Lin Xiazhu sat lazily on the sofa, not wanting to move, but it would be impolite not to greet the guests, so she had the maid help her up. Just as she reached the door, Li Honglian came in.
Li Honglian is Zhang Yu's wife. She had her head down, but when she noticed someone in front of her, she immediately looked up and saw Lin Xiazhu standing there with her big belly waiting for her. She quickly stepped forward to help her up, saying, "You're not feeling well, so you didn't need to come all this way to greet me. Please sit down."
In recent years, Lin Xiazhu has lived the life of a wealthy wife, never lifting a finger and with delicate skin. But now, when Li Honglian grasps her hand, she deeply feels how rough the other woman's hands are, almost cutting her.
Upon touching Lin Xiazhu's smooth and delicate skin, Li Honglian quickly reacted, hastily withdrawing her hand and standing awkwardly to the side, seemingly unsure of what to do next.
"Sister-in-law, come and sit down, don't stand there. There's fruit here, help yourself to whatever you want. Oh, and would you like some water or a beverage... or maybe we should have someone bring you a cup of each?" Seeing her at a loss, Lin Xiazhu decided for her so as not to make her feel more awkward.
Li Honglian walked over with her head down, looking unsure whether she should sit down. She stood beside the sofa like a child who had made a mistake and was waiting to be disciplined by her parents.
Lin Xiazhu frowned subconsciously. Li Honglian wasn't like this before. Although they hadn't met much, Lin Xiazhu's impression of her was that she was very cheerful, efficient, and had a cheerful personality. When did she become so timid and hesitant?
Moreover, her eyes were red and swollen, as if she had been crying.
It seems that Li Honglian has changed a lot since she came to the capital. She has been doing this several times a year for the past few years. However, Lin Xiazhu didn't talk to her much. She just felt that the other party had become more and more silent and didn't like to talk. Before, she felt that she shouldn't interfere in other people's affairs, so she didn't ask too many questions.
It seems things aren't so simple now. Li Honglian came to see her today because she needs her help with something.
Lin Xiazhu pulled her to sit down and said softly, "Sister-in-law, just tell me what's wrong. I'll do my best to help you if I can."
She felt that Zhang Yu, a grown man, might be too embarrassed to speak up about this, but Li Honglian couldn't stand it anymore, so she came to find her herself. However, when Li Honglian revealed the purpose of her visit, Lin Xiazhu was shocked and incredulous.
"Are you telling the truth? How long has it been? Why hasn't anyone told me?" Lin Xiazhu gasped for breath, unable to describe her feelings, but she was extremely angry and incredulous.
“It’s been two years. That woman used to like getting close to him. At first, my husband didn’t pay much attention to her, and I didn’t think much of it. But after half a year, they somehow got together. Two months ago, that woman gave birth to his son. I only found out a few days ago. I really had no other choice but to come and tell you.”
Li Honglian could no longer hold back and burst into tears.
Lin Xiazhu was pregnant and was naturally more sensitive and empathetic. When she saw Li Honglian crying so heartbrokenly, she couldn't help but cry along with her, tears streaming down her face.
The maid was startled. This was no good! The young mistress was pregnant; such extreme joy or sorrow was not advisable. She immediately came over to comfort her, "Young mistress, what's wrong? What happened? Should I call the young master and have him come back right away?"
If anything were to happen to the young mistress, all of them, the servants, could just go home and eat their own food. The young mistress is so precious now, carrying two precious babies in her belly.
"...I'm fine. Could you get me a glass of milk? I'm a little thirsty." Lin Xiazhu wiped her face with a tissue. She was fine after crying. She just suddenly wanted to cry with the maid, but the maid interrupted her and she couldn't continue crying.
"Bang!" Lin Xiazhu slammed her hand on the table and said angrily, "Zhang Yu, that scoundrel, I really misjudged him. I used to think he was a decent person. He's only been in the capital for a few years and he's already been blinded by temptation. He's been easily seduced by those flashy and cheap women outside."
Back then, Zhang Yu was a small contractor in a small county town. He made a lot of money, but he was not arrogant or impatient. His deaf and mute mother urged him to get married, but he said he was not in a hurry. Many people tried to arrange marriages for him, but many of the women he was introduced to disliked him because he had a deaf and mute mother and a mute sister.
He was also insecure. Although he would get angry, he lived with dignity. Later, he fell in love with Li Honglian and got married when he was almost thirty. During the years they lived in the county town, the couple had a happy and loving life and had a son and a daughter.
Later, he came to the capital and his business flourished. His business grew bigger and bigger, and he owned several properties. He was a typical nouveau riche boss. He would occasionally have meals with Zhang Yu and the others. Lin Xiazhu felt that they hadn't changed. They were as straightforward and honest as before. Apart from being even more wealthy and powerful, they really had no other flaws.
How could so many things have happened so suddenly, and from what I heard, everyone else knew except her? Lin Xiazhu found it hard to accept and thought it was ridiculous. She thought everything was fine, but things had changed.
“Zhang Yu wants a divorce. He said he would give me a million yuan, a house, and the restaurant I run now would also belong to me. But he wants custody of the child. He's determined to divorce me.” Li Honglian burst into tears again as she spoke.
"I understand, sister-in-law. Please sit down first. I'll call Zhang Yu over right away and ask him what he's up to." Lin Xiazhu picked up the landline and dialed.
"No, if Xiaozhu finds out I came to see you, he'll beat me. Not only will I lose custody of the child, but I might never be able to see him again." Li Honglian cried and snotted as she poured out her inner pain.
"Don't worry, since I said I would stand up for you, I will definitely not let him bully you. Zhang Yu has to give an explanation for this. He is the one who wronged you, you don't owe him anything." Lin Xiazhu called Zhang Yu and asked him to come to the Bai family immediately.
"Xiaozhu, you're very busy right now. Just talk to me on the phone if you need anything. I can't come over," Zhang Yu said, her tone somewhat impatient.
"Zhang Yu, you'd better come over today and make things clear. Your wife is with me, and I know all the good things you've done. If you still consider me a friend, act like a man and come over to settle your family matters." After saying that, Lin Xiazhu hung up the phone.
She believed Zhang Yu would come. If he didn't respect her and their marital bond, and kept Li Honglian under his thumb, then just wait and see. Zhang Yu had become capable, making a little money and becoming fickle, even abandoning his original wife. How could such a person be worthy of being her, Lin Xiazhu's, friend?
Once she becomes famous, Xiao An can use the Bai family's influence to drive Zhang Yu out of the capital and make him go back to where he came from.
An hour later, Zhang Yu drove over. He got out of the car in a hurry and went straight to Li Honglian. Without saying a word, he slapped her, making her head turn to the side and blood seep from the corner of her mouth.
The slap was delivered by Lin Xiazhu for Li Honglian. Her strength was immense; Zhang Yu stumbled and fell to the ground on the spot.
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