Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
When Song Fengwan returned home, Qiao Aiyun and Old Madam Yan were sitting in the living room and reading the portfolio album provided by the bridal shop.
âWhy are you only back now? Have you eaten dinner?â Qiao Aiyun put down the portfolio album.
âYes.â Song Fengwan rubbed her nose.
âWanwan, come here and take a look. Iâve chosen a few gowns for you. You can try them tomorrow.â Old Madam Yan smiled.
âMe?â
âAfter you try them on, we can take a few family portraits.â Old Madam Yan beckoned Song Fengwan to sit beside her and showed her the gowns she had chosen.
In the past, their family used to take family portraits every year. But ever since her husband passed away, she and Yan Wangchuan were the only ones in the photos, making them exceptionally cold and lonely. It had been more than ten years since they had taken family portraits.
Old Madam Yan had also used to be a designer when she was young, so her tastes were naturally unique. The clothes she chose were mostly simple and exquisite, which were very suitable for Song Fengwan.
âWhy isnât Wangchuan back yet?â
Qiao Aiyun smiled. âHe wants to finish his recent work and will be back later.â
She would be trying on wedding dresses and taking wedding photos, and there were still many things to deal with for the wedding.
Old Madam Yan raised her eyebrows.?He is indeed different when he has a wife. He knows how to report his schedule now.
At around eight in the evening, the three of them were still looking at the portfolio album and choosing wedding dresses when Mother Huang walked over in small steps and whispered something into Old Madam Yanâs ear.
âWhy did they come here?â
âTheyâre already at the door.â
âGet them to go back!â Old Madam Yan said in a deep voice.
But before she could finish speaking, accompanied by rapid and chaotic footsteps, two people had already entered the house. One was Yan Zhihuan, and the other was someone Song Fengwan found familiar.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
The woman looked a lot like Yan Zhile, looking kind and gentle. On the day they met for the first time, she had given Song Fengwan a red packet. Because of the large amount in the red packet, Song Fengwan had a deep impression of her.
This woman was Zhang Suqiu, the mother of Yan Zhile and Yan Zhihuan.
âWhy are you two here?â Old Madam Yan lowered her head to look at the portfolio album, not looking at them at all.
âIâve brought Huanhuan here to apologize to Wanwan. I only found out that something happened after getting off work.â Zhang Suqiu was dressed simply. Perhaps due to the heavy burdens in her life, she looked rather old, and even the clothes she was wearing were old and outdated.
At first glance, Song Fengwan thought that she was amiable. But after hearing from Yan Shaochen that she had tried to stop her daughterâs marriage, and coupled with Yan Zhihuanâs arrogant personality, she had to reevaluate her.
Old Madam Yan remained silent.
âWhat are you waiting for? Hurry up and apologize to Wanwan!â Zhang Suqiu slapped the back of Yan Zhihuanâs head.
Song Fengwanâs pupils constricted slightly, but she still remained sitting.
ââ¦â Yan Zhihuanâs eyes were red. She gritted her teeth and refused to open her mouth.
After returning home, she had sorted everything out. It had indeed been wrong of her to go to Song Fengwanâs room and take her thing. But later, she had been completely used by Song Fengwan.
She clearly knew that thereâs an inscription at the back of the manuscript, yet she insisted on waiting for Uncle to return. She was clearly pushing me to death.
Sheâs so young yet so vicious.?Yan Zhihuan couldnât take this lying down, so she was unwilling to apologize.
At the time, Xiao Jingan was also around. There was nothing more embarrassing than being disgraced in front of the person she liked.
âWhy are you still standing foolishly? You did something wrong and misunderstood her, yet you still feel wronged? Hurry up and apologize to her!â Zhang Suqiu raised her voice.
âIâ¦â Yan Zhihuan looked up at her mother. âI donâtâ¦â
Slap!
Zhang Suqiu slapped her hard. Half of Yan Zhihuanâs face instantly turned red as she looked at her mother in disbelief.
Song Fengwanâs breathing deepened. The sound of the slap was crisp and clear.?She really slapped her?
âMom!â
âIf you still take me as your mother, apologize to her! Your grandma and uncle have treated you so well, yet you stirred up trouble in their house. You still have the cheek to go back? If they donât forgive you today, you donât need to go home either!â
Yan Zhihuan was dumbfounded. She felt aggrieved, but her eyes were stubborn. She was unwilling to follow her motherâs orders.
âYou still donât know your mistake? Why did you go to someone elseâs room without permission? And you even dared to slander her? Is this how I usually teach you? Hurry up and apologize!â
Zhang Suqiu raised her voice, her expression angry and disappointed.
