My Ares Son-in-Law

Li Xiao braced himself on his knees, panting heavily, his eyes fixed blankly on the pile of scrap metal, his liver trembling...

That was his brand new car, which he had just bought a month ago, and he ruined it all by his own hands!
He was filled with remorse; he was so regretful he felt like his guts were turning green.
If he had known it would end like this, he would never have provoked Xiao Chen, much less made that car race and car smashing bet with him! Now look what happened, he's lost face and his car is gone, he's really lost everything!

Zhang Ziren, standing to the side, remained outwardly calm, even sporting a polite smile, but inwardly he was practically bursting with laughter. Taking advantage of the moment when no one was looking, he secretly gave Xiao Chen a thumbs-up, his eyes filled with admiration...

Xiao Chen's move was brilliant! He taught the arrogant Li Xiao a lesson without lifting a finger himself.
After laughing enough, Zhang Ziren stepped forward, gently patted Li Xiao's shoulder, and advised him in a mild tone:

"Brother, don't be too sad. It's just a car. You can buy another one later. It's almost lunchtime. Why don't you go in and take your seats? Your classmates are waiting."

Li Xiao originally wanted to turn around and leave immediately, as he was too ashamed to stay there any longer. But then he thought, why should he?
His car was wrecked because of Xiao Chen, and he had to get his revenge today!

We can't just slink away like this; that would only make us look worse.

So, gritting his teeth, he struggled to his feet, forced a stiff smile, and said in a deliberately relaxed manner:

"What's there to be upset about? A bet is a bet, and I, Li Xiao, have never been one to suffer a loss. It's just a car, nothing to worry about!"

Several classmates who usually fawned over him immediately stepped forward, quickly echoing his words and trying to smooth things over for him:

"Exactly! Xiao Ge's net worth is nothing. An A8 is just a trinket to you, not worth mentioning at all!"

"Yes, yes, yes! Xiao Ge's family has plenty of money. Buying ten or eight more cars wouldn't be a problem. This is just a means of transportation, so it's fine if it's smashed!"

Everyone knew he cared about his image, so they stopped bringing up the car-smashing incident and surrounded him, following Zhang Ziren into the Renhetang Antique Shop.

……

The hall of Renhetang was spacious and bright, with seven or eight tables set up for banquets. The tables and chairs were neatly arranged, and the food and drinks were being served one after another, with a fragrant aroma.

On the small stage directly in front, a bright red banner was stretched out, which read "Congratulations on the reunion of classmates and the grand opening of Renhetang," making it look very festive.

The students approached Zhang Ziren one after another, presenting their prepared gifts and offering auspicious words.

Xiao Chen, holding Zhou Keying's hand and carrying the blue-and-white porcelain pen holder he had prepared, walked up to Zhang Ziren and said politely, "Brother, congratulations on your opening. This is a small token of our appreciation from Keying and me. It's nothing special."

Zhou Keying added with a smile, her face full of sincerity: "Zhang Ziren, I wish your new store a prosperous business, abundant wealth, and all the best in the future!"

"Thank you so much! You're too kind!"

Zhang Ziren quickly took the pen holder with both hands, thanked him repeatedly, and then leaned close to Xiao Chen's ear, lowered his voice, and teased him with a wink.

"You and Zhou Keying seem to have a good relationship, unlike the rumors that you're a gold digger. When are you getting married? I'd love to have a drink at your wedding and share in the joy!"

Zhou Keying vaguely heard the word "marriage," and her cheeks instantly flushed slightly. She lowered her head shyly, her ears turning bright red.

Xiao Chen just smiled and said in a relaxed tone, "We'll talk about it later! But let me make this clear from the start: when we get married, you'll have to give us a generous wedding gift; you can't give too little!"

"Absolutely!" Zhang Ziren patted his chest and said in a hearty tone, "I'll give you a big red envelope then, I guarantee you'll be satisfied!" Just then, a heavily made-up woman walked over. She was wearing a gorgeous dress, and her makeup was very heavy, but it couldn't hide her ordinary appearance.

His eyes held a hint of scrutiny as he sized up Xiao Chen and Zhou Keying, his tone somewhat distant: "Ziren, who are these two?"

"Oh, let me introduce you." Zhang Ziren quickly dropped his joking expression and pointed to Zhou Keying, saying, "This is my college classmate, Zhou Keying, the most beautiful girl in our class back then. The other one is Zhou Keying's boyfriend, Xiao Chen."

After the introductions, he pointed to the heavily made-up woman and said to Xiao Chen and Zhou Keying, "This is my fiancée, Jiang Lanting."

"Huh? He's the one who eats..."

Jiang Lanting was halfway through her sentence when she suddenly realized she had misspoke. Noticing Zhang Ziren's strange expression, she quickly changed her words, putting on a fake smile and speaking in a fawning tone.

"Oh my, I've always heard Zhang Ziren mention you two. Seeing you together today, you two are such a perfect match, a handsome man and a beautiful woman!"

Zhang Ziren pretended not to hear her first part about "living off a woman," and handed over the pen holder that Xiao Chen had given him with a smile, saying, "This is a congratulatory gift from Keying and Xiao Chen. It's just a small token of our appreciation, please don't find it offensive."

Jiang Lanting smiled and said politely, "It's enough that you came, there's no need to bring anything, it's too formal!"

But his hands moved swiftly to take the wooden box, eager to see what valuable gift was inside, his eyes filled with greed.

Looking at her hypocritical demeanor, Xiao Chen's eyes flashed with indifference, and he said in a flat tone, "You all go ahead and greet the guests. We'll go find a place to sit."

"Alright, alright!" Zhang Ziren said with a hint of apology on his face, "There are a lot of people today, so please bear with us if we haven't been able to take care of everyone properly. Please make yourselves at home and don't be shy!"

Xiao Chen and Zhou Keying smiled and nodded, then turned and walked towards the table in the corner of the hall.

As soon as they turned around, Jiang Lanting eagerly opened the wooden box, took out the blue-and-white porcelain brush holder inside, and her brows furrowed instantly, her tone full of disdain:

"Zhang Ziren, what did your classmate give you? This piece of junk looks so old and dusty. Did you buy it from a street stall? It's worth at most two hundred yuan. How dare you give it as a congratulatory gift?"

Zhang Ziren's expression turned serious, and he said in a stern tone, "They're giving you a token of their goodwill; it's a small gift but carries great meaning. Why do you care how much it's worth? Can you please stop being so materialistic?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Lanting's face immediately fell, her voice rose eight octaves, and her tone was full of dissatisfaction and accusation:

"Me, a snob? Zhang Ziren, can't you speak properly?"

If I were materialistic, would I have chosen a penniless guy like you as my fiancé?

"Get this straight, the majority of the start-up capital for your antique shop came from my dad. Without him, could you have even opened this shop?"

These words left Zhang Ziren speechless, his face turning pale and then red, feeling both embarrassed and angry, yet powerless to refute them... Jiang Lanting was telling the truth; he did indeed owe the Jiang family a lot of favors.

Just then, Li Xiao walked over.

He had recovered somewhat from the shock of the wrecked car and had once again adopted the airs of a wealthy young master, head held high, feigning composure. (End of Chapter)