After hearing the report about Qin Lian, Xu Yinchen couldn't help but frown. He had already found her arrival yesterday abrupt, and the wound on her head had made it clear that something had happened.
But to learn that she had slammed her head against the wall herself, just because she didn't want to fulfill the engagement with him, was still shocking.
Did that mean she would rather hurt herself than marry him?
Then what made her change her mind so suddenly? Why agree to the engagement after all that?
What unsettled him more was that nothing about her yesterday had felt fake. Her words, her behavior… None of it seemed like an act.
It was as if the woman Wen Zian described and the one he met were two entirely different people. Had he been too quick to judge?
Was he… wrong about her?
He sat there, lost in thought, the questions lingering quietly in his mind.
At that moment, there was a sudden knock at the office door, loud, panicked, and desperate.
Xu Yinchen frowned.
Before he could even speak, the door was pushed open and Huang Zedong barged in, looking completely disheveled.
Her hair was a mess, her clothes wrinkled and disheveled, as though she had just been in a scuffle with someone, and a crimson handprint could be seen on her cheek.
For a second, Xu Yinchen was stunned by her appearance.
"Boss, I tried to stop her, but she wouldn't listen to me," the young man who followed her in, quickly explained, looking frustrated.
Xu Yinchen waved him off. Wen Zian, sensing the tension and guessing it had something to do with the kids and Qin Lian, quietly slipped out as well.
Now, only Huang Zedong and Xu Yinchen remained in the room.
As soon as the door was closed, the woman suddenly dropped to the floor, crying loudly and beating her chest. "Xu Yinchen, you have to take justice for me! I'm telling you, that woman is a witch, she's going to ruin your whole family!"
"Oh, those poor kids! Just because they don't have parents doesn't mean anyone can come and treat them like this. Oh, my poor babies," she wailed dramatically.
Xu Yinchen's face darkened at the sound of her loud, screeching voice. He stared at her coldly. "Just tell me what happened," he said flatly.
His sharp tone made her flinch for a second, but she quickly continued, explaining what happened earlier.
"Today, when I went to work, I saw her mistreating the kids! She was yelling at them, hitting them. And when I tried to stop her, she attacked me too!"
"She's crazy! She hates you and those bas—I mean, the children. Xu Yinchen, I swear, she's just trying to seduce you and trick you into handing over your money."
"She is a greedy bitch!"
"When I fought back, she grabbed my hair and threw me out. She didn't even give me a penny. My whole house runs on that salary, how am I supposed to feed my family now?"
"But more than that, I'm worried about the kids. They're innocent! What if she manipulates them? What if she turns them against me and makes them listen only to her?"
"I am worried that she would hurt them behind your back. You have to do something about her."
"She's dangerous. You really need to think this through. I've worked hard for you for so long. I treat those three kids like they're my own, and you know that better than anyone."
"You also know my reputation in the village. When everyone else turned their backs on your family because of your sister, I was the only one who stepped forward to help you."
"And now that woman, who just showed up yesterday, wants to kick me out? She's been here barely a day and already she's turning everything upside down. She even threatened to report me to you!"
"Xu Yinchen, you're a man!"
"You can't tolerate a woman's shameless behavior. You should throw her out before she destroys your family and harms the children!"
"That bitch, she's a pretty little vixen, trying to seduce men with her—"
"Shut up!" Xu Yinchen's voice thundered through the room, sharp and cold.
Huang Zedong froze immediately upon hearing Xu Yinchen's roar. She stared at him with a timid expression, holding her breath in nervousness.
Sometimes, she forgot that he used to be in the military and still carried that strong, intimidating aura.
He looked at her and said coldly, "Go back."
Huang Zedong looked at him, eyes filling with tears, and asked in a low voice, "But that woman…"
Xu Yinchen didn't let her finish. "I said go back. I know what to do."
Hearing this, a glint flashed in her eyes. She quickly stood up, adjusted her clothes, and left the office without saying another word.
She knew Xu Yinchen well. Since he said he'd handle it, it meant he would take care of that woman.
Now, she just needed to go home, get some rest, and wait for the news.That woman would be kicked out of the village soon.
...
After handing over the farm work to Wen Zian, Xu Yinchen returned to the house to see what had happened.
Although he didn't completely believe Huang Zedong's words, after hearing Wen Zian's report, something had started to bother him deep down.
He needed to clarify things before they got too complicated. After all, Qin Lian had only come to their house yesterday and she was still a stranger to them.
In any case, he couldn't allow the children to be in any kind of danger.
CRASH
He was just around the corner when he heard a loud crash coming from inside the house. His pupils widened, and he quickly picked up his pace, rushing toward the door.
As soon as he pushed it open, he froze on the spot.
What he saw wasn't children crying or Qin Lian shouting at them. Instead, a large noodle bowl lay shattered in pieces on the ground near the dining table.
Qin Lian was sitting on the sofa. Xu Shen sat opposite her on the wooden table, holding a first aid box in his hands, clearly flustered.
Xu Wei stood beside him, his tear-streaked face filled with worry, while the youngest, Xu Hao, sat quietly in Qin Lian's lap, his head lowered in guilt.
Qin Lian looked up in surprise as Xu Yinchen suddenly barged in, drenched in sweat.
"What happened? Did you forget something at home?" she asked.
Hearing her gentle voice, Xu Yinchen snapped out his surprise and shook his head. He walked over to her. "No. I was nearby for some work, so I came back for lunch."
"Oh." Qin Lian nodded and didn't say anything else.
When she didn't continue, Xu Yinchen glanced at her hand, which was stretched out in front of Xu Shen and there was blood. His brows furrowed instantly.
Xu Shen was rummaging through the first aid box, focused on finding something.
"What happened? How did you get hurt?" Xu Yinchen asked, smoothly lifting Xu Hao from her lap and placing him on the sofa next to him.
He took the box from Xu Shen's hands and pulled out the antiseptic powder.
When he took the box, Xu Shen glared at him briefly, a flicker of dissatisfaction in his eyes, but he didn't say anything.
Xu Yinchen didn't miss that look, and it quietly amused him. He could see that the boy was being protective of Qin Lian.
According to Huang Zedong's claims, if Qin Lian had really mistreated the children, there was no way Xu Shen would be tending to her injury, let alone glaring at him like he was the enemy.
Just what happened behind his back? he wondered.
Qin Lian didn't seem to notice his surprised reaction and replied casually, "It's nothing. I was just cleaning up after the dishes and accidentally broke the noodle bowl."
"I got a small scratch while picking up the pieces. It's nothing serious."
Before Xu Yinchen could respond, Xu Shen added quietly, "It was Xu Hao who broke it." He glanced up at Xu Yinchen, as if trying to explain on Qin Lian's behalf.
"And it wasn't a small wound. She bled a lot. So… put the medicine on it properly."
Xu Yinchen was taken aback.
It was rare to hear Xu Shen speak so much. What surprised him even more was that he was taking Qin Lian's side, the woman who had only arrived yesterday, while openly pointing out the mistake of his own younger brother, Xu Hao.
That was truly unexpected.
Qin Lian was surprised too. She chuckled softly. "Thank you. But I really am alright. It's just a small scratch." She offered him a reassuring smile.
Xu Shen looked down immediately, his cheeks turning crimson in embarrassment. He didn't say another word, but his reaction didn't escape Xu Yinchen's eyes.
Did he just smile?
How did the situation turn out to be completely different from what he had expected?