Chapter 823 - 283: Qin Mei Tells Off Jie Jingwei

"You know perfectly well what Lin Yaru’s intentions toward Jie Jingchen are. If you want to marry her, you have to move out of the house. My mother..."

"Did I want to marry her? If it weren’t for you and Jing Si meddling, the one with her right now would be Jing Si, not me. And the one being threatened with divorce afterward would be him!" Jie Jingwei roared, interrupting Qin Mei.

"If Jie Jingchen had fallen for the trap, he would rather burn up with desire than touch Lin Yaru," Qin Mei said with absolute certainty. They had made thorough preparations. If Jie Jingchen really had been drugged, he would have taken the antidote she prepared for him. While it wouldn’t neutralize the drug’s effects, it would have kept him conscious enough to retreat completely unscathed. Once Jie Jingchen found her, she would be his cure. Of course, she wasn’t going to tell Jie Jingwei any of this.

"You make it sound so noble, but only someone who was actually drugged could truly understand how potent its effects were," Jie Jingwei said dismissively.

"Dare you say you lost all reason before the drug even took effect? You didn’t. The drug kicks in slowly, and leaving through sheer willpower wouldn’t have been difficult. But what did you do? You waited for the drug to ferment in your body and gave in to your physical reactions." Qin Mei was too embarrassed to continue describing the inappropriate scenes.

Jie Jingwei was rendered speechless.

"AHHH..." Lin Yaru let out a miserable shriek. Qin Mei’s words were practically twisting the knife!

Qin Mei looked at the borderline frantic Lin Yaru without a ripple of emotion. Pitiful people often brought about their own misery.

With his back to Lin Yaru, Jie Jingwei didn’t even turn around to spare her a glance. He rubbed his face in frustration. Although this alley was rarely used, it didn’t mean no one ever came through. His reputation was already in ruins; he couldn’t let things get any worse.

"Qin Mei, we’ve forged a feud today. Just you wait," Jie Jingwei spat out a vicious threat before taking long strides out of the alley.

"Tch." Qin Mei sneered disdainfully at his parting words. If her father-in-law hadn’t yet given up on this son, Jie Jingwei would already be nothing more than a stray dog.

Glancing at Lin Yaru, she pushed her bicycle and left the alley.

Shortly after Jie Jingwei and Qin Mei had both departed, a scruffy, burly man and a middle-aged woman sneaked into the alley.

When Qin Mei noticed the courtyard gate wide open, her eyes flickered. She and Jie Jingchen had been the last to leave home, and she distinctly remembered him closing it. Shen Qing had dropped Shen Tong off at the examination hall before going to work, Jie Jinghun was maintaining order at the exam venue, her mother-in-law was working at the hospital, and her father-in-law was away on a business trip.

She wondered, "Did my father-in-law come back early from his trip? No, his car isn’t parked outside. Were we visited by a burglar?"

Her expression shifted, and she hurried her pace as she pushed the bicycle along.

Standing at the courtyard entrance, Qin Mei looked at the three familiar figures inside: Wen Xingnan, Wu Yingxiong, and Su Kexin, who was holding a child in her arms.

Wen Xingnan was enthusiastically hosting the couple as if she were the lady of the house.

Seeing this scene, Qin Mei almost doubted herself, wondering if she had taken a wrong turn and ended up next door at Wen Xingnan’s house.

"Yingxiong, Granny Guo misses you two very much." Wen Xingnan paused before adding, "And the child, too."

Wu Yingxiong smiled but remained silent. Beside him, Su Kexin felt somewhat repulsed. However, her good upbringing allowed her to bear it with a polite smile, refraining from refuting Wen Xingnan. She simply lowered her gaze to her sleeping daughter, radiating the gentle glow of maternal love.

"Yingxiong, not to be a busybody, but Granny Guo is too pitiful. As her son and daughter-in-law, you shouldn’t break her heart and drive her to seek death," Wen Xingnan urged earnestly.

Qin Mei clicked her tongue. This Wen Xingnan truly had no sense of boundaries.

Wu Yingxiong sank into deep thought, laced with self-reproach. He knew about his mother attempting suicide. He had secretly returned to check on her, confirming she was alright, and had observed her from the shadows for a few days until she finally gave up the idea of killing herself before he left. He knew his mother too well to dare show himself before her. If he appeared, she would only intensify her antics. The only way was to harden his heart and make her understand his resolve. It didn’t matter if his mother blamed him or hated him. To protect his wife and daughter, he had no choice but to disobey his mother. Once she thought things through and genuinely accepted his daughter, he would bring his family back home to fulfill his filial duties.

"Do you know that Granny Guo almost..."

"Sister Xingnan," Wu Yingxiong interrupted.

Wen Xingnan looked slightly embarrassed. She was just speaking up for Granny Guo, yet this couple wasn’t even appreciative.

"Yingxiong, since Jing Si and Fourth Wife of Jing aren’t home, we should wait until the couple returns before we visit again," Su Kexin spoke up.

She truly disliked listening to Wen Xingnan. The woman was always overly considerate of her mother-in-law. If she had just put herself in Su Kexin’s shoes for even a moment, Wen Xingnan would never have said those things.