Chapter 18: Neighbors

Chapter 18: Neighbors

As they were walking, the two of them ran into their neighbors—Mrs. Zhao and her daughter-in-law.

This villa district was called Mountain and Sea Bay, and the people who lived here were either incredibly wealthy or of high social status. The Zhao family lived right next to the Yu family and were the owners of a leading pharmaceutical company in the country, holding countless pharmaceutical patents.

Mrs. Sun Qian was more than ten years older than Fu Yining. Her daughter-in-law, Wu Qinglan, was also pregnant, and judging by the size of her belly, the baby was due in a few months.

Sun Qian had heard of and even witnessed how Fu Yining mistreated her daughter-in-law. So, when she saw the two of them walking together harmoniously and chatting, she wondered if she was mistaken.

Being long-time neighbors and with recent business collaborations between the two families, Sun Qian greeted Fu Yining, though reluctantly, just to keep up appearances.

“Madam Yu, you’re out for a walk as well!”

“Yes, and you?”

“Oh, my daughter-in-law doesn’t like to move much now that she’s pregnant. I persuaded her to come out for a walk so that it will be easier when she gives birth.”

Fu Yining nodded and stopped to talk with her.

Qingyu stood quietly beside her, but her eyes were on Wu Qinglan. The loose clothing Wu Qinglan wore couldn’t hide her growing belly.

Seeing this, Qingyu thought of herself.

In a few months, would she also look like Wu Qinglan, radiating a maternal glow?

While Qingyu observed her, Wu Qinglan was looking at her with a sympathetic gaze.

Since Qingyu had married into the family, they had met a few times and spoken briefly, but each meeting was brief and lacked substantial interaction.

Wu Qinglan’s husband doted on her, and her mother-in-law treated her well, so she felt deep sympathy for Qingyu, knowing how difficult her life as a daughter-in-law must be.

So, today, was Qingyu forced by her harsh mother-in-law to accompany her?

Calling Fu Yining a harsh mother-in-law was no exaggeration.

While the elders were chatting, Wu Qinglan stepped closer to Qingyu.

“Qingyu, how are you doing lately?”

“I’m fine.”

As soon as Qingyu finished speaking, Wu Qinglan gave her a meaningful look and led her to the side.

“Qingyu, let’s chat, shall we?”

Wu Qinglan moved swiftly, and when Qingyu saw her large belly, she instinctively offered her support.

Noticing Qingyu’s nervousness, Wu Qinglan chuckled. “Qingyu, it’s alright. Although my belly is big now, I’m still fairly agile.”

However, she might not feel the same way in the later stages of pregnancy.

Qingyu nodded but still hadn’t let go of Wu Qinglan.

Seeing how gently and kindly she protected her, Wu Qinglan felt warmth in her heart. She glanced in Fu Yining’s direction and asked Qingyu in a low voice.

“Is your mother-in-law not treating you well?”

Qingyu was stunned for a moment, then shook her head. "No, it's not true. Mom is fine."

Wu Qinglan, feeling heartache, said, "Qingyu, don't hide it from me. I’ve heard a bit about what’s going on at your place."

Since Fu Yining's reputation as an "evil mother-in-law" had already spread among the neighbors long before she knew it herself, people expressed their disapproval of her behavior behind her back.

However, since they were outsiders and it was a family matter, people could only gossip but didn’t dare to get involved.

Wu Qinglan turned to look at her own mother-in-law and Fu Yining.

Frankly, Fu Yining’s face is indeed beautiful and quite deceptive. If Wu Qinglan hadn’t personally seen Fu Yining scold Qingyu until she cried with a twisted expression, she might have been fooled by her appearance.

Indeed, you can’t judge a book by its cover!

Recently, Wu Qinglan has gained quite a bit of weight due to her pregnancy. Seeing Qingyu’s slim figure, she advised her, "Qingyu, you’re too skinny. Why don’t you eat more?"

She suspected that Fu Yining wasn’t feeding Qingyu enough at home.

Qingyu smiled and shook her head gently.

Though she had eaten less due to her mood some time ago, after finding out she was pregnant, she started eating more to provide nutrients for herself and her baby.

Seeing Qingyu’s forced smile, Wu Qinglan felt the evil mother-in-law really deserved to go to hell.

"Qingyu, are you free these days? I want to buy some clothes for my baby. Could you come with me?"

"Sure, buying clothes sounds good."

Qingyu glanced at Wu Qinglan’s belly, thinking she could also pick out some cute little clothes for her own baby ahead of time.

Wu Qinglan was happy when she saw that Song Qingyu had agreed. "Then we'll go tomorrow, sound good?"

"Tomorrow?"

Song Qingyu hesitated for a bit, then turned to ask Fu Yining for her thoughts.

Once the conversation over there had ended, she asked directly, "Mom, can I go out tomorrow?"

Fu Yining automatically asked, "Where are you going?"

"Qinglan invited me to buy clothes for the baby."

Seeing Song Qingyu honestly reporting their plans to her mother-in-law, Wu Qinglan facepalmed.

How could this innocent girl tell her mother-in-law everything? Would she even let her go out with her?

Not only Wu Qinglan, but Sun Qian also felt sympathy for Song Qingyu's situation and was ready to help persuade Fu Yining. But before she could say anything, Fu Yining had already nodded.

"Sure, go ahead."

"…!" Sun Qian and Wu Qinglan were surprised.

What, she agreed so easily?

No way?

On the other hand, Song Qingyu smiled and thanked her, then turned to Wu Qinglan, who was still unsure, to set a specific time.

"Qinglan, what time do you want to go?"

Wu Qinglan gave an awkward laugh and licked her lips. "How about 9 AM? I'll have my driver come and pick you up."

"Alright, I'll wait for you."

Sun Qian withdrew her surprised gaze and partly hinted, partly suggested to Fu Yining, "It's good for the younger generation to go out shopping."

"Indeed."

Fu Yining checked her schedule. She had a yoga class tomorrow morning, and after that, she had a full-body spa appointment. Her schedule was already full.

Otherwise, she would have joined Song Qingyu on the outing.

Fu Yining believed that choosing children's clothes would be much more fun than a yoga class!

After the conversation ended, Fu Yining left with Song Qingyu, and Sun Qian left with Wu Qinglan. The two families headed in opposite directions.

As Wu Qinglan followed her mother-in-law, her thoughts kept returning to her earlier conversation with Song Qingyu.

"Mom, didn't you find Madam Yu acting a bit strange today?"

She suspected that Song Qingyu might be under some form of influence. Otherwise, why would she be so compliant in seeking her strict mother-in-law’s approval?

Sun Qian shook her head, indicating she didn't know. However, she did notice something strange: the unsettling air of arrogance that Fu Yining usually had seemed to have vanished.

Was it just her imagination, or had something truly changed?

Sun Qian patted Wu Qinglan's hand, which was resting on her arm, and advised her, "While Madam Yu isn't exactly a pleasant person, Mr. Yu is quite reasonable. Still, you shouldn't get entangled in their family’s affairs."