Chapter 15

Chapter 15: Your Ex-Boyfriend Auntie Cao was speechless. In an instant, Auntie Cao was so frightened that she scrambled to her feet and hid behind Uncle Cao. Qiaoqiao beside her was still going all out, "Wicked old woman, my grandpa said he'll come find you at midnight tonight." "Remember to answer him." Auntie Cao's eyes rolled back as she stumbled backward, nearly fainting several times, but she held herself together with sheer willpower. Uncle Cao wasn't as shaken, but his legs were trembling too. He looked around suspiciously. Auntie Yu kept pressing her palms together, chanting "Amitabha," and said, "Shopkeeper Lin, we never bullied your daughter, and we've returned the house to you." "Every wrong has its source, every debt has its debtor. Just go after the Cao family." "We'll move out tonight—no, right now, immediately." With that, Auntie Yu scrambled into the house to pack her things, wanting nothing more than to leave this place as fast as possible. The other four families did the same. Only Uncle Cao remained silent, too terrified to speak. Qiaoqiao held hands with the air, looking agreeable, "Okay, Grandpa, I understand. You won't go after Auntie Yu and the others, only the Cao family, right?" Then she gasped and made a funny face, "What? Grandpa, you want to take the Cao family's little grandson away?" The moment those words fell, the air went dead silent. Among the crowd, the Cao family's daughter-in-law, who had been silent all along, instinctively covered her face. She hid her youngest son in her arms, trembling as she shouted. "Father-in-law, are you still not moving out? Do you have to wait until that Lin family—" The words "old deadbeat" were something she didn't dare say. "When the owner of the Lin house takes away your only grandson, will you be happy then?" The Cao daughter-in-law had given birth to four children, and only the fourth was a boy. The Cao family's little grandson was their precious jewel. The Lin family's grandfather, dead for over a decade, wanted to take the Cao family's little grandson away. This was like ripping out the Cao family's very lifeline. Uncle Cao looked at his little grandson's terrified face. In the end, he was afraid. He knelt down with a thud in the direction Qiaoqiao was holding hands. "Brother Lin, every wrong has its source, every debt has its debtor. This house wasn't our choice to move into—the street office and neighborhood committee told us to move in." "Don't come after us." "Go after—" He was just about to shift the blame when he saw Qiaoqiao grinning and about to talk to her grandpa again. He shuddered, "Every mistake, every fault is on our family." He was about to say he'd move out when Auntie Cao pinched his hand. Uncle Cao froze, feeling conflicted. To be honest, at this point, he really didn't want to stay in the Lin house anymore. Just thinking about how the old Lin man, even after death, was still hanging around the Lin house— Constantly paying attention to their family, even wanting to take his little grandson away. Uncle Cao was genuinely terrified. Auntie Cao had been scared out of her wits earlier, but now, for the sake of the house, she summoned a bit of courage. She was a woman, but at this moment, she was braver than any man. Auntie Cao scrambled to her feet and first gave Uncle Cao a scolding. "You agree? Agree to what? You're afraid of ghosts, but aren't you afraid of poverty?" "I'm not afraid of being poor, so why would I be afraid of ghosts?" "With this many people in the family, where would we go if we moved out? Live under a bridge? You could handle it, but what about the kids?" Those four kids couldn't survive living under a bridge. Poor people aren't afraid of ghosts, because there's nothing in this world more terrifying than poverty. Auntie Cao went inside, grabbed a cleaver, and started swinging wildly in the direction Qiaoqiao was holding hands. "Lin, I did live in your house, but it wasn't my choice—the street office and neighborhood committee told me to." "If you really have a conscience after death, if you're standing up for your daughter and granddaughter, why didn't you do it earlier?" "When your house was sealed up, why didn't you come? When your wife was bullied until she couldn't even clean toilets, why didn't you come?" "When your daughter came back pregnant and couldn't give birth, why didn't you show up?" "Pah! Now that you can't get the house back, suddenly you show up." "You think I'm afraid of you? I've got one worthless life, I'm a poor wretch—I'm not afraid of poverty, so why would I be afraid of ghosts?" Auntie Cao swung the cleaver again and again, and Qiaoqiao was stunned—the blade nearly grazed her hair. She hadn't expected that in this era of reverence for ghosts and gods, there would still be someone