RGL – Chapter 182

Originally, she thought that bringing Zhou Wu back to her hometown—relying on what little wealth he had now—would at least help maintain appearances. She never expected this man to be so useless. When they were in City B, he seemed to be managing a company just fine, but now that they were here, he couldn’t do anything at all.

It was only after asking around that she found out: the company and the factory he had before were all arranged by that woman, Liao Laidi.

Su Wenwen suddenly felt extremely frustrated.

At first, she had only gotten together with Zhou Wu to take revenge on Su Min, to annoy her. After learning Zhou Wu’s identity, she had decided to date him just to disgust Liao Zhaodi and her group.

But later on, she saw that Zhou Wu did have some money, wasn’t too old, and treated her fairly well. So she had planned to bring him back to her hometown to build a life—hoping he’d help her save face in the future. Looking at it now, she had been completely mistaken.

“How am I supposed to explain this to my parents? I even told them you were doing well and making a name for yourself!”

Su Wenwen kicked the coffee table with her foot.

She felt like an utter joke.

Su Changgui, on the other hand, still had no idea about Su Wenwen’s current embarrassment.

These past few years had only gotten worse for him. After all his effort, he still hadn’t secured a stable position—he could only teach at a private elementary school. It wasn’t too bad before, but in recent years, more and more people were becoming educated, and with the increase in university graduates, competition in the education sector had become even fiercer. On top of that, Shao Yun had lost her job. After her unemployment, she just stayed at home playing mahjong all day, not even trying to find another job. Meanwhile, the family still had to pay for her son, Li Ming, to continue his studies. Their savings were dwindling rapidly.

In the past few years, he hadn’t even wanted to go home for the New Year, let alone meet with his elder brother, Su Changrong.

Now, at least there was finally one thing he could hold his head high about—his daughter had found a rich son-in-law.

Although Wenwen wasn’t exactly the most sensible child and had made many mistakes before—especially that scandal with a man that had caused him a great deal of shame—a daughter would eventually have to get married. As long as she married into a good family, all those past issues could be treated as if they had never happened.

So when he heard that his daughter had returned to the county with her fiancé, Su Changgui called up Su Changfu and Su Changrong and invited them over for a meal.

He wanted the whole family to gather and, incidentally, take a look at this new son-in-law.

When Su Changrong and Sun Qiufang returned home, they immediately received Su Changgui’s call.

Su Changrong hesitated and looked at Sun Qiufang. “Should we go? I don’t think this whole thing sounds that reliable. Didn’t we see Wenwen with some older man last time? And now she suddenly has a fiancé?”

Sun Qiufang was massaging her foot while replying, “I’m not getting involved in your family’s drama. This isn’t the first time you’ve seen what kind of person Su Wenwen is. Anyway, I don’t think it’s anything solid. If you want to go, go ahead—I’m not stopping you. But I’m not going.”

She hadn’t gone back to the hometown for New Year in years and had already stopped maintaining ties with the Su family. Now that Su Changgui was showing off his son-in-law, she felt no need to get involved.

Sun Qiufang could stay out of it, but Su Changrong couldn’t.

Even though he hadn’t been in frequent contact with Su Changgui in recent years, they hadn’t completely cut ties either. After all, they were blood brothers. And now that their kids were grown and they themselves were getting older, many past grievances didn’t seem to matter as much anymore.

He thought about how their hair was turning white and that, in the future, they might not even have the energy to argue anymore. The thought made him sentimental.

Since his younger brother was reaching out and asking for help with evaluating the son-in-law, he was naturally willing to go. “I’ll go have a look then. It’s just one meal anyway. I’ll eat and come back. We’ve got a car, so it’s not a hassle.”

Sun Qiufang was already used to this and didn’t get angry. “Go on then. Be careful while driving, and don’t drink and drive.”

“I know, don’t worry.”

The meal was scheduled at a restaurant Zhou Wu had chosen—one that was quite famous in the county. Of course, it still didn’t compare to Sun Hai’s Sihai Hotel, but Su Wenwen didn’t want to give Su Min the satisfaction, so she deliberately avoided that place.

By the time Su Changrong arrived, Su Changfu and Su Changgui were already there.

Not only was Su Changfu present, but Li Yulan had come too, along with Su Can and his wife. It was practically a full family turnout.

When she saw Su Changrong walk in, Li Yulan curled her lips. “Big Brother, you sure are busy. Even a simple family dinner and you’re late. Anyone who didn’t know better might think you don’t value your own family.”

Su Changrong shot her a glare. “I came from the provincial capital. The road is long—not like you guys.”

It was a big day for Changgui’s family, so he didn’t want to stir up trouble with his second brother’s wife.

Li Yulan pursed her lips and stayed quiet. These days, Su Changrong wasn’t the same as he used to be—when he glared at people now, his eyes were rather intimidating. Especially since he had become a wealthy man recently.

Su Changgui didn’t look too happy either.

