You Jin ignored his words, gripping the door handle to open it.
“Brother, let her go to me.” You Chen’s voice softened, carrying a pleading tone. “I like her. Two years ago, when you first brought her home, I was deeply attracted to her.”
You Jin’s hand froze mid-motion, his body stiffening as he stood with his back to You Chen, a dark aura enveloping him.
“I, You Chen, have never begged anyone in my life.” You Chen got up from the ground, touching his fingers to the corner of his mouth to wipe away the blood. “I’m begging you, Brother.”
The bond between the brothers had always been good, and this call of “Brother” was both warm and humble.
You Jin calmed down, his voice deep. “I can give you anything else, but not her.”
With that, he opened the door and walked out.
You Chen shouted in fury, “If you’ve got the guts, guard her for the rest of your life. Besides me, there are plenty of men waiting to steal her away. With that careless attitude of yours, let’s see how long you can hold on.”
You Jin strode toward the room, the voice behind him especially grating.
The elders in the living room, hearing the commotion, stood up nervously. “What’s wrong? What happened?”
You Jin, with a cold face, ignored everyone, entered the room, and slammed the door shut.
After discussion, Second Uncle and Second Aunt stayed behind in their hometown to keep Grandma company for a while, while the others returned to the city for work.
In the afternoon, almost all the luxury cars in front of the villa had driven away.
Song Wanxi packed her clothes, said goodbye to Grandma, and carried her duffel bag out of the villa gates.
Not far away, Sister Feng and a group of women cracking sunflower seeds were gathered under the banyan tree, whispering to each other, their eyes occasionally darting toward her.
She walked toward You Jin’s car.
Through the windshield, she saw Wu Weiwei already sitting in the passenger seat.
She went to the trunk, placed her duffel bag inside, and closed the lid.
She came to the rear door and just as she pulled it open, You Jenny shot her a cold glance and said impatiently, “You sit over there.”
Song Wanxi didn’t bother arguing with her. She closed the door, walked around to the other side, opened it, and got in.
She fastened her seatbelt and silently gazed out at the scenery.
You Jin started the car and drove off.
The wind rustled through the grass, and lush green fields flashed past her eyes one frame at a time, while the sunset dyed half the sky red.
The scenery was beautiful, but her mood was gloomy and damp, like it was about to rain.
“Let’s listen to some music.” Wu Weiwei naturally operated the car’s touchscreen display with the ease of someone using her own car. Her tone was light. “Jenny, what song do you want to hear?”
You Jenny’s face lit up with a smile, her body beginning to wiggle slightly. “Play some DJ music, let’s get hyped!”
“Okay.” Wu Weiwei searched for a very popular DJ track.
The explosive and catchy melody vibrated through the car. You Jenny and Wu Weiwei sang along, occasionally swaying with dance moves, full of passion and excitement.
Song Wanxi just found it noisy.
So noisy that her head buzzed uncomfortably, her eardrums felt like they were about to burst, and even her heart seemed to beat irregularly from the vibration.
She leaned her head against the window and closed her eyes.
You Jin reached out and pressed a button.
The entire cabin fell silent instantly.
Wu Weiwei stared in shock at his cold profile.
You Jenny leaned over, tilting her head to look at You Jin, who was focused on driving, and pouted. “Big Brother, why did you turn off our music?”
Wu Weiwei glanced at Song Wanxi, who was resting with her eyes closed, and pretended to be considerate. “Jenny, Ah Jin doesn’t like music that’s too loud. It affects his driving.”
You Jenny complained, “Four hours in the car is so boring. Listening to music makes the time pass faster.”
Wu Weiwei put on the air of an elder sister-in-law, siding with You Jin, and patted her head to soothe her. “Be good, let’s not listen to music. Let your big brother drive in peace.”
“Hmph!” You Jenny pouted and slumped back into her seat, turning to look out the window.
Wu Weiwei smiled at the corners of her mouth, her eyes coldly sweeping over Song Wanxi before sitting up straight and looking ahead. She found a topic to chat with You Jin. “Ah Jin, I remember there’s a new product launch tonight. Will you make it in time?”
You Jin replied unhurriedly, “Yes.”
“I want to go see it too. Take me along.”
“Mm.”
Wu Weiwei smiled shyly. “It’s such a formal occasion, should I wear an evening gown?”
“Whatever.” You Jin’s tone was indifferent.
For the rest of the conversation, You Jin responded with a word here and there.
Those four hours felt incredibly long to Song Wanxi.
By the time they entered the city, it was already dark. The southern city was bathed in dazzling neon lights, looking especially vibrant.
When they arrived at the entrance of the residential complex, Song Wanxi was the first to get out of the car.
She was listless, her energy completely drained, slowly closing the car door.
Without a single word of goodbye, she even forgot to take her duffel bag from the trunk. She dragged her heavy steps into the complex.
The security guard at the gate greeted her, and she forced a faint smile and nodded.
She let out a long sigh and looked up at the towering luxury high-rise.
With lights glowing in every home, she thought—living in such a luxurious penthouse, every family here must be happy, right?
Why had her life turned out like this?
The car outside the neighborhood remained unmoved for a long time.
You Jin looked out through the car window until Song Wanxi’s figure disappeared from his sight.
Wu Weiwei watched You Jin’s desolate profile and clenched her jaw tightly.
You Jenny grew impatient and asked in confusion, “Big brother, what are you looking at? Let’s go! Take me home!”
Wu Weiwei smiled and said, “Let’s go. Don’t you have a new product launch later?”
You Jin withdrew his gaze and turned the steering wheel.
The car slowly drove away.
Song Wanxi entered her home, turned on the lights, changed into slippers, and placed her shoes in the shoe cabinet.
She closed the door, walked to the sofa, and lay down weakly on her side, closing her eyes.
The bitterness accumulated over many days could no longer be held back at this moment. Tears silently welled up and slid down from the corners of her eyes.
The house was empty, and a sense of loneliness enveloped her.
Just then, her phone rang.
She pulled the phone from her pocket, propped herself up weakly, wiped away her tears, and looked at the caller ID.
Her heart grew even wearier.
The word “Mom” gave her a suffocating sense of pressure.
But she couldn’t not answer.
Song Wanxi answered and put the phone to her ear. “Mom.”
“I heard your husband’s grandfather passed away?”
“Yeah, it happened a few days ago. He’s already been buried.”
“Why didn’t you tell us? As the in-laws, we should have gone to the funeral and given condolence money.” Her mother’s complaint was extremely shrill.
“I already gave the condolence money on your behalf.” Song Wanxi didn’t want her family to come.
She couldn’t even earn respect from her husband’s family; her family would only be treated with even more coldness.
It was enough for her to bear this grievance alone.
Her mother was silent for a moment, then cleared her throat and got to the main point. “Wanxi, you haven’t sent us the household allowance this month yet.”
Song Wanxi frowned. “Didn’t I already give you ten thousand last month?”
“Last month is last month, this month is this month. How can you mix them together?”
Her mother’s only purpose in calling was to ask for money.
Like a bottomless pit, never enough to spend.
Song Wanxi leaned weakly against the sofa. “Mom, I already told you last time that that ten thousand was all my savings. I have no money now. The company’s business isn’t doing well either, and my research requires a lot of money…”
“If it weren’t for you, would our whole family have to live so miserably? Your brother had a bright future. If he hadn’t been ruined by you, would he be so poor that he can’t even support his parents and children? You ungrateful thing…” Her mother’s voice was sharp and furious, scolding her with a tearful tone.