I’m Your Brother-in-Law
Before going to bed, Song Chan sat on the sofa, glancing towards the front door every now and then.
She seemed to be expecting something.
Meng Mian brought out two glasses of hot milk from the kitchen as usual. “Song Qing, Song Chan, drink them while they’re hot.”
“Coming.” Song Chan got up to get them, her mood slightly downcast.
In the side bedroom, Song Qing had just come out yawning when there was a knock on the door.
Zhong Xin and Zhong Cheng’s voices came from outside.
“Auntie, we’ve come to drink our milk.”
Song Chan’s mood instantly brightened, and she quickly ran to open the door.
As soon as Zhong Xin entered, she showed Song Chan her little dinosaur pajamas, put the hood on her head, and acted out a little dinosaur act. When no one was looking, she quickly crawled around the living room twice, making Song Zhen and Meng Mian laugh until they were breathless.
Even Song Qing shook her head, looking worried, and asked Zhong Cheng, “How long has your sister had these symptoms? Has your cousin taken her to see a doctor?”
Zhong Cheng: “…” His niece was just like her uncle.
Meng Mian had actually already warmed up milk for Zhong Xin and Zhong Cheng, eagerly awaiting their arrival.
The four children sat on the sofa, chatting away, making the living room incredibly lively.
Song Chan took out Zhong Lingyu’s strawberry powder and distributed it to everyone, saying, “This is a supplement; Zhong Lingyu gave it to me.”
Zhong Xin recognized the meal replacement powder; she had recently gotten a lot from her father, intending to eat it directly.
She hadn’t initially thought it was anything special, but seeing Song Chan happily distributing it to everyone, and everyone eagerly taking it in their cups, stirring and tasting it carefully, Zhong Xin felt a warmth in her heart.
And Song Chan felt the same way.
She truly loved this life. Suddenly, she had two close friends, Zhong Xin and Zhong Cheng. They could do so many things together, were inseparable, shared snacks, and discussed solutions to problems together.
This harmonious feeling was truly comforting.
The arrival of Zhong Xin and Zhong Cheng changed Song Chan’s dull life.
Meng Mian, unusually, allowed the children to play board games for a while before bed.
Song Chan asked hesitantly, “Zhong Xin, did your cousin go back?”
Zhong Xin’s face was covered in small notes, numb from losing so many. “He went back.”
Song Chan whispered, “Ah…why didn’t he even tell me he left?”
She unconsciously imagined Zhong Lingyu coming to find her again. After thinking for a while, she realized that if Zhong Lingyu really came, she wouldn’t know what to say.
“You don’t have any other plans for tomorrow, right?” Zhong Xin suddenly put her arm around Song Chan’s shoulder.
Song Chan snapped out of her daze and shook her head, “No.”
Zhong Xin: “Let’s go out and play!”
Song Chan readily agreed, “I want to study.”
Zhong Xin: “We’re good students who love to study too, but studying at home is so boring. Let’s go to a coffee shop to study! There are so many people there engrossed in their studies; the learning atmosphere is amazing.”
Song Chan had never been to a coffee shop before. “Really?”
Song Qing somehow overheard her: “I’ve been, I guarantee it!” He really craved their chocolate bread.
Although Song Chan seemed reluctant and hesitant about going to a coffee shop to study,
The next morning, she was the first one to get up eagerly.
She glanced at the clock; it was six in the morning.
Zhong Xin and Zhong Cheng probably hadn’t gotten up yet.
She thought groggily.
Maybe I should go check; maybe they’re already awake.
Song Chan stepped out of her house, approached the apartment across the hall, and, hearing no sound, quietly pressed her ear against the door.
Someone pressed their ear to the door with her, and after a moment, asked with a puzzled tone, “Did you hear something?”
Song Chan replied, “No.”
The next second, she jumped in fright.
Calming her heart, she saw Zhong Lingyu standing in front of her, his face beaming.
Seeing it was him, Song Chan panicked even more. She looked around, hoping to find a crack in the floor to disappear into, but finding none, she buried her face in the wall, ready to smash her head against a wall.
“How is it you…”
Her hair was a mess, her pajamas were dusty and tattered, and for comfort, she was wearing old-fashioned floral lantern pants.
Zhong Lingyu found her appearance increasingly hilarious. He had to think through every sad thing in his life to keep from losing his composure.
“I just went for a run around here.”
Hearing this, Song Chan peeked through her bangs. Zhong Lingyu was dressed in sportswear, with a towel draped around his neck.
“You’re quite disciplined.”
