“I didn’t…” Li Hehua instinctively retorted.

“Hey, I get it,” the compound manager whispered in her ear.

As women, how could they not understand such delicate thoughts? Li Hehua was the same age as Yang Xiujin, seeing him every day. He was a college student—tall, handsome, and earning a good income. It was only natural to develop feelings for him.

Li Hehua found herself at a loss for words.

She felt utterly helpless.

Her feelings for Yang Xiujin had always been ones of admiration and reverence. She believed she was unworthy of someone so flawless and pure, and she didn’t want Chen Qing to tarnish him.

The onlookers were already convinced. Given Li Hehua’s earlier jealousy toward Chen Qing, if they hadn’t known they were neighbors, they might have thought they were sworn enemies.

She had immediately called her a “shameless hussy” and threatened to drown Chen Qing in a pig cage!

If they weren’t rivals in love, how could there be such deep hatred?

Having devoured such juicy gossip, everyone returned home satisfied.

He Yuxiang, who had watched the entire scene, still wore a deep frown.

Was that vicious woman crazy today?

Why was she suddenly willing to stand up for them?

In the past, even when he came home beaten black and blue, she wouldn’t even bat an eye. Had her interests been threatened somehow?

He Yuxiang couldn’t make sense of it.

When they returned home, he saw Chen Qing coming out of the kitchen, without the woodcutting knife in her hand.

He asked, “You took the knife with you, but I didn’t see you use it on anyone.”

Chen Qing replied, “The knife is my weapon, but it’s not meant for hurting people. Understand?”

He Yuxiang pressed his lips together tightly.

Seeing that he didn’t ask further, Chen Qing didn’t offer an explanation.

Let him stew in his curiosity!

“Hey,” He Yuxiang called out to her awkwardly.

Chen Qing turned her head. “What?”

“Were my parents… killed because someone set them up?” He Yuxiang raised his head high, staring straight into her eyes, unwilling to miss even the slightest change in her expression.

Since he was little, his mother had told him that his father was the greatest person in the world.

He Yuxiang deeply admired his father, and his biggest dream was to become a soldier and protect his country.

But his father had died in the line of duty, and his mother had passed away too.

The warm days of the past were gone forever.

If someone had truly caused his parents’ deaths, He Yuxiang felt that even if it cost him his life, he would never let that person go!

Chen Qing looked down, sensing the tremor in the child’s voice as he mentioned his parents.

The gloom and cynicism of a villain shone through the child’s clear, black-and-white eyes.

Chen Qing’s heart trembled slightly. After a moment of contemplation, she deliberately sighed.

“Since you asked, I suppose I have to tell you the truth.”

He Yuxiang held his breath, tense with anticipation.

Even He Yuting, who was crouching in the corner like a little quail, pricked up her ears to listen carefully.

“You remember your mother gave you a piece of gold, right?”

“…Yeah,” He Yuxiang nodded suspiciously, then pressed, “What does that have to do with the gold my mother gave me?”

“It has everything to do with it! Do you know what kind of people in this era possess gold?”

“What kind?”

He Yuxiang felt an inexplicable sense of foreboding.

“Capitalists!”

“Impossible! My father was a soldier,” He Yuxiang quickly denied.

“Why would I lie to you? That’s gold! Do you know how much a gram of gold is worth on the market right now?”

At that time, a gram of gold was worth 16 yuan—equivalent to half a month’s wages for a worker!

Chen Qing could tell from his serious expression that he was taking her words to heart. Seizing the moment, she tapped into her skills as a designer to spin a convincing story and continued to hoodwink him: “But don’t worry, your father’s death was undoubtedly a sacrifice for the country. It’s just that so many people in our family have passed away one after another—there must be something suspicious going on. The reason I’m bringing this up today is that I nearly died myself a couple of days ago.”

He Yuxiang was stunned!

This woman had almost died?

From the corner, He Yuting sprang to her feet: “Auntie, what happened to you?”

“Nothing much. Luckily, I managed to avoid disaster. Over the past six months, I’ve been mistreating you and trying to trick you into giving me the gold. But you’ve both stayed strong, holding onto your mother’s words and keeping them close to your hearts. Your auntie is very proud of you.”

Chen Qing wore a look of heartfelt relief.

He Yuting was terrified that her aunt might vanish next. Overwhelmed by panic, tears burst forth like a flood, large droplets pattering down her cheeks. Afraid of missing anything her aunt said, she clamped a hand tightly over her mouth to stifle her sobs.

The child’s heartbroken crying stirred a pang of guilt in Chen Qing.

She knew she would treat the two children better and better in the future, but she needed a justification for it—preferably one that could gloss over the absurd things the original host had done.

Yet, seeing the child cry so bitterly, Chen Qing couldn’t help but wipe He Yuting’s tears away.

This child reminded her so much of herself.

Outwardly well-behaved and obedient, but actually bold yet prone to crying and sensitivity.

She drew the girl into her arms, gently patting her back. “It’s alright, isn’t Auntie alive and well now?”

He Yuting clutched the fabric at Chen Qing’s shoulder, hiccupping through her tears, “Are they after money?”

Chen Qing adopted a mysterious tone: “Yes, and no.”

“What does that even mean?!” He Yuxiang snapped impatiently.

As much as he detested this woman, he couldn’t deny that she was their only living relative.

If they lost their aunt, they would certainly lose the house too, and end up in an orphanage. Once there, he and his sister would be separated!

His sister, a gentle-natured girl, would undoubtedly be bullied there—He Yuxiang didn’t even dare to imagine it.

Chen Qing cursed inwardly: Brat!

While soothing the distressed child, she explained, “They’ve heard we have a large sum of money, but they aren’t completely sure. Besides, everyone in our family now has a clean and upright background—they can’t just kill us off arbitrarily. So, they’re trying every means to pressure us, waiting to see if we’ll produce that money when we’re driven into a corner! If we do take it out, they’ll undoubtedly snatch it away immediately. That’s why, unless it’s an absolute emergency, you must never take that money out. Understood?”

“But it’s just a small piece of gold—is it really worth all this to them?”

He Yuxiang didn’t understand.

But his instincts told him something was off.

“Have you seen the gold?” Chen Qing probed cautiously, her own heart drumming with anxiety.

She was gambling—betting that the gold was stored far from home, somewhere He Yuxiang couldn’t easily access yet.

He Yuxiang, uncomfortable under her gaze, turned away. “No.”

Chen Qing breathed a heavy sigh of relief inwardly, feigning an ‘I knew it’ expression.

“See? I knew it. And those villains are only guessing. You’re still young—you don’t understand how boundless human greed can be. That’s why, over the past six months, to avoid being killed, I’ve been spending money frantically and even borrowed some.”

“You borrowed money too?! With all the money in this house, wasn’t it enough for your extravagance?!” He Yuxiang bristled.

His grandparents and mother had left all their savings in her hands. On top of that, she had her own salary—how could she already need to borrow money to get by in such a short time?

“Tch, that’s my strategy against the enemy,” Chen Qing retorted irritably.

“Heh.” He Yuxiang snorted coldly.