Chapter 178: Chapter 178 The Cost of Romance
"What's happening?"
"Are they going to set off some special effects?"
"That's probably the case, there's always been special effects during the New Year and festivals."
Everyone had noticed the commotion at the Bright Moon Tower.
"3, 2, 1!"
After the countdown, a sentence appeared.
[Xu Yang loves Zhao Yuxin, forever!]
The few short words immediately moistened Zhao Yuxin's eyes.
She was overwhelmed by an immense sense of happiness.
"Husband!" Zhao Yuxin, with tears of joy, threw herself into Xu Yang's arms.
Not far away, Zhao Yulu's heart skipped a beat when she saw the words on the Bright Moon Tower.
Now, she was even more certain that Xu Yang did not see Zhao Yuxin as a mere substitute for herself.
If she were just a substitute, Xu Yang would not need to do all this.
This was the behavior of someone deeply in love.
The onlookers strolling by the riverbank all let out cries of amazement.
"Who is this Zhao Yuxin? She's so lucky."
"Xu Yang is so romantic, I wish I had a boyfriend like him."
"This is showing off love to the whole city, I'm so envious."
People either praised Xu Yang or envied Zhao Yuxin.
"Husband, Xu Yang is so romantic, you should be romantic like that for me one day."
Next to them, a woman said to her boyfriend.
"Wife, I do want to be romantic like that, but that kind of romance isn't for someone like me," the man said with a wry smile.
"What do you mean, 'not for someone like you'? Humph, I think you just don't love me," the woman huffed angrily.
"Wife, you don't understand the situation. Do you know how much such a romantic gesture costs?" the man still replied with a wry smile.
"How much?" The woman was aware of the man's circumstances. She knew he cared deeply for her and wasn't afraid to spend money. Saying this must mean it really did cost a lot, perhaps more than the man could afford.
Still, she couldn't imagine just how much money expressing love in this way could cost.
"It costs a million," the man said.
He was knowledgeable about the matter; one of the wealthy second-generation guys in his company did the same kind of declaration to his girlfriend last Valentine's Day.
People in the company had asked this rich second-generation how much such a gesture cost.
"What, a million!" The woman couldn't help but exclaim in shock, "Just to make such a declaration costs a million? That's too expensive."
A million is not something the average person can afford.
"That's the price on a normal day. On days like 520, Qixi, Valentine's Day, the prices at least double," said the man, shocking her again.
"Double? That's two million!" The woman was astounded.
"Exactly, do you think I can afford that kind of romance? Two million could be a down payment on a house. Would you rather have a down payment for a house, or would you want me to make such a declaration to you?" the man asked.
"Of course, it's for the down payment of an apartment," the woman said without hesitating.
What a joke, her boyfriend wasn't a second-generation rich kid; they were both working hard and saving money together. They had just barely saved up two million and were planning to use it to make a down payment on a house.
If she took that money for a confession, she would have nowhere to cry.
Women like romance, sure, but it has to be grounded in reality.
If you ignore reality and get carried away with romance, you'll just end up making life a mess.
...
Zhao Yulu returned home.
Liu Yujuan was still up, playing on her phone on the living room sofa.
She had nothing to do all day, so she usually went to bed late.
Seeing Zhao Yulu's return, and noticing something was off with her expression, she couldn't help but ask, "Yu Lu, what's wrong? Did something unhappy happen again?"
Zhao Yulu, this time, did not conceal anything and directly shared how Xu Yang had confessed his love to Zhao Yuxin, then said, "Mom, I think Xu Yang really loves Yu Xin. Everything you said before was just your conjecture, all false, so please stop telling me to get back with Xu Yang from now on."
Liu Yujuan was also astonished, never expecting Xu Yang to pull such a stunt.
But soon, she laughed and said, "Yu Lu, you're just blinded. What he is doing is actually a roundabout way of urging you, to let him know you want to get back with him sooner."
Zhao Yulu was somewhat speechless, "Mom, how can you twist everything to fit your own perspective?"
Liu Yujuan said, "I'm not twisting it; that's the reality. He put so much effort into his confession, so why hasn't he held a wedding with Yu Xin? If he truly loved Zhao Yuxin, they would have had the wedding by now for everyone to witness their union."
Zhao Yulu replied, "Actually, what he did today is pretty much the same as having a wedding."
With today's actions by Xu Yang, the whole city knew about it, and practically everyone who was a friend or relative of Xu Yang and Zhao Yuxin was aware of it.
This was indeed like holding a wedding and announcing to everyone that they were together.
Liu Yujuan argued, "How could this compare to a wedding? At most, this is a romantic confession between lovers, which is very unreliable. Only a wedding is the best proof."
No matter what Xu Yang did, she believed that his heart only had space for Zhao Yulu and that he saw Zhao Yuxin merely as a substitute for Zhao Yulu.
This blind confidence stemmed from the fact that Xu Yang and Zhao Yuxin hadn't had a wedding.
If Xu Yang and Zhao Yuxin had a wedding, she would have nothing to say.
After all, someone like Xu Yang would never have a wedding with Zhao Yuxin if he didn't truly want to be with her.
Zhao Yulu shook her head, "I still don't agree with you."
Liu Yujuan's eyes flickered, "If you want to know if I'm telling the truth, why don't you call Xu Yang and meet him? Then you'll find out. I'm sure that as soon as you see him, he will realize your feelings, take you into his arms immediately, and divorce Yu Xin as soon as possible to marry you."
Zhao Yulu still shook her head, "You haven't seen how they are together. I can tell, Xu Yang really loves Yu Xin, it's not an act, nor is it seeing Yu Xin as my replacement."
"You," Liu Yujuan tapped Zhao Yulu on the forehead, "seeing is not always believing. You're overthinking it. Just do as I say, and you won't go wrong!"
"The more you delay, the less favorable the situation becomes for you. Every day they're like a burning flame, and if Yu Xin gets pregnant, then it will be difficult for Xu Yang to leave her."
"I can see that Xu Yang is someone who values relationships deeply. He might decide against divorcing Yu Xin for the sake of the child, and then you'll truly have nowhere to cry."
Hearing Liu Yujuan say this, Zhao Yulu began to doubt her own judgement again.
Liu Yujuan added, "Yu Lu, what you need to do now is to show up in front of Xu Yang instead of thinking about all this nonsense. Trust me, mother's intuition won't be wrong; I won't deceive you, nor will I harm you."
"I'll think about it more," Zhao Yulu said, and then she went back to her room.
"Keep thinking about it, but without action, all the thinking in the world is useless," Liu Yujuan said with a touch of frustration.
She truly was at her wits' end; she had said so much, yet Zhao Yulu wouldn't take action. She obviously couldn't just tie Zhao Yulu up and bring her to Xu Yang.