Chapter 10: Abnormal Stepmother

Faced with Li Shiyun’s attitude, Lin Meng didn’t mind; he was long used to it.

Since they were young, Shiyun had never liked him. Even when they attended the same school, she never walked with him. If they bumped into each other on the street, she would pretend not to know him. At home, she was just as cold and dismissive.

Yet, for some inexplicable reason, the more she acted this way, the more he wanted to get close to her. Sometimes, he wondered if he was just a glutton for punishment.

"Shiyun, are you hungry? What would you like to eat? Mom will go make it for you right now," Li Wanrong asked with concern, holding her daughter’s small hand. She doted on her deeply.

"I’m not hungry." Shiyun forced a smile. She paused for a moment before saying, "Mom, I actually came back this time because there’s something I need to tell you."

"What is it?" Li Wanrong asked casually.

"Let’s talk inside." Shiyun glanced at Lin Meng, then pulled her mother into the house.

Lin Meng felt a surge of irritation. Even if she didn’t consider him family, they had lived together for so many years. Did she really need to be this guarded around him?

But soon enough, his attention was captivated by the sight of her from behind.

From the back, Shiyun didn’t have Li Wanrong’s voluptuous figure, but she possessed the firm, elastic curves of a young woman. Her wasp waist and peach-like hips were proportioned like a work of art. With every step she took, her curves jiggled slightly.

The most mesmerizing part, however, was her long legs. They were pale, tender, and perfectly straight. He didn’t even dare to imagine how smooth they would feel to the touch. Lin Meng swallowed hard, unconsciously fantasizing about hoisting those beautiful legs onto his shoulders.

But then, he let out a bitter laugh. Given how much his sister despised him, something like that would probably never happen. Shaking off the inappropriate thoughts, Lin Meng washed his face and went to eat breakfast.

Right at that moment, Li Wanrong’s startled cry rang out from the bedroom. "What? One hundred thousand?!"

Startled, Lin Meng’s first instinct was to go over and check on them, but remembering Shiyun’s earlier attitude, he decided against it.

After breakfast, Lin Meng began tidying up the courtyard. It wasn’t long before he saw Shiyun walk out of his stepmother’s room. As she passed by him, she didn’t even spare him a glance.

A fire smoldered in Lin Meng’s chest. The feeling of being looked down upon was downright miserable. Staring at her retreating back, a resentful urge to land a vicious smack on her round hips washed over him.

Once Shiyun was far away, Lin Meng headed toward his stepmother’s room to find out what was going on.

But as soon as he stepped inside, he saw Wanrong wiping tears from her reddened eyes. Lin Meng’s heart immediately ached for her. He hurried over. "Stepmom, why are you crying?"

Wanrong quickly rubbed her eyes and forced a smile. "It’s nothing. I just got some dust in my eye."

Lin Meng didn’t believe her for a second. Clenching his fists tightly, he demanded, "Stepmom, tell me the truth. Did someone bully you? I’ll go settle the score with them!"

"There’s no such thing. Don’t let your imagination run wild," Wanrong said, touched. She reached out and patted Lin Meng’s head.

"Then tell me, what exactly happened?" Lin Meng stared deeply into her eyes. He knew his stepmother well; she was an incredibly resilient woman at her core. For something to make her cry, it had to be extremely serious.

"Xiaomeng, you really have grown up. Since you’re asking, I won’t hide it from you anymore." Wanrong hesitated for a moment before letting out a heavy sigh. She then explained the whole situation from beginning to end.

Two years ago, a female classmate of Shiyun’s from Shanshui Village hadn’t been able to scrape together enough money for her university tuition. On top of that, a family member had fallen seriously ill. Desperate, the girl had sought out Li Dabiao from Taohua Village to borrow some money.

But Li Dabiao couldn’t care less about her, seeing as she was from an outside village. Left with no other options, the classmate had come to Shiyun, begging her to act as a guarantor.

Shiyun was quite close to the girl, so after some hesitation, she had agreed. Now, two years had passed, and the deadline to repay the debt was fast approaching. However, the classmate had vanished, and her phone was completely unreachable.

Furious, Li Dabiao had tracked down Shiyun and threatened her to pay up, declaring that if she didn’t, he would kill her entire family.

This was the exact reason Shiyun had returned home. She hadn’t come to ask for money, but rather to take full responsibility herself. She wanted Wanrong and Lin Meng to leave the village for a while to stay out of danger.

How could Wanrong possibly abandon her daughter? But the two of them had just gotten into a brief argument, resulting in Shiyun storming off in a fit of anger.

Having grasped the situation, Lin Meng quickly offered his comfort. "Stepmom, don’t be sad just yet. Do you know how much money Shiyun’s classmate actually borrowed?"

"She borrowed eighty thousand back then. Now, two years later, it seems they owe one hundred thousand with the principal and interest." Wanrong’s face was etched with sorrow. One hundred thousand was an astronomical sum for their family—money they simply couldn’t produce on such short notice.

Lin Meng was also startled by the massive figure, but he feigned composure. "That’s definitely a lot of money, but don’t worry too much. We can have Shiyun try contacting her classmate again."

"It’s no use. She’s completely ignoring Shiyun’s calls, and the repayment date is practically here," Wanrong said, fresh tears spilling down her cheeks.

Seeing her cry broke Lin Meng’s heart. He gritted his teeth and declared, "Stepmom, stop crying. Worst comes to worst, I’ll figure out a way to get the hundred thousand!"

Wanrong stared at Lin Meng in a daze, unable to resist gently cupping his cheek. "Xiaomeng is truly a grown man now. You know how to comfort me and care for me.

"However, as your parent, how can I let you two shoulder a burden like this? I’ll figure something out myself."

"Stepmom, I—" Lin Meng wanted to say more, but Wanrong cut him off with a tone that brooked no argument.

"Enough. I know you mean well, Xiaomeng, but this is something I have to solve. Stay at home for now. I’m going out to see if I can borrow some money from anyone to tide us over."

Having made her decision, Wanrong regained her strong facade, stood up, and walked out. Unable to stop her, Lin Meng could only watch helplessly as she left the house. After her departure, he fell into deep thought.

He thought, "Shiyun has always looked down on me. If I can scrape together a hundred thousand and solve this problem for her, it will definitely change her impression of me.

"But a hundred thousand is no small sum. Relying solely on my medical skills, I wouldn’t make that much in years."

He racked his brains but failed to come up with any brilliant ideas.

It was dusk by the time Wanrong finally returned. Judging by her haggard appearance, her attempts to borrow money clearly hadn’t gone well. Nevertheless, she pretended that everything was normal and prepared dinner.

The atmosphere at the dinner table was suffocatingly heavy, and Lin Meng tactfully avoided mentioning the crisis. After eating, he took the initiative to wash the dishes before returning to his village clinic room.

At this moment, his mind was completely consumed with thoughts of making money. He completely forgot that he was supposed to go see Cheng Yue’e tonight.

"OUCH!"

Suddenly, Wanrong’s cry of pain shattered Lin Meng’s train of thought.

Lin Meng quickly jumped up and jogged to her door. "Stepmom, what happened? Are you okay?"

"I’m fine. I just got bitten by a bug," Wanrong replied.

Hearing her response, Lin Meng let out a sigh of relief.

But a second later, her voice rang out again. "Xiaomeng, come in quickly! Something doesn’t feel right. My body feels so hot... it’s burning... it’s unbearable..."

What? Lin Meng’s expression changed drastically at her words. He threw the door open and burst into the room.

But the scene that greeted him instantly left him frozen in his tracks!