Heartthrob, Your Image is Crumbling!

Chapter 454: Harmonious Sisters-in-Law Means One is Destined to Be Ignored

By the time Yang Lijuan returned with Su Qing and the others, Jiang Xinyi had already finished her phone call with her mother. After her mother's counseling, Jiang Xinyi felt much more comfortable.Jiang Xinyi felt her mother was right. No matter how young and beautiful these girls were, she was currently Zhou Yuwen's girlfriend. There was no need for her to stoop to their level and argue.

So, upon hearing the commotion downstairs, Jiang Xinyi hurried down to try and build a good relationship with Yang Lijuan.

It couldn't exactly be called building a good relationship; it was more about seeking no fault, even if she achieved no merit.

Seeing Yang Lijuan and the girls carrying bags big and small filled with a pile of ingredients, Jiang Xinyi attentively went to greet them. She reached out to take the bags from Yang Lijuan's hands and smiled. "Auntie, you're back?"

Unexpectedly, Yang Lijuan, who had just been talking and laughing with Su Qing and the others, immediately put on a cold face the moment she saw Jiang Xinyi approaching. She showed no intention of handing her things over. Confused, Jiang Xinyi said, "Auntie, let me help you carry these."

"There's no need. You're so delicate and precious. If you tire yourself out, your family will probably come looking to make trouble for my son. Just sit down," Yang Lijuan said coldly out of the blue.

She then turned sideways and squeezed right past Jiang Xinyi.

Zheng Yanyan and Su Qing, who were following behind, found this secretly amusing. They exchanged a glance and then looked at Jiang Xinyi simultaneously. Faced with the questioning look in Jiang Xinyi's eyes, the two girls made no effort to hide their reactions, practically radiating schadenfreude.

Jiang Xinyi immediately realized that these two girls had definitely been pulling petty tricks behind her back!

She had just opened her mouth to say something.

At that moment, Yang Lijuan called out, "Little Su, Yanyan, come give Auntie a hand!"

"Okay!"

"Coming, Auntie!"

The two girls happily walked past Jiang Xinyi, letting out soft huffs as they went.

At this moment, Jiang Xinyi was feeling immensely wronged. She could not help but clench her small fists, practically grinding her teeth. When had she ever suffered such a huge grievance?

She then looked at Lu Lin and Tao Tian, who walked in after them.

Although these two girls did not say a word, Jiang Xinyi could not shake the feeling that they were definitely watching her, the former school beauty, make a fool of herself.

For the next hour, Su Qing and Zheng Yanyan, two girls who had previously been incompatible like water and fire, put on a perfect display of harmonious sisters-in-law. They flanked Yang Lijuan, helping her cook while constantly flattering her, providing her with the absolute maximum emotional value.

At that moment, Yang Lijuan was genuinely thinking about how wonderful it would be if both of these girls could be her daughters-in-law.

No, it shouldn't just be Su Qing and Zheng Yanyan.

How wonderful it would be if Tao Tian and Lu Lin could also be her daughters-in-law.

While cooking, Su Qing and Zheng Yanyan were the most active, but in reality, neither of them was very good at it. Zheng Yanyan had learned for a short period for Zhou Yuwen's sake, but with her short-lived enthusiasm, how could she have possibly mastered it?

You could tell if someone knew how to cook just by seeing how they washed and chopped vegetables.

It was obvious at a glance that those two were amateurs. On the other hand, Tao Tian's chopping technique was quite something. Yang Lijuan casually remarked, "Lass, your knife skills are pretty good."

Then Tao Tian smiled and replied that she used to frequently help her family cook back home.

Hearing this, Yang Lijuan nodded in satisfaction.

This immediately gave Su Qing and Zheng Yanyan a strong sense of crisis, prompting them to start mimicking her chopping or go wash the vegetables.

Although Lu Lin did not say a word, she had a signature crucian carp soup. The soup she boiled was as white as milk and smelled incredibly fragrant.

This truly made Yang Lijuan look at her with new eyes.

These four girls truly showed that each has unique abilities. No matter which one you picked, they were all one in a hundred.

Most importantly, these girls went out of their way to flatter Yang Lijuan, which gave her a great sense of superiority.

She fantasized about taking all four of these girls back home to show off to her relatives and friends. Wouldn't those relatives and friends die of envy?

They were talking and laughing cheerfully in the kitchen, completely unaware that their joyous laughter was incredibly grating to Jiang Xinyi's ears. It was especially piercing when she heard Yang Lijuan say something about how they would all make excellent daughters-in-law.

"Whoever marries you girls will truly be blessed for three lifetimes!"

Su Qing, knowing exactly what to say, chimed in, "Auntie, then how about we all become your daughters-in-law?!"

Just a few words coaxed Yang Lijuan into giggling continuously.

However, Jiang Xinyi's expression grew darker and darker.

After an unknown amount of time, Zhou Yuwen and Zhou Guobin finally emerged from the study room. In reality, they had pretty much finished their conversation a while ago and had nothing left to talk about; they just wanted to stay in the study a little longer.

There was nothing for them to do once they came out anyway.

