Am I only worth eight hundred yuan?

"Do I get beaten up for looking at my own wife's breasts?!"

Jin Yanzhi, who had been secretly pinched several times by his wife in his sleeve, grumbled on his way to the parking lot. Today at the event, she was the one who asked him when he had seen her, and she didn't even reflect on the fact that her dress had a low neckline. Why should her legal husband get beaten for taking a few extra glances...

On the way back, the person next to him wrapped his upper body tightly in a cloak, and President Jin, who was looking out the window with a pout, sighed inwardly.

Lin Zhen'er, whose face turned red to the roots of her neck, had mixed feelings. The man she had married in a flash was now becoming more and more charming and shameless, completely different from when they first met. He had become much more childish, which often made her unable to resist.

But behind her was a heavy mountain, constantly pressing down on her. Even her joy was fleeting, and she could never truly immerse herself in this almost flawless married life.

"Zhen'er, come sit here with me tonight. You can come alone."

The phone rang again, and the half-drunk woman turned her gaze to the screen, her shawl slipping from her shoulders into her arm as she raised her hand. The man sitting next to her swallowed hard, sounding like a wolf that had been starving for a long time, but she had no desire to tease him.

The fact that the old woman, who rarely appeared in their lives and had been practicing vegetarianism and chanting Buddhist prayers for over a decade, suddenly extended such an invitation was clearly not a good thing.

After searching for an excuse for ages, Lin Zhen'er could only lie and say she was going out for a walk alone to find inspiration. Luckily, her in-laws' house wasn't far, just a three- to five-minute walk away. In the dark night, swathes of bamboo rustled in the cold wind in the garden by the gate. She composed herself, held her breath, and went inside.

The woman, usually kind and gentle, who spent her days eating vegetarian food and chanting Buddhist scriptures, and detached herself from worldly affairs, was indeed not in a good mood today. When she saw her daughter-in-law come in, she only nodded lightly, letting the other woman stand in the entryway for a while before leading her inside.

The anxiety she had been feeling finally seemed to find its answer at this moment. It was like a scene from a TV drama she had fantasized about countless times. She wondered how big the number on that check would be to deserve appearing in her mother-in-law's hands and allowing her to leave that exceptionally successful young tycoon, Mr. Jin.

Although they had been married for some time, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law had met no more than five times. The direct consequence of this polite and distant relationship was that the prelude to conversations was too long, with the other person talking about how clever her son was as a child and how calm and composed he had become as an adult.

After a long pause, he finally sighed and got to the point:

“After his father passed away, this child always seemed to have a lot on his mind, and he has really had a hard time these past few years.”

So even though you were originally his niece-in-law, after the scandal involving Chao Sheng, I tacitly approved of your marriage.

I thought to myself, he's still young, and he's never asked me for anything before. It's not a big deal for him to act impulsively in his feelings. Besides, although you come from a humble background, you've always been quite sensible. But I never expected..."

The noblewoman hesitated for a moment, then picked up her cup, took a small sip of the calming tea, and finally spoke:

"I didn't expect your background to be so complicated. You didn't even mention your father's affairs. The Jin family has already been in the news because of his marriage. We've kept a low profile for so many years and haven't been talked about because of anything negative."

If word gets out that your father has been to prison and is a gambler, we'll be utterly disgraced. While we don't have children yet, and Yanzhi doesn't know about these scandals, feel free to tell me what you want…”

As expected, it was that matter. The last bit of hope that had been burning in Lin Zhen'er's heart was finally extinguished at this moment.

She knew perfectly well who the informant was, but the ruthlessness of the eldest daughter of the Jiang family was even more ruthless than she had imagined. The criminal record of the man who had become a source of inner demons for the mother and daughter was also unearthed more than ten years ago, which was beyond her expectations.

"I have no conditions and will not get a divorce."

From the TV dramas I watched in school to every book I've written since then, most of the female protagonists, faced with similar situations, made the same noble choice as her. But the person sitting here, cold sweat slowly seeping out, knows that she's not actually that kind of person.

A woman who grew up going from one relative's house to another with her mother to borrow money wouldn't have the means to hold her head high and refuse such a huge sum of money like she does now. If time could turn back a few months and the person on the other end was her ex-boyfriend's mother, she would have agreed without hesitation, but now, she can't.

She never imagined that her feelings at such a moment would be different from what she had expected. There was neither the ecstatic joy of making a fortune nor the carefree ease that a leading lady should have.

She felt a sharp pain in her heart, as if it were being pierced by countless needles, tormenting her to the point where she could barely stand up straight. The living room, which was over ten meters wide, was so quiet that even the ticking of the antique clock's second hand was crystal clear. She felt restless and uneasy; so this was what it was like.

"He said he was going out for a walk, but he secretly ran off to see his mother without telling me."

Jin Yanzhi's voice was as gentle as ever. He pushed open the door and walked in, wrapping the shawl he had brought around his wife's shoulders. He didn't seem curious about their conversation; he simply held her thin shoulders gently and kissed her slightly pale face affectionately.

The flustered and nervous woman didn't notice that her husband's gaze towards his mother didn't convey the outward peace and warmth. Beneath his smiling eyes lay a warning and displeasure that only the mother and son could perceive.

Just moments before, Madam Jin had been arrogant and confident of victory, but after a long silence during their eye contact, she finally relented, wearily forcing a smile.

