Chapter 19 Take back what belongs to you, and destroy what you can’t take away

As for Ruan Chenghong, he insisted that he had no idea what Zhang Lingyu had done. Moreover, during the days when Zhang Lingyu and Ruan Mengmeng sent Ruan Xiangxiang away, Ruan Chenghong had been on a business trip with his work unit.

The female officer conducting the interrogation looked at his indifferent expression and was filled with righteous anger. She asked, “When you came home from your trip and didn’t see your biological daughter, didn’t you feel the slightest bit of concern?”

Ruan Chenghong shook his head. “I remember that day I came home and didn’t see my eldest daughter. I asked my wife, and she said she had found a match and that the in-laws had already taken her. She didn’t notify me because she didn’t want it to affect my work. I thought to myself, my daughter isn’t good-looking and has a meek personality—it’s hard for her to find a husband. Now that she’s finally found someone, as her father, I shouldn’t interfere. What if she blames me in the future for ruining her chance at marriage?”

“That’s enough!” the female officer could no longer stand it. She had never seen a father who demeaned his own daughter like this. Claiming she wasn’t good-looking, saying she was hard to marry off—when she had clearly just seen the girl, and she was beautiful. How could a man say such things about his own child?

She didn’t want to deal with him any further, but since Ruan Chenghong had a confirmed alibi and appeared unaware of the scheme, all she could do was file the report and submit the documents.

—

After a busy afternoon, by the time they left the station, it was already night. They hadn’t rested properly all day, and driving at night wasn’t safe, so the three of them decided to stay in Shendu for the night.

They grabbed a bite at a small eatery on the street and then headed to a guesthouse to rest. After everything that had happened, Gu Rongqing was filled with tenderness and pity for Ruan Xiangxiang—he just wanted to hold her tightly in his arms.

Oddly enough, though they were newlyweds, Gu Rongqing didn’t feel the usual desires that night. All he wanted was to hold her quietly and keep her close.

—

Early the next morning, the police station contacted Ruan Xiangxiang: because Zhang Lingyu insisted she had planned everything alone and that Ruan Mengmeng had nothing to do with it, and because Ruan Chenghong had a solid alibi, the two were released.

This was just as Ruan Xiangxiang had expected. It was unrealistic to bring all three of them down in one shot. But that was the official outcome. Privately, she had her own plans. Since she was leaving Shendu soon, she had to leave a message behind for Ruan Chenghong—and Ruan Mengmeng shouldn’t think she could get away scot-free either.

So, after breakfast, the three of them headed back to the textile factory’s family housing building.

It was still early, and most of the workers hadn’t left for work yet. When they saw the same jeep from the day before pull in, everyone rushed out to watch the drama unfold.

Especially Aunt Zhang, who looked at Ruan Xiangxiang like she was her own daughter. She had heard that Zhang Lingyu had been detained and might be sentenced—which meant her job might soon be up for grabs.

“Well, if it isn’t Xiangxiang! Here so early! Have you had breakfast yet? Here, Auntie made some pan-fried buns—super tasty, you’ve got to try one! Your mom really isn’t coming back out, is she?” Aunt Zhang ran over beaming with excitement.

“I’ve already eaten, Auntie. But congrats in advance—looks like a promotion and raise are coming your way,” Ruan Xiangxiang said with a faint smile.

“Oh, now that’s a sweet thing to say…” Aunt Zhang was in a great mood. This was all thanks to Ruan Xiangxiang. If she hadn’t come back yesterday and stirred up all that trouble, Zhang Lingyu wouldn’t have been taken away.

She not only wanted to give her buns but planned to go home and grab some local goodies for Ruan Xiangxiang to take on the road. Her husband was a military officer after all—even if he didn’t help her, it was best not to make enemies.

“Oh, thanks, Auntie. We already ate at the guesthouse. I’ve got some things to take care of at home, so I’ll leave you for now,” Ruan Xiangxiang smiled politely but declined.

