Power and Wealth C.1567: 3 million RMB

Afternoon.

At Aunt Wang's house.

"What did you say?" Aunt Wang was furious.

"I said you work as a nanny," Minghui said.

"What's wrong with me being a nanny? I earn my living with my own hands. What's so shameful about that?" Aunt Wang shouted.

"That's your business. Anyway, my family can't accept it. If I had known earlier, I wouldn't have wasted my time dating Shan Shan," Minghui couldn't contain his anger.

Aunt Wang's husband was also angry, "Wasting time? Say that again!"

Shan Shan couldn't bear it anymore. She felt that her boyfriend was too disrespectful to her and her family. "Minghui, what do you want?"

Minghui said, "Let's break up."

Shan Shan felt heartbroken, "Our relationship can't even withstand this test?"

"This isn't about a test. It's about basic incompatibility," Minghui said.

Shan Shan retorted, "How are we incompatible? Does your family has money."

Minghui said, "My family has no money, house, or car, but we're still better off than your family."

Ring, ring, ring, Minghui's phone rang. He answered, "Mom, yes, okay." After hesitating momentarily, he said, "That’s it."

The call lasted a long time.

In the end, Minghui handed the phone to Aunt Wang. "My mom wants to talk to you."

Aunt Wang didn't want to deal with him initially, wishing she could kick him out now, but seeing her daughter's tearful appearance, she felt uncomfortable too, so she reluctantly took the phone. She didn't know what was said on the call, but in the end, Aunt Wang's face became more and more ugly, and she angrily hung up the phone.

Aunt Wang's husband asked, "What did she say?"

Aunt Wang said, "His mother said that our family needs to provide a down payment of five hundred thousand. They will buy a house for Shan Shan and their son in Beijing. Only then will they agree."

Aunt Wang's husband was also furious.

Minghui remained silent, seeming to acquiesce to his mother's wishes.

Shan Shan looked at Minghui with tears in her eyes, feeling heartbroken. She knew how expensive housing in Beijing was. How could their family possibly place a down payment of five hundred thousand? Moreover, if they were going to struggle together, it would be one thing, but now Minghui and his family were asking their family to provide the entire down payment without contributing a single penny. This was what her boyfriend's feelings towards her amounted to.

Knock, knock, knock.

Someone knocked on the door.

Aunt Wang took a deep breath, "Come in."

Dong Xuebing pushed the door and walked in. "Aunt Wang, I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but the conversation was too loud. I could hear it from outside."

Aunt Wang hurriedly said, "I'm sorry you had to hear that."

Aunt Wang's husband also quickly apologized, "Sorry, Xuebing."

It was the first time Shan Shan had seen Dong Xuebing. She had often heard her mother talk about him and knew who he was. "Brother Dong."

Dong Xuebing smiled and nodded at her, then glanced at Minghui. He wasn't good looking. On the contrary, Shan Shan was quite beautiful.

Minghui looked at Dong Xuebing with a straight face, knowing that he was probably someone taken care of by Shan Shan's mother. He didn't even consider Dong Xuebing. When his mother was ill, she had hired a few months of help, so he never thought that a family that could hire a nanny would be wealthy.

So Minghui didn't bother with him. He looked at Aunt Wang and them, "What's the situation? My mom is still waiting." Where did he get such a sense of superiority from?

Dong Xuebing chuckled, genuinely finding him quite amusing. What ignorance! Looking down on Aunt Wang's family just because she worked as a nanny? That's absurd. Aunt Wang wasn't just any nanny; she was the nanny of a member of the Political Bureau. Even now, Dong Xuebing, who was now married to Huilan and a son-in-law of the Xie family, respected Aunt Wang. Back when he wasn't dating Huilan, he would always treat Aunt Wang with respect. After all, she had cared for Secretary Xie and Madam Han for so many years, living together daily. Their bond was unmatchable. Aunt Wang was modest and knew her place. She never demanded anything and was always considerate. But if Aunt Wang ever made a request, Madam Han would accommodate her. Even those leaders, whether they were at the Division Chief level or the Bureau Director level, as long as they were in Beijing, Dong Xuebing believed that if Aunt Wang asked for something trivial, they would eagerly offer to help. This was the unique status of specific positions in the system: drivers, secretaries, and even nannies. Any cadre with political acumen would never overlook someone close to a leader.

Looking down on Aunt Wang?

That's just ignorance.

If Aunt Wang wanted, she could walk sideways in Beijing. Even Dong Xuebing wouldn't dare to provoke her. If she remained low-key, others might underestimate her.

Aunt Wang and her husband were too angry to speak because of Minghui's words.

Dong Xuebing sat down comfortably and looked at Shan Shan with a smile. "Shan Shan, how old are you this year?"

Shan Shan hurriedly replied, "I'm twenty-one."

