Chapter 8

***Lexuan nickname is Lele****♥️

Another day passed.

Today there was an important plan. They got up at seven in the morning—one tall and one short—heading to the bathroom to wash up.

Lexuan remembered the new skill he learned yesterday. He huffed and puffed as he brought over a little stool, stood on it, and brushed his teeth with great seriousness. He rinsed his mouth and spat out the foam, tilting his head back and opening his mouth to reveal a set of bright, white little teeth.

“Good job, little one.”

In order to encourage the little guy to keep doing things by himself, Ye Xiaoyu didn’t hold back in praising him. Her voice even had a slight pitch to it. It turns out that after having a child, speaking in a higher pitch becomes second nature.

He was praised again!

Lexuan happily squinted his eyes in a smile. His chubby little arms brushed his teeth even more vigorously.

There were no facial cleansers or face soaps in the bathroom, of course. The original owner never spent money on herself, so she only used water and a shared family towel to clean her face. If her face got dirty from work, she’d use soap—yes, the same soap used for laundry.

Her skin could stay in its current condition mainly thanks to her natural genes, probably also due to her age. Before 35, one could rely on their genes, but after 35, more care and maintenance were needed.

Now, Ye Xiaoyu could only wash her face with water. The towel was newly bought, and she rubbed it lightly on her face before using a bit of her son’s lotion to moisturize.

Her dark hair was still tied into a big braid. The reason she tied it up was because, without it, her thick hair was too long and unruly. However, she had made small adjustments, leaving it a little less flat against her scalp, with the ends slightly puffed up.

Her clothing choices were limited. In the ’80s and ’90s, many people followed fashion trends—bell-bottoms, tights, and jeans gradually made their way into the country, and the streets were full of brightly colored clothes.

But these weren’t the clothes of the original owner.

The original owner’s clothes were stuck in the ’60s and ’70s, mainly gray, blue, and military green. There was no white, and any white clothes had turned slightly yellow due to time.

After some rummaging through the wardrobe, Ye Xiaoyu chose a light-colored sweater with military green cargo pants, paired with a military green cotton jacket. On her feet, she wore a pair of practical rubber shoes for work.

Her weight was still noticeable, and she looked a bit bulky, but her mental state was completely rejuvenated.

After spending two and a half days in this body, Ye Xiaoyu had fully mastered the muscles of this body. She would never slouch or hunch her back. Posture, in a way, acted as a natural facelift for her appearance. Confidence truly could make one shine.

Breakfast was a simple bowl of vegetable noodles, along with a boiled egg.

……..

Around 9 AM, the second sister and her husband arrived on time.

The other three also showed up: one was named Wang Yilai, but everyone called him Alai. He had a scar on his face that made him look intimidating. The second one, Li Kai, was tall and fierce-looking, and the third, Zhang Wenjin, was stocky and muscular. They all seemed perfect for the task.

The group had already made their introductions, and they carried an aura of authority, their smiles rare. Alai’s scar, extending from his chin to his eye, really made him look like someone from the underworld.

Other family members who encountered them were immediately frightened, including little Lele.

Lele called out “Uncle” a few times, gripping the corner of Ye Xiaoyu’s clothes and inching closer to her mother.

The three big men scratched their heads awkwardly, their intimidating presence easing significantly.

Luckily, Lele was familiar with the second sister and her husband. Among all the relatives, the second aunt and her husband had always been the kindest to him, always giving him red envelopes and candy during the New Year. The second aunt’s sweet daughter also liked him, though she constantly treated him like a doll, styling his hair and putting makeup on him, even though Lele was a boy, not a girl.

After Lele warmed up to them, Ye Xiaoyu entrusted him to her brother-in-law temporarily. Before leaving, she kissed him several times for good luck.

The adults were a little uncomfortable, seeing how clingy the mother and son were.

Ye Xiaoyu had already put on her best foolproof smile and confident tone, ready to take charge. She then led Alai, Li Kai, and Liangzi with fierce determination towards the electric motor factory.

But the effect was short-lived.

The factory’s security was quite responsible and stopped them outside. It might have been because Ye Xiaoyu had changed her appearance so dramatically that the guard didn’t recognize her at first.

Only after Ye Xiaoyu proved she was an employee and called the HR deputy director for help, were they allowed inside.

The factory wasn’t very large, and there were no core technologies that needed to be kept secret. There were no strict management protocols like future 4S7S systems in place, so entry and exit were fairly casual. Many workers’ families had even eaten in the cafeteria.

Yang Ligang, the procurement department director, was notified shortly after they entered and rushed over, demanding, “Ye Xiaoyu, what exactly do you want?!”

Perfect timing—this saved Ye Xiaoyu the trouble of tracking him down. “Didn’t I tell you last time? Two days.”

“You!” Yang Ligang was furious. His usual response would be to slap first and ask questions later.

But Alai, Li Kai, and Zhang Wenjin stopped him, with Alai grabbing his arm to keep him still, and Li Kai standing on the other side to trap him between them.

Yang Ligang, a big man with a beer belly, was immediately dwarfed by the imposing figures of Alai and Liangzi.

This man was known for bullying the weak, but now he was completely outmatched. His voice trembled as he tried to regain some control, “What are you going to do? I warn you, don’t do anything crazy.”

Ye Ermei scoffed. The reason she had left Zhao Qing to look after the kids in the dorm and come with her was because Ye Xiaoyu was better at speaking. As soon as she opened her mouth, she scolded Yang Ligang relentlessly, “Well, well, Yang dog, you dare hit my sister in front of me, even as a director. What kind of director are you? You’re nothing but a turtle!”