Zhong Lingyu knew he shouldn’t laugh, but he just couldn’t hold it in today, repeatedly raising his hand to cover the corners of his mouth.
“Didn’t you say you were going out today? I’ll go wake Zhong Xin and Zhong Cheng up. You go back and get ready too.”
“Okay!” Song Chan felt like she’d been granted a reprieve, turning to get her keys and open the door.
The door was old, and Song Chan struggled for a long time before finally managing to open it. Zhong Lingyu opened the door and went in first.
Then Song Chan seemed to hear a burst of unrestrained laughter coming from the opposite door.
Her lips trembled, she squatted down, and silently roared, burying her face in her hands.
Grandma’s floral lantern pants aren’t they cute?!
Song Chan wanted to redeem herself, rummaging through her closets to salvage her image today.
Then she discovered a painful truth.
She didn’t have any pretty clothes.
And she knew that herself, didn’t she?
She wore four sets of school uniforms every day of the year and was never caught during uniform checks. She seemed to be the most disciplined student in the entire school, the head of the moral education department’s most trusted protégé. But did she love wearing the uniform? No, Song Chan didn’t like wearing it at all. She wore it because she didn’t have any pretty clothes of her own and couldn’t afford to buy herself new ones; the uniform was her best form of camouflage.
That’s why Ran Jiayu and the others mocked her.
Song Chan sighed and pulled out the outfit she wore yesterday to greet her aunt; it looked decent enough.
After tying her hair up, she ran into Song Qing and was completely dumbfounded.
“What are you wearing?”
Admittedly, her younger brother Song Qing didn’t buy many clothes either. He didn’t have many in his closet, and his fashion sense was terrible—a short-sleeved shirt under a leather vest, red plaid harem pants with loafers.
She exclaimed confidently, “Sis, I feel so cool right now!”
Song Chan frantically pinched her philtrum, “Where’s my oxygen tank? Where’s my oxygen tank…?”
Zhong Xin and Zhong Cheng, sipping their yogurt, commented, “Uncle, if you showed your belly button, you’d be the coolest kid in town!”
Yuming Road, the most bustling commercial center in the entire city, boasts exorbitant property prices, every inch of land worth its weight in gold. Three major shopping malls stand hand in hand, swaggering around the plaza, displaying jewelry, clothing, and the latest fashion trends—enough to dazzle your eyes and leave your wallet in a bind.
Song Chan didn’t come to Yuming Road often. She and her brother shielded their heads from the glaring sunlight, craning their necks to look through the layers of buildings at the towering skyscrapers behind them.
“Zhong Lingyu, is this your family’s company building?”
Zhong Lingyu also looked up, “Yes… But the exterior needs a wash.”
It was unbearably hot outside, but once inside the mall, the air conditioning instantly revived them.
Looking at the brightly lit mall, Song Chan felt a little dizzy. “Zhong Xin, how much longer until we get to that café you mentioned?”
Zhong Xin: “We need to pass through the mall to get to the café. Look, isn’t that dress nice?”
Song Chan’s worst fear came true.
Before she could even react, Zhong Xin, cheering, pulled her into a clothing store.
Song Chan had encountered unfriendly sales staff before, and afterwards, she reflected on her behavior. She decided not to go in unless she was going to buy anything, afraid of causing trouble for others.
While Zhong Xin was picking out clothes, Song Chan kept wanting to leave. The wonderful aromatherapy, the dazzling interior, the exquisite window displays—it all felt overwhelming.
But Zhong Xin was too enthusiastic. Before Song Chan could even stammer out her objections, she was shoved into the fitting room and made to try on outfit after outfit.
Zhong Xin respected Song Chan’s opinion. When Song Chan shook her head, she led her away.
Zhong Lingyu and Zhong Cheng were waiting outside. Seeing Song Chan emerge, they asked with concern, “What’s wrong? Don’t you like it?”
Song Chan smiled wryly, “It’s not really suitable for me.”
Zhong Lingyu: “Then let’s go to the next one.”
Song Chan:!
After saying that, she and Zhong Cheng walked ahead, continuing their previous conversation. Song Qing occasionally chimed in with jokes, and the atmosphere was cheerful and relaxed. They displayed a rare patience and gentleness when accompanying a girl shopping.
Just as Song Chan was beginning to feel a sense of relief, Zhong Xin, like a newborn calf, rammed her headfirst into a new fashion store.
And so, Song Chan, who was bad at saying no, was led around an entire floor by Zhong Xin.
Her resistance to trying on clothes was subtly alleviated during this process.
