Chapter 5 I'll Be Relying on You

Jiang Liu leaned his head sideways against the round pillar and replied lazily, "It's very simple. I don't wish to be kissed for nothing... I need you to take responsibility for that kiss." Hua Sheng blushed a little. "That kiss was also my first, all right?" What else could she do under such circumstances? The pastor had instructed them to kiss, and thousands of guests were watching. She hadn't expected that this man would be so petty. What kind of man would ask a woman to take responsibility for kissing him? "I didn't have a choice, Young Master Jiang. If you think I took advantage of you, please feel free to return the favor," Hua Sheng explained, forcibly controlling her anger. "Return the favor? Are you asking me to kiss you? Dream on." Hua Sheng was speechless. The only thing on her mind right now was "How on earth could there be a man this shameless?" He was trying to hide the fact that he was enjoying himself. Even so, there was nothing wrong with what he just said. There was nothing Hua Sheng could do but keep her anger in check... Jiang Liu continued speaking after noticing that the wildcat was getting angry again. "I know that your family is currently facing a financial crisis and needs a huge sum of money to ease their cash flow problems. Otherwise, they wouldn't have been so eager to marry you off to the Xies. My family will be able to match their offer; you wouldn't be worse off marrying me, Hua Sheng. I'm not one to brag, but I dare say that I'm more powerful than the Second Young Master of the Xie family." "You're willing to help solve our problem?" Hua Sheng was a little taken aback. She had been living away from the Hua family residence since young and was estranged from her parents and sisters. However, she was extremely close to her grandmother, and the family's crisis had caused her to look very worried. Grandma Hua's health was already deteriorating with age, and she had even been admitted to the hospital recently after getting ill. Otherwise, Hua Sheng would not have sacrificed her freedom and acceded to her family's wishes to be married into the Xie clan. She was not so noble. Jiang Liu nodded. "What demands do you have then?" Hua Sheng asked him. "Finish off what we started today. Become my wife," Jiang Liu said bluntly. "For how long?" Hua Sheng shot back, her question catching Jiang Liu momentarily off guard. To be honest, the question had never come across his mind. To put Hua Sheng at ease, however, he gave her a time frame. "Three years at most. After that, I'm willing to sign the divorce papers and let you go free if you're unwilling to remain with us." "We haven't put anything in writing so far," Hua Sheng replied, unrelenting. "We can create an agreement in writing. However, you need to keep it a secret from everyone else," Jiang Liu replied, laying down his terms. Hua Sheng thought about it for five seconds before eventually agreeing. "Deal." Jiang Liu had a unique feeling upon finally getting Hua Sheng to agree. He sensed that this young woman was a very interesting character and that their lives would be even more closely entwined in three years' time. "In that case... I'll be relying on you for the rest of my life," Jiang Liu said, somewhat jokingly. Hua Sheng got up and turned her face toward him slowly. She looked at him and corrected him sternly, "It's three years, mind you." She was clearly reminding him that they were only going to be married for three years and not for the "rest of their lives". It did not matter to Jiang Liu. More importantly, this was the first time that he had seen Hua Sheng's real looks. She had only exposed her face for a brief instant when they kissed earlier on; she pulled the veil back down before he could take a good look at her. Since he entered the room, he had only been able to see her side profile. Now, however, he was gazing right at her, and what he saw caught him by surprise. Those features, those looks... They were simply captivating. Rumor had it that the Fifth Young Mistress had a stuttering problem, but she turned out to be rather eloquent. Rumor had it that she was ugly, but she turned out to be a stunning beauty. Jiang Liu understood now that rumors could not be believed... He wasn't a pervert, but he was stunned by Hua Sheng's beauty and completely unable to take his eyes off her.