"Xinyue, tell me honestly, did someone bully you while I was away? I'll teach her a lesson for you."

Tong Xinyue's indignant mood instantly returned to normal.

She said that her cousin could never fall in love with any other woman besides herself.

Shen Ling is such a shameless person. She doesn't even understand the simple principle that "the one who is not loved is the mistress." She's always trying to be a masochist.

"I'm fine, cousin, you don't need to worry."

Tong Xinyue smiled gently, and while speaking, she didn't forget to throw a provocative look at Shen Ling.

"Cousin, you love me so much, how could anyone possibly bully me in your family?"

"Although your new wife doesn't seem to like me very much, at most she just says some harsh things, but she wouldn't dare to do anything to me."

Upon hearing this, Gu Yuchuan's expression immediately turned ugly. After glancing at Shen Ling standing beside him, he stepped forward as if guarding against a thief and tightly protected Tong Xinyue behind him.

"Shen Ling has no say in this family."

"You don't need to pay attention to her when you come here. Just talk to me and my mom if you have anything to say."

"Okay, I understand, thank you, cousin."

Tong Xinyue's sweet smile deeply wounded Shen Ling's eyes.

She exploded: "Tong Xinyue, I'm your cousin-in-law. I don't care whether you like me or not, at least you should show some respect on the surface."

"How dare you speak to me so sarcastically in front of my husband? What kind of attitude is that? Are you trying to anger me to death and affect the baby in my belly?!"

Wang Yulian hadn't really wanted to get involved in this matter, but her expression changed instantly upon hearing Shen Ling's words.

She doesn't care how these two scheme and argue, but anyone who dares to interfere with her precious grandson is going against her!

Wang Yulian turned around and began to lecture Tong Xinyue.

"Ling'er is right. No matter what, she's still your sister-in-law. How can you talk to your elder like that?"

“As long as Ling’er is pregnant, she will be the most important person in our family. How can you talk to her like that? Aren’t you just trying to cause trouble?”

"I'm in charge of the Gu family's affairs. If anything happens to my precious grandson because of you, you don't need to come here anymore. Get out of here!"

Tong Xinyue couldn't refute her, and considering the seniority between the two, she didn't dare to speak out against her, almost getting so angry that she died.

She used to disregard Shen Ling, thinking that as long as she could win Gu Yuchuan's heart, that would be enough.

A woman who is not loved will only live a life of widowhood after marriage.

But the situation is different now; Gu Yuchuan is, after all, a man.

If Shen Ling really gives birth to a son for him, there's no guarantee he won't soften his heart.

Where will this house be then? Where will it still be able to accommodate her and Lele?

Tong Xinyue tightened her grip on the child, her eyes darkening as she silently made a decision.

She absolutely could not allow Shen Ling to get pregnant, much less allow her to give birth to the so-called child.

There can only be one younger member in this family, Lele, and all of the Gu family's property must belong to Lele and her mother!

-

After leaving the Wen family, Shen Zhihuan thought that there was nothing else to do, so she decided to go home and rest.

Just as I reached the Xie family's door, I brushed past Qiu Shanshan, who was carrying a gift box.

Since Shen Zhihuan didn't recognize the other person, she didn't pay much attention to it.

Unexpectedly, Qiu Shanshan suddenly turned around and glanced at her at that moment.

The look in his eyes made me feel inexplicably uncomfortable.

Shen Zhihuan keenly sensed something and turned around to look at Qiu Shanshan with a probing gaze.

"You've been staring at me. Do you know me?"

Qiu Shanshan remained silent upon hearing this, only smiling and shaking her head.

She wore an innocent smile, but her eyes seemed to hold a deeper meaning, and she was muttering something under her breath.

"No way, they really do look alike."

Like? What does she resemble?

Chen Zhihuan was completely bewildered, but a vague feeling of unease lingered in his mind.

She wanted to stop Qiu Shanshan and ask her a few more questions, but the other woman had already turned a corner, crossed the intersection, and disappeared.

Shen Zhihuan was left standing there, her lips pressed tightly together, completely bewildered.

Whether in the capital or in the village, she made sure she had never seen this girl before.

Not to mention, she speaks in a strange way; could she have mistaken someone for someone else?

Shen Zhihuan kept this in mind, then pushed open the courtyard gate and entered the Xie family home.

The courtyard was bustling with activity as Zhao Haiyin and Grandma Xie sat under the grape trellis tending to the flowers and plants.

Grandpa Xie was playing chess by himself on the side.

"Grandpa Xie, Grandma Xie, Aunt Zhao, I'm back."

Upon hearing Shen Zhihuan's voice, the three of them looked up at her and immediately smiled, revealing loving and warm eyes.

"Zhihuan is back."

"Come sit next to Grandma. It's hot, so Grandma made you some watermelon juice."

This scene perfectly captures the feeling of "home" in Shen Zhihuan's mind.

She raised her hand to touch the smile on her lips, belatedly realizing that she had begun to feel a sense of belonging to the Xie family.

This feeling is truly wonderful.

As Shen Zhihuan was drinking watermelon juice and squatting by the flower bushes talking to several elders, Xie Lanshen happened to return.

His originally cold gaze suddenly warmed when it fell on his family members.

Xie Lanshen unconsciously curved the corners of his lips, walked up to Shen Zhihuan, and spoke to her in a low voice.

"Wait until I go back to my room to get the marriage certificate, then I'll go to the study with you."

The three elders exchanged a glance and couldn't help but smile.

"Judging by the days, it's time to submit the marriage application."

"Don't worry about us, Zhihuan, go to the study and take care of business with Lanshen."

Shen Zhihuan was shoved into the study and watched the three of them disappear in the blink of an eye, which amused her so much that she didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

It wasn't until she remembered the important business she needed to attend to that she calmed down again and sat down at her desk.

A moment later, Xie Lanshen also came over. After closing the door behind him, he placed the report on the desk, took out his usual fountain pen, removed the cap, and handed it to Shen Zhihuan.

"Use this pen to write."

Shen Zhihuan didn't stand on ceremony with him. After nodding and accepting it, she turned her attention to the marriage report.

In the quiet study, only the scratching sound of pen tip gliding across paper could be heard for a moment.

This was the first time Shen Zhihuan had faced these challenges, so she took them very seriously.

She was afraid that she might make a mistake due to carelessness, so she wrote each stroke with extra care.

Occasionally, when she couldn't write something and paused, Xie Lanshen would immediately explain it to her without her having to ask.

"I've already asked around beforehand about the specific format. Just write it according to the information I've prepared."

Her mature and gentle voice sounded especially beautiful at this moment.

A warm, gentle breeze wafted down, and Shen Zhihuan turned her head to look.

Only then did she belatedly realize that Xie Lanshen had pulled up a chair and was sitting next to her.