This He Jiarong might be a good-for-nothing, but at least he's honest, and since Li Suqin had raised him with her own hands, she had some affection for him.
Although marrying him had been a bit of an injustice to her daughter, what was done was done. Now, she only hoped that her daughter and he could quickly have a child so she and her husband could hold their grandchild.
"Mom, let's talk about that later," Jiang Yan said coldly, lowering her head.
"Later? You've been married for almost two years now!" Li Suqin was getting anxious.
Jiang Yan didn't respond further. After changing her shoes, she turned and went into the bedroom.
In the bathroom, Lin Yu brushed his shoes while wiping away a nosebleed. Thinking of Jiang Yan's exquisite face and devilish figure, he couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement.
Probably any man would lose control in the face of such a stunning woman. So, he was torn—should he sleep with her or not?
If he did, she was, after all, someone else's wife. If he didn't, he was now nominally her husband. And if he didn't step in to help, she and He Jiarong might never have a child in this lifetime.
Recalling that he had been recognized as an outstanding youth in Qinghai for his bravery in his past life, he ultimately decided to do a good deed—help others and be happy!
After finishing up, he washed thoroughly and entered the bedroom with a nervous heart.
Jiang Yan was already lying on the bed in her pajamas, while a makeshift bed was laid out on the floor.
Lin Yu was slightly taken aback. He glanced up at Jiang Yan, who was engrossed in her phone, and noticed she had no intention of explaining. He couldn't help but smile wryly—no wonder they hadn't had a child after nearly two years of marriage. So, He Jiarong had been sleeping on the floor all this time!
No wonder Jiang Yan had seemed uncomfortable when he held her hand earlier. It was likely they rarely even held hands normally.
This He Jiarong was truly hopeless!
Lin Yu sighed regretfully. It seemed he wouldn't be able to do this good deed after all. He lay down on the floor bed without another word.
"Lights out," Jiang Yan said coldly.
"Go ahead."
Lin Yu suddenly felt like he was back in his college dorm.
---
Over the next few days, Lin Yu visited his mother while tactfully gathering information about He Jiarong from the people around him. Eventually, he pieced together a rough picture of the guy.
It turned out He Jiarong was an orphan. Li Suqin had adopted him when he was three, and later, he married Jiang Yan. As for why Jiang Yan had agreed to the marriage, that remained unclear.
By going through He Jiarong's phone, Lin Yu discovered his social circle was very small. Aside from two close contacts who sold pornographic DVDs, he had almost no friends.
He had been in a coma for two months, and even those two DVD sellers had lost touch. But Lin Yu thought a simple social network was fine—it saved him a lot of trouble.
Perhaps blood ties were truly mysterious. After meeting Lin Yu, who now wore He Jiarong's skin, his mother felt an inexplicable closeness to him and gave up her thoughts of suicide, accepting him as her godson.
Seeing his mother's emotions stabilize, Lin Yu felt somewhat relieved. Now, he needed to figure out how to repay Huang Mao's debt. But raising that much money in a short time was quite a challenge.
---
When Lin Yu returned from his mother's place that afternoon, Jiang Yan was already home, touching up her makeup in front of the mirror.
His father-in-law and mother-in-law were also home, both dressed in formal attire.
"You're finally back. Hurry up and change. Your uncle's new son-in-law got a promotion, and they've invited us to dinner," his mother-in-law urged.
By the time Lin Yu entered the room, Jiang Yan was already ready—a black lace off-the-shoulder gown, her dark hair cascading over one shoulder, exuding both sexiness and elegance.
Lin Yu was momentarily stunned. A peerless enchantress—that's what she was.
"If you don't want to go, you can stay home," Jiang Yan said coldly.
"What, afraid I'll embarrass you?" Lin Yu smiled self-deprecatingly.
"No." Jiang Yan's expression flickered slightly, and she quickly walked out.
Lin Yu wasn't oblivious. Since Jiang Yan didn't want him to go, he decided to stay home. But Li Suqin wouldn't hear of it, worried Jiang Yan's uncle would take offense.
So, Lin Yu had no choice but to tag along, though it was clear Jiang Yan wasn't happy about it.
---
Fenghua Lou was a relatively upscale and distinctive restaurant in Qinghai. Being able to host a dinner here spoke volumes about the capabilities of Jiang Yan's uncle's new son-in-law.
Upon arrival, Lin Yu and the others were led to a large private room with two round tables. Most of the relatives were already there. Whatever Jiang Yan called them, Lin Yu promptly followed suit, playing the role of the henpecked husband to perfection.
The relatives responded with mocking smiles, barely acknowledging Lin Yu.
At their table, the seats of honor were occupied by Jiang Yan's uncle and aunt, flanked by their son-in-law and daughter. The new son-in-law, Zhang Xun, was fair-skinned with a square face, thick lips, and glasses—his speech and demeanor unmistakably marked him as a government official.
"Thank you all, family elders, brothers, and sisters, for honoring us with your presence. Bottoms up!"
Once everyone was seated, Zhang Xun raised his glass with a few polite words and downed it in one go.
"Xiao Zhang, no need to be so formal. From now on, your cousin here will have to rely on you, the Health Bureau's section chief, for support," a tall man said, standing up to finish his drink as well.
"To rise to deputy section level at such a young age—Xiao Zhang is truly exceptional!"
"With promotions this fast, becoming a leader is just a matter of time."
"Don't forget us poor relatives when that happens."
Amid the laughter, the relatives took turns heaping praise on him.
"Uncles, aunts, elders, you flatter me. No matter how far I go, I'll always be your junior. If there's anything you need, just say the word—I'll never refuse."
