Chapter 29: Chapter 29: What on Earth Happened?
"Xiao Nian, Xiao..."
Sun Yufeng wanted to call out to Shen Nian, but in the end, she could only watch as Shen Nian returned to her room.
"Lu, this..."
Sun Yufeng turned to look at Lu Shaoping. At a time like this, the only person she could turn to for help was Lu Shaoping, the head of the family.
While Shen Nian had been speaking, Lu Shaoping’s gaze had been fixed on her, and he watched her until she left.
Hearing Sun Yufeng’s words now, Lu Shaoping sighed as well.
"What are you sighing for? What are we supposed to do about this situation now!"
"Xiao Nian is a good girl. She was truly wronged in this matter. And she was right—we were biased against her. If she hadn’t been so calm and quick-witted today, I’m afraid we really would have made a terrible mistake."
"I get so angry just thinking about it! Tell me, how can that girl, Qin Xueling, be so malicious? If it weren’t for her, would we have nearly misunderstood our own daughter-in-law?"
"What’s the use of saying all this now? In the future, we need to think things through more before we act."
After speaking, Lu Shaoping sighed again. He could talk a big game, but at the time, he hadn’t been any better than Sun Yufeng.
Lu Shaoping turned his head and saw Lu Xinyue looking dazed.
"Xinyue, what your sister-in-law said just now was right. You were in the wrong today. You knew full well what that Qin Xueling was plotting, so how could you still bring her into our home? If word of this gets out, what kind of impact do you think it will have on your sister-in-law? On our Lu Family? It might even affect your brother!"
If Shen Nian’s words had merely made Lu Xinyue realize her mistake, Lu Shaoping’s words now made her truly afraid.
"Dad, I know I was wrong! I know!"
Lu Xinyue started to cry as she spoke.
"What are you crying for? It’s alright to make a mistake, as long as you correct it in time."
"Dad, do you think... do you think my sister-in-law is angry with me? Do you think she hates me?"
Lu Xinyue said through her tears. She hadn’t liked Shen Nian before, it was true, but Shen Nian had never done anything to hurt her. Today, however, she had clearly been the one to harm Shen Nian.
Thinking about the serious consequences that today’s events could have led to, Lu Xinyue’s heart pounded with lingering fear.
"Don’t worry. Didn’t your sister-in-law say she wouldn’t blame you? At worst, you can just give her a proper apology tomorrow."
"But what if my sister-in-law won’t forgive me?"
"Relax, your sister-in-law isn’t that petty!"
"Really? But... she went back to her room without even eating dinner. She must be angry!"
"..."
Sun Yufeng and Lu Shaoping exchanged a look. ’What a mess!’
RING... RING...
As the three of them were talking, the home phone began to ring. Lu Cheng had gone to the trouble and expense of getting it installed before his wedding, saying it was to make it easier to stay in touch with the family.
But the real reason was self-evident.
And it was just as self-evident who would be calling the house at this particular moment.
"What do we do? Our son is calling back at a time like this..."
"What else can we do? Hurry up and answer it!"
"I... Ugh!"
Sun Yufeng sighed and could only walk over to pick up the phone.
"Hello? Mom, it’s me. Why’d it take you so long to answer?"
"Something just came up. Why are you calling back now?"
"I just got settled and had a free moment, so I thought I’d call and check in. Is everything okay at home?"
On the other end of the line, Lu Cheng clutched the receiver, feeling a little tense.
Ever since returning to the company, his thoughts had been consumed by Shen Nian. He wondered if she was doing well, if she had been wronged in any way.
He had originally thought Shen Nian might call him, but in the end, he couldn’t resist. The moment he had free time, he dialed home, just wanting to hear her voice and find out how she had been these past few days.
"At home... everything’s fine."
"Mom, what’s wrong? Your voice sounds a little off. Did something happen?"
"No, it’s nothing. What could possibly happen!"
The more Sun Yufeng insisted nothing was wrong, the more certain Lu Cheng became that something had indeed happened. In fact, he felt that nine times out of ten, it had to do with Shen Nian!
"Mom, what exactly happened? Where’s Xiao Nian? Where is she right now?"
"Xiao Nian... she, uh, went back to her room to rest."
Lu Cheng’s brow furrowed. It was still early, and the family usually hadn’t even eaten dinner by this time. Why would Shen Nian have gone to her room so soon? Moreover, Sun Yufeng’s voice was obviously strained, and it was clear something was wrong.
