Chapter 99: Unhappy Separation

Liu Xiaoli was seething with anger and kept her head lowered in silence. Li Yong’s behavior only deepened her humiliation. Flattering Zhang Can and Zhu Senlin before had been one thing, but now he shamelessly suggested taking a managerial position in their store, which made her feel utterly mortified. She could no longer hold back and looked up at him, saying, “Li Yong, get out!”

Everyone was stunned. Li Yong felt equally mortified. In the past, Liu Xiaoli’s words would have provoked him to lash out, but now he didn’t dare. First, he couldn’t offend her at this moment, as his connection to Zhang Can was entirely tied to her. If he quarreled with Liu Xiaoli, he would have no way to deal with Zhang Can either.

Li Yong had once known that Liu Xiaoli wanted to marry into his family, which was why he had tolerated her tolerance for his bad temper. But he never imagined Zhang Can was Liu Xiaoli’s former suitor, and the more money Zhang Can had, the more she regretted her choices, now regretting it so deeply her intestines turned green with envy. Li Yong’s nonsensical words pushed her beyond her limits, causing her to abandon everything and refuse to be with him anymore, no matter what he thought.

Li Yong hadn’t recovered from his role, never expecting Liu Xiaoli to abandon him so completely in this instant, treating him as if he were still a young master.

In truth, Li Yong hadn’t changed; he was still the same man, and his status remained the same. Only Liu Xiaoli had changed.

Liu Xiaoli had once held Zhang Can in contempt, but now she regretted it. Yet Zhang Can seemed to regard her with no further regard. Watching her show genuine care and affection for her sister, his heart felt like it was being torn apart by a knife.

In the end, this was no longer about love or not loving; it was purely Liu Xiaoli’s vanity at work. How deep could her love for Zhang Can truly be? There was none; there was only the shock of Zhang Can suddenly rising to a superior position. Once she had been haughty before him, but now she looked up to him as if he were on a pedestal.

Li Yong’s rebuke had cost him face, but he dared not vent his anger. Everyone at the table was Liu Xiaoli’s family, except for Zhu Senlin. How could he dare quarrel with her in this setting?

“Xiaoli, what’s wrong with you? Hehe... You must be tired. Eat more good food and don’t worry about the store. I’ll go fire the manager on the spot. Our sister-in-law’s place is a business doing millions or even billions in revenue; it can’t be short of you.”

“Get out!”

Liu Xiaoli could no longer contain her fury. She slapped the table, stood up abruptly, and said, “Are you leaving or not? If you don’t leave, I will!”

“What are you doing?” Li Yong was dumbfounded, still holding a piece of fish with chopsticks. “Why are you acting so strangely? At your sister-in-law’s place, why should we be polite? Isn’t family helping family? Naturally, we should help manage your sister-in-law’s business!”

Liu Xiaoli panted heavily, her voice barely escaping her lips. “Li, I’ll make this clear to you now. From now on, we have no relationship. Stop bothering me. Your sister’s family is her business and has nothing to do with you. Stop trying to ingratiate yourself here; no one who is invited will choose you. What are you shouting about?”

Li Yong’s face flushed crimson, his neck bulging as he slammed his chopsticks on the table, furious. “You... Liu Xiaoli, think carefully about what you said. Do you still want to marry me? Do you still want to go home with me?”

Li Yong had known all along that Liu Xiaoli only wanted to marry into the Li family. Stimulated by her words, he suddenly exploded in anger and couldn’t hold back.

Hearing those words, Liu Xiaoli’s family found them distasteful, but neither she nor her parents had much worldly experience, and they were now facing Zhang Can and Zhu Senlin. They didn’t know what to say.

Zhu Senlin was still an outsider, and until things were clear, it was inappropriate for him to speak up. This was a family matter of Zhang Can’s in-laws, not something to involve friends in helping with.

Yet Zhang Can’s expression darkened instantly. No matter Liu Xiaoli’s thoughts, Li Yong’s words sounded arrogant in front of Liu Xiaoli’s family, as if Liu Xiaoli were clinging to Li Yong. It was clearly provocative.

“Li Yong, I think you should leave first and return to work. Wait until Xiaoli’s mood stabilizes before contacting her. You should go now!”

Zhang Can could no longer hold back and spoke up firmly. He truly disliked Li Yong. Honestly, he hated such arrogant people who had no real ability yet inflated their own status.

Li Yong was startled. He dared to berate Liu Xiaoli because he believed she was clinging to him, but he didn’t dare to confront Zhang Can. Yet Zhang Can told him to leave immediately, which left him feeling awkward on both sides. He had only wanted someone to mediate and calm him down, not to be told to go.

But Zhang Can’s face looked terrible. Seeing Zhu Senlin’s smiling face also lose its warmth, he hesitated. After a moment, he stood up and reached out to Zhang Can with a sly smile. “Brother-in-law, give me the house keys. I’ll go back to sleep and rest first. Wait for you to come back!”

