Jun Chen smiled, put away the envelope, and said, "No problem."
Jun Chen asked, "Why do you like Meng Liang?"
Lin Shiyu replied, "I like him because I like him! How can there be so many whys?"
With a serious expression, Lin Shiyu continued, "Senior Meng Liang—which girl in Modu doesn't like him? Not to mention that he's dashing and graceful, he comes from a good family—his father is the secretary of the Modu Municipal Committee. His educational background is top-notch; after graduating from Modu University, he went abroad for further studies at an Ivy League university and earned his doctorate. And he has achieved career success, returning after completing his studies to build his own business. He is one of the top ten young entrepreneurs in Modu. He's the ultimate tall, rich, and handsome man!"
Jun Chen nodded and said, "Mmm, you're right!"
Lin Shiyu beamed and quickly added, "Certainly not as good as you, Brother-in-law."
Jun Chen smiled and said, "Tell me, in what way is Meng Liang not as good as your brother-in-law here?" He sounded quite pleased with himself, pressing his advantage.
"Uh... well..."
Lin Shiyu was left speechless, stammering and turning red in the face without being able to come up with a single logical reason.
At that moment, Shen Liuli finished her tasks, came downstairs, and rescued Lin Shiyu. "What are you two chatting about?"
Lin Shiyu wore an awkward smile, while Jun Chen kept his smiling face and said, "We weren't chatting about much, just joking around with Shiyu."
At dinner, Jun Chen obediently stayed out of the kitchen. Mother Wu prepared the dishes according to Shen Liuli's usual preferences, but after eating only a few bites, Shen Liuli put down her chopsticks and went upstairs.
Jun Chen asked, "Mother Wu, does Liuli usually only eat this little?"
Mother Wu replied, "Sometimes she's like this, though rarely. It's probably because the young madam is pregnant and her tastes have changed. I'll make things a bit lighter tomorrow."
Jun Chen nodded.
In the study, Shen Liuli handled company business. If she had any time left, she would read for a while before finally returning to the bedroom to rest at bedtime.
Having eaten only a few bites at dinner while pregnant, she knew she would get hungry, but she hadn't expected it to happen so soon. Barely an hour after sitting down, her stomach began to protest.
As if he could foretell the future, just as Shen Liuli was thinking of going downstairs to find something to eat, Jun Chen pushed open the door and walked in carrying a midnight snack.
Sensing Shen Liuli's dangerous gaze, Jun Chen immediately explained, "Wife, I only made this one small bowl. Even if you wanted to eat more, there simply isn't any left."
Shen Liuli still kept a straight face and said, "Put it down."
Jun Chen grinned and said, "Then I'll leave it right here. Eat it while it's hot, and call me when you're done so I can clear it away."
Watching Jun Chen's "fleeing in panic" back, Shen Liuli couldn't help laughing out loud. Then she picked up the bowl of lotus seed soup and began to eat happily.
Of course, it was impossible for Jun Chen to have cooked only a single bowl; he simply only dared to bring one bowl to Shen Liuli, while the rest was completely devoured by his sister-in-law, Lin Shiyu.
Before eating the lotus seed soup, Lin Shiyu thought her brother-in-law Jun Chen and Meng Liang were about equally impressive, if anything leaning a bit more toward Meng Liang. After eating the lotus seed soup, however, her brother-in-law completely surpassed Meng Liang in her mind.
After finishing it, Lin Shiyu was left with an aftertaste that lingered for a long time.
Sighing with sincere admiration, Lin Shiyu said, "Brother-in-law, the lotus seed soup you make is the best I've ever tasted. Why don't you do the cooking every day? I guarantee I'll come over to freeload every single day."
Jun Chen smiled and said, "That would require your cousin—my wife—to agree to let me cook."
Confused, Lin Shiyu asked, "Brother-in-law, your cooking is so good, why won't Cousin let you cook?"
