Page 11

Shen Ting'an had already notified her family, and they were on their way.

The others stood by the bed. Zhao Huizhen was dying to know what had happened, but she couldn't ask Shen Luoluo outright. Instead, she tried to sound casual. "What do you think happened between Zhou Jian and Xiaohui? Weren't things fine before? How did they suddenly get together and elope?"

Sure enough, Shen Luoluo's voice drifted into her mind the next moment—

They didn't suddenly get together. They've known each other for years. They were each other's first love.

Zhao Huizhen and Shen Ting'an exchanged a look. First love? Well, well!

They were classmates in high school and started dating back then. They only broke up later because of circumstances beyond their control.

It was a fairly amicable breakup. Afterward, they each got on with their lives and dated other people. They should never have crossed paths again, but they met at the woman's wedding. Her husband was the brother of the man's girlfriend!

Zhao Huizhen's eyes went wide. So his first love had become his sister-in-law? Ahem. That was quite a twist.

Old flames, living under the same roof and seeing each other every day—it was no wonder they had eloped.

The family members they had notified had yet to arrive, but Qiu Shumin woke first. She slowly opened her eyes, then burst into tears again.

"What a curse! What a curse!" Qiu Shumin pounded the bed and sobbed. "Why is my life so miserable? I ended up with two ungrateful wretches, worse than animals! I knew those two were no good, hanging around the house all day doing nothing and making eyes at each other. I knew it!"

"That vixen Tang Hui, with that vixen face of hers! I said she was no good from the start. I told Shen Yu not to marry her, but he acted like he was possessed and insisted on it. Once he brought her home, he treated her like someone we all had to worship! All she does is eat and sleep. She can't do a thing! But she sure knows how to seduce a man!"

Even Shen Luoluo couldn't bear to listen anymore. She couldn't help grumbling inwardly.

Some mothers-in-law really are blind. She never noticed Tang Hui doing the laundry, cooking, and housework. All she noticed was her sleeping!

Zhao Huizhen nodded in heartfelt agreement. Exactly!

Then she remembered something and looked at Shen Jingyao, her eyes saying: Don't worry. Mom will never be like that!

Shen Jingyao: ...

Shen Luoluo's voice continued—

Come to think of it, this aunt-in-law is the reason her daughter-in-law ran off with her son-in-law. If she hadn't spent every day nitpicking and making trouble for Tang Hui, Tang Hui wouldn't have argued with her husband, much less sought comfort from her sister's husband!

With the two of them seeing each other so often, of course their old feelings came back!

But her son and daughter-in-law were married for two years without having a child. Then, as soon as her younger daughter's husband joined the family, the daughter-in-law got pregnant... Let me check!

Zhao Huizhen's curiosity was thoroughly piqued. She edged closer to Shen Luoluo without realizing it, hoping to hear more clearly. Then she noticed someone else moving closer out of the corner of her eye and glared. Shen Ting'an, why was a grown man like him crowding in too?

Shen Ting'an rubbed his nose awkwardly. He hadn't meant to. His body had moved closer on its own!

Shen Jingyao looked at the three of them, practically huddled together, and shook his head helplessly.

Found it! Just as I thought. This aunt-in-law's son can't father a child, but he refused to get checked and blamed everything on his wife. Every day, the family made barbed comments about her being a hen that couldn't lay eggs. She couldn't take it anymore, so she went to her sister's husband!

At first, the two of them only wanted to pass the baby off as her husband's. But even after she got pregnant, her mother-in-law still treated her badly. Meanwhile, she and her old flame fell for each other again. He couldn't stand seeing the woman he loved treated that way, and that's why they took the money and ran today.

Hmm... That's a hard one to judge.

But after everything she did, she had it coming!

"Yes! She had it coming!"

Everyone jumped and turned to look at Zhao Huizhen.

Only then did Zhao Huizhen realize she had accidentally spoken aloud. Thinking fast, she turned to Qiu Shumin. "Qiu Shumin, I mean you had it coming!"

"Look at the things you've done. You can't stand seeing anyone else happy! It was bad enough that you took advantage of us not knowing better and deliberately introduced us to those awful prospects. Everyone can see that your daughter-in-law is beautiful and capable, but did you ever praise her? No! You're always bad-mouthing her to people we know, saying she can't do this and she's no good at that!"

"Who could put up with a temper like yours? No wonder your daughter-in-law ran off with someone else. This isn't a curse. It's what you deserve! Take a good look at yourself!"

Well said! Shen Luoluo almost applauded.

Having said her piece, Zhao Huizhen felt much better. "Let's go!"

As the car drove out of the hospital gates, Zhao Huizhen sat in the back seat, still reflecting on her own behavior.

"Jingyao, Mom owes you an apology. I'm sorry. I was wrong to pressure you to get married. Like Luo—"

"Ahem. Like everyone says, you're only twenty-six. You're still young. There's no need to rush. Don't worry, Mom won't do that again. I promise I won't pressure you to get married anymore. You can marry whenever you want!"

If she hadn't been so eager for a grandchild, today's whole misunderstanding never would have happened.

To be honest, before she heard Luoluo's thoughts, she really had considered dragging Shen Jingyao off to meet someone.

Thank goodness she hadn't!

Zhao Huizhen paused. "Still, if you meet someone you like who's right for you, you can give it a try. Be a little more proactive, and stop looking so cold all the time. Staying single forever isn't ideal either."

Shen Luoluo's eyes lit up. She could practically smell a juicy secret.

Someone this outstanding has been single all this time? That doesn't seem right. Could it be he doesn't like women and likes...

Everyone froze in horror. !!!

"The car! The car! Watch out ahead!"

Meanwhile, at Shen Family Villa—

After Shen Jiayan scored five consecutive kills and then earned MVP with a godlike performance, Duan Yixing, who was playing with him, couldn't hold back. "Brother Yan, why are you so fired up tonight? You're killing everyone in sight. What happened? Who got on your nerves this time?"

The question only made it worse. Shen Jiayan remembered standing alone at the door, breathing in their car's exhaust, and his anger flared higher.