Chapter 84: “I suspect her husband made her kneel on a washboard at night!”

Huo Chongyu decided to go all in. The very next day, he packed his bags and set off for Beijing.

Seeing his younger brother’s “nine bulls couldn’t pull him back” stubbornness, Huo Chongyao knew he couldn’t talk him out of it and simply let him go.

Young people, he thought. They won’t turn back until they hit the Yellow River; they won’t shed a tear until they see the coffin. They have to suffer a bit and learn a lesson before they realize that in this world, only money can provide a sense of happiness.

Women? They’re just passing clouds. With money, are you really afraid of not finding a woman?

Huo Chongyu formulated a meticulous plan. He specifically registered a new WeChat account and added only one contact: Chen Luoru.

He managed to obtain her address. As luck would have it, the villa right next to hers was vacant. Word was the previous owner’s P2P lending platform had collapsed; he had fled abroad with a massive sum of money and was still a fugitive.

The grand villa had been sealed by debt collectors, and the court put it up for auction at the “dirt cheap” price of 100 million yuan.

Huo Chongyu dug into the “wife-seeking” nest egg he’d saved over the years and—clatter—bought the place.

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Ebld Tws Ubsdtuys blyae bkp casvbla bye nypwyzzu cswtbv y hkzzy sd y obkx ewakdt y vakr vs Jlkfkdt, bl oyp wvvlazu qzycclatypvle. Tl’e clv yduvbkdt bkp casvbla xyel vbl elnkpksd sd y pdyr fwetxldv—dlhla xkde dsv nsdpwzvkdt y qldt pbwk xypvla, vbl ralhkswp sodla oyp y cydjawrv qwtkvkhl. Myzj ycswv cye zwnj; oyp vbl bswpl lhld qkv qsa bwxyd byckvyvksd?

Ms xyjl pwnb y qwpp yde oypvl ps xwnb olyzvb shla y osxyd… bso “yxckvkswp.”

Gde y xyaakle osxyd yv vbyv. Mpj, vpj.

Ekvb lhlauvbkdt alyeu, Tws Ubsdtuw oykvle qsa Ubld Nwsaw vs qzu cynj bsxl qasx Qwydtesdt.

~

Xd y xkpvu xsadkdt, bl yaakhle yv bla essa nyaaukdt y pvsal-cswtbv nyjl.

Ebld Jwvzla Ew nyxl vs alrsav vbl hkpkvsa, Ubld Nwsaw yde Yldt Kkydnbld olal byhkdt calyjqypv kd vbl ekdkdt assx.

“G dlo dlktbcsa?” Ubld Nwsaw plv esod bla psu xkzj, zssjkdt yv Jwvzla Ew kd nsdqwpksd.

“Yes, he brought a cake,” Butler Wu replied.

Abroad, it was common for new neighbors to visit nearby residents with gifts. In China, however, this custom wasn’t particularly widespread. Furthermore, in high-end villa districts like this, everyone was usually too busy to bother with one another. Until the previous neighbor’s door was swarmed by creditors, she hadn’t even known what he did for a living.

“Show him in,” Meng Jianchen commanded.

Chen Luoru wiped her mouth with a napkin, hesitating over whether she should go upstairs to put on some makeup. She was bare-faced this morning, wearing only basic skincare and lip balm.

She had planned to go back for a “return nap” after breakfast—she hadn’t rested well last night. “Absence makes the heart grow fonder,” and Meng Jianchen had relentlessly “tossed” her around until two in the morning before she found any peace.

Whenever she stayed up late, faint dark circles appeared under her eyes, making her look haggard. But she touched her face and dismissed the idea of makeup.

In Guangdong a few days ago, her skin was as hydrated as if it had drunk its fill. Upon returning to Beijing, she couldn’t stand the dry air, and her skin was slightly chafed. It would take a few days of care to recover. It’s just a neighbor, she thought, no need for makeup.

~

She and Meng Jianchen went to the living room to wait. Meng Jianchen had also woken up late today; usually, he’d be at the office by now. Coincidentally, a minor issue had cropped up at the company, and Gao Qian was blowing up his phone with messages.

Meng Jianchen sat on one end of the sofa checking his phone while Chen Luoru leaned against the other side, yawning. She was simply too exhausted to stop.

Just as she finished a string of yawns, she saw a familiar figure walking toward her through a hazy, teary-eyed blur.

Wait… isn’t that Huo Chongyu? How did he become her new neighbor?

For a split second, she wondered if she was still dreaming. It wasn’t until Huo Chongyu’s ultra-high-definition face appeared before her that she jolted awake.

Huo Chongyu’s gaze bypassed Chen Luoru and landed on Meng Jianchen.

Meng Jianchen was impeccably dressed and composed. His looks were… well, the standard “beast in a suit” type.

When rivals meet, their eyes burn with jealousy—or at least Huo Chongyu’s eyes were reddening with envy.

“How is it you?” Chen Luoru asked, suddenly feeling constrained.

Huo Chongyu feigned surprise. “What a coincidence, Christina. To think we’d meet again.”

Huo Chongyu looked at Chen Luoru’s pale, tired face, his heart aching. She was radiant just a few days ago; how had she become so haggard the moment she got home?

She must be suffering under the devastation of an unhappy marriage!

Meng Jianchen leaned his head on his hand, observing the two with dark, unreadable eyes. He spoke coldly: “You two know each other?”

Chen Luoru nodded. “He’s my middle school classmate, Huo Chongyu.” Then she turned to Huo Chongyu. “My husband, Meng Jianchen.”

“A pleasure, I’ve heard much about you.” Huo Chongyu extended a hand toward Meng Jianchen.

