After becoming a widow, I became the apple of a rough man's eye.

Outside the courtyard, several Honda motorcycles, the favorites of the spoiled rich kids in J City, were parked. A group of young men dressed in a sleazy style were smoking together when they saw Mu Hongying come out with a pig-like face, and they all laughed.

"Hey, what's going on? Did you get beaten up for peeping at some young lady taking a bath last night?" a tall, thin man in a floral shirt teased.

"Get lost!" Mu Hongying kicked him angrily. "Don't even mention it, it's such bad luck."

He embellished the story of last night, omitting his own foul mouth and only saying that the wild son from the countryside took advantage of his parents' guilt and came back to bully him, and that he brought his vixen cousin to the house to act like a tyrant.

"You mean, your older brother beat you up just because of some country bumpkin?" The tall, thin man looked incredulous. "You can really swallow that?"

"Endure it my ass! My brother's been bewitched!" Mu Hongying grew angrier as she spoke, throwing her cigarette butt on the ground and stomping it out. "That Li Dongye, he looks all respectable, but he's just a country bumpkin. And that woman..."

When Lin Qingqing was mentioned, Mu Hongying paused for a moment.

Just then, the window on the second floor was pushed open.

Lin Qingqing was standing by the window, wiping the windowsill with a rag in her hand.

She probably felt hot in the room, so she rolled up her sleeves to her elbows, revealing her two pale forearms.

The sunlight shone brightly on her face, making even the fine downy hairs clearly visible, and she seemed to glow.

The spoiled rich kids in the courtyard stared wide-eyed.

"Holy shit..." The tall, thin man burned his fingers with the cigarette in his hand. "That's the... country cousin you were talking about?"

Mu Hongying glanced back, and the flames of jealousy in her heart burned even brighter.

On what grounds?

Why is it that bastard has such a beautiful woman following him so devotedly?

"It's her," Mu Hongying said sinisterly. "Her name is Lin Qingqing. She acts like a saint, but she's actually quite promiscuous."

"This isn't just a country bumpkin, she's a fairy descended from heaven!" Another fat man swallowed hard, his eyes glued to Lin Qingqing. "Wouldn't it be a waste to leave such a beauty to that country bumpkin?"

The tall, thin man's eyes darted around before he leaned close to Mu Hongying's ear and said, "Since your second brother cares so much about this girl, why don't we..."

He muttered a few words in a low voice.

As Mu Hongying listened, his initially gloomy expression gradually relaxed, and finally a vicious smile curled at the corner of his mouth:

"That's a good idea. It will not only vent our anger, but also let that bumpkin know who's really in J City."

"Don't worry, once we get her out, we have a hundred ways to make her 'forget all about home.' If that country bumpkin dares to come back, we'll take care of him too, let him know how powerful we brothers are, and make sure he tucks his tail between his legs and crawls back into the mountains."

A few people in the courtyard let out a knowing, wicked laugh.

At lunchtime, Mu Wenbin went to the army base, and Mu Zhenbang had a meeting and didn't return. Only Liu Shuyan, Li Dongye, Lin Qingqing, and Mu Hongying, who had suddenly changed her personality, remained at the table.

Mu Hongying changed into clean clothes, and the wounds on her face were treated with ointment, making them look less ferocious.

He stopped playing video games, stopped giving Li Dongye attitude, and even poured him a cup of tea.

"Second Brother."

Mu Hongying, holding a teacup, walked up to Li Dongye, bowing at a ninety-degree angle. Her sincere attitude gave one goosebumps.

"Yesterday I was ignorant and spoke without thinking, offending my second brother."

I've figured it out this morning. We're family, blood is thicker than water. I shouldn't have acted that way. Consider this cup of tea my apology. Please, don't hold a grudge.

Li Dongye leaned back in his chair, looking at his adopted younger brother with a half-smile.

This kid's acting skills are terrible; he can't even hide the resentment in his eyes. He can only fool Liu Shuyan.

"Alright." Li Dongye took the teacup, didn't drink it, and casually placed it on the table. "A good child is one who admits their mistakes and corrects them. I don't hold grudges."

Liu Shuyan, moved to tears, said, "That's right. There's no such thing as a grudge that lasts overnight between brothers. Hongying, you should learn from your second brother and stop hanging out with those shady friends all the time."

"Okay, Mom."

Mu Hongying obediently agreed, then changed the subject, "By the way, Second Brother, to show my sincerity, I'd like to take you and...Sister-in-law out for a stroll tomorrow. You've just arrived in J City, so you probably haven't had a proper chance to explore yet, right? I know a few fun places; shall we go check them out?"