unafraid of ghosts. It was Lin Meiyan who reacted quickly, yanking Qiaoqiao behind her. "Are you okay?" Qiaoqiao shook her head, feeling a little dejected and disappointed. She had thought she could use this trick to drive the Cao family out—she'd almost succeeded. Uncle Cao, the Cao daughter-in-law, and even the Cao children had all believed it. Only Auntie Cao, the woman who had fainted from anger first, was the calmest when faced with ghosts and spirits. Qiaoqiao shook her head and hugged Lin Meiyan's leg. "Mom, I'm fine." She was just a little disappointed. It turned out that after being reborn, she wasn't all-powerful. She thought she had some clever tricks to bluff people, but in reality, she didn't. Lin Meiyan carefully checked to make sure everything was fine, then she looked at Auntie Cao, her delicate face now cold. "Since you don't believe in ghosts and gods, then you should at least believe in the Luosiban and the police." "Call the police." Auntie Cao paused mid-swing of her knife at the air. "Even if you call the police, I'm not leaving." "This is my home. I've lived here for fifteen years. Every blade of grass and every tree here was planted by my own hands. It has nothing to do with your Lin family." Lin Meiyan ignored her. She turned to look at Gu Kaihua, who nodded and immediately turned to leave. Before he came, Lin Meiyan had already told him that if they couldn't resolve it in the end, they would directly call the police. If the other side started trouble, they would finish it. The masses have sharp eyes. If it truly came to that, the side with justice on their side would be Linji, would be Lin Meiyan. Not the other party. Gu Kaihua had just walked out and hadn't even reached the police station yet. Officer Qian and Director Liu from the Luosiban came walking over in full force with their people. When Gu Kaihua saw the two of them, he was somewhat surprised. "Officer Qian, I haven't even gone to the police station yet. How come you're already here?" He had thought it would take at least ten minutes for the round trip. But just as he turned one corner, Officer Qian had already appeared. You'd think he had arrived early. Officer Qian thought to himself—he had indeed arrived early. He had already received word the moment Lin Meiyan arrived. But the message told him to improvise and go out based on the situation. And now, the situation had arrived. So, facing Gu Kaihua's question, Officer Qian remained stern-faced. "The matter of the Linji house has caused quite a stir. Both of our units got wind of it in advance." This also explained for Director Liu why he was here. Director Liu shot him a grateful look. "Yes, these are all matters I've handled, so naturally I have to see them through to the end." Nonsense. He was talking nonsense. Clearly, he had been hands-off about everything before. Wasn't this just to curry favor? He naturally couldn't miss this opportunity to show off. Gu Kaihua was somewhat surprised. "Director Liu, I didn't expect you to be so good. Looks like I misjudged you before." Misjudged you, you son of a bitch with no dick, you turtle bastard. To be honest, Lin Meiyan had been back for five years, and she'd been trying to get the Lin family house back for five years without success. Gu Kaihua had cursed Director Liu at home for five years. So now that Director Liu had suddenly turned into a good person, he felt a bit unaccustomed. Director Liu gave a dry laugh without explaining. He just wiped his sweat and glanced back as Gu Kaihua led the way. He could only be grateful that the other party wasn't there. Lin Meiyan was still at a standoff with the Cao family. She had tried courtesy before force, even bringing up ghosts and gods, and the other members of the Cao family were scared. But Auntie Cao alone remained impervious to reason. Auntie Cao said, "Meiyan, I'm not stopping you from coming in. I admit this house belongs to your Lin family." "But you, Lin Meiyan, can't drive us to the wall." She was counting on Lin Meiyan being thin-skinned, pushing her luck step by step. "What a nerve." "Living in someone else's house and asking them not to drive you out—where do you get the face to say that?" Hearing this, Lin Meiyan felt it sounded somewhat familiar. She turned around and saw Director Liu with his hands on his hips, cursing—and he was cursing at Auntie Cao. This left Lin Meiyan confused. Was her relationship with Director Liu really that good? During the years she went to the Luosiban to demand the house back, Director Liu had treated her like the plague. And now he was coming to speak up for her? Director Liu nodded at Lin Meiyan, feeling that he had really shown off well this time. He walked up to Auntie Cao. "Cao family, I don't care whether you admit it or whether you leave. I'm