Sun Xuelan called Tian Jing, asking her and Ouyang Meihua to find a place to talk.
Tian Jing looked at Ouyang Meihua. Seeing Ouyang Meihua nod, she told Sun Xuelan to pick a location.
Sun Xuelan chose a coffee shop.
When the sisters-in-law changed into casual clothes and arrived at the coffee shop, Sun Xuelan was already waiting. She called a server and asked what Tian Jing and her sister-in-law would like to drink.
Tian Jing chose a mocha, and Ouyang Meihua chose a vanilla latte.
Sun Xuelan chose a macchiato.
As they waited, the three of them were silent.
After the server served the coffee and left, Sun Xuelan looked at the coffee in front of her.
“Actually, I don’t really like coffee, but this circle is just so strange; people who don’t drink coffee have no taste for life.”
She said this as she picked up her coffee cup, drank the foam, and elegantly wiped her mouth.
“Usually, after I order coffee, I only drink the foam on top and slowly let the time pass with the rest. Of course, this is when I’m out for coffee with so-called friends.”
“If I’m alone, I rarely go to a coffee shop, unless I’m in a very bad mood.”
Tian Jing took a sip of her coffee, not responding.
Sun Xuelan didn’t need a response from her or Ouyang Meihua. She had invited them out today to make everything clear.
“My mother was a foolish woman. She believed that man would definitely divorce his wife to marry her, and then she gave birth to me without any hesitation.”
“As it turned out, not long after, the man’s wife, with a lawyer, found my mother, followed by my father, a man who became successful through his wife.”
“My mother received a sum of money, and I was brought back to my father’s house and told to call his wife ‘Mother’.”
“In that household, I had four elder brothers. The first three were born to Mother, and Fourth Brother, like me, was a child of Father brought in by Mother from outside.”
“In that house, Fourth Brother and I lived a very humble life. However, once I grew up and became more presentable in my teens, my treatment improved because I had value.”
“Through various efforts and matchmaking, my value finally reached its peak, allowing me to enter the Li family.”
“Besides Father, Mother, and the three elder brothers, no one else knew about Fourth Brother’s and my true identities. If outsiders knew, we would not only have no value but also bring shame to the Sun family.”
“Everyone thought we were all born to Mother, and everyone thought Mother was just biased. After all, what parents aren’t biased?”
“Mother is a very strong and capable woman. She is decisive in business and in family matters. One can imagine why Father had an affair.”
“I’m not sympathizing with Father, nor am I praising Mother. I just want you to know that Fourth Brother’s life was not easy.”
“In fact, the Sun family’s business began to decline after Mother got old. Marriage was the best way to prevent the Sun family from falling.”
“After the Yu and Li families married into the Li family, the Sun family saw the potential of the Li family, and the Li family became one of the marriage targets for the Sun family.”
“They naturally wanted to choose from my three nieces. But I suggested drawing lots.”
“If one of those three nieces were chosen, it would mean the Sun family was at its end. If Baoyun were chosen, given her temperament, there would still be a slim chance.”
“I’m not trying to scheme against the Li family; I just want to see if the Sun family can be saved. After all, if the Sun family doesn’t collapse, my life will be a little better. At the same time, I want to give Fourth Brother a chance to breathe.”
“Although Mother is strong, she never blamed my mother or Fourth Brother’s mother. She blamed Father.”
“But she is old now, and no matter how kind she is, she can’t hand over the Sun family’s business to Fourth Brother.”
“Once she passes away, with those three brothers’ lack of principles, who knows what fate awaits Fourth Brother?”
“Ouyang, our in-law, you’ve experienced the temperaments of my three nieces. You can imagine what kind of people my three brothers are behind closed doors, to have raised such daughters.”
“I’m only afraid that Fourth Brother, his wife, and their son will have no way out. I want to save Fourth Brother’s family.”
Her gaze fell on Ouyang Meihua. “I know you must have had strong opinions about me during the proposal, but I really couldn’t be too involved.”
“After Mother got old, she became a bit confused. The three brothers have been deceiving her for years, and Fourth Brother and I have lived even more cautiously.”
Tian Jing sipped her coffee, put down the cup, and said slowly,
“You’ve said so much, and all I hear is your selfishness.”
“How you survive is your problem; it has nothing to do with our Li family, nor with Baoyun.”
“Of course, if she forces her way in, that’s her and Xiao Yu’s business, and it’s still unrelated to us.”
Under Sun Xuelan’s surprised gaze, Tian Jing curled her lips into a sarcastic smile.
“Living in a family with such warped values for decades, do you think your Fourth Brother’s values can still be upright?”
“And how can you believe that your three brothers will be safe if your Fourth Brother takes over the Sun family?”
“Or rather, will your three brothers willingly let him take over the Sun family?”
“If your plan were to go through, it would be the prelude to the Sun family’s destruction. Are you perhaps trying to get revenge for your mother?”
Tian Jing lightly wiped her lips and stood up. “Sister-in-law, let’s go.”
“Ah? Okay.”
Ouyang Meihua came back to her senses, stood up, and followed her sister-in-law.
Passing the cashier, Tian Jing paid the bill. She turned and waved the receipt at the stunned Sun Xuelan before walking out of the coffee shop.
Sun Xuelan hadn’t expected her plan to backfire, nor had she expected Tian Jing to say the following words.
If Fourth Brother…
She shivered. It seemed she had been too presumptuous. After all, she had been married out of the Sun family for over twenty years…
Outside the coffee shop, Ouyang Meihua couldn’t help but ask, “Tiantian, she didn’t state her purpose, so how did you know?”
“Does she need to spell it out?”
Tian Jing smiled faintly. “She said she wants to save her Fourth Brother’s family, which means she wants Fourth Brother to take over the Sun family.”
“To have Fourth Brother take over the Sun family, they need to use the Li family. She thought that if she stated it clearly, we would, for Baoyun’s sake, at least tacitly allow her Fourth Brother to leverage our influence, if not actively help.”
“The Sun family: the old lady’s three sons are not good people, the old man isn’t good either, and Sun Laosi and Sun Xuelan are definitely not good people either.”
“If it weren’t for the Sun family’s assets, why would Sun Laosi not move out after coming of age?”
“He relies on the fact that the Sun family doesn’t publicly announce their identities, occupying the position of the Sun family’s fourth son without budging. This obvious intention—anyone who can’t see through it is a fool.”
“Just like Sun Xuelan, she is also after the Sun family’s prestige. Both are after fame and fortune, so let’s not point fingers.”
“Strictly speaking, the Sun family’s three brothers are justified in being wary of them.”
“Therefore, it’s hard for an honest official to settle a family dispute. You can’t just listen to one side of the story, nor should you get involved in other people’s family affairs.”
Ouyang Meihua patted her chest. “Having a lot of money isn’t necessarily a blessing.”
Tian Jing fell silent. She didn’t know if the descendants of the Li family would engage in such schemes due to wealth.
If…
It would only mean that the Li family’s good fortune had reached its end.
No one can guard against human hearts.