Volume 1 Chapter 16: Parents from the Maternal Family Arrive
Qiao Yin considered sending a message to ask Wen Suhe, but then thought that with his financial resources, such flowers would be easy for him to obtain—hardly worth going crazy over.
She instantly dismissed the idea.
She couldn’t be bothered to care what Wen Suhe was up to!
As Qiao Yin turned to leave, the steward hurried over.
“Young Madam!”
The afternoon sun at around four o’clock was still blazing hot. Holding an umbrella, Qiao Yin lazily glanced at the steward.
“Is something the matter?”
Steward Zhou: “Your father and mother are at the gate. The young master said whether to see them or not is up to you.”
“On such a hot day, letting them stand outside—if they’re photographed and it spreads, the Wen Family’s reputation could suffer.” Qiao Yin waved her hand. “Let them in.”
“Young Madam is indeed thoughtful. I’ll have them brought in right away.”
Steward Zhou turned and left, relaying the message to Wen Suhe.
The Qiao Family’s car stopped at the entrance of the main building. Qiao Zhongjie and his wife Chen Rulan walked into the hall one after the other.
“Qiaoqiao!”
Qiao Zhongjie’s voice was robust, his face glowing with health. It was clear that after receiving Qiao Yin’s bride price, he had been living comfortably lately.
“How have you been these days, Qiaoqiao?”
Qiao Yin replied distantly: “Quite well.”
“See? Dad told you—as a girl, marrying into a good family is more important than anything. The match I arranged for you was absolutely right! Wen Suhe is truly outstanding among men. Our Qiao Family ancestors must have blessed us for you to marry into the Wen Family as a wealthy young madam.”
Qiao Zhongjie naturally sat on the nearby sofa. “But Qiaoqiao, even after marriage, you’re still our daughter. How could you delete us? And your brother—he wanted to talk to his sister but couldn’t reach you.”
Why hadn’t she received any friend request notifications?
Had Wen Suhe added them to the blacklist when he deleted them?
Qiao Yin ate grapes, listening to Qiao Zhongjie’s rambling with an innocent and obedient expression.
His rant boiled down to: her marrying Wen Suhe and living comfortably was all thanks to his efforts, and her deleting them was deeply unfilial.
When Qiao Zhongjie finally paused to gulp down water, Qiao Yin casually remarked: “It wasn’t me who deleted you~”
“Pfft!”
Qiao Zhongjie choked in agitation, spraying water everywhere.
As Chen Rulan wiped his mouth, he stared in shock. “What do you mean? If you didn’t delete us from your Green Chat App, who did?”
Qiao Yin smiled sweetly. “Who else could access my phone, Dad? Who do you think?”
It was practically a direct statement.
“No, impossible! You’re joking with Dad—you must have deleted us by mistake!” Qiao Zhongjie desperately tried to rationalize.
He refused to believe Wen Suhe would delete him.
If it were just a casual fling, keeping her as an underground mistress would suffice.
But Wen Suhe not only registered the marriage with Qiao Yin the next day but also provided a substantial bride price.
This demonstrated Wen Suhe’s high regard for Qiao Yin.
The idea that Wen Suhe had deleted all three of them was something Qiao Zhongjie couldn’t accept.
He believed Qiao Yin had deleted them and was deliberately shifting blame onto Wen Suhe.
Because Qiao Yin knew they wouldn’t dare to blame Wen Suhe.
Qiao Zhongjie added, “Is Wen Suhe coming home tonight? Since your mother and I are here, we’ll wait for him to return and have dinner together.”
“Suit yourselves~” Qiao Yin stood up to leave.
Chen Rulan followed her. “Qiaoqiao, it’s been so long since Mom last saw you. I’ve missed you terribly. Let’s have a mother-daughter heart-to-heart.”
Chen Rulan grabbed Qiao Yin’s arm. With the close distance, the hickeys on Qiao Yin’s neck were clearly visible—not just on her neck, but faint marks also adorned her partially exposed collarbones.
