Shu Yan was alone at home, so she made do with a simple dinner. After cleaning up, she headed upstairs for a shower and prepared to call it a night. She was exhausted from running around all day.

On the nightstand were two framed photos of the children. Maybe it was because she had inherited the original owner’s memories, but Shu Yan felt a strong sense of affection when she looked at the kids’ faces. The moment she thought about what happened to them in the novel, her chest tightened uncomfortably.

In the book, the two children didn’t have happy lives. Ye Jingjing dropped out of school after graduating high school to work full-time, supporting Ye Tianbao through college on her own. Both children resented Ye Zhiqiang deeply. One day, by chance, Ye Tianbao’s company collaborated with Ye Zhiqiang’s, and the representative sent by the Ye family was none other than Ye Ranran.

The moment Ye Jingjing saw the elegant, swan-like Ye Ranran, jealousy consumed her. She hatched a plan to frame her. Her brother, Ye Tianbao, chose to help.

During a business dinner, Ye Tianbao drugged Ye Ranran. The restaurant happened to be where Ye Jingjing worked. Using that as an excuse, she offered to take the “drunken” girl to rest, intending to strip her and take compromising photos.

Of course, the heroine wouldn’t really be harmed. Just as Ye Jingjing was taking her away, the male lead—who was dining at the same restaurant—spotted them and rescued Ye Ranran.

Afterward, Ye Jingjing was ruthlessly set up by the male lead and sent to prison. As for Ye Tianbao, Ye Zhiqiang made an effort to protect his eldest son, sparing him jail time, but he was forced to leave Xicheng. In one of the extras, it was casually mentioned that Ye Tianbao later died in a car accident. Shu Yan hadn’t thought much of it when she first read it—just another tragic cannon fodder.

But now that she was their mother, things didn’t seem so simple anymore.

Wasn’t it all a little too coincidental? Cars weren’t even that common in 1992. Based on the original Shu Yan’s personality, she probably would’ve returned to her rural hometown with the kids after the divorce. In Ling’an Township, aside from two daily buses, only a few tractors ran through. How would she end up in a car crash?

And Ye Tianbao? He was exiled from Xicheng and died in a car accident not long after. Both mother and son dying in car crashes, and both dying on the spot?

Shu Yan shivered, spooked by her own conspiracy theory. Still, it wasn’t far-fetched. Ye Zhiqiang clearly didn’t care about the kids. Staying in his home might even be worse than returning to hers. She had promised the original Shu Yan that she would take care of the children—and truthfully, Shu Yan did like kids. Now she didn’t even have to carry or give birth to them—just inherited them for free. In a way, it felt like she’d lucked out.

Suddenly, she heard the front door open and froze. Ye Zhiqiang? What’s he doing back here?

As soon as she saw him, it was like he stepped straight out of her memories: loud floral shirt, light-colored dress pants, a thick gold chain around his neck, and that bald head—a walking billboard for “new money.”

“Did you sign the papers yet?” Ye Zhiqiang asked without even saying hello.

Shu Yan pressed her lips together and pretended to look heartbroken. She couldn’t afford to alert him—not yet. Not until she had the evidence.

“What about the kids if we get divorced? You’re not even going to fight for your own son?” Shu Yan asked, her voice trembling with a touch of tears.

“If it weren’t for him, do you think I’d be letting you keep the house?” Ye Zhiqiang replied impatiently. “You’ve got the house, the savings—what more do you want? I’ll give you three hundred yuan a month for living expenses. You stay home and look after the kids. What’s so bad about that? Go ask around all of Ling’an Township—who else has it as easy as you? Enough nonsense, just sign the papers already.”

Jiaojiao was already more than three months pregnant—if they didn’t get married soon, that belly would start showing. His child should be born from someone like Jiaojiao—smart and beautiful. He never should’ve married this fat cow in the first place. What a mess.

