Reborn in the 80s: My Whole Family Secretly Hears My Thoughts and Goes Wild with Success! - Chapter 24

Shen Liya naturally didn’t dare answer Chen Can directly. Chen Can despised lies and deception above all else—if he ever learned the truth, he would undoubtedly abandon her for good.

“A-Can, let me go!” Shen Liya struggled against his grip. “You’re hurting me!”

“Talk!” Chen Can barked.

Tears instantly welled up in Shen Liya’s eyes. “A-Can, are you treating me like this because you pity my sister?”

“I feel for her too! I was just as worried when she went into premature labor!”

She jabbed a finger at her own chest. “I was the first one to rush to her that day! I called for help and got her to the hospital!”

“I know you still love her, even though she’s married to Yue Mingyuan now!”

“But I’m your wife! I’m the one who cooks and washes your clothes every day! I gave you Xiao Bo!”

“Fine, don’t believe me—but the way you’re acting is downright cruel!”

With a forceful shove, she broke free from Chen Can and ran out of the Chen household in tears.

Not far from the house, she wiped her face dry. All traces of sorrow and grievance vanished, replaced by pure, seething resentment.

One day, I’ll pay back every humiliation I’ve suffered in this family tenfold.

But just as she was fretting over how to justify a visit to her parents’ home, fate handed her the perfect excuse.

“Mingyuan!”

Halfway down the road, Shen Liya spotted Yue Mingyuan’s car approaching in the distance. Overjoyed, she jumped and waved frantically.

Afraid he might ignore her and drive past, she gritted her teeth, dashed into the middle of the road, and spread her arms to block his path.

SCREECH—

The car screeched to a halt, stopping just a hand’s breadth away from her.

Shen Liya stood frozen, arms still raised, her legs giving out as she collapsed onto the ground.

A pair of military-green trousers stopped beside her. She looked up, gazing obsessively at Yue Mingyuan.

He stood like an untouchable deity—his face cold, his eyes devoid of emotion, calm as a frozen lake.

A wave of fear rose in her chest. But the moment she remembered how tenderly he looked at Shen Zhiqiu, that fear twisted into thorny vines, coiling tighter and tighter around her heart.

The thorns pierced deep, a relentless, suffocating pain.

A pain that drove her mad. A pain that made her want to claim this man for herself, no matter the cost.

I want him to look at me like that.

I want his heart and eyes to belong only to me.

“Mingyuan~”

She reached for his pant leg—only to be drenched with a splash of cold water from his canteen.

“Ah—!”

Shen Liya shrieked, glaring at him furiously. “Yue Mingyuan! What the hell are you doing?!”

“Waking you up.”

His voice was icy. “This is your only warning. Try this again, and I won’t brake.”

With that, he turned, got back into his car, reversed, and sped past her, leaving her coughing in a cloud of dust and exhaust.

“Ugh! Cough—!”

She waved a hand in front of her face, trying to stand—only to realize she’d twisted her ankle.

“Well, well. That was interesting.”

In the passenger seat, Ling Hang—dressed in camouflage and oversized sunglasses—leaned lazily against the door, grinning.

Glancing at the shrinking figure in the rearview mirror, he raised an eyebrow. “Who was that? New girl in the compound?”

“Chen Can’s wife.”

That was Yue Mingyuan’s entire definition of Shen Liya.

“Wait—so your sister-in-law?”

Ling Hang sat up, eyes gleaming with gossip. “Damn, she’s bold. Hooked Chen Can and now trying to reel you in too?”

Yue Mingyuan shot him a shut up or else look. Ling Hang, wisely sensing the threat of an impromptu training session, mimed zipping his lips.

“I’m gonna change, then go see my goddaughter, alright?” He yawned. “Only got two days off—no clue when I’ll be back next.”

Knowing Yue Mingyuan’s pet peeves, he quickly raised a hand. “I swear I won’t disturb your wife or the baby. Just dropping off a gift.”

“I never agreed to that.”

Yue Mingyuan parked outside the Ling residence and punched Ling Hang’s shoulder. “Want a kid? Go make your own. Leave mine alone.”

“Ow—fuck! You hit my injury on purpose!” Ling Hang clutched his shoulder, glaring.

Yue Mingyuan nodded. “Good guess.”

“You asshole.”

Ling Hang smirked, then—in a sudden, horrifyingly accurate imitation of a woman’s voice—cooed, “Beibei, don’t be so stingy~”

Yue Mingyuan stiffened, his face darkening instantly. He lunged to cover Ling Hang’s mouth, but the latter bolted inside, slamming the door behind him.

“Get out here!” Yue Mingyuan growled.

“No way! You think I’m stupid?” Ling Hang stuck his head out just enough to taunt. “Let Ya’er be my goddaughter, or I’ll tell your wife your childhood nickname is Beibei~”

Yue Mingyuan took several deep breaths, gripping his waist. “…Fine.”

“You mean it?”

“Do I have a choice?” Yue Mingyuan smiled.

Ling Hang shuddered, ducking further behind the door. “Ugh—stop smiling. Your smile terrifies me.”

“You agreed! No take-backs! And no beating me up over this—I’m injured!”

He paused, then added smugly, “If you lay a finger on me, I’ll tell… uh…”

He’d been about to say Auntie Wan, but that sounded too childish. Instead, he switched to: “…your wife.”

Yue Mingyuan’s eye twitched. This bastard never changes.

“Fine. I won’t hit you.”

Only then did Ling Hang relax. “Pick me up later, got it? Forget, and I’ll…”

“…tell my wife. Yeah, yeah.” Yue Mingyuan finished for him.

Ling Hang nodded shamelessly. “Damn right.”

“Move it.”

After a quick stop home, Yue Mingyuan was about to leave when Qin Liping arrived with his nephew, Qin Feng.

“Uncle!”

Qin Feng sprinted over, and Yue Mingyuan spun him around, earning delighted giggles. “Again! Again!”

“Your uncle’s been busy taking care of your aunt and Ya’er at the hospital,” Qin Liping chided lightly. “Go watch cartoons. I need to talk to him.”