Zhong Xin was wearing a very simple and ordinary short-sleeved shirt and trousers. Song Chan knew that what she was wearing wasn’t a high-end brand; she had even helped Zhong Xin pick it out online.
After trying on so many clothes, Zhong Xin hadn’t found anything she liked and hadn’t bought anything yet. However, recalling the expressions and demeanor of the sales staff, there was no sign of dislike.
Song Chan finally couldn’t help but ask, “We tried on so many clothes and didn’t buy anything. Won’t the staff be unhappy?”
Zhong Xin’s expression turned to shock.
Song Chan asked, puzzled, “What’s wrong?”
Zhong Xin shook her head. “Nothing, nothing…” She tightened her grip, forcing a smile. “You’re ashamed of shopping. If you don’t like the clothes, why pay for them? It’s their job to get clothes for customers to try on. And we didn’t intentionally increase their workload.”
“If you try on clothes and are looked down upon by the sales staff, then that staff member is depriving customers of their legitimate right to try on clothes.”
Song Chan: “Oh, I see.” ”
After hearing Zhong Xin’s explanation and recalling her experience, Song Chan realized that this was the situation that should have happened.
The sales clerk who had looked down on her for trying on clothes but not buying them was wrong.
In other words, the fault wasn’t hers.
While Song Chan remained silent, Zhong Xin also felt distressed.
Those words she’d just heard were actually told to her by her mother.
At the time, she was still young, playing a role-playing game with her friends. Her friend, playing a clothing store clerk, scolded little Zhong Xin, saying she’d be beaten for trying on clothes but not buying them. Little Zhong Xin took it seriously, and afterwards, when shopping with Song Chan, she was afraid to try on clothes in children’s clothing stores.
” After learning what had happened, Song Chan earnestly corrected Zhong Xin, saying exactly what she had just said.
Zhong Xin had always assumed her mother, Song Chan, was always such a gentle, insightful, and well-mannered person. Only now did Zhong Xin realize that her mother wasn’t born knowing everything. The transformation from a vulnerable child to a reliable adult requires a long and painful process.
Having experienced this, Zhong Xin was somewhat absent-minded for a long time.
Zhong Cheng noticed his sister’s unease and pulled her to the pizza shop. “What happened? Did you have a fight with Mom? I told you before we came that Mom’s style is different from yours. I don’t think Mom liked that floral dress. Why did you insist she try it on? Mom likes…”
Zhong Xin retorted angrily, “I know Mom likes simple white; you don’t need to repeat yourself so many times.” Then she told Zhong Cheng about her conversation with Song Chan.
Zhong Cheng breathed a sigh of relief: “That’s why Mom really raised us so well. She was afraid we’d be as hesitant and cautious as she used to be.” “We weren’t born confident; it’s all thanks to Mom that we have this confidence. The fact that you’ve realized this shows you’ve grown up, Zhong Xin.”
Zhong Xin, unusually, didn’t refute her brother’s lecture. “Song Chan is truly the best mom in the world. I suddenly miss the days when she was our mom.”
Outside the pizzeria stood a giant, lifelike cheese and durian pizza, just big enough to cover a person—Song Qing.
He had seen Zhong Xin and Zhong Cheng go to the pizzeria and, assuming they’d get pizza, had excitedly followed.
Then he saw this giant pizza.
Oh! Could it be real?! Let him verify it!
So Song Qing opened his mouth.
The moment he took a bite, this earth-shattering conversation reached Song Qing’s ears.
Mom? Song Chan?
What kind of ethical joke is this? His sister, Song Chan, is Zhong Xin and Zhong Cheng’s mom! Mom?
Then, Zhong Xin saw Zhong Lingyu ahead.
She waved excitedly: “Dad, I want pizza! Buy me some!” ”
Zhong Lingyu: “What flavor?”
Zhong Xin: “Hawaiian fruit pizza.”
Zhong Lingyu ordered the double pepper beef flavor without even looking up.
Zhong Xin was completely confused. Double pepper beef was Song Chan’s favorite flavor. She couldn’t help but complain: “…Wait, if you wanted to order Mom’s favorite, why did you ask me in the first place!?” ”
Song Qing, standing behind the giant pizza, was pale.
What happened? Why were Zhong Xin and Zhong Cheng secretly calling Song Chan “Mom” and Zhong Lingyu “Dad”? And Zhong Lingyu seemed completely unfazed.
This is terrifying!
Song Qing was clearly still reeling when she suddenly noticed Zhong Lingyu and Zhong Xin turning in her direction.
Something’s wrong, run!
Oh no, her teeth are stuck to the giant pizza, she can’t escape!