They always say three women make a play. With six women out there, who knew how many plays were going on? They would definitely be chattering noisily without end. The father and son were merely trying to seek peace and quiet.

Towards the end, Zhou Guobin could not help but want a smoke.

But being alone with Zhou Yuwen, he felt embarrassed to smoke by himself.

So he thought he would offer his son a cigarette.

As a result, Zhou Yuwen actually smiled and declined.

This made Zhou Guobin feel too awkward to light up, so he ended up just chatting aimlessly with Zhou Yuwen in the study room for quite a while.

It was only when he truly couldn't hold back anymore that he urged Zhou Yuwen to head out.

Actually, they could already hear the joyous laughter from inside the room, but the moment the door opened, the sound instantly magnified.

Looking up, they saw Yang Lijuan, Su Qing, and the other girls chatting and laughing over there.

And shifting their gaze slightly, they saw Jiang Xinyi sitting on the sofa, all by herself.

When Jiang Xinyi saw Zhou Yuwen come out, the grievances in her heart finally found a pillar of support. Her eyes reddened the moment she stood up.

It couldn't be helped; she truly had never suffered such grievances before.

It wasn't that Jiang Xinyi had never experienced direct hostility.

But this feeling of having words she couldn't speak was simply too unbearable.

Zhou Yuwen walked over and asked her what was wrong.

Jiang Xinyi shook her head without saying a word.

She only turned her face to glance at the kitchen over there.

Seeing this, Zhou Yuwen could more or less understand what was going on. He gently tugged at Jiang Xinyi's small hand and smiled.

Jiang Xinyi didn't say anything either. She simply threw herself directly into Zhou Yuwen's arms, not acting at all like an older sister who was six years his senior.

This was a rare moment where Jiang Xinyi genuinely and sincerely showed vulnerability to Zhou Yuwen.

It was exactly in times like this, forced into a corner by Su Qing and the others, that she needed to let these women know who Zhou Yuwen's true girlfriend was right now.

Seeing Jiang Xinyi feeling wronged, Zhou Yuwen naturally stroked the back of her head to comfort her. Regardless of the issue, he started by gently coaxing her, "Alright, alright. How old are you now? Why are you still acting like a child?"

"How about we go for a walk outside?" Zhou Yuwen asked when he saw that she remained silent.

Jiang Xinyi nodded gently.

And so, Zhou Yuwen led Jiang Xinyi out the door by the hand. Su Qing and Zheng Yanyan took in this entire scene.

Honestly, it wasn't a big deal at first.

But as Zhou Yuwen pulled Jiang Xinyi out the door, Jiang Xinyi glanced back at the two of them. Her gaze was clearly provocative, practically saying, 'Did you see that?'

Zheng Yanyan could not swallow this insult. Seeing this made her furious, so she walked over to Su Qing and whispered, "Look at her, she's really pushing her luck! Hurry up and think of something!"

Su Qing found this hilarious and couldn't help but retort, "Why don't you think of something? Don't you usually have the most wicked ideas? Just go up there and tear into her!"

"I... I can't do that," Zheng Yanyan stammered. "It's not like I'm trying to be the main wife."

"?" Su Qing raised an eyebrow, deeply skeptical of Zheng Yanyan's mindset. Who was it that had been fighting tooth and nail with her for this exact position just a few days ago?

Now she was claiming she didn't want it?

Did that imply that only she herself wanted to be the main wife?

Feeling guilty, Zheng Yanyan avoided looking at Su Qing altogether.

In reality, Zhou Yuwen did not take Jiang Xinyi very far, just for a stroll in the yard. Through the French window in the living room, they could sometimes still see Zhou Yuwen and Jiang Xinyi holding hands.

It was just that the more they looked, the more bitter they felt inside.

Moreover, this Jiang Xinyi was really something else. How old was she, and yet she was still acting all coy and spoiled with Zhou Yuwen?

She was even pretending to be wronged. Was she wiping away tears?

The girls in the kitchen couldn't hear what Zhou Yuwen and Jiang Xinyi were talking about, but they could see her suddenly bury her face into Zhou Yuwen's chest and start crying as they walked.

To the few women watching, it looked incredibly fake.

In Zheng Yanyan's words, she was playing the victim.

What a shameless old woman!

But in truth, Jiang Xinyi was not pretending to be pitiful. She was genuinely feeling wronged. She had just been talking to Zhou Yuwen about how his mother didn't like her.

She felt incredibly aggrieved, emphasizing that she was Zhou Yuwen's actual girlfriend.

"Your mother rarely comes to Jinling, so I specifically had our driver bring our family car over. I originally wanted to make her more comfortable, but she didn't appreciate it at all."

"I'm your girlfriend, but she'd rather ride in the same car as Su Qing and Zheng Yanyan than ride with me!"

Jiang Xinyi's belly full of grievances finally found a release with Zhou Yuwen. As she spoke, she couldn't help but wipe her tears.

When Zhou Yuwen saw that the dignified wealthy daughter of the Jiang family was actually shedding tears over such a trivial matter, he naturally coaxed her gently, telling her that wasn't the case.

"My mom just isn't familiar with you. She knows Su Qing and Zheng Yanyan,"

"But I'm your girlfriend right now."

