0033 Valentino

Shen Hongmei ignored Lai Feifei. This drunkard’s lewd remarks were coming one after another without pause. Xiaoyan would never do anything so filthy.

"Alright then..." Shen Hongmei didn't overthink it. Li Zhiyan took the Valentinos, which still held the faint warmth of Shen Hongmei's feet. Afterward, the two escorted the tipsy Lai Feifei home. In the beginning, he had been somewhat clumsy about helping Auntie Lai into her room, but he was very familiar with it by now.

Lai Feifei was extremely sleepy at this moment; she had always been an early sleeper. However, she couldn't stop talking. "Little Yan-bao, we're home, come here to Auntie. Auntie Winnie. Hongmei, get out! Don't disturb me feeding my Little Yan-bao. Little Yan-bao, don't... Go on, Auntie Winnie..." As she spoke, Lai Feifei drifted off into a dream.

On the way back, Li Zhiyan asked, "Auntie Shen, do you think we are fated..."

"We are..." Shen Hongmei couldn't deny it; the fact that she and Li Zhiyan kept bumping into each other was truly miraculous. "We have the fate of mother and son. As for other things, we must leave it to destiny. Auntie won't go back on what she promised you. If..." Here, the very rational Shen Hongmei paused slightly. "If there is ever a possibility of us being together, Auntie will consider it. But what Auntie wants most is to be your godmother."

Li Zhiyan knew that Shen Hongmei’s rationality remained intact, but he wasn't in a hurry. After all, he had information from the future. There would inevitably be countless ties between him and Auntie Shen in the years to come.

Back downstairs at home, Li Zhiyan and Shen Hongmei hugged to say goodbye. He increasingly felt that Auntie Lai’s "generous" assets were quite cultured. "I really do need to sign up for that driver's license..."

Once inside, Li Zhiyan carried the pair of Valentinos into his room. Just as he entered, he bumped into Zhao Shumin, who was coming out of the bathroom. Zhao Shumin looked at the high heels in Li Zhiyan's hands. Memories of the silk stockings and the pink T-shirt she had inadvertently seen in his room earlier flooded her mind. Her expression turned extremely unnatural.

"You've misunderstood, Auntie..." Li Zhiyan explained subconsciously; he still cared deeply about his image. Even though this woman was a shrew and her family was his enemy, Li Zhiyan didn't want to be misunderstood by Zhao Shumin—deep down, he still harbored some lingering thoughts.

"I knew you were a pervert, a freak! The silk stockings and T-shirt in your room must have been stolen from some woman, you pervert! I really want to beat you to death with a rolling pin!"

Seeing Zhao Shumin’s fierce demeanor, Li Zhiyan recalled the scene where she had brandished a rolling pin at his head. If he wasn't careful, he’d end up with a concussion. "These high heels were broken, I brought them back to use glue to repair them..."

Zhao Shumin shouted immediately, "Don't feed me your filthy lies! Shameless!"

Li Zhiyan didn't want to explain anything more to this shrew. Since she already considered him a pervert, anything he said was useless. He took out his keys, opened the door, and slipped inside—all in one fluid motion. Once the door was closed, the world instantly became quiet.

"Damn this shrew..." After pulling open the drawer, Li Zhiyan looked at Auntie Shen’s pink T-shirt and silk stockings. He wiped the heels of the Valentinos with a paper towel and placed them inside. Afterward, he continued studying French online. He also checked the prices and registration methods for nearby driving schools, planning to sign up the next day.

Back in her own room, Zhao Shumin couldn't stop thinking about what had just happened. "Damn pervert... could he have stolen Liu Yan’s clothes?" Living with such a pervert meant she had to make sure her future daughter-in-law was careful; she couldn't let him steal her things. "Still, this damn lecher is truly a monster..." Thinking of certain things, Zhao Shumin felt her heart race and her face flush.

By eleven o'clock, Li Zhiyan was still immersed in learning foreign languages. For some reason, he thought of the company's CEO, the "big foreign mare." "Why is my memory for English, especially American English, so poor? I want to learn foreign languages too!"

Li Zhiyan put down his mouse to take a break when he suddenly heard shouting from outside. Opening the door, he saw that Shang Shunsheng had finished his shift. He was standing with Liu Yan, and Liu Yan was arguing with Zhao Shumin. Li Zhiyan knew the conflict between this prospective mother-in-law and daughter-in-law was severe. When he first moved in, they had argued, but it had never been this intense.

"What were you doing in the room with Li Zhiyan today? It was creaking and squeaking!" Liu Yan knew Zhao Shumin hadn't done anything of the sort—it was impossible—but she was jealous of Zhao Shumin, so she used the strange noises to smear her reputation in front of the neighbors gathered at the door.

At this moment, Zhao Shumin felt deeply aggrieved. If it weren't for wanting to get Li Zhiyan to delete that video, she wouldn't have been massaging that pervert! "How dare you speak! This is all your fault! Playing these tricks to frame people!" the fed-up Zhao Shumin cursed. "I cook for you every day, and you pick at everything—this doesn't taste good, that doesn't taste good! Why don't you do it yourself!"

Liu Yan hugged Shang Shunsheng’s arm. "Hubby, look at her! Look at her bullying me!" Shang Shunsheng was a man with nothing but air in his head. Seeing his girlfriend acting spoiled, he immediately stood on Liu Yan's side. "Apologize to my wife!"

"I am your mother!" Zhao Shumin felt deeply disappointed in her son; this wasn't the first or second time he had roared at her.

"Apologize, now! Or I'll beat you, you old b*tch!" Shang Shunsheng walked up to Zhao Shumin and raised his arm. "Apologize!" He bellowed, ready to commit domestic violence against Zhao Shumin. Liu Yan chimed in from the side, "Apologize, or I'll have Shunsheng beat your face until it's swollen!"

The neighbors outside were just there to watch the drama; no one stepped in to meddle. Nobody wanted to get involved in other people's business these days. Liu Shumin looked at her son, who was raising his hand against her, and felt a grief beyond words.

Watching this scene, Li Zhiyan had initially intended to just watch, but the anger in his heart became impossible to suppress. He remembered his own strict parents; their sacrifices for him were no different from Zhao Shumin’s desperate struggle to build a home for Shang Shunsheng in the Magic City. Even if she was a shrew, she was undoubtedly a good mother! Li Zhiyan felt he couldn't find peace if he just ignored this!

"Put your hand down! You animal!" Li Zhiyan strode up to Shang Shunsheng and glared at him fiercely! This turn of events left Zhao Shumin in disbelief: Li Zhiyan was actually helping her, his own enemy!