The way he called her "sister-in-law" was so smooth that even Lin Qingqing was taken aback.

Offering unsolicited favors is either a sign of malice or theft.

Yesterday he was calling people "beggars" and looking down on them, but Mu Wenbin slapped him twice. After a good night's sleep, he changed his tune.

A leopard can't change its spots; if this kid could change, pigs could fly.

Li Dongye didn't touch the cup of tea, his fingers tapping idly on the table. He leaned back in his chair, his long legs casually stretched out, his roguish air emanating from his very bones making him seem out of place in this strictly regulated mansion.

Mu Hongying didn't hide the malice in his eyes very well, but in Liu Shuyan's eyes, this was a wonderful situation of brotherly love and respect.

Liu Shuyan was overjoyed, still holding the half-peeled orange he had given Lin Qingqing, and said repeatedly, "That's right! You two brothers are about the same age, you can get along well. Although Hongying is a bit mischievous, he knows J City well, let him take you around and relax."

She turned to look at Lin Qingqing and stuffed the orange into that delicate little hand: "Qingqing, come too. Staying cooped up at home all day will make you feel suffocated. Young people should go out and get some exercise."

"Then I'll listen to Auntie." Lin Qingqing nodded obediently, her voice soft and gentle. "Thank you, Third Young Master."

"Don't call me Young Master, just call me Hongying."

Mu Hongying waved her hand, looking magnanimous. "Second brother, sister-in-law, you two rest first. I'll go change my clothes and let my eldest brother know. After all, I'm still under house arrest, and I don't even dare to leave the house without his permission."

After saying that, he put the teacup on the table, turned around and went upstairs.

The moment he turned his back, Mu Hongying's fake smile vanished, replaced by a ferocious and ruthless expression.

Back in his room, Mu Hongying locked the door, grabbed the phone on the table, and dialed the number that both terrified and hated him.

The phone rang three times before being answered.

"explain."

Mu Wenbin's cold, hard voice came through the receiver; even through the telephone line, the oppressive aura he exuded could make one's knees go weak.

Mu Hongying swallowed, adjusted her breathing, and made her voice sound as aggrieved and sincere as possible: "Big brother, it's me. I want to take second brother and sister-in-law out for a walk."

There was a two-second silence on the other end, followed only by the scratching sound of a pen moving across paper.

Mu Hongying's heart leaped into her throat, and she quickly added, "I've figured it out. I was a jerk yesterday. My second brother just got back and doesn't know the area well. I wanted to show them hospitality and take them to the amusement park, and also... and maybe ease the tension a bit. Mom agreed."

Bringing up Liu Shuyan was his last bargaining chip.

"Eight o'clock."

Mu Wenbin's voice was flat and cold, like a stone in an ice cellar: "If you don't come back by eight o'clock tonight, I'll break your legs."

"Beep—beep—"

The phone hangs up.

Mu Hongying's hands, which were covered in sweat, gripped the receiver. He let out a long breath and then slammed the receiver back onto the landline.

"Break my legs? I think you're just trying to protect that bastard!"

He gritted his teeth and cursed, his eyes brimming with resentment. He picked up the phone again and dialed rapidly this time.

The call connected, and a cacophony of mahjong tiles and laughter came from the other end.

"Feed? Who?"

"It's me." Mu Hongying lowered his voice, his tone sinister. "Fatty, have you found a place?"

"Hey, Young Master Mu!" The noise on the other end subsided a bit, as if someone had taken a microphone and walked to a corner. "Don't worry, everything's arranged. It's behind that abandoned amusement park in the west of the city. That haunted house area is already gloomy; nobody ever goes there normally. The brothers are all waiting there."

"Is the person you found reliable?" Mu Hongying asked anxiously. "That Li Dongye is trained; we don't want him to be caught off guard and end up making things difficult."

"Don't worry, hey!" The fat man chuckled lewdly on the other end of the line. "This time, we've hired some notorious thugs, the infamous 'Black Hand,' all armed with weapons. Besides, isn't our main target that guy? Once that girl's alone... hehe, won't that guy just give in obediently?"

Hearing the laughter from the other side, Mu Hongying's mind was filled with images of Lin Qingqing's pitiful face and Li Dongye kneeling on the ground begging for mercy. She felt her blood boil.

"Remember, be ruthless." Mu Hongying spoke into the microphone, enunciating each word clearly, "I'll take responsibility if anything goes wrong. I'll show that country bumpkin who J City really is."

After hanging up the phone, Mu Hongying walked to the mirror and straightened his collar. Looking at his reflection—his face was swollen, but his eyes were unusually excited—he forced a smile.

Second brother?

I'll turn you into a dead dog today.