Chapter 266: Offending the Crowd

“Don’t call him that. He’s not your brother-in-law.”

Hearing Song Feiyu’s shameless tone, Song Zhenyu felt her cheeks burn and quickly corrected him.

Feiyu grinned, unbothered. “Well, he’s your boyfriend now, but won’t that make him my brother-in-law later? Same difference, right?” He laughed, looking at Wang Haoran with a playful gleam, raising his hand slightly to make a gesture of counting money.

Wang Haoran caught the hint. He was mildly astonished by Feiyu’s sheer lack of shame, but his expression remained calm. “A meeting gift, is it?” he said lightly. “I came in a hurry today, so I didn’t bring one. But don’t worry—there will be one, and it’ll definitely satisfy you.” His smile carried a layered meaning that Feiyu failed to grasp.

Feiyu took it seriously and grew excited at the prospect.

From the side, Tan Zhen added sweetly, “The meeting gift isn’t the main thing, the real issue is the bride price!”

Feiyu immediately chimed in, “Right, right! Brother-in-law, I’ve found a girl, we’re about to get married, but I’m short on a house. My sister’s broke, but you must have plenty of money. So how about it?”

“Haoran, he—” Song Zhenyu tried to interrupt, but Wang Haoran raised a hand to stop her, signaling her to wait.

“How much do you think is appropriate?” he asked calmly.

Feiyu thought for a moment. “Eighty…” Then he paused, calculating greedily. “At least eight million, right? A man of your class—anything less would seem beneath you, wouldn’t it?”

“Eight million, you’re sure?” Wang Haoran asked mildly.

“Yeah, eight—”

“Wait!” Tan Zhen interrupted smoothly. “Feiyu’s young, he doesn’t know better. For a son-in-law like you, eight million sounds cheap. Make it an even number—ten million!”

“Yes, yes! Ten million sounds better!” Feiyu agreed eagerly, his eyes lighting up.

Their shamelessness left the onlookers stunned.

People crowding the doorway gasped and began whispering among themselves.

“What the hell is wrong with these people? Asking for ten million when he’s just a boyfriend?”

“I’ve lived thirty years and never seen anything like this. My worldview just collapsed.”

“They’re insane—mother and son, both.”

The onlookers were ordinary folk with ordinary morals. Seeing Tan Zhen and her son’s behavior, they couldn’t help but scold aloud.

“Our family matters are none of your damn business!” Tan Zhen snapped, flapping a hand to shoo them away before turning back to Wang Haoran with an ingratiating smile. “Son-in-law, what do you think?”

Wang Haoran’s eyes gleamed with interest, curious to see just how far they’d go. “Ten million, you say? Sure, you don’t want to change that?”

Tan Zhen and Feiyu exchanged a quick glance, the corners of their mouths twitching with excitement.

So he really was rich—he did not even blink at ten million!

Seeing that, Tan Zhen’s greed surged. “Ah, good son-in-law, perhaps you misheard. I meant eighty million, not eight! You see, we’re planning to buy a place in the Imperial Capital. A mere ten million can’t get much there—eighty million should do.”

Feiyu jumped in without shame, “And my car’s been running for two or three years, getting old. Once the new house is ready, I’ll need a new car too. Just a Maserati Quattroporte—one and a half million or so. Oh, and that’s a family car; I’ll also need a sports car, maybe a Lambo or Ferrari.”

The crowd gasped. Their sense of decency shattered completely.

Even Wang Haoran had to take a moment to absorb the absurdity before smiling faintly. “Eighty million? Too little. Let’s make it eight billion. Buy a whole building as your new home—wouldn’t that be grand?”

“As for cars, I’ll throw in a Rolls-Royce for daily use, and an exotic one worth at least thirty million. On top of that, a monthly allowance of ten million, and a listed company where you can be the CEO.”

For once, even the shameless Tan Zhen and Song Feiyu were left speechless. They blinked, trying to process what they’d heard.

“You’re not joking, right?” they stammered.

Wang Haoran’s smile faded, his tone flat. “Weren’t you the ones joking first?”

Their faces froze, color draining in silence.

Finally, Song Zhenyu couldn’t stand it anymore. “Mom, Feiyu—stop embarrassing yourselves! Even if he were my boyfriend, you can’t just demand things like that!”

Tan Zhen rounded on her, teeth clenched. “You ungrateful brat! I raised you, paid for your college, and this is how you repay me? Taking a man’s side before you’re even married?”

Zhenyu’s voice trembled with anger. “Paid for me? Every cent of my tuition came from my own part-time jobs! You never gave me a thing!”

“I gave you life!” Tan Zhen snapped. “And now your brother’s getting married—you can’t even help him with a dowry? You cut off your number and made us chase you all the way from the countryside! What kind of daughter does that?”

Before Wang Haoran could speak, a woman in her forties among the onlookers shouted furiously, “I’ve never seen a mother like you! Your son’s got two hands and two legs—why should your daughter pay his dowry? Tell me then, when your daughter gets married, how much dowry will you give her?”

Tan Zhen sneered. “My daughter marries out—that means she’s part of another family. They should pay

me

a bride price. Why would I give a dowry?”

The words detonated like a bomb. The crowd exploded in outrage.

“You’ve gone too far!”

“She’s not even human!”

Curses and denunciations filled the air, anger rising like a tide.

Seeing that the crowd’s fury had reached its peak, Wang Haoran turned to Zhenyu and said evenly, “Tell them everything. What your family has done to you—start from the beginning.”

Zhenyu’s lips trembled. For a long moment she said nothing, then finally began to speak.

The noise quieted. People leaned closer to listen.

By the time she finished, only Tan Zhen and Feiyu still looked smug, thinking nothing of it. Everyone else was furious, condemning them and praising Zhenyu for cutting contact.

Their words warmed her heart. The weight pressing down on her for years finally began to lift.

For so long she’d endured their demands out of duty, out of fear of being called unfilial. Now, hearing strangers speak the truth aloud, she felt clarity settle in her chest.

She was done being shackled by blood ties. From this moment on, she would live for herself.