"Besides, these newspapers have all been published. I think you'd better get married soon; otherwise, how can our Ding Jia face people out there!" Pouting, Ding Qiang steeled his resolve and put forward an urgent demand—this matter couldn't be delayed.
"Get married? Hmph!" Lin Xiao sprang to her feet. Ding Qiang's request was nothing but an impossible fantasy. "Ding Jia? Just because she wants to marry Chengyi, you're dreaming! Hua Lianxi would never be allowed into the Kong family, let alone Ding Jia."
"That's right, the marriage must happen! A girl's most important virtue is her chastity. Now that the whole world knows about this, where's her innocence? Chengyi, you have to consider Ding Jia's reputation!" Lin Meifeng wore a polite smile; her earlier impatience vanished as she felt it was better to be more reserved in front of Kong Chengyi.
"Grandma is still hospitalized, so it's inconvenient to discuss this now." Tilting his head, Kong Chengyi narrowed his eyes sharply at the couple, his tone cold and indifferent, as if simply declining a dinner invitation.
Ding Qiang was visibly taken aback. Faced with Kong Chengyi's cold dismissal, he was momentarily at a loss for words, his mouth agape but unable to articulate a rebuttal.
"Oh, yes, yes, the matriarch is hospitalized!" Lin Meifeng suddenly recalled the reports about Fang Xiufang's hospitalization. Her stiff expression immediately eased into a bright smile. "Well, the matriarch's illness is unfortunate, but a wedding might bring her good luck. She might be discharged soon, and if you have a chubby son then, she'd be invigorated!" The elderly always believed in these "luck-bringing" customs—and having a child would only bring more joy.
"Maybe Ding Jia is already carrying Kong family's flesh and blood!" Ding Qiang quickly chimed in, slapping his thigh excitedly while grinning broadly, wholeheartedly agreeing with his wife.
Leaning lazily on the sofa, Kong Chengyi lightly tapped the armrest with his slender index finger. His sharp gaze radiated coldness, and his deep voice became even more detached: "Then wait until she's pregnant. You may leave now!" His position was clear and uncompromising—marriage was out of the question for now.
Still smiling with his mouth slightly open, Ding Qiang was caught completely off guard by Kong Chengyi's blunt refusal. Stammering as he tried to persuade him further, he immediately fell silent when their eyes met.
"Then wait until the pregnancy, and come back! Aunt Yang, see them out!" Lin Xiao, holding in her anger, finally issued the ultimatum, her patience clearly at its limit.
"In that case, you two may leave!" Kong Zhendong also stood up, his face grim, showing no intention to be polite or to engage in further conversation with the Ding couple.
"What? Living together doesn't count? How can that be? What about the girl's purity?" Seeing the three members of the Kong family united in driving them away, Lin Meifeng's previously poised demeanor broke, and she began clamoring loudly like a shrew demanding justice.
"The girl's not even pregnant yet. Whether they're living together or not, you can ask your daughter. If by some chance she's pregnant, it might have nothing to do with my son!" Relying on Kong Chengyi's rejection, Lin Xiao regained control of the conversation, uncaring if her words were harsh—she just wanted to get under the skin of this disgusting couple.
"You're slandering us! Our Ding Jia is faithful and devoted, and Chengyi is the only one for her!" Lin Meifeng poked her waist and yelled even louder, almost lunging forward to strangle Lin Xiao, hating the contemptuous look on her face.
Hearing Lin Meifeng's shouting, Ding Qiang grew irritated. Eyes blazing, he surveyed the indifferent Kong family members, then suddenly grabbed Lin Meifeng's arm. "Let's go back first!"
They'd rushed over immediately after seeing the news about Ding Jia and Kong Chengyi, without confirming with Ding Jia beforehand. Now their self-righteous expression had faltered, and he decided to see Ding Jia first.
"Old man, we haven't even settled this marriage. How can we just leave? How will we live in the future?!" Being pulled out, Lin Meifeng questioned him, confused by the current situation. After all, if they hadn't gotten involved with Kong Chengyi, they'd still be hiding regularly like now—there was no way to live like that.
"Hmph, can't you read Kong Chengyi's face? What if he's angry and doesn't want our daughter? Besides, we don't even know the true nature of their relationship yet. Let's go back and ask Jiajia first. If it's true, then we'll come back. We can't let Kong Chengyi deny everything!" No matter what, as long as he and Ding Jia are truly involved, he had confidence that he could firmly tie Kong Chengyi down.
"Chengyi, no matter what kind of relationship you have with that Ding Jia, you cannot marry her. The Kong family's door will never open to her!" Finally rid of the troublesome couple, Lin Xiao faced Kong Chengyi and stated her position firmly, fed up with all this chaos.
