EHTM | Chapter 14 - Sister-in-Law, Don't Cry

"Fake marriage."

Those three words were something Huo Lingjun would never dare to say out loud.

No matter how much she detested Shen Donghuan, no matter how much she disliked having her as a granddaughter-in-law, for the sake of the business cooperation between the Xie and Shen families, this matter could never be spoken of.

Huo Lingjun's face hardened. She pressed her dry, chapped lips together. Her silence radiated authority without the need for anger.

"You misheard."

She refused to bring up the fake marriage again.

Xie Yuming steadied Huo Lingjun. His cold eyes flickered. He turned back to Shen Donghuan and said, "Donghuan, Father and Mother should be arriving soon. Go outside and welcome them."

Then, without waiting for her agreement, he helped Huo Lingjun walk further inside.

Fu Ling shot Shen Donghuan a smug look, then smiled and followed, linking her arm through Huo Lingjun's other arm.

The three of them chatted and laughed as they walked, like one happy family.

The surrounding guests cast pitying glances at Shen Donghuan, who remained standing alone. Then the crowd dispersed.

Shen Donghuan secretly clenched her fists. A sharp pang of pain flashed in her eyes.

Suddenly, a hand rested on her shoulder. A unique scent belonging to Xie Shu drifted into her nose.

Shen Donghuan slowly looked up. Her red-rimmed eyes met Xie Shu's, as if carrying endless grievances that couldn't be put into words.

A flicker of sympathy passed through Xie Shu's eyes. His large hand tightened on her shoulder.

Then, with a roguish grin meant to comfort her, he said, "Sister-in-law, I'll come with you to welcome them."

Without waiting for her response, he led her outside.

Outside, the cold wind howled.

Xie Shu immediately draped his jacket over Shen Donghuan's shoulders. "Careful, don't catch a cold."

Feeling the warmth of Xie Shu's body heat still lingering on the jacket, she felt a rare sense of comfort in her heart on this freezing night.

"Thank you."

At that moment, the two of them were the only ones at the entrance.

Shen Donghuan leaned against the wall, gazing at the deep darkness of the night outside. She glanced back at the lively, bustling hall inside. Complex emotions churned in the depths of her eyes.

"When I decided to marry Xie Yuming three years ago, I prepared myself for everything. I would strive to be the perfect Mrs. Xie, his best helpmate, and we would be a happy couple."

"But I never imagined that three years later, I would discover that Xie Yuming had been cheating on me and gotten his mistress pregnant."

Her happy dream had shattered. It even felt like her feelings for Xie Yuming over the years had become a joke.

Xie Shu heard how choked her voice had become by the end.

He stepped forward and gently pulled her into his embrace.

In the pitch-black night, in a place no one was watching.

Xie Shu held Shen Donghuan tightly against his chest, letting her lean on him, letting her listen to his heartbeat.

He patted her back softly, again and again. His gentle voice sounded in her ear.

"My brother is an idiot, sister-in-law. Just pretend you fed your feelings to a dog for those three years."

This was the first time since Shen Donghuan had discovered Xie Yuming's affair, after all her outbursts and all her tears, that someone had comforted her like this.

In that instant, a clear tear slipped from the corner of her eye and soaked into the fabric of Xie Shu's shirt.

Feeling that warm tear, Xie Shu pulled her back slightly from his embrace.

He lowered his head boldly and directly and kissed the corner of her eye.

"Sister-in-law, don't cry. It breaks my heart seeing you cry."

He kissed away each tear, one by one.

No one knew how much time had passed. Then the roar of a car engine sounded in the distance.

Shen Donghuan realized that Xie Yuming's parents had arrived.

She snapped out of her daze, pushed Xie Shu away, and wiped her face with her hands, removing whatever moisture was there.

Then she glared at him with wide eyes, pretending to be angry as she whispered, "Aren't you afraid of getting caught?"

Looking at Shen Donghuan like this, Xie Shu only found her adorable. He licked the corner of his mouth lightly, his gaze intensely predatory.

"Stealing moments like this is what makes it exciting."

Shen Donghuan's ears instantly burned. Flustered, she hurriedly returned his jacket to him.

"We're at the old family mansion. Watch your words and behavior!"

Xie Shu raised an eyebrow. He leaned against the wall nearby, took out a lighter, and flicked it on and off. In the flickering light, his handsome features and wicked smile were thrown into sharp relief.

His voice was low and alluring. "Got it... sister-in-law."

The back of Shen Donghuan's neck had turned completely red. She felt so hot she wanted to drink something cold to quench her thirst.

The car had stopped. Moments later, two figures appeared at the entrance.

Sixty-year-old Xie Liangfang walked coldly in front. His silver hair was combed back tightly. The lines at the corners of his brows and eyes were deeply carved like knife marks. Not a trace of excess emotion showed on his face.

He wore a black suit custom-made by an internationally renowned designer. He moved like a walking iceberg, radiating an invisible oppressive force from the air.

Beside him was Xie Yuming's mother, Song Ru.

Song Ru walked arm in arm with him, wearing a dark green velvet cheongsam that accentuated her well-maintained figure. An emperor-green jade bracelet dangled from her wrist, shimmering like the deep waters of an abyss in the moonlight.

She spotted Shen Donghuan waiting at the entrance, hurried over, and grasped Shen Donghuan's hands with a warm smile.

"Donghuan, it's so cold out here. Why didn't you go inside?"

Meeting Song Ru's caring gaze, Shen Donghuan's smile became slightly more genuine.

"Mother, I waited here specially to welcome you and Father."

Song Ru held Shen Donghuan's hands tightly, looking for all the world like a doting mother-in-law.

"You silly child... Next time, don't wait outside for us. It's so cold, and you've always been fragile. If you got sick, your father and I would worry about you."

Xie Liangfang, who had been wearing a cold expression the whole time, looked at Shen Donghuan and said curtly, "Mm. You can't have kids already. If you get sick from this, people outside will say the Xie family mistreated you. Don't wait outside again."

Shen Donghuan bit her lip. "...Understood, Father."

This was the last time.

Seeing the atmosphere growing tense, Song Ru quickly smiled and said, "Alright now, Liangfang, Donghuan was just being filial by waiting outside for us. Why do you have to say things like that? You'll hurt her feelings."

She patted Shen Donghuan's hand soothingly. "Donghuan, don't mind what your father said. Not being able to have children isn't a big deal. The Xie family has plenty of ways to secure a future heir. You just focus on being a good young madam of the Xie family."

The smile at the corner of Shen Donghuan's mouth turned bitter.

Song Ru, however, seemed completely unbothered, as if this were perfectly normal. She turned to Xie Liangfang and said, "Liangfang, Mother and Yuming must be waiting for us. Let's go inside."

With that, she let go of Shen Donghuan's hand. Deep in her eyes, there was no trace of any real affection for Shen Donghuan. It was as if everything just now had been an act.

She linked her arm through Xie Liangfang's again and walked inside beside him.

Before stepping inside, Xie Liangfang glanced at Xie Shu, who was leaning against the wall looking like an idle playboy. His eyes were filled with displeasure.

He said directly, "Xie Shu. Tonight, at your grandmother's birthday banquet, rein in that unserious attitude of yours. Take a look around and find someone you like. Once you do, get married early. After marriage, learn to be more steady like your older brother."

As for Song Ru, Xie Shu's biological mother, she was exceptionally cold toward him.

She shot Xie Shu a look of disgust, tightened her grip on Xie Liangfang's arm, and said, "Liangfang, just ignore him. Let's go inside."