Chapter 3: Her Eyes Sparkled with a Radiant Gaze

Chapter 3: Her Eyes Sparkled with a Radiant Gaze

Faced with Lin Yufan's confrontation, Zhao Lijie found himself in a dilemma.

At noon today, the Second Branch was hosting Zhao Zhiao and his former military commander.

Zhao Zhiao was a prominent figure in the Zhao clan, and Zhao Lijie was determined not to embarrass himself in front of him.

As for Zhao Zhiao's commander, who held a high position in the Nationalist Government, Zhao Lijie had worked tirelessly to establish this connection, and it could easily be ruined by Lin Yufan.

He shot his wife a meaningful glance, and the First Madam quickly interjected, "Fourth Sister-in-law, what’s the matter? The master only intended to help you keep your valuables safe. His intentions were good. In these turbulent times, storing valuables in a bank safe is the safest option, and the rental fee was paid by your brother himself. What are you afraid of?"

Lin Yufan remained unyielding. Having just displayed her resolve, she quickly resumed her delicate, vulnerable demeanor: "I have no other demands, I just want my belongings back. Mother, please support me."

The old lady was unsure of her son’s intentions, but his hesitation to return the items surely had its reasons.

She sighed and remained silent.

Second Aunt also remained silent.

Third Madam was about to speak, but her husband nudged her, and she swallowed her words.

"Is the entire family ganging up on me, a widow? Do you still expect me to consider this place my maternal home? Is there such a cold-hearted maternal home?" Lin Yufan wept, her tears streaming down her face, appearing pitiful and heartbroken. She cried out, "Mother..."

The old lady’s heart ached at her cry, and her brow furrowed deeper.

"If you won’t support me, should I seek help from my brother and sister-in-law from my maternal family? The family is celebrating a joyous occasion!"

This was both a reminder and a threat.

Although Lin Yufan's brother and sister-in-law were not blood relatives, the Lin family, despite its decline, was once a prominent clan.

Among the prominent families, relationships were complex and intertwined. If a conflict erupted, it would bring shame to everyone.

The old lady glanced at Zhao Lijie and had to say, "Eldest son, I know you mean well, but now that things have come to this, you must give a clear answer."

Zhao Lijie turned to his mother and respectfully said, "I’ve been busy these days. After the celebration, I won’t shortchange her. Mother, you can rest assured."

The First Madam continued to persuade, "Fourth Sister-in-law, it’s not that we won’t return your things. There’s no need to rush, right? After the family celebration, we’ll also help you find a new match. Before you remarry, we’ll definitely return everything to you."

Lin Yufan knew that this couple was merely employing a delaying tactic, and she couldn’t agree.

"Hui De Bank is just two streets away from home. It won’t take more than half an hour to go there and back. Why must it wait until after the celebration?"

Zhao Lijie didn’t expect Lin Yufan to be so relentless. He had already agreed to return the items, yet she still wouldn’t let it go!

He was furious: "I’ve already said I’ve been swamped these days, overwhelmed with work. Why are you pushing so hard? Could it be that even before remarrying, your heart is no longer with our family?"

The First Madam played along with her husband: "Fourth Sister-in-law, even if you remarry, according to the Zhao family’s rules, the meat stays in the pot. No matter what, you’ll still remarry someone from the Zhao family. As the saying goes, 'Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west.' There’s a long road ahead, and you may need our help someday. Don’t be too harsh."

Lin Yufan shot them a glance: "Have I killed someone or set a fire? I’m just asking for my own belongings back. How is that being too harsh? You can’t spare half an hour? Eldest Brother and Sister-in-law, the time you’ve spent arguing with me here is already more than half an hour. If we keep this up, we could have already gone to the bank and retrieved the items. In the end, you’re just trying to delay, and with delay, some things might change."

"What do you mean?" Zhao Lijie, whose secret was exposed, suddenly stood up, his voice rising in guilt. "What do you mean by 'some things might change'? This is utterly unreasonable!"

"What did I say? How is asking for my own belongings back unreasonable?"

Lin Yufan sobbed, her eyes filled with tears.