To be honest, back when the original Ruan Xiangxiang lived in the family housing, these same aunties had spread plenty of gossip, claiming she was trying to seduce men. Now they were all smiling at her just because her circumstances had changed.

Such was human nature, but Ruan Xiangxiang had no desire to get close to these people. Aunt Zhang was just someone who fawned on the powerful.

Aunt Zhang hadn’t expected the once-poor, hungry Ruan Xiangxiang to reject her pan-fried buns. She looked a little embarrassed and annoyed. So now she thought she was too good for them just because she married an officer?

But one glance at Gu Rongqing—his face cold and unreadable—made Aunt Zhang swallow her pride. She didn’t dare offend him.

Ruan Xiangxiang sneered and ignored the other women, heading straight for Ruan Chenghong’s home.

By now, both Ruan Chenghong and Ruan Mengmeng were home. The two didn’t speak a word when they saw Ruan Xiangxiang enter. Ruan Chenghong instinctively shrank back, still haunted by the beating he took yesterday.

“I’m here for the money. Hurry up—don’t make me hit you again,” Ruan Xiangxiang said bluntly. They needed to collect the money and get to Shangdu today.

“Ruan Xiangxiang, you already pushed my mom into jail, and now you still want money from us? We don’t have any!” Ruan Mengmeng’s face was full of hatred.

Ruan Xiangxiang picked at her ear casually—clearly, some people still hadn’t learned their lesson. She turned to Ruan Chenghong.
“What about you, Ruan Chenghong? Are you paying or not?”

“But… we really don’t have the money…”

SLAP!

Before he could finish, the sound of a loud slap echoed through the room.

“You—Ruan Xiangxiang—why are you hitting people again? I—”
“What are you trying to do?” Gu Rongqing stepped forward, his gaze icy as he looked at Ruan Chenghong. His tone was devoid of any emotion.

Ruan Chenghong immediately backed down, clutching his face and muttering reluctantly, “Don’t hit me, don’t hit me, I’ll get the money.”

Hearing that he was about to hand over the money, Ruan Mengmeng panicked and shouted, “Ruan Xiangxiang, don’t go too far! And you—aren’t you supposed to be a soldier? Is this how you bully ordinary people? I’m going to report you!”

SLAP SLAP!

“You still think too highly of yourself if I don’t hit you, huh?” Ruan Xiangxiang didn’t hesitate. She grabbed Ruan Mengmeng’s hair and slapped her hard across the face, one on each cheek.

After those two slaps, the world finally fell quiet.

“Ugh… wah…” Ruan Mengmeng cried from the pain.

“If you cry again, I’ll beat your face to a pulp,” Ruan Xiangxiang glared at her fiercely.

“…”

Ruan Mengmeng clutched her face and, despite the pain, didn’t dare make another sound.

With that shrew Zhang Lingyu not around, Ruan Chenghong had no one to rely on and couldn’t put up any resistance. Afraid of getting beaten again, he had no choice but to go fetch the money.

Ruan Xiangxiang’s salary—1,836 yuan—was to be returned in full, along with the 300 yuan that Mother Gu had given.

Ruan Xiangxiang glanced around the house. The thermos, frying pan, washbasin—these were all prizes she had earned for being a model worker at her unit. They had already been used, so she didn’t want to take them back, feeling they brought bad luck. Instead, she made Ruan Chenghong reimburse her at the full price for brand-new replacements.

Then she spotted two sets of men’s clothing hanging on the balcony—fabric she had bought and sewn for that rotten old man. She had him pay the equivalent price of new fabric plus labor costs.

There wasn’t much else she had personally bought for the household, since her salary had always been taken by Zhang Lingyu. But most of the housework and decoration had been done by her—so she calculated her labor costs and charged accordingly.

Her room, which she had cleaned and decorated beautifully, had been taken over by Ruan Mengmeng after she was drugged and sent away. Ruan Xiangxiang had no intention of leaving anything behind for her. She ripped up everything—the wall art, handmade door curtains, woven flower baskets—all destroyed.

Once everything was tallied, she calculated an additional 1,500 yuan to be reimbursed.