Heartthrob, Your Image is Crumbling!

Chapter 450: Is This Really My Son's House?

During the New Year, Yang Lijuan had found it strange. She had watched her brat grow up for eighteen years, and if she had to say whether he was excellent, he truly didn't quite make the mark. How could he be worth Su Qing and that little lass from Beijing fighting over him so fiercely? Now, looking at the average standard of their dormitory, Yang Lijuan finally understood.It turned out that the young girls from the big city were each more beautiful than the last.

Especially the one with the slightly larger frame.

Thinking of this, Yang Lijuan couldn't help but take a few more glances at Tao Tian, who was standing to the side. Anyone would notice Tao Tian first.

From an elder's perspective, Tao Tian's appearance was truly the type that would bring prosperity to a family. At this thought, Yang Lijuan couldn't resist glancing at her husband, who had just stepped out of the car.

Fortunately, Zhou Guobin was preoccupied with thoughts of work and hadn't even had the chance to look. Otherwise, he inevitably would have suffered a bout of ridiculing from his wife.

Hearing Yang Lijuan preemptively group her into the same category as Su Qing's roommates, Tao Tian couldn't hold back a soft giggle. Covering her mouth, she spoke to Yang Lijuan with utmost gentleness, "Auntie, you've misunderstood. The three of them share a dormitory. I'm actually two years ahead of them. My name is Tao Tian, so I guess you could consider me Zhou Yuwen's senior sister."

"Ah? Then you...?" Yang Lijuan paused in surprise upon hearing this. Before she could even ask, Tao Tian took the initiative to explain with a bright smile, "I'm currently working for Zhou Yuwen's company. He is essentially my boss, so he's the one who asked me to come and receive you."

"Oh, oh." Hearing Tao Tian say this, Yang Lijuan's expression turned a bit peculiar. She couldn't help but take another couple of looks at Tao Tian, her internal thoughts shifting once again.

'My son's subordinate?'

'There are so many capable people in the world, yet my son hired someone so...'

Yang Lijuan's expression was complex as she shot a glare at the father of her child standing beside her.

Zhou Guobin had no idea what his wife was truly thinking at that moment. He was a somewhat old-fashioned man, but having worked for many years, he had seen his fair share of beautiful women.

Even when faced with women who threw themselves at him, Zhou Guobin was able to maintain his integrity, let alone with these little lasses who were more than twenty years younger than him. His main purpose for coming to Jinling this time was to see the son who had shocked him so deeply.

Therefore, facing this crowd of youthful and beautiful girls, Zhou Guobin simply directed his question to Su Qing, whom he considered to be the closest to Zhou Yuwen. "Is Yuwen still not done with his work?"

"Oh, Uncle, Zhou Yuwen still has to attend a public lecture on entrepreneurship in a little while. He asked us to take you to the house to settle in first,"

Su Qing replied respectfully.

Zhou Guobin stated that wouldn't be necessary.

"Your auntie and I have already booked a hotel. If he's still busy, then we'll just go to the hotel to wait for him. There's no need to trouble all of you with running back and forth."

Hearing this, Su Qing hurriedly wanted to say something, but before she could open her mouth, Tao Tian chimed in with a bright smile. "It's better to stay at the house, right? Uncle, Zhou Yuwen just moved into his new place. It was hard enough for you to make the trip here; how could we possibly let you stay in a hotel? If nothing else, you should at least go take a tour and offer Zhou Yuwen some advice."

Everything Su Qing had wanted to say had been completely stolen by Tao Tian. After holding it in for a long moment, all she managed to squeeze out was, "Exactly!"

Meanwhile, Zhou Yuwen's parents found themselves captivated by the girl before them—not only was she exceptionally graceful and elegant, but she was also incredibly eloquent.

Even Zhou Guobin couldn't help but take a couple more looks at the girl. To be honest, there were plenty of girls with outstanding looks and high emotional intelligence, but it was rare to find someone quite as exceptionally stunning as Tao Tian. If a girl like her were to enter the government system in the future, even without a formal position, she would likely secure a highly confidential and important role.

Thus, gazing at Tao Tian, Zhou Guobin naturally narrowed his eyes. 'This brat, I really underestimated him,' he thought.

"Uncle, what do you think?" Facing Zhou Guobin's scrutiny, Tao Tian didn't show the slightest hint of stage fright. Instead, she offered him a radiant smile.

Zhou Guobin pondered for a moment. Before he could respond, Yang Lijuan nodded from the side and chimed in, "I think Little Tao makes a lot of sense. It's not like we don't have a house, yet you insist on staying in a hotel. What? Just because our son has money now? Are we going to be this wasteful?"

"What are you talking about?" Zhou Guobin immediately furrowed his brows, his face revealing his displeasure. 'It's been so many years, yet she still speaks without any filter,' he thought.

Hearing Yang Lijuan's words, the girls all burst into laughter. Yang Lijuan continuously urged Zhou Guobin not to stay at the hotel, adding that no matter what, they had to go see their son's home.

