Sheng Junlie took out his cigarette case and was about to light another cigarette when Sheng Lady took it away without any hesitation. "Smoking, smoking, when will you become a chain smoker like your father?"
Sheng Junlie's thin lips tightened into a straight line, and his dark eyes stared at her, blending into the night, making him look a bit eerie.
Sheng Lady was startled by his gaze, but when she realized that the grown man in front of her was her own son, she raised her hand and slapped him on the shoulder. "Why are you staring at me like that? I'm your mother."
Sheng Junlie remained silent, and Sheng Lady continued to chatter on. "I really liked Yunxi back then. Although she had a bit of a temper and was a bit of a troublemaker, if you two had gotten married, I wouldn't have to worry anymore."
The Jian family was a family of scholars, and many famous people had come from their family. Although they were not as wealthy as the Sheng family, their reputation was unmatched.
Now, Jian Yunxi was still a famous pianist, and it was a great honor to be associated with her.
Sheng Junlie remained silent.
Sheng Lady sighed, "Talking about this now is just adding fuel to the fire. Since you married Ye Ling, you should treat her better. If a couple argues every three days and fights every two days, even if there is love, it will eventually fade away."
Sheng Junlie's eyebrows twitched, wondering if there was any love between them.
"You used to be so gentlemanly and courteous to Yunxi, but now you have such a bad temper with Ye Ling. You always take your anger out on her, and she's not an easy girl to marry into our family. Treat her better, don't let outsiders think that we look down on her and bully her behind her back."
The more Sheng Junlie listened, the more annoyed he became. "What's wrong with me treating her?"
When she was pregnant, she wanted to eat candied chestnuts in the middle of the night. He endured his sleepiness, drove forty kilometers to wake up the boss and had him make the candied chestnuts.
He was afraid that they would get cold and not taste good, so he put the freshly made candied chestnuts in his arms, drove back to the villa at breakneck speed, and peeled them himself to feed her.
Even though his chest was burned from the hot chestnuts, he didn't complain at all when he saw her satisfied face.
Does he not love her and treat her well enough? She would do something that would hurt him deeply and break his heart!
Madam Sheng was taken aback and thought carefully. Junlie was quite good to Ye Ling, and they respected each other like a model couple in front of them.
"You two...how should I put it, you look quite affectionate, but I always feel like there's a sense of estrangement between you. Junlie, you are my son, and I can tell whether you are happy or not. But this marriage was your decision, and none of us could stop you at the time. Now that things have turned out like this, was marrying her your original intention?"
Seeing him standing there in silence, not knowing if he had heard her words, Madam Sheng said, "Alright, you understand what I mean. It's up to you whether you want to do something about it or not. Rest now, I'm leaving."
Madam Sheng left, and Jun Sheng Lie stood alone on the terrace, his back lonely and desolate.
He touched his pocket and didn't find his cigarettes. He suddenly remembered that Madam Sheng had confiscated them.
Nothing was going right for him.
*
Ye Ling returned to her room, feeling cold all over. She stood at the door for a while before walking to the bed on tiptoe.
On the other side of the bed, the quilt was raised into a lump. She gently lifted the quilt and lay down against the edge of the bed.
The bed was large enough that as long as they didn't deliberately get close, at least three or four people could sleep in the middle. However, she had just lain down for a short while when Jun Sheng Lie got up and left for the study.
It seemed that he really despised her, preferring to sit alone in the study all night rather than sleep on the same bed as her.
In the darkness, Ye Ling lay still and listened to the sound of rain coming in through the window. She was exhausted today and soon fell asleep to the sound of the rain.
The next morning, Ye Ling woke up early. She subconsciously looked to the side and didn't see Jun Sheng Lie's figure. She let out a sigh of relief and got up to go to the bathroom to freshen up.
After finishing her wash, she passed through the small living room outside and saw Sheng Junlie lying on the sofa, fast asleep. He was handsome with a hand resting on his forehead and his chest rising and falling with each breath. She noticed he had changed his clothes, wearing a white shirt on top and black suit pants below.
As her gaze lingered on him, Sheng Junlie suddenly stirred and opened his eyes, immediately sitting up. He seemed to sense something was off with his body and looked up at Ye Ling with sharp, mocking eyes.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
Ye Ling blushed with embarrassment and didn't want to argue with him, so she quickly left the room. She ran so fast that she almost ran into someone's arms.
The person reached out and helped her, and Ye Ling noticed his peach blossom eyes were somewhat similar to Sheng Junlie's. "Little sister-in-law, are you running so fast because a tiger is chasing you from behind?"
Ye Ling took two steps back, creating some distance between them. "I'm sorry, I didn't bump into you, did I?"
"I'm sturdy, you can't break me. But you should be careful not to hurt yourself," said the person who helped her, Sheng Jingyu, Sheng Junlie's younger brother.
He was a playboy who flirted with any woman, from eight-year-olds to eighty-year-olds. Ye Ling was used to it by now.
Just as she was about to speak, she heard a cold snort from behind her. "Hmph, a hen that can't lay eggs, and yet my second brother is groveling at your feet. If my eldest brother finds out, he'll teach you a lesson."
Ye Ling looked up and saw Sheng Wanwan strutting towards them with her head held high. The Sheng family had spoiled their little princess, and from the first time they met, she had looked down on Ye Ling.
Sheng Jingyu glared at her unhappily. "I'm your second brother. Can't you speak nicely?"
"I thought Second Brother didn't know what his identity was, and as for you, Sister-in-law, you're hanging onto my eldest brother while seducing my Second Brother. Are you trying to pit the two brothers against each other for your own benefit?" Sheng Wanwan's eyes were full of contempt and disdain.
This accusation made even Sheng Jingyu, who was usually mild-mannered, angry. "Sheng Wanwan, what nonsense are you talking about?"
"I'm not talking nonsense. She knows it best herself." Sheng Wanwan took a step forward, staring at Ye Ling with a fierce gaze. "Do I need to remind you how you climbed onto my eldest brother's bed back then? You better be honest with me, or I'll make you leave the Sheng family with your tail between your legs."
"Sheng Wanwan!" Sheng Jingyu scolded in a low voice. "Our family's education has taught you to speak with respect. Do you have no sense of hierarchy?"
"Who's higher and who's lower? Is she higher than me? Is she even worthy?" Sheng Wanwan pointed arrogantly at Ye Ling, hating her to the core.
"She's your sister-in-law. Who else is worthy if not her?" A cold voice sounded from afar.
The three turned to see Sheng Junlie walking towards them with a cold and sinister look in his eyes.