Ye Zixuan and Zhou Shuyi quietly ate their meals, not daring to say much, afraid that they might accidentally cause more trouble.
Seeing this, Zhou Wangzheng also remained silent, while Shen Biyun was even more afraid to speak.
After dinner, Chu Xiao stood up to take his leave, and Zhou Wangzheng and his family escorted him to the door.
After Chu Xiao left, Zhou Wangzheng’s expression instantly darkened. He turned to Ye Shiyao and said, “What happened to you today? You couldn’t even handle a Luo Keke! You even embarrassed yourself in front of Chu Xiao. You’re completely useless! If you still can’t win Chu Xiao’s heart, don’t blame me for being ruthless and letting Luo Keke take your place.”
Ye Shiyao said aggrievedly, “Dad, please don’t. I didn’t expect her to behave like this today. She used to be very obedient. But don’t worry, I’ll make sure this never happens again.”
Shen Biyun also said from the side, “Hmph, that little slut is becoming more and more brazen lately. We need to find a way to teach her a proper lesson.”
“Don’t. Don’t go causing any more trouble for me,” Zhou Wangzheng warned. “Shiyao’s job hasn’t been officially secured yet, and we can’t delay her marriage to Chu Xiao any longer. The situation is getting increasingly tense lately. We need to quickly establish a connection with the Chu family and have them find a way to take us to Hong Kong.”
Ye Shiyao gritted her teeth, a vicious glint flashing in her eyes.
“Dad, just wait and see. I’ll make sure Luo Keke obediently does as she’s told and stops causing trouble for us. More importantly, I’ll firmly win Chu Xiao’s heart.”
Zhou Wangzheng snorted. “It had better be that way. You know our current situation isn’t exactly favorable. Although that girl Luo Keke is in our hands, she is still the legitimate bloodline of the Luo family. Besides, when the old man was alive, he had a group of brothers. Those old fellows are all still in good health and aren’t going to die anytime soon. Any one of them would be enough to cause us serious trouble.
“If they ever find out how we’ve been treating her, we’ll be in deep trouble. So, no matter what, you must win Chu Xiao’s heart. Once that happens, we’ll send Luo Keke off to the countryside, and everything will be settled…”
Ye Shiyao’s eyes flickered as countless plans rapidly formed in her mind. However, she responded firmly, “Dad, don’t worry. I understand how important and urgent this is.
“I’ll do everything I can to win Brother Chu’s heart. Once the matter with the job is settled, I’ll immediately go to the Chu family and hint to Uncle and Aunt Chu that they should come over ahead of time. By then, even if Brother Chu doesn’t agree, there’ll be nothing he can do.”
“Good. Then we’ll wait until you get the job before making further arrangements…” Zhou Wangzheng made the final decision.
The following morning, the first warm rays of autumn sunlight quietly streamed through the window, gently falling across Luo Keke’s bed.
She slowly opened her eyes, her consciousness gradually returning. Yet everything still felt dreamlike and unreal.
Since unexpectedly traveling through time the previous morning, Luo Keke had been caught in a complicated whirlpool of events.
Although she had gradually turned her difficult situation around through her intelligence and determination, and everything was quietly developing in a better direction, she knew that a tough battle awaited her today.
Ye Shiyao had coveted her job for a long time, but how could Luo Keke possibly let her have her way so easily?
This morning, she was determined to have an exciting battle of wits with Ye Shiyao and her mother.
At the thought of this, a determined glint flashed in Luo Keke’s eyes. She quickly threw off the covers and got out of bed.
She was just about to slip into her space to wash up and find something to eat when a knock suddenly sounded at the door.
The crisp knocking echoed through the quiet room, sounding particularly abrupt.
She frowned slightly, wondering who it could be.
When she opened the door, Luo Keke was genuinely surprised to see Shen Biyun standing outside.
Shen Biyun wore a seemingly affectionate smile that concealed ulterior motives as she said to Luo Keke, “Keke, hurry up and get dressed. Come downstairs for breakfast. After breakfast, the three of us will go to the hospital together and take care of the transfer of your job…”
Luo Keke sneered inwardly, but remained expressionless on the surface.
“Okay, Mom. I’ll come down shortly…”
Luo Keke closed the door, a mocking curve appearing at the corner of her lips.
You want my job? Keep dreaming!
Still, she quickly washed up and then chose a set of clothes from her space that matched the style of the era while still looking elegant and refined. Only then did she leisurely head downstairs.
When she arrived in the dining room, Zhou Wangzheng, Shen Biyun, Ye Shiyao, Ye Zixuan, and Zhou Shuyi were already seated.
The dining table was filled with soy milk, steamed buns, millet porridge, milk, fried dough sticks, and there was even bird’s nest…
When Ye Shiyao saw Luo Keke coming downstairs in an elegant and simple outfit, a flash of surprise and jealousy appeared in her eyes. She quickly replaced it with a fake smile.
“Little sister, you finally came down. We’ve all been waiting for you.”
Luo Keke smiled faintly without responding. She simply sat down and began eating breakfast.
Shen Biyun watched her from the side, feeling somewhat displeased. But thinking about today’s plan, she forcibly suppressed her irritation and said, “Keke, after we transfer your job today, your father, I, your sister, and your brothers are going out for a while. You’ll have to stay home and look after the house!”
They’re all going out? What is Shen Biyun planning?
Luo Keke was somewhat surprised, but then another thought occurred to her.
She had been looking for an opportunity to reclaim the property that belonged to the Luo family. Could this be a gift from heaven?
“Dad, Mom, are you going to leave me home alone? What if someone from the Educated Youth Office comes? What am I supposed to tell them?” Luo Keke pretended to look frightened.
“Keke, it’s not that your mother and I are being heartless and leaving you home alone. It’s just that we have something urgent to take care of back in our hometown of Suzhou.”
Zhou Wangzheng spoke with a completely matter-of-fact expression, not feeling that there was anything wrong with what he was saying.
“If someone from the Educated Youth Office comes to pressure you, just tell them that your fiancé is in the countryside and that you were already planning to go to the countryside to marry him. That way, they’ll have no reason to make things difficult for you.”
A wave of disgust rose in Luo Keke’s heart, but her expression remained calm.
“Dad, if that’s the case, then it’s quite simple.
“Give me another two thousand ration coupons, along with the marriage certificate for the engagement my mother arranged between me and the Xiao family back then. And while we’re at it, let’s write a severance agreement cutting off our family relationship. That way, we can ensure that you won’t be implicated by me in the future.
“If someone from the Educated Youth Office really comes to pressure me, I can simply take these documents and go to the Xiao family in the countryside to fulfill the marriage.”
The moment Zhou Wangzheng heard this, his expression became extremely ugly, and a flash of anger appeared in his eyes.
“Luo Keke, I can give you the marriage certificate your mother arranged for you, and I can sign the severance agreement with you. But you can’t ask for any more ration coupons. The ten thousand yuan you already have is more than enough to support you in the countryside for many years.”
Luo Keke sneered inwardly, but on the surface, she put on an extremely aggrieved expression.
“Dad, that’s not fair. You’re asking me to go to the countryside and marry someone just to deal with the Educated Youth Office. But if I only have money and no ration coupons, how am I supposed to buy food after I go there? If I can’t buy food, how am I supposed to survive?
“And besides, I’m doing this for your sake too, aren’t I? Once you cut ties with me, a capitalist’s daughter, you’ll have far less risk to worry about in the future.
“So, just treat these two thousand ration coupons as compensation for me. From now on, whether I live or die in the countryside will have nothing to do with you anymore. Wouldn’t that be a win-win situation for everyone?”