Chapter 81

Chapter 81

The scene shifted back to the time when Molly accompanied Sang Jie on a blind date.

In the car, Molly began introducing the man. "Jie, this guy is around your age. Although he’s divorced and has a child, he’s well-off—he studied abroad and is now a general manager at a listed company. Marrying him would give you an easy life."

Sang Jie listened with a straight face, but internally, she was rolling her eyes. An easy life? More like signing up to be a stepmom! Since when did being a mother equate to comfort?

Ugh, whatever. She’d endure it for now, then dismiss it as “not compatible” before bailing. This time, she’d follow Jiasi’s example—run far away and not come back for years.

With that thought, Sang Jie felt her future brighten. This dumpster fire of a blind date was just a temporary obstacle.

But she underestimated that obstacle.

She wasn’t even forty yet—why did this guy have salt-and-pepper hair?! Was this what her sister-in-law meant by “around your age”?

Being old-looking was bad enough, but he was also short. Short was one thing, but he was also ugly. She was, after all, a daughter of the Sang family, and not bad-looking herself. Did she really only deserve someone like this?

Before leaving, the old man had repeatedly warned her not to be too picky—but that didn’t mean she should just marry any man, right?

She groaned, rubbing her temples. Was her sister-in-law scamming her? Could she report this as fraud?!

While she was suffering, the other two were already chatting away. Anyone watching would’ve thought *they* were the ones on the date!

What Sang Jie didn’t realize was that she’d actually called it.

"Mr. Du, you’re here so early!"

Du Chengzhi replied politely, "I just arrived a little earlier. This must be Miss Sang?"

Before Sang Jie could speak, Molly eagerly cut in, "Yes, yes! This is our Jie."

A flash of admiration crossed Du Chengzhi’s eyes, and Molly knew this was a done deal. Once her sister-in-law’s marriage was settled, she’d have more sway with the old man.

Du Chengzhi said, "I wasn’t sure about your preferences, so I haven’t ordered yet. Feel free to take a look—"

"Jie likes coffee with sugar and milk. I’ll take care of it."

From then on, Molly might as well have been Sang Jie’s mouthpiece, answering every question on her behalf. Her sister-in-law’s eagerness made Sang Jie uncomfortable, though she couldn’t put her finger on why.

As the conversation lulled, Du Chengzhi turned to Molly. "Miss Mo, we’ve talked so much about Miss Sang—why don’t you tell me about yourself?"

Molly paused. Did the matchmaker not mention her relationship with Sang Jie?

Well, no need to overshare on blind dates anyway. Besides, Du Chengzhi was considerate enough to want to know about Sang Jie’s sister-in-law too.

Molly grew even more convinced that Du Chengzhi was a great guy.

She shared some of her hobbies, and when she mentioned enjoying badminton, Du Chengzhi perked up. "You like badminton?"

His enthusiasm threw Molly slightly off. "Uh, yeah? Why do you ask, Mr. Du?"

"I love badminton too."

This was getting weird.

Molly said, "Oh, nice! Actually, Jie is quite good at badminton too. If you have time, Mr. Du, you two could set up a game."

Du Chengzhi stared at Molly and asked, “So, are you coming?”

“You mean me?”

Du Chengzhi nodded.

Molly was totally lost—why was this her problem?

She complained inwardly but kept her cool. “I have to look after my kid, so I probably won’t have much free time.”

“You have a child too???”

“Y-yeah.”

She couldn’t figure out why Du Chengzhi was so hyped up.

After finishing their coffee, as they prepared to leave, Molly hesitantly asked, “Mr. Du, what do you think?”

“I think it’s perfect.”

Du Chengzhi looked Molly up and down, then grabbed her hand excitedly. “Let’s get married tomorrow.”

Molly let out a yelp, and Sang Jie frowned. “Mr. Du, what do you mean?”

“To be honest, Miss Sang, your friend here meets my expectations better. I really like her—I want to marry her tomorrow.”

Du Chengzhi’s words made Molly see red. She saw stars from anger and swayed, and Sang Jie quickly steadied her. Coldly, she said, “She’s my brother’s wife!”

Du Chengzhi, who had been ready to get married: “…Wait, what?”

Back with Lin Tingyue, Old Man Lin teased, “What’s wrong? Did Xiao Jie’s setup crash and burn?”

Sang Qin, already in a bad mood, was further provoked. Through clenched teeth, he snapped, “Lin—Hong!”

Lin Hong busted out laughing and mockingly asked, “What’s the matter?”

“You—you—you—”

Hand over his heart, Sang Qin fainted from anger.

The staff at the University for the Elderly panicked, rushing him to the hospital. Eventually, Lin Tingyue and Lin Yuhuan accompanied Lin Hong to the hospital.

Sang Jie and Sang Qin’s eldest son, Sang Ming, hurried over upon hearing the news.

Though usually arrogant, Lin Hong properly apologized to the family. “It’s my fault for speaking carelessly and upsetting Old Sang.”

Sang Jie and Sang Ming were worried but knew it wasn’t Lin Hong’s fault. Sang Jie reassured him, “Uncle Lin, it’s fine. My dad has had this condition for a long time. Honestly, my brother and I have upset him way more—this isn’t your fault. Please, go sit over there and rest.”

