WebNovels

Chapter 18 - Chapter 18: Better That Than Make A Fool Of His Wife

"Good." Zhenghe's tone was quiet, but it cut through the air. "Now, both of you listen. I've tolerated this household's nonsense for too long."

He turned first to Marin. "You married into this family, Marin. You carry the Gu name, yes but in this house, you are a Qian. Don't forget that. What you say here echoes outside, and what you spit in anger stains us all. Xu Yunying is your daughter-in-law now. Even if you dislike her, even if you think she's unworthy, your contempt does not leave this table. Do you understand?"

Marin's lips parted, but the ice in her husband's eyes left no room for protest. "…Yes.." she murmured.

Then Zhenghe's gaze shifted to Jinxing, sharp as a blade unsheathed. "And you, don't think you can storm out every time you don't like what you hear. That isn't strength. That's arrogance. You want your wife respected? Fine. But respect is not demanded by shouting. It's earned by standing firm without losing your temper. Are you capable of that?"

The words stung more than Jinxing expected. For a moment, his hand clenched against his thigh. "…Yes, Father."

Silence followed, heavy as stone.

Zhenghe finally picked up his chopsticks again, as though the storm had passed. "Good. Now, let us eat. The girl is already married into the family, what more can we do. Introduce her to us soon."

The air was heavy after the apologies.

No one spoke for a while, the only sounds were clinking chopsticks and the faint rustle of clothes. The tension still lingered, but at least it wasn't explosive anymore.

Then Junjie, being Junjie, couldn't help himself.

"So…" he said, poking at his rice. "I saw your wife trending on Weibo, brother Xing. Didn't know we had a celebrity in the family."

Jiarui perked up immediately. "Oh my God, yes! I saw that too, she's gorgeous! Like, are we sure she's the same Xu Yunying people used to clown online? Because that glow-up is crazy."

"Facts.." Jingyi added, leaning back. "Not gonna lie, I thought you were joking when I first saw the photos. She's unreal."

"Jingyi.." Marin snapped. "Language."

But none of them even blinked.

Junjie grinned. "Come on, Mum. You gotta admit it, our sister-in-law's stunning. Compared to Xiao Lian? I mean, Xiao Lian's okay if you squint really hard, but..."

"Two out of ten.." Jiarui cut in. "And that's on a filter day."

Marin's glare could have melted steel, but before she could say anything, Jinxing laughed softly, under his breath.

The table went still.

"Wait..." Jingyi said, blinking. "Was that… a laugh? From you?"

Jiarui leaned forward. "Who are you and what did you do with our brother Xing? You don't laugh unless someone's getting fired."

Junjie jabbed his chopsticks at him. "Yeah! You got married outta nowhere? And you didn't even plan it? You plan everything. You literally color-code your socks."

That earned another quiet chuckle from him, and the table collectively lost it.

"She's just that amazing.." Jinxing said finally, calm but with warmth in his tone, something none of them had ever heard before.

His siblings froze.

Jiarui's mouth fell open. "Amazing? You used an adjective that wasn't 'efficient' or 'satisfactory'? Are you okay?"

"She's bold.." he continued, ignoring her. "The first time we met, she completely caught me off-guard. I didn't even know what to say."

Junjie gasped dramatically. "You? Speechless? The apocalypse is real. It's official we're going to die tomorrow."

"Bro, just admit you're down bad," Jingyi said instantly. "Like, full-blown, no-recovery type of down bad."

"She hypnotized you.." Jiarui declared, squinting suspiciously.

"Maybe.." Jinxing replied, and smiled faintly.

That one word stunned them into silence.

Then Junjie groaned. "Nope. That's it. He's gone. She got him."

Jiarui buried her face in her hands. "I can't believe this. Our cold, scary CEO brother is in love. Somebody call the press."

Even Jingyi cracked a grin. "Never thought I'd live to see the day."

Jinxing folded his arms. "I wouldn't say I'm in love, but she's very interesting.."

-_-

"Mhm...we should praise her for even keeping your interest. When are you bringing her home! The sooner the better!" Jingyi said, as she placed her chopsticks down.

She had no issue with Xu Yunying, she was pretty and she liked how daring she was.

Plus she made her brother do things he normally wouldn't do so that's a good sign.

When the plates were cleared, Jingyi stretched and yawned. "Alright, I'm out. Got class at eight."

Jiarui nodded, stacking her dishes. "Same here. Gotta prep for presentation day tomorrow."

They both stood, smoothing their clothes. Jingyi leaned over to give her father a peck on the cheek, earning a rare, faint smile from him.

"Good girl.." Zhenghe said quietly and when she straightened, she felt something pressed into her hand. She glanced down to see a thick roll of bills.

"Dad.." she started.

"Keep it.." he said simply. "You're my favorite anyway."

Jingyi stifled a grin and whispered "You're my favorite too, but you can't let mum know.." before slipping the money into her coat pocket.

Junjie laughed under his breath. "Unbelievable. I'm starting to think being the youngest has perks. Can't believe Dad's being openly biased now too. I would like a stack of bills too."

"Jealousy doesn't suit you.." Jingyi shot back, ruffling his hair before heading toward the door.

Jinxing stood as well, his phone vibrating against the table. A message flashed across the screen.

Gousheng: Arrived at Qian residence. Waiting by your car.

He exhaled slowly, slipping his phone into his pocket. "I'll be leaving too.." he said, his tone polite but there was a faint undercurrent of restraint, the kind that hinted he hadn't cooled off entirely.

Marin didn't look at him as she picked up her wine glass again.

Jiarui adjusted her bag and glanced back at him. "Hey, Brother Xing."

He raised a brow. "Yeah?"

Her smile was small, sincere. "Try not to argue next time, okay? I like her. Don't make mum too annoyed before she even shows up."

For a second, his expression softened. "…I'll try."

"That's good.."

They headed out together, laughter fading down the hallway until the house was quiet again, the sound of retreating footsteps echoing faintly against marble floors.

Only Zhenghe and Marin remained at the table.

"You pushing it too far.." Zhenghe said finally, not looking at her.

Marin's jaw tightened. "And you're letting him make a fool of himself."

"Better that than make a fool of his wife."

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