Chapter 302: Chapter 302
Downstairs, Mrs. Han and the sister-in-law he had mentioned were already seated. Surprisingly, it was Yin Qi and Mrs. Han.
Zhou Rou first apologized to the two at the table: "I’m sorry, Auntie, Sister-in-law, I wasn’t feeling well just now, so I kept you waiting!"
Mrs. Han waved dismissively: "Lunch being late is no big deal. Xiao Rou, come sit down! Treat this place like your own home. Your sister-in-law and I are easygoing people and won’t nitpick about anything with you!"
"Yes, sit down! Don’t be too polite!" Yin Qi quickly chimed in, though her heart held a bit of bitterness.
Watching how carefully Han Mingxue treated Zhou Rou, she thought back to the past—Han Mingzhe had once treated her so well too. But what did it matter? Years later, wasn’t he still a philandering playboy?
Ever since Han Mingxue announced he would bring home the girlfriend Mrs. Han had been eagerly waiting for, Mrs. Han had been positively energized.
Yin Qi watched Mrs. Han go about her preparations with great enthusiasm. Though she was secretly fuming inside, she still feigned calmness on the surface since Han Mingzhe was currently out of town on a business trip and hadn’t yet returned.
That suffocating feeling stuck in her chest, unable to go up or down, was truly unbearable.
These past few days had been the darkest period of her life—nothing interested her, and everything she looked at seemed unpleasant.
Fortunately, Mrs. Han wasn’t the meddlesome type. Seeing Yin Qi’s sour mood, she even proactively suggested that she go abroad for a change of scenery, perhaps to visit her sister, Yin Xuan.
While she felt indifferent to the other proposals Mrs. Han had made, this suggestion sparked a bit of interest.
Yin Xuan had been abroad for quite some time, and she hadn’t even returned home for the New Year this year. At home, Yin Qi really only had this younger sister to talk to.
With all the disgraceful things Han Mingzhe had done recently, Yin Qi had no one to confide in. Talking to her mom might cause the old lady to get angry and worried; talking to Yin Xian was out of the question since he was her younger brother and struggling himself. Ever since Ye Duowei joined their family, there hadn’t been a moment of peace at home. As for her other friends, she couldn’t say anything either—it was just too humiliating.
If there were such a thing as a pill for regret, she would take it no matter the cost.
When Han Mingxue returned full of joy with his girlfriend, Yin Qi put on a brave face to host them. Mrs. Han seemed quite satisfied with this girl named Zhou Rou.
Yin Qi thought the girl lived up to her name—soft and gentle. Although she wasn’t especially striking in appearance and reportedly came from an ordinary family, she managed to carry herself with some skill and tact, leaving people with a fairly good impression.
Still, there was something nagging at Yin Qi: the name Zhou Rou felt oddly familiar, though she couldn’t remember where she’d heard it before.
After a pleasant meal, the servants cleared the table and served a platter of sliced fruit.
Zhou Rou went to the restroom while Mrs. Han and Han Mingxue chatted. Yin Qi sat to the side, looking distracted. Then, the doorbell rang suddenly.
Yin Qi’s heart raced as she glanced toward the front door, wondering if it was Han Mingzhe returning. If he were back, how should she talk to him? Her mind spun with countless, chaotic thoughts.
The servant opened the door, and who entered was none other than Ye Duowei, wearing a sky-blue maternity dress, alongside Yin Xian.
Yin Qi quickly stood up and took the gift box from Yin Xian’s hands: "Why are you two here?"
Yin Xian greeted Mrs. Han a bit awkwardly and exchanged pleasantries with Han Mingxue as well, smiling politely.
He then lowered his voice to speak to Yin Qi: "Weiwei suddenly craved the pickled cucumbers your chef makes, so..." Follow current novels on N0veI.Fiɾe.net
Yin Qi rolled her eyes internally. Ever since Ye Duowei got pregnant, she had been endlessly troublesome, driving the chefs of several households to the brink of despair, forcing them to hone their culinary skills just to cater to her whims for obscure foods.
Those pickled cucumbers were one such item. A simple dish, yet she insisted on eating only the ones made by Yin Qi’s family chef.
Mrs. Han chatted with Ye Duowei warmly for a while. Seeing the woman pregnant, envy flickered in her eyes.
However, glancing over at her second son, she smiled contentedly. This kid had brought home his girlfriend—clearly, good news for their family wasn’t far off.
