Chapter 43: Just Stay in the Mood for a Fight

Zhang Qidong coughed twice. "Shujian, don't be like this. Every family has its own difficult scriptures to read. Your perspective on this is a bit too nitpicky. If I were to nitpick, I could actually explain your problem as well. When we criticize Lin Ye, we are doing it for his own good. It doesn't mean we are deliberately making things difficult for him."

Xu Shujian looked over. "Fine, let me rephrase it then. Sister Xiaoxian, I think the problem between you and Brother Dong stems from your own flaws. When it's time to speak up, you stay silent, yet whenever someone criticizes Brother Dong, you rush to defend and make excuses for him. You want Brother Dong to change and return to the family, but you don't want that change to be brought about by you, simply because you feel that making Brother Dong change would cost you your dignity? Compared to his transformation, is this sense of propriety more important to you?"

Zhang Qidong glared. "Why drag Xiaoxian into this? I was just trying to be fair. She isn't as complicated as you make her out to be. Xiaoxian is a very simple woman, so like I said, our main issue is simply having different daily schedules."

Xu Shujian turned his gaze to Pan Yun. "Sister Yun, do you still believe your love is one of a kind?"

Pan Yun opened her mouth several times without uttering a word. After a long silence, she could only look at Chen Lin Ye, her eyes brimming with tears as she said, "Look, even President Zhang knows how to stick up for Xiaoxian when others target her. And what about you? All you know how to do is eat!"

Xu Shujian looked back at Zhang Qidong. "So, do you still think their main problem is Brother Ye?"

Looking at Chen Lin Ye and Pan Yun off to the side, Zhang Qidong also found himself speechless for a moment.

Pan Yun's logic was contradictory. Since you claim to love Chen Lin Ye the most, more than anyone else in the world, and that your love even surpasses that of any couple present—otherwise why would you constantly emphasize how incredible and unfathomable your love is, proclaiming right in front of the production crew that you aren't here for a divorce, and stressing that even if you left Chen Lin Ye you would never find another because all your emotional energy belongs to him alone—

If you love him this much, why didn't you defend him when others criticized him, yet when others criticized you, you blamed him for not defending you?

Then what exactly is your love made of?

Yu Hui was initially just slightly surprised. He was surprised that Brother Xu actually had this side to him, but he didn't find it out of character. In Yu Hui's eyes, Xu Shujian always had a uniquely independent perspective when observing issues.

It was just that he usually didn't voice them, and previously only expressed them to him in private.

Ever since Xu Shujian confronted Zhang Qidong head-on, Yu Hui's eyes began to light up.

So when Brother Xu decided to get serious, he carried this kind of weight. It seemed even more badass than his own way of roasting people.

"Do you think Sister Yun might be in an irrational state right now? Is that why she's acting like this?" Yu Hui asked quietly.

He wasn't trying to target Xu Shujian, but he genuinely couldn't make sense of Pan Yun's so-called love. You couldn't say she didn't love Brother Ye, because she truly fulfilled her duties in caring for her husband and raising their children, doing a better job than the average person—a point even Chen Lin Ye himself admitted.

In the past, Yu Hui always felt that Zhang Qidong liked playing the father figure while Pan Yun liked playing the mother figure, and that Lin Xiaoxian and Chen Lin Ye were both going through a rebellious phase, which was why problems arose.

But after being questioned by Brother Xu like this, it seemed there was much more to it.

Xu Shujian shook his head. "Sister Yun, I didn't say those things to deliberately target you. Brother Hui is right; since we're already here and we've known each other for a few days, if I kept turning a blind eye, it wouldn't necessarily be a good thing for you guys. I just felt it needed to be said."

Pan Yun turned her head away to wipe her tears. "I know, I know. Didn't I say things to you guys as well?"

Huang Miongmiong pulled a few tissues and handed them over, even pulling Pan Yun into her embrace. With a look of sympathy on her face, she offered a few words of comfort, trying to smooth things over by saying that everyone was just helping each other out, and that it was okay to cry—only after releasing these emotions could they find the root of the problem.

After crying it out, Pan Yun stood up. "I'm not recording anymore. This is too humiliating. Don't mind me, I need to go somewhere and calm down by myself."

