Sima Zhao's ambition was known to all.
After she finished speaking, everyone exchanged glances, utterly shameless.
But before they could form a rebuttal, the daughter supporting her on either side continued to play the innocent card.
"Grandpa doted on us sisters since we were little. Now he's sick, and we've grown up. It's time we repaid him."
"Since Mom is going to take care of Grandpa, we will too! We can't do much else, but we're best at cheering Grandpa up. Uncle, you won't find us bothersome, will you?"
The eldest sister looked at her daughters with affection, cooperating with the act.
"Good daughters, you've truly grown up. Your filial piety makes Mom very gratified. I was planning to go alone, but look at you all..."
"Don't just discuss it with Uncle; Auntie handles most of the household matters. You should ask Auntie."
"Sister-in-law, we'll just go back and take care of Dad until he gets better, then we'll leave. You don't object, do you?"
They presented their intentions so nobly that refusing them would make the objector seem petty.
Everyone was momentarily speechless, unable to refute them. After a pause, the gentle eldest sister-in-law stepped in to smooth things over.
"Sister, what are you saying? You're Dad's biological daughter. No matter how many years you've been married, your maiden home is always your maiden home. How could we possibly object to you coming back to live? It's just that right now..."
"You see, Dad is traditional. You know that. This house has been the same for so many years, with only a few rooms, and he doesn't allow renovations. With our large family, we really can't fit everyone."
"Zong Rui and Zong Ying are older now. There's a distinction between genders; they each need their own room, right?"
"Second brother's family, Zong Shen and Beibei, also need separate rooms. Add our few members, Dad's, Ke Xin's, Auntie's, and the housekeeper's... You're already working hard bringing your two children to take care of Dad, you can't possibly sleep in the hall, can you?"
"Nephew's daughters have been pampered young ladies in others' homes for years. To have no decent place to stay at their uncle's house... if this were to get out..."
"Sister, I don't mean anything else. I'm just afraid that you and your nieces will be wronged. Actually, Dad isn't immobile. If it's about filial piety..."
You could have taken him to your home. Why put on a show here?
The unspoken words were clear enough for anyone to discern.
Zhan Jingchen listened silently from the side, finding this back-and-forth more dramatic than a spy thriller.
If his own family were like this, he vowed to come home and join the excitement every day.
He stole a glance at Pei Kexin beside him. Perhaps accustomed to such scenes, she seemed unfazed, absently lowering her gaze and fiddling with her fingers.
This family was truly interesting, each and every one of them.
Amusing.
Zhan Jingchen suddenly felt fortunate to have "married" into the Pei family.
He also began to anticipate the day he would officially join the Pei family.
With daily drama and intricate schemes to study, wouldn't he gain more wisdom after a month?
The eldest sister-in-law politely declined the eldest sister's attempt to move back into the family home.
However, she had come prepared; how could she be deterred by a few words?
After the eldest sister-in-law finished speaking, she waved her hand dismissively and said.
"I'll just stay in my old room. It's a bit crowded, but for Dad, enduring some hardship temporarily is nothing."
"Alright, since you all have no objections, it's settled. Let's go, I'll pack my things and prepare to move."
The crowd was...
The cars were parked in the hospital lot. When they reached the entrance, Zhan Jingchen was still driving.
As soon as Pei Kexin sat in the passenger seat, her phone rang.
It was Gu Wei.
"We've received a customer complaint escalated above our usual channels. They say the products sent out two days ago have serious quality issues, and the client is very angry, demanding an explanation as soon as possible. I can't leave; please come back quickly to check it out."
Pei Kexin had started interning at Pei Corporation in her third year of university.
For the first two years, she interned in the workshop and the sales department. In her third year, due to her outstanding performance in sales, she was exceptionally promoted to department manager by the patriarch.
That year, within a year, she led the sales department to break Pei Corporation's sales records of nearly ten years. In her fourth year, to everyone's grudging admiration, she ascended to the position of Vice President of Sales.
She was not yet 27, but she had already handled countless customer complaints and product innovation issues, big and small.
Therefore, no matter how serious the problems reported by her subordinates, she remained calm and composed.
She calmly acknowledged the message, locked her phone, and turned to instruct Zhan Jingchen.
"We're going to the Pei residence. I'll show you around the interior first. Then, you'll stay quietly in your room and not move. Don't utter a single unnecessary word. Everything will wait until I return tonight."
Zhan Jingchen asked, "It's only the first day of our marriage, and you still have to go to the company?"
"..."
Pei Kexin shot him a sideways glance: Don't you know if it's a real marriage? Is saying something like that meaningful?
Zhan Jingchen understood her implication and pouted.
"I have no objections. I'm just afraid your suspicious family members will overthink things."
Pei Kexin rubbed her temples. "Since you know they're suspicious, stay honest and don't cause trouble."
Following the car in front, they arrived smoothly at the Pei residence.
As the eldest sister-in-law had said, although the Pei family was wealthy and the house was not small, it looked quite old-fashioned from the outside.
Typical late 20th-century architectural style, from the main gate and courtyard furnishings to the interior decoration, everything exuded a sense of dullness and seriousness.
They entered one after another without further conversation. The eldest sister-in-law instructed the kitchen to prepare meals, and everyone else retired to their rooms.
Zhan Jingchen carried the newly bought clothes and followed Pei Kexin into the room. He discovered it was a duplex.
Inside, one room was the master bedroom, decorated in a fresh style, clearly a place she frequented.
Past the living room was a guest room with just a bed and a closet. It was incredibly dull, and he assumed he would be confined here for the next month.
Pei Kexin showed him around the room, explained the general layout, and reiterated her instructions.
"Don't leave the room unless there's a special situation. Don't interact with them, to avoid being interrogated. If they try to talk to you, don't say too much; just give them some perfunctory answers. You're just a tool, the more you say, the more mistakes you'll make, so there's no need.
"Use whatever you need, but remember to put it back after you use it. If there's an urgent matter, send me a WeChat message. Do you understand?"
How many times had she repeated this? Even an idiot would have remembered.
Dropping the clothes into the guest room, he leaned lazily against the doorframe and looked at her.
"Am I that useless in your eyes? If you look down on me so much, why marry me?"
He spoke with confident assurance, as if everything was under control, carrying an air of nobility.
He didn't look like a delivery man at all; he truly resembled a young master from a wealthy family.
Pei Kexin was momentarily puzzled by him.
Had he just changed his clothes? Why did he feel like a different person?
She closed her eyes and looked again. His young master demeanor had vanished; he was now bending down to change his shoes.
There were no men's shoes in the room, only two pairs of Pei Kexin's pink fluffy slippers.
He didn't seem to care. He kicked off his leather shoes and stepped into her slippers with just his socks on.
Pei Kexin watched his large feet encased in fluffy slippers enter the room: "..."
"I've said all I needed to say, so I'm leaving. Be smart on your own."