WBSGVS Chapter 174 V1

Qingli and Chi Yue’s meeting was scheduled for the following day.

It was already late that evening, and even if she had finished filming and had the time, rushing over would’ve just left her worn out.

So, both families delayed their public announcement by half a day.

It worked out well, since the two kids were meeting, the Huo and Chi parents decided to meet as well, to discuss the details of the marriage arrangement. Should they get engaged first, then get married? Or something else entirely? And what about the dowry and bride price?

Of course, if it didn’t work out, the marriage alliance might fall through. After all, if Chi Yue ended up embarrassing the bride at the wedding, this wouldn’t be a marriage—it would be the start of a feud.

The Chi mother was so firm in her stance because she absolutely couldn’t bear to see the massive family fortune go to waste. That mattered more than her son’s wishes.

That night, Huo Qingyu was once again shaken when he heard about the arrangement.

When Qingli got home that evening, her younger brother, who never really thought much of his sister, had a deep frown on his face and followed closely behind her, practically barging into her room.

Qingli rolled her eyes. “What do you want?”

If this were a typical younger brother, she’d probably treat him with affection. But Qingyu was such a pain, she didn’t even bother. However he treated her, she’d give it right back.

Surprisingly, this time Qingyu didn’t argue with her. Instead, he forced his way into her room, closed the door, and said quietly, “Why are you marrying into the Chi family? You don’t even know Chi Yue.”

“Oh, for the Chi family fortune,” Qingli replied calmly as she sat down at her vanity to remove her makeup.

Qingyu pulled up a chair and sat beside her, clearly unwilling to accept that answer. “But what’s the point? Twenty billion in capital investment, and all you get to do is help run their company. If you have kids, it goes to them; if not, it’ll just be donated to the state one day. Either way, you end up with nothing.”

It just wasn’t a good deal, no matter how you looked at it. Not to mention the fact that Chi Yue was disabled. Sure, his sister had been divorced, but she had no children, looked great, and came from a strong family.

She had twenty billion in assets. With that kind of money, she could easily marry a handsome man who’d move into their home.

Qingli smiled. “Exactly. That’s what I’m after.”

Of course, that wasn’t the full truth. Shen Yanjun had proposed to the original Qingli like it were no big deal, and then tossed out a divorce just as lightly. He never really saw her as someone worth respecting. Maybe he always looked down on her from his high horse.

At the end of the day, it came down to one thing: the Shen family was more powerful than the Huo family. If they clashed, the Huo family would lose. So Shen Yanjun never had to care.

But if their positions were reversed? No way would Shen Yanjun dare treat her like that—proposing and divorcing on a whim.

So now, she was going to show him she wasn’t someone who could be picked up and dropped at will.

As for the Chi family fortune? Qingli had lived through many worlds—money didn’t hold much weight anymore. A marriage alliance that benefited both sides? Why not.

If she accomplished what she set out to do, it didn’t matter if the fortune stayed or was donated.

As for Chi Yue… judging by how he acted around her, Qingli had a sense he wouldn’t reject the idea.

Qingyu seemed half-convinced and muttered, a bit annoyed, “You’re doing this? Just because I said you wouldn’t get any of the family assets? You’re mad, so you’re marrying for the fortune?”

Qingli: “It’s not because of you. I just want it.”

“I knew it wasn’t because of me,” Qingyu mumbled. “If it were, you would’ve just demanded it outright.”

In most families, sons were favored over daughters. But in theirs, it was the opposite—he, the only son, was stuck working for his sister. He’d even run away from home as a kid because he thought the treatment was unfair.

His resentment was strongest when he was sent abroad to live on his own. That’s when he fell for Yin, a girl from an average background who was independent and didn’t need to be pampered, totally unlike his sister.

But now, after everything that had happened, he realized that what he thought was independence might not have been so real. And the sister he thought was all talk? She handled a divorce like it was nothing.

And even though he’d suffered, the bulk of the family fortune still ended up in his hands. Sure, that was only because Qingli used to have no interest in any of it. But if she hadn’t, she wouldn’t need to marry into another family just to get her hands on an estate of that size. It would take him ten years and a stroke of luck to build something like that from scratch.

Qingyu looked at her. They didn’t look alike at all—not even a little. No one would guess they were siblings. But they were twins, born together, and that fact couldn’t be changed.

Maybe he shouldn’t keep fixating on how the family favored girls over boys.

“…Hey, I could give you half the inheritance,” Qingyu muttered.

Qingli had just finished removing her makeup and was about to wash her face when she froze. “What did you say?”

Qingyu cleared his throat and pretended to be casual. “I said I could give you half the inheritance. If that’s not enough… more than half, even. You don’t have to marry Chi Yue. It’s not worth it.”

Qingli pressed her lips together in a smile, her tone softening: “I chose to marry Chi Yue not just for the assets. He’s also good-looking—my type.”

“What?” Qingyu stared at her, stunned. “He’s been in a wheelchair for years. There’s barely any muscle on him. You’re saying he’s your type?”

“He’s got a good face. Isn’t that enough?” Qingli replied, clearly humoring him.

Qingyu’s expression was indescribable.

Seeing his discomfort, Qingli grabbed his ear and dragged him toward the door. “If you want to help me, make more money. I need cash!”

“Hmph!” Qingyu snorted and walked away, rubbing his ear and scowling.

At 10 a.m. the next morning, the two families met at a restaurant.

The private room was designed like a suite, with a separate lounge area. As soon as Qingli entered, she was ushered into the side room. The lights came on, and there he was—Chi Yue, sitting in a wheelchair, staring straight at her.

Thankfully, the lighting was soft and warm. Otherwise, the sickly pallor of his face might’ve been downright spooky.

Qingli’s eyelid twitched. Then she smiled. “Sorry to keep you waiting, Chi Yue.”

“It’s only been ten minutes. It’s fine,” he replied reflexively. But then he looked down, frustrated. His hands clenched on his lap. That wasn’t the cold, cutting opener he had planned—he had meant to scare her off.

Qingli sat down on the couch beside him and nudged his wheelchair so they were facing each other. Smiling, she said, “Your mom said you wanted to see me. What did you want to talk about?”

Chi Yue kept his face stiff, then looked up again—only to see that her face had grown thinner, more delicate. The sharp words he had prepared softened before they left his mouth. “Yeah… there’s something I wanted to say…”

His voice slowed down and grew quieter.

Qingli leaned in slightly. “Hmm?”

Chi Yue watched her pale yet rosy face draw closer, especially those clear, bright eyes. He suddenly felt short of breath and leaned back instinctively—only to find the wheelchair’s backrest behind him. He had nowhere to go. Face flushing, he finally blurted out, “Don’t come so close!”

Qingli blinked innocently and leaned back a little. “Oh.”

That soft little “oh” carried a hint of aggrieved innocence.

Chi Yue panicked a bit and tried to explain. “I just—”

But when he looked up, he was met with a soft smile. Her dark eyes shimmered with warmth, not disdain, not pity. Just… closeness.

A kind of closeness that hadn’t been there before.

So now… was she flirting with him?

Chi Yue’s breath hitched. Realizing what she meant, his already-sweaty palms got even damper from nerves. But the matter that had been weighing on his heart suddenly felt lighter, and his discomfort eased a little.

“I just wanted to say… even without the marriage alliance, you could still get what you want with that twenty-billion investment. If my parents don’t agree, I can help you. There’s no need to… sacrifice your marriage.”

After all, he didn’t want the family fortune anyway. Whether it was donated to the state or given to Huo Qingli, it didn’t matter. At least she was willing to invest that kind of money, enough to keep the Chi family from collapsing anytime soon.