Qiao Chuchu grew more and more resentful as she thought about it. "Alright, remember to drink it. I’m leaving."
[I’ll find a place to stay for the day. This is the most dangerous time because Pei Yuan is bound to run into Xia Xuechun.]
She pouted inwardly, her tone sarcastic: [Because when Pei Yuan is at his most vulnerable, Xia Xuechun is like a little sun, bringing her love, her heart, and her radiant smile to heal Pei Yuan’s shattered soul, which I’ve torn to pieces.]
[But according to the original timeline, by this point, I’d already been dead for seven days. Pei Yuan, overwhelmed with grief, ended up in the hospital, where he met Xia Xuechun, who was working as a cleaner in place of her mother.]
Qiao Chuchu stomped to the door but still made sure to close it gently. [He acts all high and mighty with me, but the moment Xia Xuechun smiles at him, he loses all sense of direction. He’s such a hopeless romantic!]
Pei Yuan: "?????"
Hopeless romantic?
He let out a bitter laugh.
The Pei Family of eight had 797 schemes between them.
Pei Youchuan was missing one, and Qiao Chuchu was missing two.
There was no way he could be the hopeless romantic.
He picked up his phone and opened the message Pei Youchuan had sent him: "Why haven’t you replied to any of my voice messages?"
He replied: "Qiao Chuchu came to see me. She made me some chicken soup. I’m going to eat now."
Pei Youchuan: "?"
Pei Youchuan sent him a meme.
Pei Yuan’s mood suddenly lifted, and he grabbed the thermos to go find Qiao Chuchu.
---
Chuchu sat gloomily in the recuperation greenhouse.
This was the indoor garden at the Pei Family Hospital, designed for patients who couldn’t go outside during the winter to enjoy the scenery and relax.
She sighed, her mood utterly foul.
[I’ve lived a life where I had everything, yet I ended up being hated by my entire family.]
[I’ve shared both the good times and the bad. We’ve endured every disaster together, and just when everything was about to be perfect, I had to tear it all apart and leave the mess for myself, making everyone despise me, even the dogs.]
She closed her eyes wearily and leaned back in the chair.
[Forget it. Once I survive until the end and make sure they all avoid their death flags, I’ll go abroad. Anywhere is fine. I’ll just disappear, as if I’d died out there, and never come back.]
Pei Yuan stood behind her, holding the thermos, his expression somewhat forlorn.
He knew Qiao Chuchu had been forced into this.
But he still couldn’t just accept her so easily.
Meanwhile, Pei Che, dressed in a white lab coat, passed by the greenhouse.
His phone dinged: "Chairman, Miss Qiao is at the hospital. I just saw her sitting alone in the greenhouse. She might be here to see Mr. Pei Yuan."
Pei Che: "..."
Wasn’t her relationship with them all terrible?
Yet she cared enough about her brother to come all the way here.
Pei Che put his phone away and glanced over, narrowing his eyes.
Was that… Qiao Chuchu and Pei Yuan?
Qiao Chuchu looked around boredly, her gaze settling on a particular spot.
A white-haired old lady in a cheongsam was chatting cheerfully with a familiar figure.
Xia Xuechun, wearing a khaki cleaner’s uniform, her hair in a perky ponytail and no makeup, handed the old lady a thermos with a smile: "Grandma Zhang, this is chicken soup I made myself. It’s been simmering for four hours. Try it! It’s great for replenishing your energy!"
Grandma Zhang’s eyes crinkled with joy as she affectionately patted Xia Xuechun’s cheek. "Xuechun, you’re such a sweet girl. If my five sons weren’t already married, I’d definitely want you to marry into our family!"
Xia Xuechun blushed. "Grandma, what are you saying?!"
Qiao Chuchu smirked, unimpressed.
[An old lady praises you for being good at cooking and wanting you to marry into her family, not because she likes you, but because she likes that you can cook, that you’ll cook for her, for her sons, and for her entire family.]
Xia Xuechun seemed to sense Qiao Chuchu’s presence and turned around, surprised. "Qiao Chuchu?"
Grandma Zhang followed her gaze, and her smile instantly faded.
Qiao Chuchu crossed her legs, sitting like a boss across from them. "Hey~"
Xia Xuechun sneered. "Here to see your brother? Where is he? Ignoring you again?"
Qiao Chuchu replied with a straight face, "No, I’m here to accompany my husband for his vasectomy."
Xia Xuechun: "?"
Pei Yuan: "?"
Pei Che: "?"
Grandma Zhang chuckled. "Qiao Chuchu, it’s been so long, and you’re still as ill-mannered as ever."
Xia Xuechun was surprised. "You know Qiao Chuchu?"
Grandma Zhang nodded. "Yes, she’s my neighbor downstairs. We’ve met a few times."
Her tone was meaningful. "I’ve also met her so-called… brothers."
Pei Yuan: "?"
The old lady must be referring to the apartment Qiao Chuchu had been living in for the past few years.
Since they had fallen out, they’d only sent things through drivers, and neither he nor his brothers had ever visited Qiao Chuchu.
What brothers could Qiao Chuchu possibly have in that apartment?
Pei Yuan eyed Qiao Chuchu’s back suspiciously.
Qiao Chuchu was still in high spirits: [Ha, perfect. I’ve got a lot of pent-up anger with nowhere to vent. You two running into me is like stepping on a live wire!]
She tilted her chin at Grandma Zhang. "My eldest brother asked me to wish you a happy New Year. So, how’s your New Year going?"
Grandma Zhang frowned, about to speak, but Qiao Chuchu cut her off. "Probably not great, otherwise you wouldn’t be chatting with someone like Xia Xuechun, who has nothing to do with you, but with your sons and grandsons."
Xia Xuechun’s brows furrowed, and she stood up angrily. "Qiao Chuchu, don’t insult Grandma Zhang. She’s a good person!"
"Good person?" Qiao Chuchu smirked. "She has five sons, five daughters-in-law, three of whom are divorced. Only two daughters-in-law are left—one who gave birth to a son and comes from a wealthy family, and the other who had a daughter and comes from an ordinary background. Guess who’s on her knees scrubbing the floors?"
Grandma Zhang stiffened. "That’s her duty! She’s my daughter-in-law. It’s none of your business!"
Qiao Chuchu smiled confidently. "Xia Xuechun, see? If you marry into her family without money, status, or a son, you’ll be on your knees scrubbing floors too. Not just scrubbing floors, but also making chicken soup and washing her feet!"
Xia Xuechun: "I’m fine with that."
?
Qiao Chuchu thought she’d misheard. "You’re fine with that? What about your mom? Would she be fine with it?"
Xia Xuechun smirked. "Qiao Chuchu, it’s our duty to respect the elderly. As a daughter-in-law, I should do that. Can’t you? Besides, I prefer boys. I’m not biased against girls, but I think boys are more lively. I only want to have boys. There’s nothing wrong with liking boys. Your family is full of brothers, isn’t it?"
Qiao Chuchu shot back without hesitation. "Don’t compare me to my mom. She’s from a wealthy family, and her goal was clear—to have more heirs to compete for the family business! She didn’t care about gender, only about their abilities. The fact that she had all boys was just my dad’s probability. It had nothing to do with her!"
Xia Xuechun was speechless.
Qiao Chuchu rolled her eyes in disdain. "How dare you even mention my mom?"
Pei Che smirked and walked over to Qiao Chuchu.
Pei Yuan also approached her.
Qiao Chuchu was so caught up in her frustration that she didn’t even notice Pei Yuan and Pei Che sitting down on either side of her.