Unable to out-argue his wife, Zhou Guobin could only nod in agreement.

And so, Tao Tian drove ahead to lead the way, while Zhou Guobin followed behind in his car.

At this moment, Zheng Yanyan took the initiative. Although she had lost the upper hand during the New Year, she still got along quite well with Yang Lijuan. She spoke up, "Auntie, can I ride in your car?"

As she said this, she affectionately wrapped her arms around Yang Lijuan's arm.

Yang Lijuan was also quite fond of this girl from Beijing. She smiled and said, "Alright, you can keep Auntie company and chat."

Su Qing, on the other hand, didn't bother fighting over this momentary advantage. She obediently took the front passenger seat in Tao Tian's car.

On the way to the villa, Tao Tian asked Su Qing in confusion why she hadn't chosen to ride in the uncle and auntie's car.

"That really doesn't seem like your style."

Su Qing replied with disdain, "Look at the situation we're in. So what if I win against her? No matter what we do, neither of us can beat that woman, Jiang Xinyi."

At the mention of Jiang Xinyi, the faces of the three women in the car dimmed noticeably.

It was true. Before Jiang Xinyi arrived, these females probably felt, to varying degrees, that they still had a decent shot. But ever since Jiang Xinyi was confirmed as Zhou Yuwen's girlfriend, they couldn't shake the feeling that no matter how hard they fought, the best they could ever hope for was the title of a secondary concubine.

At times like this, it felt like Zheng Yanyan had the right idea. At the very least, she didn't carry that kind of pressure and always believed she still had a chance.

Just as Tao Tian and Su Qing lapsed into silence.

In the back seat, Lu Lin spoke up, telling Su Qing not to be too discouraged.

"Jiang Xinyi might not necessarily be the ultimate winner."

Su Qing was still somewhat bothered by the fact that Lu Lin had held her back the other day. Glancing at Lu Lin through the rearview mirror, she sneered, "What, do you have some brilliant insight to share again?"

The tone of her voice was clearly hostile, but Lu Lin paid it no mind. She replied that she wouldn't call it a brilliant insight.

"But I just feel like she's pushing Zhou Yuwen too hard. Zhou Yuwen might not appreciate that."

Hearing this, both Su Qing and Tao Tian froze, looking at Lu Lin in surprise.

Lu Lin found their reaction a bit strange and asked, "Do you guys not watch the news?"

Tao Tian had actually noticed Lu Lin since their last encounter. However, because Lu Lin was usually so unassuming and didn't show off, it was incredibly difficult to gauge her true depth. Now, she finally had a rare opportunity to strike up a conversation with her.

Tao Tian said, "Doesn't the news right now just say that Zhou Yuwen and Jiang Xinyi are a match made in heaven? That Jiang Xinyi is the woman behind Zhou Yuwen's success."

Before Tao Tian could even finish her sentence, Su Qing couldn't help but interject bitterly, "What woman behind his success? How has she helped Zhou Yuwen at all? She's just relying on her good family background. Everything Zhou Yuwen has achieved today is well-deserved through his own efforts. What does it have to do with that woman?"

Lu Lin said that this was exactly the problem.

Zhou Yuwen simply wasn't the type of man to let a woman lead him by the nose. But Jiang Xinyi and her family were too anxious—or rather, it wasn't Jiang Xinyi, but her mother who was too eager.

In fact, it was easy to see that her mother had the typical mindset of the wealthy: secure a golden bachelor as a son-in-law, and then claim all the credit for his achievements for their own family.

The current narrative driven by the news was clearly abnormal.

Whether it was Zhou Yuwen writing novels earlier on, or making money through food delivery later.

He had achieved it all by himself. But the way the news was framing it, it felt as though all of this was only made possible because of Jiang Xinyi's support behind the scenes.

"If you tell me there isn't someone manipulating this behind the scenes, I wouldn't believe it."

"Are you saying that Jiang Xinyi's family is doing this on purpose?" Tao Tian understood Lu Lin's implication.

Lu Lin replied, "If even I can see through it, there's no way Zhou Yuwen doesn't. And the thing he hates the most is a woman who doesn't know her boundaries."

After she finished speaking, a long silence fell over the car. Su Qing was quiet because her eyes had lit up; she felt that this genuinely seemed to be the case. But precisely because it made so much sense, she couldn't help but shoot a resentful glance at Lu Lin, asking, "Why are you telling us all this?"

Lu Lin answered, "I'm telling you this so you know not to rush into anything. She might have a good family background, but that doesn't mean you're out of chances."

Su Qing scoffed. "Even if you didn't say it, I'd still know."

After those words, the car fell into a prolonged silence once more. The three girls each harbored their own thoughts. As Tao Tian drove, her ample bosom heaved slightly with her breaths.

She couldn't resist sneaking a few more glances at Lu Lin through the rearview mirror. The more she looked, the more she realized that Lu Lin was far from simple.

However, recognizing this complexity didn't mean she viewed Lu Lin as an enemy.

On the contrary, it stirred up a desire to befriend her.

