Reborn in the 1970s — Married a Proud Rough Man

Jie Jingwei was stunned for a moment. He casually twirled the car key in his hand, a hint of sarcasm playing on his lips. ”No matter what, she’s your second sister-in-law now. Aren’t you worried something might actually happen to her? Fourth Brother, you were a soldier. To stand by and watch someone die...”

”When it comes to her, I can stand by and watch her die,” Jie Jingchen cut in coldly, his deep voice thick with undisguised disgust.

’Trying to guilt-trip me with my military past? My second brother really doesn’t know me. Even if I hadn’t retired—let alone now that I have—I’m more than capable of letting someone like Lin Yaru, a woman with ulterior motives, die.’

Jie Jingwei’s eyes widened slightly, and an eyebrow twitched. Looking at Jie Jingchen’s utterly indifferent attitude, Jie Jingwei gritted his teeth and reminded him, ”Fourth Brother, she is your second sister-in-law.”

”Xu Chunyan was my second sister-in-law too, and didn’t you replace her just like that?” Jie Jingchen scoffed, a disdainful sneer in his eyes as he looked at Jie Jingwei.

”Don’t you know damn well why I divorced Chunyan? Fourth Brother, you played no small part in that.” Jie Jingwei’s gaze turned sinister and resentful, and the corner of his mouth curved into a bloodthirsty hint of a smile.

Lin Yaru’s target had been Jie Jingchen. It was Jie Jingchen who interfered, causing him to mistakenly eat the meal Lin Yaru had drugged. He’d been forced to use Lin Yaru as the ”antidote,” only to be caught in the act afterward. The Lin Family’s parents seized the opportunity to force him to get a divorce, leaving him no choice but to leave Xu Chunyan. He was clearly the victim, and while Jie Jingchen wasn’t the direct perpetrator, he was an accomplice who helped the villain.

And now he had the gall to mock him so shamelessly. Anyone else could mock him, but Jie Jingchen had no right.

Jie Jingchen shot him a contemptuous glance and continued his taunts. ”Second Brother, if you couldn’t even withstand a small test like that, it just shows your feelings for your former sister-in-law weren’t that deep-rooted after all.”

”Jie Jingchen, you were the one who switched the drugged food! You have no right to stand there making snide remarks and mocking me,” Jie Jingwei spat, gripping his car key tightly as he glared viciously at his brother.

His marriage was a disaster. Jie Jingwei found himself missing his life with Xu Chunyan; at least their goals had been aligned. Lin Yaru, on the other hand, was his complete opposite. They were legally married, yet she despised him, her heart and mind completely fixated on Jing Si. He had originally coveted her for her beauty, but after she got pregnant, she stopped taking care of herself. Seeing her so sloppy and unkempt was enough to make him lose his appetite.

”I did switch Lin Yaru’s drugged food and give it to you,” Jie Jingchen admitted candidly, before his tone shifted. ”But Second Brother, you can never be too careful. I was on guard against her, but you weren’t. Can you really blame me for that?”

Jie Jingwei gritted his teeth and accused, ”The person Lin Yaru was after was you, not me! What did I have to be on guard for? Besides, since her target was you, what you did was completely immoral, Fourth Brother! You protected yourself but dragged me down with you, destroying my perfectly happy marriage.”

Jie Jingwei felt incredibly wronged. He had imagined that after marrying Lin Yaru, she would be obedient and do everything to please him. He and Chunyan could then reconcile, carrying on a secret affair. With one wife in the open and one lover in the shadows, he would be served in absolute comfort. The fantasy was beautiful, but reality was cruel. Lin Yaru was a lunatic, and he could only find solace with Chunyan.

Jie Jingchen felt not a shred of guilt. With an infuriatingly nonchalant tone, he said, ”Second Brother, if you weren’t on guard against Lin Yaru, you should have been on guard against me. After all, my philosophy is ’better you than me.’”

’Jie Jingchen wasn’t telling the whole truth. He could have exposed Lin Yaru or simply ignored her. As long as he didn’t cooperate, her scheme would have been dead in the water. The truth was, Qin Mei had wanted a new sister-in-law, and he had only reluctantly played along with Lin Yaru’s act to make Qin Mei’s wish come true.’

’Xu Chunyan had been persistent, too. Ever since he brought Qin Mei home, she had found Qin Mei completely disagreeable and took every opportunity to try and set him up with Lin Yaru. They were sisters-in-law, not rivals in love. Did they really need to be as incompatible as fire and water?’

Jie Jingwei was so angry he laughed. ”On guard against you? We’re brothers. What would I need to be on guard against?”

”Second Brother, search your conscience. In that situation, had you really lost all control to the drug?” Jie Jingchen asked, an unreadable emotion swirling in the depths of his dark eyes.

’He had experience with being drugged. Before he fell in love with Qin Mei, he had loathed it. But after falling for her, he was incredibly thankful that it was Qin Mei who had drugged him, and not some other man.’

’All things considered, Lin Yaru was kinder than Qin Mei. At least the drug she used was meant for humans. The one Qin Mei used on him, however, was for breeding cattle. And its effects were top-notch.’

Jie Jingwei froze. The drug had controlled his body, but his mind hadn’t been completely lost. If his willpower had been a little stronger, he probably could have escaped. But he hadn’t. He had used the drug as an excuse and just gone with the flow.