Chapter 21

Before Ye Wanqing could even open her mouth, Ye Mingzhu outside began apologizing in a continuous stream, raising her voice. “Sister, wait at home for a bit. I’ll go call Mom and Dad back right now so you can talk properly!”

“Ye Mingzhu, what are you playing at? Open the door quickly!”

“I won’t! Mom said you didn’t come back these past two days and don’t want this family anymore. How can you be like this? We’re a family—what matter can’t be talked through?”

“Open the door first.”

“I’m leaving. I’ll be right back!”

Ye Wanqing was almost angered into laughter. With the things the Ye family had done, could they really be laid out and talked about?

Even if Liu Lizhen had no face, Ye Xiangdang should still want some!

The sound of Ye Mingzhu running away came from outside. Ye Wanqing’s almond eyes sank as she turned around, always feeling the matter was not that simple.

No matter what, locking her inside the house was truly too strange.

Was this how a talk was held?

When she walked into the living room and discovered a person sneakily emerging from the bathroom—it was actually the somewhat drunk Wang Jiabao who was grinning at her with “hehe”—she instantly narrowed her almond eyes and smiled.

“Long time no see, Wang Jiabao!”

This was an old acquaintance—she had to entertain him properly!!!

—

Ye Mingzhu ran quickly downstairs. When she reached the corner of the dormitory building and saw Liu Lizhen waiting there, she smiled and threw herself over.

“Mom, I tricked Sister back home. Let’s hurry back!” Pulling Liu Lizhen’s arm, Ye Mingzhu’s face was full of pride. “See? Sister still listens to me.”

Unfortunately, she could not pull Liu Lizhen.

“Mom?” Ye Mingzhu looked at her in puzzlement. “Why aren’t you moving?”

“Move for what?”

“Ah? We’re not going back—just locking Sister up like this?”

Liu Lizhen slowly and deliberately patted nonexistent dust from her clothes. A trace of venom flashed through her eyes, yet a smile spread across her face as she said easily, “What’s wrong with locking her up? Anyway she’s at home. Nothing will happen.”

“But Sister will be angry with me.” Ye Mingzhu pouted. “Mom, how can you be like this!”

“With your sister’s temper—impatient and stubborn like a donkey! If we go back now, there will definitely only be arguing. Better to let her stay alone at home for a while and properly think about where she went wrong. We’ll go back after a while. Don’t you think this makes sense?”

Ye Mingzhu thought for a moment and felt it was right. “Okay.”

—

Ye Wanqing had been gone for one or two hours. Looking at the time, it was almost noon and she still had not returned, nor had she sent anyone with a message. It was not like her usual way of doing things.

Fatty Wang’s mother continued doing business while secretly feeling a bit worried.

She had heard a few bits about the Ye family’s matters. Last time she had personally entered the “battle” at the Ge family’s small courtyard and knew that the Ye couple were not good people…… Although nothing could happen in broad daylight, what if?

When Ge Yuan came to deliver lunch, she quickly told him about this matter.

“You say she was called away by the Ye family and still hasn’t returned?” Ge Yuan’s thick brows tightly furrowed. A pair of black eyes held anger so deep it was almost dripping ink.

“Yes!” Fatty Wang’s mother nodded. “It was that little girl from the Ye family who came to call her. From the meaning, it seemed Ye Wanqing’s biological parents had come and called her to go home to take a look.”

Ge Yuan turned and left at once. “I’ll go check!”

What kind of home was the Ye family’s—simply a tiger’s den and wolf’s nest!

Ge Yuan sprinted all the way to the bottom of the dormitory building and happened to run into Chen Ying who was returning home for lunch. After asking her which floor the Ye family was on, he directly took the stairs three steps at a time.

Although Chen Ying did not know Ge Yuan, her relationship with Ye Wanqing was still not bad. Guessing that something might have happened to her, she did not even go home to eat and quickly followed Ge Yuan.

