Chapter 76: Striking Zhong Lan (Requesting Subscriptions!)

As soon as the question was asked, Chen Zijin and Chen Zitong both turned their gazes toward Chen Xiaomi.

At that moment, Chen Xiaomi was deeply troubled, unsure how to answer.

It had been half a month since she returned from Shaoshan, and during that time she had been wrestling with this question, locked in constant internal conflict.

Originally, her views aligned closely with her sister-in-law and two older sisters—they had always looked down on Li Heng and the Li family, despising them.

They had once believed: Li Heng was morally corrupt, using sweet talk to trick Zijin into bed, motivated not just by lust for her beauty but possibly by a desire to cling to the Chen family’s powerful influence.

It wasn’t strange for them to think this way; since the Chen family’s resurgence, and especially after the old master and eldest son had both fallen from grace, a flood of people had rushed to flatter, curry favor, and bribe their way in—she had seen it daily, until she grew utterly sick of it.

As a result, whenever anyone approached them willingly, they automatically suspected ulterior motives.

Of course, their dislike for Li Heng stemmed mainly from three reasons:

First, Zijin hadn’t even graduated high school yet.

In this conservative era, Li Heng’s actions directly crossed their red line.

Added to that, the Chen family’s third-generation direct descendants were only two daughters—and now one had been “ruined,” which struck at the Chen family’s sacred honor and ignited their collective fury.

Thus, the entire Chen household, from top to bottom, held deep animosity toward Li Heng.

The second reason was traditional thinking: now that the Chen family had risen to prominence, as villagers would say, “soared to the heavens,” they naturally hoped their children would marry someone of equal social standing.

But look at the Li family’s current destitution—what difference was there between them and an ordinary rural household? They were utterly unworthy of the Chen family’s attention.

The third reason needed no explanation: the gossip spreading through the countryside was vile, forcing the Chen family to abandon their hometown and relocate together to Jingcheng.

All these factors combined had made the Chen family detest Li Heng with every fiber of their being.

But now, with Li Heng’s sudden rise to fame, things had changed, forcing them to reconsider.

At least, Chen Xiaomi had been tormented for half a month, her mind in constant turmoil.

She had considered telling the family, but—she herself had once been just like her sister-in-law, the one who looked down on Li Heng the most.

How could she possibly bring it up?

How could she open her mouth?

Imagine the scene: standing before the whole family, she would gush enthusiastically about how powerful Li Heng had become, how much the literary giants adored his novel *Alive*, how extraordinary he was, how limitless his potential, how bright his future.

Wouldn’t that be slapping her own face?

Wasn’t it saying she had been blind before—that the more she had looked down on Li Heng, the more astonishingly powerful he had become, making her look like a fool?

For Chen Xiaomi, who had always considered herself superior and above others, this was unbearable, unthinkable.

She would rather Li Heng beat her senseless, trample her into the ground, than publicly proclaim his extraordinary talent.

The contrast was simply too great!

It was simply too painful!

So she kept delaying, deceiving herself with procrastination.

But now—ha!—as soon as her sister-in-law spoke, she knew she could delay no longer.

Because as public opinion swelled, paper could no longer wrap fire; sooner or later, the truth would reach the Chen family’s ears, reach Zijin’s.

Besides, there was still Li Heng in Shaoshan—a ticking time bomb, unpredictable, ready to explode onto the news at any moment and strike her with a blast.

Li Heng’s verbal prowess had already been fully demonstrated in Shaoshan; she had no choice but to admit she was outmatched.

As Chen Xiaomi struggled to hold on, her impatient niece Chen Zitong asked: “Auntie, what does this writer look like? An old man? Or a gentle middle-aged man? If he’s a tall, handsome young man, that’d be great—maybe I could meet him someday.”

Chen Xiaomi ignored her niece’s words, took a deep breath, stood up, and addressed her sister-in-law: “Sister-in-law, come with me—I need to speak with you.”

It had to be said!

If she waited any longer, that bastard Li Heng might storm in with overwhelming force and snatch Zijin away—then things would be far worse.

Better to face it early than to keep dodging.

Of course, she couldn’t bring it up in front of Zijin—she simply couldn’t face her.

Zhong Lan followed her, confused, into the younger sister’s bedroom. As soon as the door closed, she asked:

“Xiaomi, what’s wrong? What do you need to tell me?”

Chen Xiaomi turned, staring fixedly at her sister-in-law, just one meter away. After a long silence, she spoke:

“Aren’t you wondering who wrote *Alive*?”

Zhong Lan froze, instinctively asking: “Is there some secret about this writer? Why must we say it here?”

Chen Xiaomi nodded. “Sister-in-law, are you still angry?”

Zhong Lan didn’t understand what her sister-in-law was up to today. “Angry at whom? Zijin?”

Chen Xiaomi said: “Li Heng.”

The name alone ignited her fury—Zhong Lan’s face darkened instantly. “Why bring up that brat? I’d skin him alive if I could.”

Chen Xiaomi smiled bitterly. “But he’s the one who wrote *Alive*.”

“What? What did you say?”

“Li Heng is the writer.”

Zhong Lan’s heart reeled; she thought she’d misheard. Her voice sharpened. “Who?”

Chen Xiaomi said: “Li Heng.”

