His handwriting, just like him—simple and sharp.
[Think of me when you're home. Jue.]
Just six words. Only six!
Tang Mianmian held the weightless slip of paper, feeling slightly disappointed.
What could she possibly do in this first week without him?
She stared at the paper for a long time, dazed, until Butler Xu called to ask when she wanted to eat. That brought her back to reality.
She placed the note with its mere six words into her wallet before heading downstairs.
The breakfast spread was still lavish, but only one portion—hers.
That was the clearest sign of his absence.
"Young Madam," Uncle Xu relayed Young Master's instructions, "he said you can rest at home for two days. If you don't feel like working next week, you can visit your family."
Tang Mianmian paused mid-spoonful of porridge, her brows slightly furrowed.
Go home?
Knowing her father's temper, now definitely wasn't the right time. She shook her head, intending to decline.
But Uncle Xu added, "Young Master also said he's prepared a gift for your return. He said, 'Parents are the same everywhere—talk things through, and nothing is a problem.'"
"He really said that?" Tang Mianmian was skeptical.
Xu Quan looked a little awkward. "Well, that's the meaning of what he said. He didn't say it exactly like that."
Of course. She knew it.
"So what did he actually say?" she asked.
"He said, 'I believe she can handle it. When I return, I'll go with her to visit them.'" Xu Quan passed on the exact message.
Now that sounded like him.
Tang Mianmian curled her lips, touched.
Although Long Yejue had said before that he wanted to visit her parents, it was she who kept putting it off.
The lies from the start, her running away from home… so many factors made her hesitate.
And since her identity here hadn't been officially revealed, taking him home now would only make her father react even worse.
So she kept stalling.
But she knew—Long Yejue had been giving her time. Time to adapt to her identity, time to adapt to their relationship.
If it were up to him, they would've gone to meet her parents long ago.
Suddenly losing her appetite, she muttered that she was full and went back upstairs.
As Fu Ranjan had said, with Long Yejue's personality, the fact that she still hadn't publicly acknowledged him must've really upset him.
But he never said a word. His patience only highlighted her own shortcomings.
She sighed, picked up the phone, found her mother's number, but couldn't bring herself to press the call button.
"Hey, sis-in-law! Sis-in-law!" came Long Yecheng's voice from the balcony.
Tang Mianmian quickly put away the phone and stepped out. In the yard, Long Yecheng was in full athletic wear, smiling brightly.
"What is it?"
"Wanna come play golf with us?" His sunny grin was contagious.
Under the noon sun, his handsome face practically glowed.
Tang Mianmian thought she had nothing better to do at home, so she nodded, but added quickly, "I… I don't know how to play. I'll just watch."
"No problem, I can teach you." Long Yecheng's smile was as warm as the sunshine.
"Then give me a minute." She went back inside to change into casual clothes, then headed downstairs.
Long Yecheng was waiting with a bicycle. When he saw her, he flashed his trademark grin. "Sis-in-law, you look way better in this than those fancy dresses."
Tang Mianmian blushed. "These are just my old clothes. Nothing special."
Jeans, a casual jacket, and a T-shirt—about as simple as it gets. How could it compare to her usual attire?
But Long Yecheng wasn't just flattering her. "I mean it. Hop on, I'll take you there."
"Uh, on a bike?" She looked at the back seat, a little unsure.
"What? Scared? I'm good at this. I used to bike everywhere back in the U.S."
"It's not that…" she mumbled awkwardly.
She was really just worried about gossip.
After all, she was his sister-in-law. The last time they went to the hospital together, Fu Ranjan had already made a fuss about it.
"Then let's just take the electric scooter." He was easygoing, immediately switching to a nearby parked vehicle.
She didn't argue and hopped on, and they rode straight to the golf course next to the family estate.
She had always known there was a course nearby, but she never realized it was this big.
The Long family estate was indeed massive.
Just as the Old Master always said—the Long family was different. Everything had to prioritize the family.
After all, the bigger the tree, the more wind it catches.
The media, rival companies—none of them ever took their eyes off the Long family.
And all that pressure was about to fall on Long Yejue's shoulders.
Just thinking about it made her heart ache for him.
This trip abroad of his was all for that seaside property deal… and there was nothing she could do to help.
At the course, a group had already gathered. When she arrived, they all greeted her.
She recognized several faces.
Su La, Long Ruoshui, and Shen Xiao'ai were all there.
Each of them had crossed her in some way.
She instantly regretted coming. If she'd known, she wouldn't have shown up!
But Long Yecheng seemed to read her thoughts and whispered with a smile, "Don't worry, they're not so bad. I brought you here so you could get along."
