“What did you say?”  

Upon hearing Wang Guixiang’s words, Gu Decheng’s expression changed in shock, and the pipe in his hand fell to the ground. Weren’t things just fine a moment ago?  

Wang Ying lay on the kang (heated bed), listening to the anxious voices of her father-in-law and mother-in-law in the yard, a look of schadenfreude on her face.  

Good riddance if she ran away!

That was exactly what she wanted—for her to flee.  

Even though Gu Jingchuan was disabled, she simply couldn’t stand the thought of him having a wife.  

No one knew that when she first came to the Gu family to meet Gu Jinghui, the one she had actually fallen for at first sight was Gu Jingchuan!  

But he hadn’t even spared her a single glance.  

……  

The Gu family was panicking in their distress—or perhaps, deep down, they had never truly trusted Lin Min.  

The moment they heard she was missing, their first instinct wasn’t to search their own home but to rush outside.  

Gu Jinghui, who had been keeping his wife company, heard the commotion outside and said, “I’ll go take a look.”  

“I’m still lying here on the kang! What are you going to look at? What if I start feeling unwell again? Gu Jinghui, do you even understand who the most important person is?”  

Gu Jinghui grinned foolishly. “Of course it’s you and the baby.”  

Just as Gu Decheng and Wang Guixiang were about to frantically run out, a clear voice suddenly called out to them.  

……  

From the moment Wang Ying pretended to fall, Lin Min had seen right through her scheme.  

She was trying to create an opportunity for her to escape.  

In her past life, this woman had “helped” her plenty.  

She had even been the one to tip off Li Qingming.  

Back then, when Wang Ying saw her crying her eyes out, she pulled her into her room and relentlessly poured fuel on the fire, saying, “As a woman myself, I completely understand how you feel. Marrying a cripple who can’t even stand—no one could accept such a fate.”

“Seeing you like this breaks my heart. It’s just tragic.”

Hearing Wang Ying’s words, Lin Min had felt as though she’d seen a glimmer of hope and begged her desperately, “Sister-in-law, please help me! Send word for me—someone will come to rescue me!”

Wang Ying had contacted Li Qingming for her and even covered for her escape.  

She had thought the path ahead led to happiness, but instead, it had been a bottomless abyss.  

Later, when she reunited with Gu Jingchuan, he told her that his family had actually planned to send her back to her parents all along. The regret she felt for her reckless decision was unbearable—she had not only endangered herself but also made Gu Jingchuan a laughingstock.  

Lin Min stayed in the kitchen, found some food, and prepared a plate to bring to Gu Jingchuan.  

Yesterday had been their wedding day.  

But one of them had been drugged into sleep, while the other had been throwing tantrums and threatening suicide. She had eaten some porridge in the morning, but Gu Jingchuan likely hadn’t had a bite since then.  

There was leftover rice from yesterday. Lin Min chopped some scallions, cracked an egg, and fried a plate of egg-fried rice before carrying it into their bridal chamber.  

Gu Jingchuan was still sitting on the kang, his expression grim.  

The chaos outside—Wang Ying’s fall and the family’s anxious clamoring—only seemed to irritate him further.  

He hadn’t heard Lin Min’s voice in a long time, nor had she returned.  

A thought crept into his mind.  

Perhaps she had taken advantage of the chaos to leave.  

At this possibility, a trace of gloom flickered through Gu Jingchuan’s usually calm eyes.  

He let out a bitter laugh. Wasn’t this exactly what he had wanted?

But he had hoped she would leave with dignity—not like this.

When the yard finally quieted down, the door to the room was suddenly pushed open.

Gu Jingchuan sat with his head slightly lowered, staring out the window.  

Assuming it was just a family member entering, he didn’t turn around.  

But as the footsteps drew closer, his eyes flickered with recognition.  

From the sound of those steps, he knew exactly who had walked in.  

He turned his head abruptly—  

And saw Lin Min, her hair slightly disheveled, carrying a plate of egg-fried rice toward him.  

The usually unshakable calm in Gu Jingchuan’s eyes wavered again, and a trace of surprise flashed across his face.  

An inexplicable warmth surged in his chest.  

She hadn’t left.

“You haven’t eaten this morning, right?” Lin Min said, setting the plate down. “Your mother and the others are busy taking care of your sister-in-law, so they probably forgot to make food for you. This is some leftover rice from the kitchen—I fried it up. Eat some.”

Gu Jingchuan didn’t respond, his gaze fixed on her with quiet scrutiny.  

“Come on, eat. It’s really good.” When he still didn’t move, she rolled her eyes. “What, afraid I poisoned it? Fine, I’ll take a bite first.”  

She scooped up a spoonful and ate it demonstratively.  

“See? Happy now?”  

Gu Jingchuan clenched his jaw and turned his face away, struggling to suppress the emotions churning inside him. “Leave the food. You go.” 

Lin Min smacked the plate down with a loud clack. “Gu Jingchuan, are you out of your mind? How many times are you going to try to chase me away?”

“You think this self-sacrificing act makes you noble?” She scoffed. “Bullshit! If I leave now, how am I supposed to remarry later?”  

Her voice rose in frustration. “If word gets out that I abandoned my sick husband, I’ll be branded as heartless and disloyal. Who would ever want a woman who flees at the first sign of trouble?”  

“And if people say you divorced me? That’d be even worse! What, am I so worthless that even a sick man would reject me and send me back to my family?”  

Gu Jingchuan had never realized she could be so sharp-tongued.  

She had countered every possible argument before he could even speak, leaving him speechless.  

Seeing his silence, Lin Min softened her tone. “Just eat, alright? Stop saying things that hurt me.”

She pushed the plate toward him again.  

Gu Jingchuan still didn’t take it.  

“What’s wrong?” She studied his stiff expression, then it hit her. “Oh—do you need to use the bathroom?”

He had been awake for a while now, and with his limited mobility…  

The moment she said it, Gu Jingchuan’s face flushed with embarrassment.  

Lin Min, however, was completely matter-of-fact. “If you need to go, I’ll help you.”

“No.” He finally took the plate from her and began eating slowly.  

As he ate, Lin Min opened the window, then busied herself straightening the bedding and sweeping the kang.  

Out of the corner of his eye, Gu Jingchuan watched her move around the room.  

For a moment, everything felt peaceful.  

But he knew better—she didn’t belong here.  

Then, another shrill scream tore through the yard, shattering the quiet between them.  

“Old man! The second daughter-in-law is missing!” 

Gu Decheng’s exasperated voice followed, and soon, the whole family was scrambling to chase after her.  

Gu Jingchuan paused mid-bite and looked at the woman currently sweeping the kang.  

Lin Min: “…”  

She threw the broom down with a thud and shot him a dry look. “Does your family ever think to check inside the house first?”  

Then she marched outside.  

There, she saw her father-in-law, mother-in-law, and sister-in-law all frantically rushing toward the gate.  

Gu Decheng even stumbled, losing one of his cloth shoes, before hastily putting it back on and continuing to run.  

“Where are you all going?” Lin Min called out from the porch.  

“To find the second daughter-in-law!” Wang Guixiang answered reflexively.  

Then she froze.  

Something felt… off.