As more people gathered and the conversation grew more inappropriate, Yang Ligang became embarrassed and urged them to go to his office.

But once they got there, he became nervous around Alai and the others. Even though he had shut the door, they still stood by it, making him feel completely out of control.

Ye Xiaoyu wasn’t shy. She sat down on the only real leather chair in the office and repeated the conversation she had with Yang Ligang last time, ending with, “If you don’t agree, I’ll go find the factory director or deputy director and talk to them about this.”

She then took out several photos from her bag, showing pictures of Yang Ligang with another woman in intimate poses. They were just photos of hand-holding and hugging, not overtly scandalous compared to future standards, but still very inappropriate for this era. She had even paid a high price to have several copies made.

Seeing Ye Xiaoyu so openly present these photos in front of strangers made Yang Ligang both anxious and furious. His face turned all sorts of colors: red, purple, blue, and black.

Ye Xiaoyu, unfazed, said, “If you don’t agree, I’ll start posting these photos everywhere and send more copies to newspapers. The headline could be ‘Shocking, Electric Factory Director’s Extramarital Affair,’ how about that? Or maybe ’18-Year-Old Girl Has Affair with 40-Year-Old Man’?”

Alai and the others were witnessing a woman’s battle power for the first time, wide-eyed. But this wasn’t her fault. It was the cowardly man’s fault for mistreating the young girl.

Ye Ermei clapped her hands in approval. She had thought her younger sister would be at a disadvantage, but instead, Ye Xiaoyu’s fighting spirit was off the charts.

She realized, as she compared herself, that her younger sister had been sentimental about men in the past, but now she was utterly disillusioned and had become smart and sly.

“You dare!” Yang Ligang shouted, his face contorted with rage.

“Why wouldn’t I dare?” Ye Ermei retorted, “If you dare to do these disgusting things, we have the right to expose them. Are you even a man? You have the audacity to do this, and we have the right to reveal it!” She then picked up a photo with disdain, “This woman looks cheap, no more than two hundred pounds, and you dare to touch her? My sister’s eight streets ahead of her!”

Ye Xiaoyu wasn’t interested in comparing herself to trash. Her main target was Yang Ligang, not the other people. After a brief moment of disgust, she returned to the topic, “A pair of dressed-up beasts, disgusting beyond belief.”

“Exactly,” Ye Ermei agreed, “That’s well said.”

Yang Ligang nearly exploded, but Alai and the others stood their ground, preventing him from acting out.

Especially Alai, with his scarred face, who looked like someone from the underworld. In the 1990s, places were quite chaotic, and cities with a lot of crime were no exception. Even bodyguards hired by big bosses had their own shady pasts. Though things had improved in the capital, the southern coastal regions were still messy.

Yang Ligang recalled some stories about the shady characters he had bragged about at the drinking table, and the more he thought about it, the more terrifying it became. The anger he had just felt dissipated once again.

“Divorce, then just divorce!”

When it came to the conditions of the divorce, he didn’t care at all about Yang Lele. Although he was his son, he looked nothing like him. He was just as timid as his mother and seemed like someone who could never handle things.

He never even wanted this son!

Hu Wanwan had gotten pregnant herself, and her mother had someone check, saying it was highly likely the child was his son. Hu Wanwan also mentioned that both her mother and grandmother had more sons than daughters. To put it bluntly, he was still under 30. Men are in their prime at 41, and he was still young. Many women would be willing to bear his children, but next time, he would absolutely not repeat this mistake!

To him, money was still more important than his son: “150,000 is too much, at most 50,000.”

“50,000? Are you trying to pay off a beggar?” Ye Xiaoyu looked at him as if he were a fool. “Could it be that you extorted 50,000 from your parents and now plan to use it to get rid of me? No, it must be more than that. At least 70 or 80 thousand, you’re profiting from this divorce too?!”

Everyone else thought Ye Xiaoyu’s guess was ridiculous, but Yang Ligang, unable to hide his guilty reaction, revealed that this was exactly what he had done.

The night before, he had gone home, where, besides cursing Ye Xiaoyu with his parents, he had pretended to be poor and extorted 75,000 yuan from his father. His mother secretly gave him an additional 20,000, using the retirement funds she had saved over the years. Even his father didn’t know about this.

Ye Xiaoyu still couldn’t fathom how shameless this man could be, so she said, “150,000 is non-negotiable. Otherwise, will you give me the house as compensation?”

Yang Ligang’s heart jumped again, secretly cursing women for being short-sighted. Their house was so large and spacious, it was worth far more than 150,000. Even now, it could easily sell for 170,000 to 180,000, and its value would only continue to rise.

Of course, others had the same insight, and Ye Ermei’s eyes lit up as she heard this. Ye Xiaoyu also pretended to be tempted, responding to him.

“150,000 it is,” Yang Ligang decisively agreed.

Ye Xiaoyu, who had been supporting the entire family, had been able to save a few thousand yuan over the years. Yang Ligang, whose salary was higher than hers and who had received multiple bonuses, surely had more money. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have bought a few thousand yuan television for his mistress.

And don’t forget, there was also the financial support from his parents!

Yang Ligang wanted to delay further, but Ye Xiaoyu didn’t give him the chance. Some things need to be done decisively. To avoid dragging things out, it would be best to transfer the money immediately and then go to the Civil Affairs Bureau to finalize everything.

The group exited the mechanical factory, and the second brother-in-law, holding the child, had already passed by. They all headed toward the nearby bank.

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