Marry by Relying on Favor: Chapter 137 - Did You Miss Me?
By evening, the Qu family villa was brightly lit.
Because Qu Bixin had come home, dinner was especially lavish. She sat on the sofa with her legs crossed, watching TV. The moment she saw Father Qu walk in, she instantly straightened up, cupping a teacup in both hands and putting on an innocent, well-behaved expression.
Behind Father Qu was her sister-in-law, Chen Mo.
As for Chen Mo—she always dressed plainly and modestly, wore light makeup, and the only piece of jewelry she ever had on was the bracelet the Qu family had given her when she first married in. She looked every bit the virtuous, capable daughter-in-law, which earned her high praise from the elders.
In reality, Chen Mo was obsessed with collecting luxurious jewelry; she was only frugal when it came to daily living expenses.
So she disliked Qu Bixin’s extravagant, wasteful ways. Still, she maintained surface-level politeness. After putting down her bag, she smiled a little wider. “Xinxin’s home.”
“Hello, Dad. Hello, Sister-in-law.”
Qu Bixin’s soft voice drifted over, making Chen Mo glance at her twice.
She had never had a good impression of this sister-in-law—she spent money recklessly, was vain, and was very skilled at charming the elders. Whenever she saw her father-in-law being increasingly indulgent toward her, she would silently swear that if she had a daughter one day, she would never raise her that way.
Once everyone was seated, the housekeeper brought out the dishes.
As soon as Father and Mother Qu sat down, they asked with concern, “You haven’t been home for days. Where have you been?”
Qu Bixin lied without blinking, tapping her chopsticks against her bowl of chicken soup. “At He Qingchi’s place. She doesn’t like going out, so I always go find her.”
Father Qu approved of her spending more time with He Qingchi—maybe she’d learn better standards for choosing a husband and bring home a reliable son-in-law.
Qu Bixin proactively ladled soup for both her parents. In the end, even Qu Yanming got a bowl.
He was flattered. “Little sister is… getting more thoughtful by the day.”
“As I should be, Brother.” She gave him a sweet smile.
For some reason, the smile made Qu Yanming uneasy. He suddenly couldn’t swallow the soup.
During dinner, Qu Bixin rested her chin in her hand and kept smiling at Qu Yanming.
In the end, he couldn’t take it anymore, yet didn’t dare bring it up himself.
So he shot his wife a look.
Chen Mo set down her chopsticks and picked up a napkin. “Xinxin, why are you staring at your brother?”
Qu Bixin blinked and flashed her trademark sweet smile. “I think Brother is handsome.”
Qu Yanming was flattered again, nearly dropping his bowl.
Ever since their talk in the study, he’d felt something was off. She wasn’t being fierce, wasn’t complaining to their parents, and even seemed to admire him?
That wasn’t like her at all. Was she plotting something?
Just as Qu Yanming’s mind spun with questions, Chen Mo joked, “I was fooled by your brother’s face back then. If I’d known he’d turn into such a carefree loafer, I wouldn’t have married him.”
Without missing a beat, Qu Bixin praised Qu Yanming lavishly and even defended him when her sister-in-law teased him.
Her fierce protectiveness made even Father and Mother Qu laugh.
But soon, Qu Bixin took out her phone, smiling sweetly as she leaned closer to Chen Mo, who was in a good mood tonight. “Sister-in-law, the day before yesterday at Wen Corporation, I saw a man who looked exactly like Brother. Don’t you think they look alike?”
All the earlier buildup had been leading to this.
Qu Yanming had been so flattered he was almost floating—until he heard “Wen Corporation” and suddenly snapped back to reality. By the time he tried to stop her, it was too late.
The moment Chen Mo saw the photo on the screen, her face changed drastically.
“Dad, be honest—do you have an illegitimate son?” Qu Bixin asked, pretending not to notice Chen Mo’s expression or the murderous look in Qu Yanming’s eyes. She played the part of a naïve girl as she handed the phone to Father Qu.
Suddenly, Qu Yanming lunged forward and knocked the phone straight into the bowl of chicken soup.
The soup splashed everywhere. Mother Qu cried out, “Yanming, what are you doing?!”
At this point, Qu Yanming didn’t care about anything else. He shot Qu Bixin a vicious glare and reached for Chen Mo. “Wife, listen to my explanation.”
Chen Mo was dazed for a long moment. The image was still burned into her mind—her husband intimately kissing another young, beautiful woman. She didn’t even dodge his outstretched hand at first.
Qu Bixin complained in a delicate voice, “Brother! Why did you throw my phone?”
