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"You're back? You must be exhausted. Come on over! I've warmed up some dinner for you."

As Su Chen stepped through the door, he caught Lin Yuxi hurriedly shutting her laptop with a look of guilt washing over her face.

"Hmm? What's this? Why the sudden interest in taking care of me today?"

Su Chen was taken aback by Lin Yuxi's unexpected attentiveness, though he couldn't help feeling a bit delighted deep down.

It was a notable change; since their college romance began, it had always been Su Chen who took care of dinner. This was a first for Yuxi.

Instead of responding, Lin Yuxi offered a playful smile and scurried off to the kitchen to serve the meal, while Su Chen shed the weight of his delivery uniform.

Glancing at the clock nearing midnight, Su Chen looked back at Yuxi's unfamiliar attempts at serving dishes and smiled knowingly.

Determined to establish himself in this city and marry the woman of his dreams, he juggled day jobs with evening deliveries. Despite the exhaustion, Su Chen believed it was all worthwhile.

In just one week, he'd be marrying Lin Yuxi, leaving behind the cramped rental for a new home—a testament to his parents' lifelong toil. He was on the brink of a blissful life with Yuxi.

Lost in thoughts of the future, a string of notifications interrupted him. Assuming they were just spam, he didn't bother Yuxi and instead opened her unlocked laptop to clean them out.

"Baby, have you had dinner?"

"Baby, where are you? I miss you so much~"

"My aunt said your mom agreed to let me visit your place tomorrow. Don't worry, I can meet any request. My family is loaded."

Buzz!

Staring at the chat window that sprang up, Su Chen's mind went numb. He couldn't bring himself to scroll further; he lacked the courage.

"What are you doing? How dare you snoop on my computer? That's my privacy!"

He spun around to find Lin Yuxi standing behind him, having appeared out of nowhere.

"Who is Lee Zhengren?"

Su Chen shot to his feet, his eyes bloodshot, his chest heaving. He clutched Lin Yuxi's arm tightly as he demanded an answer.

"Let go! You're hurting me!"

Breaking free from Su Chen's grip, Lin Yuxi clutched her laptop as if it were a lifeline.

"My mother was right. It's crucial to be well-matched. Someone like you, from the countryside, will never shed your bad roots. How dare you snoop through someone else's chat history?"

Lin Yuxi yelled at Su Chen, seething with anger.

"Hehe ~"

"Yes! I'm the one with no class, all because I couldn't resist opening that cursed computer!"

"Baby? Who the hell is 'baby'? Huh?!"

"Why don't you go find someone who respects your privacy? Then he can believe you're the purest girl in the world, work himself to the bone with overtime and part-time jobs, all to give you the life of happiness you dream about."

"Enough!"

Lin Yuxi cut off Su Chen's tearful protest.

"He's the suitor my mother chose for me. You know she's never approved of you."

"I was just playing along to keep her from setting me up with someone else."

As Lin Yuxi spoke with feigned consideration, Su Chen felt a wave of alienation. He finally realized she had never intended to marry him.

"Where do you think you're going? To the new house? You can't!"

When Su Chen started to leave without a word, Lin Yuxi blocked him, her voice sharp.

"Why can't I?"

"Because you just can't. That's my house, with my name on the deed!"

Su Chen finished dressing and shook his head in disbelief, struggling to find the words, "Your house? That's the house my parents bought for me, the one they scrimped and saved for all their lives to provide for my marriage!"

"I don't care! If my name is on the deed, then it's my house. You have no right to go there."

"In your dreams! That's the culmination of my parents' life savings. I won't let your family of vampires bleed them dry."

Su Chen no longer wanted to argue with Lin Yuxi. The woman before him was a stranger.

Su Chen stormed out of his house, tears brimming in his eyes as he rode his electric scooter to his new home. Flicking on the living room lights, he was taken aback by the sight before him.

The sofa was in disarray, women's intimate apparel strewn about, and two pairs of unfamiliar shoes lay by the door.

Confused, Su Chen cautiously made his way to the bedroom and switched on the light, only to be met with a sight that fueled his rage.

Lin Yushen, Lin Yuxi's younger brother, lay naked, entwined with a woman whose hair was dyed in a riot of colors, clearly someone accustomed to a rough life. They were on the very bed Su Chen had never once slept in.

"Ah?! Su Chen? What are you doing here?" Lin Yushen blurted out in surprise upon seeing Su Chen at the bedroom door.

"That's what I should be asking you," Su Chen replied, his voice icy.

"This is my sister's house. What's stopping me from being here? Get lost, you pauper, or I'll tell my mom on you," Lin Yushen retorted dismissively, lighting up a cigarette with an air of arrogance.

Over the years of dating Lin Yuxi, Su Chen had spent no small sum on Lin Yushen, who nonetheless scorned him and frequently threatened to tattle to Lin Yuxi's mother, Su Xiao.

Su Chen had always swallowed his anger in an effort to win over Lin Yuxi's family, but today, he could contain it no longer. He swung a punch at Lin Yushen.

"Get out of my house!"

"You dare hit me?" Lin Yushen was astounded.

"I said get out!" Su Chen, eyes red with pent-up fury, grabbed a knife from the kitchen, his voice quivering with rage.

Terrified by Su Chen's frenzied state, Lin Yushen hastily fled with the woman in tow.

As Su Chen surveyed the chaos of his home, tears fell silently. He had worked tirelessly, skimping on meals and eating only plain buns for lunch, all to give his hard-earned money to Lin Yuxi, the ungrateful brother, in hopes of earning the family's respect.

Yet in their eyes, Su Chen would always be just a poor country boy.

"Su Chen, let me be frank with you. I've already picked out a match for our Yuxi. The guy's family owns a business, and they can even secure a job for Yushen."

"You really think with your penniless look you have a shot with my daughter? As if!"

"I'm telling you, that property's been transferred to Yushen's name already. If you don't leave, I'll have you charged with breaking and entering!"

"Well, just so you know, I'd rather demolish this place than let you and your vile family have it."

With that, Su Chen slammed his phone down on the bed.

Ding! Congratulations, you have successfully linked to the check-in system.

Daily check-ins will earn you system rewards.

As the phone hit the bed, a disembodied voice echoed in Su Chen's head.

"A system? Maybe I've been binge-reading too many novels."

While Su Chen suspected he was hearing things from too much reading, the voice in his head spoke up again.

Would you like to claim today's check-in reward?

Swallowing hard, Su Chen whispered to himself, "Claim it!"