Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
However, she couldnât let anyone know her thoughts, not even her mother-in-law who doted on her. Although Han Yuan was good to her, she would always love her son the most. If it was back in the day when polygamy was the norm, her mother-in-law would probably have Xi Cheng marry half the girls in the city and take them as his concubines, and would also remind
Lin Yu thatâas a wifeâshe had to be tolerant.
When Lin Yu saw that Han Yuan was distressed by Gu Manâs tears, she informed her, âWe had dinner with Shi Nian.â
âWhy would a dinner result in tears?â Han Yuan asked before she finally realized. âOh! Did Gu Man take a fancy to Shi Nian?â
Lin Yu lightly nodded. Han Yuan immediately chuckled, âShi Nian is a good match! Our Manman has good taste.â
Gu Man cried even harder. Confused, Han Yu questioned Lin Yu, âWhatâs wrong? Donât tell me Shi Nian doesnât like our Manman?â
Lin Yu nodded again, and Gu Man wailed, âGodmother! Heâs married! I canât believe he married a run-of-the-mill woman!â
Lin Yu lowered her eyes. Yun Nan was far from ârun-of-the-millâ in terms of looks and career.
âHeâs married?â Han Yuan repeated, surprised. âThatâs impossible! The Shi family would have held a banquet for Shi Nianâs wedding if that was the case. Take Shi Ke for example; when he got married, his family threw a three-day banquet in celebration! I doubt the celebration of Shi Nianâs wedding would be any less than his brotherâs! Besides, Shi Nian wouldâve invited us to his wedding, so he canât be married! Impossible!â
Both Lin Yu and Gu Man felt that her words made sense. âMaybe theyâre still making wedding preparations. Perhaps theyâll inform us about their wedding soon?â Lin Yu stated hesitantly.
Gu Man, however, didnât think so. Her eyes lit up, and she said, âThereâs another possibility; the Shi family might not have acknowledged their marriage at all! Shi Nianâs elders probably didnât like that woman! Hmph! She may have charmed Shi Nian, but itâs not that easy getting accepted into his family! â
Lin Yu didnât say anything. Shi Nian had been in charge of his family and its businesses for many years; everyone knew he had the final say in the Shi family.
Gu Man held Han Yuanâs hand and sweetly whined, âGodmother, why donât we have a meal with Auntie Shi? Can you ask Auntie Shi for me, please?â
Han Yuan smiled. âItâs not a big deal; Iâll just ask her directly. Iâll tell her youâve taken a fancy to Shi Nian and ask her if she wants to be in-laws!â
Gu Man panicked. âNo! Donât, Godmother! You canât do that! Thatâll be too embarrassing! â
Han Yuan laughed and teased, âSeems like you really do like Shi Nian. Alright, alright! Godmother will help you invite your Auntie Shi! How does tomorrow sound?â Gu Man hugged Han Yuan in delight and acted coquettishly, making Han Yuan extremely happy.
Lin Yu smiled and left. She saw Xi Cheng holding a glass of red wine in the parlor on the second floor. Lin Yu frowned and chided, âWhy are you drinking again? Didnât you have enough to drink at dinner? I saw you consume a considerable amount of alcohol.â
Lin Yu reached out to take Xi Chengâs wine glass away, but Xi Cheng transferred the wine glass to his other hand. He stood up, walked to the staircase railings, and downed the wine. âDo you find it interesting?â he casually inquired.
Lin Yu was startled. âWhat?â
Xi Cheng didnât respond. He just stared at Han Yuan and Gu Man chatting intimately downstairs.
Lin Yu walked up to him and softly asked, âAre you talking about us? Or are you talking about Gu Man and Shi Nian?â
. Both,â Xi Cheng answered without looking away from the two downstairsâhe didnât look at Lin Yu.
Lin Yu pursed her lips and avoided the first question. She smiled and said, âGu
Man likes Shi Nian and begged Auntie to help her mention it to Auntie Xu Yun.â
Xi Cheng frowned, looked at Lin Yu, and growled, âHavenât you girls done enough already?! Now you want to use my mother to do something so shameless?â
Lin Yu paled, and she quickly denied, âIt wasnât me!â
âHmph!â Xi Cheng snorted.
Lin Yu defended, âAuntie said the Shi family didnât hold a wedding ceremony for Shi Nian. Gu Man thought it must be because Shi Nianâs girlfriend didnât have his familyâs approval. Gu Man felt she still had a chance, so she asked Auntie to talk to Auntie Shi and see if she could create opportunities for her and Shi Nian to spend more time together. Xi Cheng, Gu Man is Auntieâs goddaughter. Itâs not my place to interfere.â
âWell, you sure kept your hands clean there!â Xi Cheng clearly didnât buy it at all.
Lin Yu felt wronged. âXi Cheng, do you really think that badly of me? Iâm your fiancée. Everything I do is from the perspective of your wife. Those two are my mother-in-law and her goddaughter; thereâs only so much I can do and say from my standpoint. Thereâs nothing else I could do!â
Xi Cheng was used to Lin Yuâs prevarications and blame-shifting. Normally, he would turn around and leave without saying a word, but today, he couldnât take
it anymore..