Yan Li’s tone was stern. "Your brother-in-law must have told you about our divorce. Find some time to pack your things. I’ll have Wang Meng come pick you up."
Hearing this, the girl at the desk looked reluctant. She pouted her rosy lips and started whining pitifully.
"Sis... I-I’m not better yet. Can I not move?"
Her soft tone was heart-wrenchingly endearing.
She really, really didn’t want to go!!!
Unfortunately, Yan Li was unmoved.
Her voice was stern. "I didn’t say right now. It was one thing when we were married, but now we’re divorced. He’s no longer your brother-in-law. To you, he’s just a stranger. Do you think it’s appropriate for a young woman like yourself to live with a man who’s a stranger?"
Not moving was absolutely out of the question.
No matter how you looked at it, Yan Xici had to move out. There was no room for negotiation.
Yan Li’s callous tone made the girl a little angry.
She pursed her lips. Even though her head was spinning, she still understood the principle of the matter.
’How did he suddenly become a stranger?’
’At the very least, he’s like a big brother!’
’A big brother who’s been so good to me!’
The girl’s eyes widened, her moist gaze filled with indignation.
Her emotions flared, and her voice couldn’t help but rise a notch.
"How is he a stranger? You’ve been busy with work all these years, and it was my brother-in-law who took care of me. And not just me, he took care of Mom and Dad, too. When Dad had surgery, he was the one looking after him for almost a month straight."
"When Mom and Dad’s pipes needed fixing, lightbulbs needed changing, or even when the toilet got clogged, it was always my brother-in-law who went over time and time again to fix it!"
"Our parents live on the second floor, and brother-in-law was afraid they couldn’t carry heavy things like rice and flour, so he’d always buy it and deliver it to them."
"After your last car accident, it was brother-in-law who went to the hospital again and again to make amends and apologize on your behalf."
"All these years, you’ve always talked about how hard you work, but have you ever thought about it? If brother-in-law hadn’t put in the effort to handle all these family matters, how could you possibly sit in your office and focus on your job with peace of mind?"
"Your ability to work without distraction was bought with his blood, sweat, and tears. How can you call him a stranger now? He’s not a stranger—he’s my family!"
They say liquor gives cowards courage, and it’s absolutely true. Words came rattling out of Yan Xici’s mouth like beads on an abacus.
She truly felt her sister shouldn’t be like this.
Even if they were divorced, a word like "stranger" was just too hurtful.
The girl’s words didn’t just reach her sister’s ears; the three men at the dinner table also heard everything loud and clear.
Xu Cheng shot Xiao Ran an approving look, as if to say, ’She’s a keeper. When it really matters, she comes through!’
Zhang Chuan nodded as well. "What’s this called? It’s called gratitude. This kid has a much better conscience than her sister."
Though Xiao Ran told them to knock it off, he had actually heard everything clearer than anyone.
These were all things a husband should do, and he himself had never really given them much thought.
But to know that someone had remembered every single one of them, it warmed his heart.
More importantly, Yan Li had always been strong-willed, and her word was law at home. As a result, Yan Xici had always avoided her whenever possible and rarely talked back.
But now, she was actually standing up to her sister and reasoning with her, all for his sake.
It must have been really hard for her.
"Hey, Ranzi," Zhang Chuan teased, "you’re divorced now anyway. You’re not going to consider such a great sister-in-law?"
At the mention of this, Xu Cheng got excited too.
"Yeah, I think Xici is even better-looking than Yan Li, and she has a great personality. It wouldn’t be bad if you two actually got together. Your mother-in-law would still be your mother-in-law, your father-in-law would still be your father-in-law. Nothing would change, except your ex-wife would become your sister-in-law."
He genuinely thought so.
Before meeting Yan Xici, everyone thought Yan Li was the beauty. But later they discovered the Yan family’s genes were truly excellent—the younger sister was the real stunner!
