“What was that sound?” Old Mrs. Jiang demanded.
Scrambling in a panic, Jiang Jun fumbled to shut off the video. “N-nothing. Just a wrong number.”
“A wrong number? I clearly heard her call you ‘Jun-ge.’ Was she not calling you?” The old lady scrutinized him with deep suspicion.
“She wasn’t calling me. Grandma, you misheard,” Jiang Jun lied through his teeth, eyes blinking rapidly.
I let out a disdainful, quiet scoff.
As it turned out, Mianmian wasn’t one to give up. After being hung up on, she stubbornly called right back. Truly, some people just seek out their own destruction. This move of hers was… absolutely spectacular!
In his flustered state, Jiang Jun actually managed to hit “Accept.”
“Jun-ge~” Mianmian’s affected, coquettish voice was enough to make anyone’s skin crawl.
With that one cry, the video call took on a decidedly scandalous tone. On one end, Mianmian was flaunting herself in provocative lingerie; on the other, Old Mrs. Jiang saw everything, her blood pressure instantly skyrocketing.
“Who is this?” the old lady gasped.
“It’s… a wrong number.” Jiang Jun’s face had gone numb. He immediately tried to end the call.
“Wait a minute!” Old Mrs. Jiang commanded.
“Hiss—” Jiang Jun’s finger froze mid-air. He closed his eyes, sweat pouring down his face as if he were awaiting a death sentence.
Naturally, Mianmian started shouting again: “Jun-ge, why did you say I had the wrong number? How could I have the wrong number? Jun-ge, look at me, am I pretty? Am I a hundred times prettier than that b*tch?”
“Who is she talking about?” Old Mrs. Jiang couldn’t take it anymore. She lunged forward to snatch the phone from Jiang Jun’s hand.
“She… she’s the b*tch,” Jiang Jun blurted out, mindlessly following Mianmian’s phrasing in his desperation.
On the other end, Mianmian gasped, nearly exploding with rage. She shrieked hysterically, “Jun-ge, who are you talking about? Who are you calling a b*tch?”
By now, the old lady had secured the phone. Her sharp eyes glared at Mianmian on the screen. “Who is this person dressed like a common pheasant? A btch? Jiang Jun, why are you video chatting with a btch? Well?!”
Jiang Jun turned deathly pale, stammering, “Grandma… actually… actually…”
“Actually what? You have the nerve to call a b*tch in your own room right in front of Zhou Li? Have you no shame toward your wife? See if I don’t beat you to death!”
Despite her age, the old lady was full of vigor. Her shouts could be heard by the whole world. As she yelled, she began chasing Jiang Jun around to strike him.
“Jun-ge, what’s going on? Who is that old hag? Your grandmother? Why is she in your room? You said it was just you and—”
The phone was still in the old lady’s hand; the video hadn’t been cut. Hearing Mianmian call her an “old hag,” Old Mrs. Jiang glared at the screen and hissed:
“You shameless hussy, seducing my grandson. It’s my grandson who lacks sense. If you ever dare to show your face or pester him again, I won’t let you off!”
With that, she slammed the phone onto the ground and stomped on it several times for good measure.
Jiang Jun was heartbroken over his new phone—it was worth over ten thousand yuan. Furthermore, the old lady issued a final decree: he was never to contact Mianmian again.
“Kneel!” For the first time, Old Mrs. Jiang was truly stern with him.
While Jiang Jun felt fear and rebellion toward Jiang Shitian, his relationship with his grandmother had always been one of closeness and respect. He didn’t dare disobey. Admitting defeat, he obediently dropped to his knees.
“Don’t kneel to me—kneel to Zhou Li!” she ordered.
Jiang Jun was utterly reluctant, refusing to face me.
The commotion finally drew Jiang Shitian out of his room. Seeing how Jiang Jun had provoked the old lady, he walked over, ready to slap his son.
Old Mrs. Jiang stopped him just in time. “Wait, wait.”
I saw a flash of smugness on Jiang Jun’s face. He thought he had been spared by his grandmother’s doting nature. Just as that thought crossed his mind, she suddenly delivered a resounding slap to his face.
Jiang Jun was stunned.
Trying to calm herself, the old lady looked at him and said, “This is the first time I have ever hit you. Do you understand what you did wrong?”
“I…” Jiang Jun started to speak.
Jiang Shitian landed another slap. “You rebellious brat! How dare you upset your grandmother like this!”
The old lady wasn’t happy with Jiang Shitian interfering. She hopped up and thumped his chest. “Who told you to hit my grandson? I will handle my own grandson’s discipline!”
As soon as she finished saying that, she turned back and slapped Jiang Jun again.
Even I couldn’t watch anymore. I walked straight up to Jiang Jun and began to rain slaps down on him with cold, efficient fury.
Everyone was stunned by my intensity; both Jiang Shitian and the old lady stared at me. I looked at Jiang Jun and rebuked him harshly:
“Since the day we married, you have humiliated me time and again. Where is my dignity supposed to go? I told you long ago: as husband and wife, I ask for nothing but basic decency. And yet, you can’t even manage that.”
I closed my eyes in despair and turned to leave.
Fearing I would leave and never return like Yao Ye did, the old lady grabbed me tight. “Zhou Li, don’t go. Let’s talk this through. I promise you, Jiang Jun will never dare bully you again. If he does, we might as well beat him to death—I’ll just act as if I never had this grandson.”
“Are you not going to win back your wife?” she gestured sharply to Jiang Jun.
Seeing her resolve, Jiang Jun had no choice but to crawl forward on his knees. He looked at me, saying with utter reluctance, “I’m sorry, Zhou Li. It was my fault. I was wrong.”
The old lady swatted him again. “Show some sincerity!”
…
The farce lasted late into the night. Under the old lady’s watchful eye, Jiang Jun didn’t dare seek out Mianmian. He tried to sneakily send her a message, but the old lady, keeping up with the times, snapped, “Delete her!”
When Jiang Jun hesitated, she grabbed the phone and did it herself. She was a formidable woman, sparing no effort for the sake of “family harmony.”
Jiang Jun was defeated, but he didn’t dare openly defy her. Stuck at home day after day and bored out of his mind, he eventually began chatting fervently with Zhou Qing on WeChat.
“Who are you talking to now? Staring at that phone all day. Why aren’t you spending time with your wife?” the old lady questioned.
Jiang Jun had been smiling at his phone, but his grin froze. However, he quickly straightened his back, acting righteous. He glanced at me and waved his phone at her. “Grandma, I’m just building a relationship with Zhou Li’s family. This is her sister, Zhou Qing. She’s very lively—quite the little cutie.”
“A little cutie, is she?” The old lady seemed to ponder his words.
She likely remembered what I told her about my stepmother. I hadn’t mentioned Zhou Qing much then, only that she was a year younger and my half-sister.
The old lady looked at me and asked, “How about inviting your family over for a visit? Let’s all meet.”