My mother-in-law’s voice sounded from outside, “Pei Heng, Zhiyi, are you asleep yet?”
Pei Heng immediately stuffed the divorce papers under the blanket and went to open the door. “Mom, why aren’t you asleep so late at night?”
“I was about to sleep, but I saw your bedroom light still on and wanted to check if you were still awake,” my mother-in-law spoke with Pei Heng at the doorway.
“Mom!” I removed my face mask and went to the door as well, performing the act of a dutiful wife following her husband’s lead with Pei Heng. “Pei Heng and I were just about to sleep.”
As I spoke, I linked arms with Pei Heng and sweetly leaned against his shoulder.
Pei Heng glanced at me expressionlessly without saying a word.
“It is quite late. Your father is attending the Gaofeng Commercial Symposium the day after tomorrow and came to City A last minute. He didn’t plan to stay at a hotel, so we’ll be staying with you for a few days,” my mother-in-law said to me with a smile.
My in-laws usually live in C City, but the two cities aren’t far apart.
I put on a happy expression. “That’s wonderful! It’s been so long since we’ve seen you and Dad. I’ll take you to some great restaurants these next few days so we can all relax and enjoy.”
“Good, good. You two should get to sleep soon too, don’t stay up too late,” my mother-in-law reminded us before turning to leave.
In my previous life, I had always misunderstood one thing – I thought Pei Heng was someone who did whatever he wanted and rarely listened to his family. So I focused entirely on him, believing that as long as he loved me, the rest of the Pei family didn’t matter.
It was only later when I saw how hard he fought for his family’s approval and blessings for Wei Lan that I realized how important family ties were to him.
If I had maintained a good relationship with my in-laws, or if I had gotten pregnant, perhaps I wouldn’t have necessarily lost in my previous life.
After closing the door, I breathed a sigh of relief and stared at Pei Heng, who stared back at me.
“Should you take the bed and I take the sofa, or should I take the bed and you take the sofa?” I began worrying about this problem.
Pei Heng casually lay down on the bed and replied indifferently, “Don’t bother with all that. Do you really think anything would happen if we slept together?”
I had to admit, Pei Heng had a real talent for delivering cutting remarks.
“Fine then.” Without another word, I lay down on the other side of the bed.
This was only the second time Pei Heng and I had shared a bed since getting married. The first time was on our wedding night, when he hadn’t touched me either.
We lay back-to-back, as if the other person didn’t exist.
After a while, I finally spoke up. “Can you give me Yu Yifan’s WeChat or phone number?”
Pei Heng didn’t respond. I turned over and looked at the back of his head – had he fallen asleep already?
“I want to give him a piece of my mind,” I added.
“Already did.” Pei Heng’s voice came back cold and blunt.
Alright then. I closed my eyes again and tried to sleep, just as rumbles of thunder began sounding outside the window – a thunderstorm must be coming.
With a particularly loud clap of thunder, I grabbed the blanket and yanked it over my head, completely covering myself.
Even through the rolling thunder, I could still hear Pei Heng’s gritted teeth. “Xu Zhiyi!”
I peeked out from under the blanket and looked at Pei Heng’s displeased face, explaining quietly, “Sorry, I’m afraid of thunder.”
“None of my business!” Pei Heng had never been one to show tenderness toward me. He directly snatched the blanket back.
“Boom!” Another earth-shattering clap of thunder struck, and I shot into Pei Heng’s arms like an arrow released from its bow. Divorce could wait – surviving the current crisis was what mattered most.
Pei Heng visibly stiffened, seemingly unable to process this.
Who would want to sleep holding a White Bone Spirit during a stormy night? Even I could feel my own bones poking uncomfortably.
Pei Heng pried my arms away, his expression registering a full five stars on the displeasure scale. “Don’t touch me, okay?”
“Then stop stealing the blankets,” I replied, suppressing the shame and bitterness welling up inside while feigning composure.
Pei Heng kicked the blanket over to me, then got out of bed to fetch another quilt, preparing to sleep on the floor.
I wrapped myself in the blanket like a silkworm cocoon, my gaze falling on Pei Heng lying on the floor. My mind conjured images of his future moments with Wei Lan – if she were afraid of thunder, he’d probably want to crush her into his very being.
That night, I dreamed of my past life again, the despair and resentment etched deep in my bones.
The next morning, when I woke up, Pei Heng was already gone from the floor.
After changing clothes and going downstairs, I found Liu E preparing breakfast while other servants cleaned. My mother-in-law was trimming storm-damaged plants in the courtyard, and my father-in-law was practicing tai chi.
“Dad, Mom, you’re up so early?” I went out and greeted my in-laws obediently.
“At our age, we can’t sleep too long. Better to get up and move around,” my mother-in-law said with a smile.
I walked over and naturally linked arms with her, ignoring her slightly surprised expression. “Mom, I have a friend who owns a jewelry store. She recently acquired a pair of Violet Jade Bracelets that are absolutely beautiful. Since she needs money urgently now, and knowing you love collecting jade, I bought them. I’ll pick them up in a couple days and give them to you.”
My mother-in-law adored collecting various precious jade pieces, even having a dedicated display room at home. I was deliberately catering to her interests to strengthen our relationship.
Not to win back Pei Heng, but out of sheer pettiness – I wanted to make his and Wei Lan’s path to romance more rocky.
Consider it a small act of revenge.
Sure enough, my mother-in-law’s eyes lit up. “Violet Jade Bracelets? Wonderful! Bring them for me to see. If they suit me, I’ll pay you for them – I’ll take them!”
“Between mother and daughter-in-law, why talk about payment? I’ll bring them to you in a couple days,” I answered sweetly.
I did indeed possess a pair of Violet Jade Bracelets – a gift from my mother two years ago, worth seven figures. If they could make my mother-in-law favor me more and be more critical of Wei Lan in the future, I considered it money well spent.
“I know you’re filial, but I can’t let you give them for free. I should pay you properly,” my mother-in-law said kindly, patting my hand.
I shook my head. “Mom, please don’t say that. We younger generation can’t always be here to care for you personally, so we can only make up for it with material things. As long as you and Dad stay happy and healthy, any amount of money is worth it.”
My in-laws exchanged glances, probably wondering about this sudden change – in five years of marriage to Pei Heng, I’d never spoken such traditionally filial words.
My father-in-law paused his exercises, brushing his sleeves. “Zhiyi, having this intention is enough. Your mother and I have no other wishes except hoping for a grandchild soon. You and Pei Heng need to work on that!”
When it came to this matter, my mother-in-law seemed to recall something. She pulled me aside and spoke with some difficulty, “Zhiyi, have you and Pei Heng gone to the hospital for a check-up? Has that rascal been carousing around so much that he’s ruined his health?”
My heart trembled. It was the first time I realized how exceptional my mother-in-law truly was—in such matters, her first suspicion fell upon her own son rather than her daughter-in-law.