Who dares to bully my wife when I'm relaxing?

"Hao Hao!"

Ni Changran came over when she heard the noise and saw him pointing a gun at Lin Shiren, glaring angrily: "How many times have I told you not to shoot bullets at people? I'll beat you up."

After receiving two slaps on the bottom, Lin Tianyu left crying. Soon, an argument broke out in the living room. Lin Shiren didn't want to get involved and leaned against the window expressionlessly, watching the snow scene.

Lunch was two hours away. She had already finished two sets of English reading comprehension exercises. When she came out of the small bedroom, she saw Grandma Lin putting the food on the table. Lin Tianyu was playing games on an iPad, and a toy machine gun was on the floor.

Lin Zhiyuan tapped on the table and called out, "Haohao, dinner's ready."

Lin Tianyu reluctantly put down the iPad, just in time to see Lin Shiren pull out a chair. He plopped down in it, and Lin Shiren looked at him and said, "Sister, I want to sit next to Dad."

Ni Changran was taking off her apron in the kitchen and called his name when Zhang Xiu'e interrupted her, saying, "Don't yell at the child during the New Year."

She turned her head and took out a red envelope from her pocket: "Qiaoqiao, you are the older sister, don't take it to heart."

"Thank you, Grandma."

Lin Shiren accepted the red envelope, but Lin Tianyu asked anxiously, "Grandma, where's my red envelope?"

"You little rascal, you'll get your share."

Once all the dishes were served, the elders chatted and ate, while Lin Tianyu made a ruckus the whole time, keeping his toy gun close at hand even while eating. Only Lin Shiren seemed out of place, eating quietly by himself.

Halfway through the meal, Aunt Lin Yunxi finally remembered to ask, "Qiaoqiao, what grade are you in now?"

"You're a senior in high school, and you'll be taking the college entrance exam this year." This was the question Lin Zhiyuan answered for her.

Lin Yunxi then asked, "I heard that Huiwen College has regular classes and honors classes. Which class is Qiaoqiao in?"

This time, even Lin Zhiyuan looked over, and Lin Shiren answered perfunctorily, "Class One."

Ni Changran was picking out fish bones when she heard this and smiled, "Haohao, did you hear that? Your sister gets excellent grades. You must learn from her."

Lin Tianyu was unhappy that his mother was praising others, so he put on a stern face and said proudly, "Mom, I also got a hundred points in preschool."

Lin Zhiyuan smiled and comforted him, "Indeed, our Haohao is the best."

Looking at the loving and filial demeanor of the family of three, Lin Shiren suddenly lost her appetite. She decided to stay a few more minutes and then leave under the pretext of studying.

Zhang Xiue suddenly spoke up: "It's all thanks to Zhiyuan's good genes that his two children are so outstanding."

Lin Shiren put down his chopsticks, looked up at Zhang Xiue, and curled his lips in a sarcastic manner.

Zhang Xiue didn't understand the smile and continued rambling, "Renren, study hard and find a great boyfriend in college..."

Lin Shih-ren heard himself ask, almost as if possessed, "And then?"

Zhang Xiue looked at her in surprise, as if she didn't understand why she would ask such a question.

"Of course, I want to marry into a good family and be a good wife and mother."

"So, I study hard just so I can marry a good man?"

Everyone was stunned. After a long while, Lin Yunxi reacted: "Qiaoqiao, that's not what your grandma meant. How could you say that?"

Lin Shih-ren, as if he didn't understand, continued to ask, "What does that mean?"

Zhang Xiue's expression changed, and she pointed at her with her finger: "Lin Shiren, have you forgotten your own surname? How old are you, yet you dare to disobey your elders? You're learning bad things instead of good ones, and you're becoming more and more like Xin Xiaomei."

Lin Shiren remained silent, stubbornly staring at her.

With so many people watching, Lin Zhiyuan felt a little embarrassed. He grabbed her arm and pulled her in front of Zhang Xiue, saying, "Qiaoqiao, you weren't like this before. Quickly apologize to Grandma."

Yes, she wasn't like this before, because she had always been holding back.

I kept thinking that I could just get through this meal, or get through this year, and my nerves became numb from years of endurance.

