Everyone's gaze immediately focused on Lin Lu.
Sure enough, half her body was nestled in Ji Chengyu's arms.
Ji Chengyu shoved Lin Lu away as though he had been burned and urgently grabbed Jiang Zhixia's hand. "Zhixia, believe me. There really is nothing between my sister-in-law and me. I only went along with her because she's ill... We've been married all these years. You're the only one in my heart."
Jiang Zhixia forcefully shook off his hand, her tears finally spilling over. "Ji Chengyu, since you know she has mania, you should know she's always the one hitting me, never the other way around. Yet you were going to break my hand without even finding out what happened. Is this what you call loving me?"
Ji Chengyu was so anxious that sweat covered his forehead. "I wasn't really going to do anything to you. I was only trying to calm her condition. Zhixia, please try to understand me. Before Dad died, he told me over and over to take good care of my elder brother's family... Now my brother's gone, leaving just his widow and child. I-I had no choice..."
He grew increasingly emotional as he spoke, his eyes reddening. "But you and Tuantuan really are the only ones in my heart... Tuantuan, Daddy was wrong. Daddy shouldn't have said those things..."
Tuantuan hid behind her mother, her timid little face filled with confusion.
Jiang Zhixia, on the other hand, began to waver as she watched her husband's anguished expression.
Song Yutang sighed inwardly.
After suffering such a terrible injustice, she softened at just a few gentle words.
Sure enough, the same vine bore the same kind of melon.
Just like Jiang Guoqiang and his wife, they were all soft persimmons.
No wonder Lin Lu dared to be so arrogant, and Ji Chengyu so utterly unrestrained.
She was about to speak when Jiang Zhixia quietly retreated behind her and stammered out a plea for help. "Sister-in-law... please help me decide. I... I don't know whether I should believe him."
Song Yutang froze.
She actually knew to ask for help?
There was still some hope for her.
She turned to her red-eyed sister-in-law and told her earnestly:
"You have to ask yourself that. Marriage is like drinking water-only you know whether it's hot or cold. Other people can offer advice, but they can't live your life for you. What do you really think?"
Having spent ten years as crown princess, Song Yutang had adjudicated no shortage of disputes like this.
Her conclusion was that even an upright official struggled to settle family affairs.
Jiang Zhixia still hesitated. "I... I don't know..."
Seeing this, Ji Chengyu immediately dropped to his knees before her and slapped himself in anguish. "Xiaxia, it's all my fault. Please forgive me just this once."
At the sight of the blood seeping from the corner of her husband's mouth, Jiang Zhixia's gaze softened somewhat after all.
She bit her lip and hesitated for a moment before answering quietly, "...I'll let it go this time."
Seeing this, Lin Lu immediately raised her voice again, wailing to heaven and beating the earth as she made to slam herself into the glass wall. "Since my sister-in-law can't tolerate me... what's the point of a widow and her child like us even living? We'd be better off dead... Don't stop me. Let me die..."
Song Yutang did not even lift her eyelids. "Go ahead, then. No one has to bear responsibility for a suicide anyway. Butler Wang, as a humanitarian gesture, pick out a nice burial plot for Miss Lin right now, and arrange a professional funeral team. The Jiang Family will cover the costs."
Several onlookers immediately let out snickers they could not suppress.
Lin Lu's sob caught in her throat, and she froze where she stood.
Song Yutang continued mildly, "With neither a father nor a mother, Guangguang will naturally be an orphan. Butler Wang, contact an orphanage while you're at it."
The corner of Lin Lu's mouth twitched, and she began crying again with exaggerated rises and falls. "Boo-hoo... The Jiang Family is bullying us with their power, leaving a widow and her child no way to survive..."
Song Yutang waved a hand, and a bodyguard brought over a chair.
She sat down in it. "Carry on. It's not my Jiang Family losing face anyway."
By this point, the truth was already perfectly clear.
The onlookers pointed and whispered, unanimously condemning the scumbag and his green tea sister-in-law.
