The CEO's Substitute Ex-Wife-Chapter 190: The Marriage Settled

"Despicable!" she hissed through clenched teeth.

Tang Shuwen remained expressionless. His usual good temper had no effect on Chen Xueru; he simply needed to achieve his goal.

He didn’t care about the means or the process.

He knew exactly where Chen Xueru’s weakness lay. freёnovelkiss.com

It was the child.

Even if it meant her death, she wouldn’t leave her child.

Chen Xueru pulled away from him. It was then she realized that the cruel Tang Shuwen she knew wasn’t the true devil; the one forcing her to separate from her child was. How could she ever be separated from her child?

Absolutely not.

"I’m giving you this opportunity now. You make your demands, and as long as they’re reasonable, I’ll agree. We’ll get married, and there will be peace. After all, if you and I go to court, my parents will surely be unhappy, and I don’t want them to be. Do you understand?" Tang Shuwen said calmly, certain that Chen Xueru would compromise.

She had already agreed to marry him, so what was there to compromise on?

Chen Xueru gave a mocking laugh. "Warmth says a filial man won’t be bad." Tang Shuwen certainly seemed like a filial son, yet he was so cruel to her and her child.

Who said a filial man was necessarily good?

"Alright, that’s what you said." Chen Xueru suddenly smiled, and Tang Shuwen breathed a sigh of relief. He truly feared Chen Xueru would be stubborn and refuse to compromise, leading to an unsightly public spectacle.

That wasn’t what he wanted either.

For some reason, the thought of her leaving with the child filled him with resistance.

Perhaps he was just starting to feel a bit of affection for the child and couldn’t bear for him to leave. After all, blood was thicker than water.

"Since this marriage is for our son, I naturally hope to give him a home. As for your previous suggestion that I shouldn’t interfere with you, and that you could be with whoever you wanted—that’s no longer valid. Once we’re married, Xiao Nian and I will be your family. I demand the reasonable treatment of a wife, and I also demand a husband’s loyalty. You must completely cut ties with all previous women, including Zhao Yuning," Chen Xueru said calmly. "If you can’t be loyal to the family, then court it is. If you want a lawsuit, I’ll see it through to the end!"

"You..." Tang Shuwen gritted his teeth, looking at her. Chen Xueru was clearly doing this on purpose; she was intentionally making things difficult for him. She was sure he wouldn’t agree, so she deliberately proposed such an impossible demand.

He had misjudged her. He thought this woman had no cunning.

But how could he forget that Chen Xueru had been navigating the entertainment industry for six or seven years? How could she not have some tricks up her sleeve?

She actually wanted to be the true Mrs. Tang.

Chen Xueru gave a mocking smile. "It seems Young Master Tang needs time to consider. I won’t disturb you then."

With that, she opened the door and left, a relaxed smile on her face.

Tang Shuwen couldn’t possibly agree to her terms. If he did, he and Zhao Yuning would be completely separated. He loved Zhao Yuning so much that he surely wouldn’t agree. If he didn’t agree, she would be relieved and could take Xiao Nian away.

If they wanted to see Xiao Nian in the future, she would bring him back.

She was confident that she could raise Xiao Nian very well on her own.

Xiao Nian saw Chen Xueru come downstairs and joyfully rushed to hug his mother. Chen Xueru embraced him and sat down. Tang Si and Wen Lan exchanged glances; they could clearly see that Chen Xueru was in a much better mood, no longer as gloomy as before.

Wen Lan asked, "Xueru, how did your talk with Shuwen go?"

"It’s fine, just a small disagreement. It’s resolved now. I’ll take Xiao Nian away in a bit. Come, Xiao Nian, say goodbye to Grandpa and Grandma," Chen Xueru said with a smile.

Wen Lan’s gaze dimmed; she was still leaving.

"Can’t you really stay?"

Chen Xueru didn’t speak. Tang Mandong sat glumly on the side, waving Xiao Nian over. She hugged him and showered him with kisses. "My sweet Xiao Nian, Auntie will miss you terribly."

"Xiao Nian will miss Auntie too."

"Pinky promise!"

The child extended his short, chubby hand and made a pinky promise with Tang Mandong. Tang Si asked, "Are you settling in A City?"

"No, I’m taking Xiao Nian to live in America."

Everyone was stunned. Wen Lan was already feeling reluctant. "You’re going that far away?"

Chen Xueru nodded. Tang Shuwen came downstairs and sat next to Tang Mandong, then actively reached out and pulled Xiao Nian onto his lap. It was his first time holding Xiao Nian, and the child looked at Tang Shuwen with a slightly surprised expression, as if pleasantly overwhelmed.

"Daddy..."

Tang Shuwen smiled and playfully pinched his little nose. Wen Lan and Tang Si frowned, wondering what he was up to, as Tang Shuwen had never shown Xiao Nian a good face before. "Xiao Nian, do you want to stay?"

Xiao Nian looked at him timidly, as if afraid he would get angry. Tang Shuwen’s heart tightened. A child’s expression was the least able to hide anything; it seemed he had treated the child very badly, which was why Xiao Nian was so afraid of him.

"Yes, but... Xiao Nian wants to be with Mama," Xiao Nian whispered.

Tang Shuwen hummed. "Mama won’t leave either."

He looked up at Wen Lan and Tang Si. "Mom and Dad, you can start preparing for my wedding with Xueru now. Whatever you want to do is fine."

Chen Xueru was startled, staring blankly at Tang Shuwen. He didn’t look at her, instead focusing on playing with Xiao Nian.

"What are you two doing? One says they’re leaving, the other says they’re getting married. Who’s going to give a clear answer?" Wen Lan said with slight anger. "Shuwen, did you threaten Xueru?"

"Of course not. She said it herself: if I’m loyal to the family after marriage and don’t mess around with other women, she’ll marry me. I agreed to her terms. Chen Xueru, isn’t that what you said?" Tang Shuwen looked at Chen Xueru.

She was stunned, unsure how to react. Tang Shuwen agreed?

How was that possible?

She had only wanted him to back down, not genuinely break up his relationship with Zhao Yuning.

Xiao Nian clapped his hands happily. "Is Daddy really going to marry Mama? Can Xiao Nian be the ring bearer?"

"Of course you can."

"Wow, good, good! Marriage, marriage..." Xiao Nian clapped happily. The whole family looked at Chen Xueru. Wen Lan asked for her consent. Chen Xueru was speechless for a long time, not knowing what to say. Those words were indeed hers.

Tang Shuwen was truly cunning; why didn’t he mention threatening her?

Tang Si clapped his hands. "Since neither of you has any objections, then let’s get married. Shuwen, you’ve said it in front of us: you’ll be loyal to them, mother and son, from now on. A Tang family man keeps his word, especially when he’s promised it in front of his parents. If you do anything to humiliate Xueru, don’t blame me for being unmerciful."

"Yes!" Tang Shuwen nodded, his gaze turning to Chen Xueru.

She frowned, turning her face away.

The marriage was thus settled.

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