Lin Xi pursed her lips, remaining silent.
"Qinglian, go ahead," Yunxi said gently.
Fang Qinglian immediately appeared pitiful, saying, "Yunxi, don't blame Lin Xi. It's my fault. I'm useless. I wanted to stand up, but I realized I have no ability to do so."
"Is that true?" Lu Yunxi looked at Lin Xi.
Still, Lin Xi didn't speak.
Lu Yunxi turned to Fang Qinglian again. "Your legs haven't fully healed yet. You were sitting just fine. Why did you suddenly want to stand up?"
"I'm sorry, Yunxi. It's because..." Fang Qinglian began to cry. "It's because I got too excited. Lin Xi just said she won't divorce you. She will never divorce you."
"Don't accuse me. When did I ever say that?" Lin Xi confronted Yunxi for the first time, losing control of her emotions.
"You did?" Yunxi looked at her, his gaze cold.
"If you don't believe me, I can talk to Grandfather about divorce right now," Lin Xi said nonchalantly, holding her hand out in a seemingly indifferent posture.
Lu Yunxi rubbed his temples, sighing softly as he spoke in a gentle tone. "Qinglian, I know you're anxious and want me to divorce immediately. But didn't we agree? Grandfather's not in good health right now. Let's wait until after his birthday to bring up the divorce."
"If you can't wait even for these few days, I'm sorry, but I must choose Grandfather over you."
Fang Qinglian panicked upon hearing this.
She reached out and tugged at Lu Yunxi's clothing, looking pitiful as she said, "I'm sorry, Yunxi. I didn't mean to."
"That night, I shouldn't have argued with you about this."
"I was just too anxious. I was afraid you wouldn't want to divorce, and I was even more afraid you'd reject me."
With that, Fang Qinglian unexpectedly reached out and hugged Lu Yunxi.
Lin Xi widened her eyes in disbelief. In broad daylight, the other woman, often referred to as the "third party," was hugging her husband, showing no shame.
Just as Lin Xi was about to speak, a cold voice cut in.
"It's really going downhill. When did it become acceptable for a third party to hug someone else's husband and act so self-righteous?"
This voice?
Lin Xi had just turned her head when Lu Yunxi spoke, "Mom, why are you here?"
"Why can't I be here? I was doing my usual rounds at the mall and witnessed this vulgar display. I initially came to stop it, but I didn't expect it to involve my own son?" Yun Shu coldly harrumphed, not mincing her words.
"Mom, don't blame Qinglian for this. It wasn't her intention, and..." Lu Yunxi's words were cut off by Yun Shu's forceful interruption.
"Don't blame her; then blame yourself. A married man shouldn't be hugging other women. I couldn't bear to watch it. From now on, don't say you're my son if I ever catch you hugging any woman other than your wife."
Yun Shu had a deep-rooted aversion to "third parties."
"Take control of your actions. If I ever catch you hugging another woman apart from your wife, don't bother coming back to the Lu family. You'd be contaminating our family's reputation."
Yun Shu's words were sharp, and she didn't mince words at all. Every word hit the mark precisely.
Lin Xi stood there, feeling utterly insignificant in front of this mother-in-law. She had rarely interacted with her since their marriage. She had always thought Yun Shu didn't like her because she was just a girl from an ordinary family, not fitting into the high society Yun Shu was accustomed to.
However, she was surprised that her mother-in-law had just helped her vent her frustration so vigorously.
Sometimes, you had to believe that one evil could conquer another.
For women like Fang Qinglian, it's her mother-in-law who needs to set her straight.
Fang Qinglian clenched her hands tightly, trying to explain, "Aunt Yun, you're absolutely right, and I overstepped my boundaries."
"That's right. It's about time you realized your mistake."
"I just came back, and I heard that Grandfather's birthday celebration was moved up. I wanted to prepare a gift for him, and Yunxi knows his preferences, so I asked him to accompany me. Please don't blame Yunxi."
"A perfectly good day to rest, and he's not spending it with his own wife but with another woman. Of course, I blame him. Also..."
Yun Shu's sharp gaze locked onto her. "I don't recall my husband inviting you, so don't bother with the gift. It won't be given."
"Mom, please stop. I invited her," Lu Yunxi couldn't hold back any longer.
"You hush," Yun Shu immediately gave him a stern look.
Then she continued, "It's Grandfather's birthday, not yours. When will you ever be able to make decisions on his behalf? You want to invite someone? Save it for your own eightieth birthday celebration."
Fang Qinglian's face turned as white as a sheet of paper, devoid of any color.
At this point, Yun Shu put on a warm smile. "My husband has a taste for collectibles, and they're quite expensive. Although the Fang family has lost some of its wealth, they can still afford it."
"Is that so?" Yun Shu didn't mince her words. "I trust the Fang family, even though they've fallen on hard times. They still have some assets. But your family, I imagine your younger sister, Fang Qiao, is more favored."
"With your legs crippled and no more dancing, your position in the Fang family is not what it used to be. I doubt you have much pocket money left. Instead of wasting it on frivolous things, you should save it for yourself."
"Besides, if you buy the gift and the Fang family deems it unworthy, they might not reimburse you. Are you going to let our Yunxi bear the cost?"
Yun Shu's string of remarks completely shook Lin Xi's perception.
It made her want to shout out in agreement, declaring her mother-in-law's dominance.
Fang Qinglian had been enduring all along, but now, she couldn't take it anymore.
"Aunt Yun, I respect you, so I've always spoken to you with the utmost respect. But your words are hurting me deeply."
"Even if the Fang family has fallen on hard times, and even if I don't have much pocket money left, I'm still better off than Lin Xi's maternal family. They don't have a penny to their name and even need to scrape money from the Lu family. But what about her? What is she using to buy a gift?"