Not only did Qu Yanming want to smash the phone—he wanted to strangle her. “Shut up!”
“Qu Yanming! How can you talk to your sister like that?”
“The one who should shut up is you!”
Father Qu and Chen Mo’s voices rang out at the same time, while Qu Bixin remained seated, wearing an innocent expression.
Qu Yanming continued frantically, “Wife, listen to me! This brat is trying to drive a wedge between us. I knew something was wrong tonight—being so gentle and filial, putting on a show for Mom and Dad—it was all to show you that photo!”
He believed his usually clever wife wouldn’t fall for such a crude trick.
But he underestimated a woman’s jealousy. Chen Mo didn’t care whether Qu Bixin had deliberately steered the conversation. Her eyes quickly filled with tears. She had no mood to investigate whether the destroyed photo was real. Under Father and Mother Qu’s bewildered gazes, she stood up and said, “Dad, Mom, I’m going back to my parents’ house for a few days.”
Once Chen Mo left, even Qu Yanming couldn’t stop her.
He had barely taken two steps after her when Father Qu’s authoritative voice roared, “Stop right there!”
Father Qu had already grasped the situation. After slamming his hand on the table, he turned to his daughter. “You speak first. What did you show your sister-in-law just now?”
Qu Bixin wasn’t afraid of his anger. Her little face looked innocent. “Just a photo of someone who looks like Brother. Sister-in-law started crying after seeing it. Why?”
Qu Yanming nearly fainted on the spot. Pointing at her, he said, “Stop pretending—”
“Dad, does Sister-in-law think Brother is dating another ‘little sister-in-law’ outside?” Qu Bixin’s soft voice rose slightly. She looked regretfully at the phone soaking in the soup. “It’s a pity the phone’s ruined. Otherwise, I could go explain to Sister-in-law right now.”
Seeing his son’s guilty expression and his daughter-in-law leaving without a word, Father Qu fully understood.
In a rage, he grabbed a teacup and hurled it at Qu Yanming. “You dare fool around outside?!”
“Dad!”
The scene descended into chaos. Qu Bixin restrained her father, while Mother Qu, knowing her husband’s temper, shielded their son.
Very considerately, Qu Bixin reminded Father Qu, “Dad, you might kill Brother with a teacup. Just use family discipline instead. Whips and sticks won’t kill him.”
“…”
Qu Yanming whipped his head around, only to see tear streaks on Qu Bixin’s face as she cried to their father, “If I’d known I’d run into Brother with that other sister-in-law, I would’ve told him not to do something that would damage the Qu family’s reputation. Dad, you might as well beat me to death, too.”
What kind of poisonous nonsense was this?
Qu Yanming felt his blood pressure skyrocket. In his brief daze, Father Qu’s slap snapped him back to reality.
Before he could recover, Qu Bixin’s even more shrill crying filled the room as she shouted for their father not to hit her brother.
Mother Qu saw her daughter crying so hard she was about to faint. Forgetting to stop Father Qu, she hurried over to help her daughter up.
Seizing the opportunity, Qu Bixin grabbed hold of her mother and collapsed into her arms, sobbing.
Only after Qu Yanming had been beaten until his face was bruised and swollen did she slowly stop choking with tears. Her eyes were red as she continued crying. “It’s all my fault. If Sister-in-law divorces Brother, then I won’t ever get married for the rest of my life.”
“Silly child, you didn’t mean for any of this to happen. How can we blame you?”
Seeing his daughter sobbing so hard she could barely catch her breath, Father Qu quickly suppressed his anger and comforted her. “If anyone’s to blame, it’s your useless brother. He’s a disgrace—can’t even control himself!”
Oh my!
Qu Bixin loved hearing words like that. Once again, she threw herself into her father’s arms and cried.
Qu Yanming knelt on the floor. The sound of crying made his temples throb. He was filled with hatred, never expecting Shen Fu to be so underhanded—turning around and selling him out. Yet he couldn’t tell the truth.
If his father found out that he had tried to send Qu Bixin to Shen Fu for the sake of the woman outside, he wouldn’t live to see the morning.
This silent loss—Qu Bixin had him completely cornered.
Father Qu had always admired the way the He family educated their children and wanted to become another prestigious family like the He family. Subconsciously, this had influenced Qu Bixin to develop a habit of acting obedient and sensible in front of elders. Seeing how much she appeared to think of the family while his son remained so disappointing, Father Qu grew even more displeased with Qu Yanming.
“If you don’t bring your wife back from her parents’ house tomorrow morning, I’ll break your legs!”