As he sat, Lin Hong kept mumbling, “Such a good kid—why’s she still single?”

“Grandpa, cut it out. Not being able to get married and not wanting to get married are two different things, aren’t they?”

Sang Jie, waiting outside the emergency room, looked up suspiciously. What was that voice?

After a while, Sang Qin regained consciousness, and Lin Tingyue and Lin Yuhuan saw Lin Hong back to the University for the Elderly.

That evening, the old man returned home, and the family gathered in the living room to video chat with Lin Jiasi.

Lin Jiasi was vacationing in a seaside city abroad. She said, "Sang Jie told me something, and she also mentioned another thing."

Everyone caught the gossip vibe and instinctively leaned closer to the screen.

Lin Jiasi nearly burst out laughing—four eager faces crowded her screen, leaving barely any space. Only Lin Yuhuan on the side looked like the only one not acting silly.

She asked, "Yuhuan, can’t you turn the volume up a bit?"

They were using Lin Yuhuan’s tablet for the call. Suddenly called out, he sighed, "Even if I turned it louder, they’d still do this. Just tell us already, Aunt Jiasi."

They all bobbed their heads eagerly.

Lin Jiasi wanted to laugh even more. After a dramatic pause, she continued, "So today, the Sang family patriarch was hospitalized, right? Later, Molly brought him soup. Sang Jie overheard Molly talking to her brother on the phone—apparently, Molly was trying to set up Sang Jie’s marriage to please the old man, hoping it would help her brother get promoted to General Manager. But who knew the guy wasn’t interested in Sang Jie and instead took a liking to Molly? Molly was torn between revulsion and frustration."

Lin Tingyue delivered a sharp quip: "A failed scheme that backfired."

The Lins murmured in knowing agreement.

It was daytime where Lin Jiasi was. She lounged on her beach chair, enjoying the sea breeze. "Molly probably still wants to set Sang Jie up with someone, but Sang Jie’s already planning to come stay with me."

Bai Yaxin chimed in, "You should stay abroad longer too. I’m worried Dad might get the idea to arrange a blind date for you once he finds out."

Her concern wasn’t unfounded.

Lin Jiasi nodded, then came up with a devious plan. "What if I send Dad a photo of Fu Jingtian?"

"Hmm… That’d shut him down real quick, no doubt."

……

Saturday.

In the living room, Lin Xiawan was showing Bai Yaxin her newly designed dress. Lin Tingyue walked over, did a playful spin in her skirt, and tapped her chin. "Good morning."

Bai Yaxin delivered a sharp critique: "Look who’s strutting in like a peacock."

"Mom, that’s harsh!"

Bai Yaxin chuckled and lightly tapped Lin Tingyue’s head. "I’m complimenting you."

Flattered, Lin Tingyue turned to Lin Xiawan, whose praise was more thoughtful. "This dress really flatters your proportions. How about modeling for me when my dress is finished?"

Lin Tingyue’s eyes lit up as she threw herself into Lin Xiawan’s arms, burying her face in her shoulder.

Bai Yaxin: "..."

Why this pang of jealousy?

She was their mother—since when did she get jealous of her own kids?!

"But aren’t we just going for dinner? Why are you all dolled up already?"

Lin Tingyue replied, "Mr. Ying mentioned his pomegranates are ripe and asked if I wanted to pick some."

Bai Yaxin’s smile froze. Next he’ll “discover” ripe watermelons. How original.

Bai Yaxin said, "Sweetheart, we grow those at home."

It dawned on her. "Oh, right."

She took out her phone. "Then I'll ask Mr. Ying to come over."

Bai Yaxin was shocked!

Was that really what she meant?

In the end, Ying An didn't go anywhere. He received a last-minute work call and felt terrible about breaking his promise. He asked Lin Tingyue if she'd like to come to his location instead.

Coincidentally, Lin Chengyan's film set was nearby, so Lin Tingyue thought she could swing by to see her second brother.

"Second Brother will definitely be thrilled!"

Whether he would actually be thrilled was unclear, but on set, Lin Chengyan had a sneezing fit of three sneezes. His assistant insisted he had caught a cold and forced a bottle of cold medicine on him.

Lin Chengyan: "..."

Bai Yaxin and Lin Xiawan both had other plans later, but Bai Yaxin had prepared many things for Lin Chengyan and asked Lin Tingyue to bring them over, including some cold medicine.

Lin Chengyan would probably facepalm again.

When Lin Tingyue arrived, Ying An personally greeted her.

Seeing Ying An in his ancient costume, her face lit up and she blurted out, "You look amazing."

Ying An paused. "Thank you for the compliment, Miss Lin."

Lin Tingyue straightened her back. "I was just telling the truth."

"Mm." Ying An smirked.

He gave Lin Tingyue a visitor pass and led her inside.

Ying An's manager was fuming. What's gotten into this A-lister? Is he turning into a late bloomer? And he doesn't even care about rumors spreading!!!

Just as Mu Xin was about to go remind Ying An, someone suddenly dropped to their knees with a thud in front of her.

Mu Xin: "?"

Before she could speak, the person bowed repeatedly, touching his head to the ground. "Xin, please, he's still your own flesh and blood."

Then Mu Xin recognized who it was.