Jiang Xinyi emphasized this several times; she simply felt wronged.

"And just now, when I greeted your mom and wanted to help her carry some things, she actually rejected me. It must be your ex-girlfriend and your ex-ex-girlfriend badmouthing me to her!"

Jiang Xinyi grew increasingly annoyed as she spoke and turned her head to glance at the window.

At that moment, Su Qing and Zheng Yanyan were both staring at her. Seeing Jiang Xinyi's gaze sweep over, they quickly averted their eyes.

Jiang Xinyi narrowed her eyes.

Zhou Yuwen still wanted to play dumb, saying that wasn't this situation quite nice?

"You are a pampered wealthy young lady, someone whose fingers don't touch spring water. Look, they're cooking, and we just have to wait to eat. Isn't that great?" Zhou Yuwen said while holding Jiang Xinyi's pair of fair, delicate hands.

Jiang Xinyi was somewhat speechless. She said that wasn't the point at all!

Zhou Yuwen still wanted to pretend he didn't understand anything, but Jiang Xinyi laid everything completely bare, stating once again that she was Zhou Yuwen's girlfriend!

Therefore, relationships like those of Su Qing and Zheng Yanyan, who were merely Zhou Yuwen's ex-girlfriend and ex-ex-girlfriend, had no right to exist here.

Even Yang Lijuan, as Zhou Yuwen's mother, should maintain proper boundaries with them.

She might not be aware of these things.

"But you have to tell her!"

Jiang Xinyi spoke very seriously, but Zhou Yuwen just replied, "Think about how old my mom is."

"Besides, my mom definitely knows the situation. But she knows these two girls. I'm certainly keeping my distance, but if they insist on chatting with my mom, it's not like my mom can just have a cold face with them, right?"

What Zhou Yuwen said made sense, but Jiang Xinyi was still very angry.

Watching Jiang Xinyi's expression, Zhou Yuwen sighed. He said, "Alright then. I'll have a word with my mom later and tell her to pay attention to the fact that you are her only daughter-in-law. How does that sound?"

"What daughter-in-law."

Hearing this title, Jiang Xinyi couldn't help but pout.

Zhou Yuwen chuckled at her reaction and playfully rubbed her small face, saying, "Who else could be the daughter-in-law but you?"

After taking Jiang Xinyi for a stroll around the garden, Yang Lijuan called out from inside the house that it was time to eat, prompting Zhou Yuwen to finally lead Jiang Xinyi by the hand back indoors.

By this time, the girls had already prepared a table full of dishes, carrying them to the table one by one.

Ignoring Jiang Xinyi, Zheng Yanyan and Su Qing called out to Zhou Yuwen to take his seat, boasting that the few of them had put a lot of effort into this feast.

"In a bit, you'll have to guess carefully which dish was made by whom," Zheng Yanyan said.

Zhou Yuwen found this amusing and replied, "I don't know who made what, but I do know that none of it was made by you."

"Hey, what do you mean by that!" Zheng Yanyan immediately became displeased.

Zhou Yuwen countered, "Don't I already know your culinary skills?"

Hearing this, everyone couldn't help but laugh. Zheng Yanyan was indignant and turned to Yang Lijuan, unwilling to let it go. "Auntie, look, he's bullying me!"

At this moment, Yang Lijuan exercised her maternal authority, glaring at Zhou Yuwen as she reprimanded him, "How could you say that about Yanyan?"

Zhou Yuwen merely smiled at Zheng Yanyan and said, "So you know how to tattle now?"

"Hmph."

"This crucian carp soup—one look and I can tell Linlin cooked it, right?" Zhou Yuwen spotted the telltale signs with just a casual glance.

He then looked at the stir-fried chicken, the finely shredded pork, and other dishes, instantly recognizing them as his own mother's handiwork.

The atmosphere during the meal was also incredibly loving, with everyone collectively praising Yang Lijuan's delicious cooking before showering praises on one another. For example, Lu Lin's crucian carp soup was truly savory. Yang Lijuan was the first to mention it, praising the lass for being very good at cooking.

Then Zheng Yanyan and Su Qing chimed in to support Lu Lin, while Tao Tian also drank a bowl of the soup and nodded in awe, exclaiming that it was genuinely delicious.

Tao Tian had just prepared a dish of stir-fried yellow beef, which tasted quite decent. Lu Lin said, "What you made isn't bad either."

Tao Tian smiled and replied, "Really? I was worried it wouldn't suit your taste."

Out of everyone at the table, the worst cooks were probably Su Qing and Zheng Yanyan. However, they had learned a little bit at the very least, so they managed to scrape together a few stir-fried vegetable dishes.

The taste was a bit lacking, but their courage was commendable.

As the head chef, Yang Lijuan even encouraged them, saying, "You girls have a lot of talent for cooking."

This made Su Qing and Zheng Yanyan very happy.

Right now, sitting around this large table were four of Zhou Yuwen's girls. In the past, they had more or less had their conflicts, but at this moment, they were extremely harmonious. However, their harmony meant that one girl was entirely ignored, and this feeling of being ignored was truly incredibly unpleasant.