She was already married, and it felt incredibly shameless for her to act this way!
He really needed to leave quickly.
It was getting late, and before he rushed to catch his nine o'clock flight, he wanted to drive his car to a friend's place to have it sold.
However, after washing up and looking for his car keys, he couldn't find them anywhere.
Recalling the scene from his dream yesterday, Ah Zhong went down to the parking lot.
To his surprise, the car wasn't there.
Was it a dream or reality? He was utterly confused.
Fortunately, there were cameras at his doorstep, which made things easier.
He went back and reviewed the surveillance footage from yesterday.
It turned out it wasn't a dream.
At four in the morning, Zhou Jinbei left his place carrying two bags of trash.
Damn it.
What was this girl thinking?
To avoid disturbing her in-laws late at night, Zhou Jinbei had been sitting in the car outside their house until the housekeeper opened the door.
As the housekeeper opened the villa's main gate, she walked back from outside.
She hurried to greet her, "Young Madam, you're back? Why didn't I see Young Master with you?"
Zhou Jinbei replied softly, "He got held up with something. Are they awake yet?"
As she finished speaking, her mother-in-law emerged from the living room.
Seeing her return alone and looking so unrested, she was naturally displeased.
"Why didn't Ah Cheng come back with you?"
Zhou Jinbei: "We originally planned to come back together, but something came up unexpectedly."
"Didn't you go out to have fun? Besides getting too drunk to get up, what else could have possibly held him up?"
Her mother-in-law exposed her mercilessly, her tone sharp.
"You've only been married for two days, and you're already indulging him like this. What will happen in the future?"
"It's not that I'm saying this, Beibei, but we chose you from among many girls not just because you're beautiful, but also because we heard you're a decisive and clever young woman."
"Ah Cheng has always been willful since he was little and isn't particularly self-disciplined. We wanted you to keep him in check when you married into the family, so you can't be so useless."
"When a woman indulges a man, it might sound like kindness and giving him face. But to put it bluntly, it's called being spineless."
"Indulging him once or twice might make him happy. Any more, and it becomes a habit, and then you won't be able to control him."
"When he eventually gets restless and sets up another family elsewhere, you'll regret it even if you cry."
Although saying all this early in the morning was quite disheartening, and her son wouldn't likely seek other women, what she said was undeniably true.
Considering it was for her own good to some extent, Zhou Jinbei could only nod.
"I understand. What I did today was wrong, Mother. Your scolding is justified."
"What scolding is this? I haven't scolded you yet." Her mother-in-law continued.
"The real scolding is yet to come."
"You know our family's situation. We can't expect the eldest brother to return and manage the company. All the future responsibilities will fall on Ah Cheng alone. If he doesn't have good health, what will happen to the company?"
"Therefore, you must manage him well, make him stay up less, drink less, work diligently, and not fool around outside."
"Otherwise, if he collapses, with the elderly above and the young below, our entire family will be left with nothing."
If his collapse meant the whole family would be left with nothing, and he was so important at home, why didn't you raise him with good temper and good habits?
Instead, you waited for your daughter-in-law to take on the heavy responsibility.
Zhou Jinbei grumbled inwardly.
You can't control your own wayward son, yet you expect a woman you've only known for a few days to manage him, and you say it so righteously. It's truly amusing.
Damn Jiang Sicheng, he's really troublesome.
In the future, she'll have to watch him for his mother, and he won't listen to her. Isn't this making things difficult for her?
"I understand, Mom. We know what we're doing. It's just that with the wedding recently and having free time, he indulged himself. It'll be fine in a few days."
Her mother-in-law sighed.
"Let's hope so. Today is the third day, and according to custom, it's time for the return visit. Don't you two even know this?"
"If he's not coming back, then you go back alone. If your parents ask, don't say that we, as parents, are impolite. It's all because you've spoiled him."
Return visit?
Zhou Jinbei, getting married for the first time, had no idea about this custom.
After her mother-in-law went inside, she grabbed the housekeeper and asked about it, only to learn that it simply meant returning to her maternal home for lunch.
Sigh. If he's not going, then he's not going. It's better if that sissy doesn't come along.
Zhou Jinbei quickly went upstairs, changed her clothes, and drove away.
Her parents had been waiting at home since early morning. Upon seeing her get out of the car, the housekeeper ran back to report, and her parents rushed out to greet her.
In just two days, her status had changed dramatically.
Returning home now, Zhou Jinbei had become the benefactor of the Zhou family. Her parents' attitude towards her was even better than before.
"Mom thought you'd sleep in and come back later, but I didn't expect you to be back so early. That's great."
"Are you not used to being at someone else's house? Have you been doing well these past two days? Eating well? Sleeping well? Do you miss Mom?"
It was strange, really.
She hadn't left home before.
The longest she had been away from her parents was more than half a year, and she hadn't really missed them.
But now, being in Nancheng, she hadn't seen them for just two days, and upon seeing them again, she felt a surge of grievances, making her want to cry.
Zhou Jinbei's eyes turned red: "I miss you. I miss Mom so much."
Her mother's nose immediately felt sore, and she hugged her.
"Silly child, you're an adult now that you're married. Don't cry so easily from now on."
"If you miss Mom, you can call me, or you can come back anytime. We're still family, so don't act so wronged."
After speaking, she glanced behind Zhou Jinbei.
"Are you alone? Didn't Ah Cheng come with you?"
Zhou Jinbei wiped her slightly teary eyes.
"The company had a temporary issue, and I was afraid of delaying things, so I told him to go handle it."
Her mother's face immediately lit up.
"Ah Cheng is around the same age as your brother. Not only is he handsome, but he also has ambition. You two are truly a perfect match."
"Alright, alright, if he's busy, let him be busy. Let's go inside quickly."
Zhou Jinbei handed over the gifts prepared by the Jiang family's housekeeper to her own family's housekeeper, and was ushered into the house by her parents.
Although the current economic situation was tight, her parents still reserved the best things for her.
The three of them sat together, chatting, laughing, eating, and drinking. After the meal, Zhou Jinbei felt even less inclined to return to the Jiang family.
But thinking about her staying out all night yesterday and being lectured by her mother-in-law this morning, if she didn't go back today, she'd be scolded again.
Moreover, Ah Zhong had been very wild yesterday, and she hadn't taken any medication. What if…
She needed to go out and buy medicine quickly.
Using the excuse of a family matter, she bid farewell to her parents and went to the pharmacy.
With the experience from last time, she wasn't as awkward this time and quickly got the medicine from the cashier.
However, a question had been bothering her. As she was paying, Zhou Jinbei asked the cashier.
"Excuse me, I want to ask, if I vomited about half an hour after taking this medicine, does it still work?"
The cashier raised her eyelids and looked at her as if she were an idiot.