Jiang Chiyu had noticed that older woman the moment she stepped out of Chen Mo’s car. At that time, the woman was in the middle of a conversation with Cheng Wanru, nodding her head while glancing toward Jiang Chiyu’s bedroom with an expression that made her skin crawl.
From the moment she witnessed that scene, Jiang Chiyu had no intention of letting her stay.
If she kept her around, she was afraid she’d wake up with rats in her bed in the middle of the night.
As for Pei Jinnian’s biological mother… as long as she didn’t provoke her, it was fine. Otherwise, even if Pei Jinnian jumped out of his coffin, she would still get her revenge.
It was only after Jiang Chiyu entered the living room that she realized the spacious area was occupied by more than just Cheng Wanru. There was a crowd of other people there.
Specifically, a group of young women dressed in flamboyant, eye-catching outfits.
Anyone walking in would have thought the Pei family was hosting a beauty pageant.
Ignoring the strange or surprised expressions of these beautiful girls, Jiang Chiyu walked up to Cheng Wanru with a blank face.
“Mom, are you holding a beauty pageant?”
As she neared Cheng Wanru, a flawless smile suddenly forced its way onto Jiang Chiyu’s face. “If I weren’t certain Chen Mo wouldn’t take the wrong road, I would have thought I’d walked into the wrong house.”
Jiang Chiyu looked at the Cheng Wanru standing right in front of her and made a helpless gesture. “The white chrysanthemums in the house haven’t even been cleared away yet. For you to pull this… isn’t it a bit disrespectful to Jinnian?”
Knowing exactly which card to play, Jiang Chiyu flashed a kind smile, not giving Cheng Wanru a single chance to speak. “I’m sure Jinnian wouldn’t want you to do this.”
After dropping that line, Jiang Chiyu fled the scene at the speed of light.
Satisfying!
She had truly nailed that performance!
Using Pei Jinnian’s name really made things easier. The feeling of her mother-in-law being stunned into silence without a single word of rebuttal was simply wonderful.
She just didn’t know why the woman had brought so many people here in one go. Pei Jinnian had just “died” yesterday, and today she was filling the house with people. One might think she was trying to arrange a ghost marriage for him.
The thought made Jiang Chiyu feel a wave of nausea. She shook her head and headed into the bathroom.
After a long day of labor, it was time to relax.
She pulled the curtains of the floor-to-ceiling window shut and calmly took off her light jacket, revealing a short crop top underneath.
She didn’t stop there. Watching Jiang Chiyu’s movements on the screen, seeing her about to continue, Pei Jinnian’s brow furrowed imperceptibly. The moment a sliver of her fair waist was revealed, he slammed the laptop shut with a loud bang.
The force was so great it seemed as if he wanted to shatter the device.
The temporary assistant standing at the door waiting for orders jumped, visibly startled by the sudden noise.
They said President Pei’s mental state wasn’t great, and this… he really did seem a bit unstable. Otherwise, why would such an easy job pay such a high salary?
Despite his thoughts, the young man remained standing obediently outside the door, not moving an inch. He could earn several hundred yuan just by standing there for a day; he had to make this money.
Cheng Wanru, who had originally intended to find a new match for Pei Jinnian and had invited daughters from all the prominent families in Jinghai City to her home, had lost all interest because of Jiang Chiyu’s words.
Her face was clouded with resentment, but she couldn’t vent her anger on these young socialites. She could only see them out politely, wave after wave, before grabbing an inexpensive vase and smashing it onto the floor.
Who did Jiang Chiyu think she was? How dare she ride over her head and try to lecture her?
If this method hadn’t been suggested by Jinnian himself, she would have taught Jiang Chiyu a lesson today regardless of the cost.
What kind of person dared to preach to her like that? Even if Jinnian were standing here today, he wouldn’t dare speak to her this way!
The more Cheng Wanru thought about it, the angrier she became. When she caught a glimpse of the tightly closed door of the master bedroom on the second floor, her rage flared even more. Just as she was seething with frustration, the phone she had casually tossed on the coffee table suddenly rang.
The default ringtone persisted. Cheng Wanru, already irritable, strode over to the table and picked up the phone, intending to hang up. However, she stopped abruptly when she saw the caller ID.
Once she realized who it was, even the pulsating “Answer” button seemed much more pleasant. Cheng Wanru didn’t hesitate and immediately took the call. “Auntie, what happened to Jinnian?! Did something really happen to him?”
The second the call connected, an anxious female voice came through the speaker. Even though Cheng Wanru couldn’t see her face, she could easily imagine the girl’s worried and grief-stricken expression.
But this was, after all, her favorite girl. Cheng Wanru didn’t have the heart to keep her hanging or let her worry like that.
If Jiang Chiyu had opened her door at this very moment, she would have heard something shocking enough to last a lifetime.
“It’s nothing like that. That’s just what Jinnian is telling the outside world. He’s doing just fine, Tinglan. Don’t worry.”
Meng Tinglan froze instantly upon hearing Cheng Wanru’s words, her expression going blank for a moment. “Wh… what do you mean?”
What else could it mean?
Cheng Wanru sat down on the sofa, rubbing her temples with one hand while holding a teacup in the other. She placed the phone on the coffee table, a smile of certain victory appearing on her face. “It means Jinnian is perfectly fine right now. You don’t have to worry anymore.”
She took a sip of tea and turned her gaze toward the staircase. “Tinglan, isn’t your time as an exchange student in the U.S. about to end? When are you planning to come back?”
At the question, Meng Tinglan suddenly felt a bit shy. She tightened her grip on the phone and lowered her head. “I was supposed to have another week, but when I heard something had happened to Brother Jinnian, I asked my dad to talk to the school. I moved my return date up. I should arrive in Jinghai tomorrow afternoon.”
When mentioning the person she admired, the young girl couldn’t hide the blush on her cheeks no matter how she tried to restrain it. She was like a flower bud about to bloom, waiting only for her beloved to pluck her.
She was coming back soon. She hadn’t seen Brother Jinnian in so long. She wondered if he missed her; she certainly missed him.
Guessing that Meng Tinglan’s rush to return was definitely because of Jinnian, Cheng Wanru—for her own sake—did not tell her that Pei Jinnian was currently abroad. Instead, she smiled and said, “Then Auntie will pick you up at Jinghai International Airport tomorrow. We’ll have a welcome-home feast for our little darling!”
Meng Tinglan nodded happily in agreement. After hanging up, she couldn’t help but dream about what her reunion with Pei Jinnian would be like.
Would Brother Jinnian come to pick her up tomorrow?
He would, right? Auntie would surely tell him!
Because of the situation with Meng Tinglan, Jiang Chiyu didn’t see her disgruntled mother-in-law when she got up and went downstairs today.
Though she felt a bit curious, she didn’t care much. Instead, she went to the nearby memorial hall to light a few sticks of incense for her “short-lived” deceased husband.
“Hubby, if your soul is listening from heaven, you must bless me so I can live out the rest of my life in leisure and comfort. I’ll be sure to enjoy your share of the fun for you.”
Chen Mo had been looking for Jiang Chiyu for quite a while. When he finally found her and approached, these were the words he heard.
“…” What a monster.