Zhou Xiaohong knew that Lin Xiaoxiao was Zhou Huai'an's wife, but she still couldn't bring herself to call her "sister-in-law." She stood silently, watching Lin Xiaoxiao without a word.

Lin Xiaoxiao's eyes, still bright from recent tears, met Zhou Xiaohong's. "I'd like to talk with you," she said.

Zhou Xiaohong nodded and followed her downstairs.

Finding a quiet spot away from others, Lin Xiaoxiao got straight to the point. "Your older brother, Zhou Xiaoming, has been here. Did you know that?"

Zhou Xiaohong nodded. "Yes, he had some work-related matters to take care of."

Lin Xiaoxiao raised an eyebrow. "Oh? He works in the archives bureau, yet he had to come all the way to our small city for business? Do you think your brother knows about Zhou Huai'an?"

Zhou Xiaohong was taken aback by the question and wasn't sure how to respond.

Lin Xiaoxiao smiled faintly. "He knows. Not only that—he has repeatedly tried to ruin Zhou Huai'an's future, even trying to make him disappear so you would never uncover the truth."

Zhou Xiaohong's face paled. "That's not possible. My brother isn't that kind of person."

Lin Xiaoxiao remained calm. "Whether he is or not, you'll find out in time. I'm just warning you so you don't get used without realizing it. As for my husband," she continued, "he has me now, and someday we'll have children and build our own family. Whether he acknowledges his birth parents or not doesn't affect us."

She paused, watching Zhou Xiaohong's face turn even whiter. "You should also know that my husband has become the best through his own efforts—no connections needed. So whether he returns to the Zhou family or not makes no difference to us."

With that, she turned and walked away gracefully, leaving Zhou Xiaohong to think things over.

Everything she said was true. Zhou Huai'an had no interest in reclaiming his birth family, and neither did she. She was clever enough to succeed on her own—she didn't need the Zhou family's influence.

As she headed back upstairs, hands behind her back, she unexpectedly ran into someone else—the singer Li Yinping.

Li Yinping was standing hesitantly near the door with a bag of fruit, as if unsure whether to knock.

Lin Xiaoxiao approached with a smile. "Are you here to see Zhou Huai'an? He's out. You can tell me what you need, and I'll pass it along."

Frowning, Li Yinping clearly didn't want to speak with Lin Xiaoxiao, but not wanting to leave empty-handed, she forced a polite smile. "I just wanted to thank him for helping me before. I brought two bottles of liquor as a token of appreciation."

Glancing down, Lin Xiaoxiao saw it was Moutai—a premium brand that, from the original host's memory, was special supply and cost around seven or eight yuan per bottle. Not just anyone could get it.

This Li Yinping must be doing pretty well, she thought. A mischievous idea popped into her head. She pushed the door open and invited her in. "It's no trouble. Come in and wait—he might be back soon."

Confident that she was smarter than a "pretty vase" like Lin Xiaoxiao, Li Yinping followed her inside without suspicion.

Lin Xiaoxiao cheerfully pulled out a chair. "Have a seat. I won't offer you water, but let's chat."

Li Yinping saw this as a chance to fish for information about Zhou Huai'an and Lin Xiaoxiao's marriage—rumored to be very strained.

But before she could ask, Lin Xiaoxiao began eagerly questioning her: Where does the performance troupe usually perform? How many people are in it? Do you get to go to big cities?

Proudly, Li Yinping answered each question, elaborating on how wonderful cities like Beijing and Shanghai were, hoping to impress this small-town woman.

Lin Xiaoxiao listened with wide-eyed admiration. "That sounds amazing! Is Huaihai Road really as glamorous as they say? I'd love to see it someday."

Then she suddenly shifted the topic. "By the way, would you be interested in an industrial coupon? You know a lot of people—could you help me get rid of one? Maybe even help me get a TV coupon? Would that be possible?"

She asked so earnestly that Li Yinping was caught off guard. Weren't they just talking about big cities? Why suddenly bring up industrial coupons? Frowning, she replied, "I don't need industrial coupons."

Lin Xiaoxiao looked surprised. "But you know so many people and have seen so much—surely you know someone who does? I was sure you could help me out."

Hesitating, Li Yinping realized that saying no might make her earlier boasting seem empty.

Besides, many people were willing to pay high prices for these coupons. Helping Lin Xiaoxiao would prove she had useful connections. "How much do you want for it?"

Unfamiliar with the market rate but eager to make a profit, Lin Xiaoxiao smiled. "Two hundred. Not too high, right?"

Li Yinping stared in disbelief. "Two hundred?! Are you crazy? A bicycle only costs around 170 or 180! How can you ask 200 for a coupon?"

With a straight face, Lin Xiaoxiao replied, "But without the coupon, you can't buy the bicycle. I've heard some people sell these coupons for over 200. Maybe you don't have friends who need this kind of thing? I'll ask someone else."

Not wanting to lose face, Li Yinping gritted her teeth, pulled out exactly 200 yuan—all the money she had—handed it over, took the coupon, and left in a hurry.

Lin Xiaoxiao placed the money on the bed, surprised at how much 200 yuan really was. It looked... lovely.

And Li Yinping—she'd been so easy to fool.

For a brief moment, Lin Xiaoxiao felt a twinge of guilt.

After mentally congratulating herself on a performance worthy of a scheming drama character, she lay on the bed holding up the money. She was sure that after this, Li Yinping wouldn't come looking for Zhou Huai'an again—or at least, not in front of her.

When Zhou Huai'an returned, he found Lin Xiaoxiao lying on the bed happily gazing at the cash. "Where did you get that much money?" he asked, surprised.

Sitting up quickly, Lin Xiaoxiao gathered the bills and looked at him. "I sold an industrial coupon to Li Yinping. I don't need it right now, and she seemed like she could use it, so I sold it to her."

Zhou Huai'an frowned. "You sold one coupon for that much?"

Lin Xiaoxiao nodded earnestly. "Yes. She was willing."

After a moment of silence, Zhou Huai'an said, "Give the money back to her tomorrow."

Lin Xiaoxiao refused. She might have tricked Li Yinping, but it was with her own wits. If Li Yinping hadn't acted so superior, it never would've worked! Besides, this was a willing buyer–willing seller situation—she wasn't going to refund a thing.

She lowered her head and quietly put the money away, making it clear she had no intention of returning it.

Zhou Huai'an didn't push further. He knew industrial coupons could sell for over a hundred on the market, but 200 felt like taking advantage. He made a mental note to talk to her about ethics another time.

For now, he changed the subject. "Are you going to Zhou Village tomorrow?"

Lin Xiaoxiao turned to him immediately and nodded. "Of course I am. If Wang Fenglan causes trouble, I'll be there to help."