Qiao Shuran’s steps suddenly froze.
Tears instantly filled her eyes.
It was one thing to insult her—but to insult her mother as well? They were courting death!
She no longer cared whether the speaker was from the Zhou family or not. In a few quick steps, she rushed up the stairs, intending to tear that mouth apart in the hall.
But after only two steps forward, her wrist was firmly grabbed.
She turned back in confusion and met Zhou Yannan’s arrogant, cold face.
“With me here, it’s not your turn to step in.”
With that, he pulled her behind him.
Qiao Shuran tried desperately to hold back her tears. “She said my mom…”
“I heard her.”
The man raised his hand and casually wiped away the tear on her cheek. “Just follow me. I’ll get even for you.”
The noise inside the hall continued.
Only when the two of them appeared at the doorway did the laughter and chatter abruptly stop.
“Oh my, Yannan, your new wife really knows how to put on airs—making all of us wait here like this.”
The one speaking was the same woman from earlier, Zhou Yannan’s cousin-in-law, Song Huimin.
Her voice was sharp and crisp. “When I married your eldest brother, I had to get up before dawn every day—serving water to the elders, offering tea…”
“That’s because your life was cheap. Don’t blame anyone else!”
Zhou Yannan’s face turned dark as he stood in the center of the crowd.
Elders and juniors were all present, and Song Huimin’s expression immediately turned ugly—flushing red then pale.
“Yannan, I’m your elder sister-in-law. How can you speak to me like that?”
“I know very well you’re my elder sister-in-law.”
Zhou Yannan gave her a cold sideways glance. “If it weren’t for my brother’s face, just for what you said earlier, I would’ve already had someone throw you out.”
“It was just… a joke. It shouldn’t be taken seriously.”
Seeing Zhou Yannan get angry, Song Huimin quickly forced a laugh again. “Women just say a few private jokes among themselves. Why are you getting mad?”
“Unfortunately, I’m the kind of person who protects my own. I don’t allow anyone to talk behind my wife’s back.”
Zhou Yannan held Qiao Shuran’s hand and sat her down in a chair close to the main seat.
“Apologize to my wife.”
“I… I’m your elder sister-in-law. You’re making me apologize to her?”
Song Huimin felt humiliated. “I won’t say it again next time if you don’t like it.”
“Yannan, your sister-in-law just has a sharp tongue—you know her. Let it go this time.”
Second sister-in-law Han Meiyun came out to smooth things over. “We’re all family. Why make such a fuss?”
“Second sister-in-law.”
Zhou Yannan’s gaze landed on Han Meiyun. “You said it right—I love making a fuss.”
“So many juniors are here. Give your sister-in-law some dignity,” Han Meiyun persuaded, then quickly signaled someone behind her. “Shuangshuang, come greet your uncle and aunt.”
Han Lingshuang was Han Meiyun’s niece from her maternal family. She had been raised in the Zhou family since childhood and had just turned nineteen that year.
The young girl walked forward shyly and bowed slightly to Zhou Yannan and Qiao Shuran, her voice soft and sweet.
“Little Uncle, Little Aunt.”
“No need for formalities. Just call me Fourth Uncle like the others.”
Zhou Yannan’s eyes barely lingered on her. “The younger ones are sharing gifts in the courtyard. Go join them.”
“Yes.”
Han Lingshuang blushed, glanced at Han Meiyun, then quietly withdrew.
Qiao Shuran stared at her back, sighing inwardly: she was so well-behaved—but far too shy. Just greeting elders had already turned her ears completely red.
“Alright, elder sister-in-law. Apologize.”
Zhou Yannan had no intention of letting the matter drop after Han Meiyun’s interruption.
He had never been an easy man to deal with—anyone who crossed him was doomed.
Song Huimin, seeing she could not escape, reluctantly slapped her own mouth.
“I’m sorry, sister-in-law. I have a foul mouth. I won’t do it again.”
“Elder sister-in-law.”
Qiao Shuran tightened her grip on the chair’s armrest, her emotions rising.
“My mom died due to difficult childbirth when she gave birth to me. As a woman, she was both great and tragic. I don’t want anyone, more than twenty years after her passing, still using her as a joke.”
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”
If her earlier apology had been forced and insincere, then this time Song Huimin truly realized her mistake completely.
“Sister-in-law, it was my fault. I’ve also given birth to children myself—I shouldn’t have joked about something like that.”
“It’s good that you know,” Qiao Shuran said, always choosing to stop while ahead. “I’ve just entered the family and don’t understand many things yet. I’ll have to rely on all of you to take care of me in the future.”
“Of course, of course.”
Song Huimin returned to her seat and wiped the sweat from her forehead.
While everyone was talking, Han Meiyun had already disappeared.
She chased after Han Lingshuang to the back of the house and began scolding her.
“Useless thing. The Han and Zhou families raised you all these years for nothing. With that fox-like face of yours, I told you to seduce a man and you can’t even do that!”
“Aunt…”
Han Lingshuang wiped her tears in grievance. “Little Uncle doesn’t often come to the old residence. I barely see him even once a year. Even when I finally do, he doesn’t even look at me properly.”
“That just means you’re useless. I don’t believe there’s a cat that doesn’t steal fish in this world.”
Han Meiyun grew angrier as she spoke. “You wasted your chance when I gave it to you earlier. Now it’s worse—he’s married a beautiful wife, and he’ll never look at you again.”
“Then… I’ll go back to the Han family. I don’t want to do this anymore…”
“Go back to the Han family? Without backing, do you think you’ll have a good life there?”
Han Meiyun shoved her. “Don’t forget your identity—you’re a bastard child. Your mother was a mistress. If it were your Uncle Yannan, he would’ve dealt with you long ago.”
“Then… then what should I do?”
“What should you do? Keep getting close to him. Find opportunities. What else can you do?”
“But I’m really scared,” Han Lingshuang cried. “The moment I see him, my legs go weak…”
“Scared?”
Han Meiyun laughed coldly and grabbed her ear. “You say you’re scared now? When you wrote in your diary that you liked him, why weren’t you afraid then?”
“I… I was young then. I didn’t know better…”
“Even when you were young, you already knew how to like men. You’re just like your mother—born shameless!”
Han Meiyun tightened her grip.
Han Lingshuang covered her ear and cried harder. “Aunt, I know I was wrong. I’ll find another chance to get close to him.”
“You little wretch.”
After venting her anger, Han Meiyun finally let go and walked away.
Han Lingshuang was left alone, curled up in the corner, crying.
Since childhood, she had been dependent on others. In the Zhou family, even servants dared to shout at her.
Only Zhou Yannan treated all juniors equally.
That seed of unrequited love had perhaps already taken root and slowly begun to grow.
So what if he was married?
If she didn’t cling to him, she truly had no way out.