Chapter 31: Refusal
Fan Xia’s eyes widened slightly, then she smiled with some relief: “I thought you would ask me to help Jing Jing repay the money.”
Wen Lan Sheng lowered his head in shame. When he heard Xie Cen crying on the phone, his first reaction was indeed to think of Fan Xia. His family wasn’t wealthy, with only one work-unit apartment left. There was no way they could come up with a million yuan. Only Fan Xia had that ability.
However, seeing Fan Xia’s relieved reaction, Wen Lan Sheng was glad he hadn’t asked for her help in repaying the money.
Fan Xia took his hand, her tone as gentle as clear water: “I don’t have much cash on hand, just enough for the down payment on this house. It would be difficult to come up with a million yuan unless I apply for an advance on my salary from the company, but that would definitely require Rong Xiu’s approval.”
Fan Xia’s words stopped there, but Wen Lan Sheng felt as if something had severely lashed his face, stinging and painful.
He had truly been spoiled by Fan Xia, instinctively wanting her to solve all his problems. He forgot that this was all Wen Jing’s own doing. If it weren’t for her, the family wouldn’t be under such great pressure.
Moreover, Wen Jing was his sister, a daughter of the Wen family, and had no connection to Fan Xia. Why should she be the one to give that million yuan?
To marry him, Xia Xia had spent hundreds of thousands on his engagement ring, wedding clothes, banquet, and new house. Money flowed out like water, one thing after another. How could she have any more to give?
Besides, even if she were to give money, it would have to go through Rong Xiu’s hands. Then Rong Xiu would know that Fan Xia was overspending to fill their family’s pit, and would find ways to interfere with their marriage.
Wen Lan Sheng’s heart felt as if it had been pricked, his eyes moist and slightly red. He was truly foolish, only now realizing Fan Xia’s difficulties.
“No need to apply to the company. Wen Jing’s matter has nothing to do with you. Xia Xia, you don’t need to think about giving us money anymore. You’re already working so hard out there. I don’t want you to have no savings left after struggling for so long.” Wen Lan Sheng fidgeted with his fingers, his voice choked with tears.
“What’s wrong? Why are you suddenly crying?” Fan Xia cupped his face, wiping away the tears from the corners of his eyes.
Wen Lan Sheng shook his head, a crystal-clear tear flung from the corner of his eye: “It’s nothing, I just feel sorry for you. Xia Xia, we’ll find a way to deal with this money. You don’t need to give any.”
Fan Xia’s gaze was full of love and pity. After a long while, she slowly said: “Alright, I’ll do as you say.”
Because of the sudden incident, Fan Xia informed Rong Xiu and then took a taxi home with Wen Lan Sheng. Zhuang Nian, who had come to pick them up, watched Fan Xia leave hurriedly and couldn’t help but mutter softly: “Did something happen in President’s Assistant Fan’s family? Why are they in such a hurry?”
Rong Xiu’s deep, cold, narrow eyes darkened for a moment: “Let’s go.”
Zhuang Nian immediately withdrew his gaze, helping Rong Xiu with his luggage, and eagerly asked: “President, you must be tired from your business trip. Would you like to rest at the villa first?”
“Go to the company,” Rong Xiu said coolly, without any hesitation.
Zhuang Nian shook his head internally, truly a workaholic.
When Fan Xia and Wen Lan Sheng arrived home, they saw Xie Cen crying like a tear-stained person and Wen Ming Yue sitting silently on the sofa. She hung her head dejectedly, seeming truly at a dead end.
Seeing Fan Xia and Wen Lan Sheng return, a light of salvation lit up in Xie Cen’s desperate eyes. He hugged Wen Lan Sheng tightly, crying: “Lan Sheng, you’re finally back. You don’t know how much your sister has suffered in the police station. Early this morning, the police took her away. If we can’t give that million yuan, your sister will definitely be sentenced. Jing Jing is still so young, so small, she absolutely can’t go to prison or her whole life will be ruined, you know? You have to think of a way to save your sister quickly, Lan Sheng.”
Xie Cen kept crying and shouting, while Wen Lan Sheng felt both helpless and distressed.
