GROCERY DATE! (4)

[Yang Menghuo POV]

"Meng Bao, you seem to be distracted, is there something wrong?" Shi Ying asked.

"A—Ah, nothing, I was just thinking about random ideas," Yang Menghuo replied bitterly. He didn't want to admit that he was thinking how Ying Jie resembled Batman-Jie so much. It would be offensive for him to compare one woman to another. Ying Jie was a good person nonetheless, so he might as well enjoy the company of Ying Jie today.

Yang Menghuo smiled at Ying Jie and asked something to engage the conversation, "Ying Jie, you said that you work as a secretary, right?"

"Yes," Shi Ying nodded. "What about it?"

"I wonder if your company pays you so little," Yang Menghuo tried to find the better word, so Ying Jie didn't feel offended. "Because you seem to be… very thrifty."

"Well, there are two reasons why I'm very thrifty," Shi Ying answered. "My boss is a henpecked husband who is very submissive to his jealous wife. He wants to give me a bonus for my loyalty but cannot because if his wife knows, my position will be in danger. He would rather keep me with my base salary rather than getting me kicked out and replaced with a male secretary."

'Sounds like mom and dad,' Menghuo thought. His parents were like that. His mother, Madam Yang Evelynn, was controlling and wanted everything to be perfect, including her married life and her son's future. His poor father, Yang Zhuhuo, was an honest man who genuinely loved his wife but was also a passive man who didn't dare to confront his wife.

So, Yang Menghuo was mostly being taught what to do by his overbearing mother.

"His wife will kick you out if she knows that he gives you a bonus? What a controlling wife," Yang Menghuo commented.

"I know. I think my boss' wife watches too much soap opera, thinking there will be an affair between him and me," Shi Ying rolled her eyes. "My boss only brushed the topic of affair when he said that he wants me to marry his wasteful gay son."

"Wasteful gay son?" Yang Menghuo frowned. "Your boss has a wasteful gay son?"

"Yes, he never works like my boss, who works nine to five job. And he has never shown any interest in a woman. So he concluded that his son is wasteful and gay. How unfortunate," Shi Ying sighed.

"Why unfortunate? Do you want to marry your boss' son?" Yang Menghuo suddenly got a sense of crisis. It was fortunate that her boss' son is gay and wasteful, or Yang Menghuo might get a competition.

'Wait, competition? What do you mean, Menghuo?! You are not competing with anyone because you are not in love with Ying Jie! Stop having weird thoughts!' Menghuo reminded himself so he wouldn't be diverted of his determination for Batman-Jie.

"Well, if I can marry someone rich like a Chinese Cinderella, then why not? Too bad he likes men," Shi Ying replied. Though, it was not actually the real reason why she felt unfortunate.

As a fujoshi, Shi Ying felt unfortunate because she didn't have a gay friend who could match with Yang Menghuo, her boss's gay son.

Yang Menghuo almost blurted out the fact that he was a rich second generation with enough money to feed Shi Ying's descendant for seven generations. But Ying Jie said that she wouldn't mind marrying for money.

Yang Menghuo was a true Pisces, a hopeless romantic at heart. He still wished to find Batman-Jie because his heart believed in first love. And if he had to marry someone else, he wanted that woman to marry out of her love for him, not because of money.

"Then, how about the second reason?" Yang Menghuo asked.

"Well, it's something in my family. I have an uncle who was a gambler. When I was little, he stole the family's money and land certificate and sell them to get money and gamble some more. After he lost everything, he simply ran away, leaving his daughter alone. And his daughter is now living with my parents," Shi Ying was reminiscing about a bitter thing. Her expression said it all.

"Well, now I'm the breadwinner of my family. My parents are old, and I don't want them to work too hard. I also have to provide a good education for my little sister and little cousin who had just graduated from university."

Shi Ying was proud of herself when she mentioned her little sister, "Do you know that I've successfully sent my little cousin to university until she graduates! I've also sent my little sister to a good high school! Your Ying Jie is an amazing breadwinner, right? You should praise me ah, hahahah!"

Yang Menghuo was all ears, listening to Ying Jie's story, and he had to admit that Ying Jie was a strong woman. She basically carried her family alone for years, "You are amazing, Ying Jie…"

"Of course! Your Ying Jie can even provide and be the breadwinner when she got married!"

Yang Menghuo frowned, "No, I will be the provider instead."

"What?"

"What?"