Unable to bear the humiliation, Ji Chengyu shot Lin Lu a vicious glare. "Stop making a scene. Haven't you embarrassed us enough?"
Jiang Zhixia looked at Song Yutang in amazement.
Her sparkling eyes were filled with admiration.
Whenever Lin Lu resorted to crying, making a scene, and threatening to hang herself, Ji Chengyu always coaxed her with gentle words.
This was the first time he had lost his temper with her.
Her new sister-in-law was truly amazing.
凸^-^凸 So awesome!
Seeing that the atmosphere had eased, Ji Chengyu hurried forward to take Jiang Zhixia's hand. "Zhixia, let's go home. I'll cook tonight and make your favorite sweet-and-sour ribs..."
To his surprise, Jiang Zhixia shrank back behind Song Yutang, then plucked up her courage and raised her face. "Explain the unauthorized card charges first."
After speaking, she timidly looked up at Song Yutang again. "Sister-in-law... am I doing this right?"
Song Yutang gave her a thumbs-up. "Absolutely right."
Ji Chengyu's expression stiffened, and he could only steel himself and admit, "There were no unauthorized charges... I gave you the card and told you to buy a gift for your new sister-in-law."
Jiang Zhixia instinctively looked at Song Yutang.
Song Yutang gave her an encouraging look.
She gathered her courage again and turned to Lin Lu. "Y-you hit me the moment you came over, and kept saying I'd used your child's father's card without permission. Shouldn't you apologize to me?"
Lin Lu wanted to throw another tantrum.
But cowed by Song Yutang's ice-blade gaze, her bluster immediately shrank by half.
She stiffened her neck, stubbornly maintaining her air of righteousness. "Chengyu said it himself. He'll take care of my son and me, and Guangguang is his own son. He works so hard, yet you, you woman, are out here squandering his money. You deserved to be hit."
Jiang Zhixia was at a loss again and looked anxiously at Song Yutang.
Song Yutang merely uttered two words. "Slap her."
Jiang Zhixia froze for a moment, then gritted her teeth and slapped Lin Lu across the face.
Lin Lu had always hit and scolded Jiang Zhixia whenever she pleased.
She had never imagined that this cowardly woman would actually dare to hit her.
Immediately flying into a rage, she lunged forward with her hands clawing. "Bitch, who do you think you are, laying a hand on me?"
Jiang Zhixia recoiled a step in fright.
"Keep going." Song Yutang gave her a look.
"All right." Jiang Zhixia instinctively swung her hand back and delivered two more slaps.
Lin Lu was slapped several steps backward.
Seizing the chance, Jiang Zhixia advanced, brimming with grievance, and cried out through reddened eyes, "I'm Ji Chengyu's legal wife! I'm entitled to a share of the money he earns. I can spend it however I want. What business is it of yours?"
Lin Lu shrieked, "He promised to take care of my son and me! All his money should belong to us. Everything you and that money-losing brat eat, wear, and use is paid for with my son's money and mine. You two are bloodsucking leeches, rotten things who steal other people's husbands and fathers!"
Those tyrannical, unreasonable words made Jiang Zhixia break down completely. She rained several more slaps across Lin Lu's head and face. "He's my husband and my daughter's father, not yours! What right do you have to hold his card and control every household expense? What right do you have to deck yourself in gold and silver and spend thousands on a single bag of dog food, while giving my daughter and me just a hundred a month in spending money?"
Lin Lu straightened her back. "Because I'm the Ji Family's eldest young madam, the lady of the house! All the money should be under my control."
Jiang Zhixia wiped away her tears. "Fine. Then let's go to court and let the law decide."
Lin Lu immediately turned to Ji Chengyu and whined, "Chengyu, look at her. I told you long ago that a girl from such a poor, insignificant family only married you for your money. A hundred a month isn't enough for her, and now she wants to take it to court..."
Song Yutang gave Butler Wang a meaningful look.
Butler Wang understood immediately and feigned sudden realization. "So our Jiang Family is a poor, insignificant family? Our young lady only deserves a hundred a month in spending money."