Chapter 1

Scumbag and Bitch

It was New Year’s Eve, 1995. Outside, the world was covered in a blanket of white snow, a beautiful sight. However, the atmosphere inside the house was in stark contrast to the outside world.

The woman lying on the hard bed was as pale as a sheet, her face devoid of any color. The blue and white striped hospital gown she wore seemed like a large robe, covering her already thin frame. She stared blankly at the three people standing by the bed.

“Xia Wanying, look at you! Even though you’re sick like this, you still look so pitiful. Tsk tsk, no wonder so many men were infatuated with you back then.”

Fang Zhaodi leaned against Li Wenzhuo, scrutinizing the frail beauty on the bed.

Xia Wanying didn’t give her a glance. She turned to the man beside her and said, “Li Wenzhuo, you’ve already gotten everything you wanted. Can’t you just leave me alone?”

Seeing her emotionless eyes, Li Wenzhuo suddenly grabbed her hair, “Xia Wanying, we’ve been married for twenty years, don’t you have any feelings for me at all?”

Xia Wanying smiled alluringly. Even though she was now a mere shadow of her former self, her smile was still vibrant and beautiful.

“Li Wenzhuo, when you begged me to marry you to return to the city, you knew I didn’t like you. What does twenty years of marriage mean? Have you ever truly possessed me? My body and my heart have never been yours to touch!”

Fang Zhaodi watched her beloved man tremble with anger. She slapped the face that had made her jealous for half her life, “Xia Wanying, do you know what situation you’re in? You’re begging Wenzhuo. How dare you be so arrogant?”

Xia Wanying wiped the blood from her lips and looked at Fang Zhaodi, “Fang Zhaodi, you were the one who pushed me into the river that day, weren’t you? Later, you led me to suspect Chen Shuyun. I was so stupid, your clumsy acting fooled me!”

“So what if it was me? Let me tell you, I also called those people who watched. If I hadn’t forced you like that, how would you have married Wenzhuo? How could we have returned to the city?” Fang Zhaodi said triumphantly.

Li Wenzhuo retracted his hand from Xia Wanying’s hair and straightened his expensive suit, “Leaving you alone is impossible. Your father’s will has been taken by your brother. You’ll get one-third of your family’s assets. You can’t die. I won’t be satisfied until I get what’s rightfully yours.”

Xia Wanying scoffed, “Typical peasant upbringing, only concerned with material possessions.”

Li Xiaoxian impatiently said, “Mom and Dad, why did you call me here? What’s there to see in this dead woman? We should be at home as a family on New Year’s Eve.”

Li Wenzhuo came to his senses and remembered the purpose of their visit, “Xia Wanying, write a letter to your brother right now and tell him to give me your share.”

Xia Wanying tidied her hair and burrowed into the cold bed.

Fang Zhaodi was provoked by her attitude. She reached out, pulled back the covers, and dragged Xia Wanying up, “Xia Wanying, didn’t you hear me? Write the letter! Your parents are gone, what right do you have to be so arrogant?”

Xia Wanying closed her eyes and remained silent. Fang Zhaodi was furious, her chest heaving. She turned to her husband and daughter, “Darling daughter, you go out with your dad and wait for me. I have something to say to her.”

“Wenzhuo, you go out and wait for me. I have a way to make her write the letter.”

After they left, Fang Zhaodi smiled sinisterly, “Xia Wanying, you don’t know this, do you? Your good father didn’t die of illness. Li Wenzhuo spent almost ten years slowly poisoning him. Your angelic mother found out the truth and was so angry that she died. What face do you have to sit here and arrogantly beg Wenzhuo to spare you?”

Seeing Xia Wanying’s shocked expression, Fang Zhaodi continued triumphantly, “I advise you to write it quickly. Otherwise, Wenzhuo will lose his patience, and your brothers…”

Xia Wanying suddenly felt ridiculous. She had played a good hand so badly. Not only had she harmed her own father and mother, but she had also allowed this pair of human-faced beasts to enjoy what rightfully belonged to her and her family.

When she brought Li Wenzhuo back to the city, her parents had warned her that he wasn’t a good man. They said it was fine that he had been married in the countryside, that they could just pretend it never happened and start over. It was her momentary hesitation, her reluctance to see Li Wenzhuo kneeling outside for two days to gain her parents’ approval, that ultimately harmed her parents and ruined her life.

Oh, how ridiculous her life had been these past few decades! Why hadn’t she been bolder, braver in expressing her own feelings? Why hadn’t she listened to her parents’ advice? Why, despite having no feelings for Li Wenzhuo, had she still been his wife for so many years? Why had she allowed him to keep his mistress outside and imprisoned her, making him increasingly greedy and ultimately leading to the death of her father?

Xia Wanying was filled with hatred. She wished she could kill them right then and there, but she couldn’t. She had been imprisoned in this mental hospital for almost eight years, unable to escape. Every doctor and nurse had been bribed by Li Wenzhuo, and they wouldn’t let her leave.

Suddenly, Xia Wanying opened a drawer, took out the medicine she had secretly saved, and swallowed it whole. She then drank a few sips of water from a cup. By the time Fang Zhaodi realized what was happening, Xia Wanying had already swallowed all of it!

“Fang Zhaodi, give up your hopes. I won’t write it. You can dream about getting my property!”

“What did you eat?” Fang Zhaodi asked nervously.

“The medicine you’ve been forcing the doctors and nurses to give me every day, right? You wanted me to die slowly, didn’t you? Haha, you’ll get your wish. I’ve taken all these pills at once. I won’t die slowly. I’ll be with my parents soon to atone for my sins. Be careful when you go out, because even as a ghost, I won’t let you off!”

Fang Zhaodi panicked. Li Wenzhuo had said that her brothers wouldn’t hand over the property unless they saw her in person or received a handwritten letter. If she died, wouldn’t they never get it?

Fang Zhaodi stepped forward, grabbed Xia Wanying’s chin, and stuck her fingers into her mouth, “Spit it out! You bitch, you…”

Before she could finish, the door slammed open, and Li Xiaoxian’s wails echoed from outside. Fang Zhaodi heard the cries and rushed out.

Xia Wanying looked up towards the door. It was the man she had kept hidden in her heart for twenty years.

“Zhang Shiye, how…”

He stared into her eyes, his crimson pupils filled with a mixture of resentment and despair. Even his usually cold and arrogant voice sounded hoarse, “Xia Wanying, is this the life you chose? Why are you living so poorly?”

Xia Wanying could no longer hold back her tears. The overwhelming pain seemed to engulf her. Never had she felt so broken. Tears streamed down her face, falling onto the cold floor. The emotions she had suppressed in front of Fang Zhaodi erupted all at once.

“Zhang Shiye, I’m so regretful. I’ve made so many mistakes!”

He felt a pang of heartache, his own tears flowing freely, “Wanying, don’t do this. I beg you…”

Xia Wanying rushed into his arms, feeling his strong heartbeat, realizing that all the dreams she had had over the years were finally coming true.