Chapter 1 — A House, A Family

For three whole months, our entire family had lived in a whirlwind of breathless anticipation, meticulously preparing for this momentous wedding day. We had secured the most opulent hotel in the entire city, reserving a staggering thirty-six banquet tables to accommodate every guest. Even the elaborate floral arches and welcoming garlands at the entrance had been flown in fresh from Kunming. My mother had insisted, her voice full of pride and firmness, that since Jia Jia was carrying our grandchild, the wedding could not possibly be marred by any carelessness. She had to enter the Lin household with absolute dignity and grace.

That morning, I woke up promptly at five. I eagerly helped everyone with the final touches, stringing up festive red double-happiness banners and arranging platters of auspicious fruits. Looking at the vibrant sea of crimson that filled every corner of our home, my heart genuinely swelled with joy for my older brother. He and Xu Jia Jia had been deeply in love for three years, their bond steadfast and tender. After Jia Jia’s pregnancy was confirmed, both families had smoothly set the date, and not a single shadow of conflict had ever clouded their path.

Then, a sleek procession of ten black Audi sedans rolled smoothly down the street. The lead bridal car, adorned with a magnificent giant red silk blossom at the front, glided to a gentle halt before our gates. Firecrackers erupted in a deafening, continuous roar, showering the pavement with bright red confetti. Children shrieked with laughter, scampering about to gather stray candies. My mother stood near the entrance, her face blooming with a radiant smile, while my father bustled endlessly from guest to guest, his feet barely touching the ground.

Just as the joyous crowd surged forward, eager to welcome the bride out of the vehicle, Jia Jia’s mother stepped up. Her voice was not particularly loud, yet it cut cleanly through the din, instantly plunging the bustling atmosphere into a dead silence. Even the young man lighting the last string of firecrackers froze mid-motion, holding his lighter aloft. Everyone craned their necks, turning their collective gaze toward the bridal car. My brother’s expression flickered, though he quickly forced a polite smile back onto his face.

"Auntie, let’s go inside and discuss matters properly," he said, his voice laced with gentle persuasion. "It is freezing out here, and Jia Jia is with child..."

"Freezing? Nonsense," Jia Jia’s mother interrupted, her tone hard as forged steel. "This matter must be settled right here, right now. If it is not resolved, the bride stays in the car. And this wedding is off."

The smile froze completely on my brother’s face. My father rushed forward, hurriedly offering a cigarette with a conciliatory chuckle. "In-law, today is a day of great joy. Let us talk reasonably, step by step. We wouldn't want to make things difficult for the youngsters..."

Jia Jia’s mother refused the cigarette with a flick of her wrist. Sweeping her sharp gaze over the massive crowd of gathered guests, she cleared her throat and raised her voice even higher than before. "The demands of the Xu family are simple. There is only one condition. Isn't that school-district apartment owned by your younger sister, Lin Xi? Transfer the deed of that property to my son, Xu Hao, today. The moment the paperwork is signed, Jia Jia will step out of the car and proceed with the ceremony. If you refuse to transfer the property, then forget about the wedding entirely."

The final words hung heavily in the air, plunging the massive banquet hall area into an absolute vacuum of sound. Across thirty-six tables, surrounded by over two hundred attendees, it was so quiet one could distinctly hear the autumn wind rustling the decorative ribbons. Every single pair of eyes swiveled in unison to lock onto me.

Standing right beside my mother, I felt as though all the blood in my body had surged upward before instantly draining away. My ears buzzed with a dull roar. My heart pounded so violently against my ribs that I feared it might leap right out of my throat. That apartment... It was the gift my parents had bought for my twentieth birthday, paid for fully in cash without a single loan, costing four hundred and twenty thousand yuan. At the time, they had made it explicitly clear: it was my independent dowry, exclusively mine. The title deed bore the name Lin Xi in clear black and white, designating sole personal ownership. It had nothing to do with my brother. It had nothing to do with my future sister-in-law. And it certainly had nothing to do with the Xu family.

Yet now, why were they targeting my home?

I turned my head to look at my mother. Her expression had darkened heavily, yet she remained silent. Instead, she simply reached out and took my hand in hers. Her palm was dry and warm, gripping mine with a firm, unwavering strength that did not tremble in the slightest.

My brother panicked, his voice cracking out of desperation. "Auntie, that apartment belongs to my sister! What does it possibly have to do with my marriage? Isn't doing this..."

"Why wouldn't it have anything to do with it?"

Before he could finish, Jia Jia’s younger brother swaggered down from the trailing car. He folded his arms across his chest and leaned lazily against the vehicle door, a classic rogue in his early twenties wearing an insolent smirk. "My sister is marrying into the Lin family. Are you people so utterly miserly that you begrudge giving up a single apartment? I’m not asking for your family property. I only want the one belonging to Lin Xi. What use does an unmarried girl like her have for a prime school-district flat? Once my sister gives birth, won't a child of the Lin family live in that very apartment anyway? It will end up in the hands of your family sooner or later. What harm is there in handing it over to me right now?"

What kind of twisted logic was that? My own home—since when had it magically transformed into something that belonged to them "sooner or later"?

A suffocating mixture of rage and bitter grievance churned deep within my chest. Yet I knew all too well that in a situation as delicate as this, I could not afford to throw a tantrum. Countless relatives were watching every single move. If I lost my temper now, the one who would lose face—the one who would be utterly humiliated—would be my brother, and indeed, the entire Lin family.

I could only bite my lower lip until the skin grew pale, my fingernails digging crescents deep into my palms as I forced myself to endure. Yet those countless gazes boring into me felt like sharp needles piercing my flesh—some filled with idle curiosity, some eager for a scandalous show, some dripping with patronizing pity, and others basking in malicious glee.

From somewhere in the crowd behind me, I distinctly caught a hushed whisper: "The Xu family has truly gone too far. Trying to extort a house right on the wedding day—that is just shameless."