telling you one thing right now: the Luosiban has returned the house to the Lin family." "The current owner of this house is Lin Meiyan." This was the official side stepping in. Ordinary people were always afraid of people from official units. Lin Meiyan had been back then. The Cao family was much the same. Auntie Cao wasn't afraid of ghosts and gods, because the local official outranks the distant one. She was afraid of offending the people from the Luosiban and having them make things difficult for her later. But at this moment, for the sake of profit, she couldn't care about anything else. "You leaders are in cahoots with the Lin family, bullying us ordinary folk." Director Liu nearly laughed in anger. "I'm bullying you? I think you're the one bullying Boss Lin here." "Occupying someone's house and refusing to leave—whether you take this to Jiangcheng or even to the capital to file a complaint, I'm not afraid." "Rules are rules. Without rules, nothing can be accomplished. If everyone acted like you, then our units might as well just shut down." "Why even stay open?" He was completely speaking up for Lin Meiyan. Lin Meiyan frowned slightly. She exchanged a glance with Gu Kaihua, her eyes making it obvious. Did you bring him here? She had told Gu Kaihua to call the police, but she hadn't asked him to bring Director Liu over. Gu Kaihua shook his head. "Not me." "Let's watch for a bit longer." Director Liu saw the silent exchange between them and sighed inwardly. His reputation had just been too good before. And so now, even when he wanted to be a good person, no one believed him. Auntie Cao said nothing—she couldn't bear such a heavy accusation. What was the point of keeping this unit open? Might as well shut it down. Director Liu turned and shot Officer Qian a look. Officer Qian understood instantly. He was the last to step out, dressed in his police uniform, looking proper and imposing. He wasn't as biased as Director Liu. He simply let the facts speak. "Mrs. Cao, whether from a legal standpoint or in practical terms, this house belongs to Comrade Lin Meiyan." "It's not appropriate for you to stay here." Auntie Cao was afraid of the police. But she also trusted them. That was something ingrained in ordinary folks. Her face showed hesitation. "Officer, I know this house belongs to Lin Meiyan, but we moved in first." "That's not how it works." Officer Qian glanced back at Lin Meiyan. "Since I've received Comrade Lin's report, I'm here to handle the case now." "You already know this house belongs to Comrade Lin. If you refuse to move out now, that constitutes forcibly seizing someone else's property. Under the law, I have the authority to arrest you." That was an indisputable fact. Compared to Director Liu's fawning, bootlicking demeanor, Officer Qian was clearly more fair and impartial. Who wanted to go to prison? Who wanted to eat prison food? Auntie Cao didn't either. She still felt aggrieved. "But we came first." "Mrs. Cao, then show me the property deed and prove this house is yours." Auntie Cao couldn't produce one. She stood there in silence. "Lin Meiyan, are you really trying to drive me to my death?" She turned her attack toward Lin Meiyan, aiming accurately. As long as Lin Meiyan still planned to make a living in Simenkou, as long as she still wanted to run Linji— If she was ruthless and underhanded, Linji's business would never thrive. These were all old neighbors. Who would want to eat at a restaurant run by someone with a black heart? Lin Meiyan let out a soft sigh. "Auntie Cao, you say I'm driving you to your death. Am I only now coming to tell you this house is mine?" Before the other woman could answer, she answered for herself. "No." "After I got the house back from Luosiban, I announced the news publicly at Linji. That was ten full days ago." "Three days ago, I also personally visited every family living in my Lin family's house to let them know I was taking the house back, and that I expected a resolution within three days." "I gave you time, and I gave you a choice. The other four families all chose to leave and return the house to me. Only you refused." "Auntie Cao, you say I'm pressuring you—am I only showing up at your door now? Did you only just hear the news? Have I come at you with a knife?" Three questions in a row left Auntie Cao speechless. The neighbors couldn't stand it anymore and spoke up one after another. "Mrs. Cao, saying Meiyan is pressuring you—that's just not true." "This house belongs to Meiyan. If she really wanted to pressure you, you'd have been kicked out of the Lin house long ago." "That's right. You've lived in the Lin house for free all these years without paying a cent of rent. You can't get used to being a squatter and start thinking you're the owner." "Exactly. A thief is