On Mid-Autumn Festival, Ethan Calloway specifically invited Vanessa Caldwell’s family to Linjiang Hotel.

Just this one meal had almost burned through two months of his salary. It hurt, honestly hurt, but this was supposed to be about marriage, about the rest of his life, so he gritted his teeth and swallowed it.

What he didn’t expect was that Vanessa’s family would push him so hard he was seconds away from coughing up blood from anger.

“Auntie, you know my family’s situation,” Ethan said, rubbing his hands together, forcing a careful smile as he looked at Pauline Caldwell’s dark, unhappy face. “My parents already scraped together three hundred thousand for the betrothal money, and we’ve also prepared the down payment for the apartment. We still have the wedding to pay for after that. If you suddenly want us to buy a car too, and pay in full… I really can’t come up with that much right now. Could we maybe… slow this down a little?”

A few months earlier, he and Vanessa had already talked everything through. His side would provide three hundred thousand in betrothal money, plus the down payment on a two-bedroom apartment in Linjiang, and they’d get married by the end of the year.

But now, the moment everyone sat down today, her family changed the terms on the spot.

Not only did they want a car added to the marriage conditions, they wanted a three-hundred-thousand one, fully paid.

For Ethan’s family, which was barely getting by, that wasn’t a request. That was a mountain.

Pauline sat across from him, face drawn long, voice full of annoyance.

“It’s just one more car. Do you really need to act like this?” she said sharply. “You keep saying you love our Vanessa so much, but when it comes down to it, you won’t even buy her a car. Are you actually sincere or not? If you don’t want to marry her, then forget it. There are plenty of rich boys lining up for our Vanessa.”

She didn’t stop there.

“And let’s be real. These days, who gets married without both a house and a car? I already let the apartment thing slide even though you’re only paying the down payment. Now you’re unwilling to buy a car too? If word gets out, where exactly is our Caldwell family supposed to put its face?”

Ethan let out a bitter laugh.

His family background was ordinary at best. Years ago, his father had been injured on the job and had stayed home ever since. His mother sold steamed buns near the university district. As for Ethan, after graduating, he got work as an intern at a traditional medicine clinic.

To marry Vanessa, his family had already emptied out everything they had.

And still, it wasn’t enough.

Three hundred thousand might be pocket change to some big boss, no more than the cost of a dinner table. But for his family, even going years without spending would not make it easy to save that amount.

He stayed silent for a moment, then turned and lightly nudged Vanessa, who had been sitting beside him scrolling on her phone the whole time. He looked at her with a trace of hope, hoping she’d at least say something for him.

Vanessa finally put away her phone and looked at him, her expression cold, her tone even colder.

“Ethan, I actually think my mom makes sense,” she said. “I’m going to be part of your family in the future anyway. So why is it that when my mom asks you to buy a car, you suddenly won’t do it? Do you even really love me?”

The moment those words landed, Ethan felt like a bucket of ice water had been poured straight into his chest.

He had never imagined she would say something like that.

It would’ve been one thing if she refused to smooth things over for him. But instead of helping, she was questioning his feelings too.

At that moment, Howard Caldwell, who had been smoking beside them, flicked his cigarette butt onto the floor and spoke with obvious impatience.

“Ethan, I’m not going to waste words with you,” he said. “If you want to marry Vanessa, then this car is non-negotiable. Derek is getting married, and the girl’s family insists he must have a car.”

He paused, then added as if it were the most natural thing in the world,

“And one more thing. My thought is, your wedding with Vanessa can wait. Let Derek get married first. His marital home and the renovation costs still need to be handled, and you and Vanessa should help sort that out.”

“What?” Ethan froze.

For a second, he genuinely thought he had heard him wrong.

Derek Caldwell was Vanessa Caldwell’s younger brother. Since he was little, he’d been spoiled rotten. He hadn’t even finished middle school before drifting out into society, doing nothing serious. Lazy, picky, allergic to hard work—already well into his twenties, and still living off his parents like it was the most normal thing in the world.

Ethan Calloway had heard before that Derek was getting married. Back then, he’d even thought, if there’s anything I can do, I’ll help where I can. But he never imagined this family had already been eyeing him as the one to foot the bill.

And now he finally got it.

The sudden talk from Vanessa’s parents about buying a car? That clearly wasn’t for him and Vanessa at all. It was for Derek’s wedding.

