Chapter 13 The Big Shot: She Likes Me

Chapter 13 The Big Shot: She Likes Me

The setting sun cast their long shadows on the wall.

Though Lin Yufan was curious about Zhao Lixiang's newspaper work, she was out in public with a lot of cash on her, so it was inconvenient to chat more.

Once she joined the Fifth Branch through marriage, there would be plenty of time to learn about the things she wanted to know.

Zhao Lixiang's emotions roller-coastered with Lin Yufan's demeanor. Watching them walk away, his turbulent feelings had yet to settle.

In the end, he had no chance.

On the way home, Gui Xiang muttered softly, "Young Master Lixiang was off today."

Lin Yufan blurted out, "Probably his big brother's doing."

Gui Xiang laughed, excited for her mistress's new life after remarrying. Even though she'd have to outsmart the three concubines, anything beats this dead-end place.

"Fortunately, Young Master Lixiang is your friend. He'll have your back if anything goes down."

"What could happen?"

"For example, when you argue with the three concubines."

Lin Yufan smiled disdainfully, "What's the point in arguing?"

We'll all be widows soon enough, so there's no need to argue.

Nearing home, Lin Yufan remembered what Gui Xiang had asked her to do last night, "Get Hong Yu over later."

Gui Xiang was pleasantly surprised, "Miss, are you finding Hong Yu a new family?"

"Keep it quiet, just get Hong Yu here. I want to talk to her."

"I'll call her later."

*

With the eighth approaching, the wedding date neared. Wang Junyao came to see Lin Yufan almost every day. In a rush, they bought and altered a ready-made wedding dress.

The Second Branch's attitude shifted, growing colder by the day.

To them, the biggest perk of a widow remarrying was the exemption from the family temple's head tax for the next three years and receiving a fixed amount of gift money.

If the Second Branch saw it as marrying off a daughter by sending Lin Yufan to the Fifth Branch, they might've ridden Zhao Zhiao's coattails later on.

But now, it was clear Lin Yufan and they were just putting on a polite front.

They knew they'd get nothing from her down the line.

Especially after Zhao Lijie was released, the attitude of the Second Branch became even more ambiguous.

Zhao Lijie was beaten and tortured beyond recognition. When he got out, he was thankful for Zhao Zhiao's help.

But after sleeping on it, Zhao Lijie felt more and more that something was off.

The reason he was arrested was entirely due to Zhao Zhiao and Lin Yufan.

If Zhao Zhiao hadn't invited Commander Ji over as a guest, and Lin Yufan hadn't taken the opportunity to force him to return the items, Commander Ji wouldn't have had the chance to meet Lin Yufan.

If Lin Yufan hadn't refused to ride in Commander Ji's car, Zhao Lijie wouldn't have had to shamelessly accompany her.

Commander Ji was killed in a bombing, and Zhao Lijie became a suspect and was taken for interrogation, suffering greatly during the interrogation by the investigation team. Meanwhile, Zhao Zhiao was infatuated, going to great lengths to marry Lin Yufan, ignoring the family’s pleas for help. When the family sought his assistance to rescue someone, he kept delaying...

"Zhao Zhiao doesn’t consider us as his own brothers," Zhao Mingjie said, sitting in front of the antique shelf in his elder brother’s bedroom, seizing the moment to stir up trouble.

Zhao Lijie hissed and frowned, "Take it easy!"

The matriarch put away the medicinal oil and also complained softly, "This time, I’ve seen the true nature of your Zhao family’s so-called brotherhood. Third Master and Nan Geer went to plead with him several times, but they never even got to see Zhao Zhiao."

Zhao Mingjie crossed his legs, digging his little finger into his ear, "He sent some underling named Shen Te to brush me off. He’s just relying on his stinking money and connections with a few high officials, acting like he’s better than everyone. And what’s so great about that Lin Yufan? While we’re trying to raise money to save our brother, she clearly has money but won’t part with a single cent. She even berated the matriarch quite harshly."

Lin Yufan had indeed mocked the matriarch, but she hadn’t pointed fingers and insulted her face-to-face.

But these details no longer mattered. What mattered was that Lin Yufan was no saint.

The matriarch said, "Zhao Zhiao has money and power, and he looks down on you. Lin Yufan is a heartless woman. Why should we bother with their cold shoulders?"

Zhao Lijie waved his hand helplessly, "Let it go, let it go. They’re moving to Hong Kong anyway. This time, let’s just consider it as getting rid of bad luck. We’ll have less to do with them in the future."

The matriarch wanted to say that she had also lost a roll of fine brocade fabric, which she had been reluctant to use for her own clothes. But with Zhao Mingjie there, she kept it to herself.

Zhao Lijie pondered and advised, "But let’s not offend them. We should keep things civil."

"Who wants to offend them?" The matriarch finished speaking and left the room.

Zhao Mingjie had come today to discuss other matters. Seeing the matriarch leave, he whispered, "Brother, a friend of mine said that the northern forces will eventually reach Haicheng. You know what the north is like. For people like us, being communized is the least of our worries. What I fear is the events of the past..."

Glancing at his younger brother, Zhao Lijie pondered slightly, "What are your plans?"

"What plans could I have? I’ll just follow your lead," Zhao Mingjie didn’t speak directly but instead beat around the bush.

This was because he knew his elder brother’s suspicious nature. The more he pushed, the less likely his elder brother would agree.

Zhao Lijie asked, "What did your friend suggest?"

"He suggested that we sell off our properties and estates as soon as possible. The later we wait, the lower the prices will be, and it’ll be harder to sell."

"If we sell our ancestral properties, what will we live on in the future?"

