It made sense to return money which was owed and people had the right to accept or refuse a gift too. If one looked at this situation from this perspective, Jiang Ruyi had enough reasons to return the money and items Xia Lei had given her. Once he took them, however, it meant that their relationship of over 20 years was completely over and they would just be debtor and debtee.

Would Xia Lei be able to do something like this with his personality? Let Jiang Ruyi and her parents lead frugal lives? He didn’t even want to think about it. He was a person who returned the kindness he was shown, and Jiang Ruyi’s father had lent him a lot of help when he had been forced to become breadwinner of the family after his father’s disappearance. Jiang Ruyi’s mother had helped him too. He had received all this help in his time of need, so could he do something like this?

“Ruyi, I think… you should stop making a fuss. Take the money back, and the necklace too.” Xia Lei’s voice was soft, beseeching.

“Choose. Don’t change the topic.” Jiang Ruyi got close to Xia Lei. She was crying but she still put quite a bit of pressure on Xia Lei.

Xia Lei laughed dryly. “Ruyi, this is… How can I choose?”

Jiang Ruyi took another step forward and her bountiful bosom nearly hit Xia Lei. Xia Lei panicked a little and backed away, then fell on the sofa. He sat with a ‘fwump’.

This was an awkward position and also quite weird but Jiang Ruyi’s tears kept falling in two streams to pitter-patter on Xia Lei’s face.

A woman who had grown up with him and been together with him for over twenty years - she had been waiting for him to confess since her girlhood. However, she had waited and waited and he had married another woman. How could she not be hurt by this result?

Perhaps she would not have done this today if she had not gone to the jewellery store to have the necklace valued. Come to think of it, what did it mean when a man gave a woman a necklace worth millions?

Whether this was the reason or not, Jiang Ruyi had already gone to the limits of all she could have done as a woman.

Xia Lei had to choose now - A or B.

A man should have be responsible but he had just signed the marriage certificate with Shentu Tianyin and become lawfully wedded. How could he cheat on Shentu Tianyin with Jiang Ruyi?

“You’re not going to choose? Then I’ll choose for you!” Jiang Ruyi was insistent.

Xia Lei braced himself. “Ruyi, calm down. I really don’t have any deeper meaning to my actions. I just want you and Uncle Jiang and Auntie Yang to have better lives. You…”

“Bwaaah!” Jiang Ruyi wailed. “It looks like you’ve already made your choice. Fine, I’ll leave. I’m leaving the money and the necklace too. I’ll pay you back 20,000 more when I get my annual bonus.”

Jiang Ruyi got up from the sofa and actually did turn to leave.

Xia Lei panicked and grabbed her hand.

“Let me go!” Jiang Ruyi struggled.

Xia Lei did not dare to let her go because he was sure that Jiang Ruyi would really leave if he did, and he and her would just be debtor and debtee. He pulled hard and Jiang Ruyi stopped struggling immediately. She slammed into his embrace and fell onto the sofa with him.

“You already taken advantage of me. I’ll take it as you’d taken the second choice,” said Jiang Ruyi.

Xia Lei hurriedly said, “What choice? Listen to my explanation, Ruyi.”

Jiang Ruyi’s tears pitter-pattered down again. “You gave me so much money and such a valuable necklace. Isn’t that because you want me as your mistress?”

“Huh?” Xia Lei was stunned. When did he have this sort of motive?

Jiang Ruyi went on stubbornly, “Don’t deny it. There are so many bastards like you in this world. They’re married at home and unmarried outside. They keep the marriage intact while having affairs outside the marriage. Isn’t this something you men say?”

Xia Lei bit the bullet and said, “Ruyi, I’m not like those men. I’m not that sort of man.”

“I know you aren’t - but you can learn to be like them!” Jiang Ruyi was anxious.

Xia Lei was speechless.

“Those men with net worths of only a few million have mistresses. You have billions! You even gave me almost 10,000,000. What will it matter if you have just me on the side? Are you worse than those men?”

Xia Lei was at a complete loss for words. He suddenly found that the thought process of the Ruyi tonight had surpassed the regular range of a woman’s - she was god tier.

“I don’t care. You either take the money back or take me as your mistress.” Jiang Ruyi cried as she spoke.

Xia Lei had never been a stone-hearted man and his heart had actually softened from the first tear which had fallen from Jiang Ruyi’s eyes. His heart and long gone soft since he had been with Jiang Ruyi for so long. He sighed. “Ruyi, don’t cry. Let me think about it again. I… You know me. I just signed the marriage certificate with Shentu Tianyin, right? Who goes and gets a m, mistress as soon as he’s married? Besides, how can I take you as a mistress?”

“Shentu Tianyin is Shentu Tianyin. I am me,” said Jiang Ruyi. “How about you divorce her and marry me?”

“How can I do that?”

“Then what do you want me to do? I’m willing to be your mistress. What else do you want? Do you want to drive me into a corner? Want me to die? I’ll jump right now, just you watch.” JIang Ruyi climbed off Xia Lei and strode towards the balcony.

Xia Lei grabbed her by the waist and pulled her back onto the sofa. He spoke pleadingly, “Ruyi, you… How about this: you give me some time for me to think, okay?”

“Ten minutes. I’ll give you ten minutes to consider it.” Jiang Ruyi was determined.

Xia Lei shut his eyes painfully.

“I know you’ve got money now and that I’m not good enough for you. Shentu Tianyin is great. She’s the richest woman in China and has a net worth of billions. She’s a perfect match for you. Stop thinking about it. Let me go. I won’t jump anymore - I’ll go home and inhale some gas,” said Jiang Ruyi tearfully as she bit her lip.

“You sure know how to cause trouble for me. All you know is to bully me since we were kids.” Tears appeared in Xia Lei’s eyes too.

Jiang Ruyi sobbed loudly at those words and her tears fell faster.

Xia Lei looked quietly at Jiang Ruyi. “Ruyi, didn’t you say that you would wait five years for me? Today, why…”

Jiang Ruyi’s face turned red and she heaved as her voice grew shaky. “You cruel bastard. I waited for you for more than twenty years. I’m at this age now but I’ve never seen a man’s body. Five years? I’ll be old in five years. Are you going to make me wait till I’m old and grey to touch me?”

Xia Lei was a puddle of melted butter by now.

“I’m at my most beautiful age now. What are you still waiting for?” Jiang Ruyi bit her lip. She was so embarrassed and nervous she could die but she still mustered her courage to say those words.

Ring ring ring, ring ring ring. The phone suddenly rang at this key moment.