Take her as my wife

Unable to sleep or eat, Tan Wen had no choice but to go to the bathroom. When he came back, he was only wearing a pair of boxer shorts.

The two snuggled together on the bed, and Jiang Ni recounted her confrontation with Lin Jiao, while also mentioning Jiang Qiaonan's love-struck behavior with a helpless tone.

Tan Wen was quite understanding and even spoke up for his father-in-law, saying, "After all, your stepmother is Dad's 'first love,' and a first love he lost and found again, so it's definitely different."

He gave Jiang Ni an example: "If it were me, even if you killed someone, I would still dispose of the body for you. Besides, in Dad's eyes now, it's just losing money."

Jiang Ni looked up at him: "Shouldn't Officer Tan have upheld the principle of justice and arrested me, even if it meant turning against family members?"

Tan Wen lowered his head and kissed her forehead: "Officer Tan will only take the blame for Jiang Ni."

Jiang Ni pinched his ear: "I will abide by the law, and Officer Tan cannot be an accomplice to evil."

She steered the conversation back to Lin Jiao's case: "I have a feeling she might do something else, but like you said, my father doesn't care about the money; we need to find out something bigger about her."

She had initially planned to start the investigation with Jiang Qiaonan's car accident, but Tan's next question gave her a new idea: "Sister, don't you think your two adopted younger siblings don't look much like our father?"

Jiang Ni slightly widened her eyes. She picked up her phone and scrolled through Jiang Qiaonan's WeChat Moments, finding a group photo of the four of them and zooming in to compare them.

Jiang Qiaonan has a high nose bridge and long, narrow fox-like eyes. Jiang Ni's eyes are similar to his, but with softer, more alluring lines.

Jiang Yan and Jiang Ze are twins, a boy and a girl. Their facial features and face shape did not inherit Jiang Qiaonan's genes, but some children do resemble their mothers more.

"Look closely, sister. Compare their mouths to that woman's and Dad's mouths—don't they look alike?"

He pointed to Jiang Ni and said, "Lin Jiao has a distinct crescent-shaped lip, while our dad has an M-shaped lip, and even my sister's lips have a prominent M-shaped lip line. But look at their lips, they're much flatter, unlike our dad's or their mom's."

Jiang Ni naturally understood some knowledge about biological genetics. This kind of dominant trait only requires one allele to be expressed. Jiang Qiaonan didn't have one, and Lin Jiao didn't have one either. So, there was only one possibility left.

A possibility that Jiang Ni had never considered.

"This..." She composed herself, "Let's investigate this further, but for now, let's not tell my father."

Jiang Qiaonan has only truly loved one woman in his life. He is very responsible and often has women trying to seduce him when he is out doing business, but he has never crossed the line as a husband.

If this embarrassing speculation is true... Jiang Qiaonan will definitely be devastated.

Tan Wen gently patted her shoulder a few times to comfort her: "Sister, don't think of our dad as too fragile. It's not scary for a man to be cuckolded, what's scary is knowing he's been cuckolded but still wearing it. We have to slowly make him see the true face of this woman."

Even if Jiang Qiaonan finds out the truth, she will only end the relationship cleanly and decisively.

Jiang Ni hummed in agreement and couldn't help but praise him, "Officer Tan's insight is just too sharp."

Tan rubbed his nose against hers: "What's the use of just praising me verbally? Aren't you going to give me some real reward?"

"Didn't I already give it to you?" Jiang Ni retorted. "Wasn't it enough that I gave you all the initiative on our engagement day?"

"Let's keep things separate," Tan Wen pestered her, leaning close to her ear, "Give me a bite as a reward..."

Jiang Ni: "..."

She blinked, completely unaware of when he had gotten up again: "Didn't you just go to the bathroom?"

Tan asked innocently, "It's not resolved. It doesn't recognize my hand."

So I took a cold shower, which brought me a brief respite.

"How about a reward..." He started negotiating with Jiang Ni in various ways, "Sister, if I do it once, I'll do it three times next time."

It sounds like a good deal, but it's actually all a reward for a certain dog.

Jiang Ni could certainly understand the calculation, but his eyes, full of longing, were too tempting, so Jiang Ni had no choice but to make this "loss-making deal".

"Um……"

She had barely finished saying "hmm" when she was pulled into the blankets.

At 6:40 p.m., Jiang Ni was brushing her teeth in the bathroom when Tan Wen, having finished his meal, looked completely satisfied and hugged Jiang Ni, clinging to her like a leech.

"My sister's skills have improved; is this the learning ability of a top student?"

Jiang Ni spat out the toothpaste foam, her cheeks slightly sore. She glanced at him in the mirror: "Stop with the act. Let's go, don't keep your grandfather waiting."

Emerging from the room, Tan Wen adopted a serious demeanor, simply holding Jiang Ni's hand as they walked. Coincidentally, they ran into Jiang Yan and Jiang Ze at the elevator entrance.

