Return to 88: Starting from Marrying My Sister-in-law

The living room of the villa in Pengcheng was brightly lit, with the light from the crystal chandelier illuminating the expensive carpet and the elegantly dressed women sitting around it.

The imported fruits in the fruit platter were vibrant and juicy, the delicate pastries exuded an enticing sweet aroma, the air was filled with the scent of high-end perfumes, the rich aroma of freshly ground coffee beans, and a subtle, deliberately ignored tension.

Yin Mingyue sat on the large sofa in the main seat, gently patting her youngest son in her arms, who was rubbing his eyes and dozing off, with her usual gentle smile on her face.

She was surrounded by the wives of several core executives of the Century Group or important shareholders of its subsidiaries. They chatted and laughed, their conversation seemingly casual, revolving around parenting, family harmony, and sincere or polite praise for "President Yin's" youth, talent, and career success.

But it goes without saying whose face they were really saving.

Of course, it's still because she's the lady of the villa.

Wearing a well-tailored, high-quality royal blue business suit, Yin Mingzhu looked exceptionally capable and exuded a powerful aura amidst the room full of elegant attire.

She, "President Yin," picked up her bone china coffee cup, took an elegant sip, and responded to the compliments with an impeccable social smile.

However, only she knew that deep inside her heart felt like a damp wad of cotton wool, heavy and suffocating.

My gaze involuntarily fell on my younger sister Yin Mingyue's smooth, radiant face, exuding an air of wealth and privilege. My mother's words on the phone echoed in my mind:

“Your brother-in-law doesn’t love your sister as much as you think. He already has another woman outside, and that woman is about to give birth. If you hadn’t been so insistent back then, if you had lowered your proud head and apologized to him, maybe that woman would have been you. Look at you, why didn’t you listen to your mother back then?”

Like a spark thrown into a haystack, it instantly ignited a raging fire in her heart.

Yes, she is now running her own business, but even if the advertising company does very well throughout the year, it will only generate tens of millions in revenue, and even with high profits, it will only generate a few million in annual income, which will be shared by several shareholders.

That's all because she has CCTV backing her up, and because of her younger sister's influence.

Of course, an annual income of several million sounds quite high.

In the 1990s, this was indeed a number that countless people looked up to.

Her advertising company is doing quite well.

But when I think of that number, and then of the century-old empire that guy now controls, I can't help but think of that number.

The tallest building in Asia, standing in this city.

The Little Prodigy, which occupies half of the domestic VCD market, is also owned by this guy.

She wasn't very familiar with the other industries.

However, this company has recently been embroiled in a lot of controversy.

First, it was valued at 50 billion US dollars during its Series C funding round. Then, it was rumored that it was preparing for a US IPO and was currently conducting a roadshow. There are rumors that if the company successfully goes public in the US, its market value may exceed 100 billion US dollars.

This is an unimaginable fortune.

This company is currently preparing for a North American IPO, and its valuation could potentially exceed $50 billion, which is an unimaginable fortune.

Thinking that part, or even the majority, of this wealth was related to the man she once called her fiancé, the man she could have had within her reach, Yin Mingzhu felt the glass beneath her fingertips grow icy cold.

Her hard-earned net profit for a year was as insignificant as dust compared to his capital operations that often involved hundreds of millions of US dollars.

What's even more infuriating is that this man, who rejected her return back then, is now keeping a mistress outside, and they're even about to have a child together!

Her dear younger sister, Yin Mingyue, is wary of her own sister at every turn, yet seems quite tolerant of those "wild women" outside!

"A bully at home!"

This thought, like a venomous snake, gnawed at Yin Mingzhu's heart.

She put down her coffee cup, the crisp clinking sound drawing everyone's attention.

Yin Mingzhu's smile deepened as she looked at Yin Mingyue with an affectionate yet subtly scrutinizing expression, before slowly sliding towards the child in her sister's arms.

Her young nephew.

"The baby is so cute."

She reached out and gently tapped the cheek of her younger sister's nephew in her arms with her fingertips. Her voice was clear and melodious. Then she said, "Mingyue, it's been almost a year since you had your second child. When are you planning to have a third? The Lu family is really getting more and more prosperous!"

She paused slightly, a meaningful smile curving her lips. Her voice, though not loud, was like an ice bead rolling down a jade plate, clearly striking everyone's eardrums.

