Lin Miaomiao grew angrier the more she thought about it. Although she had bullied him, she had secretly made amends after learning the truth—sending him food, apologizing, trying to win his favor…
Yet he only remembered her malicious side, never her kindness.
Lin Miaomiao wiped her tears fiercely. Did he think she felt any better?
After leaving, she heard he was about to return to the city. She had secretly gone back to see him, wondering if the events in the novel were all lies.
She clung to a sliver of hope.
But then she overheard his city friend say to him:
“You’re not treating her as Lin Miaoyu’s substitute, are you? Come to think of it, even their names are so similar. But her conditions are so poor, and she’s illiterate…”
Only then did Lin Miaomiao realize she was not just the malicious ex-wife but also the substitute for his childhood sweetheart, the female lead.
No wonder he hadn’t refused her when they married.
After marriage, he even forced her to learn to read, study books, and do arithmetic…
He said she was clever and wanted to take her to the city, send her to university. She was overjoyed.
He went to great lengths to coax her into studying, only because he wanted to mold her into a substitute for his outstanding childhood sweetheart.
During moments of entanglement and passion, he called her name, called her “wife”—all those intimate terms were meant for someone else.
Lin Miaomiao felt disgusted.
At that moment, her heart completely broke.
The pregnancy period was the hardest. She had just entered the factory, working three shifts with irregular hours.
Unaware and inexperienced, she thought her missed period was due to acclimatization—as long as she didn’t die, it was fine.
Later, she fainted and found out she was pregnant. The doctor prescribed many medications and injections.
She vomited while taking the medicine and lost a lot of weight during that time.
The place she worked at before was just a small processing factory, with no holidays to speak of. The unscrupulous boss treated them like workhorses.
Even with a big belly, she had to work night shifts.
The baby was born prematurely, less than eight months into the pregnancy.
It was then that her parents told her she was actually from the city.
Her older brothers from the city came to take her home, so she no longer had to share a dormitory with ten people.
She hadn’t wanted this child, but the doctor said it was discovered too late.
If it had been found earlier, an abortion would have been possible. But she had neglected her health, and both the baby and her body were in a very poor state.
If she had an abortion, she might never be able to bear children again and could even lose her uterus…
Thinking about all she had endured, she didn’t blame the male lead—only herself for being unable to resist his good looks.
After all, she was the one who couldn’t control herself.
She deserved it.
But this job—she really didn’t want to lose it.
Lin Miaomiao knew better than anyone how hard it was to get a good factory job.
This job of hers was only possible because her eldest brother had pulled strings to get her an interview.
And that was just a small assembly line position.
It could be sold for a thousand yuan.
Let alone an accountant position.
To just give it up—she couldn’t do it.
Lin Miaomiao carried a pile of books home, unaware that someone on the second floor of the factory was watching her retreating figure.
Her eldest brother hadn’t returned from work yet.
Sister-in-law was in the living room cracking melon seeds, spitting shells all over the floor. A Bao was holding a broom taller than himself, sweeping nearby.
Lin Miaomiao hurried over. “A Bao, let Mommy sweep.”
It wasn’t strange for her son to be sweeping the floor—she sometimes taught him to do a bit of housework.
However, for some reason, this scene made her uncomfortable.
Her gaze swept across the room, but she didn’t see Sister-in-law’s so-called cousin.
“Miaomiao is back.”
Seeing her, Liu Huihui finally stopped eating sunflower seeds. Lin Miaomiao took the broom from her son, swept the sunflower seed shells on the floor into the trash can, and pushed the trash can in front of Sister-in-law.
“Sister-in-law, if you want to eat, spit into the trash can.”
Liu Huihui’s eyes flickered, and she said with a smile, “Look at me—I’m pregnant and too lazy to take a few steps.”
Lin Miaomiao didn’t say anything. Before Sister-in-law got pregnant, she had been quite decent to her. After becoming pregnant, Lin Miaomiao had also proactively taken on most of the household chores, including cooking.
She hadn’t expected Sister-in-law to become a completely different person after getting pregnant, finding fault with everything.
Seeing her reminded Lin Miaomiao of her plan to find a place to move out. But after being scolded at the factory today and dealing with the assessment, she had actually forgotten about it.
She felt irritated but held it in, carrying her books into her room.
As soon as she turned on the light, she saw a man lying on her bed. Lin Miaomiao screamed in fright.
Only then did she realize that the person sprawled boldly on her bed was none other than her sister-in-law’s cousin, Liu Hang.
Awakened by the noise, Liu Hang looked annoyed. “What’s all the shouting? Can’t you see I’m resting?”
Lin Miaomiao snapped back to reality, and a surge of anger rose within her.
Normally, when she wasn’t home, A Bao stayed in the room. She had wondered why he was in the living room today—it turned out the room had been taken over.
The clean room, aside from being stuffy, now carried an unbearable stench of sweat.
Lin Miaomiao felt disgusted. Her face darkened as she shouted angrily, “Who told you to sleep on my bed? Get out! Get out now!”
Liu Hang was fully awake now. “Lin Miaomiao, what are you yelling about? I’m just sleeping on your bed for a bit. This is my sister’s house—I can sleep wherever I want! Who are you to tell me to get out?”
His voice was even louder than Lin Miaomiao’s. Liu Huihui rushed over and, seeing Lin Miaomiao’s angry expression, quickly explained, “Miaomiao, I’m sorry. It was noisy outside during the day, and it wouldn’t have been good to let Xiao Hang sleep in the living room, so I let him rest in your room. You wouldn’t mind such a small thing, would you? We’re all family—don’t be angry.”
“How dare you let him into my room without my permission? If you don’t mind, why didn’t you let him into your room?”
Lin Miaomiao couldn’t hold back any longer, but seeing her child frightened, she restrained herself from losing her temper.
“It’s because I’m pregnant and need to rest in my room at any time. Your room was empty—what’s wrong with letting him rest for a while? You’re being too petty.”
Liu Huihui began to turn the tables.
“Exactly, you’re so stingy. No man would like a woman as petty as you.”
Lin Miaomiao looked at Liu Huihui and said coldly, “Sister-in-law, this is your home, but it’s also mine. If you let him into my room again, I won’t be polite!”
With that, she kicked the door shut.
Liu Huihui’s face darkened.
Liu Hang remained indifferent.
Lin Miaomiao suppressed her anger and looked at A Bao. She rarely lost her temper, and A Bao was frightened. If it weren’t for the child being present, Lin Miaomiao might have really taken action.
She held her son close, her heart aching unbearably. She had thought that if Sister-in-law couldn’t tolerate her, she would simply move out. But now, she was about to lose her job, and the future she and A Bao had was no longer secure. On top of that, Sister-in-law had brought in some cousin to make things even more unpleasant.
For a moment, she felt utterly powerless. On one hand, this was her home, but on the other, it was also Sister-in-law’s home.
She was only here because of a verbal promise from her parents, but the house had always belonged to her elder brother and Sister-in-law.