Heartthrob, Your Image is Crumbling!

Chapter 387: The Blessing of Having Two Wives, Progress 1

In Zhou Yuwen's room, Su Qing wore an expression of deep-seated bitterness. She felt incredibly depressed. She had always assumed that Zhou Yuwen's family home should be her home turf. Even if Zheng Yanyan showed up, Su Qing figured she could just explain her away as a roommate or one of Zhou Yuwen's classmates. She shouldn't have been a threat to her status at all.Yet, she never could have imagined that the moment Zheng Yanyan arrived, her former mother-in-law would immediately defect to the enemy's side.

And to make matters worse, she seemed to get along with Zheng Yanyan incredibly well.

Su Qing told Zhou Yuwen that she had simply been too careless. Relying on her experiences from her previous life, she had smugly believed that her position was a matter of course.

"I was careless. I was really too careless,"

Su Qing muttered continuously as she sat on Zhou Yuwen's bed.

Hearing this, Zhou Yuwen sighed and said, "Don't overthink it. You and my mother never had a compatible vibe to begin with. Things escalating to this point was bound to happen sooner or later."

Mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law were natural enemies. Even if they could chat and laugh cheerfully in the beginning, it was guaranteed they would grow to despise the very sight of each other later on.

Just like in their previous life, Zhou Yuwen felt that having children didn't really matter.

His mother, however, was desperate to hold a grandchild. She ran off to Jinling every other day, specifically seeking out Su Qing to harp on the subject.

As a woman of the modern era, Su Qing naturally despised having her mother-in-law breathing down her neck all the time.

Consequently, conflicts erupted between the two of them.

Later, when Zhou Yuwen and Su Qing divorced, Yang Lirong had even declared that the divorce was a good thing!

With a son as excellent as hers, was she supposed to worry about him not finding a good match?

Bringing up these past events filled Su Qing with a profound sense of feeling wronged. She turned to Zhou Yuwen and asked, "Was I in the wrong? I married you, not her. Besides, we had already agreed back then that we would wait until our careers were stable before having children. But her? She insisted on delivering that traditional Chinese medicine to me every single day."

"Cough!"

To be completely honest, Zhou Yuwen couldn't clearly define who was right and who was wrong in that situation. Su Qing wasn't wrong.

But his mother also had her own justifications. She would argue, "Our family bought the house for you two. Shouldn't it be expected of you to have a child?"

In the end, didn't getting divorced solve everything anyway?

The main issue was that Su Qing now regretted it.

Looking at Su Qing's terribly wronged expression now, Zhou Yuwen could only stroke her head and gently advise her to ignore his mother, just as she had in their previous life.

"I am on your side regardless," he assured her. A son caught between his mother and his wife truly had to learn how to speak out of both sides of his mouth, adapting his words to whoever was standing in front of him.

Su Qing clung to Zhou Yuwen's hand and let out a soft whine. "Let me tell you, Zhou Yuwen. If Zheng Yanyan actually marries you, she'll be even harder to please than I am. Do you believe that?"

"I absolutely believe that," Zhou Yuwen agreed without a hint of denial. Just looking at the things Zheng Yanyan had pulled last semester was proof enough. The only difference was that this was Zheng Yanyan's first time meeting his mother, so naturally, she could easily put on a good act.

Su Qing originally wanted to continue badmouthing Zheng Yanyan, but before she could get another word in, Zheng Yanyan pushed the door open, her face full of displeasure. "Who says I'm putting on an act?!"

Facing Zheng Yanyan's interrogation, Su Qing showed no fear whatsoever. She shot back a fierce glare and scoffed, "You aren't acting? Can you honestly claim that after marrying Zhou Yuwen, you'd be willing to spend every single day washing dishes like you did today?"

"How is that any of your business? Never mind whether I'm acting or not. Just from what happened today, anyone can see that Auntie is a person with proper three views!"

"Proper three views?" Su Qing was completely dumbfounded by this claim. If Zheng Yanyan had used any other words to describe Zhou Yuwen's mother, she might have let it go. But proper three views?

Zheng Yanyan stood righteous and confident. "Of course! At the very least, she doesn't like women who ruin other people's relationships!"

"I ruined someone else's relationship?!"

Su Qing found this more and more absurd the longer she listened. What did she mean by ruining someone's relationship? It was others who were ruining her relationship!

She had made it perfectly clear at the start of the school year!

She and Zhou Yuwen had been dating since high school!

Back then, Zheng Yanyan even claimed she would help Su Qing win Zhou Yuwen back. And look where they were now!