a thief—how could a thief ever become the master?" "Everyone else left. Only your family refused to go. Do you think people don't know what you're scheming?" "Old Lin is watching from above. You can't bully his child right in front of him." "Auntie Cao, if nothing else, do it for your children—store up some good karma." Auntie Cao took a step back and pointed at the crowd. "You—all of you, why are you taking Lin Meiyan's side?" Uncle Wang couldn't watch anymore. "Are we taking Meiyan's side? We're taking the side of justice. Besides, if you insist on having your way—" "Do you really want to eat prison food?" Uncle Wang glanced discreetly at Officer Qian. It would be a lie to say he wasn't scared. Even as someone who hadn't committed a crime, just looking at Officer Qian made him uneasy. Officer Qian took the opportunity to pull out a gleaming pair of handcuffs. He said nothing. Auntie Cao was so frightened she collapsed onto the ground, trembling and unable to speak. Uncle Cao beside her had wanted to return the house long ago. Ever since Qiaoqiao had said his grandfather was watching him and would take his little grandson away, he hadn't been able to live there in peace. Now Officer Qian had brought out the handcuffs, and his tone was calm. "Forcibly seizing a residence carries a minimum sentence of three years." This was a double threat. Whether it was the former or the latter, he couldn't accept it. Uncle Cao pulled at Auntie Cao to stand up. "Let's give the house back to her. Give it back to her." "Otherwise, if you go to prison, this family of ours will fall apart." Auntie Cao said nothing. The middle of her pants was damp. Uncle Cao tried to help her up twice but couldn't. Auntie Cao, who wasn't afraid of ghosts, was now afraid of the police. She gritted her teeth and trembled. "I'll move." Lin Meiyan twitched the corner of her mouth but said nothing. As Uncle Cao and Auntie Cao went inside to pack their things, Lin Meiyan thanked Officer Qian and Director Liu. "Sorry for making you come all this way." Director Liu answered eagerly, fawning. "No trouble at all, no trouble at all." Lin Meiyan found it strange. Director Liu had dropped his fawning smile and adopted an official tone. "If you ever run into trouble in the future, Miss Lin, don't hesitate to come find me." Lin Meiyan said nothing. She simply watched Director Liu quietly. Director Liu couldn't hold out under her gaze and finally confessed, "I only ask that you put in a good word for me with President Yu of Jianghai Dicai." Put in a good word for me. That sounded so odd. But Lin Meiyan didn't dwell on it. She finally understood why Director Liu had come to help, why he had been so obsequious. She instinctively looked at Officer Qian. Officer Qian nodded. Everything was clear now. It was him. It was him again. Only Gu Kaihua didn't understand. "Who? Who?" "Who's the president of Jianghai Dicai?" Before Lin Meiyan could answer, Qiaoqiao asked curiously, "Is he the uncle who saved me last time?" Gu Kaihua keenly caught wind of something unusual. His eyes swept over Lin Meiyan and Qiaoqiao like searchlights. Lin Meiyan said nothing. Qiaoqiao also realized she'd misspoken. She immediately covered her mouth and whispered, "I don't know anything." Well, that did it. Even if Gu Kaihua were dense, he'd know there was something going on. "Yanyan, what's going on?" Lin Meiyan realized that even without meeting him face to face, he was like a net, closing in on her from all directions, fine and tight. Just like now. What was going on? Lin Meiyan couldn't answer. She chose silence. Gu Kaihua sighed. Ye Qiuju tugged at him. "Let's get the house cleaned up first." The Lin family house had been occupied by others for so many years. Some families were decent about it. They'd kept the house in decent shape. But for those who didn't care because it wasn't their own property, they'd trashed it carelessly. The house had already been ruined beyond recognition. Just cleaning it up would take considerable effort. Gu Kaihua grunted in acknowledgment, then went back to get tools and brooms. Some of the neighbors were warm-hearted and came over to help as well. The Lin family house was quite large—two stories totaling about two hundred square meters. It had been partitioned into five separate units. Lin Meiyan stood in place, thinking for a long time. She couldn't figure out a solution, so she set the matter aside for now. "Uncle, just get the house cleaned for now." "This house—" Qiaoqiao cut in, "Renovate. Renovate it completely and make it a true Linji." At that, everyone turned to look. Qiaoqiao realized she'd spoken out of turn again and explained quietly, "Mom always said she hoped Linji would reopen and restore Grandpa's former glory." Lin Meiyan didn't think much of it. Her