Chapter 16

The person who had previously wanted to introduce Lin Wanting to someone called Mrs. Qiao today.

“Qiao, that military officer I told you about is treating everyone to dinner today. Just dress simply and appropriately.”

Mrs. Qiao glanced at the old calendar — this was earlier than expected. She wasn’t mentally prepared; so much had happened these past few days.

“Alright, I’ll get dressed right away.”

She didn’t tell Lin Wanting, knowing that if she did, Wanting would almost certainly try to stop her.

Lin Wanting was still asleep, unusually exhausted today. These past few days, she had no energy for anything, doing only the bare minimum to complete her daily sign-in tasks.

Mrs. Qiao got herself ready and could hardly wait to leave, standing at the door early to wait for her ride. She couldn’t explain why she felt so excited — there was something different about this time.

“Miss, it’s time to eat!” Gu Qingqing, as she did three times a day, came to remind Lin Wanting to eat, but Wanting never showed much enthusiasm for meals.

“Alright! Come in.”

Lin Wanting figured, as a lady of status, she ought to enjoy clothes being brought to her and meals served at her call.

Half an hour later, Mrs. Qiao was picked up. On the way, she felt a flutter of nerves — she was going to check out a potential husband for Lin Wanting, a future son-in-law.

“Elder sister, if only you could bring Wanting along too!”

Mrs. Qiao shook her head. This wasn’t something to tackle head-on; right now, Wanting was very resistant to blind dates. Forcing her would only backfire.

She wasn’t entirely confident herself. If this officer was still unmarried, there must be some catch.

“Sis, I’ll screen him first. How long is he staying this time?”

Her companion didn’t know either. Today’s dinner had been arranged insistently by her, and there weren’t that many actual guests for the officer — mostly, everyone was just curious.

There were also women like Mrs. Qiao herself, and a few young ladies hoping to catch a glimpse of a handsome man.

“Sis, I’m not sure. We’ll see when we get there.”

Meanwhile, Xia Xue had been bored these days and decided to head back to the countryside to find Wang Xing. She took the initiative to bring up the idea of trying for a baby.

When she got there, Wang Xing was indifferent. Now that she had no more value to him, he showed it plainly.

“Wang Xing, come back to the city with me, alright?”

Wang Xing’s mother came out to see what was going on. When she heard the Xia family had gone bankrupt, she was shocked — she felt her son had been duped into marrying a burden.

“Back to the city? You still think you’re a rich young lady?”

The moment Xia Xue heard that, she knew exactly what it meant.

She had expected Wang Xing might change after marriage, but hadn’t thought he’d turn on her so quickly — and she now didn’t have a single cent to her name.

“Wang Xing, what are you planning then? We’re already married! The next step is to have a child. But in this situation, how can we have a child? Where’s the money to raise one?”

She tried earnestly to talk sense into him, but Wang Xing, looking at her with disdain, wasn’t thinking that far ahead.

From behind, his mother chimed in, “You’re ruining my son’s future!”

Xia Xue snapped back, “No wonder Lin Wanting broke up with you. With your attitude, I must’ve been blind. And your mother — she’s so realistic. Now that things are like this, do you want me to divorce your son?”

The old woman said nothing — after all, they’d already spent money on the wedding. She just sighed and left.

The whole village was watching the drama. After all, how often does someone here marry a city heiress? It was an ill-matched union from the start.

Wang Xing sat up. “Xia Xue, just go back now. Let me have some peace here in the countryside, alright?”

He was plotting his next move, not wanting to continue this marriage.

Xia Xue couldn’t understand why he was acting like this. She had been the one to pursue him in the first place, thinking that since Lin Wanting had dated him, there must be some merit. But now, he was just useless.

“Wang Xing, are you still thinking about Lin Wanting? If you divorce me, you’ll be a divorcé. She’s not going to take you back. Give up on that idea!”

Xia Xue trembled with rage. She thought this was her most difficult period yet, but believed that with hard work she would bounce back — and besides, she trusted her father. Even a skinny camel was bigger than a horse.

Wang Xing did have some lingering thoughts about Lin Wanting, but he felt it was unrealistic. As long as she didn’t marry someone else, he wouldn’t feel too threatened. But if she wed a man far more capable, that would be a blow neither he nor Xia Xue could stand.

Mrs. Qiao arrived at the so-called officer’s home and was surprised by the crowd — far more than she’d imagined. How could someone like this not find a wife? It didn’t make sense.

“So many people came?”

“These are all his relatives and friends, sis. The actual candidates aren’t that many.”

Mrs. Qiao found it amusing. Looking at this mix of odd-looking women, she still felt her daughter was the best — these other ladies, with their heavy makeup, looked like fox spirits.

Lin Wanting didn’t get up until noon. The first thing she did was look for Mrs. Qiao, but Gu Qingqing didn’t know where she’d gone — only that she’d left early in the morning with someone.

“Why didn’t you wake me sooner?” Wanting had been put into a deep sleep by the system and had slept quite comfortably; waking up, she felt refreshed and in great spirits.

“Sign in immediately!”

Just then, Gu Qingqing came back with a basin of water for washing.

【System: Sign-in reward — surprise box drop】

Right as Gu Qingqing came in, the box fell and hit her on the head.

“Miss, what did I do wrong for you to hit me?”

The box had slid from her head to her face, making it feel like a slap.

Wanting ignored her complaint. “Close your eyes!”

Gu Qingqing immediately obeyed. Wanting quickly grabbed the box and hid it. “Alright, open them.”

Gu Qingqing rubbed the big bump on her head, looking pitiful.

“I’ll handle this myself — you can go.”

Wanting was secretly delighted — serves her right for walking in at exactly the wrong time!

At the Jin family, tables were being set, but no one had yet seen Jin Guanzhong’s son, Jin Chengyu. Mrs. Qiao waited, feeling both hungry and sleepy.

Finally, Jin Guanzhong came out to explain, “My son just got home today. Thank you all for waiting! If you’re hungry, please start eating — I hope you enjoy the food.”

He kept it brief — the main thing now was to coax his son out. Having just arrived, Chengyu wasn’t happy to see a crowd, especially since many were young women.

“Chengyu, so many people are waiting to meet you. If you don’t come out, you’ll make your old man lose face. Just show yourself for a moment.”

Guanzhong was anxious. At twenty-seven, his son still wasn’t married — most of his peers already had two kids by now.

“Dad, you’re really setting me up here. I come home once every three years, and you won’t even let me rest.”

Reluctantly, Jin Chengyu straightened his clothes and followed his father out to greet the guests.

Tall and straight-backed at 1.83 meters, with sharp eyes and a striking presence, he immediately caught people’s attention.

Hearing he had arrived, the guests who had been eating all looked up, eyes lighting up.

Mrs. Qiao also looked up — instantly more alert — and fixed her gaze on his appearance and bearing.