Ye Zhiqiu didn’t comply. She knew these dogs wouldn’t hurt people easily.
“Who are you?”
“What’s it to you who I am? Didn’t you hear me? Get these things away from me!” The woman was on the verge of a breakdown.
These stray dogs were truly terrifying; they looked fierce.
“I need to call the guards and ask how you got in. I’ve never seen you before. People in our compound aren’t this rude.”
Ye Zhiqiu turned as if to leave, prompting the woman to quickly say, “I’m from Ding Jincai’s family.”
“Ding Jincai?”
That name sounded vaguely familiar to Ye Zhiqiu.
Tan Nan and Tan Bei ran out from the yard. Tan Bei tugged on Ye Zhiqiu’s hand, signaling for her to crouch down, then whispered in her ear, “Auntie Ye, Uncle Lu lives in our building. This is his wife, Ma Laidi. She’s horrible. Last time, she falsely accused me of stealing candy from her son.”
“You little brat, what are you saying about me?” Ma Laidi yelled at Tan Bei. “Just wait till I tell your mother! A child your age should know better than to spread rumors.”
“Go ahead and tell her! I’m not scared of you, hmph!” Tan Bei said this, but she tightly clutched Ye Zhiqiu’s hand and hid behind her.
Ye Zhiqiu reached her other hand behind her back and patted Tan Bei’s head. “Beibei, go play with Yaya.”
She then turned to Tan Nan. “Nannan, take your siblings inside to play.”
Ma Laidi’s character was evident from what she had said to Tan Bei. Worried her words might pollute the children’s ears, Ye Zhiqiu added, “And close the windows.”
After watching the children go inside, Ye Zhiqiu shifted her gaze to Ma Laidi. “What do you want? Are you just passing by, or are you here to see someone?”
“I’m here for you, you homewrecker!”
Ma Laidi tried to take a step forward, but the two dogs lowered their bodies, poised to lunge, scaring her into stepping back again.
“Are you deaf? I’ve told you several times—get these beasts away from me!”
Ye Zhiqiu roughly guessed what this foolish woman’s deal was.
Having heard the rumors about her and Chen Can, Ma Laidi had come to lecture her, probably thinking it would please Xu Wan.
Xu Wan’s mother’s maiden name was Ding, and Ding Jincai was connected to the Xu family.
After Tan Bei’s explanation, Ye Zhiqiu remembered Tian Man mentioning this family once, not long after Ma Laidi had scolded Tan Bei, when she went to see Tian Man.
Ma Laidi and Ding Jincai were engaged before he joined the army. Later, Ding Jincai fell for a young nurse and tried to break off the engagement.
Ma Laidi resorted to weeping, making scenes, and even threatening suicide. She eventually forced the issue by sleeping with Ding Jincai, coercing him into marrying her.
Ding Jincai, however, remained infatuated with the nurse. So, while Ma Laidi stayed home serving his parents and bearing his child, he kept stringing the nurse along.
When Ma Laidi found out, she caused a huge scene, resulting in the nurse being fired, even though the nurse had been completely unaware of the situation the whole time.
Ding Jincai was also reprimanded over the incident. Afterwards, Ma Laidi applied to become an army dependent.
However, the couple argued constantly—small fights every other day, big ones every three days. Their apartment was the noisiest in the entire building.
Moreover, Ma Laidi favored sons over daughters. She thought giving birth to a son made her special and bragged about it everywhere.
She was also intensely hostile toward other girls in the building, forbidding anyone from getting close to her precious son. Ironically, her son took after his father—a little philanderer from a young age who preferred playing with girls over boys.
Tan Bei was the third “victim.” After that, no other family let their children, boys or girls, play with Ma Laidi’s son, for fear she would fly into a rage.
“If you’re so capable, you move them aside,” Ye Zhiqiu said, crossing her arms and looking coldly at Ma Laidi.
She had no sympathy for someone like her.
“Tramp! Homewrecker! Black-hearted creature! Why won’t Heaven open its eyes and strike down a scoundrel like you with lightning!”
Just as Ma Laidi was in full swing with her curses, a car sped toward them from down the road. Recognizing the driver, Ye Zhiqiu’s eyes lit up instantly.
Yue Mingyuan honked twice, startling Ma Laidi, who scurried to the roadside.
Once the car stopped and Yue Mingyuan got out, Ye Zhiqiu rushed forward, and they embraced tightly.
“Zhiqiu, I’m back.”
“Why didn’t you call ahead?” Ye Zhiqiu caught a scent of earth on Yue Mingyuan, guessing he had come straight home after his mission.
“I missed you and Yaya.” Yue Mingyuan tightened his arms, wishing he could pull Ye Zhiqiu right into his bones.
Before they confessed their feelings, his love for her had been cautious, restrained, and hidden.
Now that they knew their hearts were aligned, he held nothing back.
“We missed you too.”
Ye Zhiqiu stood on her tiptoes, pressing her face against Yue Mingyuan’s. Feeling the warmth of his skin kept her from thinking she was just daydreaming.
“Come on, let’s go home.”
Ye Zhiqiu linked her arm with Yue Mingyuan’s. He paused and looked back at Ma Laidi. “Who is she?”
“Someone unimportant.” Ye Zhiqiu didn’t spare Ma Laidi a single glance.
She wouldn’t waste a shred of her attention on such a person.
“If she’s unimportant, then she shouldn’t be here.” Yue Mingyuan’s gaze was as cold as his voice.
Ma Laidi didn’t dare look Yue Mingyuan in the eye, much less act as arrogantly as she had with Ye Zhiqiu.
“Don’t let someone like her ruin the mood.” Ye Zhiqiu pulled firmly on Yue Mingyuan’s arm. “Let’s go see Yaya.”
“Yaya will be so happy to know Daddy’s back.”
Yue Mingyuan followed Ye Zhiqiu into the yard. Seeing her chance, Ma Laidi hurried away. Halfway home, a large dollop of bird droppings suddenly landed on her head.
And that was just the beginning of her misfortune. Over the next few days, their home was overrun with rats at night.
Every time she stepped outside, bird droppings would inevitably land on her head.
Stray dogs chased and tried to bite her; stray cats ambushed her from the roadside, leaping out to swat at her.
At first, people didn’t understand why. But once they figured out the reason, they all secretly thought she deserved it.
“Yaya, look who’s back!”
Ye Zhiqiu and Yue Mingyuan walked into the house hand in hand. Tan Nan and Tan Bei immediately stood up and greeted politely, “Uncle Yue.”
“Hey.”
Yue Mingyuan walked over to the stroller and crouched down. Yaya waved her arms joyfully.
【Ah! It’s Daddy! Daddy’s back!】
【Now Mom won’t have to look at the family photo and the picture of Daddy inside it every night.】
【Mom has someone to protect her now, so those big bullies can’t pick on her anymore!】
【Hmph! My mom definitely doesn’t have any lingering feelings for that scumbag! Her eyes aren’t blind, her brain isn’t stupid, and she’s not in the business of collecting trash.】
【Some people treasure trash and think every woman in the world would want it. They’re nuts!】
Yaya had already learned from the little animals about the rumors Xu Wan had deliberately spread. She was furious.