Arriving at the Ye family’s door, Ge Yuan raised his massive fist and began “bang bang bang” pounding the door. After a good while with no movement inside, he directly used brute force to kick with his feet.

The noise he made kicking the door was too loud. At noon there were many people returning home for lunch. In an instant quite a few people from upstairs and downstairs gathered to watch.

“Young man, what are you doing?”

“The Ye Xiangdang family has provoked a fierce star—truly terrifying.”

“Should we go call security?”

“Young man, don’t be so rough. What matter can’t be properly talked about? If this door is kicked broken you’ll still have to pay compensation!”

“……”

Ge Yuan kept a cold face and did not speak. Chen Ying could only speak up and explain a few sentences. Finally no one went to call security.

No matter what others said, Ge Yuan simply held a fierce energy and kicked the door one after another. His heart was a bit panicked. If he did not kick this damned door to pieces, if he did not see that person, he would want to kill someone!

Only when an insider spoke up saying “The Ye family left this morning. Even if you’re looking for people you shouldn’t be so anxious” did he abruptly turn his head and stare at that person with a pair of bloodshot eyes.

“You said the Ye family left this morning?!” He asked in a hoarse voice, word by word.

“Yes!” That person was so frightened he stepped back, afraid the rampaging Ge Yuan would suddenly attack. His voice even trembled. “I…… I saw it with my own eyes.”

“Then do you know where they went?”

“This…… this I don’t know.”

Ge Yuan fiercely clenched his fists, abruptly turned, and charged downstairs.

Perhaps Heaven pitied this heart of his that was being tormented. Just as he walked out of the stairwell, at a glance he saw Liu Lizhen and Ye Mingzhu hurrying over.

Both of them wore expressions of panic, looking as if they had heard the news that someone was blocking the doorway and smashing the door, and only then rushed back.

Ge Yuan’s black eyes narrowed. The full cavity of rage could no longer be controlled. He directly charged over, reached out, and choked Ye Mingzhu’s neck, pressing her tightly against the wall.

“Speak! Where is your sister!”

“I…… cough cough……” When had Ye Mingzhu ever experienced such a formation? Being lifted from the ground like a little chick, she felt the air between her chest and lungs growing thinner and thinner. Breathing was difficult. Her little face turned completely red from being held.

Unable to speak, she kicked with her feet and hit with her hands, yet no matter what she could not move the man even a fraction. She was so frightened that tears gushed outward.

Liu Lizhen was also terrified. After recovering her senses she immediately went to pry Ge Yuan’s hand, stopping him in panic. “You…… you let go of my daughter! If you have something to say then properly say it. First let her go! You’re committing murder—it’s against the law!”

“Murder? Against the law?” Ge Yuan’s gaze was deep and cold. He revealed a fierce smile toward her. “If anything happens to Ye Wanqing, killing your entire family would still be light! Speak—where is she?!”

“She…… she’s at home……”

Ge Yuan’s eyes sank. He disgustedly flung Ye Mingzhu hard onto the ground and coldly said to Liu Lizhen, “Go up. Open the door!”

Liu Lizhen did not dare oppose. She dragged her soft legs upstairs. Ge Yuan found her too slow and occasionally pushed her upward. In the end he simply dragged her arm and pulled her up. In two or three moves they reached the third floor and he flung her toward the doorway.

“Open the door!”

Liu Lizhen trembled as she took out the key. She inserted it twice before aligning with the lock hole and opened the reverse-locked door.

Ye Mingzhu stood far away, covering her own neck and coughing softly, simply not daring to step forward.

The door opened. The group of people entered the room and directly walked toward the kitchen-bathroom direction from which faint movements came. Yet the moment they saw the situation inside, they all froze at once.

Ye Wanqing had one foot standing outside the toilet and one foot stepping on Wang Jiabao who was inside the toilet. Although her appearance was a bit disheveled, there were no traces of her having been violated.