“I’m not getting a divorce. I won’t!” Shu Yan screamed hysterically. “Ye Zhiqiang, you heartless bastard! If I hadn’t worked day and night with you on those job sites, how would you have built your business in the first place?”

“Bullshit. That was all me being smart!” Ye Zhiqiang snapped. “Shu Yan, my patience is wearing thin. You’d better sign, or you won’t get a single thing.”

“I won’t sign. I won’t!” Shu Yan shouted back. “You’re nothing but a beast, Ye Zhiqiang!” She sat on the edge of the bed, buried her face in her hands, and wept loudly.

“Darling, are you done yet?” came a sugary-sweet voice from downstairs.

Shu Yan’s eyes turned cold. Well, well, Ye Zhiqiang. You really brought Li Jiaojiao here? You’re not even trying to hide it anymore.

Ye Zhiqiang answered her with a gentleness that was the exact opposite of how he treated Shu Yan—so sweet it gave her goosebumps.

“You’d better think carefully,” he warned. “This divorce isn’t up to you. I’m the one calling the shots.” With Li Jiaojiao calling out to him again, he slammed the door behind him and left.

Shu Yan lifted her head, not a trace of sadness on her face. She let out a cold snort. Time to push Third Brother to move faster. Ye Zhiqiang clearly isn’t going to wait. This has to end quickly.

Shu Jianyang acted fast. On the third day, a young man came to find Shu Yan.

“Sunshine Hotel,” he said simply.

“Hotel?” Shu Yan’s eyes lit up. “We’re going now?”

“Yes. Third Brother said everything’s been arranged.”

As he spoke, the man gave her a subtle once-over, trying not to show his dismay. He had fought tooth and nail with a few others for the chance to deliver this message, imagining Third Brother’s cousin must be some knockout. The disappointment hit hard—she was… difficult to describe.

Shu Yan, of course, noticed the look he thought he was hiding. She didn’t blame him; even she could barely stand to look at herself right now. But this wasn’t the time to care about appearances. Catching them in the act was all that mattered.

When she arrived at the hotel, Shu Jianyang was already there waiting.

As soon as Shu Jianyang entered the room, he held back from going straight in. “No rush. This is the information I had someone dig up—take a look first.” He handed a few document folders to Shu Yan.

Shu Yan gave him a glance, then took the folders from him. The first one contained details of Ye Zhiqiang’s assets: a renovation company, four properties, two trucks, and one car. Apparently, he thought Shu Yan was clueless—or maybe he was just that confident—because he hadn’t bothered to transfer anything. All his assets were still under his name, which saved her a lot of trouble.

The second file held Li Jiaojiao’s medical report. Shu Yan raised her eyebrows. They really weren’t trying to hide it. She had gone to the People’s Hospital—14 weeks pregnant, a little over three months. No wonder they were in such a rush.

“These are the photos we’ve gotten so far,” Shu Jianyang said, lifting his chin toward the next folder. “Time was tight, so there aren’t a lot yet. But we’ll definitely have more in a bit.”

Shu Yan opened the folder. Inside were pictures of Ye Zhiqiang and Li Jiaojiao dining at a Western restaurant, holding hands while shopping, even picking out baby clothes together. These were all things Ye Zhiqiang had never done with the original Shu Yan. He had always thought she was an embarrassment and never wanted to be seen with her in public.

Still, these photos weren’t enough. Once they got bedroom evidence, things would really start to swing in her favor.

“This is where they’ve been sneaking around?” Shu Yan glanced around the hotel. For 1992, it was quite a decent setup. Her eyes swept over the pricing board—50 yuan a night for a premium room. In today’s money, that would be worth well over 500, if not more.

“Ye Zhiqiang bought that woman an apartment, but it’s still under renovation. So he booked a room here long-term and has been living here for now,” Shu Jianyang explained while quietly watching Shu Yan’s reaction.

