The Ultimate Son-in-law

Outside the gates of Hereward University, a Mercedes E-Class sedan came to a steadystop.A stunning girl in a light purple dress walked towards the car. Initially, the girl had a smile on her face, but when she saw the man getting out ofthe car, her smile froze. "Alex Taylor, why is it you? Where's my sister?" The girl's tone was displeased. Alex could only shake his head since he couldn't speak, The girl glanced around and took a few steps forward, reaching for the car door. She didn't want anyone to know that her mute brother-in-law was picking her up. Every time someone mentioned her sister’s mute husband, she felt embarrassed. Just as the girl was about to get in the car, a female voice came from behind, "lsn't this Sophia Taylor, the campus belle of lmperial College?" Sophia's body stiffened as she instantly recognized who was speaking. Turning around, Sophia forced a smile on her face. "Lori, it's you. Are you going out? "Yeah, l just happened to see you, so l came to say hello." Lori casually replied, buther gaze intentionally swept over Alex. "Sophia, who's this man? Oh, l know, he must be your chauffeur working for yourfamily, right?" Another girl pretended to be curious and asked. Sophia's face showed an awkward smile. "He... he's my sister's... "l got it!" The third girl's face lit up with a newfound discovery. "He's your mutebrother-in-law, right?" Hearing this, Sophia's gaze turned cold, and she fell silent. She opened the car door and got in. "Alex, what are you dawdling for? Let's go!" Sophia yelled out of the rolled-down carwindow. Her good mood had been significantly affected by now. Alex silently got into the car amidst the disdainful and contemptuous glances fromthe three girls. He started the car and quietly drove away from the gate of Hereward University. Sophia took out her phone and dialed Sophia Taylor's number. 'Sis, didn't we agree that you'd pick me up? Why did you let Alex come instead? "What? Something came up and l couldn't make it. Hmph! You're the only busy one.Don't ask him to come again in the future. l'll take a taxi back myself!" Seated in the backseat, Sophia angrily hung up the phone. Then she turned her gaze to Alex, who was driving, becoming increasingly displeased. "Hey, Alex, don't think you're suffering greatly by being a son-in-law in our family. lfit weren't for our Taylors providing you with food and shelter, you, a mute, wouldhave starved on the streets. l advise you to divorce my sister. When that time comes.the Taylor family will give you some money. You can live your life however youwant, as long as you don't appear in front of me again. Are you even listening tome? Can't you say something?" Sophia vented her frustration and then sneered, "Sorry.I forgot you're mute again. Alex tightly gripped the steering wheel. He had endured this kind of life for fouryears. When Alex was six years old, his parents disappeared, and he was raised by hisgrandmother. With her meager retirement pension and the money he earned fromcollecting garbage, Alex managed to finish university. Alex vividly remembered that on the day of his university graduation, his usuallystrong-willed grandmother fell ill. The hospital test results came out quickly-malignant gastric cancer, in its advancedstage. As Alex gazed upon his grandmother's frail form, lying in that hospital bed, sorrowfultears streamed down his face. He made a solemn promise deep within his heart todo whatever it took to grant his grandmother more time, even if it meant just anextra year or even a mere month. Alex began borrowing money from people he knew, started crowdfunding online,and even kneeled in the bustling city center, the busiest pedestrian street, beggingfor kind-hearted people's help. Miraculously, Alex finally managed to raise the money he needed. The ones who provided the money were a couple. They not only funded Alex'sgrandmother's treatment but also married their eldest daughter to him. On that day, Alex felt a ray of light shining into his dark life. Shortly after his marriage, Alex discovered how naive he had been. The reason theTaylor family helped him, the reason they were willing to marry their daughter tohim, was solely because of superstition, believing that he could bring good luck totheir daughter so she could recover from her ilness. In other words, Alex was merely a tool. Once he had served his purpose of bringinggood luck, he found that he lived under the roof of the Taylor family like a dog. A year later, Alex's grandmother passed away. After organizing her funeral, Alex feltthat life had lost all meaning. He remembered one stormy night when, due to a trivial matter, he was kicked out ofthe Taylor family. With nowhere to go, Alex wandered aimlessly on the streets, letting the rain pourdown on him. Unconsciously, Alex found himself at Lover's Bridge. lt was a famous spot in Hereward Citywhere couples would come on Valentine's Day to have dates. Lover? Love? These were all luxury goods that Alex couldn't afford. As he looked at the rolling river water beneath the bridge, the idea ofjumpingcrossed Alex's mind. He thought that if he jumped, everything would be over, and he would be freed. The moment this thought entered his mind, Alex couldn't suppress it anymore. One of his feet stepped over the railing. "Young man, jumping into the river on such a stormy day is not a wise choice. A deep, hoarse voice rang in Alex's ears. Alex turned his head and saw an elderly man with graying hair standing next to him. holding a black umbrella. His face had a somewhat ambiguous smile. "I can give you a chance to change your fate. Would you like that?" The old man'svoice was full of temptation. Alex didn't know if he was hallucinating or not, but he instinctively nodded. From his pocket, the old man pulled out a syringe containing pale blue liquid. Give me your hand. Alex hesitated, his face showing a nervous expression. "Are you afraid?" The old man's expression turned playful. "You're not afraid ofdeath, so what could you possibly fear?' Alex extended his right hand, and the old man injected the liquid from the syringeinto his veins. "Remember, for the next three years, you will become mute. After three years, youwill have a different life. But you have to survive these three years... With an umbrella in hand, the old man slowly disappeared from Alex's sight. Alex wanted to call out to him, but all that came out of his mouth was a hoarsesound. From the moment Alex became mute, he lived in the Taylor family worse than a dog. For the past three years, every year at the exact same time he was injected with that blue liquid, his body would experience extreme pain. lt felt like millions of ants wererelentlessly biting him, and even his head would feel swollen, as if it could explodeat any moment... After each bout of pain, Alex had a vague sense that his body had undergone somechanges, but he couldn't articulate exactly what those changes were. Year after year, he endured, and tonight at nine o'clock, it would mark that exactlythree years had passed. This was the moment!