Marriage of convenience blossoms into love; the husband turns out to be a billionaire CEO.

"All you do is eat! Look at you, you're already 29, and you've turned into an old maid who can't get married. You've completely disgraced the Ye family!"

"Listen carefully, Ruoqing has made herself very clear: if you don't move out, she won't marry Ye Sheng. Don't hold your brother back by clinging on like this!"

"Women become less valuable as they get older. It's rare to find a man willing to want you these days. It must be a stroke of good luck for the Ye family's ancestors!"

"You brat, all you care about is eating! Are you even listening to me? These days, which girl doesn't diet? Look at all this fat on you, if you keep eating like this you'll never get married!"

Ye Cheng had just sat down to eat breakfast when her mother, Lai Yulan, started nagging in a high-pitched voice.

"Even if I can't get married, I don't need you to support me!" she muttered, swallowing an egg.

Ye Cheng was definitely not the kind of slender, graceful lady with a willow-like waist. She was 1.7 meters tall and weighed 130 pounds. Although she wasn't considered fat, she looked like a strong, burly, and imposing woman.

Her path to marriage was extremely bumpy, full of ups and downs, which eventually turned her into an older single woman.

"Oh my god, how can your meager allowance possibly cover anything? You eat more than anyone else at every meal, you're like two people in one stomach, I have to pay out of pocket every month!"

"Whose daughter is almost thirty and still shamelessly eating at her parents' house?!"

Lai Yulan's loud voice made the glass windows vibrate.

"I pay 5,000 yuan for living expenses every month. I also work part-time and eat out for two meals a day."

"I only eat breakfast at home on my days off, how is that you paying out of pocket!"

Ye Cheng retorted without any hesitation.

She always picked up leftovers from her younger brother's mouth since she was little. If she hadn't had a good appetite and wasn't picky about food, she wouldn't have grown so tall!

This biological mother is like a stepmother. When she was a child, she complained that she hadn't grown up to have a son, and when she grew up, she complained that she was a money-loser.

Every day, he either pressures her to get married, complains that she's in his way, or he calculates the living expenses, complaining that she eats too much!

"Ye Cheng, do you know how high prices are these days?!"

Lai Yulan glared and her nostrils flared wide:

"You don't know the cost of living until you're in charge of the household. You should do the math yourself to see how much it's cost to raise you!"

"Alright, alright! You've been arguing non-stop from morning till night, aren't you afraid of biting your tongue?"

Ye Cheng tossed out a sentence and then shoveled down mouthfuls of the white porridge in her bowl.

Today is the day she and her fiancé Cheng Yuan go to the Civil Affairs Bureau to register their marriage.

A daughter is like a tree that grows up and cannot be kept at home; she should hurry up and get married before she turns twenty.

Seeing her daughter's eating habits, Lai Yulan was immediately furious and slapped her hard across the back.

"Look at yourself, you're so worthless! Get dressed and get out of here!"

Ye Cheng cried out in pain and glared at Lai Yulan with disgust.

She hastily ate her breakfast, quickly went inside to change her clothes, and then slipped away as fast as she could.

Lai Yulan chased after her, shouting:

"Hurry up and reincarnate! Remember to make things clear with Cheng Yuan about the bride price today. Fifty thousand is the minimum, not a penny less!"

Ye Cheng had long since disappeared from the outside.

"This girl is useless at everything except cooking!"

"Finding a husband from a family that's as shrewd as a devil, negotiating the bride price is like haggling over vegetables at the market."

"From 200,000 to 100,000, then from 100,000 to 50,000, I'm marrying off my daughter! Are you expecting me to raise this whole thing and just give it away to the Cheng family? No way!"

Lai Yulan grew angrier the more she thought about it, and spat at the door again with her hands on her hips:

"Other people's daughters are money trees, but this brat is just a money-loser!"

……

Ye Cheng took out her phone, scanned a QR code on a shared bicycle, and hurriedly set off.

When they arrived at the Civil Affairs Bureau, Cheng Yuan was already waiting nearby.

Cheng Yuan is three years older than Ye Cheng and works for a small local company.

Both of them were older singles, and their families were urging them to get married. After dating for two months, they hurriedly decided to get married.

These days, most older single men and women just make do and get by, as if they're just fulfilling a task.

The wedding house was bought by the Cheng family; it was a small three-bedroom apartment of 80 square meters. The Cheng family said that since the bride's family did not contribute any money, her name could not be added to the deed.

