{"id":18860,"date":"2026-01-23T12:10:42","date_gmt":"2026-01-23T12:10:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/?p=18860"},"modified":"2026-01-23T12:10:42","modified_gmt":"2026-01-23T12:10:42","slug":"married-at-first-sight-chapter-5157","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/married-at-first-sight-chapter-5157\/","title":{"rendered":"Married at First Sight Chapter 5157"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>\n

A little while later, Zhan Yan made coffee for his third brother.<\/p>\n

He poured two cups, one for himself.<\/p>\n

\u201cThird brother, the coffee\u2019s here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Zhan Yue hummed in response, gesturing for him to place it on the coffee table, and said to him, \u201cI have to get to work. I need to pick up your eighth sister-in-law from work at noon. Go back and manage your company well. If you don\u2019t understand something, just ask.\u201d \u201d<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t dive headfirst into it; the business world can drown you at any time.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThird brother, I understand. After this experience, I won\u2019t dare to be careless again.\u201d<\/p>\n

Zhan Yan\u2019s downfall this time was also related to his somewhat arrogant attitude. He always thought he was very capable and that he was no less than his brothers.<\/p>\n

Reality taught him a lesson; he was indeed too lazy.<\/p>\n

\u201cNinth Brother, do you have someone you like?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, I\u2019m still young, not thinking about it. You all get married after thirty, and I\u2019ll consider marriage after thirty too. Right now, I\u2019ll focus on my career and making money.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t want to always be seen as the Ninth Young Master of the Zhan family. I want to be Zhan Yan, someone who climbs up on his own merits, not someone who relies on family protection.\u201d<\/p>\n

Zhan Yue smiled. \u201cIt\u2019s good to be young. You can still have a few more years to enjoy yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe I\u2019ll meet someone I like in a couple of years. If I do, I can get married early like Sixth Brother.\u201d<\/p>\n

Zhan Yan wasn\u2019t against marriage.<\/p>\n

He was just young, not in a hurry, letting things take their course.<\/p>\n

If fate came to him, he would open the door; if not, he wouldn\u2019t move.<\/p>\n

\u201cThird Brother, you go ahead and get busy. I\u2019ll go back to work after I finish my coffee. Remember about the money, Third Brother? Payday is in a couple of days.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t worry, the money Third Brother promised to lend you will definitely arrive.\u201d<\/p>\n

Zhan Yue picked up his coffee, got up, and went back to his desk to start his workday.<\/p>\n

After drinking his coffee, Lao Jiu quietly left.
\nThe next day, he received the money his third brother had lent him, finally relieving him of worries about being owed wages.<\/p>\n

Time flew by, and the students began their winter break, the year drawing to a close.<\/p>\n

Before the New Year, Zeng Xiaoya\u2019s grandparents, parents, and brothers all returned<\/p>\n

home. However, they could only stay for three or four days before returning to work, intending to use the holiday to arrange Zeng Xiaoya\u2019s marriage.<\/p>\n

Upon learning of their prospective in-laws\u2019 return, the Zhan family, along with Zhan Yue and the prepared betrothal gifts, arrived at the Zeng family\u2019s residence in a grand procession.<\/p>\n

The hall on the second floor of the Zeng family\u2019s house was packed with people and piled high with the betrothal gifts from the Zhan family.<\/p>\n

The gold and silver jewelry were so abundant that even the worldly-wise Zeng family members were dazzled, along with numerous property deeds and car keys.<\/p>\n

There was also a great deal of cash.<\/p>\n

The Zeng family members stared at the pile of betrothal gifts, none of them uttering a word.<\/p>\n

They remained silent, and the Third Madam grew anxious, hurriedly asking Mrs. Zeng, \u201cIn-laws, is our dowry insufficient? Is there anything we\u2019re missing? We\u2019ll go back and prepare immediately; we certainly won\u2019t let Xiaoya suffer.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat others have, Xiaoya should have too; what others don\u2019t have, Xiaoya should have as well,\u201d<\/p>\n

the old lady said to Mrs. Zeng. \u201cYes, what\u2019s missing? Just ask, and we\u2019ll find a way to raise the funds.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, no, that\u2019s not it,\u201d<\/p>\n

Mrs. Zeng quickly replied. \u201cWe just felt the dowry was a bit too much.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Third Madam breathed a sigh of relief.<\/p>\n