No matter what, Wen Jing was his own sister. Of course he couldn’t bear to let her suffer the hardships of prison. But while feeling sorry for Wen Jing, he also felt some resentment towards her.
He resented her for stubbornly studying abroad, draining the family’s savings, and not even getting a degree in the end. She had finally found a job, only to cause trouble again, making the victim demand a million yuan in compensation.
That was a million yuan! For an ordinary family, that was an astronomical figure.
If it were just fifty thousand, Wen Lan Sheng could have paid it off with his own savings. But he really couldn’t come up with a million yuan. Who knew if after helping her settle this matter, there wouldn’t be a second or third time, like an bottomless pit waiting for him to fill?
No woman would want her husband to become someone who always helps his sister at the expense of his own family. He often browsed the Clover Forum and had seen too many divorced husbands whose unhappiness stemmed from the endless demands of their original families.
Wen Lan Sheng was also afraid, afraid that one day he would become like them.
That’s why he had strongly opposed letting Wen Jing move in with them. Because at that time, he had keenly sensed that Fan Xia had objections in her heart, but out of consideration for their relationship, she couldn’t speak up.
“Fan Xia.” Xie Cen’s damp hand tightly gripped Fan Xia’s: “You watched Jing Jing grow up too, and you’re her sister-in-law. You won’t let Jing Jing go to prison, right?”
“Dad! Don’t be like this!” Wen Lan Sheng pulled Xie Cen’s hand away, carefully glancing at Fan Xia. Seeing no obvious abnormality in her eyes, he breathed a slight sigh of relief.
Xie Cen’s words just now were as good as openly asking Fan Xia to pay.
Although he knew that for his sake, Fan Xia would certainly agree to help Wen Jing repay the money, he couldn’t bear it.
Fan Xia had been too good to him and his entire family.
They weren’t even married yet, and she had already let his parents move in to live together. If it were any other family, there would have been a huge fight, even divorce. But not only did Fan Xia not mind his parents, she even planned to leave this house for them in their old age.
This was such deep love. Wen Lan Sheng felt both happy and grateful, but also developed an unprecedented sense of crisis.
His own sister had suddenly incurred a debt of a million yuan before the wedding. Fan Xia must be unhappy about it. He had to let Fan Xia know that after marriage, he would wholeheartedly protect their small family, rather than being like those divorced husbands on the forum who couldn’t understand the principle that a married son is like spilled water, always helping their original family.
After marriage, he, Wen Lan Sheng, would completely become Fan Xia’s man. He wouldn’t let anyone or anything destroy their marriage, absolutely not, even if it was his closest family.
“Lan Sheng, your father is just anxious. Do you know what kind of place a detention center is? How is it any different from prison? Your sister has never suffered like this before. We need to gather money quickly and get her out.” Wen Ming Yue, who had been silent for a long time, finally spoke.
“I don’t want Jing Jing to stay in the detention center either. I also want to help her raise money quickly.” Wen Lan Sheng ran into the bedroom and came out with an Industrial and Commercial Bank passbook.
Xie Cen wiped away his tears and stared intently at the bank card, asking: “How much money is in here? Is it a million yuan?”
Wen Lan Sheng shook his head.
“Then, there must be at least 800,000, right?” Xie Cen asked urgently.
“Only 20,000.”
This was Wen Lan Sheng’s own private savings. His salary wasn’t high, and necessities like men’s clothes, shoes, skincare products, and the cost of preparing Fan Xia’s daily meals had almost made him live paycheck to paycheck. This 20,000 was what he had managed to save after working for a year, and he was giving it all out.
“What use is 20,000 yuan! They’re asking for a million! A million!” Xie Cen shrieked.
“This 20,000 yuan is what I, as a brother, can contribute to help Wen Jing. We really can’t give any more than this. As for the remaining 900,000…” Wen Lan Sheng squeezed his hand tightly, his eyes struggling for a moment before he said: “For the remaining 900,000, let’s sell our family’s house. Although it’s a suburban house, and a small work-unit apartment, if we sell it urgently at a discount, we should be able to get over a million.”
