Leon Wu returned to the tatami room at a famous Japanese restaurant in Beijing after dropping off his sister at home with some pressure. He was used to dealing with June's childish behavior, which had been indulged by their parents since childhood.
However, when that behavior continued into adulthood, it became exhausting, as he often found himself acting as a buffer for his sister.
Leon sat down listlessly among his colleagues, forcing a smile as they greeted him after being the topic of conversation due to his sudden departure during the lunch meeting at the restaurant.
Various shabu-shabu condiments and wagashi as dessert were served at the table, surrounded by six men from two different companies, including Jonas. This was the agenda for which he had asked Chelsea to skip delivering lunch.
There was a major agreement between Emerald Group and Monsta Corp, and for nearly two hours, both parties from different companies had been in a meeting before concluding with lunch together.
Since returning to his seat, Leon had been keeping an eye on Jonas, knowing his sister had had a long-standing crush on him.
However, maintaining unrequited love for too long wasn't it tedious? Unfortunately, the annoying infatuated party was his sister.
Since Jonas was still with Shirley and then married Chelsea Moon, his sister remained steadfast in her strong determination to love Jonas Li. It was a ridiculous and nauseating period that was hard to avoid.
"Brother Leon, are you okay? You look tired since you returned. Is everything alright?" A director next to him tried to scan the gloomy expression.
"Ah, it's just..."
"Right, you left in a hurry and returned looking drained." Someone else chimed in, Leon's listlessness being too prominent to ignore. However, Jonas didn't even bother looking at him.
"I'm fine, maybe just a bit tired." Leon smiled, hoping others would stop questioning him. "Jonas Li." The man in the beige shirt managed to detect Leon Wu's unease.
"Yes?"
"Can we talk for a moment? Outside."
"Of course."
Both men stepped away from the tatami room, their colleagues wondering about the possibilities.
"What's up?" Jonas started, his hands tucked into his pockets as he leaned against a sturdy cube-shaped pillar about three meters tall.
"I want to talk about your wife." Leon had prepared this sentence since taking his sister home, despite being friendly with Chelsea, he couldn't shake off the unease in his head seeing June injured in several places.
Jonas's forehead furrowed, feeling strange. "What do you mean?"
"June got into a fight with her at the boutique." Seeing Jonas remain stoic and look at him with an expressionless face, Leon continued. "June didn't explain the situation in detail, she just pressed that your wife assaulted her in front of many people after June slapped her once."
"I don't know, she hasn't contacted me." He sighed. "However, whatever the reason, I apologize for Chelsea's behavior towards my sister." He made an effort to do this, of course, as a formality of being a good husband in other people's eyes, while his mind was trying to figure out the best way to argue with Chelsea.
"Ah, I still need to look into it further. June is angry with me, maybe she'll be honest later. It's okay, Jonas."
"Thanks for telling me about this. I'll talk to Chelsea about it at home."
"Don't scold her. Whatever the case, June slapped her first, it's clear that your wife was just defending herself." He rubbed the back of his neck, looking awkward. "June can be childish, sorry for involving your wife."
"I understand."
"Alright, that's all I wanted to say. I hope everything ends here, and we can take care of our respective families."
"Yes, of course."
"I'll go back in." He patted Jonas's shoulder before re-entering the tatami room, while the ringing of his phone stopped Jonas in his tracks. It was from his mother, Elena Zhao.
"Jonas Li." Elena's voice sounded stern, as if emphasizing her anger.
"Yes, Mother. What's going on?"
"Where are you? Can you come home to Chaoyang now? Chelsea is here."
Jonas sighed, massaging his forehead. He hadn't even resolved one issue about the trouble his wife had caused, and it seemed the trigger for Elena's anger was related to the same thing.
"Yes, Mother."
"Hurry up, Mommy is waiting here."
"I'll be right there."
***
After Jonas arrived at Chaoyang, he visited his family's house and found a rather confusing scene. His wife was crying in his mother's lap, Elena glaring at Jonas with anger in her sharp eyes while gently stroking Chelsea's head, continuously speaking soothing words to calm Chelsea down.
