Wang Xiuying's smile froze slightly. "What is a sham marriage wife?"
Li Jiangyuan was the man she had carefully selected as the most suitable husband for her daughter. His family background was spotless—how could he possibly be unsuitable for her?
Shen Xue looked at Lin Yu in astonishment.
She had met Li Jiangyuan a few times. Although she didn't particularly like him, she had to admit he was the only one among her numerous blind date prospects whom she didn't find annoying. He was witty, humorous, and knew how to strike the right balance. If she absolutely had to marry someone, she wouldn't mind Li Jiangyuan becoming her other half.
Yet Lin Yu was saying that if she married Li Jiangyuan, she would become a sham marriage wife. Was Li Jiangyuan, therefore... gay?
Lin Yu hadn't wanted to meddle, but both Auntie Wang and Shen Xue were kind people, and she couldn't bear to watch Shen Xue walk into a fire pit.
The only reason Li Jiangyuan was going on blind dates was because his parents were forcing him apart from his true love. Only by finding a wife, getting married, and having a child would his parents leave him alone.
Li Jiangyuan's plan was simple: if his parents wanted a daughter-in-law, he would marry one for them. Once a child was born, his parents could raise it, and his wife could take care of his parents for him. That way, he and his lover could live out their lives under the heavy cover of familial respectability.
What a despicable scheme!
Even with all the shameless people Lin Yu had witnessed in her past life, none of them were as outrageous as the Li family. They clearly knew their son's sexual orientation, yet they still forced him out to ruin someone else's life. Did Shen Xue owe their family something?
It was no wonder Li Jiangyuan was in such a rush to get married. He was terrified that once Shen Xue found out the truth, she would refuse, and he was practically desperate to trap her with a child!
Lin Yu looked at Wang Xiuying and said, "Auntie Wang, this Li Jiangyuan likes men. He and his good buddy Zhao Yue are a couple, and he was forced into these blind dates by his parents."
"His parents want to break him and Zhao Yue apart. Only if he gets married and has a child will his parents stop interfering."
"If you marry Sister Xiaoxue off to him, you can easily imagine what her future will be like. Her husband won't love her, she'll have to bear children and take care of his parents, while Li Jiangyuan maintains a home with a man outside. This..."
"Enough!" Wang Xiuying interrupted, raising her voice.
As soon as these words fell, the entire hospital room grew so quiet that a pin dropping could be heard.
Wang Xiuying glanced at Shen Xue. Had she not known that her own daughter had never met Lin Yu before, she would have suspected Lin Yu was a lobbyist hired by her daughter.
This girl Xiaoxue got a headache every time marriage was mentioned and was dead-set on some sort of singlehood ideology. But she was already twenty-seven years old; if she didn't marry now, who would take care of her after she died?
What parents didn't want their children to live well?
Perhaps realizing her tone was too harsh, Wang Xiuying forced a smile and said, "Xiao Lin, you're still young and don't understand these things. Besides, how can a man and a man be together?"
Lin Yu didn't expect her to believe it all at once. She looked at Shen Xue—as long as Shen Xue took it to heart and kept her guard up, there was still hope.
"Mom, Little Sister Xiao Lin doesn't even know us, and she has no reason to lie. Why don't you look into it?"
"Li Jiangyuan does have a good buddy named Zhao Yue, and he even tagged along during their very first blind date. Who knows, maybe Little Sister Xiao Lin recognizes them."
Shen Xue harbored an immoral thought: if this turned out to be true, she wouldn't have to get married at all.
Hearing her daughter seize the opportunity to argue back, Wang Xiuying felt her anger flare up.
"Don't I know what kind of person Auntie Zhang is? Would she ever harm you?"
Afraid that Shen Xue would steer the conversation back to her aversion to marriage, Wang Xiuying quickly waved her hand. "Alright, you're supposed to go out and have fun with Xiao Li today, so hurry along. I'm sleepy."
With that, she gave a yawn, turned over, and lay down.
Shen Xue wanted to say more, but in the end, it all turned into a bitter smile. She mouthed a silent message to Lin Yu: *Thank you, I'll keep my eyes open.*
Lin Yu nodded. With three months left, she should be able to find some clues. Where there's a will, there's a way—she had already pointed out the problem, and now it all depended on Shen Xue's luck.