Zhang Can’s face darkened further. “Go back to the village. Can’t you see how many people have come to my family? Where are you supposed to stay? Hanging a nail on the wall?”

Li Yong’s face flushed red. His extended hand shrank back sheepishly, then he glanced at Liu Xiaoli. She had turned her face away, but Li Yong understood that Liu Xiaoli would probably stay with Zhang Can rather than return to the village’s crude house. Why leave him behind? It felt like she was treating him as an outsider, turning what should be a warm sister-in-law relationship into something twisted!

Zhang Can had no other thoughts. He could clearly see Liu Xiaoli had no deep feelings for Li Yong. If she truly did, in this situation with her parents present, she wouldn’t be so heartless. At this moment, she should be mending the relationship between them, not breaking it completely. If there was a problem, he wouldn’t offer help; he would stay out of it. Matters of the heart were for her to decide. Once she and Li Yong truly became husband and wife, he would only be her sister-in-law’s husband. Right now, nothing was certain. Even current boyfriends who break up or married couples who divorce are common.

Li Yong saw that Zhang Can wasn’t giving him face, feeling more humiliated than if Zhang Can had slapped him. Zhang Can’s opinion mattered most. He wanted to enter Zhang Can’s store, and as long as Zhang Can agreed, everything would be fine. Zhang Can’s word would probably carry more weight than Zhu Senlin’s.

“This... brother-in-law...” Li Yong didn’t want to leave and spoke to Zhang Can again. “Brother-in-law, can we... can we talk? I promise not to quarrel with Xiaoli again. Couples arguing is normal; fighting at the head of the bed and making up at the foot.”

With a crash, Liu Xiaoli stood up and slammed a plate onto the table. Her face was ashen as she said to Liu Xiaoqin, “Xiaoqin, give me the keys. I’m leaving. I don’t want to see this person!”

Liu Xiaoqin handed over the keys without hesitation. Liu Xiaoli took them and turned to leave.

Li Yong was stunned. This was the difference. He had asked Zhang Can for the keys, and he refused, but Liu Xiaoli asked, and Zhang Can gave them without hesitation.

Liu Xiaoli walked a few steps in a huff. At the door, she suddenly turned back and asked Zhang Can, “Zhang Can, I don’t feel well. Can you drive me home?”

“Fine, fine, Zhang Can, send my sister!”

Zhang Can hadn’t spoken yet, but Liu Xiaoqin had already answered urgently, glancing at Zhang Can with pleading eyes.

Zhang Can smiled and gently touched Liu Xiaoqin’s cheek. “You don’t need to plead. We’re family. Your matters are my matters!” He then turned to Zhu Senlin with a smile. “Old Zhu, you handle this...”

“Don’t worry about this. Go handle your own business. Your in-laws, I’ll treat them as my own parents. Rest assured, after you’ve eaten and drunk well, I’ll safely send you back to your place!”

Zhang Can naturally felt at ease. He walked out of the room with Liu Xiaoli and down the stairs, while Li Yong followed reluctantly.

In the parking lot downstairs, Liu Xiaoli bit her lip, her heart in turmoil. Her mind was blank, filled only with unbearable pain and heartache.

Zhang Can pulled up the car without her noticing, and she stood there in a daze.

“Get in the car, Xiaoli!”

Only when Zhang Can called her did she snap out of it and quickly open the door, climbing in beside him.

Zhang Can shifted gears, about to drive off when Li Yong stumbled out, panting and shouting, “Wait, wait, brother-in-law, wait!”

Zhang Can stopped and looked in that direction. Li Yong approached and said, “Brother-in-law, I’ll go with you.”

Liu Xiaoli’s face darkened again. Her brows furrowed as she prepared to explode.

Zhang Can snorted and pulled out a hundred-yuan bill from his pocket, tossing it out the window. “Take it and take the bus home yourself!”

Li Yong was stunned. He moved his lips but said nothing. When he paused, Zhang Can had already driven out of the parking lot onto the highway, disappearing into the traffic.

Li Yong gritted his teeth and spat, “Damn it, you think I’m a beggar?”

If Zhang Can heard this, he might have retorted, “Is there any difference from a beggar?”

On the highway, Zhang Can drove in silence.

Liu Xiaoli’s face was pale, tears swirling in her eyes. After a long time, she turned to look at Zhang Can, whose face was only half visible.

That half of his face looked like a sculpture. In Liu Xiaoli’s heart, Zhang Can seemed immensely tall and charismatic. Even if he had no money, she felt she would have fallen for him in his current state.

Of course, this was merely her illusion. When Zhang Can was good, she found him attractive no matter how she looked at him. But when she disliked someone, nothing about them seemed appealing. Such was the case with Li Yong now. Even if he said nothing or did nothing, she would never find him appealing again.

Watching Zhang Can in a daze, Liu Xiaoli couldn’t help asking, “Zhang Can, do you think I’m very embarrassing? Do you look down on me?”

Zhang Can drove without turning his head and replied indifferently, “No, I don’t think you’re embarrassing, nor do I look down on you.”