Qiaoqiao had always been clever since she was little. She nodded. "We do need to renovate." Gu Kaihua asked instinctively, "How much will the renovation cost?" Lin Meiyan said gently, "Uncle, now that we've gotten the house back, Qiaoqiao has a place to register her household. I won't need to buy another house just for that." "We have enough for the renovation." Besides, sharpening the axe won't delay the wood-cutting. Renovation was a must—otherwise Linji couldn't open for business. Gu Kaihua relented. "Alright, don't worry about the house here. I'll make sure it's cleaned spotless. You go to Linji." "Someone needs to keep an eye on things there." Renovation cost money. Furniture, opening the business, raising a child, school—everything cost money. He couldn't hold back his niece's chances to earn. Lin Meiyan stepped forward and hugged Gu Kaihua. "Uncle, thank you." Having someone who always thought of her like this—that was her good fortune. Gu Kaihua opened his mouth, wanting to ask something, but Ye Qiuju tugged at him and pushed Lin Meiyan out instead. "Alright, Meiyan, go take care of your work." Lin Meiyan nodded gratefully at Ye Qiuju. Even if she stayed here now, she hadn't figured out how to explain things to her family. Explain what? Explain the lie she'd told when she came back—that she was pregnant and the father was dead? Or explain that the man she'd claimed was dead had now risen from the grave? Jianghai Dicai office. Secretary Shen was reporting to Yu Jianghai. "Boss, there were five families living in the Lin house. We provided rental listings to four of them, and they all agreed." "Only the Cao family refused." Yu Jianghai looked up. Secretary Shen immediately stopped dragging it out and finished the report in one breath. "But in the end, Officer Qian and Director Liu went over, and the Cao family relented and moved out." Yu Jianghai sat in his office chair, frowning silently. Secretary Shen immediately began reflecting—had he reported something wrong? "Also, Officer Qian told me that even if he hadn't gone, Youth Lin and her daughter could have handled the house on their own." Of course, that was said with some exaggeration. Yu Jianghai straightened slightly in his seat. Secretary Shen understood immediately. "Here's the thing, boss. You don't know how impressive Youth Lin is. She started with courtesy, then moved to force—she persuaded four families in one go." Of course, Secretary Shen very naturally omitted the fact that Yu Jianghai had arranged for those four families to receive subsidized rentals far below market rates. "That's not all. The last family, the Cao family, tried to weasel out and refused to agree at the time, so Youth Lin brought the Gu family along with him. You should have seen it." Secretary Shen spoke with silver tongue, "At that time, Uncle Gu was so imposing, he scolded them until they couldn't even lift their heads." "But that's not the most impressive part. The most impressive was that little girl Qiaoqiao. She insisted her grandpa had come, talking to her grandpa across the air. One moment she'd say, 'Grandpa, the Cao family is bullying my mommy, bullying me.' The next she'd say, 'Grandpa, what? You want to take away the Cao family's three-year-old grandson?'" Whether it was his imagination or not, as he spoke those last words. His boss's cold and fierce expression gradually softened a few degrees, and by the end, the corners of his mouth even seemed to curl upward slightly. Did he see that right? Secretary Shen knew he was onto something and pressed on, "Boss, that child Qiaoqiao is really something—only four years old, and she already knows how to use ghost stories to scare people." "If it weren't for that Cao woman not fearing ghosts and spirits, that little girl Qiaoqiao would have almost succeeded in driving the Cao family away." Yu Jianghai hummed in acknowledgment, his voice low and hoarse, "She takes after her mother." Very much so. Very much so. "Takes after whose mother?" Lu Qingyuan pushed the door open and strode in quickly, holding a bundle of documents. He dumped the thick stack all at once onto Yu Jianghai's desk. "Old Yu, never mind who takes after whose mother. I just want to ask you—we've secured four of the seven properties at Luosiban, but the remaining three households won't agree. What do we do?" These past few days, he and Secretary Shen had nearly worn out their lips. But those people simply weren't willing, saying things like "hard to leave one's homeland, hard to part with one's old home." There was no way they would leave their houses. Yu Jianghai said, "Throw money at them." "Wouldn't that double the cost budget?" "If only we could have gotten Simenkou Youeryuan demolished back then, that would've been great." Before he could finish his