“Wen Lan Sheng! What nonsense are you talking!” Xie Cen was shocked, then slammed the table and berated him: “You actually want to force your dad and mom to sell our only old house! Do you want us old couple to beg on the streets in the future?”
Wen Lan Sheng took a deep breath, clinging tightly to Fan Xia to keep himself from collapsing. He knew it would turn out like this, but hearing such cold words from his own father still felt like being stabbed several times.
He closed his eyes, hiding the painful moisture in them, listening to Xie Cen’s angry scolding. He painfully said: “You won’t be homeless. Xia Xia said before, after we buy a new house, this house will be for your retirement. The old house is just sitting empty anyway, isn’t it better to use it to save Wen Jing?”
“What do you mean ‘just sitting empty’! That house is for your sister to marry her husband with, how can we sell it!” Xie Cen wished he could slap Wen Lan Sheng.
“If you don’t sell the old house, Wen Jing will only be able to marry her husband in prison.” Wen Lan Sheng stiffened his body, tightly holding Fan Xia’s hand.
“Good, good.” Hatred of disbelief floated in Xie Cen’s eyes: “I’ve really raised a good son, a white-eyed wolf! Now you’re living in a big house, driving a nice car, and you’re not willing to spend that million to save your sister’s life! How did I give birth to such a son!”
“Lan Sheng, you clearly have enough money to buy a second house, why can’t you take out the money for buying a house to save your sister first? She’s your own sister.” Wen Ming Yue, seeing the situation develop completely differently from what she had expected, became a bit flustered and spoke up.
“Fan Xia, Jing Jing is after all your sister-in-law. You’re an executive assistant in a big group. If people found out you have a sister-in-law in prison, it wouldn’t look good for you, would it?”
“Wen Jing going to prison has nothing to do with Xia Xia. Mom, don’t push everything onto Xia Xia. The house and money are all earned by Xia Xia’s hard work. We’re buying a new house so that you two elders can live comfortably in an elevator building. She really can’t give any more money, please don’t force her.” Wen Lan Sheng stood in front of Fan Xia, blocking Wen Ming Yue’s gaze.
“Actually, your father and I have been used to living a hard life. We don’t necessarily need to live in an elevator building. The old house is quite good too, we can go back to live there.” Wen Ming Yue gave Xie Cen a look.
Xie Cen immediately said: “Yes, your mom’s injury is almost healed, she can climb stairs now. We’ll move back right away. The old house absolutely cannot be sold. Since you can’t come up with the money for now, and you want to buy a new house, why not sell this house? I heard houses in this community can sell for 7 million now. After helping Jing Jing repay the money, you’ll have several million left. Won’t that be enough to buy an even bigger house?”
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If you’re like me…
Too tired of reading stories where the female lead is often foolish, weak, feeble both physically and mentally, usually in a subservient and oppressed role in society such as a maid, secretary, concubine… or to put it bluntly, typically the one who has to serve and please the male lead, always needing protection and rescue from male leads, while the male lead is often described as talented, strikingly handsome, powerful,…
Then please continue reading.
Hi there, girls!
I’m Yuushi L.
Every day, movies and comics continuously reinforce the notion that women are weak, that they can only handle trivial matters in the background, that women are petty-minded and constantly jealous, mocking, and laughing at other women, while men are strong, wealthy, and solely focused on conquering the world, with countless mindless women ready to fall into their arms.
Believe me, once you read Female-dominant (FEDO) novels, your mindset will change significantly.
I am deeply inspired by strong, independent, and rational women who have the power to take control of their lives, and I am fascinated by the way society’s gender roles are reversed in this genre compared to real life.
So I have created this web with the noble purpose of promoting the “Female-dominant (FEDO)” genre of novels.
In my country, there was a rare renowned female poet in ancient times who wrote the following about the fate of women in that era:
“Damn this life of sharing a husband,
One wrapped in warmth, the other left cold.
I’d rather have stayed single from the start,
Than to endure a life so torn apart.”
Perhaps my penchant for reading female-dominant stories is partly a way of rebelling against the realities of life.
