Jun Zheyuan was a notorious playboy in the capital. Ever since a certain part of him matured, he had never settled down, either chasing after women or on his way to do so. Aside from fooling around with women, he was good for nothing else. It was precisely because of this that Jun Xuanye’s grandfather, fearing the family’s decline, skipped over his own son and directly passed the position of head of the Jun Family to his grandson.
Zhao Meijuan had long grown accustomed to turning a blind eye to her husband’s affairs, as long as her own position remained secure.
Jun Zheyuan said, “Didn’t you say the other day that Xuanye’s madness is becoming more frequent? I thought, after all, we’re father and son, so it would be better to come back and visit him more often.”
That was one reason. The other was that Jun Zheyuan had received a video last night showing his young girlfriend cheating on him and mocking him behind his back for being too old and inadequate in certain aspects.
Furious, Jun Zheyuan began to yearn for the warmth of family, so he packed his things and took a flight home overnight.
“Where’s Xuanye? I’ll go see him. Didn’t the Chongxi bride already enter the household? How is it? Has Xuanye’s health improved after the Chongxi?”
After saying this, Jun Zheyuan prepared to go upstairs to see his son. Over the years, he had been reckless and irresponsible, but he still occasionally thought of his son. Especially Jun Xuanye, who was born from the woman he loved most and was the most outstanding among his sons. Now that he had gone mad, it was regrettable, but familial affection still remained.
Zhao Meijuan’s eyes shifted cunningly as she said, “Don’t even mention it! You insisted on being superstitious and arranging that Chongxi, but that girl turned out to be nothing but a jinx! She completely disregarded Xuanye’s health and even pushed him out to endure the wind and cold. Who knows if she’s hoping Xuanye dies so she can take the compensation and leave.”
“What?” Jun Zheyuan was furious upon hearing this. “What kind of mother-in-law are you, letting her act so recklessly?!”
Over the years, Jun Zheyuan had always been like this—utterly irresponsible when it came to family matters, and whenever problems arose, he would only blame others.
Zhao Meijuan pretended to be wronged and said, “I wanted to manage her, but she never treated me as her mother-in-law. She makes decisions on her own about everything, and if I say one word, she retorts with ten. I really don’t know how you chose such a daughter-in-law!”
Just as they were speaking, a servant arrived late to report, “Master, Madam, something terrible has happened! The Second Young Madam insisted on taking the Second Young Master out for an outing, and coincidentally, the elevator malfunctioned, trapping them inside.”
Zhao Meijuan feigned surprise and said, “Oh dear, he’s in poor health and can’t even get out of bed. How could he be taken out for fun? It must be that the Second Young Madam wanted to go out herself and dragged our Xuanye into her mischief! What are you standing around for? Hurry and find someone to open the elevator. Don’t let Xuanye get frightened again!”
Jun Zheyuan also grew anxious. “Which floor is the Second Young Master trapped on?”
“On the fifth floor.”
“Quick, hurry to the fifth floor!”
Unable to take the elevator, Jun Zheyuan, Zhao Meijuan, and a group of servants rushed up five flights of stairs.
Panting heavily, Jun Zheyuan asked, “Where are the elevator maintenance workers?”
Zhao Meijuan replied, “They happen to be on leave today. We’ve already called them, but it will take some time for them to return.”
To ensure the people inside remained trapped longer, Zhao Meijuan had given the elevator maintenance workers leave in advance.
Jun Zheyuan knocked on the elevator door. “Xuanye, how are you? Just wait, the maintenance workers will be here soon.”
No one answered.
Zhao Meijuan feigned concern and said, “Why is it so quiet inside? The air must be bad. Could Xuanye have fainted?”
Upon hearing this, Jun Zheyuan hurriedly replied, “Why wait for maintenance? Get someone to pry the door open immediately!”
Zhao Meijuan hesitated, “Non-professionals shouldn’t tamper with it recklessly. If something goes wrong and the elevator car plummets, the people inside could be in mortal danger!”
Just then, a cheerful female voice unexpectedly came from behind them, “Huh? What are you all gathered around the elevator door for?”
Zhao Meijuan spun around abruptly and saw Lin Xingyao, who should have been trapped in the elevator, standing perfectly fine at the room entrance, looking at them with a puzzled expression.
“Are you all trying to take the elevator down?” she smiled, walked over to the elevator door, and pressed the button. The door opened effortlessly—of course, there was no one inside.
“Wasn’t the elevator broken?” Jun Zheyuan looked bewildered. “And who are you?”
“Isn’t she the Chongxi bride you arranged?” Zhao Meijuan snapped irritably, though she was also deeply puzzled. She questioned Lin Xingyao, “Weren’t you and the second young master trapped in the elevator? Why didn’t you come out after all the commotion outside? Were you deliberately making everyone worry?”
Despite being the one causing trouble, she was quick to shift the blame onto Lin Xingyao.
Lin Xingyao, on the other hand, looked innocent and said, “The elevator did malfunction earlier, and I called for help, but I couldn’t reach anyone. By the time we got out, there wasn’t a soul around. I thought none of you knew we were trapped in the elevator.”
Jun Zheyuan grew furious upon hearing this and glared at the surrounding servants. “Is what she said true? You didn’t even know someone was trapped in the elevator? Are you all just freeloaders?”
The servants hung their heads, too terrified to speak, and dared not mention that it was the mistress’s orders.
“As for how we got out…” Lin Xingyao smiled nonchalantly. “I guess we were just lucky. The elevator fixed itself within a couple of minutes, and we walked out.”
In reality, as soon as the elevator malfunctioned, Lin Xingyao immediately suspected foul play and knew rescue wouldn’t arrive anytime soon. So, she simply took matters into her own hands—prying the elevator door open and fixing the malfunction herself. After all, such minor technical tasks were effortless for her. She also considered that Jun Xuanye would need to use a wheelchair for the next couple of days, and not having an elevator would be highly inconvenient.
“Is Xuanye alright?” Jun Zheyuan breathed a sigh of relief after hearing this. It seemed this girl had some luck after all—fitting for someone brought in for Chongxi.
Lin Xingyao replied, “You must be Father, right? Xuanye is perfectly fine, don’t worry.”
Zhao Meijuan never imagined that Lin Xingyao knew how to repair elevators. She assumed the servants had messed up, causing the elevator to restore itself temporarily.
But she wouldn’t let this opportunity slip. She immediately blamed Lin Xingyao, “It’s all your fault for insisting on taking the second young master out to play. He’s a patient—how could he keep up with your recklessness? If something had really happened, your life wouldn’t be enough to make up for it!”
No matter what, she had to strike first and pin the blame on Lin Xingyao.
Jun Zheyuan had initially found the young girl quite charming—pretty and always smiling amiably. But upon hearing his wife’s words, he suddenly felt Lin Xingyao was too frivolous.
Seeing Jun Zheyuan’s expression darken, Zhao Meijuan continued to add fuel to the fire: “Yesterday, Doctor Zhang wanted to come check on Xuanye, but that wild girl went crazy for some reason and stubbornly refused to let him see him. Who knows if she deliberately wants Xuanye’s condition to worsen.”
The implication was clear, directly accusing Lin Xingyao of harboring sinister intentions to harm Jun Xuanye.