The World's Richest Man: Start with the Daily Intelligence System

217: Chapter 217 Wang Xiaolong’s HelplessnessWang Xiaolong stood in the very center of Hong Minmin’s living room, his heart filled with tension and unease. Before him, Hong Minmin’s parents sat upright on their chairs, their expressions carrying a touch of sternness, especially Hong Minmin’s mother. The faint hint of displeasure in her eyes made his heart flutter even more anxiously.

”Wang Xiaolong, our Minmin is the apple of our eye, our treasured pearl. Naturally, we want her to have the best life possible,” Hong Minmin’s mother was the first to speak.

Wang Xiaolong forced a slight smile, doing his best to appear calm: ”Auntie, Uncle, Minmin and I truly love each other. We know we don’t have much money right now, but we’re both willing to work hard. We will definitely ensure Minmin has a good life.”

Hong Minmin’s father gave a slight nod, his expression softening somewhat: ”Of course we believe in your feelings. How could we not understand? But, having said that, Minmin is our daughter. As parents, we naturally hope she can have a good start. This bride price of 380,000 is the result of our careful consideration.”

Wang Xiaolong took a deep breath, trying hard to calm himself. He knew he couldn’t lose his composure at this critical moment: ”Uncle, Auntie, I completely understand how you feel. After Minmin and I are together, we will work and strive together to create a beautiful future for ourselves.”

However, Hong Minmin’s mother shook her head, her tone carrying a note of non-negotiability: ”It’s not that we’re being unreasonable, but in today’s society, you can’t get anywhere without money. If you can’t even afford a house, how can you talk about giving Minmin a stable home?”

Wang Xiaolong’s heart tightened, but he didn’t give up. He knew he had to fight for this relationship to the end: ”Auntie, I’ve already discussed it with my parents. We can put a down payment on a house first. As for the bride price, we can also discuss a solution. For example, installments, or borrowing from relatives and friends first. We will definitely do our utmost to gather the amount.”

Hong Minmin’s father was silent for a moment, as if weighing something. Finally, he spoke: ”Young man, we understand your thoughts. But we, as parents, make these demands for Minmin’s future. 380,000 for the bride price is our family’s bottom line. It cannot be reduced any further.”

Wang Xiaolong gritted his teeth hard: ”Uncle, Auntie, I know you have Minmin’s best interests at heart and worry about her future. But Minmin and I truly love each other. We really don’t want to separate because of the bride price issue. We can get married first, then work hard together to earn money and slowly pay off the bride price. I swear, I will definitely make Minmin happy.”

However, Hong Minmin’s mother showed no mercy whatsoever, coldly throwing out a sentence: ”Want to marry our Minmin without money? No way!”

After they returned, Hong Minmin’s mother relentlessly urged Xiao Hua and My older brother to break up, saying that with Hong Minmin’s qualities, finding someone well-off would be no problem at all. Hong Minmin herself firmly disagreed. The two sides were locked in this tug-of-war, neither willing to give in. Seeing My older brother’s pained and helpless expression, I was really furious. How could a matter of marriage be tripped up by a bride price!” Wang Xiaohua said this, a flash of anger and helplessness in her eyes.

Wang Xiaohua continued, saying that until this month, her sister-in-law’s parents suddenly showed up, saying they had found a nouveau riche for her back in their hometown. That man was generous and willing to offer a bride price of 500,000. They forcefully demanded she return to get married. Hong Minmin was thus taken back to her hometown, kept under watch, and her phone was confiscated.

My older brother was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan. No matter how many times he called my sister-in-law’s number, he couldn’t get through. Gritting his teeth, he decided to go to my sister-in-law’s hometown to find her himself. My older brother was also incredibly bold. Taking advantage of a moment when my sister-in-law’s family was less vigilant, he secretly helped her escape. After a long, arduous journey, they finally made it back to X City.

When my parents saw that he had brought her back and learned about the situation, they were also hopping mad with worry. Who would have thought that after the other man’s side found out my sister-in-law had been taken away, they actually brought people chasing after them to X City, loudly declaring they would take her back to get married. Seeing this situation, My older brother would have none of it. He clashed directly with the other man. My older brother, overcome with rage, beat the other man severely, hitting him so hard he was sent straight to the hospital. My older brother was also injured and is still in the hospital.”

”The other man’s family is refusing to let it go, saying their man was injured and demanding compensation for lost wages, nutritional expenses, and medical fees, totaling 300,000!” Wang Xiaohua’s voice was full of anxiety. ”Our family just paid the down payment on a house for My older brother not long ago. Where could we come up with that much money all at once? I had no choice but to go borrow from Old Liu. Old Liu lent me the money without a second thought. At the time, I thought this matter could finally be put behind us.”

”But who could have imagined? Not two days later, that man actually recovered from his injuries, came bouncing back to our house, making a scene and demanding to take my sister-in-law back to get married. My sister-in-law absolutely refused. The other man then brought up the 380,000 bride price, saying this bride belonged to his family.

At that moment, Liu Haorui happened to return from outside. Seeing this scene, he was furious and started arguing with the other man. Seeing the situation, Old Liu, on impulse, hit that man again. This time, he hit even harder, directly knocking the man unconscious. The man’s mother, seeing her son beaten like this, immediately called the police and declared she would never settle, insisting Old Liu be arrested.”

Wang Xiaohua said this, her tone full of helplessness and regret: ”Now Old Liu has been taken away by the police, and we don’t know what to do. The other man’s side is dead set on taking Hong Minmin back, and Hong Minmin absolutely refuses.”

”This... what do we do?” After hearing the whole story, An Xiaoxi was so shocked her mouth hung open, her eyes wide as she asked.

Zhang Wei frowned, lost in thought for a moment, then said: ”The most important thing for us now is to find a way to resolve this matter. We absolutely cannot let Liu Haorui get too entangled because of this. He is, after all, a somewhat well-known internet celebrity. If this blows up, he can forget about ever setting foot in the live-streaming circle again.”

Hearing Zhang Wei’s words, An Xiaoxi nodded and teased: ”Right, right! Shocking! Internet celebrity taken away by police over bride price dispute! With that headline, it’s guaranteed to go viral.” After saying this, she playfully blinked.

”Stop joking,” Zhang Wei interrupted An Xiaoxi’s banter, his expression serious as he said, ”We need to quickly find a way to communicate with the other man’s family, see if we can find a peaceful resolution. The longer this drags on, the worse it is for Liu Haorui.”

After saying this, Zhang Wei stood up, paced back and forth a few steps, then said to An Xiaoxi and Wang Xiaohua: ”Let’s divide the work. An Xiaoxi and I will go talk to Hong Minmin and Wang Xiaolong. Wang Xiaohua, you contact a lawyer, prepare legal support. If negotiations fail, we need a backup plan.”

Upon hearing this, Wang Xiaohua immediately nodded to show she understood. An Xiaoxi also put away her playful expression and said seriously: ”Alright, let’s go, Zhang Wei.”