Chapter 383: Chapter 383

Leng Ning forcefully pried Lei Ming’s hand off, her lips curling into a mocking smile: "Lei Ming! You and I both know what this is about! The way my mom left, do you really think my explaining nicely would have made any difference? Madam Lei, I’m leaving first!" The most update n0vels are published on novelꞁire.net

With that, she strode off briskly, leaving the three Lei Family members exchanging glances, sighing helplessly.

Mr. Lei couldn’t help but hold his head in frustration and complain: "Why did you even bring that up? If their parents don’t agree to the engagement, we could’ve just waited. If the kids are meant to be, things will work out, won’t they?"

Lei Ming wiped his face in frustration, feeling on the brink of exploding. Everything had been going so well—how did it all spiral into this mess?

Mrs. Lei, hands on her hips, yelled: "Oh, now you’re blaming me, but why didn’t you speak up earlier? Do you think your son is some kind of prize? Did you see what kind of family they are today? With conditions like that, don’t you think they’d be spoilt for choice?

Our son finally managed to catch Leng Ning’s eye, and now you’re not taking it seriously? What if, after graduation, their feelings cool? Wouldn’t she just dump your precious son in no time?"

"Mom! How can you think like that? Xiao Ning isn’t that kind of person! If I had known it’d end up , I would never have let you meet her parents!"

Lei Ming was filled with endless regret!

"What good is saying this now? Lei Ming, our family’s future depends on you! If Leng Ning truly cares about you, she’ll get over this anger with some coaxing. As for her parents, as long as she insists on marrying you, her family will eventually have to concede!"

Mrs. Lei was no longer as panicked. Based on her observations, Leng Ning loved her son deeply. This incident might even work in their favor; now, her parents would surely try to talk her out of the relationship.

But with Leng Ning’s rebellious streak, who knows what could happen!

Mr. Lei wasn’t as optimistic. "Son! Leng Ning is a good girl. You should take the time to explain things to her properly! Alright, let’s leave too—there’s no point standing here now that they’re gone."

Besides, airing grievances outside wasn’t ideal. They could discuss everything further once they got home behind closed doors.

Lei Ming let out a helpless sigh. "I’ll do my best."

He could sense that Leng Ning was truly angry this time. She’d never used such a tone with him before, and her gaze lacked warmth, replaced by an unsettling indifference.

Mrs. Lei glanced at the untouched dishes on the table, her heart aching. "So much food wasn’t even touched; we’re taking this to-go! Such a waste!"

The spread was extravagant—shark fin, abalone, and all kinds of delicacies.

"I wonder how much this feast cost?" Mr. Lei guessed that their abrupt departure might mean they hadn’t even paid the bill.

Mrs. Lei scoffed. "No matter the cost, it shouldn’t be on us! When they ordered the dishes, didn’t her parents act like they were hosting?!"

The Lei family had initially planned to pay, but seeing how confidently Mrs. Leng ordered, Mrs. Lei swallowed her words.

If they were so rich, let them pay!

Lei Ming quickly picked up on this and looked at his mother nervously. "Mom, how much money did you bring with you?" Please let it be enough—we’d embarrass ourselves otherwise.

Mrs. Lei’s eyes widened. "Lei Ming, what are you implying? That they’d just walk out and leave without settling the bill?"

If her son and Leng Ning did get married, she would definitely have to address this. Who behaves like that?

She called out loudly: "Waiter!"

The waiter by the door quickly approached with a polite smile. "How can I help you?"

"Did this table’s bill get paid?" Mrs. Lei asked cautiously, her hand instinctively reaching into her pocket. If it wasn’t, she wasn’t sure if the 2,000 yuan she had would be enough!

"It’s already been paid!"

As soon as the words left the waiter’s mouth, the Lei Family collectively sighed in relief.

Mr. Lei thought their prospective in-laws were indeed considerate; they’d have to ensure their son treated them well in the future.

A smile finally appeared on Lei Ming’s face. Could this mean that, while Xiao Ning’s family was upset, they hadn’t completely written him off yet?

Mrs. Lei’s expression softened slightly. She haughtily gestured at the food on the table. "Pack all of this up for me!"

The three of them each carried some takeout boxes as they left the restaurant. Only then did they remember that Leng Ning had driven them there.

Now they had to take a taxi home, which gave Mrs. Lei yet another reason to complain. If she’d known, she would’ve picked a restaurant closer to home, one they could’ve walked back from. Why waste money on a cab?

Her grumbling made both Mr. Lei and Lei Ming inwardly groan.

Over on the Leng Family’s side, after returning home, Mrs. Leng instructed the housekeeper to prepare another meal. No one had eaten well earlier.

At the dining table, Mrs. Leng didn’t bring up the prior events. The conversation centered instead on fantasies about future grandchildren.

Leng Ning ate a few bites in silence before putting down her chopsticks. Noticing this, Li Si also stopped eating. Leng Ning pulled Li Si aside, saying she wanted to rest upstairs, as there were things she didn’t want to share with her parents but needed to talk to her sister-in-law about.

After the meal, Mr. Leng invited Leng Mochen to the study for a game of chess. Mr. Leng, noticing his son’s improving skills, became quite absorbed in the match.

Mrs. Leng excused herself, saying she was tired, and retreated to her bedroom.

Whenever she thought about Lei Ming’s mother’s attitude, she couldn’t decide whether to laugh or be angry. People like that still thought they could marry her daughter into their family?

Still, everything hinged on Xiao Ning’s feelings now. She understood that saying too much would only backfire, stirring rebellious instincts in the young.

It’d be better to let her talk things through with Li Si. As peers, they might communicate better, and the outcome could be more fruitful.

In Leng Ning’s room, she bitterly smiled. "Sis-in-law, do you think I’m an idiot?"

She once thought love was simple, that it was just about the two of them. Only now did she truly grasp that loving someone and sharing a life with them were two entirely different things.

If it were just Lei Ming himself, she liked him a lot—for so many reasons.

But once it came to engagements and marriage, it became a union of two families.

Li Si held her hand gently and comforted her in a soft tone: "Xiao Ning, you’re not stupid! You just had simpler thoughts because you hadn’t experienced this yet.

But that’s not necessarily a bad thing. It’s better to see someone’s true colors before an engagement than after you’re already married."

She really didn’t have high hopes for Leng Ning and Lei Ming’s future. Before meeting Lei Ming’s parents, she’d thought the young man seemed nice enough, and since Xiao Ning liked him, she had supported the relationship.

But now, seeing his family—what kind of mother was that? Trying to scheme against her future daughter-in-law before anything had even started?

What about later then? The Leng Family was wealthy, but that didn’t mean they had to pour money into a bottomless pit.

Would there even be an end to it? Human ** is endless! When someone has no money, they dream of just a few thousand. Then, they want tens of thousands to be satisfied. Once they have tens of thousands, they aim for hundreds of thousands, millions, or even billions—it never stops. (To be continued. If you enjoyed this work, feel free to visit Qidian.com to vote with recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users can head to m.qidian.com to read.)