With that, he stormed out, slamming the door behind him.
Aside from feeling heartache, Mother Qu also blamed her son for being immature. “The Chen family is respectable, at least. How can you face Chen Mo’s parents after this?”
“Mom, listen to me. That photo was fabricated by that girl Qu Bixin to frame me!”
Something flickered in Mother Qu’s eyes. Suddenly, she raised her hand and slapped him as well. “At a time like this, you’re still trying to blame your sister? She’s just a young girl—what would she even know? If you hadn’t done anything shameful, why would you smash her phone?”
Qu Yanming’s left cheek swelled even more from the slap. Unable to endure it any longer, he roared, “She’s only a few years away from thirty, okay?!”
Bang!
The teacup in Qu Bixin’s hand fell to the ground. Tears welled up in her eyes as she looked at Mother Qu. “Is Brother saying I’m old and still living off the family? Mom… I’ll leave right now. I won’t come back to eat with you and Dad ever again.”
“That’s not what I meant at all!”
Qu Yanming felt more wronged than Dou E. He had just begun to defend himself when Mother Qu cut him off. “If anyone’s leaving, it’s your useless brother!”
“…”
The Qu family villa didn’t quiet down until nine o’clock. Father Qu left the house in anger, while Mother Qu, unable to stop worrying about her child, called the family doctor to treat Qu Yanming’s injuries.
The swelling from the slaps would go down, but his left leg had also been struck by a chair. He had to be supported by the driver just to go upstairs. Now lying on the bed in a daze, he felt someone push his shoulder a few times.
When Qu Yanming opened his eyes, he saw Qu Bixin holding a bowl of medicine, her small face wearing a sweet smile as she softly called, “Brother, wake up and take your medicine.”
For some reason, a chill ran down his back.
His entire face was swollen; even moving his lips sent piercing pain through him. Still, he fixed her with a vicious stare. “Just you wait.”
Qu Bixin slowly stirred the medicinal soup, her voice soft enough to melt. “Brother, I never said you were having an affair.”
It was his own guilty conscience that made him smash the phone, indirectly confirming everything and killing any chance he had to defend himself.
Having done something bad, she wore an innocent expression. “I just spent a few dozen yuan online to edit a picture and told a tiny little lie.”
Qu Yanming’s eyes widened in fury. His hand gripped the bedsheet, trembling.
Qu Bixin continued unhurriedly, “I don’t even know the girl in the photo. Probably just downloaded it online. Oh! But you destroyed the phone, so now it’s hard to explain, isn’t it?”
Shen Fu would never be kind enough to give her a photo of Qu Yanming’s mistress. She wasn’t the type to plot in complicated ways either. She preferred things simple and direct—just crudely photoshopping an image online. Who told Qu Yanming to be so unable to keep his cool?
Without the slightest psychological burden, Qu Bixin gently fed her brother the medicine and even offered him a suggestion. “Tomorrow, just tell Sister-in-law it was a composite photo from the internet. If she doesn’t believe you, she can ask me.”
“….” Qu Yanming had indeed planned to use that excuse, but he didn’t believe Qu Bixin would help him conceal it out of kindness.
The next second—
Sure enough, Qu Bixin spoke in a businesslike tone. “Brother, in this world, only money makes people feel secure. Just give me a sum to keep my mouth shut, and I’ll help you handle Sister-in-law.”
“….”
Qu Yanming felt like thanking her entire family.
Seeing through his thoughts, Qu Bixin raised her smile. “No need to thank me.”
——
Watching Qu Yanming suffer tonight made Qu Bixin feel utterly refreshed. It avenged the days she had been locked up in the old Western-style house. After returning to her room, she took out a new phone she had prepared in advance from the drawer.
The old one had been ruined by water and couldn’t be used anymore. She had no interest in repairing it.
After inserting the SIM card and turning it on, the phone showed several missed calls.
When Qu Bixin saw the name on the screen, the smile on her lips faded. She chose to ignore it.
As if he were connected to her by telepathy, the other party called again within seconds.
Qu Bixin really wanted to pretend she hadn’t seen it. She only answered when it was about to hang up, her voice once again sweet and coquettish. “Sorry, I was feeding my brother his medicine just now. I left my phone in the room. Miss me?”
There were noisy voices in the background on Shen Fu’s end. He was probably outside.
He paused for two seconds, as if it had been a long time since he’d heard her speak to him in that tone. After recovering, he said, “You’ve handled your business? I’ll come pick you up.”
The first half was merely a token question. The second half was a notification.
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