"I just wonder... um, is the little home that our Chairman Lu has set up outside just as lively and harmonious?"

Everyone was shocked!

No one understands why the chairman's wife's older sister would say such a thing in public!

Yin Mingyue was also stunned on the spot, holding her child in her arms and staring blankly at her own sister, the blush on her face visibly fading away.

But jealousy had made Yin Mingzhu temporarily ignore the heartbreak in her sister's eyes.

She even felt a fleeting sense of satisfaction.

Then, something even more unexpected came out of her mouth: "I heard that Miss Qian is about to give birth. Although I heard the child will be surnamed Qian instead of Lu, he is still my nephew's brother. Sister, if you have time, why don't you invite Miss Qian to come over for a visit? Let the siblings bond from a young age so they won't have any conflicts or unpleasantness when they grow up. What do you say, sister?"

It was supposed to be a night for currying favor.

A night of flattery.

A warm evening for the women to bond with their children.

But Yin Mingzhu's seemingly caring words for her younger sister and nephew, which were actually carefully crafted and full of sarcasm and provocation, were like a boulder thrown into a calm lake.

The living room fell into dead silence instantly, all the laughter and noise from before abruptly ceasing.

The air seemed to freeze; you could hear a pin drop.

The smiles on the women's faces froze. Shock, embarrassment, curiosity, and a sense of amusement... all sorts of complex emotions quickly shifted in their eyes. Then they all fell silent, their gazes finally focusing on the hostess, Yin Mingyue, holding their breath to await her reaction.

Let's see what this lady of the house has to say.

After all, the person who just slapped the chairman's wife in the face was not an outsider, but the chairman's wife's own sister, the very person they had originally come to curry favor with.

As it turns out, these twin sisters don't seem to be as harmonious as rumored; there appear to be some hidden conflicts unknown to outsiders.

They were secretly speculating.

That was close! I almost misunderstood. It seems I might not need to curry favor with the chairman's wife's older sister anymore.

Of course, we still need to observe the specific situation and see how it develops.

And so, under everyone's gaze, the gentle expression on the hostess Yin Mingyue's face froze instantly, the color draining away and turning her pale.

She tightened her grip on the child's arms, instinctively grabbing the sofa with her other hand, trying to get up. The immense shock, the humiliation and sting of having her wounds exposed in public, and the anger at her older sister for making a scene in this way crashed over her like a tsunami.

She couldn't understand.

Why should I do this when I have always respected my sister?
But what's done is done.

Her gaze was like a knife, piercing straight at Yin Mingzhu, whose face bore an eight-tenths resemblance to her own. Her lips were pressed into a sharp line, and her body trembled slightly. After a brief, deathly silence, she took a deep breath, her voice carrying a suppressed yet unmistakable coldness and accusation: "Sister! What do you mean by this?"
Did you come here specifically to 'back me up,' or to embarrass me and the Lu family?!
I think you're drunk and talking nonsense. Go upstairs and rest!

For the sake of our sisterhood.

She didn't want to argue with the other person. If the other person admitted that they had drunk too much and then got up and left, she would pretend that nothing had happened.

However, when confronted with her questioning, Yin Mingzhu not only did not back down, but instead adopted a "I'm doing this for your own good" attitude, her tone carrying false concern and a hint of barely perceptible resentment:

"Drunk? I'm not drunk."

"Mingyue, isn't this exactly what I'm doing to support you?"

"Mom told me that Lu Yang is becoming more and more outrageous!"

I feel sorry for you!

"Look at you, you've worked so hard, given birth to two children for him, and managed this household, and all he does is... go out there..."

She paused deliberately, scanning the crowd to amplify her impact, “…He’s keeping another woman, and they even have a child together! And you, you’re doing this without saying a word, entertaining us here? Do you have any self-respect? You’re afraid of him, but your sister isn’t. I’ll definitely support you from now on.”

at this point.

She could only say even harsher things than before.

Although, I vaguely began to feel some regret, and... a strange sense of lingering fear.

But then I think of my sister's bullying attitude at home.

She was 'tolerant and generous' towards outsiders, but became wary of her own sister again, and her heart turned as hard as stone once more.

"enough!"

Yin Mingyue suddenly stood up, startling the child in her arms, who then burst into tears.

