At the same time, Lin Zijin was undergoing a “soul interrogation” from her mother back home.
“Where is my daughter-in-law?”
“You said ‘in a while,’ and it’s been two months. At least let me see her!”
“Lin Zijin, did she dump you because she found you annoying?”
“Hubby, this girl isn’t answering me!”
Father Lin, sitting innocently on the sofa, put down his newspaper and looked at his daughter. “Zijin, answer your mother.”
Lin Zijin sighed helplessly. “Mom, I told you, she’s filming on set. she hasn’t come back yet.”
“Then why did you mention it so early?” Mother Lin glared at her. “Intentionally making me wait for two months?”
“I was trying to give you time to prepare mentally.” Lin Zijin felt truly victimized. “Besides, I wasn’t planning on saying anything so soon; you’re the one who found out.”
She never expected that after finding out about Yun Ni, her mother would ask “Is my daughter-in-law back yet?” every single day. After two months, Lin Zijin’s ears were practically growing calluses.
“You’re grown up now; Mom can’t tell you anything anymore.” Mother Lin suddenly sighed, pulled out a handkerchief from nowhere, and covered her face. “Now you’re even blaming Mom for being talkative. Sob, sob, sob…“
If it weren’t for the exaggerated “sobbing,” Lin Zijin might have actually believed it. She looked at her father: Aren’t you going to do something about your wife?
Father Lin winked back: You know who’s the boss in this house.
Spineless.
Lin Zijin clicked her tongue. Just then, her phone vibrated. She pointed to the phone for her father’s benefit and quietly slipped away. Once she was gone, Father Lin spoke up. “Honey, stop crying, Zijin left.”
Mother Lin immediately dropped the handkerchief. Her exquisite makeup wasn’t smudged at all, let alone showing a single tear. “Where did she go?”
“Taking a call.”
“Then I’ll continue in a bit.” Mother Lin popped a cherry into her mouth. But before she could spit out the pit, she saw her daughter turning back. Startled, she tried to swallow, realized it was the pit, and tried to stop midway.
“Cough, cough, cough—!“
Lin Zijin’s expression wasn’t great after the call. Seeing her mother in distress, she rushed over. “What happened?”
Father Lin was patting her back. “Honey, what’s wrong?”
Mother Lin pointed at the cherries. Only then did they realize she was choking. Lin Zijin got behind her mother and gave her a firm thwack on the back.
Ptooey!
The pit flew out. Mother Lin coughed violently for a while before finally settling down. Father Lin handed her a glass of water, fussing, “Drink slowly, don’t choke again.”
Seeing her mother was fine, Lin Zijin sat back down. “Mom, you’re a grown woman. How do you choke on a cherry?”
“It’s all because of you!” Mother Lin shifted the blame instantly. “When I was choking, only one thought flashed through my mind.”
Lin Zijin didn’t take the bait.
Mother Lin looked at her husband. Father Lin cooperated: “What thought?”
“I thought, I haven’t even met my daughter-in-law yet, how can I lose to a cherry pit?” She looked pointedly at Lin Zijin and sighed deeply. “Ah, my daughter-in-law…”
Lin Zijin shook her head and stood up. “I’m leaving G City for a few days.”
“When?”
“I booked a flight for two hours from now.”
Mother Lin was shocked. “It’s so late! If it’s a business trip, can’t it wait until tomorrow?”
Lin Zijin shook her head. “It’s not business. I’m going to bring your daughter-in-law back.”
Upon hearing this, Mother Lin changed her tune instantly. “Then hurry up and pack! Don’t bother coming back if you don’t bring her with you.”
Lin Zijin: “…” Am I even the biological child here?
She headed upstairs to pack. Until her back disappeared, the smile on Mother Lin’s face didn’t fade for a second.
“Hubby, what gift should we give her when she comes for dinner? By the way, do you still have the contact for the designer who did my wedding ring and dress? I’ll have her prepare a few sets for them.”
Father Lin looked at his enthusiastic wife and silently lit a candle in his heart for his daughter.
Buzz, buzz—
Mother Lin heard a vibration. Realizing it wasn’t her phone, she looked at her husband. “Hubby, is that yours?”
“Not mine.”
They looked at the coffee table. “It must be Zijin’s.” Mother Lin picked it up. She intended to take it to her, but seeing the caller ID, she beamed and showed it to Father Lin like a prize. “Look at this girl. Not even married and she has her saved as ‘Wife.’ She’s terrified people won’t know.”
Father Lin beamed with pride. “She takes after me.”
Mother Lin rolled her eyes and answered the call.
“She’s probably looking for Zijin. Honey, is this a good idea?”
“Shh!” Mother Lin signaled for silence. Just as she was about to introduce herself, she heard Yun Ni’s voice on the other end: “President Lin?”
Mother Lin: “…” That’s a bit of an odd way to address your ‘wife,’ isn’t it?
“President Lin?” Yun Ni asked again when there was no response.
“Miss Yun Ni, is it?”
The female voice was entirely unfamiliar. Yun Ni checked her phone—the contact definitely said Lin Zijin. “Yes… may I ask who this is?”
“I am Zijin’s mother.”
Mother?
Yun Ni stood up in shock. “Mom!” She immediately shook her head. “No, no, no! I mean… Hello, Auntie.”
Lin Mother couldn’t stop her laughter. “It’s fine to call me Mom. We’re all family anyway, the title doesn’t matter.”
Yun Ni raised an eyebrow. Family? Just what on earth has Lin Zijin been telling them?
