BT70sTMUMP Chapter 20

We’re Not Monkeys

Mother Lin felt a pang of discomfort in her heart. Her son’s reputation was likely ruined, and finding another match for him would be incredibly difficult.

Su Su observed that while the female lead, Qin Yue Yue, appeared worried, there was a glint of happiness in her eyes. This had been her goal all along, hadn’t it?

It was far too easy for her to back out of the engagement. She must have more tricks up her sleeve, and she definitely wouldn’t let the Lin family off easily.

Right on cue, Qin Yue Yue began to cry again. “But… I’ve been engaged to your family for years, and I’ve spent time with Brother Chuan. Now that you’re calling off the engagement, it’s unfair to me, especially since I’m not at fault. After the New Year, I’ll be going to university, and if my reputation is damaged, how will I survive in college?” With that, she burst into tears again, even louder this time.

Lin Chuan, being a responsible man, immediately said, “Don’t worry. I’ll tell everyone that you’re like a sister to me. You don’t need to return the betrothal money, and if you ever need anything, you can always come to me. I’ll do my best to help you.”

This was exactly what Qin Yue Yue wanted to hear. She knew Lin Chuan was a man of his word, and with this promise, she could count on him to support her financially, including her school fees.

She had no choice but to act this way. Her family wouldn’t support her, and no one around her had a regular income. The only person she knew who received money every month was Lin Chuan.

“Thank you, Brother Chuan. From now on, I’ll be like your real sister.” Qin Yue Yue managed her expression well, but there was a slight hint of satisfaction that she couldn’t entirely hide.

This was her real goal—to gain a brother who would always be indebted to her.

“No.” Su Su couldn’t stand it any longer. First, they had used her reputation to break off the engagement, and now they wanted to take advantage of the Lin family. This was too much, even for someone with infinite patience.

Lin Chuan looked at Su Su in surprise and then lowered his head. He thought that even though he had called off the engagement, he probably had no chance with her, especially now that his reputation was in ruins.

But Mother Lin, observing the three young people, suddenly had a realization. None of them were as simple as they appeared; each seemed to have their own agenda.

Qin Yue Yue sneered, “What right does Comrade Su have to speak on this matter?”

Su Su, regardless of the reason, felt compelled to stand up for Lin Chuan. If she didn’t, he’d end up wasting three years’ worth of money on this ungrateful person. During those three years at university, the female lead would be incredibly expensive to maintain. In the original story, she had supported two classmates with Lin Chuan’s money, and in the end, they became fiercely loyal to her and turned against Lin Chuan, causing him no end of trouble.

She hadn’t been able to interfere in the original story, but she could do so now. After all, they had used her as an excuse to break off the engagement, so how could she not have a say?

Su Su smirked coldly and said, “If I don’t speak up now, Lin Chuan will be taken advantage of down to his bones. What’s next, are you planning to make him your puppet, dancing to your tune?”

Everyone was stunned by her words. Lin Chuan instinctively moved closer to the edge of the kang, ready to protect Su Su if anyone tried to target her. He vaguely realised that her words were in his defence.

Lin Donghe, startled by Su Su’s boldness, asked, “Comrade Su, what are you implying?”

“What do you think I’m implying? Some people get into university and think they’re too good for Brother Chuan, so they want to fly solo. But they also know that while tuition may be covered, living expenses, study materials, and other costs can easily add up to two or three hundred a year.”

Su Su continued, “I’ve heard that your family is heavily biased toward sons and won’t give you any money. So, who’s going to cover those two or three hundred yuan? You insist on keeping the engagement because you want Brother Chuan to support you through university. And when you graduate, you’ll claim that it’s a new era and arranged marriages are outdated, that you were forced into it, and that you can’t let it ruin both your lives. Then, you’ll say goodbye and good luck, right? But you didn’t expect them to catch you in a compromising position with me and Brother Chuan. So now you plan to break off the engagement but still keep your leverage over him, right? After all, you’re the girl, and girls are at a disadvantage when engagements are broken. So when you ask this ‘brother’ for anything, he’ll give it to you, won’t he?”

Everyone was taken aback by Su Su’s analysis. While her claims seemed unfounded, they also made a lot of sense.

Qin Yue Yue immediately shouted, “You’re talking nonsense! I’m not that kind of person.”

She was inwardly panicking. She hadn’t expected a little girl like Su Su to see right through her.

“I don’t know what kind of person you are, but what I do know is that you shouldn’t have involved me in your schemes. What did I do to deserve this? You’ve used me to break off your engagement while preserving your good reputation and making the Lin family feel guilty, so they’ll continue to take care of you, help you with chores, and save up work points for you until you leave for university. You’re so selfish it’s unreal. Why don’t you just ascend to heaven? After all, the whole world revolves around you, doesn’t it?” Su Su knelt on the kang, her face flushed with anger. Her fierce, almost cute expression made it hard for anyone to be mad at her.

