When Luna was established, Chen Xiliang was responsible for daily management, so with equal investment, Chen Xiliang held 55% of the shares while Zhou Cheng held 45%. Zhou Cheng had no objections to this arrangement.
From this 2 million distribution, Zhou Cheng would receive 900,000. After repaying the bank’s 600,000, Zhou Cheng would have 300,000 left. Since Xia Xiaolan was going abroad for a year, and Zhou Cheng might need money for various purposes, she didn’t plan to keep the money and would return it to him.
Xia Xiaolan also received a consulting fee in Luna company’s name… She was indeed Luna’s consultant and had always put in considerable effort. The fee was just 20,000, but she was quite happy to accept it. After all, this was compensation for her intellectual work—why shouldn’t she accept it?
If Du Zhaohui knew about this, he would probably burst into tears. He had to give up all profits from his 20 million capital investment when asking for Xia Xiaolan’s help for a year, and she had agreed reluctantly, not particularly eager to cooperate with him. Yet here she was, delighted with a 20,000 consulting fee for managing Zhou Cheng’s investment from start to finish. Even if it were 20,000 US dollars it wouldn’t be much, let alone in yuan!
After distributing dividends, Chen Xiliang began preparing for his wedding. The wedding preparations moved at lightning speed. Around the time Xia Xiaolan went to Hong Kong, Zhang Xiao arrived in Yangcheng, and as soon as she said she wanted to marry Chen Xiliang, she immediately went back to her work unit for documentation.
The very next day after Chen Xiliang notified Xia Xiaolan, they both obtained their marriage certificate and held the wedding banquet.
At this wedding feast, Xia Xiaolan met all of Chen Xiliang’s family members at once. Chen Xiliang’s parents were walking on air about their movie actress daughter-in-law Zhang Xiao.
The mainland film industry wasn’t filled with scandal—actors kept their heads down and treated acting as regular work. Being an actor affiliated with a film studio was a respectable profession… Zhang Xiao had considerable fame, played positive roles, and had no scandals. The Chen family had no reason to dislike their new daughter-in-law.
Compared to Chen Xiliang’s ex-wife, Zhang Xiao had higher emotional intelligence. Although she couldn’t speak the Yangcheng dialect, she got along quite well with the Chen family.
As for how the newlyweds would arrange their future—whether they would live separately in different cities or if Zhang Xiao would transfer her work—that wasn’t Xia Xiaolan’s business. Right now, the couple was in their honeymoon phase, and who would accommodate whom was entirely their affair.
Chen Xiliang’s second wedding banquet didn’t have too many guests, just close friends and family. His ex-wife only learned about his remarriage after the wedding banquet.
The Lin family showed up in droves, and Chen Xiliang immediately called the police station. His former mother-in-law cursed him as Chen Shimei—coincidentally sharing the same surname. Chen Xiliang felt no guilt: “I’ve never done anything to wrong your daughter.”
His divorce from Lin Meijuan was purely due to incompatibility. Their values were too different—staying together would have been too painful! He didn’t even know Zhang Xiao when he divorced, and he had paid 100,000 in alimony. How was he Chen Shimei?
But the Lin family could think and say whatever they wanted—Chen Xiliang couldn’t control that.
Zhang Xiao didn’t even bother to look outside, leisurely eating sunflower seeds and watching TV inside. Xia Xiaolan, listening to the commotion outside, asked, “Sister Zhang Xiao, aren’t you worried about Comrade Chen getting into trouble?”
Zhang Xiao handed some sunflower seeds to Xia Xiaolan, “Now that I’m married to Chen, I’ll be bold and call you Xiaolan—calling you Director Xia seems too formal, is that alright?”
Xia Xiaolan nodded, “Of course that’s fine!”
“Xiaolan, you can’t spoil men too much. I didn’t mind that Chen was previously married and was willing to marry him. He can’t expect me to go out and argue with his ex-wife’s family, can he? If he can’t shelter me from the wind and rain, what did I marry him for? Before we married, we discussed that if his son from his previous marriage comes to live with us, I’ll treat him as my own, but if Chen and I have our children in the future, he must treat them equally!”
Zhang Xiao gave Xia Xiaolan a lesson in social wisdom. Though she might be less worldly than Xia Xiaolan due to the times, she was very clear about these matters. As a 30-year-old woman who had waited so long to find someone as suitable as Chen Xiliang, Zhang Xiao knew what she wanted.
Xia Xiaolan nodded, “Sister Zhang Xiao, you’re a practical person.”
Being able to treat a non-biological child as one’s own was already quite good—how could anyone force Zhang Xiao to treat non-biological children better than her own? If that happened, it would either be malicious overpraise or such extreme selflessness it would belong in “Zhiyin” magazine… Xia Xiaolan instead found Zhang Xiao quite generous and genuine, making everything clear from the start so Chen Xiliang knew exactly what kind of woman he was marrying.
Having clarity before marriage was better than unrealistic expectations afterward!
That’s why Zhang Xiao didn’t bother intervening when the Lin family was causing trouble outside. As she had told Xia Xiaolan, she had left this matter entirely to Chen Xiliang.
The police and neighborhood committee members came together to persuade the Lin family to leave. Chen Xiliang entered the house sweating, and Zhang Xiao put down her sunflower seeds, got him a towel, and handed him some water:
“This constant trouble from her family isn’t sustainable. Do they want money, or do they not want to raise the child anymore? We need to get to the bottom of this.”
Although Zhang Xiao had married Chen Xiliang, she didn’t view all his money as her own. Even though Chen Xiliang had just received over a million in dividends this year, the money was his earnings, and how to spend it was his freedom. Since Chen Xiliang’s personality wouldn’t let him neglect her as his wife, if money could buy Chen Xiliang some peace, Zhang Xiao had no objections.
But Chen Xiliang was very angry: “I already gave 100,000 during the divorce. What are the prices like out there? Without buying a house or car, how did they spend 100,000 in less than two years? I won’t give you any more money. If they don’t want to raise the child, send him back!”
While Zhang Xiao was generous, Chen Xiliang refused to be taken advantage of.
Many men think this way—even after divorce, they’re willing to help their ex-wife if she’s struggling. But if the ex-wife is too greedy and a bottomless pit, men will hold tight to their money.
When Lin Meijuan divorced, she took 100,000 and left. At that time, Luna was just starting, and it wasn’t easy for Chen Xiliang to come up with 100,000 when he was short on funds, unlike now when he could receive millions in annual dividends.
Lin Meijuan demanded 100,000 in alimony and took their son. She relied on him being the Chen family’s precious grandson. Now that her brother had swindled away the 100,000, she wanted to remarry. When Chen Xiliang got married again, the Lin family’s plans fell through, naturally making the whole family angry.
Xia Xiaolan stood up, dusting off her hands, “Old Chen, I really can’t get involved in your family matters. I’m leaving. I can’t handle the Lin family—Lin Meijuan already accused me of having an affair with you. Fortunately, you’re married to Sister Zhang Xiao now, otherwise, I couldn’t have cleared my name of that slander!”
Chen Xiliang was very embarrassed.
Zhang Xiao was incredulous, “She even spread such nonsense? I need to meet this Lin family now.”
Zhang Xiao thought Chen Xiliang’s ex-wife was truly difficult and blind to try matching Xia Xiaolan with Chen Xiliang.