âI told you long ago to take good care of her, but what have you been doing outside?! Did you disregard everything I told you? You two will be sisters in the future. As an elder sister, how could you do such a thing?!
âI heard that you even talked back to your aunt today. Kneel down and apologize!â
Yan Zhihuan naturally refused. Zhang Suqiu was so angry that her face was red. She raised her armâ¦
⦠slapped her again.
âI apologize, okay? Iâm sorry!â Yan Zhihuan was both ashamed and angry. She had been embarrassed in front of Song Fengwan during the day, and now she was slapped in front of her. She already hated Song Fengwan to the core.
âIs this your attitude when you apologize? Speak properly! Apologize to your aunt and Wanwan until they forgive you!â
Yan Zhihuanâs tears fell like a broken dam, but she refused to speak again. Zhang Suqiu was so angry that her breathing was rapid. She raised her hand and was about to hit herâ¦
Qiao Aiyun hurriedly went over and stopped her. âForget it. The child already knows her mistake. Donât hit her anymore.â
âSheâs just spoiled. She actually did such a thing. I have to hit her.â Zhang Suqiu was angry. She rushed over and wanted to hit her again, but Qiao Aiyun stopped her once again.
âSheâs already apologized. Children will always make mistakes at least once.â
âThis foolish girl actually stole something. Give me your handâ¦â
âDonât. She must have already realized her mistake.â Qiao Aiyun couldnât just watch her hit her child.
â¦
Zhang Suqiu only calmed down after a long while.
âIâm really sorry. I didnât teach my daughter well. Wanwan, Iâm really sorry. Iâll apologize to you.â Zhang Suqiu bowed to Song Fengwan.
âAunt, what are you doing?â With so many servants around, how could Song Fengwan really sit and accept her bow? She could only go over to support her.
âIâll definitely teach her a lesson when I get back. Youâve been aggrieved today. Youâre a magnanimous lady, so donât take it to heart.â
Song Fengwan smiled bitterly and didnât say anything else.
The mother and daughter sat in the living room for a while before leaving.
The crying and ruckus were so noisy that they made peopleâs heads hurt.
Old Madam Yan remained silent throughout.
âMom, Iâll go get you a bowl of soup.â Qiao Aiyun reached out to rub her arm. When she stopped Zhang Suqiu just now, Zhang Suqiu had used too much force and grabbed her arm so hard that it hurt.
âIâll go help you.â Song Fengwan got up and followed her into the kitchen.
After the two entered the kitchen, Old Madam Yan suddenly threw the portfolio album onto the coffee table, her expression cold.
â¦
Qiao Aiyun was holding a spoon and stirring the soup. Her brows were furrowed, and she was feeling flustered.
âMom.â Song Fengwan took out a few bowls from the cupboard.
âStay away from that family in the future.â Qiao Aiyun lowered her voice.
âI know.â Song Fengwan nodded.
Actually, if Zhang Suqiu sincerely wanted to apologize, she would have educated her daughter at home before coming over instead of dragging Yan Zhihuan to the Yan residence and hitting her in front of them.
Moreover, she had kept insisting that Qiao Aiyun had to forgive her.
Qiao Aiyun had just entered the Yan family. If she had simply sat back and watched Zhang Suqiu hit her daughter, it might spread very quickly that Qiao Aiyun was ruthless and heartless. They might even think that she was a cold-hearted and petty aunt, so she could only stop Zhang Suqiu.
She wasnât here to apologize at all, but to force Qiao Aiyun and Song Fengwan to forgive Yan Zhihuan.
Even though she had apologized, it still made people feel unhappy.
â¦
At this moment, in the living room, Old Madam Yanâs face was dark. She was extremely furious.
After experiencing so many storms, she naturally could see through things very clearly.
After Zhang Suqiuâs husband passed away, she had to raise two children on her own, so Old Madam Yan definitely cared for them a little more. Actually, all she did was pay the two sistersâ school fees, and she would also give them some financial support.
Zhang Suqiu was usually dutiful and had a decent relationship with Old Madam Yan. The time when they had a disagreement was about Yan Zhileâs marriage, which Zhang Suqiu had strongly opposed. She had even wanted to commit suicide and imprisoned her daughter at home because she felt that the young manâs family was poor.
In fact, the young man had a good family background and was a good person. He wasnât handsome, but he wasnât bad-looking either. Perhaps because he had just graduated, his salary wasnât much, but he sincerely treated Yan Zhile very well.
But no one would be able to afford to take out several million yuan in cash all at once to buy a house and a car in Nanjiang while also giving hundreds of thousands as a betrothal gift.