Su Qing, on the other hand, lowered her head and carefully chewed over Lu Lin's words. The more she thought about it, the more sense it made. So what if Jiang Xinyi's family had a bit of money?

She was a reborn person; how could she possibly believe that a little bit of wealth guaranteed her defeat?

The one thing a reborn person lacked the least was money.

If she thought she could use that to manipulate Zhou Yuwen, she was undoubtedly digging her own grave.

Just like that, before they knew it, they arrived at Blue Bay.

The supporting facilities for the high-end villas featured an extremely low building density, with the fragrance of flowers and the chirping of birds filling the air. Not only was the grand entrance of the residential area luxurious, but there were also several security guards standing at their posts.

Tao Tian's car had its license plate registered, so it drove straight into the neighborhood.

Zhou Guobin's car, however, had to stop behind and check in with the guards.

In truth, while they were in the car just moments ago, Zhou Guobin hadn't been able to hold back and had reprimanded Yang Lijuan right in front of Zheng Yanyan regarding her earlier comments about staying at their son's house to save some money.

It would have been fine if she had said it in private, but to say something like that with other people around was more or less unpresentable.

Shouldn't she at least be mindful of her status?

Hearing this, Yang Lijuan let out a scoff. "What status could I possibly have?"

Zhou Guobin was truly at a loss for words. He sighed and said, "You don't even know how big the house Yuwen bought is, yet we're just moving in as a matter of course."

"Do you think this is respecting Yuwen? He's grown up now and handling big business. If he bought a house and hasn't told us about it all this time, he definitely has his reasons."

Yang Lijuan felt her husband was just twisting logic. It was purely because she had caused him to lose face earlier that he was trying so hard to claw it back.

In the back, Zheng Yanyan had managed to glean the gist of the conversation, but she was quite puzzled. "Uncle, Auntie, did Zhou Yuwen never mention buying a house to you?"

Bringing up this matter was actually quite embarrassing. Yang Lijuan replied, "He's highly capable now and has his own mind."

'So that means he hasn't?'

Zheng Yanyan immediately grew excited. She could never keep a secret to begin with, and now she was hearing that Zhou Guobin was actually worried the house wouldn't be big enough for the two of them.

Finding it amusing, Zheng Yanyan couldn't help but exclaim, "Uncle, Auntie! You really knew absolutely nothing about Zhou Yuwen buying a house?"

Yang Lijuan, who had been sulking at Zhou Guobin, saw Zheng Yanyan's gleeful expression and asked, "Yan Yan, do you know something?"

'I know far too well!' Zheng Yanyan thought to herself.

"Zhou Yuwen bought a large flat last semester! It's one hundred and eighty square meters, with four bedrooms and two living rooms!" Zheng Yanyan revealed.

At this, Yang Lijuan was stunned. "It's that big?"

Just as they were speaking, they arrived at the entrance of Blue Bay. Zheng Yanyan exchanged a few words with the security guard, and the car drove inside.

The scenery before them was enveloped in lush greenery, offering a secluded and picturesque view. No matter how one looked at it, this didn't resemble an area for large flats. The buildings hidden amidst the woods were almost entirely small villas.

Now Zhou Guobin was very curious. "Little Zheng, you mentioned Yuwen bought a flat, but I don't see any flats around here?"

Zheng Yanyan replied, "This is the one Zhou Yuwen just bought—a massive villa! Uncle, let me tell you, when he hosted his housewarming party a few days ago, so many prominent figures in Jinling showed up!"

"Yuwen bought a villa?" Yang Lijuan was still busy fantasizing about her son buying a large flat, and now they had already upgraded to a villa?

In the span of a few sentences, the car had already pulled up to the front of a villa. There were four parking spaces out front, more than enough to accommodate their vehicles. During the party a while back, a rose arch had been set up at the entrance.

Right now, the roses were still in full bloom.

It was a three-story villa, and looking at it from the outside, it was genuinely quite beautiful.

Seeing this little villa, Yang Lijuan felt a surge of genuine joy. She stepped out of the car and asked Su Qing, Tao Tian, and the other girls ahead, "Is this house really our family's Wenwen's?"

As Yang Lijuan's former daughter-in-law, Su Qing understood this mother-in-law quite well.

She nodded with a smile. "Auntie, I'll take you on a tour."

The courtyard had been meticulously maintained and featured a small pond. The lush green grass inside had just been trimmed, and the fresh flowers were blooming quite vibrantly. The more Yang Lijuan looked, the more she loved it. When she pushed open the door and stepped into the wide living room, she was met with a clean, immaculate space featuring modern decor and gorgeous marble walls.

To be honest, Yang Lijuan had never seen a house like this in the real world. However, she had seen similar ones in Korean dramas, like the recently popular My Love from the Star.

At the time, Yang Lijuan had thought that if their old house was ever demolished, decorating a new one in that style would be beautiful.

Yet she never expected that before their house was even torn down...

Her son had already turned her dream into a reality.

Yang Lijuan grew happier the more she looked, murmuring under her breath, "Is this really my son's house?"