Bai Zhenzhu temporarily didn’t want to stay in either Shenzhen or Guangzhou.

Born in 1962, Bai Zhenzhu was three years older than Xia Xiaolan.

This year, Xia Xiaolan would turn 23, while Bai Zhenzhu was already a solid 26-year-old woman.

Although she didn’t fit the image of a “young lady” at all, in Grandmother Bai’s eyes, how could she not worry about her 26-year-old granddaughter showing no concern for her lifelong happiness?

“So you’re fleeing to Hainan Island because of marriage pressure?”

This seemed rather extreme.

What was the rush at 26? Plenty of people were still in school at that age!

Bai Zhenzhu gave a resentful look, “You’re married at 23, how can my grandmother not be anxious?”

Bai Zhenzhu had no desire to marry.

Who could accept her as she was?

She didn’t want to compromise herself for some random man, forcing herself to change.

Previously, she had used Xia Xiaolan as a shield, saying her career wasn’t established enough to think about marriage. But this year, Xia Xiaolan married Zhou Cheng, and Grandmother Bai finally had a counterargument: If Xiaolan could manage such a successful career and still get married, why couldn’t she?

Those with bigger careers than yours have families.

You, with a smaller career, why aren’t you more proactive?

Bai Zhenzhu was instantly struck speechless, completely unable to rebut.

The concept of “non-marriage” was unacceptable to Grandmother Bai!

Not just Grandmother Bai living in 1988, even parents in 2018 would rarely accept their children having such thoughts.

Not marrying? Those who don’t marry must have problems!

Gay, lesbian, all sick – marriage would cure them!

Fortunately, Grandmother Bai’s knowledge wasn’t extensive enough, otherwise, with Bai Zhenzhu’s masculine style and resistance to heterosexual marriage, she would’ve been labeled as “lesbian”—

While Grandmother Bai didn’t understand, Xia Xiaolan did.

Gay, lesbian, and such wouldn’t need hiding thirty years later, with some young people even proudly claiming to be bisexual, as conforming to mainstream sexual orientation would no longer be trendy…

Even if Bai Zhenzhu were lesbian, Xia Xiaolan wouldn’t mind, let alone her just choosing not to marry.

Hearing about her fleeing from marriage pressure to Hainan Island, Xia Xiaolan immediately agreed.

Bai Zhenzhu continued complaining on the journey:

“My sister-in-law gave my brother a big healthy son, now she’s the family hero. My grandmother listens to everything she says. When those two get together, all they talk about is my marriage. My sister-in-law even wants to set me up with someone.”

A match from a government office in Guangzhou.

A well-mannered university graduate who’d been assigned to the office just two years ago.

Chang Ying, Bai Zhenzhu’s sister-in-law, wasn’t trying to harm her. The young man had a clean background and, a refined appearance, was educated, and was two years younger than Bai Zhenzhu. With such good conditions, shouldn’t Bai Zhenzhu be secretly delighted to have such an opportunity?

Bai Zhenzhu had gone home to see her nephew, and unexpectedly found a stranger there. Initially thinking he was Chang Ying’s relative, she hadn’t given it much thought.

Later, when her sister-in-law and grandmother privately asked about her impression of the young man, she realized she’d unknowingly been set up for a match.

Impression?

Tall and thin – probably couldn’t withstand one of her punches!

She felt unworthy of such a “blessing.”

She didn’t like refined men, nor was she impressed by her academic credentials.

She’d seen plenty of university graduates. Some, like Xiaolan, were truly capable, while others were all theory and no practice… Academic worship didn’t exist for Bai Zhenzhu. Tired of arguing with her sister-in-law and grandmother, she simply used work as an excuse to lay low.

Couldn’t withstand one punch… what kind of standard was that?

But this had always been Bai Zhenzhu’s character.

Big Sister Zhenzhu had even kicked out Du Zhaohui’s tooth before.

Xia Xiaolan laughed, “You can’t keep hiding forever. I think you need to talk with your family about your views on marriage. Whether you have no plans to marry now, or never plan to marry at all, you should let them know your thoughts. They might not understand at first, but they’ll have to compromise eventually.”

Marriage plans?

Marriage was too troublesome; she didn’t want it.

“If I never marry, would you think I’m strange?”

Bai Zhenzhu couldn’t help asking Xia Xiaolan.

Xia Xiaolan shook her head, “I can’t guarantee what others think, but I find it normal. True friends respect each other, and those who consider you a friend won’t question you about such matters.”

What was marriage for?

It was about mutual affection, wanting to face life together – that was Xia Xiaolan’s understanding.

But some people always presumed to judge others’ choices, citing things like having no descendants being unfilial or having no one to care for you in old age… Yet even married people might not care for each other.

Women’s invisible costs in marriage were too high.

They had to handle housework, bear children, raise them, and many still had to work while doing all this.

While men? Just bringing home a salary seemed enough to act entitled, no housework, no childcare, just lounging around waiting to be served.

In her previous life, Xia Xiaolan had remained single not just because of career focus, but by active choice. She lacked the courage for marriage—being single, earning and spending her own money, with good financial planning, she hadn’t worried about retirement. Of course, she could make that choice because she’d achieved relative financial freedom through twenty years of hard work, so she didn’t fear future risks.

For women who couldn’t support themselves, Xia Xiaolan wouldn’t dare promote the idea of ‘non-marriage’.

But Bai Zhenzhu was different, already worth tens of millions. Did marriage matter? With so much to do daily, if her family hadn’t pressed the issue, she wouldn’t have thought about it.

In Xia Xiaolan’s view, marry if you meet someone suitable and likable, but don’t force yourself if you haven’t. There’s no need to prove you fit in through “marriage.”

After discussing this with Xia Xiaolan and receiving her validation, Bai Zhenzhu felt more relaxed.

Xiaolan said her wishes were most important!

Although their sister-in-law Chang Ying was family and her grandmother was her closest relative, she didn’t have to follow their wishes.

More plainly put, Chang Ying and her grandmother had lived conventional lives, completely different from her choices. Their experienced guidance was rather useless to her!

With her thoughts suddenly clear, upon reaching Hainan Island, Bai Zhenzhu asked Xiaolan with a grin:

“Are you going to visit Zhou Cheng? Can I come along?”

“What for?”

Xia Xiaolan casually asked, while Bai Zhenzhu’s face showed excitement:

“At your wedding with Zhou Cheng, I met Third Brother Pan. I’ve always been curious about his strength but couldn’t fight then. After the wedding banquet, I couldn’t help challenging him to a fight, but he said your happy day wasn’t suitable for fighting and suggested we arrange another time!”

So you came to Hainan Island for a fight?

—Liar, saying you were avoiding family marriage pressure when you came to fight Third Brother Pan!