Chapter 196: Riemann Did It on Purpose
She never imagined that her sister-in-law could humble herself this much for Zhang You.
“Sister-in-law, I don’t want a divorce from Zhang You. Please, help me beg Mom. I don’t want to divorce Zhang You. I love him. I can’t leave him.” She pleaded in a low voice, her tone thick with tears.
Mrs. Wang took a deep breath, trying hard to suppress her anger and calm the irritation inside her.
“Auntie… if Grandma saw you like this, she would be very sad.” Li Man spoke softly, with a gentle and delicate tone.
She glanced at Xu Yuan, who was crying like a fool, and felt secretly pleased.
What an idiot!
“Who are you?” Old Mrs. Zhang asked discontentedly.
“This is my goddaughter, Li Man. Xu Yuan, Mom is really worried about you. Manman and I came here because of Mom.”
Mrs. Wang gazed at Xu Yuan. As the daughter of the Xu family, there was no need to degrade herself like this for a man.
Doing this would only make Old Mrs. Zhang dislike her even more and look down on her.
“Thank you… thank you, Sister-in-law.” Xu Yuan sobbed a few times, wiped away her tears, stood up, and took Mrs. Wang’s hand. “I know I’ve made everyone worry, but I can’t leave Zhang You. I love him so much, Sister-in-law. This is my choice.”
“Xu Yuan, Zhang You doesn’t really like you. If he truly liked you, how could he let you live like this in the Zhang family?” Mrs. Wang sighed helplessly.
Xu Yuan shook her head firmly. “I believe in Zhang You. He does like me. It’s all my fault for not being able to give the Zhang family a child. I’m just not good enough.”
Old Mrs. Zhang, who had been watching the drama on the side, laughed smugly. “Did you hear that? No one in our Zhang family abuses her. This is all her own choice. You two, please leave now. Don’t waste my time disciplining my daughter-in-law.”
With that, she waved her hand to signal the servants to see them out. Seeing this, Li Man quickly tugged at Mrs. Wang’s sleeve.
They left the villa, and Mrs. Wang was in a very bad mood now.
“Godmother, you go back first. I’ll stay here and wait for Uncle. I’ll try to talk to Auntie again.”
“I guess that’s the only way. Manman, I’m sorry to put you through this.” Mrs. Wang looked exhausted. After she left, Li Man stared at the Zhang family’s villa with a joyful heart.
So—
In her past life, Xu Yuan was just as lowly in the Zhang family.
Old Mrs. Zhang snorted coldly, sat on the sofa, and sipped her tea. “I don’t care what you’re thinking. Get a divorce from Zhang You as soon as possible.”
“I don’t want a divorce.” Xu Yuan wept in despair.
“Hmph, it’s not up to you to refuse. The Zhang family doesn’t raise useless people. Xu Yuan, since you love Zhang You so much, you surely don’t want to see him end up without an heir, do you?” Old Mrs. Zhang stared at Xu Yuan’s haggard face. Looking closely, there were already wrinkles on it. She really couldn’t compare to the pretty young things outside.
More importantly, the woman outside wasn’t just young and pretty—she was also pregnant.
Her precious grandson absolutely could not be born out of wedlock.
Getting rid of Xu Yuan was the top priority.
“Please, I can’t live without Zhang You… And about the child, we could adopt…”
Old Mrs. Zhang waved her hand in disgust. “An adopted child doesn’t have Zhang family blood. Don’t even think about it. I will never agree to that. Xu Yuan, if you refuse, I will take Zhang You away. You won’t be able to see him for the rest of your life. Think it over carefully.”
Old Mrs. Zhang walked into the living room, and Xu Yuan collapsed feebly onto the floor.
Li Man squatted down gracefully, reached out, and gently stroked Xu Yuan’s cheek. “Auntie, why are you so stubborn? Is a man like him worth all your sacrifice?”
“Yes, he’s worth it. I love him.” Xu Yuan’s face was streaked with tears, her eyes red as she glared at her. “You’re not a member of the Xu family. What happens with me is none of your business. Li Man, I heard from Mom before that you’re just a country bumpkin from the sticks. You’re only after the Xu family’s money, so stay out of our family’s affairs.”
“Heh!” Li Man sneered coldly. “So what if I’m a country bumpkin? You’re still the one being despised.”
Xu Yuan froze. Her eyes widened as she stared at Li Man in disbelief. “How dare you talk back to me? Li Man, get lost! Stop meddling in my business, or I’ll have Mom kick you out of the Xu family.”
Li Man’s eyes darkened, and her face instantly turned pale. She clenched her fists and asked through gritted teeth, “What do you mean by that?”
“Isn’t it obvious what I mean? Let me tell you, my feelings for Zhang You are real. No one is going to tear us apart.”
Li Man’s pupils suddenly contracted. She tightened her fists, staring fiercely at Xu Yuan, a hint of murderous intent flashing in her eyes.
No rush. Let her gloat for now.
Soon enough, Xu Yuan would lose everything.
Li Man curled her lips into a smile. “Dear Auntie, good luck to you.”
“Bitch! What do you have to be proud of? The clothes on your back were given to you by my family. Put away your spoiled little attitude in front of me. You’re just a dog the Xu family feeds. What makes you so high and mighty?” Xu Yuan, furious and humiliated by Old Mrs. Zhang, took all her pent-up anger out on Li Man. She didn’t care how vulgar she got.
Li Man’s eyes narrowed, a cold glint flashing in them, but she maintained her graceful composure.
She slowly turned around and took a step to leave.
Suddenly, she paused, putting on a face that looked like she was thinking of Xu Yuan.
“Auntie… I’m only doing this for your own good. I don’t want to see you get abandoned…” Those words stung Xu Yuan’s heart. She couldn’t stand hearing the word “abandoned” right now.
Xu Yuan stepped forward and slapped Li Man across the face. The fragile Li Man fell into the arms of a man.
She looked up in shock at the handsome man before her, her eyes filled with tenderness. “I’m sorry, I…”
“Bitch! How dare you try to seduce my husband!” Just as Xu Yuan was about to slap her again, Zhang You hugged Li Man and moved her away from Xu Yuan. His expression wasn’t very friendly. “Xu Yuan, what are you doing?”
“Auntie… please don’t fight with Uncle. He was just helping me.” Li Man said gently, keeping a very low posture in front of Xu Yuan. This only made Zhang You feel more pity for her. He looked at Li Man and asked, “You are…”
“Uncle, I’m Li Man.” She looked up at him with admiration.
Hearing this, Xu Yuan pointed at Li Man angrily and accused her. “Who told you to seduce Zhang You?”
“Auntie, what nonsense are you talking about?” Li Man lowered her head pitifully, like a good child who had done something wrong.
Zhang You put his arm around her and comforted her. “Don’t mind her. What happened just now?”
Li Man looked up, her beautiful face tinged with a hint of sadness as tears immediately fell. She bit her lip and said softly, “Uncle, Auntie didn’t mean it. I came here to talk some sense into Auntie… maybe I said something that upset her. I’m sorry.”
Zhang You immediately shielded Li Man and glared angrily at Xu Yuan. “Xu Yuan, what’s happened to you?”
Xu Yuan took a deep breath. “What about me? She wants me to divorce you. Is it wrong of me to refuse?”
“Xu Yuan, watch your tone.” Zhang You’s face turned ashen.
The family was in the middle of a quarrel, and it caught the attention of some onlookers. Li Qiao and Su Yan happened to be passing by and witnessed the whole drama.
“What is she doing? Trying to seduce him?” Su Yan clicked his tongue in amazement.