CHAPTER 93: NANCY SELLING THINGS

Perhaps it was the alcohol making everyone more relaxed, but the joke didn’t feel inappropriate. In the past, Luis would’ve at least been sternly scolded by his mother-in-law.

Luis also flattered, "Scammers these days target their victims precisely. The fact that they called Mom proves that in their eyes, she’s already a wealthy woman. Let’s toast to Mom!"

"Cheers!"

Sister-in-law Nancy shot him a grateful look. Luis smiled back—words were unnecessary. It wasn’t exactly ambiguous, but the atmosphere had subtly shifted.

Ding... Sister-in-law Nancy: Favorability Meter 50%.

Luis had now figured out the pattern: it was easy to raise low scores, but extremely difficult to increase high ones.

For instance, even though his wife was so satisfied last night, he gave her a new phone and whispered so many sweet nothings, her favorability only rose by 1%, reaching 96%. He had no idea when it would hit 100%.

The most frustrating part was that it could both rise and fall. Luis had to speak and act cautiously, always trying to please, afraid that one wrong word would undo all his progress.

Just then, Lily opened a bottle of red wine. Luis glared and said, "Honey, you’re pregnant—can you drink alcohol??"

Mother-in-law Ruth smiled approvingly and said, "You’re quite sharp."

Lily poured herself a small glass, stuck out her tongue, and said playfully, "Honey, I took the afternoon off. Aunt Yana accompanied me to the Municipal Traditional Medicine Hospital and pulled some strings to have a specialist examine me."

Luis frowned. "What kind of specialist?"

Nowadays, the word "specialist" left a bad taste in most people’s mouths—there were too many unqualified, ignorant frauds out there, as if the title had no standards.

Ruth rolled her eyes and said, "Let Lily finish speaking first. Why the stern face?"

Lily smiled and said, "We can do the machine tests and routine prenatal checkups at our hospital, but I wanted to be extra careful, so I went to the medicine hospital for another examination."

"The specialist Aunt Yana found is no ordinary person. He’s a retired professor from the Big City medical university, rehired by the school. He hasn’t practiced in a long time and now mentors apprentices at the school."

"The old man is 85 years old. He came to our city, this time at the dean’s invitation. The chief physicians at our hospital, several directors at the medicine hospital, and even the dean are all his students."

"That’s amazing!"

Upon hearing this, Luis felt this was likely the real deal.

Ruth said proudly, "What did you expect? I originally wanted to go along, but your Aunt Yana said we shouldn’t disturb the old gentleman."

Lily added, "Aunt Yana didn’t even go in. A director from the medicine hospital led me in—he was almost excessively polite."

"So what did the doctor say?"

Luis’s face was full of concern.

Lily took a sip of red wine and said with a smile, "The old man said my constitution is quite good, just a bit different from most pregnant women."

"My body tends to run dry, and my blood circulates slowly. Normally, pregnant women shouldn’t promote blood circulation, but he said I should drink a small amount of white or red wine every two or three days to stimulate blood flow. Also, I don’t need to avoid cold foods like crab like other pregnant women."

"In moderation, once a week is fine—it helps reduce the internal heat in my body."

"And then??"

Luis continued questioning, already taking out paper and a pen to jot down notes with utmost seriousness.

Ruth smiled warmly at the sight and said, "My son-in-law is truly the best. Back when I was pregnant with you girls, your father never asked a single question. I had to serve his whole family even with a huge belly."

Nancy immediately lowered her head, and Lily stuck out her tongue. No one dared to respond for fear of being scolded.

"Then there’s nothing else. Just maintain a normal diet—eat whatever you crave. Pregnant women are usually warned against promoting blood circulation, but he said my blood flows slowly. Once I reach six months and stabilize, I can consider soaking in hot springs."

"No more than ten minutes at a time, twice a month at most. Moderate blood circulation can help the fetus absorb nutrients better."

Luis remembered everything, writing swiftly without missing a single word.

