“Ah?”
Mo Ling stared at her in disbelief, her eyes wide.
“So you’re saying you’d never met before? You didn’t know each other at all?” Her second brother was fairly well-known in W City, so she was surprised that Qin Ruoyao had never heard of him.
People still got married after blind dates these days?
“No, we didn’t know each other,” Qin Ruoyao explained. “I went abroad to study after my senior year of high school and only came back last month after finishing my master’s degree.”
She didn’t think there was anything wrong with an arranged marriage. In fact, if she had to find someone on her own, she might never get married at all. She was afraid of ending up with the wrong person.
“Then you’re really brave! You married my second brother without even knowing him!” Mo Ling wanted to applaud her courage.
“What else was there to know?” Qin Ruoyao tilted her head curiously. “Wasn’t I told that he comes from a good family and lives a clean, disciplined life?”
“Of course he does!” Mo Ling hurried to reassure her. “I mean, you didn’t know whether he’d dated anyone before, or how many girlfriends he’d had.”
“How many?” Qin Ruoyao asked curiously. She knew about one ex-girlfriend from the novel, but she didn’t know if there had been others.
Mo Ling froze.
Oh no. Did I just mess up? What do I do now? Someone save me!
“No! Second Sister-in-law, only one. Really! I swear!”
She raised three fingers solemnly.
If her second brother found out she’d accidentally driven his wife away, she’d be doomed.
Qin Ruoyao burst into laughter.
Her smile was dazzling and captivating.
She found Mo Ling absolutely adorable.
“All right, it’s fine. Don’t be nervous. I don’t care about the past. As long as he treats me well from now on, that’s enough.”
“Second Sister-in-law, you’re so pretty.”
Mo Ling stared at her in amazement.
Her sister-in-law was unbelievably beautiful.
Unable to resist, she leaned closer and gently touched Qin Ruoyao’s cheek.
“How do you take care of your skin? It’s so fair and smooth—I can’t even see your pores!”
Just then, Mo Junlin walked over and stopped in his tracks.
His expression darkened instantly.
Was his sister taking advantage of his wife?
Seeing him approach, Mo Ling immediately withdrew her hand like a mouse spotting a cat and sat up straight.
“Second Brother, you’re here.”
Mo Junlin raised an eyebrow.
Had his family’s little songbird done something wrong? Why was she being so quiet?
After a moment’s thought, he decided to let it slide. Eating lunch was more important, especially since his wife had been tired all morning.
“It’s time to eat,” he said to the two women. “Let’s go.”
Qin Ruoyao had grown quite fond of Mo Ling. She appreciated the girl’s straightforward personality and wasn’t bothered by her impulsiveness.
Smiling, she linked arms with Mo Ling as they walked toward the dining room, continuing their earlier conversation.
Mo Junlin looked at the two women ahead of him, then down at the hand he’d instinctively reached out.
Left behind, he could only follow after them helplessly.
After lunch, it was time for everyone to rest.
Qin Ruoyao followed Mo Junlin to his residence within the estate.
Lin Meng happily held her daughter-in-law’s hand as they walked in front, while the two men trailed behind.
Father Mo was a man of few words. Though he appeared stern, there was warmth in his eyes.
The distance wasn’t far, and they reached the house in less than two minutes.
Mo Junlin lived on the third floor of the same building as Mo Haoran.
Once they arrived, the elders told the young couple to get some rest.
Watching them head upstairs, Father and Mother Mo returned to their own room.
Father Mo looked at his wife.
“You’ve been smiling all day. Are you really that happy?”
“What? Aren’t you happy that our son got married?” Lin Meng shot him a look.
“Of course I am. I’m just not as excited as you are,” he replied helplessly.
“Old Mo, just think about it. Our son is handsome, and our daughter-in-law is gorgeous. Just imagine how beautiful our grandchildren will be!”
At the thought alone, Mother Mo couldn’t stop smiling.