Her words were sharp, yet she hadn’t used a single curse word. It was impressive, a mark of her education.

Lin Chuan couldn’t help but think this as he rubbed his hands together, resisting the urge to give her a thumbs-up. But hearing her call this a setup made him glance at Lin Donghe and say, “Donghe, I remember you were the one who told me to rest in the back room, right?” Even though he was drunk, he hadn’t blacked out completely. He still remembered that much.

Mother Lin furrowed her brow. She remembered clearly that Lin Donghe had been there when she sent Su Su to the back room. He had been looking for more alcohol in the outer room.

Lin Donghe stammered, “I—I didn’t know Comrade Su was in there.”

Mother Lin’s temper flared. She knew he was lying. “What nonsense are you spouting? You were right there when I was talking to Su Su. If no one else heard, you certainly did.”

“I—I didn’t hear anything. I was just passing by,” Lin Donghe stammered. He hadn’t expected their carefully laid plan to be exposed by Su Su’s sharp tongue.

But Qin Yue Yue was more composed than Lin Donghe. She turned to Su Su and said, “Comrade Su, are you trying to drive us to our deaths? How could you accuse us of something so serious? Everything that happened tonight was just a coincidence. I never asked Lin Chuan to pay for my university expenses. If you don’t believe me, I’ll hang myself right here and now.” With that, she began to cry again, looking both strong and helpless.

Everyone was startled by her drastic words. No one wanted to push her to such extremes; after all, being responsible for someone’s death was no small matter.

Mother Lin, her face dark with anger, said, “Fine, let’s just drop it for tonight. But no matter how much we need a daughter, we won’t be recognizing any new sisters today.”

“Why? Just because of something this outsider said, I have to suffer such an injustice? Village head, you have to stand up for me!” Qin Yue Yue lightly tugged on Lin Donghe’s sleeve. “Are we really going to lose all ties just because the engagement is off?”

“I don’t know about other families, but we Lin’s don’t operate that way,” Mother Lin replied coldly. They wouldn’t let themselves be taken advantage of, not now, not ever.

“But it’s Lin Chuan who made the mistake. Why am I the one being blamed?”

“Who’s blaming you? Who’s blaming you?” Mother Lin snapped. “You’ve got some nerve to twist the facts. If you want to stay engaged, then fine—we’ll pay for your university. But you’re marrying into our family, and we’ll get your marriage certificate.”

Su Su chuckled from the side and said, “Yes, and you’ll need to get the marriage certificate too.”

Lin Chuan, having just called off the engagement, found his mind drifting to new possibilities. He was already starting to plan a brighter future when his mother brought the conversation back to the engagement, with Su Su even chiming in. He instinctively wanted to object.

But then he caught sight of Su Su giving him a sly wink, and whatever he was going to say died on his lips. He thought to himself, *If I do end up with this girl, I might just become one of those husbands who’s completely under his wife’s thumb.*

But that’s okay. After all, only the lucky ones get to be henpecked—those without such luck can’t even hold their wife’s hand.

Hearing talk of registering the marriage, Qin Yue Yue burst into real tears this time. Getting the marriage certificate would make her officially married, and even if she went to university, she would never be able to hold her head high. Not to mention dating other people—it would be seen as nothing less than scandalous behaviour. Besides, they had just called off the engagement—how could they be talking about marriage again?

Lin Donghe, watching from the side, felt a pang of sympathy. “But didn’t you already call off the engagement? If Brother Chuan has the means to help, he should, after all, you’re not exactly strangers.”

Mother Lin let out a cold snort. “And why should we help? We’re not her parents. Like Su Su said, who knows what will happen three years after the wedding? If we keep helping after the engagement’s off, we won’t see any benefit after three years, and you’re treating your uncle’s family like fools. We’re already living a tight life. Just because my son is honest doesn’t mean our whole family is easy to fool.”

Qin Yue Yue, feeling wronged, said, “But I’m really not that kind of person. I just see Brother Chuan as my older brother.”

This was probably the first time the female lead had shown her true feelings. Lin Donghe looked pleased, while Lin Chuan turned his head away.

“Then why didn’t you say that earlier?” Su Su scoffed lightly. Only now, after Lin Chuan had come back to get married, was she saying this?

Qin Yue Yue looked at Mother Lin and said, “Auntie, I think this is a family matter. Maybe it’s better if Comrade Su leaves.” Su Su retorted, “Why should I leave? This matter concerns me too. Or are you saying your family intends to take advantage of a girl who’s all alone out here?”