Jun Chen explained, "It's precisely because your brother-in-law's cooking is too good that she can't help overeating and will gain weight. Therefore, without your cousin's—my wife's—permission, I am not allowed to set foot in the kitchen."
"Tonight was just an exception."
Lin Shiyu nodded, deeply understanding the situation. With the brother-in-law's culinary skills, no one could resist.
The next morning!
While eating breakfast, Shen Liuli received a call from her father, Shen Huaiqiu.
After hanging up, Shen Liuli's expression looked somewhat unusual.
Jun Chen asked, "What's wrong, Wife? What did Father say to you?"
Shen Liuli sighed and said, "Last night, Chen Qingdi got into a car accident while drunk driving. He was resuscitated at the hospital all night and has been pulled through. Dad wants the two of us to represent the Shen Family and go to the hospital to check on him."
Jun Chen let out an "mm" and said nothing more. Whether that Young Master Chen lived or died had nothing to do with him.
Lin Shiyu burst out in alarm, "What? Drunk driving! A car accident! Was it because he was trapped by love, ready to die for it? Surely not, Dongfang Zijin isn't going to be sentenced to death, right?"
Jun Chen said, "It's not that serious."
Shen Liuli snapped, "Eat your breakfast properly."
Lin Shiyu's voice abruptly cut off. She drooped her head and focused earnestly on her breakfast.
After finishing breakfast, Jun Chen and Shen Liuli drove to the hospital, dropping Lin Shiyu off at Modu University along the way.
At the hospital ward.
Chen Changseheng and his wife kept a constant vigil in the room. Chen Qingdi was still unconscious.
During the crash, Chen Qingdi had missed having his heart pierced by a steel spike by a mere centimeter, escaping instant death. Perhaps it wasn't his time to die; thanks to being sent to the hospital in time, he miraculously survived after nearly ten hours of emergency treatment. However, he remained in a deep coma, and no one knew when he would wake up—it could be a day or two, a month or two, a year or two, or perhaps never at all.
Overcome with grief, Madam Chen had already fainted from crying several times.
Chen Changsheng felt grief as well, but even more so, anger. To throw one's life away over a woman and completely disregard everything else!
Chen Changsheng let out a long sigh toward the ceiling, his eye sockets gradually growing damp. The son he had once been so proud of had ended up in this state, lying unconscious in a hospital bed—all because of that woman, Dongfang Zijin! A ruthless look flashed across Chen Changsheng's face.
Guided by a nurse, Jun Chen and Shen Liuli arrived at Chen Qingdi's ward. "Uncle, Auntie!"
Chen Changsheng said sorrowfully, "Liuli is here."
Chen Changsheng had some words he wanted to say to Shen Liuli, but just as they reached the tip of his tongue, he saw Jun Chen walking in behind her and swallowed them back down.
Jun Chen caught every single change in Chen Changsheng's facial expressions. He had been hesitating outside whether or not to come in, but fortunately, he had chosen to enter in the end. The old fox had actually still been thinking about stealing away his wife!
There was nothing Shen Liuli could accomplish by coming here either; she was merely representing the Shen Family to offer condolences and comfort Chen Changsheng and his wife, nothing more!
As they walked out of the hospital, Shen Liuli asked, "How do you plan to deal with Dongfang Zijin?"
With an exaggerated expression, Jun Chen said, "Wife, you mustn't talk nonsense. What do you mean by how *I* want to deal with her? She broke the law, so naturally the law will punish her. What could *I* possibly do to her?"
"According to legal statutes, instigating, inciting, and directing others to commit a crime carries the same guilt as the primary offender. Rape carries a minimum sentence of three years."
Jun Chen dropped Shen Liuli off at her company and then left to find Meng Liang. Since he had made a promise to his sister-in-law, he naturally had to follow through.
Jun Chen simply didn't believe those skulking martial artists from the Eastern Island nation had the guts to make a move in broad daylight and launch an attack on Shen Liuli.