Chapter 5: This Couple Is Simply Irresistible!!

System reprimanded: "Look, you've already eaten half a plate of roast goose!"

Lin Xianxian’s movements stiffened oddly for a moment, then she slowed her eating, glancing guiltily at the three merchants.

The three merchants lowered their heads and ate, pretending not to notice her expression at all.

Lin Xianxian breathed a sigh of relief, then couldn’t help but complain:

“Tongzi, you can’t blame me for this!”

“Last night, to follow the plot, I actually went and taunted the female lead. At the banquet, I barely touched any of the delicious food. I starved for an entire day just to fit into that suffocatingly tight size-smaller evening gown!”

“Last night, I was tormented by the merchant’s little uncle all night! You know, merchant’s little uncle’s stamina is unreal—maybe all men in these novels are like that. Do you know what time I fell asleep? I nearly saw the sunrise before I could finally rest!”

“Ahem…”

Shang Yang choked.

Lin Xianxian looked at him.

“What’s wrong with Shang Yang? He’s seemed to have a sore throat all day, hasn’t said a word, and now he’s choking on his saliva?”

System: “Maybe it’s indigestion from being forced to marry you.”

Lin Xianxian: “Hmm, that makes a lot of sense!”

Seeing no one at the table spoke, Lin Xianxian lowered her head again, slowed her pace, and continued eating while grumbling in her mind:

“I’m so hungry I can barely stand after all that torment. I still have to face a crowd and perform such a long scene. It’s already one in the afternoon, and I’ve been hungry for almost thirty-six hours, alright? What’s wrong with eating a little more?”

System: “Host, you just ate two plates of dim sum. Also, are you sure the only reason you can’t get up is hunger?”

Lin Xianxian’s face flushed immediately.

“Ahem, okay, it’s not just that… but you can’t blame me, blame Shang Yang!”

“He looks so refined, but he’s such a beast in bed…”

System: “Host, aren’t you quite enjoying it?”

“…”

Lin Xianxian’s face turned even redder. “Tongzi, shut up!”

The table fell silent, but strangely, the four people eating all wore somewhat peculiar expressions.

Lin Xianxian was flushed all over, Shang Yang’s neck reddened from choking.

The old merchant stared straight ahead, but the smile in his eyes betrayed his mood.

Shang Feifei’s face was also a little red; her gaze flickered between Lin Xianxian and her uncle with a strange excitement.

Previously, she thought Xianxian was only a match for her brother, but now looking at her uncle, she felt he was actually more compatible with Lin Xianxian.

This pairing was simply too delicious to ship!

Lin Xianxian noticed none of the odd atmosphere around her. She thought everyone was quietly eating out of respect for the food or because the family was experiencing complicated emotions from recent events and thus were silent.

In any case, she just wanted to focus on eating, and silence was fine by her.

When Lin Xianxian was about seventy percent full, Madam Shang returned.

The moment she saw Lin Xianxian, her eyes reddened with anger.

“Dad, I heard you want Uncle to marry Xianxian? That’s not right! There’s such a big age gap between them…”

Madam Shang was genuinely furious. She had high hopes for Lin Xianxian as her future daughter-in-law. Yet after just a few days of traveling abroad with her best friend, upon returning, her future daughter-in-law had suddenly become her sister-in-law?!

How could she accept that?

The old merchant’s face was calm as he said quietly:

“The rice is already cooked; the meal is done. Do you want Xianxian to marry Beiming? Xianxian’s willing, but is Beiming?”

“But…”

Madam Shang looked at Lin Xianxian with reluctant eyes.

“Xianxian, you don’t want this either, right?”

“Auntie isn’t that conservative. What happened between you and Shang Yang was just an accident. Auntie knows your heart belongs only to our Beiming. Don’t worry, Auntie will always support you. You’re the only daughter-in-law Auntie ever wanted!”

Lin Xianxian was held by the hand and couldn’t continue eating. She couldn’t help but grumble silently:

“This Madam Shang acts like she really likes me, but actually, she just wants to use Grandpa’s fondness for me and the power of my Lin family…”

“Madam Shang has always been wary of Shang Yang, afraid he’d compete with her son for the Shang family’s fortune. But does Shang Yang even care? His own assets aren’t any less than the Shang family’s…”

“It’s just Madam Shang thinking my family has some influence and hoping that my parents can help her son. Plus, Grandpa likes me and thinks if her son marries me, even if it’s for my sake, Grandpa will secure her son’s position. That’s why she keeps saying she likes me and has decided I’m the future daughter-in-law. Tsk tsk.”

“Actually, she doesn’t like me at all. She’s cursed me behind my back for being useless and not able to win over her son despite chasing him for so long.”

“When she later discovers the female lead is actually a lost heiress of a wealthy family, she’ll undoubtedly side with the female lead and help humiliate and drive me away.”

Lin Xianxian grumbled in her mind.

“She doesn’t even mind me cheating on her son. Does this male lead’s mother really love him? Or does she only love the power of the Shang family? Oh, then again, she herself has had affairs with her husband plenty of times, so why would she care if her daughter-in-law cheated…”

“What?!”

The old merchant suddenly shouted.

Everyone looked at him with puzzled expressions.

Shang Yang held the old merchant’s hand and shook his head.

His gaze was steady, and under his reassurance, the old merchant finally composed himself.

Shang Feifei was even more incredulous, glaring at Lin Xianxian with some anger.

“You…”

How could she say her mother cheated on her father?!

Her father did pass away, that’s true, but her mother and father loved each other so much, how could her mother have been unfaithful?

Moreover, after her father’s death, her grandfather gave her mother the freedom to remarry whenever she wished.

Grandpa didn’t stop her; if her mother had liked another man, why wouldn’t she remarry?

This had to be Lin Xianxian’s misunderstanding!

Shang Feifei’s thoughts were in turmoil.

Yet she knew these were Lin Xianxian’s inner thoughts, and with that system she had—knowing the plot—this might very well be true.

Shang Feifei’s feelings were complicated.

Lin Xianxian didn’t know what they were thinking and looked at the old merchant in confusion.

The old merchant cleared his throat and said coldly:

“What nonsense! As head of the family, what are you talking about? Xianxian and Ah Yang are already married in all but name. The two children are willing themselves. Beiming doesn’t like Xianxian…”

“This matter is settled and can’t be changed. Didn’t you, the eldest sister-in-law, always hope Shang Yang would get married? You even said you wanted to introduce women to him. Now that Shang Yang is going to marry Xianxian, why are you angry?”

Could it be the same?!

Madam Shang was so furious she almost burst a vessel.

Seeing her expression, Lin Xianxian knew exactly what she was thinking.

“Grandpa is still a bit naive, not as sharp as the merchant’s little uncle.”

“Madam Shang has repeatedly tried to introduce women to her little uncle, always either the younger sisters or cousins of her friends, or delicate, easily manipulated noble daughters—all just to control and make use of Shang Yang.”