Thinking about this filled Su Qing with sheer rage. She jumped up from the bed, looking entirely prepared to brawl with Zheng Yanyan.

Yet, Zheng Yanyan refused to show the slightest bit of weakness. "You and Zhou Yuwen had already broken up back then! Besides, you two weren't even officially dating. I admit I feel bad about what happened with you, but since I was already with Zhou Yuwen, do you really think there is any point in your relentless harassment? If it weren't for you, would I have broken up with Zhou Yuwen?"

"You just admitted that you wronged me, so what right do you have to point fingers at me?!"

When the two of them first started bickering, their voices were still relatively low.

However, as they went on, their volume grew louder and louder, making Zhou Yuwen begin to panic. He hastily stepped between them to block their path. "Alright, alright, you two. This isn't the university. If you want to fight, take it outside. Are you trying to get me executed by family law? Stop arguing! Shh! Shh!"

Zhou Yuwen desperately pulled the two girls apart. Su Qing still wanted to yell, but Zhou Yuwen clamped his hand tightly over her mouth. He made a shushing gesture, and his expression was dead serious.

They really couldn't keep arguing. If this continued, a physical fight was inevitable!

Zhou Yuwen first opened the door to peek outside. After confirming the coast was clear, he locked the door from the inside.

He looked at the two girls, neither of whom was willing to concede an inch.

He couldn't help but sigh. "You're both good sisters. What's there to fight about?"

"Who is her good sister?!"

The two of them shouted in unison.

Then they glared at each other and let out a simultaneous whine of disdain.

Sitting there, Zhou Yuwen sighed once more. 'Why do you two have to make things so difficult?' he thought.

Just as Zhou Yuwen was at a total loss on how to handle the situation between these two girls...

Zheng Yanyan's phone suddenly rang.

The moment Zheng Yanyan saw the caller ID on her phone, she panicked. She shot a quick glance at Su Qing, who was still sulking nearby. Su Qing didn't understand why Zheng Yanyan was looking at her, but she maintained her haughty demeanor and gave a dismissive scoff.

Zheng Yanyan gently bit her lower lip. She knew that getting Su Qing to help her right now was absolutely impossible.

So, she simply walked out onto the balcony by herself to answer the incoming call.

Truth be told, the expression Zheng Yanyan wore as she answered the call made both Zhou Yuwen and Su Qing incredibly curious.

After Zheng Yanyan stepped out onto the balcony, Su Qing deliberately walked over to Zhou Yuwen and whispered, "Whose call is it?"

"How should I know?" Zhou Yuwen replied.

Pricking up their ears to listen for a moment, they quickly realized it was a call from Zheng Yanyan's mother.

From their conversation, they discovered that Zheng Yanyan had genuinely sneaked out behind her family's back. She was quite daring, having lied and said she was spending the night at a high school friend's house and would be back in a couple of days.

However, Zheng Yanyan's mother had figured that if her daughter was staying over at someone else's house, she should reach out to show her appreciation.

Once the parents from both sides connected, they instantly discovered that the sleepover was a complete fabrication.

At this very moment, Mother Zheng's expression must have been incredibly grim. She coldly demanded through the phone, "Where exactly are you?!"

This threw Zheng Yanyan into an absolute panic. She whispered her explanation, claiming she had gone to visit her university roommate's hometown for fun.

"Xuhuai?"

"Xuhuai, which is over five hundred kilometers away from home?"

Mother Zheng wasn't buying it. "That doesn't make sense. If you really went there, why did you have to hide it from your father and me?"

"Are you seeing a boyfriend?"

"No, I'm not!" It wasn't that Zheng Yanyan didn't want to admit it, but rather that she and Zhou Yuwen were currently broken up. If her mother found out she not only had a boyfriend but had also run off to her boyfriend's home right in the middle of the New Year holidays, her parents would undoubtedly drive straight over without another word and drag her back home.

If that happened, she would truly lose all face.

Therefore, Zheng Yanyan absolutely did not dare to admit the truth.

She stubbornly insisted she was just hanging out at her university roommate's house! Really.

"How could I possibly lie to you?"

Mother Zheng's voice through the phone remained quite low as she commanded, "Then let your classmate answer the phone."

"I... she's taking a shower right now. It's not really convenient," Zheng Yanyan stammered.

Zhou Yuwen and Su Qing obviously couldn't hear Mother Zheng's voice directly, but they could easily piece together the gist of the conversation from Zheng Yanyan's frantic replies.

Su Qing stood beside Zhou Yuwen, her arms crossed over her chest, displaying a distinctly gloating expression on her face.

