RMM -Chapter 254 Between “Love Rivals”

After finishing changing Xi Zi’s clothes, Su Ruo heard her phone ring.

“Who is it? So annoying. Xi Zi, don’t you think it’s annoying? Mommy’s changing the baby’s clothes and someone just has to interrupt.”

As she spoke, Su Ruo continued changing Xi Zi, smiling as she chatted to him, not in any hurry to answer the phone, letting it ring nonstop.

By the time she was almost done, she quickly finished up, tucked a thin blanket over Xi Zi, and only then reached for her phone.

Oh—it’s her. Finally can’t hold back anymore, huh?

Su Ruo curled her lips into a cold smile.

“Hello, Yun Zhen.”

Her voice sounded cheerful, but her face wore a frosty, sarcastic smile.

Zhou Yun Zhen couldn’t see Su Ruo’s expression. Hearing the warmth in her tone, she raised her delicate brows slightly, a hint of smugness flashing in her eyes. Looks like Su Ruo has already forgotten what happened before—perfect.

“Ruo Ruo, long time no see. How have you been? How’s the baby?” Zhou Yun Zhen asked with a smile, sounding sincerely concerned.

“Oh, about the same. The baby and I are both doing very well,” Su Ruo replied, then laughed again. “Honestly, it’s hard not to be well these days. You have no idea—my mother-in-law practically wants to hold us both in the palm of her hand all day. Especially Xi Zi. He’s become the family’s true treasure now. Even my father-in-law has to cuddle him after work before he’s happy.”

Su Ruo didn’t mind saying any of this to Zhou Yun Zhen, nor did she feel embarrassed. Even if it was showing off—so what? Aren’t you trying to replace me? Fine. Then let me spell it out for you just how comfortable and happy my life is.

She knew her words were like needles stabbing into Zhou Yun Zhen—but what did that have to do with her? Well… maybe a little. Seeing Zhou Yun Zhen suffer actually made her feel pretty good.

The smile on Zhou Yun Zhen’s face faltered. Yes, she wanted to replace Su Ruo—but she certainly didn’t want to hear how well Su Ruo was living. In short, the more content Su Ruo was, the more miserable she felt.

Suppressing the pain in her heart, Zhou Yun Zhen forced a smile. “That’s good. I was worried you might not be used to taking care of a baby for the first time.”

Thinking of Su Ruo’s child made her feel even worse. She’d seen the baby before. She had to admit—he really was good-looking, born a favored son of heaven, pampered by everyone. That was only natural.

But he was Su Ruo and Xi Yuechen’s child.

And that was exactly why she didn’t want him to have such a good fate, such a glorious life. This child shouldn’t have existed in the first place.

Everything was wrong. All of it was wrong!

Zhou Yun Zhen trembled with anger inside, while Su Ruo happily imagined what kind of expression she must be wearing right now.

Zhou Yun Zhen—since you’ve decided to steal my man, you’d better be prepared to be torn to shreds. Otherwise, you’re simply not qualified to compete for Xi Yuechen.

“How could I not manage? Even if I’m inexperienced, there are so many people at home,” Su Ruo said lightly. “Everyone’s fighting to hold Xi Zi. And besides, my mother-in-law even hired a professional nanny just to take care of him. Honestly, I don’t even get a turn to hold my own son these days.”

She spoke with both happiness and mock complaint, sounding as if it had all slipped out unintentionally—yet every word subtly showed how comfortable and joyful life was for her and her son in the Xi family.

Zhou Yun Zhen listened in agony, the urge to hang up gnawing at her mind. But no matter how painful it was, she had to endure it.

What do you even have to be proud of, Su Ruo? So what if you married into the Xi family? So what if you gave birth to a son? Who couldn’t do that?

Do you really think the Xi family treats you so well because of you? Isn’t it just because of the child? To put it bluntly, isn’t it because of your family’s influence?

Was this marriage really about mutual love in the first place? Did she think Zhou Yun Zhen couldn’t see through it? It was a political alliance. The Xi family chose Su Ruo because of the Su family’s standing in the military. With Xi Yuechen in the army, having powerful in-laws meant limitless benefits for his future and career.

And who knew if the Xi family’s kindness to Su Ruo was really for her sake—or simply for Xi Yuechen’s? Keeping good relations with the Su family only meant more advantages for him.

But Su Ruo wasn’t the only one who could bring him those benefits. She, Zhou Yun Zhen, could too. The Zhou family might not be as influential as the Su family, but they weren’t weak either—certainly enough to give Xi Yuechen support. Her father liked him very much; with that alone, he would help with everything he had. Coupled with Xi Yuechen’s own outstanding abilities, reaching the pinnacle was only a matter of time.

So Zhou Yun Zhen wasn’t worried at all about how she would fit into the Xi family in the future. Whatever Su Ruo could do, she could do even better. As for personal capability—she didn’t believe Su Ruo could compare to her.

All she needed to do now was get rid of Su Ruo and take Xi Yuechen. Everything else could be dealt with later.

In just a few seconds, countless thoughts raced through her mind. She narrowed her eyes slightly and spoke again.