Zhang Xun delivered his lines with the polished flair of a bureaucrat, leaving the relatives thoroughly satisfied and nodding in approval.
"Jiarong, now that you're better, you should learn from your brother-in-law. Be more ambitious and stop fooling around all day."
Suddenly, an elder redirected the conversation to Lin Yu.
Jiang Yan's expression turned frostier, while Li Suqin and Jiang Jingren's faces darkened with embarrassment.
Both were sons-in-law, yet the gap between their son-in-law and someone else's was just too vast.
"Right, Jiarong, you still don't have a job, do you? How about your brother-in-law finds you some odd jobs at the Health Bureau?"
Jiang Yan's aunt spoke with a hint of condescension. She had never liked this niece and nephew-in-law of hers, especially since her late father-in-law had doted on Jiang Yan.
"Mom, I'm afraid I don't have that kind of pull. Even the odd jobs at our bureau aren't open to just anyone—you need at least a college diploma," Zhang Xun said with a smile. "Sorry, Jiarong. I really can't help."
Lin Yu nodded with a smile, thinking to himself how effortlessly this bureaucrat could stab someone in the back.
"Well, you can't just sit around at home. You can't keep living off your wife forever. Actually, I know a foreman who needs laborers at a construction site—180 yuan a day. I'll put in a word for you."
"Or there's a gatekeeping job at our factory. The work's easy, but the pay's low."
"No education, no skills—this is the kind of work you're stuck with. Don't be picky."
The relatives chimed in one after another, their words dripping with feigned concern but laced with mockery.
Jiang Yan's face was icy, her anger barely contained. Each word felt like a slap to her face—this useless man had humiliated her beyond measure.
"Eat, eat! Let's eat first!"
Seeing Li Suqin and her husband's expressions grow increasingly strained, Jiang Yan's uncle hurriedly intervened, urging everyone to start the meal.
Though the comments were harsh, Lin Yu was unfazed. He ate and drank heartily—after all, they were talking about He Jiarong, not him.
"Useless is useless. All he knows how to do is eat."
"Maybe that fall knocked a few screws loose."
"Instead of Jiarong ('Family Glory'), he should be called Jiashuai ('Family Decline')."
"Hahaha..."
A few cousins at the table snickered under their breath.
Lin Yu was annoyed. The elders' jabs were one thing, but what gave these cousins the right to act so high and mighty?
---
"Old Li, what's going on? I thought I booked this private room!"
An irritated voice sounded from outside the door.
"Oh, Captain Liu, my apologies! It was an oversight on my part. How about I move you to another room?"
"Move? To where? Do the other rooms compare to this one? Do you know who's coming to dinner tonight? Go talk to the people inside and tell them to move."
"Captain Liu, to be honest, there's a Health Bureau official inside. I can't afford to offend them."
The restaurant owner was referring to Zhang Xun. Though his rank wasn't high, the restaurant fell under his jurisdiction. A little meddling from him could make life difficult.
Hearing this, Zhang Xun immediately puffed up with pride and barked at the door, "Who dares disturb our meal?"
His outburst made the relatives at the table subconsciously straighten their backs with pride.
"Me. Liu Changming, captain of the Criminal Police Brigade."
With that, a man in his thirties walked in, scanned the room, and said, "Sorry, everyone. This room was originally reserved for me, but the staff made a mistake. I have some important guests arriving shortly. I'd appreciate it if you could move to another room."
"On what grounds? We're halfway through our meal—you expect us to move now?"
"Yeah, what's so special about a police captain?"
"What right do you have to make such a demand?"
Jiang Yan's cousins immediately protested, their youthful arrogance making them dismissive of the police captain's authority.
Zhang Xun had initially been intimidated by the title "Criminal Police Captain" and was ready to back down. But with his cousins' words putting him on the spot, he felt compelled to put on a tough front. "That's right, Captain Liu. We're in the middle of our meal. Asking us to leave now is hardly appropriate, is it?"
"Sorry, brother. Do me this favor." Liu Changming knew he was in the wrong.
"Sorry, no favors today. If you want this room, you'll have to wait until we're done."
With no room for negotiation, Zhang Xun dropped all pretense of politeness. No matter how powerful the police captain was, he had no authority over the Health Bureau.
"Yeah, if you want this room, wait till we're finished!"
The cousins echoed Zhang Xun's words, their admiration for him growing.
"Old Liu, what's taking so long? The leaders will be here soon."
Another voice sounded from outside, and in walked none other than Deng Chengbin.
"Bureau Chief Deng, perfect timing. I was just trying to get these people to switch rooms, but a 'big shot' from your Health Bureau refuses to budge. Says we'll have to wait till they're done eating," Liu Changming said, shooting Zhang Xun a cold glance.
"B-Bureau Chief Deng?!"
Zhang Xun's face turned ashen, and he stood up so abruptly that his bowl and chopsticks clattered to the floor.
"You're from the Health Bureau? Which department?"
Deng Chengbin clearly didn't recognize Zhang Xun. He gave him a once-over, displeased.
"Chief, I'm Zhang Xun from the Disease Control Section," Zhang Xun stammered, beads of sweat rolling down his forehead. Offending a superior would spell the end of his career aspirations.
"Tonight, I'm hosting Bureau Chief Wei. Would you mind doing me the favor of vacating this room?" Deng Chengbin asked sternly.
"O-Of course! Right away!"
Zhang Xun nodded frantically, then signaled to the relatives to gather their things and move to another room.
The relatives, realizing this was Zhang Xun's superior, swallowed their anger and began collecting their dishes in silence.
"Bureau Chief Deng, isn't this a bit high-handed?"
Lin Yu's voice rang out, calm and unhurried.