250: Chapter 250 Zhao Yumei's Quick Idea

Lin Wanxing looked at her mother's face, distorted by anger. Thinking of the plan Jiang Ye had revealed this morning, she took a deep breath and interrupted her incessant nagging:

"Mom, was she wrong?"

Zhao Yumei was stunned. "What?"

Lin Wanxing looked up, staring directly at her mother. "Was she wrong? Am I a useless person? I can't give Jiang Ye anything..."

"You... what nonsense are you talking about!"

"Most of my monthly salary goes to the family. I live frugally, and I can't even afford decent skincare products. What do you expect me to use to date him on equal terms? From the very beginning, the relationship between us has been tilted and unequal. How can you expect me to have the confidence to date him properly?"

Zhao Yumei's voice faltered, left somewhat speechless by the questions.

Lin Wanxing paused for a moment, continuing along the line of thought Jiang Ye had taught her:

"Yes, as long as I ask for money, Jiang Ye will definitely give it to me; he won't be stingy. But if that happens, will our feelings still be pure? What difference would there be between me and those women who only know how to flock to him and eye his wallet?"

"Ye Qinghan was right, I really am useless. I'm not even as good as that little secretary; at least she dares to blatantly seduce him, while I... can only watch helplessly, unable to do a thing..."

She paused, carefully observing the changing expressions on her mother's face, before delivering the core line:

"Mom, starting today, I will no longer give money to the family every month."

Zhao Yumei's brow furrowed instantly, her voice rising. "No more money?! Have you forgotten that your brother is getting married at the end of the year? Have you forgotten what you promised before..."

"I haven't forgotten!"

Lin Wanxing interrupted her, her tone resolute. "When it actually comes time for Haoxuan to get married at the end of the year, I'll find a way to ask Jiang Ye for more—three hundred thousand, four hundred thousand—to hold a grand wedding and give the family plenty of face. But for now, I must keep some money on hand!"

She stared intently into her mother's eyes. "I need to date him on equal terms. At the very least, when we go out for dinner or a movie occasionally, I should be able to pay once. During holidays, I should be able to give him a decent gift instead of blindly taking and exhausting what little goodwill he has for me. Mom, you understand the ways of the world better than I do; you should know what course of action is most beneficial for our family right now."

Zhao Yumei fell silent, her brow tightly knit and her eyes flickering, clearly undergoing a fierce internal struggle.

Of course she understood! She understood the principle of 'letting out a long line to catch a big fish' better than anyone!

But the problem was, if she let the 'line' out, would she be able to catch the 'fish'?

And would the 'fish' she caught unhook itself halfway?

What if it all ended in a total loss... She quickly weighed the pros and cons in her mind.

Lin Wanxing was extremely nervous, her palms drenched in sweat.

Success or failure depended on her mother's next reaction.

The ultimate goal of this carefully orchestrated play was for this very moment—to allow her to temporarily escape the endless demands of her family.

Zhao Yumei was silent for a long while before her gloomy expression suddenly softened. It was as if she had thought of something, as she abruptly asked:

"Is he... usually generous to you?"

Lin Wanxing was taken aback for a moment, then nodded. "Generous. He's very generous to me and the people around him. He's never stingy when it comes to meals or going out."

Zhao Yumei narrowed her eyes, recalling Secretary Su's outfit, which certainly didn't look cheap. She also thought of how Ye Qinghan had just spent tens of thousands without blinking to buy Jiang Ye a coat... Gritting her teeth as if she had made up her mind, she suddenly pulled out her phone and tapped the screen a few times.

A few seconds later, Lin Wanxing's phone buzzed.

She looked down and saw a WeChat transfer message: [Zhao Yumei has transferred 200,000 yuan to you].

Lin Wanxing was stunned. She looked at her phone in disbelief, then up at her mother. "Mom... this money is...?"

"Quick! Don't just stand there!"

Zhao Yumei urged impatiently, "Write me an IOU on WeChat! Say that you borrowed this two hundred thousand from me, and agree... agree to pay it back in two months! Quick, write it now!"

Lin Wanxing stared at her blankly, then at the transfer on her phone. Her mind was a total blank, completely unable to follow her mother's train of thought.

Sun Na, who had been silently observing and whose mind worked quickly, instantly understood Zhao Yumei's intention. She explained with a smile:

"Sister Wanxing, don't you get it? That Miss Ye just bought Brother-in-law such an expensive coat in front of everyone—it cost tens of thousands! What was that? It was a show of strength! A declaration of war! As his official girlfriend, it wouldn't look right if you didn't show something too! Auntie is lending you the money so you can hurry up and buy Brother-in-law something decent! Clothes, a watch, a belt, anything! The key is to show your attitude!"

"Yes! That's exactly it! If you were even half as clever as Nana, I wouldn't have to worry so much!"

Zhao Yumei looked at Sun Na with satisfaction, very pleased with her future daughter-in-law's quick wit. She then urged again:

"Hurry up and write me an IOU on WeChat! Say I lent you this two hundred thousand and you'll pay me back in two months! Quick, write it now!"

Lin Wanxing was completely bewildered; this turn of events was entirely beyond her expectations.

"An IOU? This money is... for me to buy things for Jiang Ye?"

"What else?!"

Zhao Yumei looked at her as if she were a lost cause. "Think about it. If you buy him something, won't he notice? Won't he give us something in return? After some time, find an opportunity to play poor or act spoiled in front of him, and won't he just reimburse you? In the end, not only will we not lose anything, we'll gain quite a few things for free. We'll have both face and profit!"

She paused, seeing Lin Wanxing's speechless and complex expression, and softened her tone to make it sound more 'reasonable':

"Let me tell you, I'm not making you write an IOU because I'm afraid you won't pay me back. It's mainly to use these two months to push you, to force you to find a way to get the money back from him! Otherwise, with your gentle personality, when would you ever take the initiative to speak up? When would you ever truly secure him?"

Lin Wanxing looked at her mother and future sister-in-law, both of whom looked shrewd as if they already saw a future where their 'principal' had doubled. She then looked down at the transfer on WeChat, feeling a massive sense of absurdity wash over her.

The plan... seemed to have succeeded.

Her mother had indeed taken the bait, temporarily giving up on seizing her monthly salary and even 'contributing' two hundred thousand to help her save face.

But this money was for buying things for Jiang Ye, yet she had to pay it back herself... Hmm... It seemed she would have to find a chance to discuss it with Jiang Ye later. She'd buy things for him first, then find a way to return them for a refund later... Lin Wanxing scratched her head, silently tapped 'Accept' on the transfer, and under her mother's repeated urging, edited an IOU on WeChat and sent it over...