Chapter 16

“Don’t worry, they wouldn’t dare mess with me now.”

“Why not?”

“Because she wants to swap the engagement with me—she wants to marry into the Lu family.”

Hua Fang’s first reaction was, “Is she out of her mind or something?”

Lin Qian nodded. “I thought the same, but I didn’t dare say it out loud.”

The two girls laughed heartily over drinks and meat, having a great time.

After eating and drinking their fill—

Lin Qian looked a bit embarrassed and said, “Um, Fangfang, could you ask your mom to do me a favor?”

“Go ahead.”

“Can she help leak the news to the Huo family that I’ve broken off the engagement with the Lu family?”

“You’ve got your eyes on someone else now?”

Lin Qian gave a sheepish smile.

“Alright, alright, I get it. I’ll ask my mom to subtly bring it up.”

When Lin Yuanyuan returned to the Lin household, Lin Dawei and his wife were cooking porridge on a coal stove. The stove and pot were old items kindly given by neighbors—at least it was something to get them by.

She looked up again at the now bare and rundown Lin house. It was indeed a bit bleak.

But her own marriage was more important. The matter of returning the betrothal money the Lu family had given for Lin Qian had to be addressed.

“Auntie, Lu Zhanting has agreed to swap the engagement and marry me instead of my cousin.”

Ma Guixin knew what her daughter wanted and was delighted. “That’s great news!”

“Then the betrothal money that was originally given for my cousin needs to be returned to the Lu family.”

Clang—Lin Dawei dropped the spoon in his hand. He said bitterly, “Sweetheart, your mom even sold the pork and vegetables she bought today to make ends meet. How are we supposed to come up with 666 yuan for the betrothal money right now?”

Lin Yuanyuan said, “But I’m your biological daughter. You can’t just ignore my needs, can you?”

Ma Guixin quickly added, “Sweetheart, don’t be in such a rush. We need to think this through. You said Lu Zhanting agreed to the marriage, right? That means the Lu family will still have to give you a betrothal gift. So, why don’t we just treat the money they already gave Lin Qian as your betrothal money instead?”

That reasoning made sense, but Lin Yuanyuan had already made big promises to impress the man.

She rejected the idea flatly. “No way. Since we’re switching fiancées, we need to cut all ties between Lin Qian and the Lu family. My engagement with them must start fresh.”

Ma Guixin threw up her hands helplessly. “My dear daughter, look at the state of our home. It’s not that we don’t care, but your dad and I really can’t come up with the money right now.”

Lin Yuanyuan suddenly remembered something. “Where’s Lin Qian?”

“She left with you earlier. She hasn’t come back yet.”

“But I saw her eating at a restaurant alone just now—she ordered three meat dishes and even got some wine. How come she has that much money to spare?”

Ma Guixin paused to reflect for a few seconds, then turned and glared at Lin Dawei.

Because Lin Dawei had a history—when Lin Qian was young, he had secretly given her pocket money. Lin Yuanyuan had found out and stopped this foolish behavior just in time.

Lin Dawei quickly said, “It wasn’t me! I swear I haven’t given her money again. Her salary goes straight to your mom. She probably saved up by working overtime. She’s always covering extra shifts during holidays and working hard.”

“MOM!”

Lin Yuanyuan knew her dad had softened again.

Ma Guixin pinched a chunk of flesh on Lin Dawei’s arm. “What hardship? We raised her all these years—wasn’t that hardship? Now that she’s grown up, she owes us. She should work like a horse to repay this debt. That’s her fate!”

Lin Yuanyuan echoed, “Mom’s right. If it weren’t for us raising her, I could’ve grown up as your daughter instead of being called your ‘niece.’ She owes this family her entire life.”

Lin Dawei lowered his head and stayed silent. His wife and daughter might have chosen to forget what happened back then, but he remembered clearly—Lin Qian’s birth mother had given them money to help raise her. But all that money had been spent on Lin Yuanyuan instead.

Ma Guixin said, “When she gets back, I’m going to make her hand over all the money she’s been secretly saving. Look at our situation—even if she has to go out and sell herself, she should be supporting this family!”

Lin Yuanyuan’s eyes lit up with an idea. “Mom, don’t tell her it’s for returning the betrothal money—I’m afraid she’ll back out of the engagement swap. Let’s say Dad is sick, and you need the money for treatment.”

Lin Dawei looked up at this greedy mother-daughter pair.

Ma Guixin clapped her hands in approval. “Brilliant! My precious daughter really is smart.”

Then she turned to Lin Dawei and snapped, “Don’t just stand there—go lie down and act sick. Don’t let her see through the act.”

Lin Dawei obediently went to lie down.

After a bowl of porridge with pickles, the mother and daughter sat and waited for Lin Qian to return home.

Late into the night—

Lu Zhanting quietly slipped out of the Lu house once everyone was asleep and went to the hospital to see Bai Aiyun.

Bai Aiyun was worried sick. “Zhanting, your father didn’t hear anything we said earlier, did he?”

Lu Zhanting shook his head. “Don’t worry. No one else knows about Xiaoqiang’s parentage.”

Bai Aiyun let out a sigh of relief.

Lu Zhanting walked over, held her hand, and said tenderly, “You’ve worked so hard, Aiyun.”

Looking at the man she loved, Bai Aiyun replied warmly, “For you and our child, it’s all worth it.”

Lu Zhanting was touched by how understanding she was, and suddenly found it hard to bring up his decision to marry Lin Yuanyuan.

Bai Aiyun asked gently, “Zhanting, is something bothering you?”

With no other choice, Lu Zhanting confessed, “Aiyun, my family is really pleased with Lin Yuanyuan. You know they’ve been urging me to get married soon. Now that I’ve let go of Lin Qian, they’re pressing me to marry Lin Yuanyuan right away.”

Bai Aiyun had always been clear about her goal—she just wanted to keep a tight hold on Lu Zhanting’s heart. Rather than demanding anything, she preferred that he feel guilty toward her.

She raised a finger and gently pressed it against his lips. “Zhanting, you know I hate seeing you feel torn. They’re your family—if it’s what they want, you should do it.”

Lu Zhanting’s heart felt heavy. He held her hand tightly and promised solemnly, “Aiyun, no matter who I marry, no one will ever compare to you. I’ll never forget what I owe you in this lifetime.”

Bai Aiyun smiled. “As long as I have those words from you, I’m satisfied.”