Su Yuchen remained convinced that the Yun Yao before him was not the true eldest daughter of the Yun family. Out of caution, he maintained his facade of simple-mindedness.
"They said you'd kick the bucket as soon as you married into our family! What a load of nonsense!"
"Look, my wonderful wife is perfectly fine, isn't she?"
"Quick, let my father-in-law and the others come and see!"
"Their daughter has come back to life!"
At the mention of Yun Jianghai, Yun Yao’s expression shifted, and she withdrew her hand. She despised the people from the Yun family far more than this simpleton before her. Yun Yao gathered her hair, which was as dry and brittle as withered grass, behind her ears.
"Fine. I do, in fact, really want to... see them."
She was quite curious to see what expressions would cross the faces of Yun Jianghai and his wife when they saw she was still alive. Su Yuchen looked at Chen Dong, who immediately understood and nodded.
While waiting for the Yun family to arrive, Yun Yao had Mother Wang prepare a meal for her. After eating her fill, she had just settled onto the sofa when a chorus of wailing erupted from the courtyard.
"My poor daughter!"
"Your father and I thought that by marrying you into the Su Family, your condition would improve!"
"We never imagined you would just leave us like this!"
"Our Yun Yao needed life-support equipment twenty-four hours a day! It must be because you didn't connect her to the machines in time!"
"Even though our Yun family can't compare to the Su family, my daughter met with this disaster in your home. You must give us an explanation!"
Yun Yao, sitting on the sofa, couldn't help but let out a cold snort at these words. So that was their game—trying to squeeze every last drop of value out of the original owner! Getting Nancheng’s wealthiest family to owe the Yun family a favor—that was a deal they couldn't lose! Yun Yao, an Old Ancestor who had lived for ten thousand years, thought she was shameless enough, but she hadn't expected to meet people even more brazen than herself.
She didn't see Su Yuchen, who was sitting to one side crunching on an apple, turn dark in the face. Everyone was plotting against him; these Yun family members were truly audacious!
Qiao Lan and Yun Jianghai leaned on each other, looking utterly devastated, with tears streaming down their faces.
"My daughter!"
"You died..." When Qiao Lan caught sight of Yun Yao sitting alive on the sofa, her eyes widened. "You... why aren't you dead?"
Yun Yao crossed her legs, her expression indifferent. "What? Are you disappointed to see I'm still alive?"
The panic in Qiao Lan's eyes was unmistakable; she hurriedly looked toward Yun Jianghai. Yun Jianghai was equally shocked. "Yun Yao, you... you've recovered?"
Yun Yao tapped her fingers rhythmically against the armrest. "Not only have I fully recovered, but I've also recalled a few things." Her gaze swept toward the clearly guilty Qiao Lan. "Aunt Qiao, are you feeling warm?"
Sweat had already broken out on Qiao Lan’s forehead; she gripped Yun Jianghai's clothes tightly. "Husband, today is Yun Yao's wedding night. We... we shouldn't have barged in like this. It’s... it’s not appropriate. We should leave quickly!"
Yun Jianghai looked at Yun Yao, his expression suddenly stern. "Yun Yao, since you’ve recovered, you must cherish this marriage. The Su Family is an entity far beyond our reach. You must not bring shame upon our Yun family!"
"Husband, let's go, let's go now!" Not giving them a chance to speak further, Qiao Lan dragged Yun Jianghai toward the exit.
Watching them scramble away, Yun Yao spoke slowly, "Father, Aunt Qiao, we have a long road ahead of us."
The two of them, having reached the door, stiffened in unison at her words.
Once they were gone, Yun Yao looked at Su Yuchen, who was sitting to the side with his head down, toying with an apple. "Your name is Su Yuchen, right? I'll be waiting for you in the bedroom."
*Hiss.*
How blunt! Everyone present lowered their heads. The Yun family's status might be a bit lacking, but which family in Nancheng could compare to the Su family? Yun Yao had been a vegetable, but she was recovered now! And looking at her features, she was a beauty! The young master was already twenty-five and hadn't even held a girl's hand. Getting married now was a good thing! Everyone pretended to be busy and vanished from Su Yuchen’s sight in an instant.
Su Yuchen’s expression grew heavy. He wanted to see what kind of medicine Yun Yao had in her gourd.
As soon as he pushed open the door, he didn't see Yun Yao. "Yun Yao?"
Just then, with a *click*, the bathroom door behind him opened. The look of vigilance in Su Yuchen’s eyes vanished instantly. He turned to face a small face still steaming with heat. She was wearing an oversized white shirt that reached just to her thighs, and her hair was dripping wet.
Su Yuchen had seen countless beauties—some with devastating looks, others with alluring figures. But this Yun Yao before him possessed neither of those. A honey trap? It was likely going to fail.
Yun Yao merely glanced at him before brushing past him to sit by the bed and dry her hair. "You came quite quickly."
With Yun Yao’s back to him, Su Yuchen no longer felt the need to pretend. He spoke plainly, "My wife called, so I dared not refuse."
"Heh." Yun Yao gave a light, mocking laugh. "Dared not, or was unwilling?"
Su Yuchen’s tone grew even more cautious. A dagger had already appeared in his hand. "I don't quite understand what my wife is saying."
Yun Yao tossed her towel onto the table. "Su Yuchen, do you take me for a three-year-old?" She turned to face him, ignoring the dagger. "What’s wrong? Are you done playing the fool?"
Su Yuchen made no attempt to hide his intentions. He never allowed things to slip out of his control. If they did, he would simply erase them. "When did you find out?"
Yun Yao crossed her arms and flicked a strand of hair from her forehead. "From the moment you had those two idiots from the Yun family brought here."
Su Yuchen was not surprised. "You are very clever."
"I know."
Su Yuchen: "..." Truly shameless!
Yun Yao propped her chin on one hand and looked at the dagger in Su Yuchen's hand. "Now that you've confirmed my identity, you should realize I pose no threat to you. Are you still planning to kill me to silence me?"
Su Yuchen remained silent, which was as good as an admission.
Yun Yao nodded. "You have guts, though not much. I have a win-win deal; would you like to consider it?"
It was the first time Su Yuchen felt suppressed by a woman. "Speak."
"We will be a married couple in name only. I will help you handle others, and you give me money."
Su Yuchen’s eyes grew dangerous. "You think this is a win-win?"
Yun Yao spread her hands. "Of course! You went to great lengths to marry a vegetable; you must have some underlying danger you need to mask. I can help you solve all your problems. And in return, all you have to do is give me money to spend!"
Seeing how earnest Yun Yao looked, Su Yuchen couldn't tell who the real fool was.
"Yun Yao, never mind what value you can bring me. Our marriage was based on a shabby wedding ceremony. In other words, you are not yet my true wife. I could have you kicked out at any moment." Su Yuchen was enveloped in an aura of killing intent. "Or, I could have you killed."