Xu Chuanjin, I Never Wanted to Be Your Sister-in-Law…
“Who’s out there! Let me out!”
“The villa is covered in surveillance cameras. Let me out and I won’t press charges, but once I check the footage, you’re dead!”
“You little brat, let your father out!!”
No one responded. Chuan Jin pressed her ear against the door, listening for any movement outside, but only distant laughter and conversation from the banquet hall reached her.
She had never encountered such absurdity in her life. Chuan Jin let out a cold laugh and pulled out her phone to call Xu Mianchuan.
“Just wait. Once I get out and review the footage, I’ll skin you alive.”
“Beep—beep—”
The call connected quickly, but aside from the repeated ringing, no one answered. Xu Mianchuan seemed busy, too preoccupied to pick up even with the phone right beside her.
Just as Chuan Jin attempted the call for the third time, footsteps echoed outside the door again. She locked her phone and pressed her ear against the iron door.
The footsteps halted outside the warehouse. On the other side of the door, someone grabbed the handle. Chuan Jin quickly seized the inner handle and pulled inward. Both sides exerted force simultaneously, and the iron door easily cracked open a sliver. Before she could rejoice, the person outside suddenly pulled again with renewed strength.
“Hey, hey, hey??”
The force was too strong. Chuan Jin was yanked off balance and tumbled to the ground, her phone flying out of her hand and tracing an arc through the air. In the brief flash of the camera light, the figure of the newcomer was illuminated.
A silver-gray suit, tall and broad-shouldered, with a strikingly handsome yet sharp face.
It was actually Zhou Lincan.
Chuan Jin lay on the ground, groaning in pain. “President Zhou, why is it you?”
Zhou Lincan picked up her phone and, using the light, helped her sit up. “Are you hurt?”
Chuan Jin leaned on his hand to stand, but the moment she moved her foot, she let out a sharp cry. “Ah! It hurts, my foot really hurts!”
A piercing pain spread through her entire ankle, and cold sweat instantly broke out on her forehead.
Zhou Lincan crouched down, supporting the girl’s upper body against his chest. With his left hand holding the light, he used his right hand to lift the hem of her dress.
Chuan Jin bit her lower lip and looked down with him.
Her left ankle was flushed red and visibly more swollen than before. Earlier, she could still drag her foot to walk, but now even the slightest movement made her grit her teeth in agony.
Frustrated and in pain, Chuan Jin felt utterly wronged, her eyes reddening completely.
[Whoever did this, I curse you to forever encounter traffic jams when driving! Never get a first-class seat on a flight! Only stand on high-speed trains without a seat! Go crawl to your destination!!]
A low chuckle sounded above her head. Chuan Jin flared up, “You’re laughing?! It’s all your fault, Zhou Lincan, with your brute strength! Why did you have to pull so hard?!”
Warm breath brushed against her neck, damp and ticklish. Zhou Lincan didn’t argue, only sighed helplessly. “My fault. You can scold me later. The floor is cold; let me carry you up first.”
“Huh? Carry me?”
Before Chuan Jin could process it, one of his arms slid under her knees, lifting her horizontally into his arms. She gasped in surprise, her hands clutching tightly at his collar.
Zhou Lincan set her down on a discarded wooden table and crouched to examine her injured ankle. “Does it hurt badly?”
Her calf dangled in the air as he gently touched the injured area, careful not to apply pressure, only brushing the edges of the redness and swelling.
“Yes, it hurts even more when I move.”
The man frowned, his expression serious as if deeply concerned. Chuan Jin was momentarily taken aback. “By the way, President Zhou, why did you come to the warehouse yard?”
Zhou Lincan replied calmly, “I stepped out to sober up and wandered around. I happened to hear someone shouting from this direction, so I came to check what was happening.”
In truth, Miss Xu’s scolding had been so forceful that her thoughts had pierced through the entire banquet hall and reached his ears.
After finishing his examination, Zhou Lincan stood up, placing his phone face down on the table. The flashlight reflected off the warehouse ceiling, illuminating the space around them. “The injury is quite severe. I’ll take you to the hospital right away.”
Seated on the table, Chuan Jin was at eye level with him. Zhou Lincan stood very close, and she could once again catch the distinct scent of his cologne.
She pursed her lips. “A-again? Carrying me?”
Zhou Lincan asked composedly, “Does Miss Xu mind?”
Chuan Jin averted her gaze. “…Not really.”
With her response, Zhou Lincan didn’t hesitate. He lifted her into his arms with the same ease as before, his movements so gentle that Chuan Jin didn’t even feel a jolt in her injured ankle.
Clutching the lapel of his suit, she added softly, “Don’t tell my sister.”
