116: I hope you won't regret it.

Chen Li was almost amused to the point of anger by Mrs. Liu's maneuvers—when had he ever agreed to 500,000?

This was clearly a figure she had casually blurted out, yet now she spoke of it as if it were set in stone.

Liu Nansheng's heart sank to rock bottom, and the last shred of expectation she had for family affection vanished into thin air.

She had originally thought that no matter how snobbish her family was, they should at least have a bottom line; she hadn't expected them to treat her like an auction item so matter-of-factly.

She could no longer stay in this home.

"500,000?!" Wu Li gasped; this number far exceeded his expectations.

He had originally calculated that 200,000 or 300,000 would be the absolute maximum, but he hadn't expected the other party to demand 500,000 right off the bat.

Even if he emptied all his savings, added in all the liquid capital from his repair shop, and borrowed from a wide circle of relatives and friends, perhaps... perhaps it would just be enough.

But this meant he would be almost completely drained, just to take a wife?

But when he looked at Liu Nansheng again, that intense desire for possession surged up once more.

Such a beautiful girl—if he missed out on her, he would never forgive himself. As for money, he could just earn more later.

He gritted his teeth, as if having made a great decision: "Auntie, I'll pay 520,000! This number is auspicious—520—representing my sincere heart toward your daughter."

"Really? Good, good, good..."

Mrs. Liu was so excited she almost jumped out of her chair. "It's you! Wu Li, Auntie certainly didn't misjudge you."

She could hardly believe her ears.

She had only said it casually, wanting to test the bottom line of the two young men, but she hadn't expected Wu Li to actually be willing to pay such a high price.

This was truly a massive surprise!

Mr. Liu was also grinning from ear to ear, his gaze toward Wu Li filled with approval; this was, after all, the ideal golden son-in-law they had envisioned.

Compared to that Chen Li, who was only willing to offer 200,000 and was so stingy about it, Wu Li was simply generous enough to move one to tears.

"Heh..."

Liu Nansheng suddenly let out a cold laugh and slowly stood up. "Chen Li, let's go."

Her voice was very soft, yet carried an unquestionable resolve.

Chen Li didn't say a word and immediately stood up to follow.

"Where are you going?"

Mrs. Liu shouted in a hurry, "Nansheng, you stop right there!"

Liu Nansheng didn't even turn her head, heading straight out of the private room.

Chen Li paused at the door, looked back at the three of them, and said meaningfully, "I hope you won't regret this."

His tone was calm, yet it made the three people in the private room involuntarily shudder.

"Au... Auntie, this..." Wu Li looked at Mrs. Liu with a blank expression.

"It's nothing, it's nothing," Mrs. Liu quickly comforted him. "Wu Li, don't worry, Auntie has the final say on this marriage. You go back and prepare, and when the time comes, just come to marry Nansheng."

"Good, alright! Thank you, Auntie, thank you, Uncle!"

Wu Li immediately beamed with joy, as if he could already see the iconic scene of himself holding Liu Nansheng's hand as they walked into the wedding venue.

Mrs. Liu looked at the empty doorway and pursed her lips disapprovingly.

She knew her daughter too well; as a girl, where could she possibly run off to?

Once her anger subsided, she would just need to say a few nice words and scare her a little, and she would have to obediently listen and marry Wu Li, right?

She thought happily: After getting the 520,000 bride price, she would first buy her son a car, and the remaining money could be used to renovate the house.

Thinking of the good days ahead, the smile on her face became even brighter.

The smug smile on Mrs. Liu's face suddenly froze, and a critical question shot into her mind—Chen Li had left, so who was going to pay for this exorbitantly expensive meal?

She looked at the table full of expensive dishes that had barely been touched, and her heart immediately sank.

When ordering just now, she had only focused on picking the most expensive items and hadn't thought at all about having to pay for it herself.

And now look at this; this table of food would cost at least a few thousand, almost equal to her monthly salary.

Her gaze involuntarily darted toward Wu Li on the side, but she immediately dismissed the thought.

He had just agreed to pay the astronomical bride price of 520,000; if she asked him to pay for this meal now, what if it displeased him and he went back on his word?

To ruin the grand plan of 520,000 for a mere few thousand—that would be a truly huge loss.

Thinking of this, Mrs. Liu felt as if her heart were bleeding.

She gritted her teeth and cursed Chen Li internally for being inconsiderate, leaving at such a bad time.

In the end, she could only resign herself to pulling her wallet from her bag, thinking about how to haggle with the manager later.

On the other side, Chen Li quickened his pace to catch up with Liu Nansheng, who had already walked out of the restaurant.

The afterglow of the sunset bathed her slender back, and only when he got close did he notice her shoulders trembling slightly...

Chen Li didn't speak, just silently followed by her side, accompanying her as she walked slowly along the street.

After a long while, Liu Nansheng finally stopped, wiped her tears with the back of her hand, her voice still choked with sobs:

"I'm sorry, I've made a spectacle of myself."

She kept her head down, not daring to look into Chen Li's eyes. "I didn't expect them to be like this..."

"Don't say that," Chen Li comforted her softly. "Every family has its own difficulties; this is not your fault."

The two continued walking for a while, and Chen Li asked tentatively, "What are your plans for what comes next?"

"I'll head back to my place to pack up first." Liu Nansheng sighed. "I'll probably go back in a couple of days; I can no longer stay here..."

Hearing this, Chen Li's heart skipped a beat.

If she went back, what would happen to his task? The task was bound to her; wherever she went, he had to follow.

But he couldn't show it too obviously, so he had to pretend to be calm and said, "Alright, when you decide to go back, remember to let me know in advance."

His tone sounded very casual, but inside, he was thinking about how to ensure Liu Nansheng wouldn't suddenly disappear.

After all, this concerned the success or failure of the system task.

Liu Nansheng nodded, looking at the sky that was gradually darkening in the distance, her eyes filled with confusion.

She didn't know what the future would hold, but at least for this moment, Chen Li was by her side.

Liu Nansheng sighed in her heart; she would go home and pack her luggage first.

If they were willing to show her a little respect and stop forcing her to marry that repair shop owner, she might still have had some expectations for this family.

But as soon as this thought emerged, she gave a bitter laugh herself.

Expecting her parents to suddenly change? The hope was far too slim.

Recalling the scenes at the dining table today, every word and every look of theirs felt like a needle pricking her heart.

Chen Li dropped Liu Nansheng off downstairs at her Residential Complex, watched her weary figure disappear into the stairwell, and then turned the car around to head home.

He pushed open the door to his home, and the room was quiet.

Although the house was empty, that familiar scent of faint old books and wooden furniture greeted him, like a silent embrace that wrapped around his entire being.

He slumped onto that sofa with the slightly sagging springs and stretched comfortably.

He took out his phone and first sent a message to Liu Zhao: "Zhao, what are you doing?"

Not long after, he received a reply: "A Li, let's go out for a meal later. I've arranged it with Brother Hao, but I'm a bit busy with something right now."

"Alright."

After replying to Liu Zhao, he casually chatted with a few girlfriends for a while.

The afternoon sunlight shone through the window onto him, warm and cozy. Without realizing it, he fell asleep on the sofa, not even noticing when his phone slipped from his hand.

He didn't know how long he had slept, when a rapid WeChat voice call ringtone startled him awake.

He fumbled for his phone in a daze, and the name displayed on the screen made him instantly wide awake—it was Liu Nansheng.