For one, he felt that Su Changrong being late meant he didn’t take this event seriously enough, which made him feel looked down upon. And second, his second sister-in-law was being completely tactless. Couldn’t she see the son-in-law was right there? And she still started making a fuss. Clearly, she didn’t respect him as the host.

He felt like the whole situation was losing face for him.

Thankfully, Zhou Wu noticed the awkwardness and stood up to offer drinks to the elders.

Li Yulan, seeing it was the rich son-in-law toasting, quickly raised her own glass in response, even spilling a bit of the liquor. “Oh my, you’re too polite. So, what business are you in? I heard from Changgui that you run a company? If there are any good job openings, you must help our Cancan. He’s Wenwen’s cousin after all. He’s the only male heir of the Su family—we really should support him.”

Zhou Wu immediately felt a bit guilty and didn’t respond.

Su Wenwen gave him a kick under the table and then said to Li Yulan, “Just because someone owns a company doesn’t mean you can shove just anyone into it.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Su Can immediately got angry and stood up, pointing at Su Wenwen.

Zhou Wu quickly stood up too, worried he might hurt Su Wenwen.

“Alright, stop arguing. We’re just joking, aren’t we?” Li Yulan quickly tried to smooth things over. Now that they couldn’t rely on Su Changrong’s family anymore, she was banking on this rich son-in-law from Su Changgui’s side.

Su Changfu also hurried to hold his son back.

His son had a terrible temper. He had previously beaten the old folks at home so badly they couldn’t get out of bed. If he injured someone outside the home, it wouldn’t be nearly as easy to resolve.

Su Can’s wife was also standing to the side, trying to persuade him.

With the family coaxing and advising him like this, Su Can finally calmed down. But the way he looked at Su Wenwen grew even more unpleasant.

Su Wenwen raised her eyebrows, her face full of disdain.

Su Changrong stood quietly on the side without saying a word, but in his heart, he thought: “Next time something like this happens, I’d better not come. We just met and already caused a scene. It would’ve been better not to come at all.”

Although Li Yulan was holding Su Can back, she was still somewhat unhappy. Looking at Su Wenwen’s large belly, she asked, “When did you get your marriage certificate? Why didn’t you inform the family? Come to think of it, we haven’t even had a wedding banquet for you two.”

When Zhou Wu heard this, his expression changed slightly. After all, he had some experience dealing with people outside. He quickly replied, “We registered our marriage out of town. It was too far away to invite guests. Once the baby is born, we’ll host a banquet.”

“Oh, so that’s how it is. But even among familiar people, who would believe your explanation if they didn’t know the situation? Most people would assume you just got together without proper arrangements and probably say all kinds of nasty things.”

“Second sister-in-law, how can you say such things?” Su Changgui couldn’t stand it anymore. This second sister-in-law of his was really crude. On such an important day, she was still trying to stir up trouble on purpose.

Li Yulan knew when to stop. She smiled and said, “Changgui, don’t blame me. I’m just a rough person and don’t know how to talk properly. I can’t compare to your Shao Yun—she’s an educated woman. Speaking of which, why isn’t Shao Yun here today? No matter what, she’s still the stepmother.”

Su Changrong, seeing that this was dragging on endlessly, began to feel irritated and couldn’t help but say, “Alright, today’s an important day. Let’s not talk too much and listen to what Changgui has to say.”

Li Yulan had long been displeased with Su Changrong. Seeing him speak like that, she took another jab. “Big brother, you’re really speaking more and more like a big shot. Well, no surprise. You’re the famous wealthy man from the provincial capital now. I heard your supermarket has even expanded elsewhere. Oh, and your daughter Minzi is older than Wenwen, right? She should be getting married soon too. Minzi’s pretty and a college graduate—she should marry into a good family.”

Hearing Li Yulan praising Su Changrong for being rich made Su Wenwen’s face darken. Now, hearing her bring up Su Min again, her anger burned even more.

She had thought she had found a decent man, but it turned out he was just a useless freeloader relying on his wife. Meanwhile, Su Min was already with someone as outstanding as Xue Mian, and their relationship looked strong.

Now, Su Changrong was sitting beside her father. One looked old and frail, cautiously reserved. The pride he once had from teaching had long disappeared. The other looked spirited and energetic, exuding an air of prosperity.

She realized that after all these years of competing with Su Min, she had ultimately lost to her in every way.

“Enough! All of you stop talking!” Su Wenwen suddenly stood up in agitation and pointed at Li Yulan. “If you think Su Min is so great, then go find her. Don’t eat at my table.”

“I—I didn’t even say anything!” Li Yulan looked at Su Wenwen in shock. She hadn’t said anything wrong or insulted anyone. Was this little tramp going crazy? Why was she throwing a tantrum for no reason?

“Damn it! I’ve held back long enough. Took the bus early in the morning just to eat this one meal at your place, and now I have to take this crap? Now you’re even yelling at my mom? You think my family doesn’t exist or what?” Su Can’s face turned livid as he stood up and started shouting. Seeing Su Wenwen still standing there unmoved made him even angrier. He directly flipped the table over and hurled it toward her.

With a loud crash, everything on the table went flying.