So, the dowry was too generous! She was terrified, thinking something was missing.<\/p>\n

She smiled and said, \u201cIt\u2019s not much. I prepared the same value for all my daughters-in-law when they married; I didn\u2019t favor anyone. It was all the same.\u201d \u201d<\/p>\n

What the Eighth Prince paid for himself, that\u2019s his. I don\u2019t know how much he has.\u201d<\/p>\n

Anyway, as the mother-in-law, she treated everyone equally; no matter which daughter-in-law married, she prepared the same dowry.
\nMrs. Zeng and her mother-in-law exchanged a glance.<\/p>\n

They had expected the bride price from the Zhan family to be substantial, but they hadn\u2019t anticipated such a large sum.<\/p>\n

The value of this bride price was equivalent to the entire Zeng family\u2019s fortune.<\/p>\n

No wonder they were the richest family; they were incredibly generous.<\/p>\n

However, the Zhan family\u2019s generosity also stemmed from their appreciation of Xiaoya\u2019s performance.<\/p>\n

The Zeng family was already quite satisfied with Zhan Yue, and now they were even more reassured, believing that Xiaoya would be happy marrying into the Zhan family.<\/p>\n

Zeng Xiaoya quietly nudged the man beside her and whispered, \u201cHow much dowry have you prepared for me? It\u2019s too much.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot much, you deserve it. I contributed 100 million myself, and my mother, grandmother, and aunt added some. I think the total dowry should be several hundred million.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOur wedding home will still be the same big villa I live in. I also bought you two villas with front and back yards; those two villas together are worth 100 million, plus two new cars.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s more than 100 million,\u201d<\/p>\n

Zeng Xiaoya said softly. \u201cDon\u2019t empty your family fortune.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have a younger brother.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m using my own money, not the family\u2019s. My brother has his own career and can earn enough to support himself. My family will also prepare enough for his wife. Don\u2019t worry.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe family won\u2019t empty their coffers for me,\u201d<\/p>\n

Zhan Yue reassured Zeng Xiaoya, not wanting her to feel pressured.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen my mom was helping us prepare, I gave her 100 million yuan to help her buy jewelry. Those villas and cars weren\u2019t included in that 100 million.\u201d<\/p>\n

Zeng Xiaoya: \u201c\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

She felt that the 100 million yuan he mentioned was about the same as her 10,000.<\/p>\n

\u201cXiaoya, you don\u2019t need to feel guilty. When my brothers got married, the dowries they gave my wives were about the same as ours. The elders in the family treat everyone equally; the only difference is the amount of money we personally contributed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t have as much wealth as my brothers, I\u2019m sorry to have troubled you.\u201dZhan Yue felt his personal wealth was less than his brothers\u2019, so the dowry he offered for Xiaoya was less than theirs, which he felt was unfair to her.<\/p>\n

He vowed to continue working hard and saving money so that after the wedding, Xiaoya would never lose out to her sisters-in-law.<\/p>\n

Zeng Xiaoya: \u201c\u2026I\u2019m not unfair anymore, I\u2019m shocked by your generosity.\u201d<\/p>\n

She thought a dowry of tens of millions would be a lot, but she didn\u2019t expect the Zhan family to offer hundreds of millions.<\/p>\n

With the wedding banquet, their wedding would cost a fortune.<\/p>\n

Zeng Xiaoya wasn\u2019t poor, and neither was her family, but compared to the wealthy Zhan family, Zeng Xiaoya felt her family was still poor.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s said that poverty limits imagination, and it\u2019s true; without that money, you can\u2019t reach that level, and therefore can\u2019t imagine it.<\/p>\n

Zhan Yue held her hand, his eyes gentle and full of affection as he looked at her. \u201cXiaoya, you deserve everything I have. Don\u2019t worry, after we get married, I will continue to work hard to earn money and never let you lose to my sisters-in-law.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI won\u2019t let you suffer any injustice. In this life, I will love you, cherish you, pamper you, and hold you in the palm of my hand. No one can compare to you.\u201d Even<\/p>\n

after they have children, she will always be his number one priority.<\/p>\n

After all, she is the one who will accompany him for the rest of his life.<\/p>\n

