After hearing the confession from Li Cuihua’s eldest sister-in-law, the last trace of warmth faded from Ji Shuyu’s gentle, almond-shaped eyes.
She softly caressed her swollen belly—the home of her and He Yuan’s flesh and blood, her most vulnerable spot.
She had thought that after the previous incidents, Li Cuihua would have turned over a new leaf, or at least abandoned her scheming ways.
But she never expected that such dark thoughts still lurked deep within Li Cuihua’s heart.
Clearly, Li Cuihua had provoked her first, yet in the end, Ji Shuyu was the one who had to bear the consequences.
Well, she wouldn’t hold back anymore. What Li Cuihua had done was enough to land her behind bars.
“Eldest sister-in-law, thank you for making the trip to tell me this.”
Ji Shuyu’s voice was eerily calm, even carrying a hint of a smile.
But that smile sent an involuntary shiver down the eldest sister-in-law’s spine.
That strained smile, why did it feel just like in those picture books—something that made people afraid just looking at it?
“I understand. You can go back assured.”
The eldest sister-in-law looked at Ji Shuyu’s frighteningly calm face, her heart tangled with anxiety.
“Shuyu, you must be careful! Li Cuihua is really capable of doing it! Those words didn’t sound like empty anger!”
“I’ve suffered plenty at her hands before. I never thought she’d still be so troublesome even after marrying.”
“Mm, I know what to do.”
Ji Shuyu nodded and saw off the worried eldest sister-in-law.
Closing the door, the calm on Ji Shuyu’s face dissolved, replaced by a sharp ruthlessness.
So, Li Cuihua, you dare set your sights on my unborn child?
Did you really think she was some delicate city flower, to be kneaded and pinched at will?
If Ji Shuyu could establish herself in the city, she wasn’t someone to be trifled with.
When He Yuan returned that evening, Ji Shuyu told him about the incident.
“Li Cuihua’s eldest sister-in-law came specifically to tell me. She had no reason to travel all this way just to lie to me.”
“He Yuan, I’m not a particularly magnanimous person. I’ll ask you just one thing: if I take action and do something, will you blame me?”
If He Yuan said he would blame her, then Ji Shuyu absolutely would not stay here a moment longer.
Even if he was currently the only one who could protect her.
Hearing Ji Shuyu’s words, He Yuan frowned deeply. “She could actually conceive of something so vicious?”
He had truly underestimated her.
He had thought Li Cuihua was all bark, but now, what she intended to do was murder!
“I’ll go find someone right now to have her arrested.”
“Wait, she only spoke about it. There’s no concrete evidence. What are you going to use to have her arrested?”
Ji Shuyu pulled back the furious He Yuan.
“Should we wait for her to make a move? It’s too dangerous. Who knows what she might do? If something happened to you, would you want me to die of regret?”
He Yuan even contemplated in his heart: if he couldn’t find evidence, he would fabricate some himself, just to ensure Li Cuihua ended up behind bars.
Ji Shuyu pressed He Yuan’s hand, softly advising him, “What’s the rush? If she wants to jump into a pit, we should first dig the pit deeper.”
Without evidence, Li Cuihua could get out soon after going in. It would be better to settle this once and for all this time.
“Someone like Li Cuihua is greedy for small advantages but afraid of suffering big losses. She dares to entertain these crooked ideas merely because she thinks a pregnant woman from the city is easy to bully, and she’s betting that you, concerned about face, won’t truly resort to harsh measures.”
He Yuan grasped Ji Shuyu’s hand and took a deep breath. “So, you mean…”
“Lure the snake out of its hole.”
A sharp glint flashed in Ji Shuyu’s eyes.
“She wants something to happen to me, doesn’t she? I’ll give her the opportunity. Tomorrow, go buy more brown sugar and eggs, and make sure the local gossip sees you. Say I’ve been suffering from severe morning sickness lately and need these to nourish myself.”
He Yuan suddenly understood. “You want her to think…”
“To think I’m physically weak and frail—the perfect time to strike.”
Ji Shuyu nodded, a sly look crossing her eyes.
“If she wants to make a move, she’ll need to find accomplices or buy things, right? We just need to keep a close watch on her movements; we’re bound to catch solid evidence.”
Ridiculous. She was a woman raised on TVB dramas—palace intrigues, family feuds, workplace schemes—she had them all figured out.
Li Cuihua’s petty tricks weren’t even worth her attention.
This time, Ji Shuyu was going to teach her a lesson.
“Wife, whatever you want to do, go ahead and do it. I’m here, we have nothing to fear.”
“I’m sorry. I was the one who asked you to come to the island, yet I’ve let you suffer such great injustice.”
He Yuan, of course, felt guilty. He had pleaded repeatedly for her to come.
How could he have known the greatest injustice would come from his own family?
“Insatiable greed is like a snake trying to swallow an elephant. Li Cuihua’s greed is her own doing; what does it have to do with you?”
“If you really feel sorry for me, then you…”
“What do you want? I can get anything for you.”
He Yuan offered an ingratiating smile, the stern lines of his brow and eyes softening, making him appear quite gentle.
Ji Shuyu looked at him, pressed her lips together, and suddenly asked, “Why are you so good to me?”
He and the original host had only met a handful of times.
She could understand the physical intimacy as a need.
They were husband and wife; it was normal.
But where did the affection come from?
“Wife, why do you ask? I married you, of course I should be good to you.”
His wife was the one who would accompany him for a lifetime. If he wasn’t good to her, then to whom should he be good?
He Yuan’s answer was so matter-of-fact that it left Ji Shuyu speechless.
Her gaze fell on his broad shoulders.
Lately, he had often been wearing that sailor shirt. The lines of his muscles were faintly visible beneath the fabric, exuding a uniquely masculine solidity.
“But we…”
She wanted to say that the original host and he had no real affection to begin with, but the words caught in her throat as He Yuan suddenly took her hand.
The thick calluses on his fingertips brushed against the back of her hand, stirring a strange, tingling sensation in her heart.
“I only know this: I married you, I’ve been with you, we’ve been intimate, and in this lifetime, I must be good to you.”
“Feelings… that thing is too elusive. I don’t dare promise it to you lightly. But what I have, what I can give, I will not hold back.”
Listening to He Yuan’s words, which were almost a confession, Ji Shuyu looked up and met his eyes, brimming with starlight.
So this rough man harbored such delicate feelings. What she had assumed was mere need was actually a longing he had cherished for a long time.
She suddenly laughed, reached out, and patted his arm. “Alright, that’s enough sentimentality. Remember to go.”
Seeing her relaxed expression, He Yuan grinned broadly too, pulling her closer into an embrace.
Yet he carefully avoided her belly. “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure it’s handled properly.”
But where Ji Shuyu couldn’t see, He Yuan’s eyes darkened in an instant.
Li Cuihua, if you dare lay a hand on Shuyu, I will absolutely make you regret ever being born.
The next day, as soon as dawn broke, He Yuan went to take care of the matter.
He told everyone he met that his wife wasn’t well during her pregnancy and needed brown sugar for nourishment.
These words, of course, reached Li Cuihua’s ears. Initially, she hadn’t truly intended to do anything, but upon hearing that Ji Shuyu was unwell, her mind began to stir again.
“Little slut, vixen! Let’s see how you’ll live without that child!”
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