Zhao Mingjie and his wife had already thought this through. He said, "Leave Haicheng and go overseas to purchase assets there. If we can’t get used to living in the West, then we’ll go to Japan."

Go to Japan?

Zhao Lijie was more conservative. He was used to living in Haicheng and had a seemingly respectable job. Leaving wasn’t so easy for him.

"It’s hard enough for us to leave, let alone the old lady. She’s so old, she definitely won’t agree."

"Another day, I’ll invite my friend over to explain the current situation to us and the old lady in detail. Moving can be tough, but it’s better than staying stuck. Selling early will get us a better price. If we wait too long, it’ll be too late." Zhao Mingjie spoke as calmly as possible. He was determined to sell the family assets and leave. If his elder brother really didn’t want to, then they’d have to split the family.

Having lived a second life, Lin Yufan had already climbed the social ladder by marrying Zhao Zhiao. How could he just sit back and do nothing?

There was a noise outside, and someone was whispering by the window. Soon, the matriarch came in.

"Fifth Branch has sent a car to pick up Lin Yufan."

Zhao Lijie asked, "What for? Isn’t she moving back to her parents’ place tomorrow?"

"Zhao Zhiao has returned early from Nanjing. They’re going to try on their wedding gowns today."

Zhao Mingjie sneered, "They’re so modern, wearing white for a wedding. Aren’t they afraid it’s inauspicious?"

Zhao Zhiao is also destined to die young. Lin Yufan is willing to marry him for the money, unafraid of becoming a widow once more.

But aside from mocking him behind his back, there’s nothing they can do but let it slide.

*

Since becoming a widow, Lin Yufan hasn’t permed her hair in three years.

Yesterday, she got the latest trendy big curls, and she dug out a bright-colored cheongsam that had been stored away for several years. Wearing it, she looked much more spirited.

Sun Jingxi, waiting at the entrance of Perlemon Fashion Store, smiled and greeted her, "Your hair is so trendy, and the cheongsam matches perfectly."

Perlemon is Haicheng’s most upscale fashion store, offering custom-made wedding dresses and suits. It has two floors, and there are not many customers in the afternoon.

Sun Jingxi leaned in and whispered to Lin Yufan, "Zhao Zhiao hasn’t arrived yet, but your future mother-in-law has been waiting upstairs for a long time. I didn’t know her well before, but after spending time with her lately, I find her quite pleasant and easygoing, much better than that old hag from your Second Branch."

Lin Yufan knew Wang Junyao was easy to deal with, so she responded and asked, "When are you heading to Hong Kong?"

"We might go even earlier than you. The hospital there is pushing your uncle to start by the end of the month. I’ve been busy handling various things these days."

Taking Xi Gu to Hong Kong and altering her life’s course is the most joyful and fulfilling thing for Lin Yufan at the moment. She smiled and said, "Xi Gu, you go to Hong Kong first and wait for me."

As they strolled into the store, Sun Jingxi mentioned, "I asked Wang Junyao, and she said you are leaving for Hong Kong next month. Why not leave earlier with us? We can keep each other company along the way."

Lin Yufan still had unfinished business in Haicheng and was about to decline when she turned and saw it was Zhao Zhiao’s car.

After the engagement was finalized, this was their first time meeting.

Lin Yufan didn’t wait for him at the door but walked straight in, with Sun Jingxi quickly following.

Sun Jingxi quietly reminded her, "Don’t make the first move; let him greet you first."

In Xi Gu’s view, women should be somewhat reserved.

Lin Yufan didn’t care who greeted first; she just felt there was no topic to talk about with him, so it was better to let him take the initiative.

A clerk led them upstairs to the second floor.

Wang Junyao, chatting with the tailor, turned at the sound. She stood up and smiled, "Yufan, you came just in time. We’ve added another dress, so now there are three to choose from. Try them all today."

After chatting for a bit, two female clerks and Gui Xiang accompanied Lin Yufan into the fitting room to try on the wedding dresses.

Of the three dresses, Lin Yufan was instantly drawn to the one at the back—simple, with minimal lace, a long train wedding dress.

She didn’t try it on immediately but first tried the other two before slipping into the long train dress she liked.

In the long train dress, she ran into Zhao Zhiao, now in a suit, standing before the full-length mirror.

Zhao Zhiao turned around, his gaze falling on her face. His fingers twitched reflexively, but his expression stayed calm and collected, showing no sign of whether he liked it or not.

Or perhaps, it didn’t matter whether he liked it or not.

A man with three concubines is finally tying the knot. Even if his future wife stood naked in front of him, he could probably calmly look away and continue with his grand endeavors.

Well, this is also one of the reasons why Lin Yufan is willing to marry him.

If he and Liang Yue were of the same kind, he would definitely be someone she admired, a pioneer with ideals and beliefs.

What a pity, he left this world before reaching the age of thirty...

Thinking about it, she couldn’t help but feel a bit more pity in her heart.

This trace of pity flashed across Lin Yufan's face but was still caught by Zhao Zhiao, though it had taken on a different meaning.

She’s into me!

Does she like me?

Zhao Zhiao wondered.

A familiar voice came from behind, and Zhao Zhiao turned to find that his younger brother, Zhao Lixiang, had appeared out of nowhere.

With another glance, he noticed that his fiancée's gaze at his brother was the same as when she looked at him!

Her eyes were sparkling with "love."

No, even more than that.

Lin Yufan quickly hid the pity she’d accidentally shown.

What a shame, such a fine young man, how could they all be gone?

Zhao Zhiao couldn’t figure out why, while he was here to try on his wedding suit, his bratty brother Zhao Lixiang wasn’t at work and had shown up instead.

He shot his brother a look: "You’ve got way too much free time on your hands!"