-----

After dinner, Nancy, the sister-in-law who had never done a day of housework in her life, volunteered to wash the dishes and clean the table.

"You all go take a walk, I’ll handle the cleanup here!"

Her phone was on silent during this time, but Luis, sitting nearby, could see numerous calls coming in that she ignored.

After returning from the walk, the mother and her two daughters gathered in the air-conditioned living room. Nancy, the one with the most experience in reckless spending, taught her sister and mother how to use the Apple system, how to switch SIM cards, and so on. In this regard, she was actually quite reliable.

Luis couldn’t wait to return to his room, entered the world of the System, and used the all-knowing cheat to activate God Mode, wanting to see what Nancy had been up to all afternoon.

The scene showed surveillance footage from a pawnshop. The appraiser picked up the LV bag Nancy brought in and shook his head: "The condition isn’t great. I’d be worried about losing money even if I offered 200."

Nancy’s voice was shocked: "200? I spent 2,300 on this when I bought it."

"Other people’s bags are maintained by the boutique, and they rotate between several bags. Yours clearly has been used frequently without any upkeep. The wear is severe—look, this patch of leather is even peeling off."

"Maybe you should try another shop."

Not giving up, Nancy went to another store, but what they told her made her even more disheartened: the bag was too worn to be worth restoring, it was an outdated style not worth much since it wasn’t a limited edition, and they advised against even attempting repairs.

Rejected!

Nancy felt her head spinning. She returned to the first shop, this time bringing all three of her bags.

"Two are heavily worn, this one is passable, but it’s still not a high-end model."

The appraiser was still dismissive.

After all, unless it’s a classic, limited edition, or commemorative piece, luxury goods don’t hold their value well. Many gold-digging women sell their bags almost as soon as the novelty wears off, so the secondhand market is flooded.

In the end, all three bags together—with receipts—sold for just 1,100 dollars. Nancy was heartbroken; she had spent almost 8,000 dollars on them.

It was these very bags that had made her fall head over heels for Daniel, the fake rich second-generation.

Marrying Daniel right after graduating, Nancy was simply unlucky. As a vain, materialistic woman, she somehow never crossed paths with a sugar daddy who could have led her down a path of corruption.

Having seen little of the world, she was easily deceived by Daniel. With her looks and figure, had any wealthy man taken an interest, she would never have sunk to this point.

Luis thought wickedly that he heard Daniel was quite the show-off back then, even driving a sports car—though who knows if it was a flood-damaged clunker.

As soon as Nancy got the money, she transferred 800 dollars to her aunt Eloise. Just like that, her three favorite bags were gone, leaving only 300 dollars in her wallet.

"Brother-in-law, any news from your friend?"

Nancy sent a special message. Luis thought for a moment and replied: "No!"

It seemed she must be panicking now, certainly not as calm as she appeared on the surface. Luis pondered carefully—what he needed was an opportunity to swoop in when she was vulnerable.

He messaged his sister-in-law and Avery, keeping that connection alive.

The sister-in-law was still being flirted with, maintaining an ambiguous atmosphere, while Avery’s messages grew even more explicit, repeatedly asking whether Luis had made a move on the sister-in-law.

"I noticed whenever Bunny and I talk about you, brother-in-law, that silly girl acts a little off. Honestly, have you made a move on your sister-in-law?"

"You’re overthinking it. Maybe it’s just because brother-in-law is handsome."

"So conceited, brother-in-law... I want a iPhone 14 too."

As she spoke, Avery sent a mirror selfie. In the mirror, she wore only a set of pink lingerie, her petite, fair body smooth and tender like soft tofu.

Most striking were those full, enticing breasts—no less impressive than the sister-in-law’s ample bosom—with a cleavage so deep it seemed even more breathtaking, making one eager to see them in their full glory.

"Poor Avery, only able to afford cheap lingerie, brother-in-law..."

"This weekend, does Second Sister have to work? I want to ask Mom if I can sleep over at Bunny’s place."

"I’ll ask later."