“Why not?”
[Of course because you’re my brother-in-law]
Chuan Jin said, “Naturally, I don’t want her to worry.”
Zhou Lincan replied, “With an injury this serious, she’d have to be blind not to notice.”
“Don’t worry about that. I’ll find a way to explain it to her.”
[As long as she doesn’t know you were here, it’s fine]
Zhou Lincan paused in front of the iron door.
[But if sister finds out Zhou Lincan rescued me, might she think well of him and develop feelings? Now that I think about it, that might not be so bad. Tch, should I tell her or not? Such a dilemma… Huh? Why did he stop?]
“What’s wrong?”
Chuan Jin snapped back to attention. Zhou Lincan was staring at the door handle, his gaze indifferent, his face frozen in a frosty expression.
Accustomed to his warm and gentle smiles, the sudden shift in his demeanor startled her. “W-what’s wrong?”
“Someone locked the door.”
“What?”
Two seconds later, “What???”
Zhou Lincan set her down, supporting her waist with one hand while testing the door with the other.
The iron door only opened a crack. Balancing on one foot, half her weight leaning against Zhou Lincan, Chuan Jin peered through the gap and saw a heavy padlock firmly securing the handles from the outside.
“Wait, didn’t you remove the lock when you came in earlier?” Chuan Jin exclaimed.
Zhou Lincan explained, “There was no lock when I entered. The door was just stuck—it opened with a hard push.”
Chuan Jin’s mind reeled. “What did you say?”
If the door hadn’t been locked earlier, then whose footsteps had she heard? And who had locked it now? If it was the same person, did that mean someone had been waiting outside all along?
The thought of unknown possibilities made Chuan Jin tremble uncontrollably.
Zhou Lincan steadied her and carried her back to the wooden table. “Someone must have followed me and locked it while I was examining your foot. There was no one here when I arrived. My apologies.”
He looked remorseful. Miss Xu had been in too much pain, and his concern had distracted him from noticing the surrounding thoughts.
Chuan Jin shook her head, her tone icy. “It’s not your fault. We need to get out quickly. My sister isn’t answering her phone—can you try calling someone else?”
At that moment, even without reading her mind, Zhou Lincan could feel her fury. Without another word, he took out his phone.
After several attempts with no one picking up, Chuan Jin asked, “Who are you calling?”
Zhou Lincan: “Wei Chi.”
[That violent maniac again? Why does he have so much screen time too?]
“He’s with President Xu. His phone is never on silent. Just keep calling and he’ll answer.”
Chuan Jin became alert: “He was with my sister when you came out??”
“Mm.”
[Dammit, is this guy playing dirty behind my back and hitting on my sister??]
Zhou Lincan’s fingers paused. There was no need to use the term “hitting on.” Although Wei Chi was rough around the edges, he knew his boundaries.
“You don’t seem to like him.”
Chuan Jin laughed twice: “No, no, not at all.”
“Then why are you against him being with your sister?”
Chuan Jin frowned and reminded him: “When did he ever get together with my sister? Watch your wording.”
Zhou Lincan looked at her.
Chuan Jin felt uncomfortable under his gaze and looked away. “It’s not that I dislike him, I just don’t want him as my brother-in-law.”
Zhou Lincan continued dialing with his head down. “Wei Chi values relationships, cherishes his family. He’s definitely a good man.”
Chuan Jin retorted: “But he’s violent! If my sister ends up with him, she’ll definitely get hurt!”
How is that any different from marrying a domestic abuser like Zheng Jingyuan!
“By violence, do you mean physical harm? Wei Chi might be somewhat rough in his actions, but he’s absolutely restrained. His fists would never be turned against someone he loves.” Zhou Lincan took the phone away from his ear and typed quickly with one hand. “On the contrary, if your sister marries someone who doesn’t love her, she’ll likely suffer verbal abuse, even emotional neglect in the future. Don’t you think that would hurt your sister too?”
After finishing, Zhou Lincan locked his screen, put the phone back in his suit pocket, and quietly watched her.
Chuan Jin was still in shock, not noticing his movements. After a long pause, she asked blankly: “Are you trying to matchmake them?”
Zhou Lincan: “They’re actually very compatible.”
Wei Chi was stubborn – once he set his mind on something, he’d never change, whether it was hatred or love. Xu Mianchuan had a very stable core personality. Someone like her could perfectly keep Wei Chi in check.
“Then… what about you?”
Chuan Jin grew anxious, leaning forward to ask urgently: “What do you think of my sister? She’s really great, actually you two could also—”
“Xu Chuanjin.”
In the darkness, Zhou Lincan abruptly cut her off.
“I never once considered becoming your brother-in-law.”