Second Aunt couldn’t bear to see such a beauty in tears. She quickly stepped in to protect her and softly advised, "We’re all family. Let’s talk things out calmly."

The old lady had a splitting headache and was even suspicious that her son had pilfered the safe’s contents—gone without a trace!

"Yufan, head back to your room for now. I need to discuss something with your eldest brother. We’ll sort out your issue today, no question." The old lady still held authority in this household.

"Thank you, Mother, for looking out for what’s fair. And what about my three gold bars..." Seeing that Fourth Madam wanted to refute her, Lin Yufan quickened her pace to drown out the other's voice: "Sister-in-law, no need to jump in so quick to argue. I get it—the family’s strapped for cash, and you’re in a tight spot, but who isn’t these days? Kicking the can down the road—when does it stop? I borrowed money from my aunt, and it needs to be repaid. Just because I was kind enough to dip into my own savings to help the family out, that doesn’t mean I should end up shortchanged, does it? I trusted the family when I lent the money. No one should take advantage of that trust. Don’t push a good person to their limit!"

Lin Yufan’s words struck the right balance, leaving them with some dignity.

If she didn’t get her money and things back today, she’d have no problem rallying the Lin family to crash the wedding tomorrow.

Everyone there knew the Lin family had a couple of wild cards, and her aunt was no pushover. Once riled up, it’d cost a fortune to clean up the mess.

As she left the old lady's room, Gui Xiang was already waiting at the door. The servants spread news quickly.

As soon as the commotion started here, it spread below immediately.

Gui Xiang’s eyes brimmed with worry. She stepped forward to support Lin Yufan, and after returning to the room and closing the door, she softly comforted: "Miss, don’t be sad. It’s just bad luck, and there’s no fighting it. You’re still young. After you remarry, you can have a child of your own. Wouldn’t that be something?"

Why bother raising someone else’s kid?

Ditching Dong Geer? Lin Yufan couldn’t be happier—no sadness here.

Things moved quicker than she’d expected today. The only phone in the house was in the eldest brother's room, so it wasn't convenient for her to make a call.

Lin Yufan took out some money and gave it to Gui Xiang: "Make up an excuse to go out for pan-fried buns, then hop in a rickshaw to my aunt’s place and get Xi Gu here by noon. If Xi Gu isn’t home, call my Fifth Brother."

Seeing her mistress wipe away her tears, Gui Xiang felt much more at ease. Her mistress looked glowing and poised, not a hint of despair.

She knew her mistress wanted to retrieve her belongings from the eldest brother, and at this time, they needed backup to put on a show and make the Zhao family hesitate.

Gui Xiang first went to the kitchen, brought back soy milk and scallion pancakes, and soon left with a food box.

When questioned, she just said Fourth Madam was craving pan-fried buns.

*

Aunt Sun Jingxi was the cousin of Lin Yufan's father, almost forty years old.

After her mother, she was the one who loved Lin Yufan most in the world.

In her past life, Sun Jingxi had stayed in Haicheng and drowned in an accident back in 1950. Lin Yufan only found out half a year later.

Back then, she’d cried herself to sleep in secret.

When Xi Gu entered, her familiar figure stood silhouetted at the door, hazy, as if she had come from heaven to see her in a dream.

The weight of a past life hit her hard, and Lin Yufan threw her arms around Sun Jingxi, tears streaming.

"Xi Gu!"

Sun Jingxi thought her niece had been wronged and pressured by her in-laws, so she quickly comforted her: "Don’t cry, don’t cry. If the sky comes crashing down, we’ll hold it up. Xi Gu has no other skills, but she has a thick face. I’ll deal with those shameless Zhao family members."

As she spoke, she lovingly wiped away Lin Yufan's tears, and Lin Yufan felt a bit embarrassed and tucked her hair aside.

She was happy.

Xi Gu was still alive. In this life, she would find a way to take Xi Gu with her.

After sitting down, Gui Xiang brought in tea and dried fruit.

Sun Jingxi instructed Gui Xiang: "Go to the old lady's room and tell her that I will pay my respects to her later."

"Got it!" Gui Xiang left, closing the door behind her.