Just as Shen Xue was about to leave, Lin Yu suddenly spoke up. "The Third Hospital, Department of Anorectal Surgery, Room 302. Go try your luck; you might just get some unexpected results."
Shen Xue paused for a moment, then quickened her pace and left.
Lin Yu withdrew her gaze and looked at Wang Xiuying lying on the bed. She fished a crumpled ten-yuan bill out from inside her phone case, placed it on the table, and then shook her head, climbed onto her bed, and lay down.
The hospital room fell quiet once again. Of the four beds in the room, only Lin Yu and Wang Xiuying were occupied, making it relatively peaceful.
Staring up at the ceiling, Lin Yu began to ponder what she should do next. She still owed Uncle Zhou for the medical expenses, so she needed to find a way to make money quickly.
She took out her phone to search and discovered that the Long Country of a century ago was much like the one a century later. Technology had advanced, but not by much. The only major difference was the population: the population of Long Country a century later had somehow shrunk from its original 1.4 billion down to just over ten million!
No wonder matchmaker became the most sought-after profession a century later. With a gap like that, the government would have to be crazy not to panic.
For any country, population growth was the absolute top priority.
An escape route instantly formed in Lin Yu's mind: she would become a matchmaker!
If she could successfully match over two thousand couples out of ten million people, wouldn't she be able to match even more out of 1.4 billion?
With the enhancement of her supernatural ability, couples could lower their trial-and-error rate, and wouldn't the divorce rate naturally drop?
Not only could Lin Yu view everyone's life resume, but she could also see the compatibility score between men and women. Couples with a score over eighty could easily make it to their golden wedding anniversary.
Being a matchmaker was extremely lucrative. Even though Lin Yu had only matched two thousand couples in her past life, her income was quite substantial—reaching a staggering thirty million. That was an average of ten thousand per matched couple, plus another ten thousand in government subsidies, with additional bonuses if the couple had a child within the year.
Lin Yu could be said to have made a fortune, and she had no intention of letting go of such a lucrative cash cow.
If she hadn't been backstabbed by a colleague, she'd still be sitting around counting her money right now.
Lin Yu made a wry face. Thirty million! She hadn't even had the chance to withdraw it and count it properly for the thrill, losing it before it was even warm in her hands. She wondered which bastard had benefited from it.
Wang Xiuying, lying on the adjacent bed, didn't feel a shred of sleepiness. Her mind was entirely filled with Lin Yu's words.
After thinking it over, she still took out her phone and sent a message to her close friend.
Wang Xiuying: *Old friend, Xiao Li doesn't have any strange hidden illnesses, does he?*
Auntie Zhang replied very quickly: *Hidden illnesses? How could Xiao Li have any hidden illnesses? He's as fit as a fiddle; his parents just took him for a physical exam a few days ago. Don't you worry, once Xiaoxue marries him, you'll be holding a great-grandson in no time. Hahahaha.*
Seeing this message, Wang Xiuying let out a sigh of relief. She had known her old friend for so many years—would she ever try to harm her?
That girl Xiao Lin must have been provoked into talking nonsense. She shouldn't have taken her seriously.
At five o'clock in the afternoon, Shen Xue walked into the hospital room with a gloomy expression.
Lin Yu was lying down, scrolling through short videos, almost amused to death by the ancestors of a century ago.
Seeing Shen Xue, Wang Xiuying hurriedly sat up straight and smiled. "How did it go with Xiao Li?"
Shen Xue subconsciously looked at Lin Yu. Seeing this, Wang Xiuying pulled her close and whispered, "I asked your Auntie Zhang. Xiao Li is completely fine, fit as a fiddle."
"Don't listen to... her nonsense. She's so young and doesn't know a thing."
"It's not..."
Before Shen Xue could explain, Wang Xiuying continued, "Xiao Li's parents came to see me at noon, saying your marital home is almost done being renovated and all the furnishings are in. Have a look and see what's still missing..."
"Mom!"
Shen Xue cut off Wang Xiuying's words. "I am not marrying Li Jiangyuan."
She pulled out her phone and played a video recording. After watching it, Wang Xiuying's face turned red, then pale, and then black.