Reborn in the 1970s — Married a Proud Rough Man

Xu Jiali shook her head and answered sincerely, ”I don’t think so.”

Qin Mei shot her a look. Even she thought it was too much, especially after finding out her mother-in-law only had ten percent, and Jing Wu had it even worse with only five. The combined shares of Jing Qi, Jing Wu, and Xu Jiali were only as much as hers. It was just unrealistic.

”The entire Qiao Family will belong to you and Jing Chen in the future,” Xu Jiali added.

Qin Mei said nothing. ’In the future, the whole Qiao Family will belong to Jing Qi, not me and Jie Jingchen.’

Qin Mei got up and went upstairs. She felt like she’d been hit by a massive windfall from the heavens, and she was practically floating as she walked.

On the second floor, she ran into Jing Qi. Qin Mei paused for a moment but didn’t plan to stop.

”Fourth Sister-in-law.” Jie Jingshan called out to Qin Mei.

Qin Mei stopped. She didn’t speak, just looked at Jing Qi, her gaze calm—so calm that it made Jie Jingshan feel racked with guilt.

”Fourth Sister-in-law, I’m sorry,” Jie Jingshan said guiltily. Her sister-in-law had been so set on her taking the college entrance exam, but she had let her down.

Qin Mei sighed. ’What did Jing Qi do wrong? Jie Jingchen wasn’t wrong either. I was the one who was too naive.’

For some people, the college entrance exam was a shortcut to changing their destiny. But Jie Jingshan was already standing at the top of the pyramid. For her, the exam was just a way to prove herself, or perhaps just a waste of time.

”This is fine. By not taking it, you free up a spot. It gives someone who needs it a chance. That’s a good thing,” Qin Mei said, her voice devoid of emotion.

”Fourth Sister-in-law, are you mad at me?” Jie Jingshan asked, looking pitifully at Qin Mei.

She had disappointed her sister-in-law. Thinking of all the motivational things Qin Mei had said, Jing Qi’s heart ached.

Qin Mei had only said those things because she hadn’t understood the situation beforehand.

”I’m not mad at you.” Qin Mei shook her head decisively.

”But...”

”Jing Qi, if I asked you to go back with me and take the college entrance exam, would you?” Qin Mei interrupted Jie Jingshan.

Jie Jingshan fell silent, looking down and fidgeting with her fingers.

Qin Mei didn’t give her a chance to evade, pressing her aggressively. ”Would you?”

Jie Jingshan bit her lip, then looked up at Qin Mei, her eyes resolute. ”No.”

Qin Mei smiled, took a step forward, and patted Jie Jingshan’s shoulder. ”See? You’ve already made up your mind. As long as you don’t regret it, it’s fine.”

”But...”

”No buts, Jing Qi. As long as you...” Qin Mei’s voice trailed off. She didn’t say anything more, only adding, ”I’m tired.”

Qin Mei headed for the third floor, leaving Jie Jingshan standing on the second floor in a daze. At some point, Xu Jiali walked over and placed a hand on Jie Jingshan’s shoulder. ”Don’t blame yourself. Your sister-in-law is magnanimous; she’ll come around.”

Jie Jingshan shot Xu Jiali a sidelong glance, shrugged her hand off her shoulder, and turned to walk toward her own room.

Xu Jiali rubbed her nose, feeling like she’d just made a fool of herself.

She was truly happy that Jie Jingshan was staying.

Qin Mei lay on the bed, seemingly meditating but actually just spacing out.

After an unknown amount of time, the sound of the door opening broke the silence. Qin Mei shot bolt upright and stared at the travel-worn and weary Jie Jingchen. A thousand questions popped into her head. ’What has this guy been up to?’

Their eyes met. Jie Jingchen’s gaze was fervent and full of affection, while a hint of shyness crept into Qin Mei’s clear eyes.

Thinking about last night, Qin Mei’s mind went a little fuzzy, and an alluring blush spread across her cheeks.

’I was really crazy last night, way too passionate.’

Overcome with shyness, Qin Mei lay back down and pulled the covers over her head, hiding like a turtle in its shell. She was too embarrassed to face him.

Jie Jingchen was exhausted and had wanted to fall into bed and sleep, but the sight of Qin Mei instantly chased away his drowsiness, leaving him wide awake and invigorated.

He had come home last night planning to sleep, but he’d fallen for Qin Mei’s seduction. Not only did he not get any sleep, but he became more and more energetic as the night went on, getting hopelessly lost in their passion.

A gentle smile touched Jie Jingchen’s lips as he walked towards the bathroom.

Hearing the sound of water from the bathroom, Qin Mei poked her head out, her eyes fixed on the bathroom door. ’What is this guy up to?’

