Chapter 698: With Strength, Break the Impasse

Seeing his second sister stubbornly refuse to leave like sticky candy, Li Heng finally lost his temper and stood up.

Under the watchful eyes of Chen Zijin and Song Yu, he used all his strength to drag her outside into the courtyard, giving the two women space.

Li Lan frowned, “What are you doing?”

Li Heng was speechless: “Are you really clueless, or pretending to be? Don’t you know they have things to say?”

Li Lan shot him a sidelong glance: “What’s it to me? This is my home—I can’t sit here?”

Li Heng said: “I have something to discuss with you.”

Li Lan studied him for a moment, then suddenly laughed: “Do you think they’ll start fighting?”

Li Heng was completely at ease: “No. Neither of them is that kind of person.”

If it were Zijin and that scheming wife side by side, he’d be a little worried—after all, the two are sworn enemies.

But Song Yu? So far, aside from her ongoing feud with Queen Zhou Shihe, she gets along with almost every woman.

Li Lan asked: “What do you think they’re talking about?”

Li Heng didn’t answer, but countered: “What do you think, second sister?”

Li Lan thought for a moment and said: “From my personal view, Zijin invited Song Yu over to show off to Mom, Dad, and you—to test our family’s attitude and confirm her standing here.”

Li Heng fell silent—he’d already guessed this too.

That’s why, the moment he walked in, he immediately hugged Zijin and kissed her—purely for everyone’s benefit, to give Zijin peace of mind.

This lifetime, though hindered by the Chen family, he wouldn’t marry her—but no one, not a soul, could look down on Zijin. Not even Song Yu, not even Xiao Han, not even Teacher Yu or Queen Zhou Shihe.

Whoever dared to bully Zijin, he wouldn’t tolerate it.

Of course, if it came to the kind of petty jealousy and rivalry between his past scheming wife and Zijin—as long as it didn’t threaten her dignity or core well-being—he’d pretend not to notice.

Li Lan said: “You keep bringing home one woman after another, each prettier and more outstanding than the last—Zijin feels terribly insecure. I hope you understand her actions today.”

In the end, Li Lan still favored Zijin the most, still felt the deepest pity for her—even her usually rational second sister had broken down emotionally.

Li Heng fell silent, then said after a long while: “This lifetime, I won’t betray her.”

Li Lan scoffed, mocking: “How thick-skinned of you to say that—you already have betrayed her.”

Li Heng didn’t argue, but changed the subject: “While I’m away from Jingcheng, I hope you’ll look after her for me.”

Li Lan lifted her chin: “That’s at least a decent thing to say. Don’t worry—Zijin and Zhong Lan have a strained relationship; if we don’t care for her, she’ll have nowhere to go. So I bring her home for meals every other day—Mom and Dad always cook her special dishes.”

In a way, Zijin comes to Gulou more often than she goes back to the Chen household—especially on weekends, she practically lives here.

Little brother, I want you to understand this: I won’t scold you for your wild ways outside, but Zijin—you must make time for her. If you ever abandon her, I’ll cut ties with you and never recognize you as my brother again.”

The Li Lan speaking now was unlike herself—no more carefree cynicism, no more that smug wisdom of hers looking down on the world—only profound seriousness.

Li Heng said seriously: “Thank you, second sister. Even if you hadn’t said it, I already knew.”

Hearing this, Li Lan reached out and patted his arm: “Next time, bring Song Yu and Mai Sui to visit me more often. Try not to bring other women—oh, Huang Zhaoyi is fine too.”

Li Lan’s gaze was sharp—Song Yu, Mai Sui, and Huang Zhaoyi were all women with low aggression, kind hearts, and no hostility toward Zijin.

As for Yu Shuheng, Zhou Shihe, and Wang Runwen, she knew little about them and didn’t mention them.

Actually, Li Lan had a decent impression of Xiao Han—but she’d long known one fact: Xiao Han and Zijin simply couldn’t stand each other.

So in this patch of Jingcheng, she’d never invite Xiao Han over.

