Reborn in the 1970s — Married a Proud Rough Man

Her parents had reminded her many times that she was now a Jie Family daughter-in-law. She shouldn’t call Jie Jianguo ”Director Jie,” but ”Dad.” She would call him ”Dad” in front of outsiders, but in front of Xu Chunyan, she didn’t want to pretend.

Xu Chunyan shot another vigilant glance around before cautiously entering the hospital room, closing and locking the door behind her.

Lin Yaru was sitting up against the headboard, looking unwell. Xu Chunyan sat in the chair by the bed and got straight to the point. ”Have you made up your mind?”

Lin Yaru shot Xu Chunyan a sidelong glance, her hand subconsciously stroking her bulging belly beneath the covers. It wasn’t that she was particularly excited about this child. Rather, she was thinking that if she got rid of it, she might have a hard time getting pregnant again.

The choice between becoming a mother in a few months and never being a mother at all became a tug-of-war in her mind.

”Yaru, Jing Si is back.” Seeing Lin Yaru’s indecision, Xu Chunyan tightened her hands into fists in her lap, trying to suppress her own roiling emotions.

At the mention of Jing Si’s name, a light instantly sparked in Lin Yaru’s dull eyes. Her wavering heart firmed up in an instant, as if she’d had a shot of adrenaline, giving her the resolve to go for broke.

She didn’t love Jie Jingwei. Even though she was carrying his child, she still refused to accept her fate.

Jie Jingwei was her nightmare. If she couldn’t escape his clutches, she would either die or go completely insane.

”Yaru, are you worried that if you give up this child, you’ll never get another chance to be a mother?” Xu Chunyan had Lin Yaru wrapped around her little finger. She had come up with a plan to help Lin Yaru marry Jing Si, but Lin Yaru, dumb as a pig, had ended up drugging Jing Si’s food, only for Jing Er to eat it by mistake. That blunder had cost Xu Chunyan her own happy marriage.

The more she thought about it, the more resentful and furious she became.

Xu Chunyan took a deep breath. ’Thankfully, Lin Yaru’s love for Jing Si is bone-deep. She hasn’t given up just because she’s pregnant with Jing Er’s child. Even after marrying Jing Er for the baby’s sake, she has no intention of actually building a life with him.’

Xu Chunyan took Lin Yaru’s hand, her face breaking into a deeply considerate smile as she began to counsel her like a trusted older sister.

”Sister Xu, stop,” Lin Yaru interrupted.

Xu Chunyan was secretly gloating. Lin Yaru hadn’t called her ”Sister Xu” ever since they’d had a falling out.

Calling her that now proved Lin Yaru no longer held a grudge against her.

Xu Chunyan had racked her brain for a way to trick Lin Yaru. ”Yaru, Jing Si is infertile. If you get together with him, you’ll never be able to have children. If you give birth to this baby, it will have to call Jing Si ’Fourth Uncle.’ Do you really think there would be any chance for you two then?”

”Sister Xu, say no more. I don’t want this child,” Lin Yaru said firmly.

Suppressing a triumphant smile, Xu Chunyan squeezed Lin Yaru’s hand. ”Yaru, you have to be sure. The baby or Jing Si—have you really made your final choice?”

”I’ve given it a lot of thought,” Lin Yaru said, her tone resolute. Between the baby and Jing Si, she would choose Jing Si without a second thought. ’As for the baby... it’s a stain on my name.’

Lin Yaru was filled with regret. ’I never should have listened to my parents and married Jing Er for this baby. If only I hadn’t married him... But there are no ’if onlys’ in this world. It must be fate playing a cruel joke on me.’

”Good, as long as you’ve thought it through.” Xu Chunyan nodded repeatedly, her venomous gaze locked on Lin Yaru’s swollen abdomen. ’That little bastard deserves to be stillborn.’

”Sister Xu, once the baby is gone and I divorce Jing Er, what about Jing Si?” Lin Yaru asked.

”Don’t worry, leave it to me. I have ways to break them up, and I have ways to make sure Jing Si marries no one but you.” Xu Chunyan was brimming with confidence. ’Lin Yaru and I aren’t even in the same league. That’s why she’s so quick to believe my words.’

Xu Chunyan’s current goal was to persuade Lin Yaru to get rid of the baby. The abortion should have happened over two months ago, but then Jing Si and Qin Mei had suddenly left for Xiangjiang. Lin Yaru, afraid they might never return, delayed the procedure again and again, dragging it out until she was now over four, almost five months pregnant.

Jing Si and Qin Mei had left suddenly, and now they had returned just as suddenly. ’It’s a good thing they came back,’ Xu Chunyan thought. ’If they had really gone for good, I would have had to resort to drastic measures.’

”Sister Xu, hearing you say that puts my mind at ease.” Lin Yaru trusted Xu Chunyan completely. Besides her own parents, Xu Chunyan was the only one who had wholeheartedly tried to set her up with Jing Si.

