The Decisive Mother-in-Law

It was obvious that Situ Yunshu knew what her daughter looked like.

The moment her eyes fell upon the girl's face, she could not look away.

Her breathing instantly quickened, and her originally calm eyes quickly filled with moisture, blurring her entire world.

She reached out, her fingertips trembling, wanting to touch the vivid, smiling face on the screen, yet fearing it was nothing but an illusion.

That was her daughter. That was Yunlu, whom she yearned for day and night but could only see in her dreams.

Lin Mo did not give her too much time to wallow in her emotions. He gently swiped his finger across the screen.

The photo changed.

The face of a middle-aged man appeared on the screen. The man had a refined countenance and sat upright; it was exactly Jiang Chengshan's likeness.

In a mere instant, the warmth and longing that had just welled up in Situ Yunshu's eyes were replaced by piercing, icy coldness.

The color drained completely from her face, and her trembling hand suddenly clenched.

Take it away!

Her voice suddenly rose, sharp and resolute.

Do not let me see the face of this heartless man!

Lin Mo raised an eyebrow and silently withdrew his phone.

Good heavens, it seemed the Old Geezer had committed quite a serious offense back in the day.

With a tone like that, Old Geezer, you really messed up!

Lin Mo thought for a moment and decided to tell the truth, Aside from Aunt Qiong, I haven't seen any other women around the Old Geezer.

As soon as he finished speaking, Situ Yunshu let out a cold sneer. There were hidden knives in her laughter, yet she deliberately suppressed it, refusing to let others see even a hint of her emotional leakage.

He just doesn't show it, that's all.

She stood up without a word, walked toward the inner wing of the house, and bent down to drag a locked wooden box from beneath a carved wooden bed.

She came out carrying the box. With a click, the lock was opened, and she tossed several photographs onto the table, letting them scatter.

Her movements carried a long-accumulated resentment.

Lin Mo leaned in for a closer look.

Every single one was an intimate photo of Jiang Chengshan with a different woman. The backgrounds varied, and the women came in all shapes and sizes, without a single repeat.

There were many other things in the box, which seemed to be items the Old Geezer had left for Situ Yunshu.

But Lin Mo only needed a glance to spot the problem.

In one photo, the light and shadows on Jiang Chengshan came from the left, while the shadow of the woman he was holding faced an entirely different direction.

Even more absurd was another photo, where the edge of the physical contact between the two people actually had an uncleanly cropped white border.

This craftsmanship was far too rough.

Well... how should I put this, these photos are... Photoshopped. Lin Mo picked one up, his fingertip tracing the rough edge of the image.

He looked up, meeting Situ Yunshu's inquiring gaze.

Situ Yunshu frowned deeply, clearly not understanding this relatively modern term. P? You also think he is just a piece of trash?! Or are you saying that all these things I brought out are just nonsense?

Her voice suddenly rose, carrying the anger of being questioned, before dropping low the next second.

It seems you are on his side too.

Lin Mo instantly felt a headache coming on, almost forgetting that this woman had come down the mountain in the 1990s. Let alone Photoshop, most people back then had never even seen what a computer looked like.

But in this era, Photoshop was already a well-established subject.

He sighed and patiently explained:

Auntie, I did not mean it like that. I am saying that these photos are forged. Look here.

He picked up the photo with the white edges. This is like cutting two unrelated people out of different paintings and forcibly gluing them together, and the technique is very clumsy at that.

Situ Yunshu's gaze fell on the spot Lin Mo was pointing at. The expression on her face gained a trace of doubt, mixed with some confusion.

These photos had been delivered to her a few years ago; her father had personally given them to her.

He said that heartless man Jiang Chengshan was out there having romantic affairs.

Watching Situ Yunshu's fluctuating expressions, Lin Mo did not ask Xie Yuling to come out and say anything. Instead, he smoothly gathered the photos and stuffed them into her hand.

These fake things cannot be taken as the truth, but they can serve as a lead. Don't you want to go and ask him clearly in person? Sulking here is not as satisfying as giving him a slap in the face directly.

He paused, his voice softening, like a feather gently plucking the softest string in her heart.

Situ Yunshu looked up, her eyes showing signs of being swayed.

Excellent, Old Geezer, you are in trouble!

Besides, Yunlu... she really misses you.

This sentence was like a spell, instantly shattering all of Situ Yunshu's disguises and pride.

She took a sharp, deep breath, an intake that seemed to drain all the surrounding air, and then exhaled heavily.

Let's go!

Two words, firm and resolute.

We leave right now!

To her, her daughter was her only attachment in this world. Everything else could be discarded.

She had been thoroughly convinced.

Walking out of the courtyard.

Lin Mo bathed in the moonlight, but his eyes were colder than the shadows behind him. He suddenly spoke, his voice not loud, but every word was clear.

This matter of making Yunlu go into an arranged marriage, who proposed it?

This sudden question made Situ Yunshu's footsteps come to an abrupt halt.

She remained silent for a moment before letting out a sigh full of exhaustion and unwillingness. It was the Elder Hall. They want to use Yunlu to win over the Gongsun family.

She raised her sleeve, slightly covering the side of her face, as if unwilling to let an outsider see her expression at this moment. Her voice revealed an unspeakable sorrow.

Originally... the person who was supposed to go into that arranged marriage was me.

Lin Mo narrowed his eyes. The Situ family has a large estate and a great business. From what I can see, there is no shortage of people. It shouldn't be to the point where they can't even find a single daughter for a marriage alliance, right?

Gongsun Buzhi... he looks down on a ruined woman like me.

Situ Yunshu's voice carried self-mockery, but more so, hatred. He is even more furious about my breaking off the engagement back then, so he specifically named Yunlu to marry that genius of his Gongsun family, using this to humiliate me and humiliate the entire Situ family.

Gongsun Buzhi.

Lin Mo silently repeated this name in his heart.

Very well, they were clenched; his fists were clenched hard.

Gongsun Buzhi, is it.

The wind is rising; then let the Gongsun family be annihilated.

Afterward, Lin Mo turned his head to look at Situ Yunshu.

If I were to say that I plan to kill those who intend to send Yunlu into this arranged marriage, would you be sad, Auntie?

These words carried a hint of bloodlust, but they also showed ample respect.

Lin Mo could certainly bathe this place in blood in an instant, but he was mindful of Situ Yunshu's feelings. After all, he had to leave a good impression on his future mother-in-law.

Hearing this, Situ Yunshu nodded.

Then I will point them out to you in a bit. It would be best not to spare a single one.

Excellent, this mother-in-law was tougher than he had imagined.

Then came the question: if this mother-in-law knew he was juggling three relationships, would she forbid Yunlu from hanging out with him?

It should be fine. Yunlu probably wouldn't hate him; after all, he had rescued her mother and saved her from the suffering of an arranged marriage.

Yes, I am truly great.

Let's go, let's go. Next up, we'll go deal with those guys.