Li Heng nodded: “Yeah, okay.”

…

After the siblings left the living room.

Chen Zijin glanced toward the kitchen, then whispered: “Yingwen told me he saw your parents at Tiananmen on the 24th? Did Uncle and Aunt come?”

Song Yu understood why Zijin brought up the parents—she was probing how far her relationship with Li Heng had progressed.

She didn’t hide it: “They came. Arrived on the 22nd.”

Chen Zijin asked: “Did they meet your parents here?”

“Your parents here” meant Li Jianguo and Tian Rune.

Song Yu answered honestly: “They met. That’s exactly why they came.”

Chen Zijin’s heart tightened, but she asked calmly: “How long did Li Heng stay in Dongting Lake?”

Song Yu said: “Thirty-two days.”

Chen Zijin asked again: “Did it alarm your parents? What’s your situation now…?”

She trailed off, too shy to voice the rest.

Song Yu understood her thoughts and answered frankly: “For these past days, we’ve eaten and slept together—but we haven’t gone all the way.”

“Going all the way” meant sexual intercourse.

This also explained why Song Shi and his wife had come to Jingcheng to meet Li Heng’s parents.

Hearing the first part, Chen Zijin felt desolate—but the last sentence made her heart leap, the world around her suddenly brightening again.

Chen Zijin wasn’t foolish—in fact, she was sharp. From just those few sentences, she’d extracted all the information she needed: under the eyes of both families, her man and Song Yu were essentially betrothed—he would marry Song Yu.

That position had once been hers, but her family offered no support, leaving her powerless to fight for it—she could only yield it.

But thankfully, Song Yu was a woman of her word. That one phrase—“but we haven’t gone all the way”—brought her great relief.

Chen Zijin fell silent for a moment, then stared straight into Song Yu’s eyes: “Why didn’t you take this perfect chance to sleep with him?”

Song Yu spoke calmly: “Two reasons.”

Chen Zijin leaned in, listening.

Song Yu spoke earnestly: “Zijin, even though I’ve wronged you, we’re still close friends, sisters. If I sleep with him now, I can’t guarantee I won’t get pregnant.

If I did get pregnant, neither he, nor my parents, nor your in-laws here, would allow an abortion—that would break my promise to you. I can’t betray you like that.”

Chen Zijin was moved—she believed her.

Because she knew one thing about Li Heng: when he first sleeps with a woman, he never uses protection—and he refuses to let his women take emergency contraception.

Three years ago, when she lost her virginity, she’d happened to be in her safe period, and they’d used protection ever since.

When Xiao Han lost hers, it was also during her safe period—and they used protection afterward.

As for Huang Zhaoyi, Chen Zijin didn’t know—but she assumed contraception was used; otherwise, the woman would’ve been pregnant by now.

Chen Zijin asked: “What’s the second reason?”

Song Yu hesitated a long while, then finally spoke: “I want him to marry me with a traditional Chinese wedding. In ancient times, the bride had to bleed on the wedding night—that’s the moment I’ve always dreamed of as perfect.”

Chen Zijin felt a pang of bitterness, but after a small smile, she offered her blessing: “After the clouds part, the moon will shine—congratulations.”

Song Yu nodded: “Thank you.”

Chen Zijin said: “When it happens, remember to invite me—I want to see your grand traditional wedding.”

Their eyes met. Song Yu weighed her words, then spoke slowly: “Will you be my bridesmaid?”

In a traditional Chinese wedding, the bridesmaid was the chief attendant.

Her words weren’t mockery or provocation—they were a gentle way of saying: Let’s both marry him.

Because she knew better than anyone that Zijin longed to marry him openly—only fate had denied her.

So the magnanimous Song Yu made this suggestion, offering Zijin a different kind of redemption.

If Xiao Han had said this, Zijin would’ve dismissed it as boasting and cruelty—but coming from Song Yu, Zijin fell silent.

Long moments passed. Zijin asked softly: “Would that really be okay?”