Zhou Yuwen, however, patted her buttocks, signaling for her to go over and help out.

Su Qing flatly shook her head and refused.

She even whispered to Zhou Yuwen, "Just let it be. This will force her to leave."

"Don't mess around," Zhou Yuwen chided.

"Go help her out. You're going to need her help with something later anyway."

Earlier on the phone, Su Qing had been terrified that Zheng Yanyan would run her mouth at Zhou Yuwen's house. This was the perfect opportunity. If Su Qing helped Zheng Yanyan now, she could leverage that to make Zheng Yanyan keep the secret for her and Zhou Yuwen temporarily.

But Su Qing argued that if they forced her to leave, there would be no fear of exposure at all.

Hearing this made Zhou Yuwen somewhat displeased, and he told her not to be so malicious. "If you don't help her, what is she going to do when she gets back?"

For a girl to run away from home for two days without a proper excuse, her parents would definitely be suspicious.

Zhou Yuwen stated that if Su Qing refused to help...

Then he would have to go handle it himself.

"If I go and tell her parents that I'm her boyfriend, then I'll be obligated to take responsibility for her later," Zhou Yuwen said as he sat there, looking at Su Qing with total seriousness.

Su Qing immediately panicked upon hearing those words.

"Are you going to do it or not?" Zhou Yuwen pressed.

Su Qing still displayed some hesitation.

Seeing this, Zhou Yuwen didn't hold back. He stood up abruptly and declared he was going over.

"Don't!"

At the very last second, Su Qing finally caved in.

She shot Zhou Yuwen a terribly wronged glare.

"Hmph!"

Then she marched over to the balcony, her cheeks puffed out in anger.

At this moment, Zheng Yanyan was utterly overwhelmed and exhausted trying to explain her whereabouts. No matter what she said, her mother simply wouldn't believe her.

Mother Zheng stated, "If your classmate is taking a shower, then have her call us back the moment she finishes."

"Zheng Yanyan, I'm giving you one last chance. Where are you right now? Do not force me to call your university." Mother Zheng was truly furious; she even used Zheng Yanyan's full name. If Zheng Yanyan didn't explain things clearly, she would call Zheng Yanyan's counselor and interrogate all of her roommates one by one.

"I...!" Upon hearing this, Zheng Yanyan's nose instantly stung with unshed tears. She knew her mom was completely capable of doing exactly that.

Thankfully, right at that moment, Su Qing walked out onto the balcony.

Taking in Zheng Yanyan's anxious state, Su Qing simply reached out her small hand, gesturing for Zheng Yanyan to hand over the phone.

Zheng Yanyan looked at Su Qing's arrogant and haughty demeanor. Truthfully, she didn't quite trust Su Qing.

But this was a crucial moment of crisis...

Seeing Zheng Yanyan still hesitating, Su Qing acted decisively and snatched the phone straight out of Zheng Yanyan's hand.

"Hello, Auntie. I'm Yan Yan's roommate. Um, I was just in the shower," Su Qing said, immediately softening her tone into a sweet, polite voice.

In reality, Mother Zheng had accumulated a massive amount of rage on the other end of the line, and her voice had been ice-cold. However, the moment Su Qing spoke, Mother Zheng's tone softened significantly. "Yan Yan's roommate? You are...?"

"I'm Su Qing."

"Oh. I've heard Yan Yan mention you."

Her tone softened even more as she proceeded to ask, "Is Yan Yan currently at your house?"

Su Qing maintained her incredibly pleasant and gentle demeanor as she replied, "Yes, yes, yes."

Meanwhile, Zheng Yanyan, standing right across from her, was so nervous she felt like she might die.

Honestly, watching Su Qing handle the phone call, Zheng Yanyan kept her small hands clenched tightly, not daring to relax for even a single second.

Especially when Su Qing suddenly asked, "You want to do a video call with me?"

At that moment, Zheng Yanyan's heart leaped into her throat.

Su Qing casually continued, "Um, well, that's a bit inconvenient right now, Auntie. I just got out of the shower. How about you give me ten minutes?"

If Zheng Yanyan had tried using that excuse, Mother Zheng absolutely would not have accepted it. But coming from Su Qing, it sounded perfectly logical and reasonable.

Mother Zheng agreed, assuring her there was no rush.

"Just send me a quick video call before you girls go to bed. Yan Yan dropping by so suddenly must be quite a bother to your family. Oh, right, would it be possible for me to have a little communication with your parents?"