She showed no emotion at all. It seemed she really was done with Ye Zhiqiang—for good. That was probably for the best. Once she got a good settlement, she wouldn’t need to worry about…

Shu Jianyang hesitated for a second. He decided that later he’d make Ye Zhiqiang pay dearly—maybe even force him to give everything up like Shu Yan said. Because frankly… with how Shu Yan looked now… it might be a bit hard for her to find a decent man to remarry.

“Let’s go.”

The young guy who had just informed Shu Yan gave a sharp whistle from the corner. Shu Jianyang clapped Shu Yan on the shoulder, and the two of them stormed up to Room 505. Shu Jianyang didn’t hesitate—he lifted his leg and kicked the door open with a loud crash.

Shu Yan swallowed hard as she stared at the now-cracked door. Her cousin was seriously impressive.

Inside, the couple was completely naked, tangled up in each other’s arms. Ye Zhiqiang jolted in shock at the sudden noise. Shu Yan gave a brief glance at his… indescribable parts and wondered if this moment would leave him mentally scarred.

When Ye Zhiqiang turned and saw Shu Jianyang and Shu Yan behind him, his face turned beet red. He opened his mouth to speak—but the sound of camera shutters cut him off. He looked around in disbelief and saw someone snapping pictures from different angles, capturing him and Li Jiaojiao in all their glory.

Li Jiaojiao screamed and scrambled for a blanket, but Shu Jianyang’s man snatched it away, then threw it straight out the fifth-floor window—along with their clothes, including the tiniest undergarments. Not even a sock survived.

Shu Yan kept a sorrowful expression on her face, but inside she was cheering for the quick-thinking little brother. Bravo! That deserves a bonus.

“Stop taking photos! Stop it right now!” Ye Zhiqiang shouted, eyes blazing. “Shu Yan, what the hell are you doing?”

He didn’t believe Shu Yan had the guts to pull something like this, but Shu Jianyang… that was another story. Turning to him, Ye Zhiqiang tried to talk things down. “Brother Jianyang, we’ve always kept to our own lanes. What’s happening between Shu Yan and me is a private family matter. Don’t you think this is a bit much?”

“It was me who asked my cousin for help,” Shu Yan cut in coldly. Then she pointed at Li Jiaojiao. “You want to divorce me because of this home-wrecking tramp? Ye Zhiqiang, you heartless bastard!”

“Stop! Stop taking pictures—ah! Zhiqiang, make them stop!” Li Jiaojiao shrieked, curling up and covering her face.

Shu Yan stormed over, grabbed her hair, and slapped her—twice.
“Your parents worked so hard to send you to college, and this is what you learned? To become a homewrecker? Shameless little tramp!”

Inside, Shu Yan was frustrated. Her parents had raised her too well—so well that she didn’t even know how to curse properly.

Seeing his precious Jiaojiao getting hit, Ye Zhiqiang lunged toward Shu Yan, fists clenched—but before he could get close, Shu Jianyang waved his hand. Two burly men stepped forward and began to beat Ye Zhiqiang without hesitation.

Li Jiaojiao was pregnant, so Shu Yan didn’t dare go too far. A couple of slaps was fine, but if something serious happened—like a miscarriage—it could cost her the moral high ground.

“Enough! Shu Yan, tell them to stop! We can talk about this—whatever it is, we can talk!” Ye Zhiqiang shouted, curled on the floor, clutching his head and groaning in pain.

Shu Jianyang’s men were professionals. They knew exactly how to hit where it hurt most—without leaving obvious marks.

“Cousin?” Shu Yan turned to Shu Jianyang. Since she’d asked him to handle things, and he’d agreed, it was only right that he call the shots.

Shu Jianyang gave a small nod. His two men reluctantly gave Ye Zhiqiang one last kick before stepping back behind him.

“So, you want to talk?” Shu Yan looked at Ye Zhiqiang, eyes cold. Seeing him trying to hold back his pain gave her a quiet, dark satisfaction.

Whatever else happened, at least they’d given this scumbag a good beating. Consider it justice—for the original Shu Yan.

=^_^=