After a moment of silence, Lin Ruoxi spoke. "Yang Chen, I think I need to clarify some things. Since we signed the marriage agreement, you have the right to know why we're doing this."
Yang Chen frowned. "You mean that stupid pig of a father forcing you to marry someone?"
"Stop calling my father a pig… If he's a pig, what does that make me?" Lin Ruoxi said, annoyed.
"Heh, my little Ruoxi is so beautiful—even if you were a pig, you'd be a cute pink teacup pig," Yang Chen grinned.
"You're the pig…" Lin Ruoxi rolled her eyes, but wasn't truly angry. She got back to the point. "My father owns 30% of the company's shares—making him the second-largest shareholder after me. But that's not the issue. Grandma left me 60% of the shares before she passed, so I have full control. However… my father also holds the land deed to an old mansion…"
"Is that mansion important to you?" Yang Chen asked, confused.
"Extremely important…" Lin Ruoxi's eyes softened with nostalgia and warmth. "I grew up there—only Grandma and Mom were with me. My parents' marriage was a business arrangement. My father never loved Mom; he's a playboy, always has been…" Hatred flickered in her eyes. "He's never home, but he's still the master of the house. After Grandma died, he forbade me from going back. He's squandered all his money on women and parties, and now he wants to sell the mansion…"
"What does this have to do with our marriage?" Yang Chen wondered.
Lin Ruoxi shot him a cold glare. "I tried to buy the mansion back from him—offering more than the market price—but he refused. He only has one condition: that I marry Xu Zhihong. He's clearly been bribed by the Xu family…"
"Coercing his own daughter into marriage? Pigs are cuter than him," Yang Chen said, shaking his head seriously.
Lin Ruoxi ignored his remark, continuing. "Xu Zhihong has been pestering me nonstop. I can't afford to anger the Xu family—they're one of Blue City's top five families. So…"
"So you married me to shut him up, get through this hurdle, and then figure out how to take back the land deed from that stupid pig of a father?" Yang Chen finished for her.
"Yes…" Lin Ruoxi nodded wearily. She'd been buried in these issues for days, exhausted. A young woman in her twenties, carrying a burden heavier than most.
Yang Chen sighed. "Your plan only treats the symptoms, not the root. You'll still have to face the Xu family and that… worthless father of yours eventually."
"I don't care. I'll take it one step at a time…" Her voice was soft, but her tone was unyielding.
Yang Chen stood up, grabbed his new phone, and headed for the door without a word.
Lin Ruoxi frowned. "Where are you going now?"