Chapter 623 - 218: I’m Even Less Familiar With Your Older Brother

She wouldn’t let him have his way, so he wouldn’t let her off easy. She might not cherish him, but others would.

He wouldn’t divorce her. He was going to conquer her. If he couldn’t win her heart, then her body would belong to him. This was the duty she owed her husband as his wife.

Now that she was pregnant, he wouldn’t force himself on her like that night, for the sake of the child. Once she gave birth, no matter how unwilling she was, she would have to serve him.

Li Axiu looked at Jie Jingwei with a complicated expression. If he had just listened to her sooner, she wouldn’t be berating him for being such a disappointment. Instead, she would have unleashed her full fury on Jie Jingchen and Qin Mei.

Her daughter was married to him. For her daughter’s own good, she knew that if she made things too hostile with her son-in-law, her daughter would be the one to suffer.

Right now they were living with the Lin Family, right under her nose, so he wouldn’t dare bully her daughter. If they were to live separately, however, there was no guarantee he wouldn’t mistreat her.

"Jing Er, you married Yaru, and she’s even carrying your child—a boy. When are you going to make good on the promise you made us?" Li Axiu asked.

Jie Jingwei knew what Li Axiu was talking about.

"Mom, don’t worry. I’ll absolutely deliver on my promise," Jie Jingwei guaranteed. ’What he’d promised was to persuade his father to find a way for his brother-in-law to return to the city. It wasn’t up to him to come up with the method.’

Li Axiu let out a sigh of relief. "Jing Er, hearing you say that sets my mind at ease. Just make sure you keep this matter in mind."

"Don’t worry, I will," Jie Jingwei replied dismissively.

Li Axiu wanted to ask when he was going to persuade his father, but then she remembered she had just yelled at him. ’If she pushed him now, it might just make him resentful. She regretted scolding him.’

Li Axiu glanced at the dishes on the table. They were leftovers from yesterday’s banquet. The weather was so hot that even after being kept in a basin of cool water overnight, they had spoiled. The smell wasn’t overwhelming, so she had planned to just make do with them for one meal. But after yelling at her son-in-law, she felt a little guilty about making him eat spoiled food.

"Jing Er, is there anything you’d like to eat? I’ll go buy it," Li Axiu asked, trying to curry favor.

Jie Jingwei glanced at the food on the table, a flash of disgust in his eyes. He ventured, "Isn’t it already made?"

"It’s spoiled. We can’t eat it." Li Axiu gave an embarrassed smile and quickly stood up to clear the spoiled food from the table.

Jie Jingwei sneered inwardly. ’So she knew it was spoiled.’ "Mom, I’m not a picky eater," he said. "Just see what Dad and Yaru would like and get that."

"Okay." Li Axiu deliberately slowed down as she cleared the spoiled food. ’Jing Er was so inconsiderate. He didn’t contribute a single cent for living expenses, just freeloading off her family. The very thought made Li Axiu seethe with frustration.’

’Yaru was their daughter, and they were willing to support her. But Jie Jingwei was only a son-in-law. A son-in-law living with his in-laws was already enough to cause gossip, and on top of that, he wouldn’t even cover his own expenses.’

’They didn’t have much in savings to begin with. Now, supporting an extra person, it was even harder to save anything.’

Li Axiu came out of the kitchen, wiping her hands. "Jing Er, I’m heading out to buy groceries," she said.

"Okay, Mom. It’s hot out, so be careful of heatstroke. Don’t be too long," Jie Jingwei advised.

Li Axiu was speechless. ’Did she need his advice? What she needed was for him to contribute to their living expenses.’

After Li Axiu left, Jie Jingwei dropped his act. He walked over to Lin Yaru, roughly yanked her out of her chair, and dragged her toward their room.

"Ah! Jie Jingwei, let go of me!" Lin Yaru cried out in panic. The memory of how rough and forceful Jie Jingwei had been that night made her tremble in fear. Terrified he was about to assault her again, she screamed at the top of her lungs, "Mom, save me!"

"Shut up." Jie Jingwei raised his hand to slap Lin Yaru, but he stopped just as it was about to connect.

Lin Yaru froze, staring at the hand hovering inches from her face. She looked at Jie Jingwei in disbelief. "You wanted to hit me."

Jie Jingwei gritted his teeth and gripped her chin. "I won’t hit you."

’At least, as long as he was living with the Lin Family, he wouldn’t lay a hand on her.’

"This is my house. Would you dare hit me? Jie Jingwei, would you dare?" Lin Yaru glared at him defiantly. ’This was the man who had ruined her. Xu Chunyan had clearly told her he was away on a business trip. So why, of all times, did he have to come back right then?’

’If he hadn’t come back, her plan wouldn’t have failed. After she got together with Jing Si, he would have divorced Qin Mei, and she would have married him just as she’d always wanted. She would have been pregnant with Jing Si’s child, and in a few months, the baby would have been born. The three of them would have been a happy family, living together.’

’Her happy life had been completely destroyed, all because Jie Jingwei came home early.’

"Don’t provoke me. I’m afraid I might not be able to stop myself from hitting you," Jie Jingwei warned coldly.