The house cost 300,000 yuan to renovate, and the Cheng family also said that since the woman would be living there in the future, they must provide a symbolic subsidy of 100,000 yuan.

Ye Cheng didn't care that her name wasn't added to the house, but the 100,000 yuan renovation fee was not just a symbolic amount for her; it was her savings that she had secretly accumulated over many years of working and saving!

He still secretly paid the money to the Cheng family without telling his mother and younger brother.

But then again, what can you do when she's an older single woman?

The pressure from my family to get married is like a death knell.

The old, dilapidated house she lives in now was bought with the compensation money from her father's accidental death. It's registered in her younger brother's name and is now intended to be his wedding home. As long as she doesn't get married and move out, her brother won't be able to find a wife.

Fine, I'll settle my personal life before I turn thirty. At least after I move out, I won't have to put up with other people's attitudes every day.

After exchanging greetings, Cheng Yuan suggested that they sit in a nearby coffee shop for a while.

The two didn't act like a couple deeply in love when they met; they neither held hands nor linked arms, but sat down one after the other in a coffee shop by the window.

The coffee shop wasn't crowded. Cheng Yuan silently stirred his coffee, looking preoccupied.

He is taciturn and doesn't talk much; he usually answers only one question at a time.

Ye Cheng had long been used to it; she really couldn't appreciate this kind of personality.

Anyway, we're just living together, so it doesn't matter. It's better than staying home and listening to Lai Yulan chanting mantras. It's nice to have some peace and quiet.

"Cheng Yuan, my mom brought up the bride price issue again today."

Ye Cheng sipped her milk tea through the straw while observing the expression on the face of the person opposite her.

She ordered herself a milk tea and a chocolate mousse cake.

The other side remained silent.

“I think 50,000 yuan is fine. I’m really afraid she’ll insist on 100,000 or 200,000 yuan.”

Ye Cheng scooped a big bite of mousse cake and put it in her mouth.

Lai Yulan once demanded a dowry of 200,000 to 300,000 yuan and also asked the man to buy a car for his younger brother, Ye Sheng, which scared away many matchmakers.

Seeing that his daughter was getting older and still couldn't get married, he finally relented.

"Oh……"

After a long while, Cheng Yuan finally stammered out:

"Ye Cheng, well... buying the house and decorating it, I actually spent most of it myself, and my parents' monthly living expenses are also considerable..."

That's enough, the point has been made.

“Cheng Yuan, I understand, but without a dowry of 50,000 yuan, even if we get our marriage certificate today, we won’t be able to live a peaceful life in the future. You’ve seen my mother’s mouth before.”

"Uh..." Cheng Yuan adjusted his glasses, looking slightly embarrassed.

"She cares most about the bride price, after all, she raised me all these years."

Cheng Yuan: "..."

Seeing that Cheng Yuan still hadn't made a statement, Ye Cheng had no choice but to lower her price:

“If you’re short on cash, I can pay half. I was originally planning to move into the wedding house and buy some things, but we can buy them later.”

In fact, she had already planned it out. If the Cheng family changed their minds and refused to pay even 50,000, she would pay half of it for herself.

Cheng Yuan stammered as he spoke:

"Hmm... I've actually heard that many places no longer practice bride price."

Ye Cheng paused for a moment: "So your family isn't planning to contribute even half?"

A flame ignited in her heart, but she forcefully suppressed it.

The bride price has been lowered again and again, and when it came to the day of getting the marriage certificate, he was even willing to pay half of it himself. What does he mean by this?

Cheng Yuan's face looked very grim.

"Why don't you answer me?"

The response was silence.

Ye Cheng rolled her eyes and took a deep breath.

Endure! Endure!

"Alright! We're getting our marriage certificate today anyway, so I'll pay the 50,000 yuan dowry myself!"

As soon as she said it, she wanted to slap herself twice.

The fact that the woman paid for the man's betrothal gifts proves that Ye Cheng is a worthless, older single woman!

[Author's Note: This is a story of arranged marriage followed by love, a classic case of the seemingly weak but actually cunning male lead. He appears aloof and aloof, but is actually quite naive and endearing. After falling for the female lead, he transforms into a jealous and clingy lover, showering her with affection. It's so sweet it'll give you cavities! It's cheesy, sweet, and addictive. Please read on, add it to your bookshelf, and binge-read to the very end!]

[Warning: The romance between the male and female leads develops slowly, suitable for those who enjoy ambiguous and drawn-out relationships. However, it gets incredibly sweet later on. Add it to your bookshelf so you don't get lost.]