Song Yu saw Zijin was moved and smiled: “Why not? He’d be overjoyed. Besides…”

She paused, glanced toward the kitchen, then continued: “Besides, he has more than one mistress outside. Even after marrying me, he won’t stay in Jingcheng every day—we two sisters know each other well, and we’d have company.”

Chen Zijin was deeply touched—she understood Song Yu was helping her, creating more opportunities for her to be with Li Heng. Her eyes grew damp without her noticing, and she smiled weakly: “Thank you, Song Yu.”

Song Yu shook her head gently: “You should be the one thanking me.”

She would never forget: this position was originally Zijin’s. Now she sat in it, enjoying Li Heng’s favor and affection—and Zijin’s silent encouragement.

So Song Yu was grateful.

The topic had gone this far. Song Yu thought for a moment, then lowered her voice: “There are three women outside I can’t predict—you need to prepare.”

Chen Zijin thought for a moment: “Xiao Han, Yu Shuheng, and Zhou Shihe?”

Song Yu nodded, then shook her head: “Teacher Yu might be manageable. But Xiao Han and Zhou Shihe—you must be careful. I fear they won’t play by the rules.

Also, there’s Huang Zhaoyi. I haven’t met her, but she’s thirty-four, from the powerful Huang family. You know her better than I do. At her age, from such a family, things rarely go as one wishes.”

So, Zijin, you—you should stop…”

She trailed off, unable to finish—but she trusted Zijin would understand.

Chen Zijin instantly understood: the unspoken meaning was—stop using contraception. Get pregnant as soon as possible.

Chen Zijin said: “I’m not too worried about Huang Zhaoyi…”

Song Yu shook her head: “She runs a Weihao Mei company in Xiangnan. Recently, she even went to his hometown.”

Chen Zijin’s pupils shrank. She clenched her teeth: “Fine. I’ll talk to him about it.”

The phrase “talk to him about it” didn’t worry Song Yu—she trusted Li Heng’s character. Once he gave his word, he kept it. This was merely a formality.

Neither woman mentioned the fact that they were still in school—because for Chen Zijin, that wasn’t a major issue; there were always ways to avoid the drawbacks.

Estimating the time, Li Heng returned inside.

At that moment, Song Yu and Chen Zijin had just finished talking and turned to look at him together.

Li Heng sat beside Zijin, studied her for a while, then looked at Song Yu—seeing no signs of distress, he asked Zijin: “Wife, have you been home all summer?”

Chen Zijin smiled sweetly: “Yes. Staying home reading, occasionally going out with my little aunt.”

In truth, she’d spent a third of her time with Tian Rune and her second sister—but she didn’t say so.

Li Heng reached out and squeezed her palm gently: “Stay tonight. Come drink with me.”

Stay?

Stay overnight with him tonight?

Chen Zijin exchanged a glance with Song Yu, then smiled and said in a conciliatory tone, “I’m going to my second aunt’s for dinner tonight—Zitong and the others are already there. I’m free the day after tomorrow.”

Truth be told, she did have free time that evening, and going to her second aunt’s was genuine—but she could have skipped it, since it was just an ordinary family meal, nothing important.

But Chen Zijin appreciated Song Yu’s kindness, knowing that Song Yu was alone in Jingcheng right now and school hadn’t started yet, so she left Li Heng in Song Yu’s care.

Hearing the implication, Li Heng felt deeply comforted, his heart swelling with joy.

In his past life, the two women had a complicated relationship—close friends yet mutual rivals. But in this life, they seemed to get along exceptionally well, even going out of their way to consider each other’s feelings.

In his past life, he never would have dared to imagine this.

Li Heng happily said, “Good, then set aside the day after tomorrow—we’ll have dinner together and go out for a walk.”

Chen Zijin and Song Yu exchanged another glance and agreed.

Tian Rune and Li Jianguo had gone to great trouble, preparing a full table of dishes—mostly hometown specialties, heavily spiced with chili, making one’s mouth water at the sight.