Li Zhaodi spoke triumphantly, thinking she had once again seized Xia Mingyu’s weakness.
If Xia Mingyu wanted a divorce now, she would have to agree to Li Zhaodi’s conditions. Only by pleasing Li Zhaodi would she be set free; otherwise, Li Zhaodi would drag Xia Mingyu down to death with her!
This face, full of ugly expressions, was truly disgusting.
Xia Mingyu did want a divorce, and she knew how difficult it was to dissolve a military marriage.
However, she had no intention of remarrying. If the divorce didn’t go through, it didn’t matter.
In any case, she would live alone with Tuan Tuan Yuan Yuan. No matter what was said, she would no longer care about Li Zhaodi.
Li Zhaodi had no hope of threatening her!
Xia Mingyu’s eyes turned sharp as she stared at her coldly and asked in a low voice, “Li Zhaodi, do you think I’m still the same person I used to be?”
Xia Mingyu had already decided not to be weak anymore. Having broken through over a decade of psychological shadows and regained her ability to speak, how could she possibly be manipulated by Li Zhaodi again?
Recalling the past, Xia Mingyu was also puzzled—how had she endured so much?
When she was young, she had been the most willful and spoiled, unable to bear hardship. Whenever something happened, she would push it onto her brother.
Until a sudden tragedy mercilessly swallowed them all…
Xia Mingyu had been terrified by that incident and lived in a daze for over a decade, no longer caring whether she suffered or not.
But now, she was fully awake. No one would ever bully her again!
Xia Mingyu stared expressionlessly at Li Zhaodi as she tightened her ponytail.
She gathered all her stray hairs, fully revealing her exquisitely beautiful face.
Over the years, to keep a low profile and avoid trouble, Xia Mingyu had hidden her beautiful face.
She had even applied herbal juices to make her face appear sallow and thin, greatly diminishing her natural beauty.
“What are you trying to do?”
Li Zhaodi sensed something was wrong. Xia Mingyu’s aura was too intense, as if she had thrown caution to the wind.
Terrified, Li Zhaodi crawled forward a few steps, trying to escape.
Her numb legs slowly dragged forward in front of Xia Mingyu, trailing a puddle of foul-smelling liquid, making her look both pathetic and wretched.
Xia Mingyu’s heart was now as hard as iron. She felt no sympathy for Li Zhaodi. Instead, she took two steps forward and stepped directly on Li Zhaodi’s legs.
Since Li Zhaodi’s legs were numb, she felt no pain, but with her legs pinned, she could no longer crawl forward.
Terrified, she turned her head to look at Xia Mingyu.
Li Zhaodi’s lips moved as if she were about to speak or scream, but Xia Mingyu gave her no chance.
Xia Mingyu directly pulled off Li Zhaodi’s pants and stuffed the urine-soaked garment into her mouth, forcibly silencing her!
Then, mimicking Li Zhaodi’s previous abusive behavior, Xia Mingyu began pinching her all over.
Xia Mingyu held back none of her strength, using all her might to twist Li Zhaodi’s flesh, twisting it into red marks!
“Mmgh!!!”
Li Zhaodi groaned in pain, her hands flailing wildly as she tried to push Xia Mingyu away.
But after years of being bedridden, how could she possibly overpower the young Xia Mingyu?
Xia Mingyu had done all kinds of dirty and exhausting work over the years—she was no longer the fragile young girl she once was.
Xia Mingyu pinned Li Zhaodi to the ground with just one hand, restraining both of her wrists.
“I’ll teach you to run that filthy mouth!”
“You wanted to tear my lips apart, didn’t you?”
“Come on then, Li Zhaodi! I’ll smash your mouth first!”
“After all these years of serving you like an ox, isn’t it time I finally vented my anger?”
Xia Mingyu’s voice was chillingly cold as she whispered, sending shivers down one’s spine.
With no one around, it was the perfect opportunity to shut the door and beat the dog. Xia Mingyu raised her hand and slapped Li Zhaodi hard across the face several times!
Smack!
Smack! Smack! Smack!
“Ah!”
Li Zhaodi writhed in pain, her eyes blazing with fury yet betraying a hint of barely concealed fear.
Xia Mingyu had truly changed—she’d become terrifying! How dare she hit her!
But by the time Li Zhaodi realized this, it was already too late.
Xia Mingyu thoroughly punished Li Zhaodi, unleashing all the grievances she had endured over the years upon her.
When Xia Mingyu stood up, she felt refreshed and couldn’t help but let a faint smile grace her lips.