Yin Qi headed to the kitchen to fetch the pickled cucumbers. Meanwhile, Zhou Rou emerged from the restroom by the stairwell. She had already heard the commotion outside while inside, realizing guests had arrived.
But she had been uncontrollably vomiting just now and deliberately delayed herself until she felt somewhat better, forcing herself to perk up before opening the door to leave.
Mrs. Han enthusiastically introduced everyone: "This is my son Mingxue’s girlfriend, Zhou Rou! Xiao Rou, these are your sister-in-law’s younger brother and his wife! They should be older than you, so you can call them Big Brother and Big Sister!"
Zhou Rou froze in shock upon seeing Yin Xian, her face instantly turning pale. But now was not the time to lose composure.
"Hello, Big Brother! Hello, Big Sister!" Zhou Rou greeted them obediently, keeping her head lowered and avoiding eye contact with the two.
After the New Year, she had gone south to try her luck and unexpectedly crossed paths with Han Mingxue. The two quickly fell in love, and now she was already over two months pregnant, though it wasn’t visible on the surface.
The reason Han Mingxue brought her home was that he intended to marry her since she was pregnant. Their feelings for each other seemed solid, and Han Mingxue, having played around for so many years, genuinely seemed to be satisfied with Zhou Rou for now—hence, his decision to settle down.
No matter what, Zhou Rou was determined to become part of the Han Family, so she put on a calm front to deal with the situation.
"Hello!" Yin Xian had never expected to see Zhou Rou here at the Han residence. The events of the past were a shameful memory buried deep in Yin Xian’s heart—recalling them occasionally still made him feel utterly mortified.
But since Mrs. Han introduced Zhou Rou as Han Mingxue’s girlfriend, Yin Xian chose not to reveal anything. Besides, Ye Duowei was unaware of past events, and bringing them up now would only create chaos and ruin the mood.
Ye Duowei, however, wasn’t as composed upon seeing Zhou Rou. She had once hit Zhou Rou in a bar, and now, seeing her seeking a higher social status and attempting to marry into wealth—at the Han Family, no less—there was no way Ye Duowei would let her succeed effortlessly.
If Zhou Rou really succeeded, would Ye Duowei even feel comfortable visiting the Han residence in the future? Just imagining it made her stomach churn with frustration. Why was Li Si and everyone around her always able to find rich partners?
Were they even worthy? Coming from such modest families. Though the Ye Family’s status had declined sharply, a skinny camel was still larger than a horse. These paupers—what could they possibly compete with?
Ye Duowei arrogantly sized up Zhou Rou from top to bottom and sneered: "Well, well! You really lucked out, didn’t you? To have landed Brother Mingxue as your boyfriend of all people!"
Mrs. Han and Han Mingxue paused at her words. Did these two know each other?
Ye Duowei’s words grew increasingly venomous, and Yin Xian, unable to tolerate it anymore, tried to silently signal her to stop.
After all, this was his older sister’s in-laws’ home—if Weiwei insulted Zhou Rou here, wasn’t she also indirectly humiliating the Han Family?
Ye Duowei furrowed her brows and shrugged off Yin Xian’s hand, stepped closer to Zhou Rou, and continued with her disdainful mockery: "A crow will always be a crow. Don’t delude yourself into thinking you can become a phoenix. Don’t mistake Li Si managing to get into the Leng Family as meaning someone like you could also marry into a wealthy family. What a joke!"
At first, Zhou Rou kept playing the role of the delicate little woman. Even as Ye Duowei hurled insults and looked down on her, she refrained from retaliating.
But Ye Duowei’s subsequent remarks struck a nerve, touching upon her rawest wound. She absolutely couldn’t bear anyone suggesting she was inferior to Li Si. This was her obsession, the reason she was so determined to marry into a wealthy family—to surpass Li Si. She had sworn she would never let herself be outshone by her.
So, at this moment, she retorted sharply with a few biting words, drawing upon the well-known decline of the Ye Family—a perfect weapon for her counterattack.
As the verbal spar escalated, the atmosphere deteriorated rapidly. Yin Xian and Han Mingxue both felt awkward standing aside, unsure how to intervene. The battle between the women was something they wanted to mediate yet couldn’t quite find the words to do so.
Strictly speaking, Yin Xian and Han Mingxue had once been on good terms, but after Han Mingxue went abroad, their interactions naturally dwindled. (To be continued. If you enjoy this story, please visit Qidian.com to cast your recommendation and monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com for reading.)