Sima Zhao's ambition is known to all.
After she finished speaking, everyone exchanged glances, utterly shameless.
But before they could muster the words to retort, her daughter, who was supporting her from the side, continued to play the innocent.
"Grandpa doted on us sisters since we were little. Now that he's sick, and we've grown up, it's time we repaid him."
"Since Mom is going to take care of Grandpa, we're going too! We can't do much else, but we're best at cheering Grandpa up. Uncles, you won't find us bothersome, will you?"
The eldest sister looked at her daughters with affection, playing along.
"Good daughters, you've truly grown up. Your filial piety makes me very proud. I was thinking of going alone, but look at you all..."
"Don't just discuss it with the uncles. Auntie manages most of the time at home, you need to ask her."
"Second brother's family, Zongshen and Beibei, also need their own rooms. Not to mention our few, Grandpa's, Auntie's, the housekeeper's. You're already working hard with the two children to take care of Grandpa, you can't sleep in the living room, can you?"
"My nieces have been pampered princesses in other people's homes all these years. To come to their uncle's house and not even have a decent place to stay... if this were to get out..."
"Eldest sister, I don't mean anything else, I'm just afraid you and my nieces will be wronged. Actually, Grandpa isn't immobile. If it's about filial piety..."
You could have taken him to your place. Why are you showing off here?
The unspoken words were clear to everyone.
Zhan Jingchen listened silently from the side, finding their back-and-forth more engaging than a spy thriller.
If his own family were like this, he promised to come home every day to join the fun.
He secretly glanced at Pei Kexin beside him. Perhaps accustomed to it, she seemed unfazed, idly looking down and picking at her fingers.
This family was truly interesting, each and every one of them.
Amusing.
Zhan Jingchen suddenly felt fortunate to have "married" into the Pei family.
He also began to anticipate the day he would officially join the Pei family.
With constant drama to watch and schemes to study, wouldn't he gain a few more wits after a month?
The eldest sister-in-law politely declined the eldest sister's intention to stay at her maiden home.
However, she had come prepared and would not be easily deterred by a few words.
After the eldest sister-in-law finished speaking, she waved her hand dismissively.
"I'll just stay in my old room. It'll be a bit cramped, but for Grandpa, a little discomfort is nothing for now."
"Alright, since you all have no objections, it's settled. Let's go, I'll pack my things and prepare to move."
Everyone was speechless.
The cars were parked in the hospital lot. As they reached the ground floor, Zhan Jingchen was still driving.
As soon as Pei Kexin sat in the passenger seat, her phone rang.
It was Gu Wei calling.
"We've received a customer complaint that the products sent out a couple of days ago have serious quality issues. The client is very angry and wants an explanation as soon as possible. I can't leave, so please come back quickly and check."
Pei Kexin had started interning at Pei's Corporation in her third year of university.
She had spent the first two years in the workshop and sales department. In her third year, due to her excellent performance in the sales department, she was exceptionally promoted to department manager by the elder.
That year, within one year, she led the sales department to break Pei's sales records for nearly a decade. In her fourth year, to everyone's admiration, she ascended to the position of Vice President of Sales.
She was not yet 27 this year, but she had already handled countless customer complaints and product innovation issues.
Therefore, no matter how serious the problem reported by her subordinates, she remained calm and composed.
She calmly acknowledged the message, locked her phone, and turned to instruct Zhan Jingchen.
"We're going to the Pei residence. I'll show you around the internal environment first, then you'll stay quietly in your room. Don't move, don't say a word, and wait for me to return tonight."
Zhan Jingchen asked, "It's the first day of our marriage, and you still have to go to the company?"
Pei Kexin shot him a glance: "Don't you know if we're really married? Is it meaningful to say something like that?"
Zhan Jingchen understood her meaning and pouted.
"I don't have any objections. I'm just afraid your suspicious family members will overthink it."
Pei Kexin rubbed her temples. "Knowing they are suspicious, just behave yourself and don't cause trouble."
Following the car in front, they smoothly arrived at the Pei residence.
As the eldest sister-in-law had said, although the Pei family was wealthy and lived in a large house, its appearance was rather old-fashioned.
A typical late 20th-century architectural style, from the main gate, the courtyard furnishings, to the interior decoration, everything exuded a sense of dullness and seriousness.
Everyone entered the house one after another, not speaking further. The eldest sister-in-law instructed the kitchen to prepare a meal, and everyone else returned to their rooms.
Zhan Jingchen followed Pei Kexin to the room with the newly bought clothes, discovering it was a duplex.
Inside, one room was the master bedroom, decorated refreshingly, clearly a place she frequented.
Past the living room was a guest room, with only a bed and a closet, extremely uninteresting. He figured he would be confined here for the next month.
Pei Kexin showed him around the room, explained the general layout, and reiterated her instructions.
"Don't leave the room unless there's a special situation. Don't meet them, so you don't get tricked into revealing information. If they come to talk to you, don't say too much, just give vague answers. You're just a tool, the more you say, the more you'll err. There's no need."
"Use whatever you need, but remember to put it back after use. If there's an urgent matter, send me a WeChat message. Remember?"
How many times had she repeated herself? Even an idiot would have remembered.
He tossed the clothes into the guest room and leaned lazily against the doorframe, looking at her.
"Am I that useless in your eyes? If you look down on me so much, why did you marry me?"
He spoke with confident assurance, as if everything was under control, his demeanor noble.
He didn't look like a delivery person, but rather like the young master of a wealthy family.
Pei Kexin was momentarily puzzled by him.
Did he just change his clothes? Why did he feel like a different person?
She closed her eyes and looked again. His noble young master persona had vanished, and he was now looking down and changing his shoes.
There were no men's shoes in the room, only two pairs of Pei Kexin's pink fluffy slippers.
He didn't seem to mind, kicked off his leather shoes, and stepped into her slippers with just his socks on.
Pei Kexin watched as his large feet, clad in fluffy slippers, entered the room: "..."
"I've said all I need to say, so I'm leaving. Be smart on your own."