Her eyes sparkled, bright and beautiful.
Indeed, going mad felt far better than swallowing insults!
Xia Mingyu fetched a basin of water, meticulously washed her hands, tidied herself up neatly, and then headed out with the food supplies.
Meanwhile, Li Zhaodi lay weakly in the yard, covering her face as she sobbed.
“Wahhh… my life is so miserable! Who will stand up for me?”
Her voice was hoarse, and she lacked even the strength to cry loudly—clearly, she had been beaten severely.
Ignoring the commotion behind her, Xia Mingyu walked away in high spirits.
Her first stop was Aunt Wang’s house to borrow some cured meat.
“Aunt Wang, could you cut me a small piece? Just enough to add some flavor when I stir-fry. I’ll return it as soon as…”
Xia Mingyu gestured with her fingers, pursed her lips into an embarrassed smile, and asked hesitantly.
Aunt Wang was the kindest to her and had a relatively comfortable household—otherwise, Xia Mingyu wouldn’t have dared to ask.
“Of course! How could I not trust you?”
Aunt Wang agreed readily, not only cutting Xia Mingyu a piece of cured meat but also giving her other items.
She genuinely pitied Xia Mingyu, this unfortunate girl.
If it hadn’t been for Qiao Hongye’s despicable tactics and swift actions back then, she would have wanted Xia Mingyu to marry her son.
“Thank you, Auntie.”
Xia Mingyu expressed her gratitude. With these ingredients, she could finally go to Captain Zhao Jianguo’s place to help cook and entertain Lu Ning.
Fortunately, Lu Ning was easy to get along with and didn’t mind simple meals at all. Xia Mingyu began to feel more confident about the high-ranking official’s visit the next day.
She stayed up late discussing the next day’s menu with the captain’s wife, ensuring there would be no issues, before finally taking Yuanyuan home to sleep.
In her dreams, Xia Mingyu saw Tuantuan’s tear-stained little face. No matter how kind and good the high-ranking official might be, she still feared her son would suffer…
Xia Mingyu was worrying unnecessarily. Throughout the journey, Si Konghuai doted on Tuantuan to the extreme, caring for him with meticulous attention.
Surrounded by an array of delicious treats, Tuantuan’s eyes couldn’t take it all in, let alone his stomach.
Burping, he patted his round little belly and shook his head at Si Konghuai.
“Uncle, I’m full.”
“I need to use the bathroom.”
“Alright.”
Si Konghuai steadily carried Tuantuan to the restroom and even tried to help him undo his pants.
Tuantuan exasperatedly pushed him out.
“Uncle, I’m a big boy now! I can use the bathroom by myself!”
Ahem. “Alright then.”
Si Konghuai’s handsome, rugged face showed an awkward expression.
He had never taken care of such young children before and assumed they needed help with everything.
Tuantuan found his awkwardness rather amusing.
Puffing his cheeks, he thought, “If only this uncle were my father.”
“He’s so rich—Mother could live a good life and wouldn’t have to work so hard just to support us.”
Despite his young age, Tuantuan was already pondering such grown-up concerns.
Early the next morning, the train arrived.
Xia Mingyu couldn’t sleep, and Yuanyuan, worried about his brother, had woken up in the middle of the night.
So the mother and son came to the train station early with Lu Ning.
As the train’s arrival time approached, Lu Ning kindly reminded Xia Mingyu,
“You should mentally prepare yourself.”
“For what?”
Xia Mingyu’s heart sank. Could Tuantuan really be injured?
“It’s not about Tuantuan. It’s just…”
Lu Ning hesitated, unsure how to phrase it.
Before he could find a more tactful way to warn her, the train pulled into the station.
The platform grew crowded and lively as a new wave of people disembarked.
Si Konghuai, tall and strikingly handsome, stood out in the crowd like a crane among chickens as he expressionlessly carried Tuantuan.
Xia Mingyu and Yuanyuan spotted him and Tuantuan immediately.
“Mom! I see Brother!”
“Brother! We’re over here!”
Yuanyuan excitedly waved his little hands at Tuantuan, but after a few waves, he froze, his big eyes blinking in confusion.
“Mom, that uncle holding Brother… why does he look so much like us?”
Xia Mingyu’s pretty face turned deathly pale, her panicked heart sinking to the depths.
He… he…
Xia Mingyu was no fool. How could such a coincidence exist in this world?
Just when she had no idea who the children’s biological father was, a man who looked exactly like her son suddenly appeared.
Could he be the man from that night?!