The Courtyard House: He Yuzhu Returns with Boundless Hatred for Revenge

Qin Huai deliberately slowed her pace, swaying her hips as she pondered how to soften He Yuzhu's heart. She walked slowly toward the He family, unaware that the door to the Yi family's house was slightly ajar, and a pair of old eyes were fixed on her back, filled with calculation and lust.

Ever since Jia Dongxu was crippled, Yi Zhonghai had secretly set his sights on Qin Huairu. Although he was no longer as powerful as before, his income was still above average, much better than the mess that was the Jia family. He planned to wait patiently for an opportunity, until the Jia family was completely bankrupt, then force Qin Huairu to submit and take her over in one fell swoop. However, this plan was disrupted by that damned Sha Zhu, whose merger of the three families made it difficult for him to carry out his plan.

Yi Zhonghai is the kind of person who would rather betray the world than not have children, and he is extremely confident in himself. If it weren't for the Women's Federation keeping him in check, even if the hospital test results were thrown in his face, he would still stubbornly refuse to admit that he couldn't have children. Even now, deep down he still stubbornly believes that he can have children, and that it is Zhang Guifen who cannot.

Gazing at that voluptuous figure, a burning desire surged within him, and wicked thoughts instantly sprouted. Now, it all depended on Sha Zhu's attitude towards Qin Huairu. If Sha Zhu still harbored feelings for Qin Huairu, that would be perfect! He would scheme to have Sha Zhu help the Jia family, then he and Qin Huairu would have another son, and Sha Zhu, this sucker, would raise him. He could even rely on Qin Huairu to have Sha Zhu support him in his old age. This way, he could kill multiple birds with one stone, draining the He family dry, and then, in his old age, have his son drive Sha Zhu out, thus venting his hatred.

Inside the He family's house, the two were enjoying their meal, clinking glasses and having a wonderful time. Xu Damao's witty remarks made He Yushui giggle, and He Yuzhu, rarely relaxed, drank a few more cups, savoring the warmth of family life he hadn't experienced in his previous life. Just then, a knock on the door interrupted everyone's enjoyment.

"Pillar, Pillar, open the door, it's your Sister Qin..."

He Yuzhu's smile vanished instantly. He hadn't expected Qin Huairu to be so shameless. She'd only been quiet for a few days? Didn't she have any idea what the relationship between the two families was now? It seemed that even after his rebirth, he had overestimated this woman. In his past life, perhaps he had shielded her, preventing her despicable nature from being fully exposed; now that he was no longer there, and the Jia family was struggling, she truly had no shame whatsoever.

The knocking and shouts of "Zhu Zi, Zhu Zi!" continued incessantly; He Yuzhu was determined to keep coming until the door opened. This annoyed Xu Damao, who was in the middle of a lively conversation. Fueled by alcohol, he stood up and said, "Who is this? Does anyone know the proper etiquette of coming to someone's door for a meal? Don't they know any manners?!" Actually, Xu Damao knew who it was from the first shout and could guess their purpose. However, he already didn't have a good impression of Qin Huairu (aside from her body), and now that he had acknowledged He Yuzhu as his brother, he felt even more obligated to stand in front of her.

"I'll go take a look!"

He walked a few steps to the door and pulled it open.

Outside the door, Qin Huairu was holding the family heirloom large bowl, slightly turned to the side, striking her most skillful pose of femininity, her neckline pulled down so low it almost revealed her innermost features. Seeing that it was Xu Damao who opened the door, a perfectly timed blush flashed across her face, but her eyes quickly darted into the room, searching for He Yuzhu.

Looking down from his vantage point, Xu Damao nearly had a nosebleed. He was still a young adult, and whether he was still a virgin was unknown, but he was absolutely unable to resist the allure of a seductive young woman like Qin Huairu. He stood there stunned for several dozen seconds, making Qin Huairu a little embarrassed. She was considering whether to pull up her collar when He Yuzhu's several loud coughs snapped her back to reality.

Once he regained his senses, his attention was instantly drawn to Qin Huairu's enormous bowl, almost the size of a washbasin. He immediately became furious and spoke without any restraint.

"Hey! Qin Huairu, no offense, but we brothers were just having dinner, and what's the meaning of you showing up at our door late at night with a basin? What, even if we filled all the dishes on our table for you, it wouldn't be enough! Aren't you ashamed? Didn't we let the three of you share the meal? With Lao Yi covering for you, you shouldn't be starving, right? It's only the first day, and you're already rushing here begging for food."

Xu Damao's words were direct and venomous, leaving no room for embarrassment. Qin Huairu was furious, feeling choked by his words. "Damn Xu Damao, how can his mouth be so sharp?" she thought. "Just you wait, once I've dealt with Sha Zhu, I'll have him come and teach you a lesson, you scoundrel!"

Quickly composing herself, she couldn't help but admire the Poison Widow's remarkable self-regulation. Tears welled in her eyes, and she looked into the room, her voice filled with a weak, helpless sorrow.

"Zhu Zi, are you just going to stand by and watch Xu Damao treat your Sister Qin like this?"

"What? Xu Damao is my brother. What he said is what I said. Besides, what's wrong with what he said? At this hour, coming to our door with this bowl, what else is it but begging? Do we need to give you face? Don't you know what kind of relationship your Jia family has with He Yuzhu now? Coming to disturb our meal at this time, what else is it but asking for a scolding?"

Qin Huairu hadn't expected He Yuzhu to be so direct and ruthless, even accepting everything Xu Damao said. She could only resort to her ultimate sob story.

"Zhu Zi, we're really starving at home. Bang Geng keeps saying he's hungry, and Xiao Dang doesn't have any breast milk and is crying from hunger. You know what Dong Xu's situation is like. Sister Qin is really having a tough time..."

It's that phrase again: "Sister Qin is having such a hard time!"

He Yuzhu felt a surge of turmoil as he listened to Qin Jie's familiar opening line, "It's so hard for her." In his past life, he had been bewitched by those words and that expression, pouring his heart out for decades, only to end up like that.

"Sister Qin is having a tough time." She herself has become a chicken thief.

"Sister Qin is having such a hard time." Ran Qiuye and she were destined to be together but not to stay together.

"Sister Qin has it so tough." She's been a bachelor for twenty years.

"Sister Qin has had it so tough." She and her son, He Xiao, are now separated forever.

"Sister Qin has it so tough." In the end, all the property was transferred to that ungrateful bastard Bang Geng, and then she was kicked out of her home and froze to death under a bridge.

Ah! He Yuzhu's entire soul began to burn. Even if... even if his initial intention was lust for her body, he had treated her and her child as his own family for decades. For this woman, he could support Yi Zhonghai in his old age, take the blame for Bang Geng, and even ultimately not reunite with He Xiao and her child... Could it be that all he had done couldn't earn him even a shred of this woman's true affection?

The horrific scene of his past life, freezing to death under a bridge, was still vivid in his mind. The trembling of his soul completely overwhelmed his reason, and instinctively he took a step forward, before anyone could react.

"Slap! Slap!"

Two powerful blows landed squarely on Qin Huairu's face, who was still feigning pitifulness.