Full Cup of Water - Chap 36
“Men can be dispensed with, but money is something we truly cannot do without.
It’s simply a valuable piece of advice, spoken with authority.
Xin Qianyu was persuaded.
Su Zhong once again confirmed with Xin Qianyu, “We’re going to be legally married from now on…”
This time, Xin Qianyu didn’t make excuses and said somewhat reluctantly, “I understand.”
Su Zhong’s eyes immediately lit up, like a dog seeing a meat bun.
Xin Qianyu immediately dampened his enthusiasm, saying, “This is just a contractual marriage; we haven’t reconciled!”
Su Zhong’s eyes dimmed again, like a dog that had taken a bite of a fake meat bun.
So, with Xin Qianyu’s consent, the company announced their marriage.
Previously, there had been rumors about Xin Qianyu’s same-sex relationships that caused quite a stir, but now that their marriage was official, it garnered respect. Many people believed that no matter how bad someone might be, once they got “married,” they deserved respect. Furthermore, the public relations team helped steer public opinion, blurring the focus on “the CEO of the education group being homosexual” and emphasizing “two handsome and wealthy men getting married.” Therefore, the comments on their marriage announcement were generally quite positive:
“Some people naturally have different sexual orientations from the majority, but they still contribute to society just like anyone else. LGBTQ+ individuals, like us, have the right to live and thrive in this society, and such rights should not be infringed upon, even in terms of public perception.”
“Same-sex marriage is already legal. Since the national laws recognize it, we should accept it!”
“Well, it’s no big deal. If they’re in love, they should get married! Internet users are really idle!”
“They’re both handsome and wealthy; what’s there to oppose for you monsters?”
“Am I the only one here checking out the handsome guys?”
…
Although this “flash marriage” was sudden, given Xin Qianyu and Su Zhong’s previous “rumors,” many people in their circles weren’t too surprised. After the announcement, congratulations poured in from all around.
Among them, even Zhu Pu came to congratulate Xin Qianyu on his new marriage.
Xin Qianyu was somewhat surprised and said, “Weren’t you skeptical of me and Su Zhong before?”
But Zhu Pu replied, “Well, now I have to be supportive! Otherwise, what am I hoping for you to achieve?”
Xin Qianyu had no response.
Later, Zhu Zhu also came to congratulate him and cautiously inquired, “Why did you get married so suddenly? What were you thinking?”
Xin Qianyu replied vaguely, “I don’t even know myself.”
After a brief silence, Zhu Zhu asked, “Do you still love him?”
Xin Qianyu felt a pang in his chest and couldn’t find words for a moment.
Without getting a response from Xin Qianyu, Zhu Zhu sighed and said, “Actually, it might be for the best. You can reevaluate this relationship, and it can be beneficial for both of you.”
Hearing Zhu Zhu’s words, Xin Qianyu hesitated and finally said, “I don’t think I can reevaluate this relationship.”
Zhu Zhu was surprised and asked, “Haven’t you always been decisive? Why are you becoming so hesitant?”
Xin Qianyu also felt the same: whenever he faced Su Zhong, he didn’t feel like himself.
“Do you think…” Xin Qianyu hesitated, “Can spilled water truly be gathered?”
Zhu Zhu answered, “It’s not about what I think; it’s about what you think.”
No matter how complex matters of the heart can be, money remains money.
Since Xin Qianyu and Su Zhong had announced their marriage, they naturally had to play the role of the “model couple,” even if it was all for the sake of money.
The boss of m-global was also shocked but offered his blessings and added, “You two, why didn’t you give me an early heads-up about such a big thing?”
Su Zhong replied, “Why should we tell you? We didn’t even tell our secretaries.”
The boss cleared his throat and said, “I see, I guess you didn’t even tell your mom in advance, did you?”
Su Zhong admitted, “Actually, no.”
The boss felt somewhat vindicated.
After divorcing, Lin Chunhong raised Su Zhong on her own as a single mother. Su Zhong’s transformation into a billionaire was a source of pride for her.
At first, she proudly boasted to her neighbors about her son’s achievements. However, over time, she became irritated by questions like, “Your son is so successful; why don’t you go to the United States with him?” from her neighbors.