sentence, noticing Yu Jianghai's expression turning several degrees colder, Lu Qingyuan immediately shut his mouth. "This really is picking up sesame seeds and losing the watermelon." Yu Jianghai ignored him, simply lowering his head to flip through the documents. "Look at these three households—Secretary Shen and I have gone back several times, and they all refuse." Yu Jianghai ignored him again, just picking up the documents to look at them. "They won't agree even with money?" Lu Qingyuan shook his head. "Won't agree." "They say it's not about the money." Families who could reclaim their houses from Luosiban were almost all in decent circumstances, or rather, their ancestors had some standing. Otherwise, they wouldn't have gone to Luosiban to reclaim their properties in the first place. After finishing reading the documents, Yu Jianghai had a clear picture in his mind. Just then, the light from outside the window fell across his brows and eyes, casting a thin layer of gold. He said, "Then trade houses for houses." It was said in a casual, offhand tone. Lu Qingyuan was stunned for a moment. "What?" Yu Jianghai stood up and walked to the window, looking down at the scenery below. Because he stood high enough, the people coming and going on the street below looked like ants shrunk down in size. "Qingyuan, when the other party won't agree, it's simply because the conditions haven't been met." "If they can't bear to part with their old house, then use a new house to trade for it." He turned his head, his handsome profile silhouetted against the light, making his expression hard to read, but his voice was clear and distinct. "Trade houses for houses." "Trade their old houses for new ones." "They'll agree." The world bustles and hustles, all for profit; the world jostles and scrambles, all for gain. That's all there is to it, nothing more. Lu Qingyuan said nothing, but his mind was racing, analyzing the approach Yu Jianghai had given him. "Trade houses for houses." "Trade for houses where?" "Jianghai Dicai Phase Two." As those words fell from Yu Jianghai's mouth, Lu Qingyuan froze for a moment, then his eyes grew brighter and brighter, until finally he burst out laughing. "Yu Jianghai, you're a true business genius." The problem that had kept him from eating for a whole week had just been solved by Yu Jianghai in four words. Trade houses for houses. The first person to come up with such a method must be a genius. He must be a genius. Yu Jianghai ignored him. He lowered his head and lit a cigarette, a straight column of smoke rising, tingeing his handsome brows and eyes with a hint of red. "Qingyuan, I'm not a business genius." He gazed into the distance, his eyes taking in the open expanse of Jiangcheng—low, layered rooftops stretching out, with only Jianghai Dicai Phase One standing tall among them. "I just understand human nature too well." Lu Qingyuan was taken aback, then said instinctively, "There's no arguing with your business acumen." Otherwise, in just five short years, Jianghai Dicai wouldn't have gone from nothing to where it is now. It could be said that Jianghai Dicai was a household name throughout all of Jiangcheng. "But—" He also said it plainly, "You're so skilled and ruthless in business, except—" Except what? He refused to say more. Yu Jianghai shook his head. He held the cigarette between his index finger and thumb, his posture skilled and sharp. "You don't understand." "Afraid to throw stones for fear of breaking the vase." He could be ruthless and merciless with outsiders. But with her—never. Lu Qingyuan clicked his tongue. "If you'd used the same tactics on Lin Zhiqing that you use on outsiders, she never would have abandoned you and gone back to the city back then." In his opinion, Old Yu had always pretended too well in front of Lin Zhiqing. Pretended so well that Lin Zhiqing truly believed he was a kind soul, a good man. But he wasn't. Deep in his bones, Yu Jianghai was ferocious, was ruthless—he was that way with everyone. Everyone except Lin Meiyan. Yu Jianghai did not like to bring up matters of the past. He stubbed out his cigarette and casually tossed the butt into the clear glass ashtray, where wisps of smoke still rose from the tip. The smoke went from rising straight up, to gradually losing its strength. Until finally, it dissipated completely. Yu Jianghai turned around, his tone indifferent. "How do you know I haven't tried?" Lu Qingyuan was taken aback. "What?" Yu Jianghai stood by the window, gazing toward the direction of Simenkou. In that moment, his pupils were dark and resolute. "There won't be a second time." His voice was so soft that Lu Qingyuan almost didn't catch it. He wanted to press further, but Old Yu's expression was too unsettling. So Lu Qingyuan swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue and changed the subject instead. "This demolition task is too heavy, and our office is too far from Simenkou." Yu Jianghai stepped away from the window and walked over to his desk. He curled his fingers and tapped the surface, offering a solution. "Move over there." Lu Qingyuan: "?" "Move where?" "Simenkou." Lu Qingyuan: "..." "Wait, there's nothing at the Jianghai Dicai Phase Two site over in Simenkou. What's the point of moving there?" Yu Jianghai looked up at him without saying a word, but Lu Qingyuan understood anyway. He couldn't help but grab at his hair. "Yu Jianghai, Yu Jianghai, can you have a little more self-respect?" "Get this straight—back then, it was Lin Meiyan who abandoned you to return to the city." "What are you trying to do now?" It was one thing to choose Simenkou for the Jianghai Dicai Phase Two project. But now he wanted to move the office that had taken so much effort to establish for Phase One over there as well. Might as well just destroy everything! Destroy it all! That evening, after Linji closed its doors, it was already past eight. The sky had fallen completely dark. Lin Meiyan finished tidying up the loose ends. When she turned around, she saw Qiaoqiao hunched over the table, head down, drawing and writing. She walked over and asked, "What are you drawing?" Qiaoqiao instinctively tried to hide the drawing, but she was a step too late—Lin Meiyan had already seen it clearly. It was a family of three. A mother with long hair and a father with short hair, holding a child's hand between them. Lin Meiyan paused for a moment, then acted as if nothing was wrong. "Do you want a father?" Qiaoqiao covered the drawing with her hands and shook her head. "No." "I'm just drawing, that's all." She thought that uncle was really strange, and combined with everything that had happened during the day, she had been analyzing it. But in the end, she realized she didn't know enough characters yet, so she could only use drawings to express herself. Somehow, though— She had gotten distracted while drawing, and it had turned into a family of three. Lin Meiyan hugged her without asking further, only saying softly, "Let's go home." But as she held Qiaoqiao, she took one more look at the family of three in the drawing. She closed her eyes. On the way back, Qiaoqiao was quiet, and so was Lin Meiyan. For so many years, she had grown used to playing both roles—father and mother. She held Qiaoqiao's hand, her voice gentle. "Does Qiaoqiao want a father?" Qiaoqiao shook her head like a rattle-drum. "No." "Mom, I'm serious. I really don't want one." In her last life, her mother's life had gone downhill because she remarried. Was she crazy in this life? Did she want her mother to remarry again? Lin Meiyan ruffled her hair but said nothing. When they got home, Gu Kaihua and Ye Qiuju were both there. Even Gu Xiaolin and Gu Xiaohe were there too. Lin Meiyan paused for a moment, then called out softly, "Uncle, Auntie." The house felt like a full family tribunal—everyone was waiting for her. In that instant, Lin Meiyan was certain of one thing: Yu Jianghai was just as calculating as he had been back then. He never did anything without purpose. And this was the perfect demonstration—he hadn't even shown his face, and she was already under immense pressure. Lin Meiyan could only be grateful that Qiaoqiao had fallen asleep by now. She first carried Qiaoqiao into the room and laid her on the bed, then turned and came back out. The Gu family's main room wasn't large—about seven or eight square meters. At the head of the room sat Gu Kaihua and Ye Qiuju, with Gu Xiaolin, Gu Xiaohe, and Gu Xiaoyue seated beside them. The three of them were all Gu Kaihua's children. Only Gu Xiaolin was married. His work unit had allocated him a dormitory, so he and his wife had been living there. The Gu family house had been given over to Lin Meiyan and Qiaoqiao. Tonight, for Lin Meiyan's sake, Gu Xiaolin had come home alone. He hadn't even brought his wife or children. Lin Meiyan pinched her fingers together, then walked over with easy grace, stirring up a gentle breeze that lifted the loose strands of hair on her forehead. Her lips were red, her teeth white—gentle and refined. "Meiyan." Gu Kaihua spoke in a low voice. "I've heard a bit about what happened during the day." Lin Meiyan walked over, pulled out a chair, and sat down. She hummed in acknowledgment, her tone warm. "Uncle, where would you like to start hearing about it?" Gu Kaihua: "?" Oh? She's letting him pick where to start? Like this is ordering off a menu? He exchanged a glance with his wife before finally asking, "Well, Director Liu—everyone knows what he's like. He's never been one to lift a finger without good reason." "To have him come help us like this today, I'm