"Oh, sure. My mother is actually still at work right now. Could we wait until she gets off work? Yes. Mmhmm. My mom is a teacher, and she's currently supervising evening self-study. Okay, sounds good. Goodbye, Auntie."

Su Qing certainly possessed basic manners. She finished the conversation with Mother Zheng obediently and respectfully before hanging up the phone.

At that moment, both Zheng Yanyan and Su Qing let out a simultaneous sigh of relief.

Su Qing immediately swelled with pride. She handed the phone back to Zheng Yanyan and demanded, "I just did you a massive favor. How do you plan on thanking me?"

Zheng Yanyan mumbled, "Did I ask for your help? Hmph. You're just being a busybody."

"??"

Su Qing was absolutely infuriated by this response. She immediately spun around to face Zhou Yuwen. "Zhou Yuwen, look at her!"

Only then did Zhou Yuwen step in to dispense some justice. "Alright, that's enough. Both of you need to take a step back."

"What comes next is even more troublesome. You've come all the way to Xuhuai, so you absolutely have to let your parents know. You need to think carefully about how to handle this," Zhou Yuwen told Zheng Yanyan.

Zheng Yanyan realized he was right. She looked at Zhou Yuwen, wondering if there was any chance she could get Zhou Yuwen's mother to help her out.

Zhou Yuwen shot the idea down immediately. "That's absolutely out of the question. Aren't you basically asking my mom to lie?"

"You're already staying at my house. If we start piling lies on top of that, won't it look like our family kidnapped someone's precious daughter?"

"Then what am I supposed to do?!" Zheng Yanyan agonized, her gaze unconsciously shifting over to Su Qing.

Su Qing let out a smug chuckle. "Well, if my university classmate came to visit me for fun, my mom would probably be quite happy. However..."

"However what?" Zheng Yanyan asked.

Su Qing smiled. "My mom has always believed that Zhou Yuwen is my boyfriend. If she finds out that Zhou Yuwen is also caught up in a relentless harassment situation with you, she's definitely going to have a terrible impression of both of you. You can have my mom help you, but during this time, you must admit that Zhou Yuwen is my boyfriend!"

"How can you ask that?!" Naturally, Zheng Yanyan was entirely unwilling to agree to such terms.

But if she didn't agree, Zheng Yanyan's parents would undoubtedly track her down.

At this crucial moment, Zhou Yuwen obviously couldn't just let Su Qing bully Zheng Yanyan endlessly. So, he nudged Su Qing, signaling her to drop the arrogant 'savior' attitude.

Zhou Yuwen told Zheng Yanyan that, originally, he and Su Qing had no relationship whatsoever. But she went around telling everyone they met that he was her boyfriend, resulting in his entire family believing she was his girlfriend.

"She's actually incredibly panicked right now. She's terrified that you'll spill the secret."

"Zhou Yuwen!" Su Qing flared up in displeasure the moment Zhou Yuwen exposed her charade.

And right then, while both girls were preoccupied with their own hidden agendas...

Zhou Yuwen finally seized the opportunity to wrap an arm around each of them, speaking to them in a significant and meaningful tone. "Therefore, cooperating right now benefits both of you, while fighting will only cause mutual destruction!"

"You help Yan Yan explain things to her parents, telling them that Yan Yan came to visit you. And then, Yan Yan, you don't expose her secret. This way, the three of us can coexist peacefully. That's the best outcome. What do you say, baby?"

Zhou Yuwen felt that this arrangement was still a bit unfair to Zheng Yanyan, so he naturally leaned a little more in her favor. He advised her to just fool her parents for now.

"Once this is sorted out, I'll take you out to properly explore the surrounding area for a few days."

Zheng Yanyan glanced up at Zhou Yuwen, hesitated for a moment, and then pouted her lips. "Then you aren't allowed to bring her along!"

"Of course," Zhou Yuwen promised. "You traveled all this way specifically to find me. Did you think I wouldn't be deeply moved by that?"

Hearing Zhou Yuwen say he was moved made Zheng Yanyan exceptionally happy.

But naturally, this made Su Qing terribly unhappy.

Zhou Yuwen immediately turned his attention to Su Qing and asked, "You don't have a problem with this, do you?"

Su Qing replied in a deeply sour tone, "Well, you've already laid it all out like that!"

"That's my good baby. Be good."

With one arm wrapped securely around each slender waist, Zhou Yuwen planted a kiss on the left, and then a kiss on the right.

Surprisingly, at this moment, neither of the girls voiced any objections.

Not bad. The blessing of having two wives, progress +1.