Crossing his long legs casually, Kong Chengyi lit a cigarette with a flick of the lighter, ignoring Lin Xiao's words as if she hadn't spoken.
"Chengyi, I'm saying this for your own good. Look at her parents—what kind of people are they? Such ruffians. Don't you think Ding Jia will be affected by this? In the end, it's all about our Kong family's money!" Watching Kong Chengyi's indifferent smoking, Lin Xiao's heart tightened. Her somewhat stern tone softened slightly, fearing he might coldly dismiss her the next moment.
Taking a deep drag, Kong Chengyi folded his legs and headed straight for the door, giving no response to her earnest admonition.
"Chengyi, Chengyi… apart from Hua Lianxi and Ding Jia, any other socialite is fine!" Seeing him about to leave the mansion again, Lin Xiao anxiously stood up, repeatedly emphasizing her stance to his retreating figure: these two women could absolutely never enter the Kong family home.
"Whatever happens in the future, you must stand with me. Under no circumstances can these two women step into the Kong family!" Turning to Kong Zhendong, Lin Xiao bit her lip and firmly instructed him to take her side, and together they must resist Kong Chengyi.
Already exhausted from returning from the hospital, Kong Zhendong felt an even worse headache after the Ding couple's disturbance. There was really no way for him to handle their attitude.
Just as he was about to leave—like the end of a film—Lin Xiao harshly demanded once more, stopping him mid-step, sneering, "Do you think over all these years we could have stopped whatever Chengyi wanted to do?"
Holding a coffee cup with both hands, Hua Lianxi slightly tilted her head back. A breeze tousled her long hair, and squinting, she gazed at the deep blue sky. Her mind, previously filled with all sorts of design ideas, finally found a moment of blankness as she emptied herself and stared.
After a week, she had readjusted to work life, plunging herself intensively into her design tasks daily. She would often go, almost obsessively, to the dusty, noisy construction site, spending most of her time amidst the clamor of machines, refusing herself any moment of peace or leisure.
Early one morning, after confirming the master bedroom design with Cheng Shaobai, taking advantage of most people still attending group morning meetings, she wandered to the open-air balcony to give herself ten minutes to zone out—she had to leave before the meeting ended.
"Sis-in-law!" A clear voice suddenly rang out, stiffening Hua Lianxi's neck so much she barely turned around.
Not far off stood Kong Huan in a black formal suit, staring fixedly at the figure turned away from her, waiting for her to look back.
"You've got it wrong. I'm not your sister-in-law!" Hua Lianxi maintained her upward gaze, lacking the courage to turn fully around, directly denying her identity. "I really have no relation to the Kong family!"
Hearing the cold denial, Kong Huan hurried forward to stand directly opposite her. "Hmph, you are my sister-in-law anyway!" She disregarded the rumors outside. She didn't believe the Hua Lianxi she knew was greedy for money. If she loved money that much, how could she be working at the Cheng family mansion now, going to the construction site every day, covered in dust?
At last, the stiff neck dropped slightly. Hua Lianxi took two small steps back to put distance between them, her clear eyes meeting equally clear ones. "Really, I have no relationship with your brother. It's just a transaction. I can't bear being called sister-in-law!" Unexpectedly, at this moment, Kong Huan still acknowledged her as sister-in-law and regarded her as family, causing ripples of emotion in her heart.
"I don't know, I don't know anything. Anyway, if you're my sister-in-law today, you always will be! Don't try to avoid me, running to the construction site every day. Hmph, if you keep going there, maybe I'll quit my job so we don't have to see each other anymore!" Every day, she craned her neck to see her but never found her, only discovering she was at the site—a clear attempt to avoid her. That was obvious at a glance.
"You're mistaken. As a designer, it's normal to visit the site daily to check progress!" Despite the smile on her face, Hua Lianxi refused to admit the truth in Kong Huan's words.
"Hey, stop smiling and pretending—it's uglier than crying!" She hated her hypocritical pretense and spoke bluntly, "An interior designer going daily to check on wall removal? Sister-in-law, even if you have no relation to our family now, I still thank you for helping me get into the company. We're colleagues, so we have to see each other every day!" No matter what, she liked Hua Lianxi and hoped maybe she and her brother would reconcile one day.
The smile vanished instantly from Hua Lianxi's face. She softly called, "Kong Huan!" A sudden wave of tears welled up, and all her pretense disappeared.
"I'm here, sis!" She didn't like calling her sister-in-law, so she changed the title—whatever it was, she was getting closer.