Jiang Ni rarely glanced at them more than once; the more she looked at the siblings, the more suspicious they seemed.

Although Jiang Yan and Jiang Ze disliked Jiang Ni, they knew that Tan Wen was someone they couldn't afford to offend, especially since they were on Tan Wen's turf. They greeted him politely in unison, "Good evening, Sister Nini and Brother Nini."

Jiang Ni and Tan Wen responded, and the four of them entered the elevator without saying another word.

They were so cold and distant that they didn't seem like family at all.

Jiang Ni had wondered before that she had never been close to Jiang Yan and Jiang Ze since childhood. It seemed that in addition to Lin Jiao sowing discord behind their backs, another reason was that they were not related by blood, so naturally they could not be close.

The dinner started promptly at seven o'clock.

After giving his speech and expressing his gratitude to the guests for their support tonight, Xia Xun brought Tan Wen and Jiang Ni to his side, introduced Jiang Ni, and announced directly: "When the young couple gets married, I will send out wedding invitations to everyone. We look forward to your attendance to support the two children and send your blessings."

Upon hearing this, the people below quickly applauded and offered their congratulations. They knew perfectly well that since the old man had spoken out in this setting, the divorce was imminent.

Some of the people here knew Jiang Ni and knew that she was Jiang Qiaonan's daughter.

As soon as the banquet ended, the number of orders seeking cooperation from Jiang Qiaonan increased significantly, and they were all from large enterprises. Jiang Qiaonan knew that they all wanted to climb up to him and get on the Xia family's coattails, so he was cautious and did not succumb to the lure of money.

But those people would stop at nothing. Seeing that he was unmoved by reason, they looked for other ways to break through.

Lin Jiao was just such a loose opening.

Jiang Qiaonan was completely unaware of all this. Moreover, the end of the month was the day Tan Wen was going to propose to and get engaged to Jiang Ni. As her father, he definitely had to take it to heart and help with the arrangements.

Everything is ready in Baishou Town; the dress and ring Tan Wen ordered have also been delivered.

Unable to contain himself, Tan Wen put the diamond ring on Jiang Ni's finger and admired it for a while before earnestly asking her, "Isn't it a bit small? The one Brother Jiang gave to Sister Jiaren seems to have a bigger diamond than ours?"

Instead of answering, Jiang Ni asked, "How much does this ring cost?"

Tan gave a vague answer: "Not much money... less than nine figures."

That's such a waste of money.

"Your money is all with me, where are you going to get the money to pay?"

Tan Wen raised the corners of his lips smugly: "It was sponsored by our own grandfather—Comrade Xia Xun."

The old man said he would only give 50 million, but in reality he covered all the expenses, including the ring, clothes, and venue setup.

But Tan Wen didn't know that his good grandfather had prepared more than just these things for him. Xia Xun had really remembered the extra dowry and the villa with the hot spring that Tan Wen had joked about last time, and had Xia Wei take care of it the next day.

As a result, Jiang Qiaonan received a new "betrothal gift list".

The sheer extravagance of the display of wealth left even Jiang Qiaonan, who was not short of money, speechless.

As Jiang Ni's birthday drew closer, Tan Wen followed her arrangements and had the Hu brothers drive He Xiaoling and Tan Jianming to Yicheng on the 27th.

Tan Mei lost her hand and was admitted to a mental hospital. Her husband ran away, leaving their child to be raised by He Xiaoling and Tan Jianming.

Tan Wen didn't want his mother to suffer, so he spent money to use his connections to arrange a good boarding school for his child, ensuring his education and living conditions were guaranteed.

The child didn't understand what his mother had done wrong. He was still young, and after going to boarding school and making new friends, he didn't want to go back to that cold and quiet home.

This time, He Xiaoling and Tan Jianming were going to be away from home for a few days. Tan Mei was not very able to take care of herself, so He Xiaoling entrusted Tan Mei to Xiao Yuling's mother and asked her to take care of her.

In the evening, Jiang Ni booked a fairly ordinary Chinese restaurant, not a high-end private chef restaurant, so that He Xiaoling and Tan Jianming wouldn't feel too awkward sitting in the private room.

Sure enough, He Xiaoling and Tan Jianming breathed a sigh of relief when they saw that the restaurant was similar to Ningxian Restaurant, and followed Tan Wen inside.

For this meal, He Xiaoling went to the mall to buy herself and Tan Jianming nice clothes. It was rare for her to dress up, and she even bought a high-end lipstick from the cosmetics counter run by Xiao Yuling's mother to brighten her complexion.

Unfortunately, both women had rather unfortunate fates.

Tan Wen provided emotional value effectively, praising He Xiaoling for looking beautiful as soon as he picked her up, making He Xiaoling extremely happy.

As they approached the private room, He Xiaoling and Tan Jianming subconsciously tidied their clothes and hair again.