Chen Lin Ye sat frozen, his mind flooded with two conflicting voices. One sounded like what Yu Hui and Zhang Qidong had told him in the afternoon: when a wife gets angry, a husband's responsibility is to coax her.

The other voice was Xu Shujian's: since we're here, a problem is a problem. If you always just coax them away, won't the problems persist? Besides, looking at it now, there genuinely were issues, so how was he supposed to coax her?

Zhang Qidong kept casting meaningful glances at Chen Lin Ye, signaling him to go coax her, while Lin Xiaoxian and Huang Miongmiong followed suit with their own looks.

Chen Lin Ye looked around at the surrounding cameras and stood up. Before he could even walk over, Pan Yun pointed at him and told him not to follow, insisting she just wanted to be alone to clear her head.

Even with the people behind him constantly egging him on, Chen Lin Ye followed her out anyway.

Once both of them had left through the back door, Zhang Qidong pointed at Xu Shujian and laughed, "My goodness, that mouth of yours is no less sharp than Yu Hui's."

Xu Shujian glared, then turned to Lin Xiaoxian. "Sister Xiaoxian, what about you? Shall I analyze your situation as well?"

Zhang Qidong made a stopping gesture. "No, no, no. Direct that at me. If you end up making Xiaoxian cry too, are you going to be the one to comfort her?"

Lin Xiaoxian was relatively unbothered. As long as Zhang Qidong was the one taking a hit, her attitude remained entirely agreeable. Just as Xu Shujian had said, she was more than happy to have someone point out Zhang Qidong's flaws.

Song Yue tugged on Xu Shujian's sleeve and asked quietly, "Are you full?"

Xu Shujian nodded. "I'm full. What's up?"

With that, Song Yue grabbed Xu Shujian by the arm and pulled him straight toward the exit.

While Pan Yun and Chen Lin Ye were in the backyard, Song Yue and Xu Shujian headed to the front yard. There was a large open space there, complete with several large parasols and a tea table.

Looking somewhat anxious, Song Yue pulled Xu Shujian down to sit by the tea table. "Come on, let's keep playing! Stop thinking so much and just stay in that competitive fighting mode you had earlier!"

Xu Shujian was momentarily stunned, then began rubbing his palms together. Without thinking too deeply, he assumed Song Yue just didn't want him to take things too seriously, thinking to herself, *She's got quite a strong competitive streak.*

Well, that made sense. In his memories, Song Yue had always been fiercely competitive.

After waiting for a moment, Song Yue frowned. "Go on then, your turn."

"Huh? I thought I'd give you a chance for revenge."

"No need, you go first."

Xu Shujian reached his hand out. Although the lighting wasn't very bright over here, it was still plenty adequate for a silly little game like this.

"Peacocks flying southeast!" Xu Shujian said very earnestly and quickly. Since she had come looking to blow off some steam, how could he not oblige her?

"Slap!"

Xu Shujian didn't hesitate at all, and the force of the blow was even a bit heavier than it had been in the afternoon.

Song Yue instinctively covered her face, rubbing her cheek a few times.

"See? I told you you were terrible at this, but you refused to admit it. What's the use?"

Song Yue muttered under her breath, "I just refuse to lose. Again. No hitting the face this time, hit the leg."

Xu Shujian glanced down. Today, Song Yue was wearing form-fitting athletic pants. Sitting down made the fabric stretch tight against her legs. She wasn't heavy, but viewed from this angle, her legs possessed a very healthy, fleshy contour.

"Are you sure?"

"Stop talking nonsense."

"Peacocks flying southeast! Hehe, I won again."

Still without hesitation, Xu Shujian delivered a crisp "slap" directly against Song Yue's thigh.

Unlike denim, the athletic pants offered no resistance, and the impact caused the soft flesh of her rounded thigh to visibly jiggle.

"Hiss—" Song Yue's breathing grew slightly heavier.

Ten minutes later, Song Yue's face began to flush, her breathing growing increasingly shallow and heavy. She stood up. "I can't do this anymore, I can't take it, I'm too worked up! Just you wait, I'll get my revenge next time. I refuse to believe this!"

With that, Song Yue turned on her heel and briskly marched back inside the house.