Yet, the image-conscious Lin Chunhong could only reply stubbornly, “What’s so great about the United States? I don’t like it. I prefer staying in my own home.”
“Well, that’s true! China is pretty good,” her neighbors would agree.
Lin Chunhong breathed a sigh of relief.
But her neighbors launched a second round of probing questions, asking, “Why doesn’t your son come back to visit you?”
This question struck Lin Chunhong like a bolt of lightning.
She suddenly realized that the fortress she had built over the years had crumbled.
She didn’t care anymore; she immediately called Su Zhong and said she would go to the United States to see him.
Su Zhong asked, “Don’t you think I’m abnormal?”
Lin Chunhong choked up. She didn’t think the word “abnormal” would hurt Su Zhong like that. So, she casually said, “Wasn’t it just an angry outburst? How could I actually think you’re abnormal? You’re my child, after all. Can you forgive Mom?”
Su Zhong said, “Okay.”
Feeling relieved, Lin Chunhong continued, “I’ll come to the United States to see you!”
Su Zhong agreed.
Here’s the translation of the provided text into English:
Su Zhong hung up the phone, turned, and walked into the dressing room, changing into a set of snow-white suit.
Speaking of which, he often wore a white suit simply because Xin Qianyu said he looked good in it, like a celestial being.
At that time, Su Zhong had said, “Why would a celestial being wear a suit?”
Xin Qianyu was choked by him, but at that time, Xin Qianyu was still the humble one who could pretend to be gentle, so he sweetly replied, “You are the celestial being. Whatever you wear, that’s what celestial beings wear.”
After changing into his clothes, Su Zhong went to Xin Qianyu’s hotel room and said, “Director Xin and the others are ready to arrive; we should go pick them up.”
Xin Qianyu nodded and said honestly, “After ‘marriage,’ things have been a bit awkward between us. Alright, let’s go.”
Suddenly, Su Zhong reached out and embraced Xin Qianyu’s waist.
The touch of Xin Qianyu’s waist made Su Zhong extremely nostalgic.
“You…” Xin Qianyu trembled slightly, wanting to pull away.
But Su Zhong held on tightly. “The CFO said we should appear affectionate in public; the more affectionate we seem, the more stable the stock price.”
Xin Qianyu couldn’t argue with that, but he still felt uncomfortable and said, “We’re just pretending; we’re not really in love.”
Su Zhong was initially happy for holding Xin Qianyu, but when he heard Xin Qianyu’s words, his ears drooped, but he obediently nodded. “Alright, I understand.”
Because they were about to go public, many of Yuzhu’s executives flew to the United States to meet Xin Qianyu and Su Zhong.
When the old man arrived, he smiled and said, “You two kept it a secret; why didn’t you tell anyone you were getting married?”
Xin Qianyu simply replied, “It was a ‘flash marriage,’ a spur-of-the-moment decision in Vegas.”
Xin Mu also chimed in, “That’s how young people are these days, they act on impulse without thinking too much!”
The old man nodded but didn’t say much.
However, Xin Mu and Xin Qianyu both knew that the old man had concerns. It wasn’t for anything else but because Xin Qianyu and Su Zhong getting married made them a unified force and posed a greater threat to the old man.
In the old man’s eyes, Xin Qianyu and Su Zhong’s sudden marriage announcement, with no prior warning, seemed like a deliberate concealment to make him lower his guard.
Uncle Xin also openly teased the old man, saying, “They got married as soon as they went public. They even pretended to break up before. They’re probably doing it to make you relax. But these two are really good actors; they pretended to break up for years.”
The old man said kindly, “Don’t talk nonsense! Who can pretend to break up for years?”
Uncle Xin persisted, “They really broke up and lost their feelings for each other, but they still got married. That’s even scarier, definitely for their own gain!”
While the old man verbally denied it, he became even more wary in his heart.
Uncle Xin then said to Xin Qianyu, “Qiushi went public in China ahead of us with a market cap of nearly 10 billion…”
“What, nearly 10 billion?” Xin Mu interjected. “It’s only 9.6 billion!”
Uncle Xin mumbled, “Isn’t that almost the same?”
