Chapter Eleven: Severing Ties

“The Xia family really knows how to set conditions, but trying to scare me off with this? How naive!” Chen Fan grumbled inwardly, but outwardly he nodded respectfully. “Uncle, please go on. For Xin’er’s sake, I’ll do whatever it takes to agree.”

“Alright, listen carefully. The first thing is: you have to help Xia Xin win the development rights for the old city district. The decision was supposed to be made these past two days, but it’s been put on hold because the person in charge was transferred at the last minute. The new person will take over in a few days. Your job is to make sure Xia Xin stands out among the dozens of real estate companies in East City and secures the development rights.”

Before Chen Fan could respond, Xia Xin objected immediately. “Dad, you know perfectly well our company doesn’t have the funds to handle this land tender. I’ve already talked to you and vetoed this.”

Land tenders didn’t just require deep pockets but also connections within the system, especially good relations with the decision-maker. Her company, Meiting, didn’t meet any of these requirements. She didn’t even know who the new decision-maker was or what his name might be!

But Xia Xin had no idea that the “husband” sitting right beside her was, in fact, the soon-to-be appointed decision-maker of East City.

“I know, but if you were marrying into any of the top families, wouldn’t this be easy? For Chen Fan to marry you, he must prove he’s more capable than those other young men.”

Xia Jianye looked at Chen Fan with composure and asked, “Can you agree to this condition?”

Chen Fan almost wanted to laugh. He’d thought it would be something difficult, but this was as easy as lifting a finger.

“Yes, I agree. Please, Uncle, tell me the second condition.”

“You agreed so quickly? I’m being serious—if you can’t do this, I really won’t let my daughter marry you.”

“I completely understand, Uncle. Please, what’s the next condition?”

Chen Fan’s calmness made Xia Jianye start to doubt himself. He’d thought his first condition would be enough to make Chen Fan back down, but why did he look so confident? Let’s see how long you can keep this up.

“Fine, the second thing: Xia Xin is a well-known beauty in East City, so the wedding must be grand. I won’t insist on traditional gold gifts, just a meaningful gesture. The key is, you must invite all the important people on this list to the wedding. My standard is that they must personally express their wish to attend.”

As he spoke, Xia Jianye picked up a blank sheet of paper from the coffee table. Before Chen Fan could reach for it, Xia Xin snatched it away. After a quick glance, her expression turned grave.

She glared at her father. “Dad, this is ridiculous. The people on this list are big names from government, business, the military, and entertainment. Even Grandpa couldn’t get a single one of them to attend, and you expect Chen Fan to invite all of them? This is just making things impossible for him!”

“Connections are a hallmark of a successful man. If Chen Fan can get these people to come to the wedding, I’ll believe he can accomplish anything he sets his mind to. Only such a man is worthy of your trust!” Xia Jianye replied, utterly unfazed, as if it were only natural.

He certainly knew how difficult this was—how else could he drive Chen Fan away?

Yang Li, fully understanding her husband’s intentions, chimed in, “Xin’er, your father is right. No man gets anywhere without connections!”

In her heart, she added, “Of course, what kind of connections could a construction worker possibly have?”

Seeing her parents talk like this, Xia Xin felt utterly hopeless. The conditions her grandfather set last night were already outrageous, but her parents’ demands were even worse.

Gritting her teeth, her face cold, Xia Xin grabbed Chen Fan’s arm and pulled him up. She looked at her parents with icy resolve. “I’ll decide on my own wedding. Even if it means breaking off all ties with you, I’ll still marry Chen Fan!”

With that, she dragged Chen Fan toward the door.

Hearing her words, Chen Fan was genuinely touched. He hadn’t expected this woman to be so bold; this made the whole situation even more interesting, and he had even less reason to refuse the challenge.

He gently shook off Xia Xin’s hand and spoke earnestly, “Xin’er, don’t be impulsive. A marriage without your parents’ blessing can’t last. There are always more solutions than difficulties.”

He turned to look at the slightly awkward expressions of Xia Jianye and Yang Li, then nodded. “I agree to the second condition as well. I believe I can accomplish it.”

He’d just glanced at the names on the list. For others, inviting these people would be nearly impossible, but for Chen Fan, it was just a matter of making a few phone calls—even if inviting a couple of them required sacrificing a bit of personal dignity.

Xia Jianye was caught off guard by Xia Xin’s sudden outburst, but was even more surprised when Chen Fan agreed so readily.

He looked at Chen Fan with a complicated expression and continued, “Alright, you’re certainly confident. The third condition is that you must have a savings balance of one hundred million within a month.”

He expected Chen Fan to look troubled, conflicted, or even desperate, but instead, he saw the corners of Chen Fan’s mouth curve up ever so slightly.

Xia Jianye frowned in confusion. “Chen Fan, do you find this funny?”

“No, Uncle, you misunderstand. I just think your conditions are quite interesting. I enjoy a good challenge. Don’t worry, I accept all three conditions.”

Chen Fan quickly reined in his smile and explained. But inwardly, he couldn’t help but feel amused. Xia Jianye thought he was making things impossibly difficult, yet to Chen Fan, these were nothing more than trifling tasks.

If he weren’t worried about shocking Xia Jianye and Yang Li, Chen Fan would have completed all three conditions on the spot.

“Alright, I’m starting to see you in a new light. Let me remind you, you have one month to fulfill all these conditions. If you succeed, you and Xin’er will register your marriage and hold the wedding banquet a month from now.”

Xia Jianye added, glancing at Xia Xin’s long face. He said gruffly, “Enough of that look. I’m only doing this for your own good. But I have to admit, Chen Fan seems rather mature!”

Xia Xin said nothing, her face expressionless as she dragged Chen Fan outside.

Chen Fan couldn’t help but protest, “Hey, why are we leaving? Auntie just finished cooking, and I’m starving. Can’t we eat first?”

“Were you starved to death in a previous life or something? How can you think about eating in a situation like this?” Xia Xin refused, pulling him out the door like a disgruntled wife.

Once in the car, Xia Xin didn’t start the engine. She fixed Chen Fan with a puzzled look. “Are you stupid? You knew perfectly well my parents would try to drive you away, and those three conditions are clearly traps. Yet you walked right into them without hesitation!”