Chapter 15: It’s over, it’s completely over

Mother Zheng pointed angrily at Zheng Qingning’s bowl. “You call that a few pieces? That’s”

“Enough!” Father Zheng slammed the table to stop the argument, giving Zheng Qingning a sharp look. “Haven’t we embarrassed ourselves enough today?”

“Your mother bought you braised pork and soda today. After tonight, let’s pretend none of the past ever happened.”

He gave Mother Zheng a cold glance. “Alright, let’s eat.”

Warned by her husband, Mother Zheng had no choice but to sit down despite her anger. She looked at the unopened soda in front of Zheng Qingning.

“Hurry and drink the soda. I need to return the bottles later.”

Zheng Qingning sat down, finished the meat in her bowl, picked up the soda, and drank it under the gaze of all three. After putting the empty bottle down, she didn’t miss the glint of smugness and malice in their eyes.

[What is the female antagonist up to? She switched the soda. Ahhh, our girl drank the drugged soda. Will she be okay?]
[What should we do? That vicious woman! Why won’t she just die!]
[The crippled old man is just outside the housing compound, waiting for the right time to come in and take her.]
[Something must go wrong, right? I’m so worried.]
[Relax, the male lead is on his way.]
[As long as he’s here, our girl won’t be defiled.]

Reading these lines, Zheng Qingning narrowed her eyes. These two dogs really are a matched pair.

But fine. As long as they don’t ruin her plan.

After she drank the soda, the three of them stared at her, waiting for the drug to take effect and for her to collapse into ruin.

But it wasn’t her who collapsed.

Something was off with them.

By the time they realized, it was too late. The three of them had already collapsed onto the floor.

Zheng Qingning walked over, nudged them with her foot to confirm the drug had taken effect, then dragged her father and mother into their room and moved Zheng Jiaojiao into the sisters’ room.

She cleaned the dishes in the kitchen, especially the drugged soda bottles.

Once done, she sat on the sofa and watched the floating text.

[Ahhhh! Our girl is taking off her clothes!]
[Her mother was worried she wouldn’t cooperate, so she used mating drugs for animals!]
[Poor girl, evil antagonist, I’m so mad I could scream!]
[The male lead ran into the crippled old man sneaking around and scared him off with just a few words.]
[The male lead is inside now. Our girl is safe.]

Zheng Qingning opened the door to Jiaojiao’s room, then hid inside her personal space.

After singing and dancing inside for a while, she came out to hear moaning sounds from Jiaojiao’s room and noise from her parents’ room. She smirked.

She stepped outside and shut the front door behind her.

“Father, mother, sister, please let me in. I was wrong. I shouldn’t have eaten the meat, I shouldn’t have drunk the soda. Please let me in. Please, open the door!”

Her loud knocking and crying woke the neighbors, who came out to check.

“Zheng girl, your parents kicked you out again?”

“Tsk tsk, old Zheng is still so useless. Listen to those sounds…”

“Stop knocking. Your parents are clearly busy in there. Don’t ruin their mood.”

“Yeah, even we downstairs can hear them. Such shamelessness at their age.”

A young man from the room next to Jiaojiao’s ran out shirtless, blushing.

“Hey handsome, what are you doing running out like that at night without clothes?” an older woman teased.

The seventeen or eighteen-year-old turned red as a cooked shrimp and looked toward the Zhengs’ house.

Then his mother came out, scolding, “Old ones are shameless, and now the young ones too.”

“Never seen a maiden scream louder than her own parents. That voice, oh”

“What’s going on, Auntie Huang? Tell us!”

Curious women followed her into the boy’s room.

“Listen to that sound…”

“Wait, is that a man’s voice?”

“Is Jiaojiao hiding a man in there?”

“No wonder they kicked Qingning out!”

Realizing something was off, a few women rushed out. Some ran to find the compound’s security, others got men to break down the door.

Those who stayed behind helped up the sobbing Zheng Qingning, asking what happened inside.

“Zheng girl, what’s going on in there?”

Zheng Qingning wiped her tears, face full of sorrow.

“Mom bought braised pork tonight and said she wanted to talk about the wedding with Yunzhou. I, I was greedy and took an extra piece, and my dad locked me in the kitchen. When I came out… my mom…”

She covered her face, trying not to laugh. “She kicked me out and told me to reflect.”

“I haven’t had meat in months. She said it was bought for me, so I couldn’t help myself. Boohoo…”

The neighbors remembered that Mother Zheng had indeed said the meat was for Qingning earlier, and they had even criticized her for being ungrateful. Now they felt slapped in the face.

The ruckus brought the entire building out.

Someone suddenly realized something.

“Wait Qingning, you said Yunzhou was invited to dinner tonight?”

“Did Yunzhou leave?”

“Could the man in Jiaojiao’s room be Yunzhou?”

Everyone’s faces turned strange.

“No… Yunzhou treats Jiaojiao like a sister. He’s marrying me. He wouldn’t…”

Zheng Qingning shook her head firmly, unwilling to believe it.

She looked up with conviction. “Aunties, Yunzhou is a soldier. He wouldn’t do something that would ruin his future. I believe the man inside isn’t him!”

“But…”

Seeing her hesitate, they pressed, “But what? Say it!”

Zheng Qingning’s voice trembled with fear and grief.

“Jiaojiao likes Yunzhou, and my parents wanted to sell me to a cripple. Then Jiaojiao could go with Yunzhou to his post, and I’d stay home to take care of both sets of parents. That way, she wouldn’t have to worry about the Ye family.”

Gasps of disgust spread through the crowd.

Some women began to curse.

“My God! There are such evil parents in this world. I even spoke up for them before—what a pair of black-hearted wretches!”

Others tried to knock some sense into her.

“Girl, your parents are too biased. Think about yourself more, will you? Sigh…”

Meanwhile, the comment feed exploded.

[That female antagonist is so evil! She wanted to destroy our girl!]
[Why doesn’t she just drop dead! Ahhh!]
[It’s over. The plot’s completely broken.]
[In those days, crimes like this were serious. If the military finds out, the male lead’s career is done for.]
[How did the antagonist know their plan? And that the drug was in the soda?]
[Terrifying. A fully awakened antagonist is seriously smart.]

Zheng Qingning lowered her head, grief written across her face, but a subtle smirk curved her lips.

Ye Yunzhou, Zheng Jiaojiao you’re finished.