"I haven't seen you all for a while, so I asked Zhen'er to come and ask how you've been."

It's getting late. Since you're here, you should take her and go home quickly.

The man tightened the shawl around her shoulders before taking her hand and leading her out. He didn't ask her anything on the way home. He just hummed a song softly as he slowly walked home until the barking of their dog greeted them from inside. Only then did he grin and pull out several contracts that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere.

The screenwriter, Lin, who was deep in thought, was stunned for a moment before reaching out to take the stack of papers. It took her two minutes to realize that it was a new project for the new drama production company, a production contract for another S-level project.

"They were very satisfied with the production quality of your film, so I took the opportunity to get you a new project collaboration as well."

Back home, Mr. Jin casually sat down on the sofa, propped his long legs up on the coffee table, and secretly observed his wife's expression.

The woman holding the contract didn't answer immediately. She seemed to find the news hard to believe, as if she hadn't quite recovered from the conversation at her mother-in-law's house. She just stood there, staring blankly at the details on the paper.

Jin Yanzhi's mood suddenly began to sink as his wife fell silent.

He wondered if his decision had been too rash, putting too much pressure on this already overwhelmed woman who was too embarrassed to refuse him, or perhaps the new project wasn't something she liked or was good at. He nervously licked his lips and started missing the solid gold ear pick upstairs. He wished he could clean his ears a couple of times to relieve the pressure.

"But this is a sister series to their drama. Can I only participate in this one?"

The familiar voice finally rang out again, and the woman, waving the contract in her hand, reappeared with that slightly sly smile. Mr. Jin, whose heart had been pounding with anxiety, finally felt a huge weight lifted from his shoulders. He decisively opened his arms, raised his chin, revealing his sharply defined jawline:

"Once we get back from our trip, the contract for the second movie will be yours, okay?"

Lin Zhen'er was caught off guard by this series of surprises. She walked to the sofa and nestled into that familiar embrace, burying her face in it.

The anxiety I felt at my mother-in-law's house that night, and the exhaustion from dealing with all sorts of things over the past few days, all turned into a strong pang of sadness at that moment, which filled my nostrils, and I felt that tears were about to roll down my cheeks again.

"I packed your luggage while you were out for a walk. Go check it over and see if anything is missing. You can buy it when you get to Dali."

The reassuring voice above her head warmed her heart. They were going to Dali, the place she'd mentioned again and again in her book. Although she still had a mountain of work to do, she desperately needed to escape the city and get some fresh air.

"Yesterday, my mom and I..."

The woman, flying first class for the first time, downed her glass of red wine in one gulp, attempting to confess on the plane. She knew it was annoying to ruin the atmosphere at this moment, but keeping it bottled up was also incredibly uncomfortable…

"Don't tell me that. What's so interesting about a conversation between a mother-in-law and daughter-in-law? You said you did some research last night and booked a small group tour. Where were you going to take me later?"

The man who had been resting with his eyes closed opened them, but quickly changed the subject. The man who opened his mouth but said nothing looked at the handsome face, then turned to look at the sea of ​​clouds outside the window, and after a few seconds answered:

"I'll take you mushroom picking; now is the perfect time to eat matsutake mushrooms."

Jin Yanzhi nodded, reached out and pressed the little head next to him onto his shoulder, poked the fluffy bun with his finger, indicating that she should lean on him and sleep for a while.

The Jin family had been involved in the tourism industry for many years, so they were picked up from the airport and taken to their own hotel. However, before Mr. Jin could even show his wife his property—which boasted an exclusive ocean view and was decorated entirely in luxurious stone—he was urged to change into hiking boots and get into a local's car.

Since it was his first trip as a couple, he obediently followed the screenwriter's arrangements. Sitting in the dilapidated van, clutching the mushroom basket the tour leader had given him, after countless turns, they finally arrived at the mushroom-picking destination that the guy had been longing for.

"Are you sure this is safe? There are only two of us in the whole group. What if we get sold out? Look, there's no cell phone signal."

Once outside Pingyang, the man who always traveled with bodyguards began to regret his decision and started to question the itinerary in a low voice. There was no path on the mountain in front of them, and on the red soil after the rain, there were only the deep and shallow footprints of the tall and strong leader and his exceptionally bright smile.

There wasn't a soul on the surrounding hills, not even a dog. His newlywed wife, holding a hiking stick and carrying a basket, was beaming with joy, so he had no choice but to grit his teeth and keep climbing.

"Who wants to harm us? Who are you? Are they going to sell us? Oh... no... you're quite valuable."

The woman who took out her phone to photograph the squirrel seemed to suddenly remember something, muttering a few words to herself. Her eyes, which had turned to look at her, began to show some wariness, but there was no village or shop in sight, and it seemed that there was no way to retreat except to keep walking forward.

"How much did you pay for this tour? Let me see how much you'd be willing to sell me out?"

Jin Yanzhi tossed the basket behind him, reached out to support his wife's waist, and walked forward, his unease growing stronger. Lin Zhen'er was innocent and romantic, but he had witnessed countless kidnapping cases since childhood, and remaining vigilant was a habit he had cultivated over the years.

"Eight...eight hundred."

Some women who couldn't climb up leaned half their bodies against their husbands' large hands with peace of mind, but their voices began to sound guilty.