Su Wenwen was hit by the edge of the table and fell to the ground.

No one expected Su Can to suddenly get violent. Everyone was stunned.

Fortunately, Su Changrong reacted quickly. Seeing Su Wenwen clutching her belly in pain, he immediately pulled out his large cellphone and called the hospital.

When Su Min received the call from Sun Qiufang, she was out on a date with Xue Mian.

Hearing the news, she was stunned for a moment before asking, “She lost the baby?”

“Yes,” Sun Qiufang sighed on the other end. “What a mess. A good girl, and she just had to ruin herself like this. She’s at the hospital now, talking about marriage.”

Su Min leaned on Xue Mian’s shoulder, resting her legs on the sofa in a relaxed manner. “You and Dad don’t need to worry about them. Even if she gets married, I won’t go back.”

“It’s better if you don’t. I wasn’t planning to go either. It’s too embarrassing,” Sun Qiufang said with discomfort. She was glad they had moved to the provincial capital. If they were still in the county and ran into acquaintances, people would surely bring up Su Wenwen’s scandal.

She added, “Just behave yourself over there. Don’t cause trouble.”

Su Wenwen’s secret pregnancy was a warning to her. She was afraid her own daughter might be foolish and do something similar.

Although she already accepted Xue Mian as her son-in-law, she still felt it was inappropriate to do anything before marriage.

Hearing this, Su Min blushed, worried that if she kept talking, Xue Mian might overhear. She didn’t want to say more, so she changed the subject and hung up after a few casual sentences.

Xue Mian had been flipping through a book. Seeing that she had finished her call, he put the book down, wrapped his arm around her, and asked, “Something happened at home?”

“No, just some drama with Su Wenwen and Zhou Wu. Nothing serious. My mom was just venting.”

Su Min didn’t want to say more. It was hard to talk about anyway.

But Xue Mian had already guessed most of it just from that one sentence. Since Su Min didn’t want to elaborate, he didn’t ask. Instead, he smiled and kissed her on the cheek. “I was thinking we should go on a trip during the National Day holiday.”

They had never traveled together since dating.

Even when Su Min had time off, she was always busy. And he had been overwhelmed with work as his company was still in its growth phase. They rarely even had time for proper dates.

But a few days ago, some of his old friends talked about their relationships with their girlfriends, and it made him alert. Relationships needed time and effort to nurture. If things kept dragging on like this, how could it ever blossom?

Su Min nestled into a comfortable spot on his body, reading a magazine. Hearing his suggestion, she smiled, “Sure, where to?”

She wasn’t really into traveling—it was tiring. But she had never traveled with a boyfriend before, so his suggestion piqued her interest.

“How about going abroad?”

“That’s too far,” Su Min rejected immediately. “We haven’t even explored much of the country, and you’re talking about going abroad.”

Xue Mian frowned and thought for a bit. “Then Suzhou or Hangzhou?”

“I heard couples should go to the ends of the earth together. Why don’t we try that?”

Su Min recalled that Hainan would become popular in a few years. She wasn’t sure if it was a tourist destination yet. Back then, people around her always talked about traveling to Sanya. But she was too poor at the time and never got the chance. Now, she was tempted.

“Alright, we’ll go wherever you want.” Xue Mian always listened to his girlfriend in such matters. Especially when she mentioned that couples should go to the ends of the earth together—it made him secretly happy.

To his surprise, something even better happened. Seeing how readily he agreed, Su Min was so pleased that she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him.

Xue Mian froze for a second but quickly took the lead. The kiss left both of them flushed and breathless.

“These next few days, the company will be very busy. I won’t have time to keep you company,” Su Min said with a smile as she looked at Xue Mian. She was starting to love the feeling of intimacy between them. It was different from being close with family—this was a kind of affection where both hearts and eyes belonged only to each other.

Xue Mian smiled gently, “It’s fine. No matter how busy I am, I can still pick you up for dinner. If I’m really swamped, I’ll bring food to your company.”

“Okay,” Su Min nodded with a smile.

Though Su Min had told Sun Qiufang not to worry about Su Wenwen, Su Changgui still came to her for help.

Su Wenwen had suffered a miscarriage and was now doing postpartum recovery in the hospital. As a man, Su Changgui didn’t know how to handle it. Shao Yun wasn’t willing to take care of her either. And Gao Hong was busy looking after her youngest son and had disappeared completely.

With no other option, Su Changgui came to find Sun Qiufang. In his impression, this eldest sister-in-law was someone who was very good at taking care of others.

After hearing Su Changrong explain the situation, Sun Qiufang sneered coldly. “When there’s good stuff, you don’t think of me. When something like this happens, you come running to me. I’m not going.”

She was a petty person, and she still remembered how Su Wenwen had bullied her daughter. If her daughter hadn’t had a strong mindset, could she have even made it into high school and college? She would never help someone who almost ruined her daughter’s life.

Su Changrong sighed, “I went with Changgui to visit earlier. She looked very worn out. That Zhou Wu isn’t the kind who knows how to take care of someone either.”