Xu Huaiyuan knew how humiliating it was that he couldn't even go back to his parents' house on New Year's Eve. In the Ke family, he was practically a live-in son-in-law.

Taking advantage of the New Year's celebration, Xu Huaiyuan drank heavily, initially toasting his father-in-law, Mr. Ke, who was quite pleased. However, he later discovered that Xu Huaiyuan had deliberately drunk too much, which made Mr. Ke less happy.

Ke Rou was also completely bewildered. She unusually put her arm around Xu Huaiyuan and asked him, "What's wrong? Why did you drink so much? Didn't you say you were going to set off fireworks for me tonight and give me a massage?"

Mrs. Ke immediately became alert. "What massage?"

Ke Rou immediately realized her mother had misunderstood, and said shyly, "Oh, it's not what you think. I'm just massaging my calves. My feet always ache after I got pregnant."

Mrs. Ke was relieved and looked at her daughter and son-in-law with reproach, but still pulled Ke Rou over, "I think Huaiyuan is drunk. You come with me to sleep in the side bedroom tonight and let Huaiyuan sleep by himself. I'll have your dad check on him every now and then."

The Ke family has many rooms.

The two elders slept in separate rooms; at their age, they had long since grown tired of each other.

Seeing this, Ke's mother thought it would be good to have her daughter keep her company and chat with her that evening.

Ke Rou was unusually worried.

But given her pampered nature and inability to take care of others, she had no choice but to give up.

She listened to her mother happily.

Mr. Ke was quite annoyed, finding it troublesome. He could fall asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow, but he had to take care of his son-in-law. He thought his son-in-law was really troublesome.

She couldn't help but complain, "You two, mother and daughter, always bullying us men. I'm telling you, you should tone it down a bit and stop tormenting Huaiyuan. I bet he's been wronged, otherwise he wouldn't have been drinking so much tonight..."

As Mr. Ke spoke, he began to empathize with the situation; the mother and daughter were indeed being difficult.

Upon hearing this, Ke's mother was displeased and immediately retorted, "What do you mean? Don't talk nonsense. What's wrong with me bullying you? You're my man, so why can't I bully you? Would you be happy if I bullied other men?"

She gave a coquettish scolding.

Mr. Ke was at his wits' end and immediately begged for forgiveness, "It's my fault, it's my fault."

Ke Rou also said sweetly, "That's right, how did Mom and I bully him? I don't think it's our problem. Maybe it's something to do at work, and he's under a lot of pressure? He still wants to work harder to give me an even more romantic proposal in the future."

Seeing his daughter's little girl-like demeanor, Mr. Ke couldn't help but laugh and say, "You, you."

The family of three was enjoying a happy time together.

When Ke Rou heard that Xu Huaiyuan was under a lot of pressure, instead of feeling sorry for her son-in-law, Ke's mother said with dissatisfaction, "Then Huaiyuan's ability to withstand pressure is really not good..."

His words clearly showed his disdain.

Xu Huaiyuan was so drunk that he was completely out of it, lying on the dining table, feeling dizzy. In his daze, he felt that the other family of three didn't treat him, their son-in-law, like a human being, but rather like an animal, judging and criticizing him.

He couldn't help but feel a surge of anger, but then he couldn't help but miss Jiang Tong's kindness. He remembered that at this time last year, even though their feelings for each other had faded, Jiang Tong still took good care of him.

Back then, he was still living in the same house. If he came home drunk from socializing, his parents would care about him, and the whole family would fuss over him.

Now that he's been treated like an animal in someone else's home, Xu Huaiyuan doesn't know how he's managed to live like this. The thought of Jiang Tong being held and protected in that man's arms makes his chest burn with pain.

Ke's father barely managed to help Xu Huaiyuan up, intending to throw him back into his room.

As a result, Ke Rou complained and pleaded with her father, "Oh dear, he's so drunk and smells like alcohol. If he lies on my bed later, he'll make the whole bed smell like alcohol. Will I be able to sleep tomorrow? Dad, can you put him in the guest room?"

Upon hearing this, Ke's mother became wary, saying, "Rou Rou, you still have to sleep with Mom tonight."

Ke Rou immediately said shyly, "Oh, what are you thinking? I'll sleep with you."

Mr. Ke went along with his daughter's wishes, throwing Xu Huaiyuan into the guest room and simply covering him with a spare blanket from the wardrobe.

He couldn't be bothered to care anymore.

He shouldn't die.

Mr. Ke was also feeling sleepy after drinking, so he said goodbye to his daughter and wife and went to sleep.

The mother and daughter even complained that he didn't stay with them to wait for the countdown.

He said it, but he didn't really insist.

The mother and daughter went back to their room early and started chatting under the covers.

Xu Huaiyuan lay in the cold guest room. Although the blankets had been washed, they were naturally not as good as those in the master bedroom. He couldn't help but feel resentful and decided that once he got the money, he would definitely trample Ke Rou and her family of three under his feet!

Looking at the incessant sounds of fireworks outside, and thinking of his parents, Jiang Tong, and the child, he couldn't help but feel wronged. This grown man finally couldn't hold back his tears any longer.

Unable to sleep due to his drunkenness, Xu Huaiyuan frantically sent WeChat messages to Jiang Tong, but she had already blocked him. So he sent a bunch of nonsensical, self-indulgent messages, not caring if they were marked with exclamation marks.

Later, feeling too stifled, she cried and used the newly registered phone number to send a message to Jiang Tong.

One output.

But there was no response whatsoever.

Like a stone sinking into the sea.

Of course, there was no response, because Jiang Tong was too busy to care about anything else.

After finishing their New Year's Eve dinner, the family gathered in the living room to watch the Spring Festival Gala.

Board games are placed on the coffee table.

The family of five were watching TV and playing games, filling their small living room with laughter.

Especially with the three little ones around, their innocent words and laughter are particularly amusing, and their voices are more melodious than silver bells.

Jiang Tong was also amused by the children, laughing heartily until she almost cried. Zhou Yuansheng also had a big smile on his face, watching the children try their best to be cheeky, and the three kids were also happy and giggling.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!