Chapter 3: The Truth Is Always Hard to Accept

Watching their retreating figures, Chen Yanzi kept calling out Lin Fan’s name, begging him to return, but her cries were met with nothing but silence.

“Sis, you have to get brother-in-law back,” Chen Wei fumed. “You can’t just let that little tramp steal him away.”

Suddenly, Chen Yanzi let out a sharp cry and slapped Chen Wei hard across the face.

Clutching his stinging cheek, Chen Wei stammered, “Sis, why did you hit me? If you want to hit someone, hit that little tramp, not me.”

“And you still have the nerve to talk?” Chen Yanzi snapped. “If you weren’t so useless, if buying a house, a car, and getting married didn’t all depend on Lin Fan’s money, would he be so angry, so disappointed in me?”

Wang Fang, her face darkening, muttered under her breath, “Yanzi, you can’t really blame your brother. Isn’t it only right for a brother-in-law to help out his wife’s family?”

“Exactly,” Chen Wei chimed in, convinced his mother was right. “Isn’t it normal for a brother-in-law to support his wife’s brother?”

Hearing this, Chen Yanzi grew even more furious. She glared at Wang Fang and snapped, “We agreed on a dowry of three hundred thousand, but then you found an excuse to raise it by another two hundred thousand. Are you marrying off your daughter, or selling her?”

“Yanzi, I don’t like what you’re insinuating,” Wang Fang retorted. “I raised you with great hardship. What’s wrong with asking for half a million as a dowry? Besides, you didn’t object at the time, did you?”

…

As the family quarreled, a pudgy man approached, grinning as he looked at Chen Yanzi. “Miss, I’m curious. How does it feel to personally push a billionaire into another woman’s arms?”

Chen Yanzi froze. The thought of losing Lin Fan—a man who had always indulged her every whim—stabbed at her heart with unbearable pain. With a wail, she fainted.

Lin Fan, of course, was unaware of all that had transpired after his departure. He now walked arm-in-arm with Gu Qingcheng to the parking lot.

Facing the dazzling, limited-edition supercar before her, Gu Qingcheng couldn’t help but cry out in amazement.

Her dream had always been to marry into wealth, so she knew her cars. This one was worth over a hundred million, and not even money could buy it—one needed status and connections. Clearly, Lin Fan’s background was far more formidable than she’d imagined.

“It’s just a car. No need to make such a fuss,” Lin Fan said coolly.

Gu Qingcheng quickly recovered, pressed a swift kiss to his cheek, and whispered, “Darling, I’m sorry. It’s my lack of experience that’s made you laugh at me.”

Lin Fan smiled faintly and glanced at his information panel. Gu Qingcheng’s affection for him had already leapt from negative numbers to seventy. This was the magic of his “flirting system” in action.

“Let’s get in the car, darling.”

“Mm.” Gu Qingcheng climbed in, leaned forward, and sweetly fastened Lin Fan’s seatbelt.

Lin Fan’s eyes involuntarily lingered on the deep, snowy valley of her chest—so generous, and it must feel incredible.

Sensing Lin Fan’s heated gaze, Gu Qingcheng didn’t shy away; instead, she arched her back deliberately, letting her snowy curves sway and brushing close to Lin Fan’s ear, her breath hot as she whispered, “Darling, shall we go to the villa? Let me show you a little of what I can do. I’ll cook something special—what do you say?”

“Going home for a meal sounds good,” Lin Fan replied with a mischievous grin, “though I’m not sure if I’ll be eating food… or something else.”

Under his gaze, Gu Qingcheng not only remained unperturbed, but let her fingers trail slowly down from his neck. “Whatever you want, darling, I’m more than happy to oblige.”

With Gu Qingcheng being so forward, Lin Fan saw no reason to hesitate. He took her hand and drove them to the villa.

…

As it turned out, Gu Qingcheng truly knew how to “pamper” a man. The moment they entered the villa, before Lin Fan could make a move, she pressed herself eagerly against him.

With her soft body rubbing against his, she purred in a sweet, coquettish voice, “Darling, shall we see how the bedroom’s been decorated?”

The meaning was obvious. Lin Fan grinned, wrapped an arm around her waist, and led her toward the bedroom, thinking to himself: This “devoted lover” system is simply unbeatable!

…

The next morning, at seven o’clock, Chen Yanzi—meticulously made up—arrived with Chen Wei, stepping out of a taxi. The two glanced around anxiously, impatience etched into their faces.

After a while, Chen Wei finally lost his patience. “Sis, call Lin Fan. He loves you so much—yesterday was just him losing his temper. If you coax him a bit, maybe he’ll forgive you.”

“Hmph, you think I haven’t tried?” she retorted. “As soon as he left with that little tramp yesterday, I messaged him on WeChat. But he blocked me!”

Now, standing in front of the villa Lin Fan had given to Gu Qingcheng, Chen Yanzi’s eyes blazed with envy. “Don’t you dare blame me. If you all hadn’t pushed Lin Fan so hard, my name would be on this villa right now!”

Hearing this, Chen Wei pursed his lips but dared not argue further. He simply looked around, waiting for Lin Fan.

After about half an hour, they finally saw Lin Fan coming out of the garage, ready to drive Gu Qingcheng to work in his luxury car.

Even if Chen Yanzi knew nothing about cars, she could tell at a glance how expensive this understated yet lavish vehicle must be.

She swallowed hard, then steeled herself and dragged Chen Wei to stand in front of the car.

Their sudden appearance would have sent them straight to the hospital if Lin Fan’s reflexes hadn’t been quick enough to hit the brakes in time.

Staring at the pair blocking his way, Lin Fan’s good mood for the day instantly vanished. He rolled down the window, annoyance clear in his voice. “What are you doing here?”

“Lin Fan!” Chen Yanzi instinctively used her old, commanding tone when she saw him.

But she quickly caught herself and forced a flattering smile. “Honey, isn’t today Xiao Wei’s engagement day? As his brother-in-law, you should come to the party, right?”

“Honey? Brother-in-law?” Lin Fan repeated with a sneer, saying nothing more as he looked at Chen Yanzi with cold irony.

That look made Chen Yanzi’s cheeks flush crimson. She bit her lip, uncertain whether to bring up the dowry, since Chen Wei’s engagement depended on her dowry money.

Before she could decide, Gu Qingcheng’s voice cut in.

Gu Qingcheng surveyed Chen Yanzi with a disdainful glance, her bearing graceful as she spoke: “Miss, let me correct you—this is my boyfriend. Please don’t call him ‘husband’ so casually.

“And, my boyfriend has no time to attend his ex-girlfriend’s brother’s engagement party.”

She paused, noticing Chen Yanzi’s furious glare, then added with a smile, “One more thing, Miss—don’t cling to my boyfriend like a dog, all right?”

Standing at the villa gates, Chen Yanzi’s face turned scarlet. Though Gu Qingcheng’s words stung, Chen Yanzi was at a loss for a retort—after all, everything she’d said was true.

Tears welled in Chen Yanzi’s beautiful eyes as she gazed at Lin Fan, hoping to rekindle his affection for her.