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Sunlight streamed through the window and landed squarely on Zhao Dongming’s butt.
He had spent the entire night tossing and turning, unable to come up with a way to threaten Lin Ting into keeping his illegitimate birth a secret.
Suddenly, a flurry of urgent footsteps grew louder, stopping at the entrance of the Zhao home.
Zhao Dongming, suspicious, jumped up from the bed and called out,
“Mom, who’s here?”
Cao Jinyu didn’t answer her son. She went straight to open the door, and the moment she saw a group of burly men holding long sticks, she involuntarily gasped.
But then she remembered—her older brother is the director of the Revolutionary Committee. With that thought, confidence surged back into her. She straightened her back and snapped:
“What do you people want this early in the morning?”
The man at the front didn’t answer her question. Instead, he asked,
“Are you Cao Jinyu?”
“Yes, what business do you have with me?”
No sooner had the words left her mouth than the man barked,
“Take her away!”
Cao Jinyu panicked instantly and screamed,
“What are you trying to do? Do you even know who I am?”
The man gave her a disdainful look and replied,
“I don’t care who you are.”
“Someone reported that you were having an affair, that your personal conduct is improper, and that you even had an illegitimate child with another man. Where is the child?”
Zhao Dongming wanted to crawl under the bed at those words, but it was already too late.
“There he is! Grab him too!”
Zhao Guohua emerged from the room, looking stunned.
“What did you just say?”
“My son, an illegitimate child?!”
He hadn’t expected this. Just last night, he had submitted a tip-off letter, and now, at the crack of dawn, his wife’s brother’s political rival had already taken action.
The efficiency was terrifying.
If Cao Zhenping (her brother) fell from power, his position as Revolutionary Committee Director would undoubtedly go to his arch-nemesis, Deputy Director Cai Zigeng.
Cao Jinyu was now sobbing uncontrollably, tears and mucus streaming down her face.
“Old Zhao, don’t listen to them! Dongming is your biological son!”
“Hurry! Go ask my brother for help!”
But before she could finish, the enforcement officer added coldly:
“Cao Zhenping has already been arrested.”
“What?!”
Cao Jinyu couldn’t believe her ears.
Her big brother was taken down—who could save them now?
The man sneered,
“Having affairs, living immorally, bearing a child out of wedlock, and even tricking someone else into raising the child—what a fine scheme you people cooked up!”
Zhao Guohua’s face twisted in rage.
“Is all of that true?”
Cao Jinyu shook her head furiously like a drum,
“No! I don’t know what they’re talking about!”
But the officer’s eyes flashed coldly.
“Doesn’t matter. We have plenty of ways to get the truth out of you.”
Cao Jinyu was horrified.
“Old Zhao, save me!”
But Zhao Guohua stood in silence, looking toward his aging father.
Only they knew in their hearts—Cao Jinyu deserved this.
She should be dragged out and publicly denounced.
As for Zhao Dongming, they weren’t sure if he knew the truth about his origins, but since he wasn’t a blood member of the Zhao family, he was now considered an ungrateful outsider—someone they could no longer raise or accept.
In an instant, Cao Zhenping was arrested, and the Revolutionary Committee Director position was left vacant.
Deputy Director Cai Zigeng was now busy climbing the political ladder, and the Lin family was forgotten amidst all the chaos.
Ling Sizhe took the opportunity to push through the reassignment notice for the Lin family.
Now that the situation was settled, no one could stop it.
The Lin family was spared labor reform and public denunciation, and for the first time in a while, they could breathe a sigh of relief.
They were being reassigned to the same rural village where Lin Ting had volunteered to go, meaning they could look after one another.
Plus, with Old Master Zhou’s relatives helping from behind the scenes, their future life in the countryside might not be so bad.
When Chen Li found out that the Lin family was merely reassigned instead of being punished, he was shocked.
How could this be?
In his past life, the Lin family had been denounced and sent to labor reform.
Could this change have something to do with him being reborn?
He hadn’t married Lin Ting in this life—just that one decision may have changed everything.
Still stewing in resentment, he returned to the mechanical agricultural institute’s dorm for single employees, only to find the dorm warden packing up his things.
He shouted in alarm:
“What are you doing?!”
The dorm warden didn’t even look up.
“Temp workers don’t qualify for our employee housing. You’ve been dismissed—pack your things and get out.”
In the past, they had treated him with deference. Even though he was a temp, he was personally recommended by an agricultural professor and was expected to go permanent soon. Everyone had tried to cozy up to him.
But ever since Lin Ting caused a scene, people whispered about him wherever he went—calling him ungrateful, two-faced, and cold-blooded, using the exact same insults Lin Ting had hurled at him that day.
Suppressing his anger, he said impatiently,
“I’ve been staying here all this time—why kick me out all of a sudden?”
“And I’m not local—where am I supposed to stay?”
The warden rolled his eyes.
“You really don’t know why?”
“You’re immoral and politically questionable. The leadership didn’t hand you over to the police only because they didn’t want the embarrassment.”
“What’s past is past. You were a potential permanent employee back then. Now, you’re not even in the running. Dorm space is tight—we’re giving beds to the outstanding ones now.”
Chen Li was dumbfounded.
In his past life, by this time, he and Lin Ting were already married, living in a spacious three-bedroom apartment near the institute, eating eggs, milk, and meat daily…
And now, he was on the verge of being homeless.
He tried to soften his tone:
“Could you give me a few more days? I just need time to find a place.”
But the warden was unmoved.
“No way.”
Then he threw Chen Li’s belongings out.
The zipper on his duffel was broken, so his personal items scattered everywhere.
Chen Li had never been so humiliated.
Having lived comfortably for so long in his past life, he couldn’t adapt to being disrespected like this.
His fists clenched tightly.
He swore to himself—he would make everyone pay for today.
He didn’t even know how he left the dorm.
Carrying a light, pitiful duffel, he wandered aimlessly through the streets.
He only had two yuan left—renting a place was impossible.
After some thought, he decided to find Li Haitang.
She should still have some money left, and together they might be able to rent a small room temporarily.
When he found her and gently explained his situation, he didn’t even get to ask for money before Li Haitang smiled and said:
“Perfect.”
“You find a place to rent, and I’ll move in with you. That way, I won’t have to stay in a guesthouse anymore—my money’s almost gone!”