Meng Jianchen stared at him for three seconds before calmly shaking back. “A pleasure.”

The handshake lasted for nearly half a minute, as intense as a historic summit between leaders of North and South Korea. They didn’t shake; they just gripped, their eyes crackling with sparks.

“Why did you come to Beijing?” Chen Luoru asked.

“My father sent me,” Huo Chongyu said, and she didn’t suspect a thing.

Not knowing what else to say, she smiled. “Have a seat.”

~

Huo Chongyu sat on the sofa opposite them. Now he could look her in the eye. “We’re really destined. We just saw each other in Hong Kong, and now we’re neighbors.”

Chen Luoru nodded awkwardly. “Yes, what a coincidence.”

As she demurely lowered her head, Huo Chongyu’s gaze followed her line of sight downward. He was horrified to see that both of her knees were slightly red and swollen.

Her skin was very fair, so any trace of physical force was glaringly obvious. Huo Chongyu even caught a glimpse of faint, mottled bruising beneath her collarbone.

Agh! That absolute beast! How dare he commit domestic violence against her! Is he even human?!

Huo Chongyu’s burning gaze seemed to scorch Chen Luoru. She suddenly realized he was staring at her knees. Blushing, she hurriedly pulled her skirt down to cover them. How embarrassing, she thought.

In Huo Chongyu’s eyes, this was a blatant attempt to hide the truth! Just how badly did Meng Jianchen treat her that she couldn’t even show her wounds, forced to be like a lonely cub licking its injuries in the dark of night?

The atmosphere turned eerie, a strange low-pressure zone hovering over the three of them.

Chen Luoru turned to Meng Jianchen. “Aren’t you going to the office?”

Meng Jianchen: “…”

Chen Luoru had mentioned taking Lili to see a classmate, but he hadn’t asked questions. Who knew it was a man? And now she was chasing him off to work? With such a beautiful wife at home and a glaring “young wolf” living next door, how could he possibly go to work in peace?

“Where’s the cake?” Meng Jianchen asked.

Huo Chongyu placed the beautifully packaged blueberry cheesecake on the table. “Right here.”

“Gift received. Thanks,” Meng Jianchen said expressionlessly. “Old Wu, see our guest out.”

Chen Luoru was displeased with Meng Jianchen’s lack of hospitality. When she visited the Huo residence, Huo Chongyu had been so warm, even gifting Lili a collectible Transformer. Now that he was the guest, Meng Jianchen was making it clear he wasn’t welcome.

“Meng Jianchen,” she said, her voice tinged with irritation.

“Yes, darling?” Meng Jianchen replied.

Chen Luoru: “…”

That “darling” left her speechless. He had never called her that before; he was clearly just doing it to annoy her friend. Ugh! Goosebumps.

“You’ll be late for work,” she reminded him.

“I’ll leave after seeing the guest out,” Meng Jianchen said. “It’s not right for the host to leave before the guest. Don’t you agree, Brother Huo?”

Huo Chongyu thought: Who wants to be your brother?

But faced with the overbearing Meng Jianchen, he couldn’t stay. He said his goodbyes to Chen Luoru and left.

~

After returning home, Huo Chongyu went to the room directly facing the neighboring villa. He drew the curtains to observe “enemy movements.”

Good. Meng Jianchen’s car had left.

Huo Chongyu intended to double back and ask Chen Luoru what was really going on. But just as he reached the Meng residence, he was stopped.

“Mr. Huo, the house is currently not accepting guests,” Butler Wu said.

In truth, Meng Jianchen’s exact words were: “While I am not home, don’t even let a male mosquito inside.” Butler Wu knew exactly who this “male mosquito” was.

Across layers of greenery and heavy curtains, Chen Luoru’s graceful silhouette disappeared from his sight as she hummed a tune.

Worried, Huo Chongyu sent her a WeChat message.

Huo Chongyu: Can you come out?

A minute later, she replied.

Chen Luoru: It’s not very convenient today.

Her appearance was too poor; she needed to sleep and fix her skin before she could face anyone.

Huo Chongyu’s fury boiled over. Domestic violence was one thing, but Meng Jianchen was actually keeping her in confinement! This was beyond endurance!

Just then, his phone buzzed. It was a message from his older brother.

Huo Chongyao: Third Brother, how’s it going?

Huo Chongyu took a deep breath, suppressed his rage, and poured his heart out.

Huo Chongyu: Big Brother, if I hadn’t come to Beijing, I never would have known. My Christina… she’s actually…
Huo Chongyao: You finally saw that woman’s true colors?
Huo Chongyu: I saw her husband’s true colors! He’s scum! A lowlife! Worse than a dog!
Huo Chongyao: What happened, little brother?
Huo Chongyu: Do you know? He doesn’t just abuse her and beat her; he’s keeping her locked up like a canary in a cage!
Huo Chongyao: Do you have any evidence?
Huo Chongyu: My own two eyes are the evidence!

Huo Chongyu indignantly recounted everything he had seen.

Huo Chongyu: Her complexion was terrible today, completely bloodless. I’ve never seen her look like that.
Huo Chongyao: Maybe she just didn’t sleep well.
Huo Chongyu: Impossible! I saw her knees—they were swollen half a finger high! I suspect her husband makes her kneel on a washboard at night!
Huo Chongyao: …
Huo Chongyu: And more! There were mysterious bruises on her neck, like he tried to strangle her!
Huo Chongyao: …
Huo Chongyao: Wake the hell up.

Having been stuffed with a mouthful of “couple’s public displays of affection” without even realizing it, Huo Chongyao simply wanted to reach through the screen and smack his brother’s pure, clueless head.

---

Sansukini: He’s so innocent. He’ll probably be so embarrassed later 😂😂😂

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