Wen Suhe really did favor this obedient type like Qiao Yin.
And Qiao Yin herself?
How ungrateful—having flown up the branch and become a phoenix, she went and deleted their family of three from her contacts.
A trace of displeasure flickered in Qiao Yin’s eyes as she withdrew her arm. “If you have something to say, let’s talk here.”
Noting Qiao Yin’s dismissive attitude, Chen Rulan glanced around before saying, “Now that you’ve married Wen Suhe, he must have introduced you to many of his friends.”
Lowering her voice, Chen Rulan continued, “My niece Chen Manwen has reached marriageable age. You’ve met her—she’s pretty with a good figure. See if there are any suitable young talents among his circle, some quality bachelors you could introduce her to.”
Everyone in Wen Suhe’s social circle was either wealthy or influential—any one of them would do.
Qiao Yin had known they wouldn’t visit without an agenda.
Otherwise, they wouldn’t have only noticed being deleted after all this time.
Putting on an innocent face, Qiao Yin said, “I don’t know any of them.”
“How could you not know them?”
“We did go out for one meal, but I didn’t exchange contact information with anyone. I don’t know who’s married or has girlfriends—how could I make introductions?” Qiao Yin lowered her head meekly, adopting a timid and pitiful expression.
This was exactly how she behaved at home—docile and soft. Chen Rulan had initially thought Qiao Yin might have grown defiant after becoming the young mistress of the Wen family, but she was still the same pushover!
This meant controlling Qiao Yin shouldn’t be difficult.
As she bowed her head, Qiao Yin allowed a faint smile to touch her lips.
Could they really not tell she was acting?
Shanshui Garden was filled with Wen Suhe’s informants. Every word they spoke this afternoon would reach his ears.
Wen Suhe was probably already on his way home now.
Adopting a shrewd expression, Chen Rulan proposed, “Here’s an idea. Have your wedding with Wen Suhe soon, and let your cousin be your bridesmaid.”
Maintaining her obedient demeanor, Qiao Yin replied in a sweet voice, “I don’t have any say in wedding matters~”
Chen Rulan’s voice rose sharply, “You have no say in your own wedding?”
Looking troubled, Qiao Yin said, “Well, since I had no say in my marriage, how could I possibly have any say in the wedding? You taught me yourself—at home, obey your father; after marriage, obey your husband. I just listen to whatever my husband says.”
Chen Rulan was left speechless.
Qiao Yin continued, “The reason Wen Suhe married me is precisely because I’m obedient, sensible, and don’t bother him. If I start making unreasonable demands and upset him, he might divorce me.”
Her voice remained gentle and her pace leisurely—harmless on the surface, but actually delivering a refusal.
Chen Rulan continued manipulating Qiao Yin, “We’re family—when one thrives, we all thrive; when one falls, we all fall. You can’t just enjoy being a wealthy young madam living the good life while neglecting your maternal family.”
“Your cousin is prettier, smarter, and more sensible than you. Once she marries into wealth, you’ll have each other for company and can discuss things together. Wouldn’t that be nice? Your parents are only thinking of your benefit—why can’t you appreciate that?”
Qiao Yin rolled her eyes internally. “Then why didn’t you have Dad introduce Chen Manwen to Wen Suhe back then?”
Neither Chen Rulan nor Qiao Zhongjie had truly expected Wen Suhe to actually take a liking to Qiao Yin—they’d only approached it as a tentative attempt, never imagining he would swiftly marry her.
If they had known earlier that Wen Suhe’s statement about liking obedient ones was true, they would never have let such a good thing fall to Qiao Yin.
Since Qiao Yin has married, she ought to benefit the Qiao Family.
Staying at home all day as a wealthy young madam, she has completely forgotten her maternal family.
Chen Rulan said, “How could I compete with you for your husband? Your cousin is gentle, kind, and sensible—more than worthy of Wen Suhe’s friend. When exactly is your wedding going to take place?”