Sun Jingxi skipped the tea, eager to get straight to the point: "Gui Xiang told me everything in detail this morning. I know you're really mixed up right now. Let me help you figure things out. There are two big things to deal with."

"The first thing is to retrieve your dowry items and the gold ingots from Zhao Lijie."

"The second thing is that if adopting a son doesn't pan out, that's actually better. You're only 23, still young. I never thought you should stay a widow. You don't have to marry a man from the Zhao family, but since they're pushing hard now, let's play along for now and see who they have to offer. If it's not suitable, then we won't choose. It's been decades since the Republic was founded; Greater Shanghai is no backwater. The Zhao family's old rules should've been tossed out long ago. If it comes to it, we'll sue them. Don't worry, your uncle and I have got your back. We'll find you a good match later."

Xi Gu made a lot of sense. The most pressing issue was still money.

Lin Yufan: "At noon today, the family is hosting an important guest for lunch. They're probably worried we'll make a scene..."

Before she could finish, Sun Jingxi understood.

"I'll handle this. I'll talk to your mother-in-law. I'll say Zhao Yunjie owes me money. So, who's coming for lunch?"

"Zhao Zhiao, his tutor, and his former military commander," Lin Yufan briefly explained to Xi Gu what she knew.

Sun Jingxi realized it was a matchmaking event, which gave her even more confidence. "Zhao Lijie is such a schemer, always cozying up to the rich. Today, I'll make sure you get everything back."

They didn't chat much longer. Sun Jingxi glanced at the clock; it was almost half past ten. Now was the ideal time to see the old lady.

Lin Yufan waited in her room for word. The old lady had promised this morning to give her an answer by today, but it was already this late, and no one had come to deliver the message.

Fortunately, she wasn't just sitting idly by.

If Xi Gu couldn't handle it, she would have to come up with another strategy.

She had leverage over the Zhao brothers. She had originally planned to deal with them after leaving the Second Branch.

The sound of a car came from outside. Lin Yufan walked to the window just in time to see a black sedan parked at the front gate.

Someone got out from the passenger seat and opened the rear door.

A man stepped out from the back, wearing sharply tailored dark trousers and a white shirt with a dark gray vest over it. He looked like a wealthy socialite.

From her angle, she could only see the man's sharply defined jawline and high-bridged nose.

It was Zhao Zhiao.

She had seen his photo in a Hong Kong newspaper before.

When the Second Branch first arrived in Hong Kong, Zhao Lijie and his brother had sought Zhao Zhiao's help, but for some reason, they offended him, and Zhao Zhiao cut off all ties with the Second Branch.

Therefore, Lin Yufan and Zhao Zhiao had almost no interaction.

At the same time, a younger man got out from the other side of the car.

As soon as the young man stepped out, he looked up in her direction.

When he saw Lin Yufan, his fair and sunny face lit up with surprise.

Lin Yufan hadn't expected Zhao Lixiang to come.

On this day in her previous life, aside from helping Huan Jieer with her makeup, she had stayed in her room and hadn't gone anywhere. She had no idea that Zhao Lixiang, Zhao Zhiao's younger brother, had also come.

Zhao Lixiang was her husband Zhao Yunjie's brother and also his classmate. When Zhao Yunjie was alive, Zhao Lixiang often came over to play chess with him.

Every time they played chess, it would last the whole day, and Zhao Lixiang would stay for lunch in their room.

He was very familiar with Lin Yufan and held great respect for her.

In Harbor City, Zhao Lixiang had taken great care of Lin Yufan before his passing.

Unfortunately, the good die young.

After many years apart, Lin Yufan, visibly moved, immediately smiled back.

Seeing Lin Yufan warmly smiling at him, Zhao Lixiang was overjoyed and couldn't help but wave happily at her, as if sunlight broke through the gloom.

Zhao Zhiao, who was ahead, caught sight of his brother's beaming smile and sharply looked up.

He saw a beautiful woman standing by the second-floor window, her skin pale as porcelain, her features delicate as a painting, and her eyes shimmering with allure.

As their eyes locked, her smile vanished in an instant.

Zhao Zhiao's expression also darkened, and he glared at his brother, as if scolding him: Shameless fellow!