Chapter 2 — My Best Friend Wants to Be the Second Wife

Had I not reviewed the security footage last night, I might have truly been deceived; it was impossible to imagine such a fantastical farce unfolding right before my eyes. But at this moment, I merely offered a cold, mocking smile.

"You have said so much, but where is the proof?"

Jiang Miao’s face flushed a deep crimson, and her gaze faltered, dropping toward the floor. "The proof... it is on my own body." She drew a ragged breath and looked directly at Qin Hai Chuan. "Qin Hai Chuan, I am still wearing your underwear today. I deliberately waited until I moved in so that I could take it off here, wash it, and return it to you."

Qin Hai Chuan and I exchanged a glance. I nearly burst out laughing. He wore disposable undergarments exclusively; they were not meant to be washed. At that precise moment, Zhao Yalan entered, clutching a stack of legal documents. Her expression soured the instant she saw Qin Hai Chuan, and she whirled around to point an accusing finger at me. "Lin Tang! I have truly underestimated you! Do you really have so little foresight that you would force Qin Hai Chuan to abandon his work and rush back here just to play protector over such a trivial matter?" She slammed the contracts onto the table in front of me. "Sign them."

I glanced down. Five storefronts in the heart of the city—a dowry of sorts that the Qin family had granted me upon my marriage. I looked up, stunned. "What is the meaning of this?"

"Stop playing the fool!" Zhao Yalan sneered. "I told you to sign, so obviously they are being transferred to Miao Miao. She is carrying the only heir of the Qin family; she deserves these."

Jiang Miao’s mother scrambled up from the floor, her eyes gleaming with greed. "Storefronts? How much are they worth?"

Her husband shoved her aside. "You really are ignorant! Storefronts in the city center are worth at least ten million each! And there are five of them!"

Jiang Huai swallowed hard. "Fifty million..."

Qin Hai Chuan gripped my hand firmly. "Do not sign. This child is absolutely not mine, so why would we transfer anything?" He turned his head to look at Jiang Miao. "If you claim to be wearing my underwear right now, then take it off and let everyone see if it truly belongs to me. If it is mine, I will divorce my wife today and marry you."

Jiang Miao straightened her back, triumph flashing in her eyes. "Are you serious?"

I nodded solemnly. "I agree. But if it is not his, you had better prepare for a legal notice from my lawyers."

Hearing this, Jiang Miao pointed at me defiantly. "Lin Tang, if you are so determined to see, I will take it off right now for you to witness! Just you wait!" She spun around and bolted into the bathroom.

Her mother crossed her arms, casting a venomous look my way. "Madam Tan, Miao Miao has not even officially moved in yet and she is already being bullied like this. What will happen once she is truly part of the family? If anything happens to the child, who will take responsibility?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Yalan waved a hand toward the housekeeper, Aunt Liang. "What are you standing there for? Go pack up Lin Tang’s things and throw them out! She is not to set foot in this house until Miao Miao’s child is born!"

Aunt Liang did not budge, and neither did I. My mind replayed the security footage from the previous night, and the corners of my lips curled upward of their own accord. Moments later, the bathroom door swung open, and Jiang Miao rushed out, brandishing a pair of dark blue briefs. "Look for yourselves! These are designer—they cost over a thousand each! If they aren't Qin Hai Chuan’s, then whose could they possibly be?"

Just then, the main door was shoved open with a loud thud. "Those are mine!"

"What?" Jiang Miao’s hand froze in mid-air. When she caught sight of the newcomer, the color drained from her face entirely. It was Uncle Liu, the butler, who had just returned early from his vacation. He rushed into the hall, his face flushed. "Those are mine! I was wondering where they went! So you were the one who stole them!"

Silence descended upon the hall. Zhao Yalan was the first to recover. She stepped forward and grabbed Uncle Liu’s arm. "What did you say? Are these truly yours?"

Uncle Liu snatched the underwear back, looking both anxious and livid. "Of course they are mine! Young Master Qin gave them to all of us—butlers, drivers, and security alike. Each person got a box of four! You can ask anyone if you do not believe me!" He clutched the garment tightly, his voice rising. "And these are definitely mine! Look at the hole in the waistband. I was smoking in my room once and the ember burnt through it!"

Zhao Yalan reflexively stared at the hole, her brows knitting together in confusion. "So... Miao Miao was wearing your underwear, and the child she is carrying..."

"You believe this ridiculous story?!" Before she could finish, Miao's mother lunged forward, her finger jabbing the air at me. "Miao Miao just took off her underwear and the next second a butler runs in to claim it? This is clearly a setup! Lin Tang has bribed your staff to put on this performance!"

Her husband slapped his own forehead and stomped his feet in frustration.