“Four hundred million difference and you call it ‘almost the same’?” Xin Mu persisted. “Why don’t you make up the difference then?”
Uncle Xin snorted and changed the subject, “I remember, Xiaoyu, when you brought in M-Global, you once solemnly promised that you could bring Yuzhu’s market cap to 15 billion. Does that still hold true?”
Xin Qianyu smiled and said, “I said I was confident we could reach a market cap of 15 billion, and I still have that confidence.”
“Confidence?” Uncle Xin mocked, “Can confidence put food on the table?”
“Confidence can’t put food on the table,” Xin Mu rolled his eyes, “but your nonsense won’t feed us either.”
Xin Qianyu watched Uncle Xin and Xin Mu argue but soon quiet down. Facts spoke louder than words, and numbers were the most straightforward; they couldn’t lie.
Yuzhu Group went public on the NYSE, and on the first day, the stock opened high and continued to rise. By closing, the stock price had risen by 16.31% from the offering price, with a total market cap of 17 billion, far surpassing the promised 15 billion and leaving their old rival, Qiushi Education, far behind.
Even if the old man had his reservations, at this moment, he had to praise Xin Qianyu and Su Zhong as the “ideal son-in-law and daughter-in-law” and said, “The future of the group depends on both of you.”
Uncle Xin, with jealousy in his eyes, couldn’t help but chime in, “Xin Mu contributed a lot in the early stages…”
The old man had just said these words to provoke Xin Simu’s jealousy, so he nodded and gave Xin Mu a pat on the back, saying, “Yes, Xin Mu is a good kid too.”
Xin Simu smiled gently and nodded at Xin Qianyu, “Congratulations.”
Xin Qianyu also smiled and replied, “We’re all family, and we’ll make money together. No need for congratulations or not.”
After the celebration banquet, Xin Qianyu and Su Zhong left together—because they were a “married couple,” they had to act in unison, especially in front of outsiders.
Once they got in the car, Su Zhong said to Xin Qianyu, “My mother is coming to the United States and wants to see us. She suggested having a meal together.”
When Xin Qianyu heard that Su Zhong’s mother was coming, he felt uneasy, but he asked, “Did you tell your mother that we’re just pretending to be a couple?”
“Are we just pretending to be a couple?” Su Zhong shook his head. “We’re not. I genuinely care about you.”
“…We don’t even sleep together!” Xin Qianyu choked.
“Do you want to sleep together?” Su Zhong’s eyes lit up.
“I don’t, I don’t!” Xin Qianyu shook his head vigorously.
Xin Qianyu thought about having to deal with Lin Chunhong and found it quite troublesome. Lin Chunhong herself wasn’t a problem, but the issue was her identity as a “single mother who raised Su Zhong.” Xin Qianyu complained to Zhu Pu and Zhu Zhu, saying, “Do you think Su Zhong’s mother will come and be as unpleasant to me as before, all condescending and arrogant?”
Zhu Pu nodded, “I think it’s very likely.”
“Annoying,” Xin Qianyu muttered.
Zhu Zhu frowned, “How did you handle Su Zhong’s mother before?”
“Well,” Xin Qianyu said, “I used to endure her. But now, if you ask me to endure her, I really can’t.”
Zhu Pu suggested, “Why not confront her directly? You’re a top executive of a publicly traded company now; you have to save face.”
Zhu Zhu disagreed, “Why do you care about that?”
“I’m a high-ranking executive now; I can’t help it,” Xin Qianyu sighed involuntarily.
Zhu Pu scratched his head, “So, you have no choice but to put up with her?”
“That’s not it,” Xin Qianyu straightened up and said, “Only magic can defeat magic, only a mother can defeat another mother.”
Zhu Zhu’s eyes lit up, “Are you planning to have your mother talk to her?”
“Exactly! I’m a younger generation; it’s not convenient for me to speak. But my mother and her are peers; they can speak openly,” Xin Qianyu said.
“Are you going to lock them in a room?” Zhu Pu asked.
“That’s right! I’m a younger generation; it’s not convenient for me to speak. But my mother and her are peers; they can speak openly,” Xin Qianyu said.
“Are you going to lock them in a room?” Zhu Pu asked.