She wanted to probe further, but Mother Lin continued, “Xiao Ni—you don’t mind if I call you Xiao Ni, right? What do you think of Zijin? My daughter is a bit cold, her EQ is a bit low, and she’s a bit too blunt sometimes…”
The more Yun Ni listened, the more confused she felt. Why was Auntie Lin trashing her own daughter? She quickly interrupted: “Auntie, President Lin isn’t—”
“Wait, Xiao Ni, what did you call her? President Lin?”
“Auntie, you misheard,” Yun Ni corrected instantly. “I said Zijin isn’t as bad as you say. She might be a bit cold, but she’s very good to me. She always helps me out behind the scenes.”
“I didn’t expect you to notice that. It seems you understand my daughter quite deeply.” Mother Lin pivoted. “Since you understand her so well, when do you plan to get married?”
“Huh?” Yun Ni couldn’t keep up with Auntie Lin’s jumping logic.
“Should Zijin’s father and I start preparing the rings and the wedding dress—”
In the background, Yun Ni heard Lin Zijin’s voice: “Mom, have you seen my phone?”
“Xiao Ni, think about what I said. Bye for now!”
Yun Ni wanted to explain they weren’t at that stage yet, but the line went dead. Soon, Lin Zijin called back.
“Zijin?” Yun Ni tested tentatively, worried it was still Auntie Lin.
“Not calling me ‘President Lin’ anymore?”
Hearing it was definitely Zijin, Yun Ni teased, “President Lin, is something the matter?”
“What did my mother say?”
Remembering Auntie Lin’s enthusiasm, Yun Ni wisely lied. “Nothing at all.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
“Good. My mom is spoiled by my dad; she has a bit of a childish temper and keeps nagging me to find a daughter-in-law. When I used my dad’s friend to help with your accident, she got it into her head that there’s something between us.”
Yun Ni didn’t believe a word of it. If it were just a suspicion, would she be talking about designing wedding dresses? But she didn’t expose the lie. Instead, she played along. “Then Auntie’s misunderstanding is quite deep. You should probably explain things to her, President Lin.”
“Explain what?”
“Our relationship, of course.” Yun Ni smiled, her eyes full of mischief. “After all, didn’t you say you don’t like me? It must be quite troublesome to be misunderstood like that.”
Lin Zijin knew she was being teased about her previous rejection and apologized with a headache. Yun Ni moved on to a serious topic: “President Lin, could I ask you for a favor? I need you to find someone.”
“Who?”
“Zhang Lingyu.” Yun Ni explained the night’s events, omitting the fact that it happened outside a lesbian bar.
But Lin Zijin was already informed. “I heard about that. But as far as I know, this happened outside a certain… lesbian bar?”
Yun Ni, flustered, pulled the phone away. “Hello? Hello? The signal is bad, President Lin, I’m hanging up!”
Back in G City, Lin Zijin looked at her phone, now even more determined to catch the flight and “settle the score” with Yun Ni.
The next morning, Yun Ni opened her door to go hiking with Tao Ningchu and jumped in fright. Finding Lin Zijin sleeping outside her door, she reflexively took a few photos before waking her up.
“President Lin? Why are you here?”
Lin Zijin blinked, her eyes focusing on Yun Ni. She grabbed Yun Ni’s wrist. “To settle the score.”
Yun Ni diverted her. “Get up first. Why didn’t you get a room? Why did the staff let you sleep here?”
“The hotel is full.” Lin Zijin looked uncharacteristically disheveled.
“Why didn’t you go elsewhere?”
“Didn’t want to.” Lin Zijin grabbed her luggage and followed Yun Ni inside. “I thought about waking you, but I knew you just finished filming and needed sleep.” She remembered her mother’s advice: be thick-skinned to chase your crush.
Yun Ni felt a brief pang of sympathy, but realized Lin Zijin was already moving in. “President Lin, you’re not planning to stay here, are you?”
“It’s the holiday season; everything is booked. I’ll just sleep on the sofa for a couple of days. I won’t bother you.”
Yun Ni knew she was being played, but she couldn’t kick her out. “Fine. Get some sleep. I’m going hiking with Xiao Chu.”
Lin Zijin froze. “Hiking? Just the two of you?”
“Who else?”
“I think three is a better number.” Lin Zijin was suddenly wide awake. “Give me an hour to wash up.”
After a few days of playing the “third wheel,” Tao Ningchu wisely bowed out of the activities. Eventually, Yun Ni returned to G City. She spent her days as a “shut-in,” researching new things and practicing calligraphy, waiting for the day she might go out and set up a street stall.
Time slipped away until Tao Ningchu called her about the wrap party for the drama.
The night of the party, Yun Ni wore a stunning red slip dress that accentuated her curves, her eyes bright and alluring. At the party, Director Zhou introduced them to a friend, Lin Rubing—a famous director known for award-winning films. While Tao was starstruck, Yun Ni remained polite but distant.
Later, the celebration turned to toasts. Yun Ni’s glass went missing, so Tao grabbed a fresh one for her.
“To Director Zhou, may your ratings soar!” Yun Ni said, draining her glass as was polite when the Director finished his.
But a moment later, the world tilted. A sudden, unnatural heat surged through her body. It wasn’t the feeling of being drunk; it was the unmistakable effect of a drug.
“Let’s go back,” Yun Ni whispered, her legs turning weak.
Tao Ningchu, noticing her flushed face and distress, supported her. “The crew has rooms here for resting. I’ll get the key.”
Yun Ni nodded, pinching her thigh hard to stay conscious. Tao soon returned with a room card and helped her away from the banquet hall.