genuinely surprised." "And Officer Qian—don't underestimate him. On the surface he's just a beat cop at Simenkou Paichusuo, but in reality he's a candidate for the next station chief." "He never bothers with matters like this." Things like someone refusing to move out, or trivial squabbles reported to the police—those are usually handled by the junior officers. "And yet they both came to help today, and they were even polite to me." "They even said to let them know if we ever need anything." "Meiyan, tell me—what does our Gu family have that they'd want to curry favor with us for?" If the Gu family had that kind of influence, they'd have gotten ahead long ago. Back when Meiyan came back pregnant with nowhere to go, he'd made a direct call to have the relevant departments return the Lin family home to her. But the Gu family didn't have that kind of pull. And neither did Lin Meiyan. They were the most ordinary of ordinary people. No power, no connections, no money—just scraping by at the bottom rung of Jiangcheng. Enough to keep food on the table, and as for anything else—best not to think about it. Lin Meiyan squeezed her fingers, then lifted her gaze. The night light fell across her face, lending it a touch of softness, and also a hint of resolve—the courage of someone willing to burn their bridges. "Uncle, do you want the truth, or a lie?" Gu Kaihua answered without a moment's hesitation, "The truth, of course." Lin Meiyan thought for a moment, then said frankly, "All this help came from a friend I made when I was sent down to the countryside." "Director Liu and Officer Qian came because of their regard for that person." Gu Kaihua seized on the key point with sharp instinct, pressing further, "What friend?" Lin Meiyan looked a little embarrassed, a faint flush creeping onto her face, but she still confessed honestly, "A boyfriend I used to have." Gu Kaihua shot to his feet with a clatter. "You used to have a boyfriend?" Before he could even get up properly, Ye Qiuju smacked him across the face. "Isn't that obvious? If Meiyan never had a boyfriend, where did Qiaoqiao come from?" Gu Kaihua said without thinking, "She gave birth to her herself." "Or what—did some man give birth to her?" Silence fell over the room. Ye Qiuju was beyond words. Sometimes she felt that marrying Gu Kaihua must have been fate's way of testing her survival instincts. "Can one person give birth to a child? Gu Kaihua, use your brain—can one person give birth to a child?!" After Ye Qiuju's outburst, Gu Kaihua suddenly turned sheepish. "Well, no, I suppose not." "Without me, you really couldn't have had one." Ye Qiuju slapped him again with a smack—really, no sense of place. The child was right there. And he was spouting nonsense. Gu Kaihua got slapped, but instead of getting angry, he grinned and explained to the child, "Your mom's just patting me." "Patting me." "Just pats pretty hard." Everyone else was speechless. Someone like Gu Kaihua, who could make up his own excuses on the spot—he was truly one of a kind under the sun. Ye Qiuju didn't want to deal with him. "Yanyan, what do you think?" "Is that person someone important?" It seemed the weather was about to turn—muffled thunder rolled outside, carrying a gust of cool wind that blew in through the window, brushing against Lin Meiyan and sending a slight chill through her. She lowered her eyes, hugged her arms, and said softly, "Yes. Back then, I abandoned him to return to the city." The air went still in an instant. Gu Kaihua felt as though the chair beneath him had suddenly sprouted thorns, pricking his backside. He swallowed hard. "After you dumped him, he became a big shot?" Lin Meiyan gave a soft "Mm." Gu Kaihua rubbed his hands together, looking troubled. "I said it—our Meiyan looks just like the heroine of a storybook." "And I'm the heroine's uncle." At that, he swallowed again, a flicker of fear in his eyes. "You don't think that guy will come after me, do you?" After all, in TV dramas, the protagonist's relatives often meet bad ends. That's how you get the happy, picture-perfect ending for the hero and heroine. No one answered. No one could. After a long moment, Lin Meiyan lifted her gaze, a faint smile shimmering in her eyes. She said softly, "Uncle, he won't." "We ended things cleanly back then. Neither of us owes the other anything." Gu Kaihua didn't say whether he believed it or not. Neither did Ye Qiuju. Everyone looked somber. After a long pause, Gu Kaihua had a flash of inspiration. "Meiyan, how about you go on a blind date?" Seeing everyone look at him. Gu Kaihua pressed on, "It's a new era now, with new people and new ways. I refuse to believe that once you're remarried, your ex-boyfriend would still try to steal another man's wife!" Author's note: Yu Jianghai (smiling): I can.