’He totally had it coming. What century are we living in? He’s from our parents’ generation, so calling his mindset "hopelessly stubborn" would be an understatement. Marrying into the wife’s family? Qin Mei couldn’t imagine her father-in-law’s expression back then. The fact that he didn’t keel over from rage meant his mental fortitude was pretty impressive.’
"Meimei, do you also think it’s ridiculous for my second brother to marry into his wife’s family?" Jie Jingchen asked impassively.
Qin Mei’s brows furrowed slightly. She stared at him, a smile playing on her lips but not reaching her eyes, and retorted sarcastically, "What do you think?"
"It’s not," Jie Jingchen replied calmly.
’It was his idea, so of course he wouldn’t think it was ridiculous.’
Qin Mei pulled her hand away, then took his larger one and gave it a pat. "Whatever makes you happy."
"Meimei." Jie Jingchen was displeased. That was so dismissive.
Qin Mei let out a long sigh and looked at him. "Did your dad agree?"
"He didn’t," Jie Jingchen said, shaking his head.
’That was the answer she expected. It would be a miracle if her father-in-law agreed. If he had, there could only be one explanation: Jing Er wasn’t his real son.’
Jie Jingchen added, "But my mom is going to work on him."
’If that persuasion campaign actually succeeded, Qin Mei would have to start worshipping her mother-in-law. She had already mentally braced herself for the possibility of living in the same compound as Lin Yaru.’
’The life debt to Zhang Hongyan was a constant weight on her mother-in-law’s conscience. If Jie Jingwei knew how to leverage it, he wouldn’t just be able to move back in—he could probably get everyone else kicked out.’
’Qin Mei had almost forgotten about Jie Jinghun. He had a strong moral compass, and Shen Qing wasn’t insatiably greedy like Xu Chunyan. Good people would be rewarded in the end.’
"Meimei, if... and this is just a hypothetical... if Jing Er does end up moving back in, what would you do?" Jie Jingchen asked, his gaze turning cautious.
"Then he moves back," Qin Mei said with a nonchalant shrug. She poked his chest and added, "You’re the one Lin Yaru is after, not me."
Qin Mei said it as if it had nothing to do with her and wasn’t worth a second thought.
’An ex... who doesn’t have some crazy ex who went off the deep end after being rejected? Well, fine, she didn’t, actually.’
’In reality, once she thought it through, these seemingly complicated relationships weren’t that big of a deal. So what if they all lived in the same compound?’
’Lin Yaru and Jie Jingchen’s "past" was just the neighbors trying to set them up. Since Lin Yaru had a crush on Jie Jingchen, she was more than happy to play along, but he was never interested in her that way.’
’Nothing happened when Lin Yaru was single; was she really going to develop some kind of twisted obsession now that she was his sister-in-law?’
’Impossible. Does he take me for a fool? I’m confident enough in my own charm to keep Jie Jingchen utterly captivated, and I still have that much faith in myself.’
Seeing her nonchalant expression, Jie Jingchen’s grave look turned sullen. He reached out, his fingertips gripping her delicate chin. His low voice was laced with an undeniable frustration. "Who am I to you?"
Qin Mei met his gaze and sighed to herself. "You’re my man."
Jie Jingchen froze for a second, then the gloom on his face vanished completely. He pulled Qin Mei into an excited embrace. She had just showered, and her captivating scent was intoxicating. The heart in his chest pounded, and his breathing grew ragged.
"Meimei," Jie Jingchen’s Adam’s apple bobbed, his eyes filled with strained desire. "Meimei, someone has designs on me. You have to protect me."
’Me, protect him? Is he serious? Look at the size of him, and then look at me.’
"Jie Jingsi, it’s too hot. Let me go," she said. It wasn’t that Qin Mei was being unromantic; she was genuinely hot. Being held so tightly by Jie Jingchen felt like a summer blaze she desperately wanted to escape.
"Meimei." Jie Jingchen’s voice was husky with desire. His left arm tightened around her slender waist while his right hand gripped her delicate chin. "Meimei, you said you missed me, too."
The corner of Qin Mei’s eye twitched. She met his blazing, lust-filled gaze and blinked innocently. "Miss you? What’s there to miss? We’re together all the time, except when you’re at work. Is there even time to miss you?"
Jie Jingchen struggled to control the desire in his amber eyes. She was twisting his words on purpose. He gave her waist a punitive pinch, drawing a cry of protest from her as he leaned in and whispered in her ear.
"Meimei, the kind of ’missing’ I mean... is *this*... Get it?" Jie Jingchen’s voice was slow and deliberate, the final syllable drawn out in a lazy, suggestive drawl that was utterly seductive.
The explicit words rang clearly in Qin Mei’s ears. Her cheeks flushed, and in her flustered state, she instinctively tried to pull away.
But Jie Jingchen wasn’t about to let her go. Sensing her movement, he tightened his grip on her impossibly slender waist, pinning her so she couldn’t escape his grasp.