Especially her figure. A slender, upright frame and long legs. When she stood there, she had the aura of a dance student.
Xiao Ran shot him an annoyed glare. "If you don’t know how to talk, then don’t!"
’What kind of nonsense is this?’
’She’s my little sister. Even a rabbit doesn’t eat the grass around its own burrow.’
’She’s a flower I’ve carefully tended to. Joking about it isn’t okay!’
On the other end of the line, Yan Li was stunned, completely flabbergasted by what Yan Xici had said.
After a long moment, she frowned and glanced at her phone.
’We’re the ones who got divorced, so why does it feel like my own sister is on Xiao Ran’s side?’
"You think your brother-in-law is pitiful, but what about me? Am I not pitiful? I’m a woman, working from dawn till dusk, hustling out there just like a man. Do you think it’s easy for me? Don’t forget, your surname is Yan!" Her tone was imperious.
The more she thought about it, the angrier she got, and she couldn’t stop herself from adding one more thing.
"I’ll tell you one last time: this is between adults. Children shouldn’t get involved. Move out tomorrow!"
Yan Li was truly furious now.
You could feel it in her cold, rage-filled tone.
She and Xiao Ran were truly no longer in love. When the love is gone, it’s gone. She couldn’t fake it.
And she certainly didn’t need anyone else judging whether she was right or wrong—especially not her own sister, her own family!
’How could her own family side with an outsider and criticize her?’
Yan Xici pouted, looking indignant but not daring to speak.
Hmph.
’She knew it would end up like this.’
’Her sister had been this unreasonable for years. When she couldn’t win an argument, she’d just yell.’
The girl stared sullenly at her fingers.
Finally, her tone softened. "Well, then... I guess I’ll just live in the dorms..."
’For all these years, she was supposedly living with her sister, but in reality, she was practically invisible. If she really had to go live with her, she might as well live in the dorms instead.’
Hearing this, the person on the other end thought for a moment. "Suit yourself. In any case, just be moved out by tomorrow."
’After all, she really was too busy.’
Hearing her sister concede, the girl let out a huge sigh of relief.
"Oh..."
After hanging up, the girl walked out sullenly.
But when she returned to the living room, she put on her signature sunny smile for the three men. "Sorry about that, it was my sister on the phone. I didn’t interrupt anything, did I? Let’s continue."
She didn’t want her problems to make everyone unhappy, especially not her brother-in-law.
In truth, she didn’t need to say anything; everyone present had heard the entire phone call.
After speaking, the girl obediently sat back down next to Xiao Ran and reached for the beer beside her, preparing to drown her sorrows.
But just as her hand touched the glass, Xiao Ran snatched it away and drained it in one gulp.
Watching his Adam’s apple bob as he swallowed, she couldn’t help but gulp.
’That was her glass. Her brother-in-law had actually used her glass.’
’Did he not mind at all?’
’Even her own sister would never drink from her glass.’
’Her brother-in-law really saw her as family!’
Xiao Ran turned, grabbed a bottle of juice from the fridge, twisted off the cap, and handed it to her. "Drink this."
’Young women shouldn’t drink too much alcohol. She’d already had quite a bit today.’
The girl took the juice and had a sip. It was much better—sweet and tangy. "Thanks, bro."
Xiao Ran asked her, "By the way, are you really going to live in the dorms?"
????
The girl’s eyelid twitched.
She almost spat out the juice in her mouth.
’Had she just dodged a direct attack from her sister, only for her brother-in-law to fire a stealthy arrow at her?’
She’d only said that out of desperation; she had never actually thought about moving out. In truth, she didn’t want to leave.
It wasn’t entirely about taking care of her brother-in-law. The main reason was that she had really gotten used to living here. Making her leave now... just packing her things would probably take two days!
’Just thinking about it was such a hassle.’
The young woman’s heart was in her throat, and she couldn’t hide the nervousness in her eyes. "I... I don’t want to live in the dorms..."