Signing In At The Civil Affairs Bureau, I Was Rewarded With A Gorgeous Wife

"What, Si Yi, are you looking down on your little brother?"

The young man spoke with a hint of displeasure, "These days, working a job just doesn't cut it. You, as a woman, might not understand, but do you know how huge the cost of getting married is now? A house, car, wedding banquet—you'd need several million at the very least; it's a burden that weighs on your brother day and night!"

"This..."

"Sigh, back when I was in university, I got a girlfriend, and now her family is asking for a dowry of three hundred thousand, plus I must have a house and a car. Luckily, my future mother-in-law is reasonable. She said they don't need to be paid in full up front—even a loan would do. We can pay it back ourselves after the wedding, and her family would cover the cost to furnish the house."

With a sigh, the young man's tone shifted: "But you know the price of houses in the Magic Capital. Even if I were to make a down payment, years of saving without spending on anything else would be needed—this is why I said I'd start my own business after graduation."

"That's a good idea, given you'll need to bear the pressure of providing for a family. May I ask what kind of company you started?"

Yuan Siyi realized only today, after hearing from her younger brother, that the little troublemaker of their childhood had grown up. Within her means, she was quite willing to help her brother through his tough times.

After all, when their mother fell ill, their uncle had lent her a substantial amount for medical expenses. Even though it had been repaid by now, the gratitude remained.

"Well... it's e-commerce, information flow, that sort of thing. You didn't study this stuff in college, so you might not get it. I could explain, but you probably wouldn't understand," the young man said, his tone laced with impatience.

"Our project is actually profitable, but it's all because one guy suddenly wanted to go back to his hometown, pulling all his invested money out with him, and that's what caused my cash flow to dry up!"

"Oh, how much did you guys invest?"

Yuan Siyi, upon hearing these professional terms, was a bit curious. Though not an expert, she was, after all, Song Yun's woman and had her own opinions about business after being exposed to it by him.

"The five of us, together we've invested nearly three million!"

The young man exaggeratedly said, "It's a substantial investment, but if managed well, it's very likely we could break even within three months; turn a profit in six; and within a year, your brother here could have saved enough to get married!"

"I see."

Yuan Siyi nodded thoughtfully. Three million was indeed a lot, especially to college students just stepping out of school. Yet, she didn't know exactly how much her brother needed to keep things afloat.

"So you need to borrow money?"

"That's right! And I won't just borrow it for nothing—I have two options for you. First, you lend me the money and I'll pay you back with the highest interest rate from the bank; second, treat the money as your investment in the business and I'll give you shares equivalent to the amount. What do you say? With both options, you won't be at a loss."

"How much do you need?"

"Not much, just around one hundred and thirty-four... thousand or so," the young man said nonchalantly.

"How much?"

Yuan Siyi asked with widened eyes.

"Huh? Sister, did you not understand? Never mind, let me put it simply—it's one point three four million. If you choose the second option, I'll convert it into thirty percent of the company's shares for you. That way, you'd become the largest shareholder in our company!"

"Isn't that a bit much? And if you think it's a money-making project, surely others are eyeing it too. If you inject so much money this time, what if..."

Yuan Siyi hadn't finished speaking when she was interrupted.

"Sister! Can't you have a little faith in your brother? Back in university, I was always at the top of my class with my grades! And doesn't a crowd indicate there's an opportunity! There's a saying, right? Even a pig could fly if it stands at the wind's edge.

With such a huge cake, there's bound to be a piece for us."

The young man's tone took on a beguiling edge.

"Still, that's a lot of money! Hao Hao, as your sister, I really have to advise you—money is not that easy to make! Many people who just graduate earn a monthly salary of only four to five thousand. Those who start businesses either come from wealthy families or have already laid some groundwork during university. You know our family's situation; our uncle and aunt make a fixed salary each month.

If you run into trouble, they might end up dipping into their savings to bail you out!"

Yuan Siyi spoke very earnestly, "Why don't you think it over? Your idea to start a business is great, but you also need to survey the market environment. In my view, you could start by working for a couple of years to understand society better and build up some initial capital. What do you think?"

"Sister! If I wait until I've saved enough money, the opportunity could be gone by then!"

The young man shouted excitedly, "You don't know how much pressure I'm under! I have to manage employees every day and keep an eye on financial statements constantly. I've given everything for my dream! Now that I've hit a snag, can't you help me out?"

"Sigh, to tell you the truth, I really don't have much money. After my everyday expenses, all I can lend you is just over a hundred thousand, which is a drop in the bucket for you."

Yuan Siyi could have simply asked Song Yun, but she didn't want to. After all, no matter how rich Song Yun was, he had worked hard for his money. Nobody's money comes from nowhere. If she did ask and then her cousin ended up losing everything, what then?

Even though Song Yun likely wouldn't mind the amount, she cared!

What's more, she didn't want her cousin to aim too high and dream impractical dreams.

"Isn't there still your brother-in-law?"

The young man glanced weakly at Yuan Siyi and said, "I heard from Auntie that your brother-in-law is a very wealthy man. This amount of money is nothing to him! Just consider it as helping out your brother, I promise to pay it all back within six months!"

"No way!"

Yuan Siyi said resolutely, "I can't ask him for so much money. Over a million! Do you know what that means? It's enough for a family of three to live on for twenty years!"

"That sum may be huge to ordinary people, but it's like a drop in the bucket for your brother-in-law! Are you saying you don't want to help me? Remember when Auntie was sick, our family gave you a lot of the money that saved her life! Now that you're well-off, have you forgotten about your poor relatives?"

The young man's remarks were becoming more outrageous, completely oblivious to the fact that Yuan Siyi's expression had turned sour.

"Forget it, if you're so set on struggling, so be it; for Uncle's sake, take the hundred thousand I have."

Yuan Siyi said dejectedly, the words from before having hurt her deeply.

"You…"

"That's all I have. If you want it, I'll transfer it to you right now; if not, then pretend I was never here today!" Your next read is at empire