In contrast, the malicious Wang Jiabao had been bound with his hands behind his back using a bedsheet and thrown into the toilet. His body was soaked through from being doused with water. His face had been beaten into a pig’s head. A blackened rag was still stuffed in his mouth. Seeing people he “mm mm mm”ed and struggled hard. Looking at him, he was the one who had been frightened out of his wits.

This……

It seemed there was simply no need for a hero to save the beauty—the beauty herself was quite capable.

Not to mention anything else, just looking at the foot Ye Wanqing was stepping between Wang Jiabao’s legs…… truly made the backs of the men present go cold.

Everyone fell into a strange silence.

Ye Wanqing’s cold gaze swept over. Only Chen Ying excitedly and secretly stamped her foot, unable to restrain herself from calling out once, “Sister Qing!”

Ye Wanqing: “……”

She calmly accepted the fangirl’s worship.

However, she had thought the ones coming in to “catch the affair” would only be people from the Ye family and Wang family. Unexpectedly receiving a large expanse of either shocked or dumbfounded gazes, she was also a bit surprised.

Why had so many people come together? Her own tall man had also come?

After looking around once, Ye Wanqing directly asked Ge Yuan, “What’s going on?”

Ge Yuan: “……”

He silently took off his shirt, first stepped forward and wrapped his little girl tightly and securely, then only then briefly and concisely explained the matter.

Wrapped in the clothes that carried the man’s body temperature, Ye Wanqing only then suddenly realized that while dealing with Wang Jiabao her clothes had been torn a bit. The front of her garment was open, revealing a stretch of fair collarbone.

Her Brother Yuan was truly careful!

Unable to control her gaze glancing toward his body…… mm, his figure was also very solid—broad shoulders, narrow waist, and even abs!

Indulging in wild thoughts could not be too much. The matter still had to be resolved.

With many people present, there were even more witnesses.

Good.

A trace of coldness floated in Ye Wanqing’s almond eyes as she looked toward the trembling Liu Lizhen who could almost not stand. She coldly laughed and questioned, “You had Ye Mingzhu trick me back home just so Wang Jiabao could ruin my reputation and force me to marry into the Wang family?”

“I already said I wouldn’t take over the job—I just don’t want to marry and want to stay in the county town to do a little business. Do you have to force me like this?! What’s more, the person betrothed to Wang Jiabao was Ye Mingzhu. What do you mean by forcing me to marry over?”

“You feel the Wang family is a big fire pit and can’t bear for your biological daughter to marry over. For this you even called little hooligans to bully me and ruin my reputation. So this adopted daughter of yours deserves to be trampled by you like this?”

“Or is it that because I didn’t hand over all my income to you like before, and didn’t unconditionally hand over the waiting hall stall, you hold resentment toward me and want to see me ruined by the Wang family? People don’t act like this!”

“Today in front of so many people I’ll make things clear with you…… No matter what, I thank you for raising me for eighteen years. Thank you for never shortchanging me in food and clothing, and never adding extra beatings or scoldings. But with so many things happening recently, it’s obvious we can no longer get along without any barriers in the future. So when you grow old I’ll take on the obligation of supporting you the same as Ye Mingzhu. During festivals there will be filial gifts. On ordinary days let’s still have less contact.”

“Also, from now on I’ll move out to live and transfer my household registration away as well. Future marriage and other matters won’t need you to worry about anymore. I have my own ideas.”

“As for Wang Jiabao……” Ye Wanqing glanced at the scum on the ground who looked like a drowned dog, her smile extremely cold. “Does this count as the crime of hooliganism?”

Liu Lizhen’s face turned white. She could not speak.

The crime of hooliganism now could lead to sentencing, or even execution by shooting! If the only seedling of the Wang family got into trouble at the Ye family, wouldn’t the Wang family come after her for their lives?

Yet facing Ye Wanqing’s cold gaze, she did not dare say a single word and simply did not dare make a sound.

Today’s farce ended here.

Ye Wanqing tugged at Ge Yuan’s hand. “Brother Yuan, let’s go.”

However Ge Yuan did not move.