She shook off Lin Zhiyuan's hand and forcefully wiped away her tears: "Grandma, why have you never liked Mom? Mom is clearly more educated than Dad, has a better job than Dad, and has contributed more to the family than Dad, so why do you always think she's not good enough?"

Xin Xiaomei and Lin Zhiyuan's relationship certainly had problems, but if it weren't for the tense relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, this marriage wouldn't have ended so early.

Zhang Xiue's face turned pale and then purple: "That's because she's always picking on your father. She's so arrogant because she earns more."

Lin Shiren grabbed Lin Tianyu's toy gun and slammed it to the ground: "Are you sure it's not because I'm a little girl?"

The time I cried the most in my childhood was when Xin Xiaomei secretly read my diary.

Shi Ren ran crying to Zhang Xiu'e to complain. As soon as she pushed open the door, she saw a young aunt sitting in the living room. Zhang Xiu'e took off her jade bracelet and put it on Shi Ren's wrist: "Don't worry, his ex-wife only gave birth to a girl. All the property will be yours in the future."

Little brat...

For a girl who is already sensitive, this word was truly shocking.

Later, Lin Shiren returned home dejectedly and was mercilessly mocked by Xin Xiaomei, who said that she didn't even know how to throw a tantrum and run away from home.

So, this time she learned it.

Ignoring everyone's expressions, Lin Shiren slammed the door and left.

Walking on the snow-covered streets, children were laughing and building snowmen. There were shouts of candied hawthorns at the intersection. Lin Shiren's coat was fluttering in the wind as she slowly walked home.

She really hates her own twisted personality; she can never learn to express her needs and feelings directly, and can only pretend that she doesn't need them or that they are dispensable. Once others really ignore her feelings, she can only sulk by herself.

Lin Shih-ren suddenly stopped in his tracks as the edge of the red envelope stung his palm.

Didn't anyone chase after her after she left? They just continued having their family reunion dinner without a care in the world? Why is she the only one who's unhappy?

No way!

She needs to vent; she needs to engage in revenge spending!

She found Zhou Lin's name in her contacts and pressed the call button.

In Lin Shih-ren's mind, there are only a few places for revenge spending: shopping malls, restaurants, KTVs... because in her uneventful life, she rarely even goes to these places.

So when Zhou Lin took her to the beach after a half-hour drive, she thought she was there to buy seafood.

Lin Shiren looked up at the white double-decker yacht and the boy waving at them from the deck, her almond-shaped eyes wide with surprise: "What are we doing here?"

Zhou Lin climbed the gangway first and reached out his hand to her: "Didn't you say you were going to engage in revenge spending?"

She dared not board the ship; all thoughts of revenge spending had vanished. Clinging to the railing, she shook her head vigorously, saying, "No, no, I can't afford this."

Zhou Lin used some strength to pull her up, and seeing that Lin Shiren's eyelashes were trembling and her hands were cold, his heart softened and he decided not to tease her anymore.

He helped her put her hat on, wrapped his arms tightly around her slender waist, and kissed her cheek: "Aren't you in a bad mood? Your boyfriend will take you out fishing at sea."

Lin Shih-ren stared blankly, a little taken aback: "Are there fish in the sea in winter?"

Zhou Lin gently pinched her nose, a handsome smile curving his lips: "If you don't have one, I'll jump into the sea and bite your hook."

"..."

Does he think he's a mermaid?

But the image of him emerging from the water involuntarily flashed through my mind: on the shimmering sea, seawater dripped down the boy's hair, and some of it gathered into a winding stream, sliding down his chest muscles to his abs...

Ugh! What on earth is she thinking?!

The yacht was even larger than it appeared from below, and the seats on the observation deck were all genuine leather. The guy sitting on it didn't look much older than them. When he saw the two of them, he raised his eyebrows slightly and said, "I knew it! So you came out today to show off your girlfriend to me."

Zhou Lin seemed a bit too lazy to pay attention to him, gave a perfunctory greeting, and then looked at Lin Shiren with a gentle expression: "This yacht belongs to my friend Du Heng. He has severe social anxiety, so you don't need to pay attention to him."

Lin Shih-ren expressed his understanding, then waved his hand awkwardly: "Hi."

