Rebirth: Once Again With You

"I have heard a lot of things about you from Mother. I'm Renshu's wife, Li Caiyi. It's my pleasure to meet you all," Li Caiyi said as she hurriedly tried to remember the perfect angle while giving a greeting bow. Qin Xiangjun had repeatedly told her not to bow too low or too high, so she did just that.

"Nice to meet you. What a pretty daughter-in-law. Xiangjun is really lucky this time," said the woman in a red dress.

"Yes, she looked young and cute, just like a fawn," said the other woman in a black dress.

Qin Xiangjun laughed softly at the compliment. "Oh, please don't flatter her too much, or you would embarrass her. She is still newlywed and shy."

The other also followed suit and laughed along with her jokes. Li Caiyi didn't find it funny at all, but she had no choice but to pretend here.

Everything went smoothly after that. Qin Xiangjun showed her to her seat, and the chat went on peacefully. It was so peaceful that Li Caiyi's tense shoulders relaxed a lot.

She had a bad feeling when Qin Xiangjun called her so suddenly earlier, but now that she had met her friends, it wasn't bad at all. These women were all cultured women with vast knowledge, so she learned a lot from listening to them.

Li Caiyi thought that perhaps her mother-in-law was trying to help her integrate into her circle by introducing her like this. Qin Xiangjun might be strict and harsh with her words sometimes, but she wasn't that heartless to let Li Caiyi keep following Meng Renshu like a chick.

Back then, Li Caiyi sincerely felt thankful for her mother-in-law, without knowing that it was just the calm before the storm.

"Come to think of it, how come the name of Renshu's wife I heard before was different? Is it some kind of misunderstanding or something?"

"Me too. As far as I know, isn't his soon-to-be wife a lady named Li Chunhua?"

"Can you enlighten our old mind a little? You can tell us everything."

Thump.

Li Caiyi felt her heart just fall to her feet when she heard them mention her sister's name. Before this, there were actually many people who were curious about the so-called 'love triangle' between the three, but no one ever actually dared to ask that out loud, fearing they would offend the Meng family.

Meanwhile, although the Li family was a family with a long history, they weren't actually influential or wealthy enough to stand beside the biggest pharmaceutical company in the country. Everyone thought it was the Li family's fortune to marry their daughter to the Meng family.

However, many were displeased with this because some other families lost their chance to integrate further with the Meng family. Rumors began to spread to smear the name of both families. Although those rumors had been suppressed, some people still talked about them.

They said that Young Master Meng caused an 'accident', and thus he was forced to marry the older twin instead of the younger one, who was supposed to be her girlfriend then.

Of course, it enraged Meng Renshu when he heard that rumor. Not only did it defame his name, but also the twins. He quickly moved his people to search for the culprit who spread that malicious rumor, but unfortunately, there was no result. It meant that the culprit must be someone influential, most likely came from the upper-class society as well.

This was why Meng Renshu was always worried about leaving Li Caiyi alone at a public event like this. He was afraid something might say something rude in front of her, and she would be helpless against such slander. Unbeknownst to him, his protective attitude displeased his mother because it gave her the impression that Li Caiyi couldn't do anything without her husband.

Li Caiyi, who was stuck between the two, was conflicted. One was worried about her, and the other had a solid reason for disliking her.

She was currently faced with the same scenario Meng Renshu tried hard to avoid. Li Caiyi raised her head slightly to look at her mother-in-law, who stared back at her with an expecting gaze, waiting for her to answer.

'Ah, so that's it….' Li Caiyi thought, 'She isn't trying to help me integrate with her circle of friends. She was testing me.'

There was no way anyone would dare to blatantly ask something like this in Qin Xiangjun's presence, who was infamous for her protectiveness towards her cubs. The only plausible explanation was that her mother-in-law set this situation up herself.

Li Caiyi gulped nervously upon realizing that. She couldn't make a mistake here, or Meng Renshu and her sister probably would be implicated as well!

Li Caiyi chose her words carefully and while displaying a polite smile. "Li Chunhua is my twin sister, and it was true that she and my husband were in a relationship before, but they had broken up peacefully before our marriage. It seems there are still many people who are confused about that, so it's no wonder you feel that way."

Everyone already knew about Meng Renshu and Li Chunhua's relationship because they were a famous couple in this circle, so trying to lie about it would be useless.

"I heard rumors from somewhere that Li Chunhua was supposed to be your husband's current wife, but how come the decision changed so suddenly? Ah, please don't think negatively about my question. This old lady is just asking casually. It's okay if you don't want to answer."

No answer was akin to confirmation here. What would be the correct answer here? Avoiding the topic wasn't the best option because Qin Xiangjun wouldn't like that. However, no matter how much she worked her brain, she couldn't find any satisfying answer without having to pull down one of the three. Either Meng Renshu, Li Chunhua, or Li Caiyi had to bear the brunt.

Meng Renshu, who got into an 'accident', Li Chunhua, who was 'barren', or Li Caiyi, who was 'the third party'.

The answer was obvious.

Li Caiyi quickly waved her hand in front of her body. "No, Ma'am, I don't mind at all because there is nothing to hide. The marriage between Li and Meng family was an old promise between the elderly of both families. As their descendants, we have an obligation to respect that. I don't think it is a matter of liking or disliking because in the end, we are bound by duty and obligation. I can become Madam Meng simply because both parties thought I was more suited to this position. No more and no less than that."

Qin Xiangjun looked at her with an expressionless face. Li Caiyi was aware that she was just glossing over the fact, but she just couldn't let anyone take the brunt of the rumor. It was unfair because none of the three wished for this to happen.

She couldn't implicate her husband and sister, but implicating herself was equivalent to spreading mud to her husband's face, and Qin Xiangjun most probably wouldn't like that.

Li Caiyi couldn't guess whether this answer satisfied her mother-in-law or not, but in the end, Qin Xiangjun said nothing to her and laughed merrily. "This is a rather boring topic. I don't know why people keep talking about this. Shall we talk about something else instead?"

The other quickly agreed with her, and no one brought up the topic of Li Caiyi and Meng Renshu's marriage again.

Li Caiyi thought she had safely passed the hurdle but later realized it was nothing of the sort.

After that party, Qin Xiangjun told Meng Renshu to leave with his car first and asked Li Caiyi to ride in her car.

When there were only the two of them in the car, her mother-in-law only said one thing with a disappointed face.

"As expected, you are not suited to be Madam Meng, after all."