“That’s really great. Auntie and Uncle are only thinking about their grandson—you shouldn’t overthink it. Even though you’re past your confinement period, you still need to take good care of your body. You should nourish yourself, get nice and plump—wouldn’t that be lovely?”

…The nerve.

Su Ruo’s lips twitched. That was some high-level verbal artistry. Only thinking about the grandson—was she hinting that the Xi family’s kindness was solely because of Xi Zi, telling her not to take it too seriously?

And nice and plump? Was that a roundabout curse for her to lose her figure? You’re the one who’ll lose your figure—your whole family will! So I get fat and ugly and you can seduce my husband more easily, is that it?

Su Ruo was furious.

At this point, she was on full guard against Zhou Yun Zhen, dissatisfied with her at every turn. No matter what Zhou Yun Zhen said or did, Su Ruo firmly believed there was an ulterior motive—always assuming the worst. After all, if you’re plotting to steal my husband, how could you possibly mean well?

“That won’t do. Getting fairer is fine, but if I get fat, won’t my figure be ruined?” Su Ruo replied coolly. “Even if my chief wouldn’t mind, when I go out, I can’t embarrass him. For that reason alone, I can’t be careless—I have to stay beautiful.”

Her words brimmed with pride and confidence. Zhou Yun Zhen’s brows knitted together as she listened. Every line Su Ruo spoke radiated how strong her bond with Xi Yuechen was—and of course, that made her uncomfortable.

“You really think about Xi Yuechen a lot. You two… are you very close?” Zhou Yun Zhen asked hesitantly.

She already knew the answer, but she still wanted to hear it. Maybe Xi Yuechen wasn’t truly in love—maybe it was just familiarity bred from constant companionship. Who said that had to be love? People grow fond of those who stay by their side for long periods, don’t they?

But Su Ruo had no intention of giving her hope.

“Yes,” she answered without hesitation. “I’ve already decided on my chief for this lifetime. With me being this devoted, how could he bear not to love me? He doesn’t say it, but I know I’m in his heart.”

She was in an exceptionally good mood, lying on the bed with her phone in one hand, gently playing with Xi Zi’s little fingers with the other, a delighted curve lifting her lips.

Zhou Yun Zhen unconsciously tightened her grip on her phone, her gaze sharpening. “Then congratulations. I wish you happiness.”

Su Ruo could tell immediately that Zhou Yun Zhen was lying. She could even hear the suppressed teeth-gritting hidden in her tone. Snorting inwardly, the delight in her eyes only grew.

“You too. Oh, right—didn’t you tell me last time that you had your eye on someone? How’s that going now? Any progress? Come on, gossip with me a bit. With your qualifications, what man could resist your favor? He must’ve already fallen into your arms, right?”

Mentioning this made Su Ruo angry all over again. Zhou Yun Zhen really was shameless—she’d set her sights on the chief so early, even laid traps to probe her, and she’d stupidly gone along with it, encouraging her to pursue love. Your love? What kind of love is that? It’s utterly immoral!

Thinking back on how she’d once supported her, Su Ruo wanted nothing more than to slap herself twice. She’d actually encouraged someone to chase her own husband…

Zhou Yun Zhen’s face darkened completely at her words. If she weren’t certain that Su Ruo still didn’t know her true intentions, she would have been convinced Su Ruo was deliberately mocking her.

“Not at all. It’s still a long way off,” she replied calmly. “But I’m not discouraged. True love—how could it be easy to obtain? There have to be setbacks. Otherwise, what would I persist for? Anything gained too easily is never cherished, right?”

Su Ruo hadn’t expected Zhou Yun Zhen to be so resilient. No matter what she said, the woman remained composed, always countering with soft words laced with hidden barbs.

No wonder she aspired to be a mistress—her mental fortitude was extraordinary. Even cockroaches would bow in defeat.

“Well said. That does make sense. You’re quite insightful,” Su Ruo said as if praising her, though her eyes rolled nonstop.

Zhou Yun Zhen smiled faintly. “Exactly. So no matter how difficult the road is, I won’t give up. Because I know that person is destined to be mine. No one can take him away.”

…Damn it.

Su Ruo swallowed back the curses that rushed to her lips with immense effort, her face darkening. Shameless beyond belief. Destined to be yours? No one can take him away? She’d never seen a home-wrecking vixen so righteous. What, was she the one intruding into your marriage?

She was completely choked by Zhou Yun Zhen’s audacity, unable to speak for a moment, lips pressed tight, fury blazing in her eyes. She had to stay silent—or she feared she’d explode with curses.

This shameless woman really needed to be taught a lesson. Otherwise she’d run wild. If she didn’t suffer a little, it would be an insult to that grand declaration of hers.

Zhou Yun Zhen didn’t mind Su Ruo’s silence. After thinking for a moment, she smiled again. “By the way, Ruo Ruo, are you busy today? Want to go out and sit somewhere together? An hour or two should be fine, right? Or I could come to your place. It’s been days since we’ve seen each other—I kind of miss you.”

Su Ruo’s expression sank. Coming to her house to carry on some shady business? Dream on.

She was about to refuse outright—but then swallowed the words back. A flash of light crossed her eyes, and a particularly ill-intentioned smile spread across her face.

“Sure. I’ll head out in a bit. Let’s sit and talk.”