Du Heng wasn't annoyed at being labeled a socially awkward person for no reason. He just smiled and said, "You don't need to be so wary of me, do you?"

Although he was a playboy, he still understood the principle of not messing with a friend's wife.

Zhou Lin clearly wasn't buying it, and gestured with his chin to shoo him away: "Go get the boat going, my girlfriend wants to go fishing."

Du Heng shook his head and stood up: "I really owe you something."

The sound of the waves reached his ears, and the sunlight bathed his entire body. Lin Shiren, wrapped in a cashmere blanket, sat on the viewing platform, smelling the salty, damp air, and exhaled a long breath.

It turns out that the sea breeze really can blow away worries.

Zhou Lin was right.

I thought it would be very cold to go out to sea in winter, but that wasn't the case at all. The cushions were warm, the drinks were hot, and there was even an electric heater nearby.

Zhou Lin forbade her from fishing, but he himself tore off a fishing rod and threw it into the sea.

Twenty minutes passed, and the fish's swim bladder remained motionless. Just as Lin Shiren was preparing to mock him, the fishing line taut, and he easily caught a fish.

"Bring me the bucket."

Lin Shih-jen skipped and hopped as she carried the bucket. This was her first time seeing someone else fish in person, and she was overjoyed: "Wow, what kind of fish is this?"

Zhou Lin took the lively fish off the hook, threw it into the bucket, and said with a smile, "Stone carving."

Seeing the fish with its mouth open, breathing heavily, Lin Shiren quickly poured half a bucket of seawater into it, then looked up at it and said, "It's so ugly."

Zhou Lin handed over the fishing rod, bent his knees, and pulled the person into his arms: "As long as it tastes good."

From here, you can see the driver's cab. Based on the principle of reversibility of light, Du Heng can also see their movements clearly. Lin Shiren is being coy and doesn't want him to hug her.

"Lin Qiaoqiao, I'm cold."

She had some reservations at first, but when his cool aura enveloped her like a thin mist, all her thoughts went blank.

Lin Shiren wrapped the two of them together with a cashmere blanket.

Zhou Lin buried his chin in the crook of her neck, exhaling hot breath: "Now can you tell me why you're unhappy?"

Lin Shih-ren looked at the distant sea and after a long while, he slowly spoke: "I used to think that when I grew up, I would not suffer any grievances and I could do whatever I wanted. But it turns out that's not the case at all."

“I clearly didn’t want to go to Grandma’s house for Chinese New Year, but Mom forced me to go; Lin Tianyu is just a clueless little kid, but I’m unhappy seeing the whole family spoiling him; every year during Chinese New Year, my aunt asks me what grade I’m in, and even after I tell her, I don’t remember it, and she still asks the same thing the following year…”

“Everything is a trivial matter of ideology. If I talk about it, it will make me seem petty. But if I don’t talk about it, I’ll be the only one who’s unhappy.”

Zhou Lin had been quietly listening until she finished speaking, then tucked her stray hairs behind her ear: "So, the most sensible people are the most tired. Whether in the past or now, you should naturally refuse those things that you hate."

Lin Shih-ren looked up at him.

"Lin Shih-ren, aren't you usually quite fierce when you're arguing with me?"

"Because of you..."

You like me.

A wave of heat rose to her head, and before Lin Shiren could finish the last three words, she turned her head away from him.

Zhou Lin turned her head back to the right side: "You suffer all kinds of grievances with other people, but you act like a tyrant with me. Aren't you being a little biased?"

Lin Shiren bit her lip: "I'm already in such a miserable state, and you're still bullying me..."

Zhou Lin was pressing his forehead against hers, almost losing his temper. Those were her family members, what could he do?

He deliberately said fiercely, "Tell your family, whether it's your mother-in-law, grandmother, aunt, or your good-for-nothing brother, if anyone dares to bully my wife again, I'll kick them into the sea."

On a deep winter evening, the setting sun dipped into the sea, and he was backlit, making his expression indistinct.

"Who's your wife? You shameless bastard."

Lin Shiren suddenly felt like laughing and snuggled into his arms: "If you could give a speech for me at the 100-day countdown rally, my mood would improve very quickly."

Zhou Lin: "..."

After going around in circles, it turns out he was waiting for him here.