An Ning put on an innocent face, and An Guoming, right beside her, was the eyewitness.

He looked agitated, his entire body language screaming confusion.

"I don’t know what’s wrong with this guy. He stumbled in, reeking of alcohol, and went straight for the woodpile. He insisted on fighting the wood, and we couldn’t even pull him away."

"That’s right! We tried to break it up, and he even tore my clothes."

An old man by the door held up his arm, revealing a definite tear in his sleeve.

The old man was also a seasoned, brilliant actor.

The neighbors chimed in one after another, and the courtyard filled with a chaotic chatter.

"You’re full of shit!"

"I... I’m not that stupid!"

The man who had fallen into the woodpile dazedly tried to stand up, but after several attempts, he failed.

CRASH—

As the man struggled in the woodpile, he was hit by more logs.

Seeing this, the police officers couldn’t wait any longer and spoke up to control the scene.

"Alright, everyone quiet down."

"One at a time."

One of the officers stepped forward to help the man up.

But the man, dizzy from the blows, just flailed his arms wildly and wouldn’t get up.

"Get lost! Get the hell away from me!"

Seeing this, the officer simply took a step back and said, "Fine. You can still talk from down there."

The officer stepped back and left him to it.

Without the officer’s help, the man couldn’t get up on his own at all. For the moment, no one else was paying him any mind.

The two officers, holding a notepad, turned to An Ning first.

"Tell us what happened."

Just as the officer finished asking, the man behind him, his vision finally clearing, pointed at An Ning from his spot on the ground.

"She hit me! It... it was her! She hit me!"

The officer stood between the man and An Ning. He glanced at the man, then looked back at An Ning and asked, "He says you hit him. What do you have to say about that?"

An Ning covered her mouth, her eyes so innocent and clear they seemed capable of cleansing a person’s soul.

"How... how could you say such a thing!"

"I’m just a helpless woman! How could I possibly hit him?"

"You should at least try to make your nonsense sound believable."

As she explained, An Ning seemed to get more and more upset. Finally, she turned away, crossed her arms, and let out a cold huff.

After An Ning finished speaking, the courtyard fell silent.

The man in the firewood pile: ’Did I remember wrong?’

The police: ’That does seem unlikely.’

The neighbors: ’Did we see it wrong?’

An Guoming: ’My little sister could easily make it as an actress in Hong Kong and Taiwan.’

Tangtang: ’So cool! I have to learn how to do that.’

After questioning An Ning, the police went on to ask a few other people.

Everyone’s testimony was consistent: the man had barged in and fallen into the firewood pile on his own.

The officers were quite familiar with the man. Working together, they dragged him out.

"Hands behind your back. This isn’t your first time."

The man’s whole body ached, and being dragged made it hurt even more.

He hissed and cried out in pain, but his hands moved skillfully behind his back. He was clearly very familiar with the routine.

Even with his hands cuffed, the man continued to shout.

"Liu Yiyi, you can’t escape! Just wait until I get out!"

"I’m telling you, you’ll never escape me in this lifetime!"

"AHAHAHAHAHA!"

"You can’t escape!"

The man’s wild laughter made Tangtang’s mother, Liu Yiyi, shut her eyes in pain.

’Maybe,’ she thought, ’I really can’t escape.’

"Mom... don’t be scared."

Xiao Tangtang’s eyes were resolute. Unafraid of the man’s gaze, she stood in front of Liu Yiyi, spreading her small arms wide.

"I’m not afraid of you!"

"From now on, I’ll protect Mom!"

"Mom, believe me, I can protect you now!"

Xiao Tangtang’s words sparked a flicker of life in the depths of Liu Yiyi’s despair.

She snapped her eyes open to see her daughter standing protectively before her.

’My daughter isn’t afraid, so why should I be?’

’And why should I run?’

Liu Yiyi placed her hands on Tangtang’s shoulders and took a step forward. Today, at this very moment, after so long, she once again met the man’s vicious gaze.

"Song Cheng, you were a wandering orphan when my parents took pity on you. They took you into our home, raised you, taught you a trade, and even betrothed me to you."

"I thought we would live in harmony after we married. But what did you do? You turned around and reported my parents, seized their property, and did nothing but beat and curse me."

"Our marriage was never legally binding. You married into my Liu Family, and the marriage certificate proves it. I divorced you according to the old customs, so what right do you have to cause a scene here?"

Liu Yiyi’s voice was rhythmic and cadenced.

Rising from a low tone to a powerful one, the aura of her former self—the young mistress of the Liu Family—gradually returned.

Each step she took was a farewell to her past.

Liu Yiyi stood before Song Cheng, her gaze growing firm.

SLAP!

The slap stunned Song Cheng.

’Liu Yiyi actually fought back?’

’How could she dare to fight back?’

At his core, Song Cheng was deeply insecure. The Liu Yiyi before him began to merge with the image of the high-and-mighty young mistress from the past.

SLAP!

Another slap.

"Song Cheng, I’m not going anywhere. I’ll be right here, waiting for you."

Liu Yiyi turned, took a step, and then spun back around.

SLAP!

This slap was so hard that Song Cheng’s head whipped to the side.

"What was that? Did a firecracker go off?"

"I don’t know. Something must’ve gotten in my eye."

The two police officers squinted, checking each other’s eyes, just short of blowing the dust out for one another.

To the side, An Ning suppressed her excitement. ’This is so satisfying.’

’Turns out, watching other people fight is satisfying too.’

Song Cheng was led away by the police. Before they left, one of the officers said to Liu Yiyi, "He’s committed several offenses. This time, he probably won’t be getting out for a few years."

Joy and relief flashed in Liu Yiyi’s eyes, a stark contrast to Song Cheng’s muffled, garbled protests.

He didn’t understand. Why several years?

Every other time, it had been a week, a month at most. That was the reason he dared to keep causing trouble.

Unfortunately for him, no one was about to explain. He was hauled away forcefully.

An Guoming, however, understood. He leaned down and said to An Ning, "They’ve been cracking down recently. Minor offenses are getting major punishments to teach people a lesson."

An Ning, understanding, nodded silently.

The courtyard quieted down. An Ning looked at Liu Yiyi and her daughter, Tangtang.

She walked over and said, "We can void the deal. You can take the house back."

"I can look for another place. Please don’t feel burdened by this."

An Ning didn’t want to make life even harder for this mother and daughter, who were already going through enough.

Besides, she really liked this little Tangtang. The girl had a stubborn streak that reminded An Ning of herself as a child.

Liu Yiyi didn’t accept. Instead, she asked, "May I ask what you plan to do with this house?"

"We’re going to run a business, open a shop."

Liu Yiyi thought for a moment, glanced at the house, and said, "My name is Liu Yiyi. I learned about business from my father. I’m fairly skilled with bookkeeping and managing inventory. I was wondering if I might ask you two for a job? If my work isn’t satisfactory, you can let me go at any time."

"As for the house, I don’t want to buy it back. The memories I have of this place are not exactly pleasant."

"I will take my daughter, buy another place, and start a new life."