When the time came, she would definitely show them off everywhere.
“What if it’s a granddaughter?” Father Mo interrupted her daydream.
“Tsk.”
Mother Mo rolled her eyes.
“I’d love a granddaughter too. I’m not someone who favors boys over girls. Don’t tell me you don’t want grandchildren.”
“Of course I do.”
Because of the nature of their careers, they had only ever had one child—Mo Junlin.
He was looking forward to holding the next generation as soon as possible.
While the couple downstairs dreamed about the future, the two upstairs had already gone to rest.
As soon as they returned to their room, Qin Ruoyao felt herself completely relax.
Her in-laws were kind and welcoming, especially her mother-in-law, who treated her like her own daughter.
Her heart finally settled.
Once she relaxed, drowsiness quickly followed.
Seeing how tired she was, Mo Junlin opened the wardrobe to find her some pajamas.
The moment he saw the contents, he paused.
Could those even be called normal sleepwear?
How little faith does my mother have in my self-control? he thought.
Qin Ruoyao doesn’t need outfits like these to tempt me.
Still, he picked out one set and handed it to her.
“If you’re tired, get some rest. Your mother-in-law prepared all of these for you.”
Qin Ruoyao looked at the pajamas in his hand, her eyes silently asking, You want me to wear this?
Mo Junlin nodded and stepped aside so she could see the wardrobe for herself.
Every single set looked the same.
She had no choice.
Since she wasn’t used to sleeping in regular clothes, she changed into the pajamas anyway.
The silky nightdress accentuated her figure perfectly.
The sight nearly gave Mo Junlin a nosebleed.
Blushing furiously, Qin Ruoyao hurried into bed and pulled the blanket over herself.
Once a man had gotten a taste of married life, he was difficult to resist.
Before long, Qin Ruoyao found herself enveloped in her husband’s affection once more.
After all, they didn’t need to leave that night.
Two days passed since the family gathering.
Father Mo had already returned to his military post, while Mo Junjie and Mo Ling went back to work and school.
The estate became much quieter.
Whenever she had free time over the past two days, Qin Ruoyao accompanied her mother-in-law shopping, going to beauty treatments, and tending to flowers and plants.
Their relationship grew even closer.
That evening, they were finally heading back to Huating Pavilion because someone had to return to work the next day.
But her mother-in-law seemed especially reluctant to let her go.
Lin Meng held tightly onto Qin Ruoyao’s hand.
Mo Junlin had already loaded their things into the car, but his mother still wouldn’t let go of his wife.
When he returned and saw the scene, he couldn’t help speaking up.
“Mom, that’s enough. Aren’t you going to visit Dad tomorrow? It’s getting late—we should get going.”
Mother Mo rolled her eyes at him.
“Ruoyao doesn’t have to work anyway. Why don’t you go home by yourself and let her stay with me for a few more days so we can spend more time together?”
She had never experienced the joy of having a daughter.
Now that she had a daughter-in-law, she finally understood what she’d been missing.
She really couldn’t bear to let Qin Ruoyao leave.
“Absolutely not.”
Mo Junlin cut her off immediately.
“She’s my wife. Why would she stay here with you? Besides, you’re going to be with Dad tomorrow anyway.”
Qin Ruoyao smiled gently and said, “Mom, you should get a good night’s rest tonight. You’ll need your energy for tomorrow. The next time you come back, I’ll come and keep you company.”
Hearing her beloved daughter-in-law say that, Mother Mo finally relented.
“All right, then. It’s a deal. When I come back next month, you have to come spend time with me.”
Qin Ruoyao nodded with a smile.
“Drive safely,” Mother Mo said, turning to her son. “And take good care of Ruoyao, understand? Be careful on the road.”
After the journey home, the couple finally returned to their apartment.
It was nearly ten o’clock.
Qin Ruoyao threw herself onto the sofa, too exhausted to move.
“President Mo, run me a bath, please~” she said coquettishly.