"It's okay, Mother won't let you get into trouble because of that silly woman's nonsense. Mother will make sure Jonas takes care of everything if anything happens related to the woman who's infatuated with someone else's husband in the future." Elena deliberately raised her voice while looking at Jonas as the man approached.
"Mother."
"Didn't you even know your wife was having a hard time? Why can't you be firm so others stop bothering you?"
Usually, Elena restrained her anger and let Jeremy Li handle issues with their adopted son as the head of the family.
However, Chelsea's sudden appearance, crying and talking about June, sparked Elena's desire to scold Jonas quickly. Elena didn't need to wait for Jeremy to do it; she was already furious and hurt seeing her daughter-in-law injured due to her son's carelessness and neglect.
"Mother, it's not Jonas's fault." Chelsea sat up, her tears genuine. The idea for this drama came up after leaving the boutique, because sooner or later the Li family would find out about this conflict. "If only June had restrained herself and not slapped me, I wouldn't have lost my patience and retaliated more. She's really..."
"Mother understands, Chelsea. Mother will always be on your side." She hugged her daughter-in-law, gently stroking Chelsea's back. "Since you chose to marry Jonas and leave your family in the Netherlands, you've become Jonas's and our family's responsibility. How could Mother let you get hurt because of insignificant people like that? This wouldn't have happened if Jonas had taken a firm stance a long time ago."
Jonas sighed, Chelsea willingly adding another burden to his plate. He sat listlessly on a single sofa, watching the affectionate interaction between his mother-in-law and wife like a TV drama.
"Jonas, haven't you understood the situation?" Elena's tone was still firm and cold.
"I know. Leon told me about it."
"So, what will you do about it? Mother hopes you won't disappoint anyone, including your wife."
"I'll take a firm stance after knowing the real situation. June refused to explain in detail about the situation at the boutique, Mother. Leon only said that Chelsea assaulted June after the girl slapped her. I want to know the reason behind it."
"Your wife came to Paradise Boutique based on Mother's recommendation, but she overheard a conversation between June and someone else discussing her desire to get close to you despite knowing you're married. How could a woman have such dirty thoughts? She's worse than the dirty pigs at the farm." Elena spoke on Chelsea's behalf since her daughter-in-law was still sobbing with trembling shoulders, needing more time to calm down.
Elena felt Chelsea was worried that June would take Jonas away from her, so she came and complained until she broke down in tears. A legitimate wife would definitely support Chelsea's actions to defend herself and protect her property, even if Chelsea hit someone-it wasn't an issue for Elena. In fact, she was relieved knowing her daughter-in-law fought back without hesitation.
"She's even been chasing you since you were dating Shirley? Why hasn't she given up? And then provoked Chelsea into a fight. You have to take responsibility for resolving all this, Jonas. Mother doesn't want anyone to bother our proud Chelsea." Still in Elena's warm embrace, Chelsea smiled smugly, hearing her mother-in-law's warning and pressure on Jonas Li.
It was enjoyable, creating drama in this family like a delicious snack that had to be tasted. She felt June was quite useful, and in the end, Chelsea always won, even if she relied on others as a cry from her heart.
She had caused trouble, Jonas would definitely find out and take action, but most likely blame Chelsea for assaulting someone else and damaging his reputation-scanning Jonas's character who disliked his wife-so Chelsea started thinking of ways to make herself the most injured victim, even though she was a hunter who had successfully shot a starving male lion.
She should be laughing out loud now, but the mask of a mistreated daughter-in-law still clung to her face, letting everyone see her as a victim who deserved all the attention.
"Look, Chelsea. Jonas will definitely take care of everything, cleaning up the trash so the scenery around him becomes enjoyable again. You can relax now, trust Mother." She bestowed affection worthy of her-remembering her three sons, Elena longed to have just one daughter, and Chelsea appeared coincidentally, even though she was her daughter-in-law.
"Okay, Mother. I'll always repay your kindness, thank you for understanding and protecting me. Hopefully, no other women will try to disrupt other people's marriages; I hate them."
"Mother will make sure Jonas remains yours. So, calm down."
Jonas felt a chill run down his spine hearing Elena's words, like the presence of a terrifying entity from another world; that's how Chelsea's existence felt to him.
***