After a good night’s sleep, it was 8 a.m.
Having received the renovation crew from Weilong Company, Jiang Shengyue headed straight out to the warehouse in the western suburbs.
From a distance, she saw two men standing at attention in front of the warehouse.
“Hello, I’m Jiang Shengyue.”
The two men visibly froze when they saw the young girl getting out of the car.
They hadn’t expected this client to be so young.
The shorter man replied, “Hello! I’m Wang Cheng, and this is my colleague Wu Zechuan. We’ll be working with you for the next three days!”
Wang Cheng spoke with a smile and an upbeat tone, making a very good impression.
Jiang Shengyue focused her attention on the man called Wu Zechuan.
Handsome features, a standard buzz cut—judging by his build and posture, he was probably ex-military.
But she only gave him a few glances before looking away.
“Starting today, a lot of goods will be coming into this warehouse. You’ll need to help me keep records of the quantity of each item.
Once the deliveries finish at 7 p.m., you can lock up and leave.”
“One more thing—download all kinds of materials from the internet for me.
Whether it’s everyday knowledge, wilderness survival, information on all kinds of animals and plants—every resource you can find online.
Also, download all kinds of movies, TV shows, songs, and other entertainment content.”
As she spoke, she pulled out four 5TB hard drives.
“Divide the work however you like. If anything comes up, I’ll contact you.”
Though Wang Cheng found it strange, he kept smiling and pulled Wu Zechuan aside to divide up the tasks.
Jiang Shengyue glanced down at the time on her phone, humming a little tune as she got into the car.
“Time to find some entertainment to relax. The show should be starting right about now.”
Forty minutes later, Jiang Shengyue arrived at the Yunlan Gardens residential complex.
She parked the car right below Building 8 and entered with a light, brisk step.
Even on the first floor, she could faintly hear the sounds of chaotic arguing.
Her lips curled—looks like the surprise she’d sent Deng Xingpeng had arrived.
It happened to be the week, and the commotion in the hallway had drawn out everyone on the floor.
Jiang Shengyue even spotted two aunties from the floors above and below squeezing in among the residents of this floor, watching with great relish.
She quietly hid in the crowd, playing the part of an onlooker enjoying the drama.
“Who is this woman?! Tell me!”
At the apartment door, Jiang Yimei gripped the door with one hand while loudly interrogating Deng Xingpeng, who was hiding in the living room.
Standing in front of Jiang Yimei was a woman.
She looked no older than 25.
A head of lazy brown curls draped over her shoulders, a pair of doe eyes looking pitifully delicate on her fair, flawless face, and a tight-fitting dress that outlined her voluptuous curves.
Deng Xingpeng’s voice wavered. “Xiao Han, why are you here? Did you come to deliver documents?”
As he spoke, he tried to signal Han Xueyan with his eyes.
He was furious. This woman had always been so obedient—how could she show up at his home today of all days!
Han Xueyan frowned slightly and said softly, “Brother Peng, didn’t you tell me to come today and confront this washed-up old hag?”
Seeing Han Xueyan’s confused expression, Jiang Shengyue smiled.
The night before, she had used hacking software to take control of Deng Xingpeng’s phone and sent Han Xueyan a message telling her to come over.
Deng Xingpeng knew nothing about it and had been caught completely off guard.
This was her little act of filial devotion as a devoted niece—a small gift for her dear aunt and uncle.
They’d gone to such lengths to find her such a wonderful matchmaking prospect—surely she had to return the favor?
Jiang Yimei’s eyes were red as she lunged forward and grabbed Han Xueyan’s hair. “Hag? Who are you calling a hag, you little slut?”
“Ah! Peng-ge! Save me, it hurts!”
Han Xueyan cried out pitifully to Deng Xingpeng for help.
Deng Xingpeng’s head was spinning watching the two of them tangled together.
On one side was his wife, ferocious-faced and out of shape; on the other was his darling little lover, delicate and adorable. The comparison was obvious at a glance.
He stepped forward to shield Han Xueyan and shoved Jiang Yimei away hard!
“Stop it! Enough of this!”
Jiang Yimei staggered back several steps from the shove, her face darkening as she looked at her husband standing in front of another woman.
Han Xueyan burrowed into Deng Xingpeng’s arms and shot Jiang Yimei a provocative smile.
“What a sin! The mistress has come right to their door, without a shred of consideration for the child’s feelings!”
“How can men all be like this? The kid’s already so grown—why pull a stunt like this!”
The murmurs of the surrounding neighbors made Jiang Yimei’s face even uglier. At the mention of the child, she suddenly snapped back to reality—her son!
Deng Wenwen had watched the whole scene from the living room. His father had pushed his mother to protect another woman!
Jiang Shengyue’s words suddenly rang in his ears: You’re going to have a stepmother… there’s no place for you in this home anymore…
“Ah! You shameless woman! Get out of my house!”
Deng Wenwen threw himself at Han Xueyan, punching and kicking her, grabbing her hair and hitting and biting her.
“Peng-ge!”
Han Xueyan was already in Deng Xingpeng’s arms, and every time Deng Wenwen struck at her, she dodged, so many of his blows landed on Deng Xingpeng instead.
Deng Xingpeng could not tolerate his son challenging his authority as a father.
The veins on his forehead throbbed, and the neighbors’ shocked voices filled his ears.
In that moment, he only felt that having such a son was deeply embarrassing—it never once occurred to him to question his own parenting.
He kicked out directly at Deng Wenwen, knocking the chubby boy down onto the floor, leaving a light-colored shoe print on his clothes.
“Deng Wenwen! Who taught you this? How dare you raise your hand!”
Deng Wenwen had been spoiled since childhood, and this was the first time he had ever been hit. He sat on the floor, lips trembling, bawling loudly.