“He’s the one getting married, so why should I be the one paying for it?” Ethan’s face darkened, anger surging straight up. “And how exactly am I supposed to solve his housing problem too?”

Howard Caldwell let out a cold snort and raised his voice on the spot. “Why? You’re asking why? Once our Vanessa marries you, Derek is your brother too. We’re all family then. Family helps family. What’s wrong with you doing a little for him?”

That one sentence was so shameless Ethan almost couldn’t process it.

Under the combined pressure of the whole Caldwell family, he was so furious he couldn’t even speak for a second. His head buzzed, like someone had stuffed a swarm of bees into his skull.

Just then, Vanessa, who had been looking down at her phone the whole time like this had nothing to do with her, suddenly spoke.

“Ethan, I remember your parents have an apartment in Jiangyuan Community, right?” She finally lifted her head. “The mortgage should already be paid off by now...”

Ethan’s brows snapped together. “What do you mean?”

Vanessa hesitated briefly, then said it like she was being perfectly reasonable, “That place is a bit old, sure, but the location’s not bad. It’s close to where I work too. After we get married, we can just make do there for a few years. As for the wedding apartment, let Derek use it first for his marriage. Later, when we have money, we can buy another one.”

Ethan gave a short laugh, but there was no amusement in it at all.

“Great. Really great,” he said.

His chest felt so tight he could barely breathe.

Changing terms before the wedding was one thing. But now they were even setting their sights on his parents’ apartment. And the worst part? Vanessa was in on it too. Not even pretending otherwise.

He clenched his jaw and forced himself to stay calm. “About the wedding apartment, I can still think of something. But paying in full for a car? My family cannot come up with that kind of money. If that works for you, fine. If not, then let’s break up.”

Vanessa’s face instantly turned sour. “It’s just three hundred thousand. Do you really have to break up with me over that? Your parents can borrow from relatives. They’ll definitely be able to scrape it together. And if that still doesn’t work, they can just take out a loan.”

The moment Ethan heard that, his blood pressure shot up so hard his vision blurred. For a second, everything in front of him went dark, and he nearly passed out.

He stared at Vanessa in disbelief, like he was looking at someone he had never truly known.

“Vanessa, you’ve really got some nerve,” he said in a low voice, each word pressed out with effort. “My parents are already old. You want them to take out a loan? How are they supposed to pay it back later? How can you even say something like that?”

Vanessa immediately put on a wronged expression, as if he were the unreasonable one.

“What did I even say?” she shot back. “Derek is my real brother. What’s so wrong with you helping him? Are you even a man?”

“Not a man?” Ethan almost laughed from pure rage.

For this marriage, he had practically drained the little retirement money his parents had. He had been working overtime day and night, running himself into the ground. And now, after all that, she had the nerve to say he wasn’t a man.

At that moment, he finally saw Vanessa clearly.

What soulmate? What five-year relationship?

This wasn’t a loving girlfriend. She was a full-on brother-first fanatic, the kind who’d drag everyone around her into a pit just to prop up her precious little brother.

Then, right at that tense moment, Vanessa muttered under her breath, “If you won’t do it, then fine, let’s break up. Young Master Liu was never as stingy as you anyway.”

Ethan Calloway froze for a second, then quickly looked up, confusion written all over his face. “Young Master Liu? Which Young Master Liu? What are you even talking about?”

“Who else would it be? In Linjiang, besides me, who’s got the nerve to be called Young Master Liu?” A smug, dismissive voice suddenly came from outside the private room.

Right after that, a young man in a sharp suit stepped inside. He was good-looking, polished from head to toe, the kind of guy who walked in like the whole place belonged to him.

“Brandon Mercer? Why is it you?” The moment Ethan recognized him, blood rushed straight to his head. He shot to his feet so fast his chair nearly scraped over.

This was Brandon Mercer, his college classmate.

A straight-up notorious playboy.

His father was a senior executive at Linjiang Pharmaceuticals, and his family was loaded, worth tens of millions. Back in college, Brandon had been the kind of guy who treated relationships like a game. The girls he had gotten involved with? If it wasn’t in the triple digits, it was at least dozens. Just among the classmates Ethan knew, more than ten had been with Brandon. A few had even gotten pregnant.

Seeing this scumbag show up here out of nowhere, Ethan’s heart instantly sank.

A really bad feeling flashed through his mind.