All the goddesses in the world are lusting after my body.

If it's not genuine affection, then isn't love being treated as a transaction, and the girl being treated as a commodity?

Of course, this is not to say that the bride price is unimportant... Lilith is a foreigner and has no right to judge domestic customs.

But she thought that sometimes, the bride price should be made more humane.

And she thought of it.

If she and Darling ever get married, her dowry will only consist of a wedding ring.

"Not only that, we also have a reward system after marriage; the reward increases with each child we have!"

"Mother!?"

Now, Lilith couldn't pretend she hadn't heard. She grabbed her mother's arm and blushed shyly, signaling her to stop talking.

The lovely Aunt Sally simply covered her mouth and chuckled.

The sight of two equally perfect, even excessively perfect, bodies pressed close together made Jiang Tang blush after just one glance. He turned his head away, not daring to look any further.

"Auntie is such a kind and approachable elder..."

he murmured.

"It's because Jiang Tang brought happiness to my daughter; otherwise, I could be quite terrifying when I'm angry."

Aunt Sally's smiling face made her words sound unconvincing.

"I am already very satisfied, because I met you, Jiang Tang. This was the biggest purpose of my trip. I wanted to see if you were worthy of my daughter's affection."

"But now it seems to have greatly exceeded my expectations, and in a good way at that."

"Jiang Tang is a trustworthy child."

"Oh dear, Mom, if you keep praising him... he'll get all high and mighty!"

And it all sounds like I'm the one who's throwing myself at the problem. That wretched mother, can't she just give me a little praise...?

Seemingly sensing Lilith's slight dissatisfaction, Sally smiled and stroked her long golden hair.

"Speaking of which, it's getting late, it's time to go have dinner."

"Jiang Tang, can you hold Auntie's hand? Let me get a closer look at you."

“…Yes.” Jiang Tang was somewhat flattered and walked towards Sally.

At the same time, under Lilith's watchful gaze, she gently and gracefully took Aunt Sally's arm.

The three of them walked together toward the restaurant.

Aunt Sally started telling Lilith's embarrassing childhood stories again, and didn't stop until Lilith blushed and stomped her little feet in dissatisfaction.

Jiang Tang's laughter brightened the evening.

He quite liked the way the mother and daughter got along; it felt exceptionally heartwarming.

The reason why many mothers have vivid memories of their children's embarrassing moments and keep bringing them up is because...

It's because for them, those weren't actually bad memories, but rather very interesting moments of their children's growth.

Of course, it's also possible that some mothers simply have a perverse sense of humor.

………………

After dinner, Jiang Tang and Lilith said goodbye to Aunt Sally and left with relaxed and happy expressions.

Compared to their solemn expressions when they first arrived, they have now truly shed an immense psychological burden.

Sally returned to her room and stood in front of the transparent floor-to-ceiling window, looking down at the two people walking hand in hand on the tree-lined path.

Her gaze shifted from gentle to deep and unfathomable.

His aura was so imposing that no one dared to approach him, and a personal maid stood respectfully about ten steps behind him.

She seemed to have something to report, but she also knew very well that she must not disturb the mistress when she was thinking, otherwise...!

In reality, how many women from large families are truly naive and innocent?

Sally only switches to a relaxed demeanor in front of her husband and daughter.

Normally, she also needs to consider many factors and issues, after all, she is her husband's capable helper, not just a pretty face.

In comparison, Lilith is truly naive and innocent, showing no maturity or growth whatsoever.

But Jiang Tang possesses immense potential that even Sally couldn't help but admire.

If he could contribute to the family business, as a replacement for Lilith.

Then Lilith might truly be able to shed the heavy burden of being the sole heir of her family and live a carefree and happy life.

Jiang Tang is a good kid, but unfortunately... too many people covet him.

Some of these names even made Sally feel heavy-hearted upon hearing them.

"What is it?" She was aware of the maid approaching from behind, but she didn't turn around and simply asked indifferently.

The maid was filled with trepidation, for the news she was about to reveal would shake even the family itself.

"Reporting to the master, all of the family's businesses in... have been severely impacted, with stock prices plummeting, cash flow drying up, and various scandals and framing fabricated by malicious individuals. Even in public opinion, the family businesses, being outsiders, have faced strong resistance."

Lady Sally listened quietly, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. Her tone was not so hurried, but rather gentle, which reassured the little maid.