Zeng Xiaoya looked at him, her face full of emotion.<\/p>\n

She felt his sincerity and his heartfelt sincerity.<\/p>\n

Meeting Zhan Yue in this life was a blessing she had earned in her past life.<\/p>\n

She was so fortunate.<\/p>\n

Zeng Xiaoya leaned closer to him, resting her head on his shoulder.<\/p>\n

Zhan Yue embraced her.<\/p>\n

They leaned on each other, hand in hand, to spend the rest of their lives together.Twenty years later.<\/p>\n

H City, X Province.<\/p>\n

Several black sedans drove along a winding mountain road, up a flat-topped hill, and finally stopped at the end of the road, in front of the Long family\u2019s old residence.<\/p>\n

The security guards on duty at the gate saw the cars and quickly opened the gate. They came out of the guardhouse and stood at the entrance, saluting the occupants of the lead Maybach as it drove in.<\/p>\n

The car quickly entered the residence and stopped in front of the main courtyard.<\/p>\n

The bodyguard\u2019s car opened first, and several bodyguards in black uniforms quickly got out and stood in front of the Maybach, waiting for the man inside to get out.<\/p>\n

Long Tuo got out of the car, his face tense, looking very angry.<\/p>\n

\u201cDad.\u201d<\/p>\n

A girl ran quickly out of the house. Upon seeing Long Tuo, the smile on her face slowly faded, and she asked cautiously, \u201cDad, how did it go? Did you see the president of Longteng Group?\u201d<\/p>\n

Long Tuo looked at his daughter for a while and said, \u201cCome inside and talk. Is your grandfather home?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, Grandpa is practicing calligraphy and waiting for news from Dad.\u201d<\/p>\n

Long Tuo stepped into the house. His only daughter, Long Ruoyu, did not immediately follow him but asked a bodyguard, \u201cDid Dad take you to Longteng Group and see their president?\u201d<\/p>\n

The bodyguard respectfully replied, \u201cMiss, no, he only saw the special assistant to the general manager of Longteng Group. He couldn\u2019t even see Vice President Zhou, let alone their boss.\u201d<\/p>\n

Long Ruoyu frowned. \u201cMy dad went there in person and still couldn\u2019t see him? The boss of Longteng Group is really arrogant. In our H City, who dares to disrespect my dad? Our Long family has been operating here for a hundred years. It wouldn\u2019t be an exaggeration to say that our family is like local tyrants.\u201d
\nThe bodyguard remained silent.<\/p>\n

Longteng Group had only been established in H City for six years, starting as a small company. However, its owner, Ye Longting, was a shrewd businessman. In just six years, he built Longteng Group into a conglomerate that could rival the Long Group,<\/p>\n

seriously threatening the Long Group\u2019s position in the business world.<\/p>\n

The most mysterious figure was Ye Longting himself. No one in H City had ever seen his face or knew what he looked like. Whenever he met with clients or discussed business, he always wore black sunglasses and a large black mask, completely concealing his face. Only<\/p>\n

his sharp black eyes were visible, always piercing and cold, seemingly able to see through people\u2019s hearts.<\/p>\n

The long-established families in H City, with over a century of history and well-developed intelligence departments, were usually first-rate at gathering information. However, they encountered a dead end with Longteng Group, unable to uncover Ye Longting\u2019s background even after years of investigation.<\/p>\n

Furthermore, Longteng Group had a deep partnership with Qianxun Group in A City, a partnership that even the Long Group couldn\u2019t establish with Qianxun Group. It wasn\u2019t that Qianxun Group didn\u2019t want to connect; it was that Qianxun Group didn\u2019t want to cooperate with the Long Group.<\/p>\n

Over twenty years ago, Long Ruoyu\u2019s grandfather, then acting head of the Long family, led her father, Long Tuo, to the Qianxun Group. They intended to discuss cooperation and a marriage alliance, with Long Tuo marrying Ouyang Ting, the second daughter of the Ouyang family.<\/p>\n

However, Ouyang Ya, the head of the Ouyang family, firmly refused. Although the Ouyang family was predominantly female, their daughters were all incredibly capable, not only preserving the family business but also propelling it to new heights.<\/p>\n

Even Long Ruoyu\u2019s grandfather dared not act like an elder in front of Ouyang Ya, as he was merely the acting head of the Long family, not the true patriarch.<\/p>\n