“Have you finished dealing with it?” Although he was asking Ye Wanqing, a pair of ruthless black eyes was staring at Wang Jiabao.

Ye Wanqing: “……Mm.”

“Then good……”

Now it was his turn!

Under Wang Jiabao’s terrified gaze, Ge Yuan dragged him out of the toilet like a dead dog and threw him onto the living room floor.

His brows and eyes were full of cold, fierce, and cruel chill. He tore off the rag stuffing Wang Jiabao’s mouth and fiercely punched his side face. Then the fists fell on his body like a violent storm.

Wang Jiabao had originally thought Ye Wanqing had beaten him until he no longer even had the strength to scream miserably. Only now did he know that strength still existed.

“Let me go—I was wrong…… It was Ye Wanqing’s mother who told me to do this. She even accepted five hundred yuan from my mother!”

“Don’t hit anymore—I beg you don’t hit anymore……”

“Ah! Wuwu……”

Wang Jiabao curled up on the ground like a dead dog. Yet no matter how he dodged he could not escape Ge Yuan’s massive fists. The more he begged for mercy, the harder Ge Yuan hit!

His successive miserable screams made people’s hearts panic. The words he spoke also refreshed the onlookers’ understanding of Liu Lizhen, filling them with disdain toward the Ye family.

Very quickly Wang Jiabao was beaten beyond human form, like rotten mud plastered on the ground. Even his miserable screams became weak and intermittent.

Ye Wanqing had never seen this kind of Ge Yuan—cold and ruthless, carrying a full body of killing aura, like a demon that had just walked out of the abyss.

Yet he was for her. She did not feel the slightest bit afraid and only felt he particularly had a man’s flavor.

Anyway she herself was not any kind of good person either.

“Enough, Brother Yuan.” Ye Wanqing finally stepped forward and raised her hand to grip Ge Yuan’s arm that was swinging down once more.

Her clean almond eyes looked at him. Her calm voice carried a power that soothed people’s hearts.

“I know you want to take revenge for me, but there are many ways to take revenge. We absolutely cannot drag ourselves down with it. Giving him a fierce lesson is enough. Next let the law handle it, okay? The crime of hooliganism might lead to being shot. There’s simply no need for us to make a move!”

In the mutual gaze, the cold ruthlessness in Ge Yuan’s eyes slowly faded and became calm.

He nodded heavily. “Okay!”

But the matter still could not be left like this.

Wang Jiabao had been dealt with—what about the Ye family?

He stood up with a cold face, looked around, and directly picked up a backrest chair. After weighing it in his hand he forcefully smashed it toward the furniture in the room.

Wood chips flew. The glass mirror shattered all over the floor. Clothes were thrown out of the wardrobe. The still relatively sturdy furniture was destroyed by nearly half in an instant. The neat and clean Ye home quickly became as chaotic as if a hurricane had passed through.

Everyone was dumbfounded, yet no one dared step forward to stop him.

Home…… their home was ruined!

Liu Lizhen felt the blood in her body rush toward her head. Her temples throbbed. She became dizzy. Her eyes closed and she fell toward the ground. Someone nearby disgustedly supported her and settled her on the sofa.

Looking at the scenes before her eyes, Ye Mingzhu’s large eyes held tears. She pressed her lips together and carefully moved in front of Ye Wanqing. “Sister…… this is our home. You…… quickly make him stop!”

Home? Their home?

Ye Wanqing’s gaze fell on Ye Mingzhu’s neck that had been choked red, swollen, and bruised. A trace of reluctance flashed through her eyes. Yet very quickly this trace of reluctance was replaced by clarity.

She shook her head and lightly scoffed once. “When you tricked me over here, didn’t you think you yourselves might suffer misfortune? In this world, where is there such a cheap matter?”

Ye Mingzhu lowered her head. Her face was deathly pale as she tightly clenched the corner of her clothes.

Ye Wanqing tugged at the corners of her lips. Her voice was very low yet very serious as she said to her, “Ye Mingzhu, from now on don’t call me Sister anymore. Apart from supporting them in old age, I don’t want to have any more relation with the Ye family…… including you.”

