Do Chen Xiao and I really live in the same world?

After the initial silence, Chen Xiao said, "You are the girl I… once had feelings for."

Xu Xiaolan keenly picked up on two words: "once."

"Then, what about now?" she asked, a little nervously.

Chen Xiao smiled and paused, "I still have feelings now, but… it's different from before."

Xu Xiaolan asked, "What's different?"

Chen Xiao smiled.

"Talking about feelings is too much of a luxury. I plan to use a simpler method to handle our relationship."

Whether it was his demeanor or his expression, Chen Xiao gave Xu Xiaolan a completely different feeling from before, as if he had become a different person.

"Wh-what method?"

Chen Xiao looked at the distant fields and casually said, "A transaction."

"A transaction?"

"Yes, that's right. I'm buying out your future life."

Xu Xiaolan: "!???"

"You, what are you talking about?"

Chen Xiao then said, "The heavy family burden you carry, your own schooling, your younger siblings' schooling, house repairs, providing a better life for your family… I can satisfy all of these."

Every word of his struck Xu Xiaolan's heart like a heavy hammer; each item was something she desperately longed for.

Heaven gave her peerless beauty but did not grant her a good background.

She was born with these heavy burdens, and Xu Xiaolan had no choice, nor had she ever thought of escaping them.

"You, how will you satisfy them?" Her thoughts were already a tangled mess.

Chen Xiao smiled and led her to the car's trunk.

As the trunk slowly opened, Xu Xiaolan's eyes gradually widened.

"With this," Chen Xiao said.

Inside were 50 stacks of red banknotes, each stack worth 10,000 yuan.

These 500,000 yuan were enough to change her life.

She could study until she graduated from university, and her younger siblings could grow up healthy.

Their family could build a brand-new brick house, and her mother's illness could receive proper treatment.

But Xu Xiaolan knew that everything came at a price.

She reluctantly shifted her gaze from the banknotes and then asked, "What do I need to give in return?"

Chen Xiao paused for a moment, then said, "You need to give everything."

Xu Xiaolan was very surprised.

Chen Xiao added, "This is just the first payment. If you agree, there will be an additional 20,000 yuan every month, and this number is not fixed; it will increase over time."

500,000 yuan as the first payment, and then 20,000 yuan every month?

Xu Xiaolan found it hard to imagine.

In this era, her mother worked hard for a month to earn just over a thousand yuan, which, after medical expenses, was barely enough to keep a few children from starving.

Even if she found a job after graduating, it would only be two or three thousand yuan a month to start, and reaching a monthly salary of 10,000 yuan would require who knew how long of bitter struggle…

And now, as long as she agreed to Chen Xiao, she could not only get 500,000 yuan at once but also 20,000 yuan every month?

Xu Xiaolan felt that she seemed to have no reason to refuse…

"What exactly do you need me to do? Don't worry, I'm mentally prepared."

Chen Xiao nodded, "Okay, then I'll be direct."

"I need you to stay in Lan County and take care of my parents at home."

"A fake marriage?" Xu Xiaolan asked.

"You can understand it that way."

"But there will be no wedding, and we won't get a marriage certificate."

"This is a lifelong matter. I'll give you time to consider; there's no need to rush…"

"No need to consider, I agree."

Xu Xiaolan said straightforwardly.

Chen Xiao was stunned for a moment, not expecting her to be so decisive.

"Alright."

Then he took out a contract from the car, "I still hope you'll consider it carefully, because this contract, from a top legal team, binds you in another way to uphold your promise. Breach of contract will lead to very serious consequences."

This was a mutually agreeable transaction, so he spoke very clearly, without any concealment.

"Do you have a pen?" Xu Xiaolan asked.

"Are you really not going to think about it again?" Her decisiveness caught Chen Xiao by surprise.

Xu Xiaolan didn't answer, touched her pocket, and said to herself, "Oh, I brought one."

After speaking, she quickly signed her name a few times, then used the pen's ink to smooth out her fingerprint and pressed it onto her name.

After she finished, she handed the contract back to Chen Xiao and said,

"I'm tired of struggling at the bottom of society. I want to change, and you can give me what I want. I'll give everything in return. It's fair."

Chen Xiao was surprised by how insightful she was. "Okay, let's go. I'll take you to deposit this 500,000 yuan."

Xu Xiaolan nodded, stood at the gate, and shouted, "Xiaoying, Xiaotong, watch the house. Tell Mom I've gone to Lan County."

"Oh, got it, Sis."

After giving instructions, Xu Xiaolan said, "Let's go."

"Okay."

Chen Xiao waved, and the bodyguards and driver in the distance quickly ran over.

Some opened doors, others started cars.

Before long, the motorcade drove out of the village, leaving the villagers with plenty of gossip for after-dinner talks.

In the back row, Xu Xiaolan and Chen Xiao sat side by side.

Chen Xiao explained in detail how to proceed.

"I won't be home often in the future, and I won't get married in this life. You just need to take good care of the family and don't need to ask about my outside affairs."

"Before you graduate, you'll go to school as usual, and first interact with my family as my girlfriend."

"After you graduate, you'll directly tell the elders that you've had a destination wedding, transitioning your identity to that of a wife."

"From the time we have children, I will give you 1,000,000 yuan annually, with living expenses and all other costs calculated separately."

"To ensure that the contract won't terminate due to my business failure, I will deposit a sum of money into a foundation now, to be used as a special fund. For each condition met, you will receive 100% of the corresponding sum, so you don't need to worry about anything else."

Xu Xiaolan kept her head down, nodding each time Chen Xiao spoke.

Chen Xiao had considered every aspect of the entire plan very thoroughly, and many aspects were to protect her interests.

So Xu Xiaolan had nothing to say.

Upon arriving in Lan County, Chen Xiao first took her to the bank to deposit the 500,000 yuan in cash.

Walking into the VIP customer room for the first time, Xu Xiaolan still felt a sense of unreality.

500,000 yuan, she just owned it like that?

"Can I use some of the money to fix the house first?" Xu Xiaolan asked cautiously.

Chen Xiao smiled, "This money is entirely yours. You don't need to ask me how to spend it, but I suggest you tear down and rebuild the house; safety first."

Xu Xiaolan felt a little moved. Money lying in a bank card couldn't exert its true charm.

Only when it genuinely changed her life could she deeply experience the power of money.

"Mm, Chen Xiao, thank you."

"Let's go, I'll take you home."

When the car stopped at Lanshan Villa, Xu Xiaolan looked at the grand and luxurious villa, then thought of her own soon-to-collapse adobe house. The stark contrast made her wonder, were she and Chen Xiao really living in the same world?

Wang Li, who was cleaning on the first floor, was stunned when she saw Chen Xiao actually bring back a beautiful girl.