"I'm sorry, Mom. I didn't know you were so unhappy before. I thought Dad was just busy with work. I didn't believe you when you complained to me before and always spoke up for him."
Fang Yuan shook her head. "You were still young back then and didn't understand. But now that you're grown up, an adult, and in a relationship, Mom only hopes you can find someone who loves you or makes you happy. Money is important, but happiness is also important. Don't be like me."
Zhou Ying looked at the empty seat next to her, recalling every little bit of her time with Jiang Cheng.
From her chance encounter with Jiang Cheng on the plane until now, although only a little over a month had passed, Jiang Cheng had taken special care of her every time they met.
With her previous circumstances, Jiang Cheng could have actually been like her father and used money to buy her heart, but he didn't. Even when they went to a bar to drink, he protected her very well.
Jiang Cheng was so good to her that she almost couldn't resist his temptation last time.
Fang Yuan's words at this moment couldn't shake her heart at all.
Zhou Ying smiled and shook her head. "Mom, Jiang Cheng is different."
"How is he different? Rich and handsome—I liked that kind of man when I was young, too," Fang Yuan remarked with a sigh.
Zhou Ying didn't want to dwell on Fang Yuan's thoughts. She pouted and changed the subject. "Don't you still like them now, Mom? With your beauty, no one would ever guess you're already thirty-six."
Fang Yuan felt a bit envious of Zhou Ying's innocence, but she also knew she had no right to interfere with her daughter's choice. She could only say, "You little girl, according to what you're saying, can I go find a young man too?..."
"Of course! Mom, you suffered so much in the past. Now that we're both free, you can go fall in love properly."
"Alright, stop talking nonsense. You just love to blabber. Do you really not know what his family does?"
Seeing Fang Yuan ask this question again, Zhou Ying shook her head. "Mom, I'm dating him, not his family. Why should I ask?"
Zhou Ying only knew that Jiang Cheng was very rich. During their three years of high school, she had only silently followed him.
But she really didn't know what his family did for a living.
Besides, Jiang Cheng had a girlfriend back then, so it was even less likely for Zhou Ying to dig into his background.
"Silly child, how can you be in a relationship without asking about the other person's family situation?"
"Mom, don't worry about it. I'll handle things between Jiang Cheng and me."
Fang Yuan was different from Zhou Ying; she was naturally a bit of a gold-digger.
Although she had gone through this ordeal and knew that money wasn't everything, she still subconsciously placed importance on such things.
However, even though she couldn't help thinking that way, what she said was the opposite.
"While having money is certainly important, he could also be like your father. What's important is stability."
"Alright, Mom. I like Jiang Cheng, not his money. Even if he went bankrupt, I'd still like him. To be honest, I feel like I'm not good enough for him. If he really did run out of money one day, I might actually feel more at ease. That way, I could work hard with him starting from zero, and I wouldn't feel so anxious."
Fang Yuan stroked Zhou Ying's hair with heartache. "Mom only wants you to be happy. Even if you choose an ordinary boy, I'll support you. Just don't follow in my footsteps."
"I'm happiest when I'm with Jiang Cheng."
This was the prime of her life. If Jiang Cheng could be so good to her even when nothing had happened between them, what else did she need to worry about?
Seeing Zhou Ying's happy face, Fang Yuan fell into deep thought.
If it were her, and a man was this good to her now, would she really be able to resist?
Perhaps one should just choose what they like and live in the moment.
She had chosen what was suitable before, and the result? Ten years wasted for nothing.
In the end, she still ended up unhappy.
In reality, no one can guarantee anything that might happen in the future.
After all, it's not like men only turn bad once they have money.
As the saying goes, as long as a man is breathing, there's a possibility he'll turn bad.
Seeing Jiang Cheng return, Fang Yuan suppressed her emotions and stopped talking, turning her head to look at the scenery along the river.
Seeing Zhou Ying's eyes slightly red, Jiang Cheng asked in confusion, "What's wrong?"
Zhou Ying glanced at Fang Yuan and then smiled while shaking her head. "It's nothing. I was just chatting with my mom about the past and suddenly felt a bit emotional."
Jiang Cheng comfortingly stroked her silky hair.
He then looked across at the Shanghai Tower next to the Pearl Tower, where the advertisement instantly changed to Zhou Ying's name, and his lips curled into a smile.
"Silly girl, look over there."
Zhou Ying and Fang Yuan looked in the direction Jiang Cheng was pointing.
Soon, both of their eyes widened in surprise.
They saw that the advertisements on the billboards of the Shanghai Tower, the Huaqi Building, and the Zhendan Building were no longer the same as before.
At this moment, Zhou Ying's name was written on the billboard of the Shanghai Tower, with a large heart below it.
The large screens on the adjacent advertising buildings had turned into photos of Zhou Ying, and one entire billboard even showed a photo of Zhou Ying and Fang Yuan together.
The cruise ship happened to be in the middle of the Huangpu River, providing an excellent viewing angle; the scene was truly breathtaking.
Looking at the full-screen text and the heart, Zhou Ying's heart raced as if it had been struck by something.
She turned her head to look at Jiang Cheng.
At this moment, her eyes were filled with nothing but Jiang Cheng.
A few seconds later, she stood up excitedly and hugged Jiang Cheng tightly.
"Jiang Cheng, thank you. I'm so moved!"
Seeing Zhou Ying's reaction, which was just like Qiao Yinyin's, Jiang Cheng was very satisfied.
Sure enough, the cheesier the routine, the more effective it was.
Fang Yuan also stared blankly at the scene across from them.
She suddenly felt quite envious of her daughter.
She had found a man who was rich and willing to put effort into her.
What more could one ask for in such a man...