’If Jing Er hadn’t accidentally eaten the food I drugged, my devotion to Xu Chunyan would have been absolute.’

”My dear Yaru, as long as you trust me, I will help you make your dream come true,” Xu Chunyan said, patting the back of Lin Yaru’s hand.

”Sister Xu, thank you,” Lin Yaru said, overwhelmed with gratitude.

”We’ll be sisters-in-law before you know it,” Xu Chunyan said.

Outside the door, Qin Mei pressed her ear to the wood, listening to their conversation. She couldn’t help but sigh. ’Lin Yaru’s obsession with Jie Jingchen really is bone-deep.’

’Once best friends, they turned on each other over a man, and now they’re acting like they’ve made up completely.’

’All that talk of ”big sister” and ”little sister.”’

’To Qin Mei, Xu Chunyan was the big bad wolf, and Lin Yaru was the little white rabbit she was luring into a trap.’

’Xu Chunyan wants to break me and Jie Jingchen up? Where does she get that confidence?’

’Xu Chunyan and Xu Jiali are related somehow. But while Xu Chunyan is insidious and full of wicked schemes, Xu Jiali is much more likable.’

Inside the room, the two women were so absorbed in their conversation that they didn’t notice someone was eavesdropping.

Xu Chunyan took a small packet of powder from her pocket. In front of Lin Yaru, she poured the powder into an enamel mug. She then picked up a thermos and filled the mug halfway with warm water. Setting the thermos down, she picked up the mug and swirled it gently, helping the powder dissolve.

”My dear Yaru, drink this, and you’ll be reborn like a phoenix from the ashes,” Xu Chunyan said, handing the mug to Lin Yaru.

Lin Yaru’s gaze went vacant. She stared at the mug in Xu Chunyan’s hand and muttered to herself, ”If I drink this, can I really be reborn like a phoenix from the ashes?”

”Yes,” Xu Chunyan bit out the single word. ’At this crucial moment, she’s not going to back out, is she?’

Still, Lin Yaru didn’t take it, just stared blankly at the mug.

”My dear Yaru, we’re in a hospital,” Xu Chunyan cajoled. ”The moment you drink it, I’ll go get a doctor. Your future mother-in-law, Qiao Yanqiu, is here. She’ll definitely do everything in her power to save you.”

”Will she really do everything to save me?” Lin Yaru worried. ’Qiao Yanqiu is very happy with Qin Mei as her daughter-in-law. What if she decides to kick me while I’m down? I’ll be in terrible danger.’

Xu Chunyan saw Lin Yaru’s hesitation. ”Don’t worry,” she said. ”Qiao Yanqiu has strong medical ethics. Forget you—even if it were me, she would do everything she could to save a patient.”

Their goals were different: Xu Chunyan was after money, while Lin Yaru was after the man.

’Qiao Yanqiu has always seen wealth as irrelevant,’ Xu Chunyan thought. ’Which is why she despises me all the more.’

”It’s not too late to change your mind,” Xu Chunyan said, employing a bit of reverse psychology.

Lin Yaru shook her head. It wasn’t regret she felt, but fear. She was afraid Qiao Yanqiu would simply let her die.

”I’ll pour it out, then.” Before Xu Chunyan could finish her sentence, Lin Yaru snatched the mug from her.

Lin Yaru’s hands tightened around the mug. She brought it to her lips but still hesitated. Xu Chunyan was getting antsy. ’This is agonizing! Just drink it already! If you don’t, I’ll force it down your throat.’

’Either way, I’m not leaving today until my goal is accomplished.’

Meanwhile, Qin Mei was thinking, ’In a moment, should I save her or not?’

’Xu Chunyan is desperate to make Lin Yaru get rid of the baby. I don’t want Xu Chunyan to get what she wants, but at the same time, I want to see Lin Yaru face the consequences of her own actions.’

”I’m so conflicted. What a difficult decision,” Qin Mei whispered.

”Fourth Wife of Jing, what are you doing here?” Jie Anlin’s voice suddenly rang out.

Qin Mei jumped. ’What’s this guy doing at the hospital? His granny’s room is on the third floor, but he’s up here on the fourth. Don’t tell me something happened to his wife, too.’

Jie Anlin’s voice also startled the two women in the room. The enamel mug slipped from Lin Yaru’s grasp, but Xu Chunyan’s reflexes were lightning-fast, and she caught it.

”Let me help you.” A vicious look flashed in Xu Chunyan’s eyes. She pinched Lin Yaru’s jaw, forcing her mouth open, and poured the contents straight down her throat.

Lin Yaru’s body went rigid. She hadn’t expected Xu Chunyan to force it down her throat. Her first instinct was to struggle, but then she had a second thought and stopped fighting.