Sun Zhewen took a step closer, his voice low and serious. "I need you to tell me everything you know so I can figure out how to help."
Li Zhiyan hesitated for a moment, weighing her options. Finally, she said, "Tell me tonight when you get back. You should go to work now."
Sun Zhewen glanced at his phone. He was indeed running late. "Alright, I'll go then."
"Wait," Li Zhiyan walked to the bedside and took a car key from her bag, handing it to Sun Zhewen. "Take the Volkswagen Sagitar downstairs to work."
Sun Zhewen didn't stand on ceremony. He took the key, smiling. "Thanks. I'll go then."
Li Zhiyan watched Sun Zhewen's departing figure, a complex emotion welling up inside her. She returned to the bed, chuckling softly. "Men, that's a bit interesting." Her eyes flickered with an unfathomable light, as if contemplating a far-reaching plan. She looked up at the window. Sunlight streamed through the curtains, bathing her face and outlining a beautiful, mysterious silhouette.
At the office, Sun Zhewen parked the car in an inconspicuous spot. He took a deep breath, took out his phone, and called Chen Qingyan. A dialing tone sounded on the other end, and he felt a little uneasy.
"Qingyan," he said tentatively.
A cold voice came from the other end: "Are we done?"
Sun Zhewen was stunned for a moment, then quickly explained, "No, Qingyan, I wanted to tell you that your cousin should have agreed to help us."
Chen Qingyan's voice was still icy, "I told you, I don't need her help. I can handle it myself."
Sun Zhewen was a little anxious, "Qingyan, listen to me—"
"Alright, let's not talk about it anymore. Don't contact me again in the future. That's all." Chen Qingyan's voice was devoid of emotion, like a sharp knife, directly severing Sun Zhewen's hopes.
The sound of the dial tone rang from the other end of the phone. Sun Zhewen was a little dumbfounded. Was that it? He hadn't expected Qingyan's hatred for Li Zhiyan to be so deep-seated. Sun Zhewen sighed. This wasn't originally his problem, but now he'd been forcibly dragged in and couldn't escape. Even if Qingyan no longer cared about him, he could only grit his teeth and cooperate with Li Zhiyan.
Sun Zhewen hung up the phone and sat in the car, lost in thought for a while. He recalled the past with Chen Qingyan, and his heart felt a little sour.
Back in the office, Sun Zhewen sat listlessly in his chair. There were several files piled up on his desk, but he didn't feel like dealing with any of them. He was extremely agitated, his eyes drifting out the window, as if the scenery outside could take away his troubles. Just then, the phone rang, and the screen displayed Li Zhiyan's name.
He frowned, picked up his phone, walked out of the office, and stood in the hallway to answer the call. "Hello, Zhiyan, what's up?"
Li Zhiyan's hurried voice came from the other end of the line, "Sun Zhewen, my mom and dad are coming this afternoon, and my mom said she wants to take care of me. What should we do?"
Sun Zhewen was taken aback, then smiled helplessly. "Taking care of you is fine, right? You're pregnant, and it's normal for your mom to take care of you."
"Are you an idiot!" Li Zhiyan's voice was filled with anger. "If she's here every day, what about us? Being together every day, we'll expose ourselves sooner or later. And my mom is very materialistic; she might not even approve of you."
Sun Zhewen scratched his head, feeling a bit annoyed, but still patiently said, "Then why did you agree in the first place? I think it's perfect. If your mom doesn't agree, we can get a divorce."
Li Zhiyan stomped her foot in anger. "You're trying to infuriate me, aren't you? If I could get divorced, would I have agreed? I, Li Zhiyan, am someone in Jiang City. The invitations have already been sent out. If I say I'm getting a divorce, who the hell would believe it? What would those two people think? Do you think you can just avoid it?"
Sun Zhewen sighed helplessly. "Right. That's what I was thinking."
"Use that first-place brain from your public recruitment exam! I don't even dare to have a miscarriage, let alone divorce," Li Zhiyan's voice carried a hint of despair.
Sun Zhewen was silent for a moment, then finally spoke, "We can only arrange for them to stay here. What else can we do? We can't exactly refuse to let them in."
"You are such a blockhead!" Li Zhiyan said through gritted teeth. "Do you know how difficult it is to deal with my mother? Her eyes are like an X-ray machine; she can see through everything."
Sun Zhewen smiled wryly. "Then we'll just have to pretend, and not let her see through us."
"Pretend? You think this is a play!" Li Zhiyan's face flushed with anger. "My mother is an old fox; nothing escapes her notice."
Sun Zhewen sighed. "Then what do you suggest we do? We can't exactly put them up in a hotel."
After all that talk, they still hadn't come up with a good solution. Li Zhiyan said, "Come back for dinner tonight, you hear? Don't eat out again, or we'll be exposed on the first day."
"Alright," Sun Zhewen said. At that moment, Fang Ping saw him and called out, "Xiao Sun, come help me change a bucket of water."
Sun Zhewen quickly said into the phone, "I'll hang up, we'll talk tonight." He put away the phone and walked towards Fang Ping. Now that he was essentially alone in the office, those small tasks had fallen back on him. There was no other choice; he was the only man in the office.
Sun Zhewen dragged his weary body back to the place he called home. He'd steeled himself mentally, but the scene that greeted him when he opened the door still made him freeze. The house was packed, with hardly any room to stand. Seven or eight people were crammed onto the five-seat sofa, all the chairs and stools were occupied, and even the coffee table had someone sitting on it.
A wave of boisterous noise washed over him, and Sun Zhewen felt his scalp prickle. Before he could react, Li Zhiyan came forward, wearing that familiar fake smile. "Zhewen, you're back," she said, quickly taking his briefcase and putting it back in the bedroom.
Sun Zhewen was just about to breathe a sigh of relief when the group erupted with shouts: "The son-in-law's back!" "The nephew-in-law's back!" "The cousin-in-law's back!" "The brother-in-law!"
Sun Zhewen's head began to throb, as if he were in a bizarre play. He forced a smile, but it looked worse than a grimace. Just then, Li Zhiyan came down from upstairs, saw his awkward expression, and couldn't help but laugh. However, she quickly stopped herself, hurried to his side, and began to introduce everyone.