Qin Mei glanced out the window. It was bright and sunny. ’Showering the moment you get home either means you did some dirty, hard work, or you were fooling around outside. The first is just a shower; the second is to destroy the evidence.’

While Qin Mei’s mind was racing with wild thoughts, Jie Jingchen came out of the shower. He was shirtless, wearing only a pair of boxer shorts. His broad shoulders and narrow waist formed a perfect inverted triangle. Qin Mei’s eyes locked onto his alluring eight-pack abs, and she couldn’t help but swallow.

’This guy is definitely doing this on purpose.’

Jie Jingchen was drying his wet hair with a towel. A few drops of water slid from the tips of his hair down his flawless face, giving him a bewitching allure that made one’s heart flutter.

Qin Mei stared at him, dazed, unable to control her racing heartbeat.

’This guy is such a heartbreaker.’

”What are you thinking about?” Jie Jingchen’s lips curved into a slight, lingering smile as he looked at her.

Qin Mei cursed herself for being so pathetic. ’Sure, the guy is devastatingly handsome and his charm is irresistible, but we’re not strangers anymore. Do I really have to be so completely captivated by him?’

Qin Mei cleared her throat, averted her gaze, and looked out the window. ”As they say, a man who showers the moment he gets home is either guilty or... guilty.”

Jie Jingchen paused drying his hair, confused. ”Guilty? What would I have to be guilty about?”

”I heard from Qiao Wei that it’s normal for a man like you to have three or four wives.” Qin Mei wasn’t misquoting Qiao Wei. The last time they went into the mountains to gather herbs, Qiao Wei had indeed said that to her during a casual chat.

At the time, she had been too confident, letting it go in one ear and out the other without giving it a second thought.

Qiao Wei had also warned her about things like securing one’s status through a son. Back then, Qin Mei thought Qiao Wei was just indirectly pressuring her to have a baby. Now, she realized Qiao Wei had shown great foresight.

Qin Mei scoffed at the idea of using a child to make her position rock-solid. If Jie Jingchen dared to betray her, she would make him her ex-husband.

Jie Jingchen’s face darkened. ’That damn Qiao Wei, what nonsense has she been spouting to my wife?’

Now wasn’t the time to settle scores with Qiao Wei. He needed to prove his loyalty. If he didn’t explain himself clearly right now, he would regret it, no doubt about it.

Jie Jingchen sat on the edge of the bed, towel in hand, his gaze deep and affectionate. ”Meimei, from a torrent of three thousand, I’d only take a single scoop.”

Qin Mei lifted her chin, her eyes meeting a pair of deep, pool-like orbs. They were as deep as a vortex, holding the allure of a spider lily. Qin Mei gave a flirtatious glance, her expression the very picture of bewitching charm.

Qin Mei struck a sexy, bold pose. Jie Jingchen sucked in a sharp breath. The wife he married was a true siren, a spirit that could steal a man’s soul.

Especially last night. It was as if she’d suddenly unlocked a hidden mastery, and even he had found her hard to handle.

”With your status, taking just a single scoop... wouldn’t you find that a pity? Wouldn’t you have regrets...?”

”A pity about what? Regrets about what?” Jie Jingchen cut her off, exasperated. ’One moment she’s using every trick in the book to seduce me, the next she’s reminding me I could have multiple wives. Women are impossible to figure out.’

’Qin Mei is up to something mischievous. If I’m not careful, I’ll end up in a sorry state.’

’Qin Mei wouldn’t try to seduce me so easily. When she does, she definitely has a motive.’

Qin Mei didn’t reply, simply wearing a soul-stealing smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. It held an unintentional sharpness—alluring and deadly.

Jie Jingchen felt a shiver run down his spine. A cunning look appeared on his handsome face, and the corners of his eyes lifted as he gave her a half-smiling, sidelong glance. ”Meimei, you know my situation. My back injury hasn’t fully healed yet. Handling just you is more than enough for me.”

Jie Jingchen’s survival instinct was strong, but his attempt backfired spectacularly. Qin Mei snorted coldly, raised a hand, and patted his cheek. ”So, what I’m hearing is, once your back is fully healed, you’re going to find me a few more sisters to share you with.”

Jie Jingchen was mortified. ’I really put my foot in it.’ He had used his back injury as an excuse simply to prove she was the only one for him in this life. Who would have thought she’d find a loophole in his words?

”Polygamy is a decadent custom. At best, it’s grounds for ideological re-education; at worst, reform through labor.” Jie Jingchen flicked her lightly on the forehead.

”That’s in Huaxia. This is Xiangjiang,” Qin Mei reminded him. At this time in Xiangjiang, as long as you had the power, having multiple wives was perfectly normal.

”I am from Huaxia,” Jie Jingchen stated.