On my site, there will be stories that are not only female-dominant novels, as long as they align with my taste, featuring strong female protagonists and fresh, captivating storylines. Usually, they will be modern or fantasy novels.
I rarely read ancient novels that aren’t female-dominant because they often contain details that easily trigger me. These include the portrayal of men having multiple wives and concubines, which was considered utterly normal in ancient society, and the frequent disdain towards women.
I cannot change the world, as the societal structure that discriminates against women and elevates men has existed for thousands of years. Changing it to truly give women an equal role in society is not something that can happen overnight. If you want gender equality now, it’s laughable. It will never happen when over 90% of national and business leaders are men.
But I can start by changing the mindset of women, sisters, and young girls. Don’t just read dull slogans urging women to be strong and independent; it’s hard to imagine. Read Female-dominant (FEDO) novels to see clearly what true female empowerment looks like.
I believe there will be more and more independent and strong women who prioritize their careers and personal stability over seeking a man to rely on.
In the future, there will be more successful female entrepreneurs, politicians, and thought leaders.
As for me, I will start by making this website grow stronger day by day.
I especially like the concept of “the male lead falls in love first, the female lead is the cold-hearted and rational one, and the male lead suffers because the female lead doesn’t reciprocate his feelings.”
Therefore, you’ll see that most of the novels on my website will belong to this trope. Of course, there will be exceptions.
In the future, I also plan to write my own novels following this concept, where the female lead in my stories will never be the weaker party. I hope I can do it soon.
The novels I highly recommend will be listed under the category:
There will be exceptionally brilliant stories, but there will also be mediocre ones. As the Female-dominant (FEDO) genre has fewer authors and readers, the number of high-quality novels is limited.
Therefore, I want to promote this genre to reach a wider audience, which will encourage more talented authors to choose to write in this style, leading to the birth of more outstanding Female-dominant (FEDO) novels.
The Chinese versions of the novels I use for translation are all sourced from various websites on the internet. You know, I don’t have much budget to purchase so many novels.
Therefore, if your financial situation allows, please support the authors by purchasing the original works. You can find the original works using the Chinese titles of the novels.
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WARNING:
In some novels, there are certain unhealthy ideologies and illegal actions held by the main characters (for example, treating human lives as worthless, or casually deciding to kill someone, forcing others to do things they don’t want to do, arbitrarily imprisoning others, plotting to harm others, using violence to retaliate against violence,…).
This may be because the authors are still young and inexperienced, unaware that what they’re writing goes beyond moral standards and can negatively influence young readers.
It’s important that readers under 18 years old need to recognize these are illegal actions, not permitted to be carried out in real life, always keep a clear head while reading, treat these works only as entertainment, and don’t let yourself be influenced by those plot points.
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If you want to join me, support me, recommend novels, or simply want to connect with me privately, please contact me via email: yuushi.l.me@gmail.com
Or join my Discord to connect with others who share the same taste for novels:
With love and appreciation,
YUUSHI L
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*Spotlight on Finished Novel Translations*
The Male Lead’s Obsessive (Female-dominant)
One-line summary: She is his lifelong obsession, to the point where he was willing to be a third wheel, scorned by society, just to wedge his way into her relationship with her fiancé.
Synopsis:
Cold-hearted and indifferent female lead + Scheming and subservient CEO male lead
Summary:
Rong Xiu’s biggest regret in life was missing out on Fan Xia.
He secretly loved Fan Xia for 7 years.
Watched her go public with her boyfriend.
Watched her kiss her boyfriend at their wedding.
Until that man blissfully nestled in Fan Xia’s arms, obtaining everything he could only dream of.
The crazy jealousy stripped away his hidden secret love, layer by layer, burning like wildfire.
Fan Xia, how can I have you!
【Reading and Trigger Warning Guide】
1. Female dominant, male submissive, male pregnancy
2. Male lead schemes his way to the top, male competition
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Please help me, I want to bring you the best possible things.
If you find any chapter or novel with poor translation and editing quality, let me know by commenting directly under that novel or chapter. I will retranslate it as soon as possible.
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