There was even a time when she caused such a huge scene, and they ended up going to the police station.
The young manâs parents had already gone around borrowing money everywhere, and they were even planning to sell their retirement home. Yan Zhile escaped from her house and went to find Old Madam Yan. She knelt and begged her for help, and only then did Old Madam Yan know about this matter and step in to intervene.
After understanding the whole story, Old Madam Yan was already very dissatisfied with Zhang Suqiu. Usually, in front of her, Zhang Suqiu wasnât someone greedy for money. Old Madam Yan also knew what kind of ideas she had since she was so unyielding in her daughterâs marriage.
Buying a car and a house was secondary because her goal was to make things difficult for the young man and make him retreat. And after that, she would find a rich family for Yan Zhile to marry.
So although they had interactions afterward, Old Madam Yanâs thinking was completely different from before.
This time, she had brought Yan Zhihuan to the Yan residence to apologize. It would have been fine if she wanted to apologize sincerely, but she was playing tricks in front of her.
If it wasnât for her deceased husband, Old Madam Yan would have probably utterly shamed her tonight.
***
At this moment, the mother and daughter duo had just stepped out of the doorâ¦
Yan Zhihuan was still sobbing, and Zhang Suqiu was angry. âWhatâs there to cry about? I brought you here this time for your own good. If you really broke off all ties with their family, it would be a dream for you to marry the Xiao family!â
âMomââ Yan Zhihuanâs voice was hoarse from crying. âBut you canât hit me like that either.â
âIf I didnât hit you hard, would Qiao Aiyun have stopped me? Would they have forgiven you?â Zhang Suqiu harrumphed lightly. âHow are you and Xiao Jingan doing?â
âWe were pretty good before. But ever since Song Fengwan appeared, heâs changed.â Yan Zhihuan was annoyed. âSheâs just a wild girl who appeared out of nowhere. She looks so annoying.â
âNo matter how much you hate her, sheâs still the eldest miss of the Yan family. The Xiao family definitely wants to have her as their daughter-in-law. If you donât hurry up, donât even think about marrying Xiao Jingan anymore.â
âThen, what can I do? That wretched girl is so powerful and wears showy clothes all day. Look at her eyes. Sheâs just like a vixen, seducing men everywhere.â
âLike mother, like daughter.â Zhang Suqiu snorted lightly.
âMom, I heard that she had an engagement with Uncle back then, but she backed out and ran off with another man. And now sheâs returned to graze on the same pasture? Is that true?â
âOf course. The scene was so ugly back then. Our Yan family was completely embarrassed.â
âAnd Grandma still agrees to let Uncle marry her?â Yan Zhihuan mocked.
âWell, she has the ability to make your uncle think about her for more than twenty years. He refused to marry anyone else and was willing to wait for her.â
âShe really knows how to seduce men!â
âHurry up and spend more time with Xiao Jingan. Donât let her get ahead of you.â
Zhang Suqiu wasnât blind. She knew that her daughter wasnât as pretty as Song Fengwan, and Song Fengwan had a higher status than her, so the Xiao family likely preferred Song Fengwan over her.
âI know.â Yan Zhihuan reached out her hand and rubbed her face. She also wanted to interact more with Xiao Jingan. But when that incident happened, Xiao Jingan had also been there. How could she have the face to look for him recently when she had been so embarrassed in front of the man she liked?
***
Fu Chen and Duan Linbai were playing chess in the hotel room. Every time someone lost, a post-it would be stuck on their face.
Duan Linbaiâs face was already full of post-its and no longer visible.
F*ck, if you have the ability, letâs go out and fight it out. Why do you always want to crush me with your intelligence?
âThird Fu, why donât you just kick me a few times?â Duan Linbai had been a little hyperactive when he was young and couldnât sit still at all. Playing chess was too torturous for him. His butt was itching from sitting down for so long, yet he still had to use his brain.?Isnât he trying to kill me like this?
âWhy?â Fu Chen narrowed his eyes.
âI really donât f*cking want to play chess.â
âTorturing both your mind and body at the same time feels good.â
Duan Linbai was stunned.?This guy is definitely a pervert!
âAlso, after playing for so many years, you still havenât even figured out the basic rules.â Fu Chen raised his eyebrows and smiled at him. âLinbai, whereâs your brain?â
âI just donât f*cking know how to play this.â Duan Linbai reached out his hands to push away the post-its covering his eyes. âItâs already so late. Arenât you sleepy?â
âIâm not sleepy being with you.â Fu Chen narrowed his eyes and smiled. âLetâs play a few more rounds.â
Duan Linbai laid face flat on the table, his lips twitching..?He might as well kick me.