His eyes glared venomously at the woman hiding in his father’s arms—
It was all her! It was because of this shameless woman that his dad had hit him!
Jiang Yimei was startled by Deng Xingpeng’s kick and rushed to shield her son, her heart aching.
Pale-faced and forlorn, she stared at this husband who seemed like a stranger.
“Hitting people is wrong!”
“That’s his own son! Beating his wife and child for a mistress! My God, Deng Xingpeng is terrifying!”
Deng Xingpeng’s face was as dark as the bottom of a pot as he looked at the neighbors pointing and whispering all around, his heart heavy.
“Close the door! Stop making a spectacle of yourselves out here!”
Hearing this, the neighbors knew the show was over. Smacking their lips, they reluctantly began to leave.
Just then—
“Well, well! Quite the lively scene!”
“This is Unit 402, right? This apartment already belongs to our boss! Why is someone still living here?”
A large hand yanked open the door Deng Xingpeng had half-closed.
The neighbors who had been about to leave all stopped.
They wondered what was going on with this family today—people kept arriving one after another. They couldn’t have asked for a better show!
Jiang Shengyue watched the whole drama unfold from within the crowd.
She hadn’t expected Zhou Qian and his mortgage company crew to show up to repossess the apartment at such a perfect moment.
For once she had leisure to spare—she even wished she had some sunflower seeds to munch on.
Deng Xingpeng frowned as he eyed the three men—
The speaker was a skinny man with a head of dyed green hair. The one grabbing the door was tall and muscular, with a scar on his temple and a vicious expression.
The last one had shoulder-length hair, wore a black tank top showing tattooed arms, and stood lazily behind the two of them, yawning.
Deng Xingpeng’s rising anger deflated a little at the sight of how unapproachable these men looked.
His raised voice dropped: “What’s this about?”
“This isn’t your home anymore. You have two hours to pack your things, then get lost, quick!”
Green Hair pulled a crumpled contract out of his pocket and waved it in Deng Xingpeng’s face. “This is a mortgage contract!”
He tapped the paper with his finger. “Unit 402 belongs to us now!”
Deng Xingpeng, completely lost, forced out a bit of a smile. “Isn’t there some misunderstanding? We never mortgaged the house.”
Zhou Qian caught sight of Jiang Shengyue standing behind the crowd out of the corner of his eye. On her still-youthful face, an expression of gloating was completely undisguised.
And when she noticed him looking over, she even raised an eyebrow at him?
Zhou Qian glared at Jiang Shengyue. After hesitating for two seconds, he ultimately didn’t expose her.
An orphan whose parents had died, relatives seizing the inheritance, and a sickly little thing on top of it—maybe she even had some terminal illness.
Fine, he’d been used as a pawn this time. He wasn’t so petty as to hold it against her.
Evicting people and clearing out their stuff, though—that was work these men were well practiced at.
“The registered owner of this house is clearly Jiang Shengyue, and as far as I know, none of you go by that name.
Jiang Shengyue herself mortgaged this house to me yesterday. The total came to 5.6 million—it’s all written right there in the contract.”
Zhou Qian casually pulled out a cigarette as if to light it, then stuffed it back in his pocket, clicking his tongue in dissatisfaction.
Deng Xingpeng cried out in shock, his voice even cracking: “What? That little brat! She mortgaged it?”
He felt his heart bleeding. The house’s market value was at least 7 million now! It was bound to appreciate further, and she had just mortgaged it away like that?
Deng Xingpeng opened his mouth to curse.
Scar took a step forward, looking down at Deng Xingpeng with a cold snort.
The tall shadow looming over him forced the anger he’d just worked up right back down, and he sullenly shut his mouth.
The neighbors were thrilled—another juicy piece of gossip!
“What’s going on? The house belongs to Jiang Shengyue? The niece of Jiang Yimei?”
“Isn’t it obvious? Look at what this family is like. It’s no surprise they’d secretly bully their niece and steal her property!”
“For all we know, they’ve even been abusing the Jiang girl. I’ve seen her a few times—her little face was deathly pale, small and skinny and sickly too…”
Green Hair crossed his arms over his chest, impatience written on his face. “If you won’t pack your things, then we will!”
With a call to the scarred man and the muscle-bound giant, he shoved Deng Xingpeng and Han Xueyan aside from the doorway and strode inside.
In the room, Jiang Yimei huddled in a corner with Deng Wenwen, not daring to make a sound.
Green Hair and Scar tore through the place. When Deng Xingpeng saw them about to smash the antiques he had painstakingly collected, he rushed forward to protect them.
Knowing they couldn’t stay in the house any longer, he deflated, dragged the bewildered Jiang Yimei over, and started packing up the valuables.
Two hours later, Deng Xingpeng’s family of three and Han Xueyan stood at the entrance of the building, hair disheveled, eyes vacant.
A few messy suitcases sat beside them.
Some onlookers didn’t know the situation, and neighbors who had followed down from upstairs helpfully explained it all to them.
Deng Xingpeng’s face flushed red and then drained white with rage.
“Peng-ge, what on earth is going on? Isn’t this your house?”
Han Xueyan had been hit and cursed at all morning, and in the end had even helped them pack up their luggage.
She was completely baffled now, the charming smile on her face stiffening somewhat.
“Heh, it’s not anymore! If you’ve got your eye on this house, I’d advise you to save it, you little bitch!”
After the string of blows, Jiang Yimei had decided to burn it all down—she was already finished, so no one else was going to have it easy!
“Shut up, both of you! Haven’t we lost enough face!”
Deng Xingpeng had suffered more humiliation today than in his entire life.
With a dark, gloomy face, he dialed Jiang Shengyue’s number.