“Come on, you should at least show some consideration. Even if you ran over a stray cat or dog, you’d have to pay some compensation.”
Zhang Xinda said lightly, “But like I said, for a minor injury like this, it’s not worth the trouble. What’s a thousand yuan anyway?”
“Right, the way you handled this shows real class,” his mother-in-law, Shen Ruyu, praised with an appreciative smile.
Yuan’s face was dark. As the victim, he was being completely ignored.
While Zhang Xinda continued in his high-and-mighty tone.
“I’m telling you, Yuan, you need to get your act together. Stop being a loser with no proper job. Do you have any idea how hard it was to find you that position? I had to take people out for drinks and dinner.”
“Exactly! Instead of properly thanking your brother-in-law, all you know how to do is cause trouble,” Mother-in-law Shen Ruyu chimed in to scold him.
“Alright, alright, let’s just drop it,” Yao Xin said, playing the peacemaker, though her voice was dripping with sarcasm.
“Yuan, you have no family or support. Our family let you join us as a live-in son-in-law without asking for anything in return. We don’t expect you to be a high-achiever, but at the very least, don’t embarrass our family, understand?”
“I understand, Big Sister,” Yuan said with a nod. He’d already taken so many verbal stabs today; one more didn’t make a difference.
Yao Nan cut some fruit and brought it out.
Yao Xin immediately pulled her aside into a room. As the eldest sister acting like a mother, she was probably subjecting her to another lecture.
“Go make some tea for your brother-in-law! Look at how much he worries about you, he even came specifically to check on you. You don’t even know what’s good for you,” Shen Ruyu barked.
Yuan started making tea, cursing under his breath.
Check on me? He came here empty-handed and has the nerve to act like he’s doing me a favor.
His brother-in-law, Zhang Xinda, was a total playboy. He was the real idle good-for-nothing without a job
But father was a school principal and his mother was a head doctor at a major hospital.
The guy was just born lucky.
He never stuck to a job for more than a few days and spent money like water, a classic spoiled brat.
He had spent a fortune to win over Yao Xin. Their wedding was reportedly extremely lavish, making Yao Baichuan and Shen Ruyu feel like their daughter had married into high society.
An obsession with official status was unavoidable. Even though he was an idle playboy, his family’s official positions made him sound impressive, so they were extremely satisfied with this eldest son-in-law.
After a cup of tea, Zhang Xinda started getting frisky. “Mom, let me see your hand!”
Shen Ruyu stretched out her hand, chiding him playfully, “What’s there to look at? It’s old and wrinkled from all the work.”
“Who said that? Mom, your hands are softer than a young girl’s. This skin feels like silk,” Zhang Xinda said flirtatiously.
He grabbed her soft hand, stroking it as he spoke. “Mom, it’s a shame for hands like these not to be wearing some jewelry.”
Shen Ruyu immediately sighed, “I only have a few pieces of old, broken jewelry. Wearing them would just be embarrassing. Where would I get the spare money for new ones now?”
“Mom, I saw a beautiful bracelet the other day, but unfortunately, someone else had already reserved it.”
Zhang Xinda continued to rub his mother-in-law’s hand, smiling eagerly.
“Jewelry stores just sell mass-produced junk. Next time my friend’s high-end shop has a custom piece, I’ll pick out something beautiful for you.”
“Really?” Shen Ruyu was overjoyed, though she quickly tried to act modest.
“You two just got married; that’s when you need money the most. Raising a child later will cost a lot too, you can’t just throw money around.”
“How can spending money to show filial respect to my mother be considered throwing it around?”
Zhang Xinda rubbed her hand even more enthusiastically.
Shen Ruyu also giggled like a schoolgirl, blooming like a flower.
Right in front of Yuan, the two of them acted like a pair of flirting lovers, treating Yuan as if he were air.
[Ding… Basic function developed. Displaying now.]
[Ding… This function can only be used on people you know. It is ineffective on strangers.]
Yuan stood there dumbstruck, staring like an idiot. He rubbed his eyes, confirming what he was seeing wasn’t an illusion.
Above brother-in-law Zhang Xinda’s head, a line of text appeared: Favorability 0. Disdain. Contempt.
Above mother-in-law Shen Ruyu’s head, it showed: Favorability 20% (Worse than a stranger. Looks down on you from the bottom of her heart.)
Just then, footsteps came from the stairs, and the two quickly pulled their hands apart.
Hearing the muffled voices of the two sisters, Yuan also looked back.
Similarly, text appeared above their heads too.
Above Elder Sister Yao Xin’s head: Favorability 50% (Considers you equivalent to a live-in maid hired by the family. Stranger-level.)
His wife, Yao Nan, was blushing. Above her head it showed: Favorability 75% (A dull married couple; stable due to being high school sweethearts; a boring sex partner.)
Suddenly, the text vanished, and Yuan felt a wave of exhaustion.
[Turning on the Display Mode consumes physical energy. It stays hidden normally but will alert you when favorability changes.]
Yuan thought that was actually good. Otherwise, constantly staring at the numbers over people’s heads would make him look like a madman.
“Mom, what are you talking about!”
Yao Xin asked. As the eldest, she was worldly and had a silver tongue. Not only did she keep Shen Ruyu laughing, but she reportedly had her own in-laws wrapped around her finger too.
After a bit more small talk, the couple left; having brought nothing and eaten everything.
Shen Ruyu immediately headed out to play Mahjong.
The house finally went quiet.
Yao Nan let out a long sigh of relief and nestled into her husband’s arms.
She said softly, “Husband, Brother-in-law said that after the probation period at Xin Hui, the benefits for security guards are really good. And his uncle is a senior manager there, so he can help.”
“He makes a damn security guard sound like it’s made of gold,” Yuan muttered.
Remembering how his mother-in-law Shen Ruyu had beamed when Zhang Xinda was holding her hand, Yuan felt bitter and cursed, “He’s an idle loser himself. I don’t know where he gets the nerve to lecture me.”
“Putting on airs all day, making empty promises about buying this and that. And your mom is foolish enough to keep falling for his sweet talk.”
“Husband, calm down. That’s just how she is. It’s best not to mind her.” Yao Nan leaned against Yuan’s chest and said gently, “If it really doesn’t work out, let’s talk to Mom again about moving out and renting our own place.”
Her eyes sparkled as she said it; she clearly longed for a life where it was just the two of them.
“Don’t even bring it up. She’ll just scream at us for wasting money.” Yuan understood his mother-in-law’s double standards all too well.
Besides, with the System’s quests, he had to stay close to his targets. Only an idiot would move out now.
“I’m used to it, but I feel sorry for you putting up with this!” Yao Nan said, reaching up to stroke Yuan’s face.
Yuan dazed out for a moment. Looking at the “ugly” girl in his arms who had now transformed into a “Peerless Wife,” he saw eyes full of tenderness and love, eyes that looked exactly like a more beautiful version of Suzuki Airi.
The body he held in his arms felt noticeably softer and fuller, no longer the bony, skinny feel from before.
After a day of adjusting, looking at this charming, lovely face, and smelling her faint feminine scent, Yuan’s lust was instantly ignited. He stared straight into her eyes.
Yao Nan, feeling a little shy under his gaze, lowered her head. “What are you looking at? Is there something on my face?”
“You’re beautiful,” Yuan whispered.
He reached out, gently lifting her chin with his finger. Under Yao Nan’s slightly surprised gaze, he kissed her.