Zhong Lan couldn’t believe it—her eyes widened, nearly bulging out of her forehead. “Li Heng? The writer of *Alive*?”

Chen Xiaomi nodded firmly. “Yes. I saw him with my own eyes.”

Hummm.

Zhong Lan’s mind went blank, filled only with a buzzing noise.

Watching the shifting expressions on her sister-in-law’s face—like watching a Sichuan opera mask change—Chen Xiaomi realized for the first time she was a cruel person, and felt a twisted sense of satisfaction.

She had suffered for half a month; now her sister-in-law was suffering too, and suddenly, she felt much better, her mood lifted.

After all, she wasn’t the only one who had been blind. She wasn’t the only one who had looked down on Li Heng and treated him cruelly. If it hurt, let everyone hurt together.

Suddenly, she regretted waiting. If she’d told her sister-in-law sooner, it would’ve been better.

Zhong Lan’s face cycled from red to white, then to iron-gray, then back to pallor—as if riding a rollercoaster.

After a long, long silence, she asked in a low voice: “Is it truly Li Heng?”

Chen Xiaomi replied seriously: “Though I hate to admit it, there’s no mistake.”

Zhong Lan fell silent again, plopping onto the edge of her sister-in-law’s bed, eyes unfocused, utterly speechless.

Chen Xiaomi sat beside her, waited for her sister-in-law to process it, then spoke: “The phone’s broken. Should I call someone to install a new one?”

Though she spoke of the phone, she meant Zijin—testing her sister-in-law’s changed attitude toward Li Heng.

Zhong Lan ignored the question, sighed deeply: “Xiaomi, I can’t accept this.”

Chen Xiaomi understood completely: “I still can’t accept it either.”

Zhong Lan puzzled: “He’s barely seventeen.”

Chen Xiaomi said: “One month shy of eighteen.”

Zhong Lan murmured: “How could he be so… I still can’t accept it.”

Chen Xiaomi said: “Not accepting it doesn’t matter. First, install the phone.”

Zhong Lan slowly turned her head, staring at her sister-in-law.

Chen Xiaomi sighed helplessly: “You’re already overwhelmed—imagine how long I’ve been suffering. You have to install the phone. What if there’s an emergency and they need to reach the old master or your husband?”

Zhong Lan frowned angrily: “Don’t talk to me about the phone—I want to know about Li Heng—”

Chen Xiaomi corrected: “That brat.”

Zhong Lan opened her mouth, took a deep breath: “You’ve read *Alive*. Is it really that good? Does it deserve the effort Old Ba put into it?”

Chen Xiaomi paused, then said with deep regret: “Myself, everyone in our editorial department, and Chief Editor Zhou—all of us, the moment we finished *Alive*, felt stunned, as if we’d encountered a divine work.”

The second reaction was a soul-deep resonance.

I knew then it was a once-in-a-lifetime masterpiece, one that could elevate my career.

But even after risking my dignity, I still failed to secure it.

“Risking my dignity” referred to her humiliation in Shaoshan.

Here, Chen Xiaomi paused, then continued: “It’s truly excellent—I can’t overstate it. Sister-in-law, read it yourself and you’ll understand. Then we can decide what to do next.”

Zhong Lan hesitated. “Is it available outside?”

Chen Xiaomi said: “Yes. It hit the shelves in Jingcheng this morning.”

Zhong Lan hesitated again, then asked: “What do you think we should do?”

Chen Xiaomi repeated: “Install the phone first.”

Zhong Lan glanced out the window. “Doesn’t that mean I’m admitting defeat?”

Chen Xiaomi said: “Sister-in-law, haven’t you realized yet? Whether you admit defeat or not, Zijin will still run off with that bastard.”

Installing the phone now versus later makes a huge difference. Zijin is smart—she won’t be fooled.”

After weighing it, Zhong Lan stood up. “I’ll go buy dinner. The phone is none of my concern.”

Chen Xiaomi called after her: “Sister-in-law, *Alive* is sold at newsstands.”

The word “sister-in-law” was quiet, yet piercing. Zhong Lan staggered, nearly falling—she barely caught herself on the doorframe, then walked out slowly.

After their secret meeting, the two women left the Sihe Academy in silence, one behind the other—leaving the two Chen sisters utterly baffled.

The old master glanced at his daughter-in-law and younger daughter’s retreating backs, remained silent, and returned to his book.

Chen Zitong, young and lively, couldn’t hold back. She tugged at the old master’s sleeve:

“Grandpa, what are Mom and Auntie up to?”

The old master was engrossed in his book and initially ignored her—but his granddaughter kept whining until he finally said, with deep meaning:

“Your mother and your aunt are dividing the pot.”

Chen Zitong asked, “What do you mean, ‘split the blame’?”

Chen Laoyezi glanced at her. “Clean up the broken phone and pour your grandfather another cup of tea.”

Then he added, “Also heat up some milk for your sister and peel her an apple.”

“Huh?”

Chen Zitong stared blankly. “Grandpa, you’re being way too biased! She’s only one and a half years older than me—am I supposed to wait on her like a servant?”

Chen Laoyezi pried her hand loose. “Go on. Do as your grandfather says—it won’t be wrong.”

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(End of chapter)