"I had guessed all of this, but I didn't expect it to happen so quickly."

"It seems my arrival has crossed someone's line."

Lady Sally couldn't help but picture a silver-haired girl in her mind, noble and arrogant, her icy gaze sweeping over everyone equally.

The reason she calls it "equality" is because in her eyes, everyone else is no different; they're all just ants.

Could someone like her really be moved by Jiang Tang and get so angry for him?

Lady Sally muttered to herself.

“In the past, she didn’t step in and let Jiang Tang live a free life. I don’t think that was because she was magnanimous or understood the bigger picture.”

"On the contrary, it's because she only wants the final fruit. Before that, Jiang Tang was like a sapling. She didn't care much about who nourished it. But if anyone wanted to take the fruit tree for themselves, she, who claimed to be the master, would appear."

"She allows other women to add to her glory, just as she allows Jiang Tang to indulge in unbridled enjoyment without his knowledge, like letting her beloved prisoner out for a stroll. Sooner or later, he will return to her side, to that cage-like home that belongs only to her."

"My appearance made her feel nervous, as if it was no longer just a minor squabble, which led to this whole incident."

“But Jiang Peining, you seem to have misjudged our determination.”

"I can simply give up all the industries in the Eastern world; you will support my decision, sir."

"I am determined to ensure the happiness of Jiang Tang and my daughter."

287 Then I'll leave?

Just as Sally had said, Jiang Tang was living a blissful life, completely unaware of the turbulent undercurrents lurking beneath the surface.

He and Lilith walked on the sidewalk at dusk. The scenery was familiar, yet it still evoked a sense of nostalgia. Holding hands felt like a trip.

"I never thought it would go so smoothly."

Jiang Tang said with a smile.

"It's because darling is so outstanding that his mother naturally accepts him happily."

Despite saying that, Lilith pouted her rosy lips and continued to complain.

"And so it turned into them finding fault with everything I did and constantly pointing out my shortcomings!"

"Mother is really... hateful! I'm going to tell Father about her one of these days!"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Tang gave a helpless smile.

Thinking to herself, "Lilith, if you go to your dad to complain, you'll probably get a double beating from both your parents."

However, he still had to comfort Lilith.

"This kind of thing is very common. When I was a child, my father always liked to tease me about embarrassing things from the past. Looking back, those embarrassing things were only embarrassing for me personally. For them, they might be particularly interesting memories..."

After he finished speaking, Jiang Tang was stunned for a long time.

Lilith's hand, which was holding his, suddenly tensed up.

This was the first time she had heard Jiang Tang talk about his family.

However, according to her investigation, Jiang Tang was originally born into a very wealthy family, which could even be described as a powerful clan.

In the end, however, it ended up in ruins and decay. Jiang Tang was also displaced and lived a life of dependence on his sister Shi Xue.

At that time, Lilith instinctively sensed something was amiss. The fall of a large family should have been a long process, and the family leader would have tried to minimize the losses and transfer the wealth, at least to ensure that his relatives could continue to live a life free from worry about food and clothing.

There are almost no examples of families collapsing as quickly and without leaving a trace as the Jiang family.

Lilith also wanted to investigate further, whether it was when she was just beginning to feel curious and interested in Jiang Tang, or now that she had completely fallen in love with him.

But how could Lilith possibly investigate the events of that year clearly? She was an outsider and would be ostracized by the local wealthy families.

Within her family, some advised her not to continue the investigation, appearing as if they were deeply wary of it.

“Darling…it’s okay, I’m always here for you…”

So now, all she can do is use her sweet and gentle voice to comfort her beloved.

Jiang Tang then came to his senses, and some light gradually returned to his dim eyes.

"Ok, I know."

Jiang Tang tightened his grip on Lilith's hand slightly.

It's something that makes her feel cared for, so that the girl doesn't suffer pain.

Just then, there happened to be a small cart selling roasted chestnuts nearby, so Lilith pretended to be greedy and asked Jiang Tang to buy some for her, also in order to distract Jiang Tang.

Of course, it's possible that Lilith was simply craving something sweet.

Before long, Lilith happily carried the roasted chestnuts she had been longing for and walked back to school.

She peeled them herself, fine, but she even made Jiang Tang peel them for her to eat.

They call it a legitimate perk for girlfriends.

Jiang Tang had no choice but to peel chestnuts for the willful girl.