Saying these words, her heart did not feel good either. Yet this was her true feeling.

From the time she had memories, Ye Mingzhu had been raised by her. Her feelings for Ye Mingzhu were deeper than for any other person in the Ye family. She always remembered that white little dumpling who chased after her and sweetly called her Sister, soft, stuffing her favorite malt candy into her mouth and saying the one she liked most was Sister.

In her previous life Ye Mingzhu had also treated her well. Even after growing up and becoming almost unrecognizable she had never actively done anything to harm her. It was just……

Forget it. Let it be like this.

Ye Wanqing withdrew her gaze. At this time Ge Yuan had also already smashed the Ye home into an unrecognizable state. Mission accomplished, he walked over with a pair of deep black eyes. She stepped forward and took his hand.

“Let’s go home.”

“Okay!” Ge Yuan tightly gripped her hand back.

—

Ye Wanqing went to the public security bureau and reported the case, then threw the matter of Wang Jiabao to the back of her mind and no longer paid attention to the affairs of the Ye and Wang families.

Ge Yuan, however, did not turn the page so easily.

That evening he called Houzi over and coldly instructed him, “Tomorrow when you go to Niujiao Town to collect goods, find people to clearly inquire about the Wang family’s matters. Paying money to buy information is fine. You must dig out whatever ghosts the Wang family is hiding in their hearts for me!”

He felt this matter was not right.

Ye Wanqing only saw the schemes of the Ye family and Wang family, yet did not think about why the Wang family was so anxious to settle Wang Jiabao into marriage, even carrying a bit of the flavor of a cornered dog jumping over the wall.

He had to have people inquire clearly, otherwise he could not rest easy.

Houzi was extremely indignant about this matter. At these words he immediately slapped his chest and agreed. “Brother Yuan, rest assured. I’ll definitely inquire clearly!”

The next day Houzi brought exact news.

Some money had been spent, yet it had not taken much effort. Because the Wang family’s matters were simply not any secret in their area. There were still a few people in the know. Giving a bit of benefit and they spilled everything like beans from a bamboo tube.

To put it bluntly, Wang Jiabao had gotten a little girl pregnant. Yet the Wang family not only looked down on the little girl’s family background but also did not take a fancy to that little girl’s character. They felt she was a bad seed—fox-like and calculating, full of bad water that would lead their precious son astray.

That little girl’s family was not vegetarian either. They fiercely squeezed a sum from the Wang family. The Wang family hated the little girl even more venomously and claimed that even if that little girl jumped into the river with a big belly she still could not become a ghost of the Wang family.

In order to make Wang Jiabao settle down and not go outside to mess around and cause trouble in the future, the Wang family became anxious to settle Wang Jiabao into marriage and find a woman to restrain him.

Knives almost shot from Ge Yuan’s eyes. “Very good!”

Wang Jiabao—don’t even think of coming out of prison!

—

The news Ge Yuan inquired about was not hidden from Ye Wanqing.

In her previous life Ye Wanqing had never heard of this matter. Her memories had instead blinded her, preventing her from deeply thinking about the reasons within. She never expected there was still such a matter inside.

After knowing, her heart grew even colder toward the conduct of the Ye family and Wang family.

She did not know whether Ye Xiangdang knew or not. Yet Ye Xiangdang was such a shrewd person—he could not have failed to notice even a little of the Wang family’s abnormality.

Yet in her previous life Ye Xiangdang still, because of his selfishness, time after time advised her to “properly” live with Wang Jiabao! Live what?

Hah……

In her previous life the eighteen-year-old her did not have much social experience, was too foolish, and still held a heart full of filial affection toward the Ye Xiangdang couple. She had never done anything that too greatly went against the Ye family, so the Ye family had not been that ruthless toward her either.

In this life she cooperated with nothing and listened to nothing. She never expected they could actually do this kind of completely heartless thing—the dagger revealed when the map ends!