Dong Xuebing nodded, "It's time for you to get married. Your family came to Xiaxing City to take care of my child. Huilan and I feel quite guilty about it. Last time, I promised Aunt Wang a house, but she didn't want it. So, I'll give it to you. Consider it as my dowry for her daughter." Dong Xuebing reached into his pocket and took a bank card, handing it to Shan Shan. "There's three million in it. You can use it however you want. I won't interfere."

Shan Shan panicked, "No, no."

Aunt Wang also hurried over, "You can't do this, Xuebing."

At this, Minghui was also dumbfounded. Three million RMB? How could someone be so generous to a nanny's family?

Aunt Wang's husband also tried to decline, but Dong Xuebing didn't listen. "There's no reason for me to take back the money I've given. But I have one condition." Dong Xuebing pointed at Minghui. "Shan Shan, if you use this money for you and his wedding house, you must return it to me intact. We're not in bad conditions ourselves. You're so beautiful. I advise you to find a better man. He's not good enough."

"Brother Dong, this money is too much, I…" Shan Shan said.

Dong Xuebing looked at Aunt Wang and them, "If you don't accept it, I'll take the child away. I don't want to cause you any trouble."

After thinking for a while, Aunt Wang gritted her teeth and said, "Shan Shan, thank you, Brother Dong."

Shan Shan also said, "Thank you, Brother Dong."

"You're welcome," Dong Xuebing said. "Take it. The PIN is written on the back."

Minghui didn't know what to say. This scene left him bewildered. His mind was still stuck on that bank card.

Three million.

Three million.

Even in Beijing, you could buy a decent house with that amount.

If it were in his hometown, he could buy two or three houses without any problem.

Dong Xuebing glanced over at the bewildered Minghui. As the old saying goes, it's better to demolish ten temples than to break up one marriage. However, Dong Xuebing wasn't someone who played by the rules. He had already decided to break up this marriage.

"Don't think too highly of yourself. I think I've said this to you twice already today. Ignorance breeds fear, and that suits you perfectly. Both Aunt Wang and I dare not speak loudly, yet here you are, shouting. Who do you think you are? Will you leave, or do I have to send you out? If I have to, I might not use the door; the window is open, isn't it?"

Minghui's face darkened.

Aunt Wang, however, was startled. Others might have thought Dong Xuebing was joking, but Aunt Wang knew better. Dong Xuebing was capable of such things. She had heard plenty of unsavory stories about Dong Xuebing's behavior from Madam Han. Beating people up that's all he did. Aunt Wang was well aware of Dong Xuebing's temper; he was uncompromising. Forget about the third floor; even if it were the sixth floor, Dong Xuebing might dare to throw someone off it. That's why people called him the God of Plagues. He was nothing but a thug in the bureaucracy from beginning to end.

Minghui looked towards Shan Shan, seemingly waiting for her to say something.

Shan Shan saw it but avoided his gaze tearfully, biting her lip without speaking. The young girl's heart was truly chilled today.

Minghui's expression darkened, and after waiting a while, he got up and left. He seemed to be leaving with significant momentum, but in reality, the fact that he looked back twice as he left betrayed his inner turmoil. He was starting to regret it. Minghui hadn't realized that Shan Shan's mother served such a wealthy family, and the head of that family was so generous to the nanny's family. He handed over three million without batting an eye. If Minghui had politely discussed matters with Shan Shan's parents today, their marriage would probably have been settled, and that money would have been theirs. He had been worrying about the house all along, but a slight change of mind led him to miss out on it completely. He lost the house and even the so-called relationship.

In the room, after the unnecessary people had left, Aunt Wang said, "Thank you, Xuebing."

Aunt Wang's husband also knew that Dong Xuebing was trying to help them save face and was grateful.

Dong Xuebing said, "Aunt Wang, I'm not trying to insult you, but you're too modest. Who is this person to disrespect Shan Shan like this and equate feelings with the down payment for a house? What kind of person is he? I would have kicked him out a long time ago if it were me. What's the point of talking to him? This bastard looks smart on the outside, but that's where his cleverness ends. If he knew your identity, he'd be jumping at your command. He wouldn't even dare to fart." Then, he said to Shan Shan, "I'm not criticizing you, but I've been saying this for a long time. Anyway, don't look for this kind of person in the future. If there's no suitable one, let Brother Dong introduce you."

Aunt Wang hurriedly said, "Xuebing, you're embarrassing me. What identity do I have? Although I work in Secretary Xie's house, I do what I'm supposed to—cook and do laundry."

Dong Xuebing smiled, "That's called being modest."

Shan Shan said, "My mom never lets me tell anyone where she works. I only found out this year. She never told me before."

Aunt Wang modestly said, "There's nothing to say. It's the same no matter where you work. It's all about cooking and doing laundry."

Dong Xuebing admired Aunt Wang in his heart. No wonder she could stay with his father-in-law's family for many years. Both Madam Han and Huilan trusted Aunt Wang so much, even treating her as half a relative.

The source of this c𝐨ntent is freewe(b)nov𝒆l