That made sense. Her relationship with Long Ruoshui wasn't great, and if word got out, it wouldn't look good.
She was the sister-in-law, after all. Taking the initiative wouldn't hurt.
Wasn't that just basic social sense?
She couldn't hide behind Long Yejue forever. That would only make her his burden.
She wanted to be the woman who stood beside him, not someone who always needed protection.
He already had enough people to protect.
The three women were surprised to see her, then quickly looked away and formed their own little circle, clearly excluding her.
Tang Mianmian smiled faintly, not approaching them right away.
Shen Xiao'ai, thrilled that Su Wanru had been kicked out of the Long family, couldn't help but gloat.
Serves her right for trying to seduce her Brother Jue!
Su La, who liked Long Yecheng, felt a stab of jealousy seeing Tang Mianmian arrive with him. She whispered to Long Ruoshui, "Isn't she your sister-in-law? Why'd she come with your second brother? So, who is her husband?"
Long Ruoshui didn't like her tone and shot her a cold glance. "Watch your mouth."
Su La fell silent, but her gossiping didn't stop. "Actually, I know her. Before she married your brother, she was dating my brother. They were together for five years."
Long Ruoshui stared at her. "What?!"
"You didn't know? After your brother got together with her, he dumped my brother's girlfriend. But guess what? Even after they got married, your brother kept thinking about her. Now he's divorcing his wife for her."
Shen Xiao'ai burst into laughter. "So she's secondhand goods! Unlike me—I've always loved Brother Jue."
Recalling the scene she'd once witnessed at the mall, Long Ruoshui started to piece things together. Her dislike for Tang Mianmian deepened.
Especially after Shen Xiao'ai's "secondhand goods" jab.
Already biased, and now with added rumors, Long Ruoshui felt even more sour. But her brother was smitten—what could she do?
She muttered bitterly, "Well, what can I say? My brother's totally under her spell. Won't listen to anyone."
Shen Xiao'ai sneered, grabbed a bottle of water, and walked over to Tang Mianmian. Taking a sip, she taunted, "So you really married Brother Jue. I just don't get it—what part of you does he even like? No boobs, no butt."
Tang Mianmian had intended to keep things civil, but Shen Xiao'ai clearly came looking for a fight. She replied coolly, "I'm not sure either. Maybe you should ask my husband. Let me know when you find out."
"You…" Shen Xiao'ai was furious that her insult had landed on soft ground.
"Don't get too smug. Brother Jue will get tired of you. Just wait."
"I hope so," Tang Mianmian said mildly, as if unfazed.
That made Shen Xiao'ai practically explode. "Tang Mianmian, you really are a lowborn brat with no manners!"
Tang Mianmian was speechless.
She'd been calm and composed the whole time, and yet here Shen Xiao'ai was, accusing her of being rude?
She might have a sheepish personality, but once someone dragged her family into it—she wouldn't back down.
Even little lambs get angry.
She stood up, tall enough to look down at Shen Xiao'ai, and said coldly, "I was sitting here quietly. You came over and started talking rudely. Who's the one without manners?"
Shen Xiao'ai hadn't expected her to fight back. She snapped, "You? I graduated from a proper ladies' college. What about you?"
"Should I leak the video of you trying to crawl into my husband's bed and see if you still talk so proudly in front of me?" Tang Mianmian said calmly.
Shen Xiao'ai's face went pale with shock and shame. "Y-You… you have a video?!"
"Sorry, the house has surveillance. Who knew it'd catch that?" Tang Mianmian smiled sweetly, her words sending Shen Xiao'ai into a spiral.
Faced with the precedent of Su Wanru's downfall, Shen Xiao'ai didn't dare cross her anymore.
If she ended up the same way, Grandpa would kill her.
She had no choice but to stomp away angrily.
Tang Mianmian sat back down, pleased, watching Long Yecheng play golf with the others.
Of course, there was no video. She'd made that up.
Just to scare that spoiled little princess a bit. She needed to know the world didn't revolve around her.
Seeing Shen Xiao'ai retreat, Su La and Long Ruoshui were both surprised.
They came over to ask what had happened, but Shen Xiao'ai wouldn't admit defeat. "That woman's a schemer. No wonder Su Wanru got kicked out and ruined."
Hearing Su Wanru's name made Long Ruoshui feel guilty again. She shot Tang Mianmian a glare.
Just then, Tang Mianmian looked up, meeting her eyes. Another wave of helplessness washed over her.
It seemed her relationship with Long Ruoshui was getting worse and worse.
How could she fix it?
She hated the idea of sucking up to someone.
But as Long Yecheng had said—for Long Yejue's sake, she had to try.