Reborn in the 80s: My Whole Family Secretly Hears My Thoughts and Goes Wild with Success! - Chapter 121

“Xiaowan, go back to your room first.”

Kang Zhimiao signaled Xu Wan with her eyes. Xu Wan shot a fierce glare at Xu Xun before running back to her room.

“Old Xu, acting like this will only push her further away.”

Kang Zhimiao poured Xu Xun a cup of tea. “Calm down a bit. I’m going to check on Xiaowan.”

Back in her room, Xu Wan broke down in tears of frustration. She found an old class photo and traced her finger over Chen Can’s image again and again. “A-Can…”

“Xiaowan?”

Kang Zhimiao knocked twice before opening the door and stepping inside. Xu Wan grabbed a book from the bedside table and threw it at her. “Who said you could come in?”

“Xiaowan, I just came to see how you’re doing.”

“I don’t need you to check on me. Get out!”

“Xiaowan, I’ll help talk your eldest brother around.”
Kang Zhimiao bent down to pick up the book and placed it back on the table. She gently patted Xu Wan’s shoulder. “If you can like Chen Can this much, then he must be a good man.”

“Your brother is angry because he heard people gossiping.”
“Chen Can has a family. Besides, the timing of him getting close to you is just too suspicious for us to ignore.”
“Xiaowan, a woman’s reputation is everything. I know you don’t care, but as your family, we have to.”
“Just listen to your elder sister-in-law’s advice. If you truly want to be with Chen Can, then be patient. Find out if his feelings are genuine or not.”

Xu Wan replied without hesitation, “Of course he’s sincere!”

“Xiaowan, you believing him is one thing, but what he truly thinks is another. Don’t you want to know if he really wants to be with you, or if he’s just after a promotion?”
Kang Zhimiao looked into Xu Wan’s eyes, and Xu Wan fell into deep conflict.

Seeing her waver, Kang Zhimiao added more fuel to the fire. “Xiaowan, this is a matter of your lifelong happiness. We aren’t afraid that he might want something, but we are afraid he might betray you.”

Xu Wan frowned. “Elder sister-in-law, then how can I know if he truly wants to be with me or if it’s just for the promotion?”

“See if he will get a divorce for you. I know he must have said he would, but with men, you can’t just listen to their words. You have to see if they can follow through. Talk is cheap. Anyone can sweet-talk, right?”
“If he really gets divorced, then he truly has you in his heart.”
“Xiaowan, as long as he has you in his heart, your family all wants you to be happy, understand?”
Kang Zhimiao put in a good word for Xu Xun: “Your eldest brother has always doted on you since you were little. He’s so angry precisely because he’s afraid Chen Can might let you down and break your heart.”

“But he hit me.” Xu Wan touched her cheek, her anger still simmering. “And he hit me so hard.”

“Xiaowan, your attitude wasn’t great either just now.”
Kang Zhimiao stood up. “I’ll go boil an egg for you. You can use it to soothe the swelling.”

Xu Wan grabbed Kang Zhimiao’s hand. “Elder sister-in-law, could you also make me some brown sugar water? My stomach hurts.”

“Is it that time of the month?”
Xu Wan nodded. She didn’t dare mention that she had eaten shaved ice with Chen Can, afraid it would make her family’s impression of him even worse.

“Wait here, I’ll be right back.”

Kang Zhimiao left Xu Wan’s room. As soon as she came downstairs, Xu Xun looked at her anxiously. Kang Zhimiao waved him over, and the two of them went into the kitchen.

“I’ve managed to talk Xiaowan down. She won’t be seeing too much of Chen Can recently.”
“I told her to hold off until we see if Chen Can actually gets a divorce. It’s better for Xiaowan’s reputation that way.”

Xu Xun waved his hand dismissively. “No! Even if Chen Can gets divorced, Xiaowan still can’t be with him.”
“I absolutely refuse to agree to them being together.”

“You refusing won’t stop Xiaowan from liking Chen Can. Don’t you know your sister’s personality? She’s stubborn.”
Kang Zhimiao tried to reason with Xu Xun: “Old Xu, you can’t keep a grown daughter at home forever. The more you try to hold her back, the more she’ll resent you.”
“Xiaowan just likes Chen Can. If you refuse, who knows what she might do? It’s better to just go along with her.”
“Right now…”

Before Kang Zhimiao could finish, Xu Xun angrily cut her off: “Kang Zhimiao, you make it sound so easy. Xiaowan isn’t your biological sister, so it’s easy for you to talk without feeling the pressure.”
“If one day Zhixin also falls for a married man, let’s see if you’ll still say we should just go along with her!”

“Old Xu, here I am trying to reason with you and comfort Xiaowan, and I end up upsetting both sides, is that it? She throws a book at me, and you point your finger at me and yell.”
Kang Zhimiao’s face turned pale with anger. “Fine, you siblings can do whatever you want. I shouldn’t have meddled. You’re family, and I’m the outsider.”
“Xiaowan has a stomachache and wants brown sugar water. She also needs a boiled egg for her face. You take care of it.”

With that, she set the pot aside and turned to leave.

Xu Xun quickly grabbed her arm, his tone softening as he apologized. “Alright, alright, I spoke out of turn. Don’t be angry.”
“How would I know how to do any of this? It has to be you.”

Pushing Kang Zhimiao back toward the stove, Xu Xun returned to the topic of Xu Wan. “What you said does make some sense, but the problem is, even if Chen Can gets divorced, he’s still a divorced man with a child. Xiaowan is a young, unmarried woman. It’s such a raw deal for her.”

“Like I said, Xiaowan only likes Chen Can. She’s determined to marry him and no one else. What can you do about it?”
“It’s not like you haven’t set her up with other matches before. And what was the result? She didn’t like a single one. Chen Can is the only one on her mind.”
“She herself doesn’t mind that he’s divorced or that he has a child. She just wants to be with him.”
“If you refuse, then either Xiaowan will cut ties with the family to be with Chen Can, or she’ll listen to you but never get married, and end up an old maid.”

Kang Zhimiao’s words were harsh, but they weren’t wrong.

Xu Xun knew his sister’s personality all too well. She was fully capable of doing either of the things Kang Zhimiao described.

Feeling utterly helpless, Xu Xun roughly ran his hand through his hair. “This is so damn frustrating!”

“Old Xu, Chen Can’s family background is decent. They’re from the same compound, so we know their history. He’s much better than those other matches you found for Xiaowan.”
“Besides, he’ll need to rely on our Xu family in the future, so he’ll have to treat Xiaowan well. She won’t suffer any injustice.”

Kang Zhimiao’s words hit the mark for Xu Xun. He needed a suitable reason to make accepting Chen Can palatable.

“If he can truly treat Xiaowan well, then I can overlook the other details.”
“As long as he gets divorced and is with Xiawan, then he’ll be part of our Xu family. I’ll talk to Dad and Second Uncle about giving him a boost.”
“But if he dares to treat Xiaowan like a fool, then he can forget about having any future! He’s not like that kid from the Yue family, who commands respect on his own merit even without General Yue’s protection!”

Meanwhile, Chen Can changed his clothes and arrived at a narrow alley.

After his encounter with Xu Wan, he’d felt uncomfortable and needed to vent.