Yao Fangfang had always believed that Chen Ming was someone with a story, but today, she finally discovered his story. In that story, she was absent. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

Shui Lian took her hand gently and said, "You don’t even fully understand what kind of person your opponent is, and yet you’ve resigned yourself to giving up so easily..."

"How could I not understand? Isn’t she just a little tramp? Same breed as Tian Sangsang, a little tramp just like her," Yao Fangfang grumbled indignantly. She hadn’t liked her from the first moment she saw her anyway.

"So..." Shui Lian continued, "you’re willing to lose to a little tramp without a fight?"

"I..." Yao Fangfang faltered, gritting her teeth. "Even if I hate losing, what can I do? The way Chen Ming looks at that little tramp is so... I just want to tear her apart!" Earlier, she had believed Chen Ming had something going on with Tian Sangsang, but it turned out her anger had been misdirected. It wasn’t Tian Sangsang after all—it was Tian Tian, that uninvited interloper barging onto the scene.

"Fangfang, don’t rush to conclusions just yet. Think it over carefully. For starters, you need to figure out what makes Tian Tian remarkable. You’re so exceptional, how could you lose to her? What exactly gave her the upper hand?"

Yao Fangfang made a deliberate effort to dig into Tian Tian’s past, and what she uncovered were sordid tales—how Tian Tian had schemed against people and cozied up to Zhou Zheng. These stories reignited the fire within Yao Fangfang.

When Yao Fangfang returned to Shui Lian to vent again, a new resolve burned in her heart. Yes, she was certain her looks were not inferior, her family background was better, her education was higher, and her reputation was superior. The sense of superiority between women seemed to stem from these internal and external attributes.

Covering her mouth with disdain, she muttered, "Ugh, it disgusts me to death, Xiao Lian. You have no idea—this Tian Tian has a reputation in her village that rivals Tian Sangsang’s. She’s even dated people before. Truly vile! She has no sense of propriety whatsoever."

Shui Lian teased, "Look at you, so downcast yesterday. And now, your fighting spirit is back."

"I..." Yao Fangfang couldn’t help but deflate a little. "Tian Tian and Chen Ming have lunch at that house, every single day."

"Don’t you and Chen Ming cross paths at the factory occasionally?"

"It’s not the same. I am afraid Tian Tian might try something..." Yao Fangfang said uneasily.

"That’s easy enough to solve—just make sure they don’t have the chance to talk or eat together anymore, and that’s that." Shui Lian cast her a casual glance.

"Xiao Lian, you’re absolutely right!" Yao Fangfang exclaimed excitedly, gripping Shui Lian’s hand with a gleam of calculated satisfaction in her eyes. "I’ll make sure she can’t stay at that shop. But seriously, Tian Sangsang is such an idiot. I heard Tian Tian once kidnapped Tian Sangsang’s son, and yet she still hired her to work at the shop. Isn’t she worried her son might be kidnapped again?"

"Well, they’re relatives, after all. It’s all about saving face," Shui Lian chuckled.

Yao Fangfang couldn’t care less about such things. She pondered aloud, "I need to come up with an excuse to make Tian Sangsang fire Tian Tian—then I won’t have to worry about her seeing Chen Ming every day." She was convinced that with time, Chen Ming would eventually fall for her.

"What’s your plan?" Shui Lian asked calmly.

"Me? Tomorrow, I’ll dine at their shop and bring along a cockroach. When Tian Tian serves my dish, I’ll throw the cockroach into the bowl and claim it was her doing," Yao Fangfang said with a smile. "Better yet, I’ll pick a time when the place is crowded. In front of everyone, I’ll make a scene and demand an explanation from Tian Sangsang, and then suggest she fire Tian Tian."

Shui Lian shook her head helplessly. "Are you even brave enough to catch a cockroach?"

Yao Fangfang froze, imagining the cockroach’s appearance, then suddenly covered her mouth and nose. "No way, I don’t dare. Why not just pay someone to do it? These days, there’s no shortage of people willing to do things for a small fee."

"A cockroach would cause only a minor commotion. If you really want to escalate, there’s a bigger move. But..." Shui Lian hesitated and gave her a pointed look. "We’re cultured people, after all. Scheming to harm someone isn’t exactly dignified behavior. If Yiyuan finds out, he’ll surely scold us nonstop..."

Yao Fangfang snorted lightly. "Even if we hurt her, she’d have no way to defend herself. She’s always been that kind of person—her reputation in the village is already terrible. If she gets caught doing something wrong again, who wouldn’t believe it? Tell me, what’s this big move? Come on, spill it! Don’t worry, my cousin has been busy lately and doesn’t have time to meddle."

"A cockroach wouldn’t be enough to get Tian Tian fired; the worst it would lead to is her being extra careful next time. But if a customer were to experience health issues..." Shui Lian mused, "then it would be harder for her to deny fault."

This idea struck Yao Fangfang as much better, so she asked eagerly, "What kind of health issue?"

"Like you said, find someone. But instead of planting a cockroach, give them laxatives. Laxatives don’t cause severe harm but can create the illusion of a health problem," Shui Lian explained.

"But... Tian Sangsang is the one doing the cooking," Yao Fangfang objected. "How would that lead to Tian Tian’s dismissal? If there was a cockroach in the dish, pinning it on Tian Tian might seem more plausible."

"As long as Tian Tian is the one serving it, that’s all that matters," Shui Lian said with a smile. "Just have the person adamantly claim Tian Tian is responsible."

Thinking it through, Yao Fangfang found it made sense. She didn’t perceive any wrongdoing in framing Tian Tian. After all, whenever she looked at Tian Tian, she saw nothing but a tramp.

"Fangfang, this is both the first and the last time. For your happiness, I’ve offered you this lousy idea. If anyone finds out, I’ll truly be..." Shui Lian sighed.

"Xiao Lian, you’re only doing this to help me. If anything happens, we’ll just say it was my doing," Yao Fangfang assured her.

"You’re too impulsive—I can’t trust you to handle this properly. If I’m helping, I’ll help all the way. I’ll take care of finding someone," Shui Lian said with a chuckle. "You just wait and see Tian Tian get kicked out of the shop."

"Xiao Lian, you’re the best," Yao Fangfang said happily.

"Ay, Tian Tian, I’ve got the pork packed up for you today. Take a look and take it away," Butcher Wang said enthusiastically. Rumor had it that Tian Sangsang’s shop had hired a stunning beauty to assist there, and every time, he couldn’t resist sneaking an extra glance. Such a beauty working as a mere assistant felt like a waste to him—if she were his wife, there’s no way he’d let her lift a finger!

Tian Tian suppressed the disgust in her heart and offered a soft smile. The shop’s meat supply was entirely sourced from Butcher Wang, so every day, she was tasked with fetching it.

The bag of meat was hefty and bloody, and Tian Tian struggled as she carried it. Staying at the shop for much longer, she feared she’d start smelling like pork herself.

It had been nearly half a month, and she still hadn’t managed to learn the recipe for the skewered spicy dish. This infuriated her. She could make her own recipe, but it never tasted as good as Tian Sangsang’s. Even someone as unattractive as Tian Sangsang could run a shop and attract such good business. She was confident that, with her beauty, she’d crush Tian Sangsang if she opened a shop.

But even an idiot could see what was going on. Tian Sangsang was too cunning—always mysterious, refusing to let Tian Tian get a glimpse of the recipe-making process.

In that case, wasn’t she working here for nothing?

Tian Tian lowered her head, growing angrier the more she thought about it. Suddenly, from the alley beside her, a clear female voice called out, "Tian Tian."