Rejecting Exorbitant Bride Prices At The Start

"Yang Chen, if you want to marry my daughter, the dowry of 500,000 yuan is non-negotiable!" "Also, a three-bedroom apartment, with the name solely on my daughter's name, where we'll live when we're old!" "You must have a car, preferably a Mercedes or BMW, but an Audi A6 is fine too!" "Finally, sign this agreement, promising to do everything in your power to help your brother-in-law buy a car, a house, and start a business after the marriage!" Sitting on the sofa, Yang Chen looked at his aggressive future mother-in-law. His head was spinning! He was here to discuss marriage. He and his girlfriend had been dating since college, for five years now! Two years after graduation, Yang Chen worked like crazy, finally saving up 300,000 yuan for the dowry. With his parents promising to lend him money for a down payment on a house in Shanghai, Yang Chen finally felt confident enough to come here to discuss marriage. Unexpectedly, he encountered this legendary situation. 300,000 yuan was Yang Chen's limit; he simply couldn't scrape together any more! "Auntie, didn't we agree on a dowry of 300,000 yuan? How come it's increased so much now?" "Increased?" The prospective mother-in-law scoffed. "Don't you even know? These days, which family doesn't give such a large dowry when they marry off their daughter?" "Besides, our Yan Yan has a master's degree, and she's so beautiful and has such a great figure! Countless people are vying to give us that much!" "And Yan Yan has a younger brother, won't he need money for his wedding?" The prospective mother-in-law's face was fierce, her aura aggressive. "Auntie, I paid for Yan Yan's master's tuition!" Yang Chen glanced at his girlfriend Zhang Yan sitting on the sofa, who was engrossed in her phone, not saying a word. He felt even more disappointed. "You paid for it? How dare you say that!" "Our Yan Yan is so beautiful, and you've been her girlfriend for years for nothing!" "Go look at Yan Yan's classmates, which one is as pretty as her? They're all dressed in designer brands! Our Yan Yan has suffered so much with you, and we haven't even said anything!" The prospective mother-in-law looked disgusted. Damn it! Yang Chen almost laughed out of anger. He'd been their slave for years, and yet he was being treated badly? Yang Chen glanced around the room. Air conditioning, refrigerator, TV! Even the sofa he was sitting on was bought by him! Zhang Yan's clothes weren't designer brands, but they still cost several thousand yuan! Wasn't that enough? Looking up at Zhang Yan, Yang Chen asked in a deep voice, "What do you mean?" Zhang Yan frowned, impatiently saying, "Yang Chen, you know our family situation. My parents don't earn much, and I only have one younger brother, Xiaofeng. His girlfriend is pressuring him to get married, and the dowry is 500,000 yuan!" "My parents have no choice; they haven't asked you for a single penny more!" Zhang Yan said with an air of self-righteousness. Yang Chen was speechless. So, it seemed he, the brother-in-law, was the one who had to pay for his brother-in-law's wedding! Yang Chen, barely suppressing his anger, asked again, "What about the BMW 5 Series or Audi A6?" Zhang Yan glanced at her brother, who was engrossed in his game, and said, "Isn't Xiaofeng's girlfriend also a local from Shanghai? People here value appearances, so she insists on a car worth over 400,000 yuan!" "Yang Chen, Xiaofeng is my only brother, and he's called you brother-in-law for years. Buying him a car isn't too much!" "Besides, we can borrow it from him sometimes, it'll be more prestigious!" Yang Chen was now completely disillusioned with his girlfriend. A 400,000 yuan car? And it's for her brother! And they'll even borrow it from him sometimes! How dare she ask for that! ...