went home to inquire about jobs for Jiang Moli.  

Instead of heading back immediately, Jiang Moli leisurely made her way to the Educated Youth Office.