She had truly overestimated the bottom line of the Ye family people.

It seemed her decision was not wrong. From now on she indeed had to stay far from the Ye family people—even Ye Mingzhu was no exception.

Who knew how many more matters there were that she did not understand? People’s hearts were complicated. Better to be careful.

—

Wang Jiabao did not have a good end.

Previously there was the filthy matter of him getting a little girl pregnant. Afterward there was the vicious incident of him plotting to bully Ye Wanqing. The evidence for Wang Jiabao’s crime of hooliganism was conclusive. He was locked up by the public security bureau.

The Wang couple at the county guesthouse first did not wait for good news from Liu Lizhen but waited for their son who had been beaten half to death. Then before they could even settle accounts with Ye Wanqing, the public security came to the door and took away the unrecognizable Wang Jiabao. The two of them felt as if they had been struck by lightning several times. Their souls were gone.

In order to fish Wang Jiabao out of the bureau, the Wang couple did not lack in stuffing money and sending gifts. Yet the things could not even be delivered.

In their desperation they sought Ye Wanqing’s forgiveness, wanting her to go prove that everything was a “misunderstanding.” Yet they simply could not block Ye Wanqing’s person.

Wang Jiabao did not know how many years he would be sentenced, but it would absolutely not be light.

For a time the Wang family became a pot of porridge. The Wang couple was overwhelmed. The old lady who most spoiled Wang Jiabao also fainted from crying several times.

The Ye family, who could not escape relation to this matter, also completely stank in reputation at the bus station. They heard no lack of sarcastic words from acquaintances. Only Ye Xiangdang still had a bit of face left. Liu Lizhen did not even dare go out to buy vegetables and had Ye Mingzhu bring them home when riding the routes.

Ye Wanqing’s side, however, quieted down.

She moved into the elegant and secluded small courtyard. During the day she went out to set up the stall. In the evenings she made a delicious meal for the Ge siblings and Old Zhong. Watching them eat with faces full of satisfaction, her own mood was also quite good.

What made her even happier was that Ge Yuan had settled her storefront.

Speaking of it, it was also coincidental. The storefront was right beside the entrance and exit of the bus station. The location was good, the passenger flow large, and it could also deeply irritate the Ye family.

It was just that she was also a bit afraid the Ye family might make trouble.

However, although she did not want to get involved with the Ye family, Ye Wanqing was not afraid either. Her business was more important.

Ge Yuan sought her opinion. She quickly made the decision and put down six hundred yuan, directly buying the storefront.

Taking over the shop was only a beginning. Ye Wanqing spent two or three days cleaning the shop inside and out, confirmed she would sell steamed dishes, and then busily had Ge Yuan help her custom-order steamer cabinets and tables and chairs.

By the time everything was complete it was already five days later.

This day when Ye Wanqing came out of the shop, closed the door, and turned around, she met a pair of eyes full of complicated emotions.

A young woman with a pregnant belly stood under the tree. Her oval face and large eyes looked quite delicate, yet her complexion was very poor, as if she had suffered quite a bit of torment.

Almost in an instant Ye Wanqing guessed the identity of the person who had come.

She had no interest in speaking with people and turned preparing to leave. Yet the young woman bit her lip and followed. “……Can you…… can you help me?”

Ye Wanqing took a deep breath. “I’m not a Bodhisattva. The only one who can help you is yourself! If you’ve come to plead for Wang Jiabao, then I have even less to say to you!”

“I’m not!” The young woman quickly shook her head, as if grasping the last life-saving straw. She lowered her voice and shouted, “I wish Wang Jiabao would receive retribution. I’m absolutely not pleading for him! I…… I want to abort the child and go elsewhere, but I…… I have no money…… Can you help me?”

“What about your family?” Ye Wanqing furrowed her brows and asked. “I’m only an outsider. If you want to seek help, why don’t you seek help from your family.”

The young woman smiled desolately. “My family? The family simply wishes I would die so they won’t lose so much face. How could they care about me?”