Shao Guangrong was resolute in his stance.

He was different from Zhou Cheng and Kang Wei – those two fell hard in their first relationships. Zhou Cheng needn’t be mentioned; he made Shao Guangrong envious by being the first among the three to officially marry. That unfortunate Kang Wei had one failed relationship and hadn’t moved on since, never giving himself the chance to know if other girls might be better.

Shao Guangrong considered himself experienced with women – sophisticated but not crude. It was precisely because he had dated many girlfriends that he knew exactly what he wanted.

He wanted Little Yu.

Yu Li was different from all his previous ‘girlfriends.’

“Guangrong, this family has such high hopes for you. Your marriage might not help advance you, but it certainly shouldn’t burden you! Do you think I’m looking down on her family’s inability to help you? If she just came from a stable family, I wouldn’t object, but her family has so many problems… I can compromise on everything else, but not this.”

Madam Shao knew plenty about Yu Li!

It was bad enough that the girl’s family couldn’t provide any advantages, but a girl who had to care for a vegetative mother would spend all her energy on that one thing. How could she have room in her heart for anything or anyone else? She couldn’t be a good wife who would manage everything for Shao Guangrong, nor could she be a good daughter-in-law to the Shao family.

Madam Shao was extremely anxious.

Shao Guangrong tried to reason with his mother: “Little Yu is an exceptionally capable girl. Though young, she can support her family alone. How is that being a burden? Please stop calling her a salesgirl – she hasn’t been one for a long time. You need to update your views. Not everyone needs state-arranged work or state-owned enterprises. Without my business investment dividends, her salary would be several times higher than mine! She won’t become my burden, and she doesn’t need me to pay for her mother’s medical treatment…”

Of course, he was prepared to share burdens with Yu Li – why else would he be in such a hurry to make money?

But telling his mother this would only make her more explosive. Shao Guangrong knew well what could and couldn’t be said.

Madam Shao wasn’t thinking about money at all.

Was caring for a vegetative patient just about money?

She recalled the antiseptic smell on her son’s clothes: “Is making money everything? Everyone in the Shao family works diligently. Though we’re not wealthy, we don’t lack food or clothing. I’m not so shallow as to insist you find a rich partner. You want to say this Little Yu can earn money, but doesn’t her earning money come at the cost of her time? When she works out of town, her mother gets left for you to care for. What about your career?”

Between spouses, one would inevitably be stronger than the other.

For a family to remain stable, one side must make sacrifices.

The more capable Yu Li was, the more dissatisfied Madam Shao became. The Shao family slightly favored sons over daughters, and among the younger generation, Shao Guangrong was the only male heir. As this only seedling, everyone in the Shao family doted on him and had high expectations.

Even when Shao Guangrong previously fooled around with girlfriends, it didn’t affect his work.

The thought of Shao Guangrong becoming the one who sacrificed more for his future small family was something Madam Shao couldn’t tolerate.

She admitted she was selfish!

The Shao family didn’t need an exceptionally capable daughter-in-law.

She knew Yu Li now worked as Miss Xia’s secretary, but her future wouldn’t be limited to being a secretary – she’d likely follow in those footsteps and become another powerful woman… Madam Shao didn’t want a powerful daughter-in-law; she wanted someone who would sacrifice for her son, who would devote all her energy to Shao Guangrong!

“You think Little Yu is particularly excellent and ambitious, that she could become the next Xia Xiaolan, right? Even if she became the second Xia Xiaolan, I still wouldn’t like it. Look at Xia Xiaolan and Zhou Cheng’s marriage – they’re still young now, but give it time, these two will definitely-“

“Mother, that’s enough!”

Shao Guangrong finally couldn’t contain himself.

Talking about him was one thing, but why drag Xia Xiaolan and Zhou Cheng into this?

Casting doubts on their honeymoon period – he felt his mother was overstepping!

Madam Shao realized she had spoken out of turn.

But since she had already spoken, and it was just mother and son present, Madam Shao decided to be frank: “You think I’m fear-mongering? Just wait and see, their marriage will have problems sooner or later.”

“Any marriage might face problems, and problems can be solved! If a cooking pot gets a small hole, the first reaction is to repair it, not throw it away, right? Forget it, I won’t argue with you. Little Yu and I aren’t even officially together yet. I’m just telling you my thoughts. Please don’t do anything undignified. If you’re unhappy, direct it at me, alright?”

By “undignified,” Shao Guangrong meant his mother might say hurtful things to Yu Li because she opposed their relationship.

Madam Shao, angered by her son to the point of headache, kicked him out of the house.

“Leave quickly, I can’t stand the sight of you.”

“Can’t we talk this through reasonably? Where should I stay tonight?”

“Stay wherever you want. I can’t control you, and I don’t want to wait on you anymore. Get out now!”

Mother and son couldn’t see eye to eye, so Madam Shao drove Shao Guangrong out.

Undignified?

She really would do something undignified.

Late at night, Madam Shao didn’t go to Shao Guangrong’s apartment to do anything undignified; instead, she chose to wait at the hospital early the next morning.

Before Yu Li arrived at the hospital, Madam Shao had already learned most of the situation.

She learned that Yu Li indeed rarely came to the hospital herself, and when Yu Li wasn’t there, it was Shao Guangrong who visited the hospital, at least three times a week. The nurses on this floor all praised Shao Guangrong’s sense of responsibility – how precious was Shao Guangrong to the Shao family? Yet here he was, playing the filial son at someone else’s sickbed!

When Yu Li arrived at the hospital, Madam Shao couldn’t help herself and directly stopped her: “You’re Little Yu, right? This is our first formal meeting. I’m Guangrong’s mother. Can we talk?”

“Hello, Auntie.”

Yu Li wasn’t very surprised.

Shao Guangrong had waited outside early today, warning that his mother might approach her these days, even offering to accompany her to the hospital, but Yu Li had refused, believing she could handle it.

She hadn’t expected Madam Shao to be so urgent.

Understandably, if she had a child in the future who wanted such a partner, Yu Li thought she would be anxious too.

They found a quiet spot on the first floor, and before Madam Shao could speak, Yu Li went straight to the point:

“Auntie, I can guess why you’re here. You don’t approve of me being with your son, right? I don’t approve either. I believe that when two people are together, they should both contribute; one side shouldn’t be the only one giving. I have nothing now, I can’t give anything to Shao Guangrong. I’m focused solely on working hard to treat my mother’s illness; I can’t consider other things… I won’t be with Shao Guangrong. He’s a good person, and I can’t burden him.”

Yu Li’s views on marriage and relationships had been influenced by Xia Xiaolan.

She didn’t expect to become as remarkable as Xia Xiaolan.

But she needed to become more capable than she was now, so she wouldn’t become someone else’s burden. Yet now the Shao family knew, and she hadn’t been given time to become more accomplished…

Madam Shao was caught off guard.

— Why wasn’t this following the usual script?

— Was this a strategic retreat?