Tan Wen pushed open the door, and Jiang Qiaonan and Jiang Ni, having heard the footsteps, had already stood up to greet them.

Jiang Qiaonan took the initiative to shake hands with Tan Jianming. Tan Jianming saw that he was dressed in a suit and had an air of nobility, even more so than the big bosses he had ever met. He was so nervous that he wiped his hands hard along the seam of his trousers before finally extending his hand to shake hands.

"Hello, I'm Nini's father. From now on, we're all family, so there's no need to be so formal."

Jiang Ni pulled out a chair for He Xiaoling and politely greeted them, "Hello, Uncle and Aunt, please come and sit down."

None of the things He Xiaoling was worried about happened.

Jiang Ni was much warmer to them than before, and her father didn't give them a hard time, since his family had indeed bullied Tan Yan's daughter when she was with him.

The atmosphere in the private room was nice.

Tan Wen started the conversation: "Mom, Dad, my sister and I have already finalized the marriage arrangements. Let's have a meal together today, and there are a few details we'd like to discuss with you."

Jiang Ni sat down next to He Xiaoling and used serving chopsticks to put food on He Xiaoling's plate: "Auntie, let's talk while we eat. It's quite a long way from Ning County, you must be tired?"

"Not tired at all... Transportation is much more convenient now," He Xiaoling said, flattered and genuinely praising, "Nini, it's been so long, you've become even more beautiful."

Jiang Ni smiled subtly, attributing all the credit to her boyfriend: "Tan Wen took good care of her."

"It's only right. Xiao Zong has always been good at housework since he was little. He can do everything, like laundry and cooking. You should let him do it."

After exchanging pleasantries, we got down to business.

He Xiaoling took out a bank card from her bag and handed it to Jiang Ni: "Nini, I haven't saved any money in my life. Although Xiao Zong told me that his... grandfather gave you a lot of betrothal gifts, that was ultimately the Xia family's intention—this is mine, for my son, you must accept it."

Jiang Ni clutched the card, unsure whether to accept it or politely decline.

Tan Wen stepped between them and said, "Sister, please accept it. We should show proper etiquette; that's how it should be."

After making a decision for Jiang Ni, he teased He Xiaoling, "Mom, if we take this money, you'll still have to pay a 'change of address fee' for my wedding. Will you still have that money then?"

He Xiaoling was delighted to hear words like "marriage" and "change of address fee," her eyes crinkling with laughter: "There definitely will be."

Jiang Qiaonan was very satisfied with He Xiaoling's attitude this time, and he no longer held onto the past grievances.

They ate and chatted, discussing the details of their engagement and wedding.

After they had finished chatting, He Xiaoling suddenly remembered something and whispered to Tan Wen, "Why didn't your grandfather come?"

Xia Xun had promised to come, but he backed out halfway through.

The reason given was: "Seeing your mother reminds me of Jian Ling... Never mind, you two can meet on your own. I need to mentally prepare myself."

But Tan Wen certainly couldn't tell the truth, so he made up a lie: "His high blood pressure flared up, and he's resting at home."

After dinner, the Hu brothers picked up He Xiaoling and Tan Jianming to take them to their hotel. Tan Wen drove, and together with Jiang Ni, they took Jiang Qiaonan home.

There were only the three of them in the car, making it a good time to talk things over.

Jiang Ni carefully considered her words before casually asking, "Dad, have you and Aunt Lin ever argued in all these years of marriage?"

Jiang Qiaonan assumed that she was about to get married, which was why she wanted to talk about these topics, so she didn't think much of it.

"It wouldn't be called arguing, but we definitely bickered," Jiang Qiaonan leaned back in the back seat and chatted with her. "A while ago, your Aunt Lin wanted to send your younger brother and sister to study abroad, but I didn't agree, and she got angry with me. I felt that things were quite unsafe abroad these past few years, and besides, they are young and their minds are not settled, so going abroad might not be suitable for them."

Jiang Ni, unaware of this, asked, "Are they being allowed to go abroad on their own?"

Jiang Qiaonan said, "She mentioned that she wanted to go and accompany her to study..."

That's why he disagreed.

Jiang Ni and Tan Wen exchanged a glance without making a sound. Jiang Ni continued, "It's really unnecessary. The teaching resources in China are also very good."

They chatted subtly all the way to his doorstep, and Jiang Qiaonan didn't realize that his shrewd daughter and son-in-law were trying to trick him into revealing information.

After dropping Jiang Qiaonan off, Tan Wen turned the car around and remarked, "It seems our dad really likes that woman."

"Hmm..." Jiang Ni's tone was indifferent, but her heart was heavy.

Ever since he began to suspect that Lin Jiao had cheated on Jiang Qiaonan, Tan Wen started having people follow Lin Jiao, but so far he hasn't found anything suspicious, and no suspicious men have appeared around Lin Jiao.

But Tan Wen and Jiang Ni knew that their guess was definitely correct.

There will always be a day when we catch the fox by the tail.