The Long family still lacked a true patriarch because the family seal, token, and totem had been lost thirty years ago.<\/p>\n

In reality, it was a case of Long Ruoyu\u2019s grandfather leading a group of collateral relatives to overthrow the direct line, attempting to seize power, but failing to find the seal, token, and family totem. The Long family, after all, only recognized those three items.
\nWithout those three things, even if the direct line is wiped out, one can only be a acting patriarch, unable to truly control the Long family. Moreover, the fruits of their labor over two or three decades could potentially benefit others.<\/p>\n

Years ago, a young child from the direct line of the Long family escaped with the nanny. The acting patriarch sent people everywhere to search, eventually pinpointing Long Ting, the adopted son of Mu Qing, the eldest daughter-in-law of the Jun family in City A, G Province.<\/p>\n

But that was just speculation; they hadn\u2019t seen Long Ting in person and couldn\u2019t be certain he was the last surviving member of the direct line.<\/p>\n

They tried countless times to inquire about him, even indirectly trying to meet him through Hai Tong\u2019s nephew, Zhou Yang, but all attempts failed.<\/p>\n

The Long family could no longer find any news about Long Ting. They heard he was no longer at Fengchen Manor, his whereabouts unknown. He was a ticking time bomb for the Long family, ready to explode at any moment and obliterate them all.<\/p>\n

Long Ruoyu said fiercely, \u201cIf my father were the true head of the family, he wouldn\u2019t even care about ten Longteng Groups.\u201d<\/p>\n

Their family currently lacks control over the true core of power within the Long family. Even after serving as acting head for twenty or thirty years, they still don\u2019t earn respect.<\/p>\n

Just like twenty years ago, when her grandfather took her father to seek an audience with Ouyang Ya, the president of Qianxun Group, because her grandfather wasn\u2019t the true head, even Ouyang Ya, a woman, dared to look down on him.<\/p>\n

Turning around, Long Ruoyu went inside.<\/p>\n

Long Tuo entered and saw his father practicing calligraphy in a corner of the hall, while his mother ground ink beside him.<\/p>\n

In his youth, his father had many mistresses, including several illegitimate daughters.<\/p>\n

In his old age, it was still his mother, Mrs. Long, who stayed by his side.<\/p>\n

Now that he was the acting head of the Long family, and his siblings held important positions in the Long Group, his mother could finally hold her head high and no longer have to suffer at the hands of mistresses.<\/p>\n

His father had also returned to his family; after all, he could only rely on his own son.
\nLong Tuo walked over and first stood aside watching his father write.<\/p>\n

Only after his father finished writing did he respectfully greet him, \u201cDad, Mom.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mr. Long was eighty years old this year, his face full of frowns and his hair completely white. Thirty years had passed since he wiped out the direct line, and he still hadn\u2019t been able to become the head of the family. For these thirty years, he had been searching for that brat constantly, but unfortunately, he hadn\u2019t found him.<\/p>\n

That brat was now in his early thirties. When the direct line was wiped out, that brat was only a little over a year old; thirty years later, he was thirty-one or thirty-two.<\/p>\n

He couldn\u2019t sleep well without finding that brat, and his hair was already completely white in his early sixties.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow was it? Did you see the president of Longteng Group?\u201d<\/p>\n

Long Tuo helped his father turn and walk towards the sofa, while Long Ruoyu, who came in behind, went to help her grandmother.<\/p>\n

After his father sat down, Long Tuo replied, \u201cI didn\u2019t see him. As usual, only a vice president received us; we didn\u2019t see their president.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mr. Long pondered for a moment and said, \u201cA-Tuo, have you ever suspected that the boss of Longteng Group is that kid from back then?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDad, it shouldn\u2019t be. His surname is Ye.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ye Longting.<\/p>\n

Mr. Long was silent for a moment before saying, \u201cThe head of the Jun family is surnamed Ye; he took his mother\u2019s surname. I suspect that Ye Longting\u2019s real name is Longting.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A little while later, Zhan Yan made coffee for his third brother. He poured two cups, one for himself. \u201cThird […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18860","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-married-at-first-sight"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18860","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18860"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18860\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18923,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18860\/revisions\/18923"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18860"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18860"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18860"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}