The crying acted as a catalyst, instantly shattering Yin Mingyue's last line of defense.

The pressure of the past few days, her husband's complicated feelings while he was far away in another country, and the pain of being publicly humiliated and betrayed by her own sister made it impossible for her to maintain her dignity.

Tears welled up uncontrollably. She pointed to the door, her voice trembling and sharp with emotion: "Sister, you're not welcome here today. Leave. My family affairs are none of your business. Take your 'good intentions' and get out of here before I say anything worse."

The word "get lost" was already on the tip of her tongue.

She held back, out of consideration for their sisterly bond over the years, and didn't blurt it out.

But that's it.

This also froze Yin Mingzhu's face. She stood up fiercely and said to her sister, "You want to kick me out?!"

As he spoke, he looked up at the building.

At that moment, she desperately wanted the mother upstairs, who was supervising and helping her eldest niece, Lu Xin'er, with her homework in the children's room, to come down quickly.

My sister has gone mad.

They actually wanted to kick her out! She's her older sister, her own sister! At this point, only Mom could stop her, stop this girl who dared to speak disrespectfully to her own sister.

"go out."

"No need to look upstairs."

"You'll only be more embarrassed when Mom comes down, and don't force me to call security."

This time, Yin Mingyue finally stood up for herself.

They are sisters.

She knew exactly what her older sister was thinking. At this moment, she had to act decisively. It was better for the sisters to have a public argument than for the three of them to argue together after their mother came down. Moreover, given her mother's personality, she was very likely to side with her older sister and criticize her younger sister after she came down.

She knew what her mother was thinking and what she wanted to do back then.

All Mom cares about is the interests of the Yin family.

But she had to consider more than just that. There was also the Lu family. With so many people present today, the Lu family's reputation had to be preserved, and her sister's recklessness could not be allowed to continue.

Yin Mingzhu also glanced around.

It was discovered that it wasn't just the female relatives of the company executives of these brothers-in-law; even the nanny guarding the door and the female cook coming out of the kitchen seemed to be all gearing up, just waiting for the mistress's order to rush over, tie her up, and then throw her out.

He wanted to curry favor with the lady of the villa!
She felt guilty.

Being asked to leave is better than being thrown out, even though it's just as humiliating.

"Row."

"I remember."

Instead of getting angry, Yin Mingzhu laughed and said, "Yin Mingyue, you really are my good sister. You can't do anything to the women outside, but you can do anything to me, right? Fine, I'll leave, I'll leave, okay? Don't regret it later."

As she spoke, she angrily picked up her bag from the sofa, leaving behind her luggage in the upstairs room, and left without looking back.

The way this is said makes it sound like he's the one who's been wronged.

Yin Mingyue stood there stunned for a long time.

At that moment, she wanted to cry, but she couldn't, because she had more important things to do.

She handed her son, whom she was holding in her arms, to the nanny to comfort him.

She looked at everyone present, but no one could meet her gaze and stay still. They were either panicked, avoided eye contact, or didn't even dare to look at her. They stood there awkwardly, unsure whether to leave or stay, their hearts filled with the shock of witnessing the secrets of a wealthy family and the anxiety of being affected.

She understood what was going on, and her cool voice rang out, "I hope that everyone will keep quiet about what happened tonight, not for my sake, but for your own. If anyone dares to spread this, you should know the consequences better than I do. Think about yourselves, how hard you've worked to get everything you have today. Your husbands, your parents, your in-laws—how much they've contributed to the company to get their current positions. I hope you'll think more about how difficult it was for them. Alright, that's all."

She was forced to threaten them now.

Because without that sentence...

This public falling out between the sisters, which took place in the chairman's wife's villa, will likely become a major piece of news circulating privately among Shenzhen's high society.

It wouldn't take long for the news to spread among the general public, but with her threat, there's no guarantee that the news won't leak out. At least, many people will think twice before spreading this gossip.

Is it worth it?
Should we take this risk?

Is it just for the sake of saying something right in the moment? What do you gain from doing it?
If the vast majority of people are silenced, even if a small number of people can't resist the urge to leak the gossip, the resulting public opinion will be much smaller.

Then we can use some connections to suppress this gossip news, and it will probably fade away after a while.

After seeing everyone off, Yin Mingyue stared blankly at the open villa gate, tears streaming down her face. (End of Chapter)