Chapter 10
1718 Words
“Sis, please save us!” The two girls burst into tears the moment they saw Xu Mei, crying and screaming like their lives depended on it.
The original Xu Mei had a childhood nickname, "Meimei" (meaning Little Sister), since she was the youngest among her childhood playmates. What used to be an affectionate term now sounded somewhat ironic.
Fu Shuyang glanced at Xu Mei but said nothing, stepping aside quietly without the slightest intention of interfering.
“How did you get in here?” Xu Mei approached Zhu Rui and Wang Xue but didn’t immediately untie them.
“Wang Xue and I came to look for you, of course,” Zhu Rui, slightly chubbier than the other, with a mole by her lips, explained. “But as soon as we arrived, this guy tied us up! Who is he, anyway?”
From the few scenes in the original book, Zhu Rui was the loud, hot-tempered type—a notorious gossip. Judging by her current behavior, Fu Shuyang must’ve really given her a hard time.
“I asked, how did you get in?” Xu Mei remained patient. “Where did you get the key and access card?”
“Your sister gave them to us,” Wang Xue replied gently, clearly the more cautious of the two and prone to playing the sweet, pitiful type—much like Xu Lang. “Meimei, please untie us. My hands are killing me.”
“Untie you?” Xu Mei gave a cold chuckle. “You know trespassing is a crime, right?”
“Trespassing?” Zhu Rui’s temper flared. “We came with your sister’s permission! She gave us the key and access card. How is that trespassing?”
Memories of Zhu Rui scolding the original Xu Mei surged into Xu Mei’s mind. That same accusatory tone—clearly a habit Zhu Rui never bothered to correct.
“Is this house mine, or my sister’s?” Xu Mei countered calmly.
Zhu Rui had no reply.
Wang Xue quickly stepped in. “Meimei, don’t be so stubborn. We’re all family. What’s yours is your sister’s, and what’s hers is yours. She’s your elder sister—she wouldn’t hurt you. Everything she does is for your own good.”
That last line made the flames in Xu Mei’s chest flare up again.
It was Xu Lang’s favorite line. Every time the original Xu Mei got scolded by Xu Zhongya, Xu Lang would say this to justify it. Xu Mei had heard it for years, to the point it gave her a physical headache—one that haunted her body even after death.
“So, what exactly did she send you here to do?” Xu Mei rubbed her temples.
“What else? She was worried about you!” Zhu Rui assumed Xu Mei had softened, so her tone grew stern again. “She couldn’t sleep or eat thinking about you! And you won’t even let her visit, so she asked us to check in. Xu Mei, you’re really ungrateful. Your sister thinks of you all the time, and look at you—always making trouble, hanging around with shady people! A young woman coming and going with random men all day—how indecent! Coming home this late, where the hell have you been? Honestly, Xu Lang worries too much about you—”
Before she could continue, Wang Xue kicked her hard in the shin, finally shutting her up, though she still looked pissed.
“Finished?” Xu Mei asked sweetly, smiling like a flower.
“Meimei, we didn’t mean any harm. Your sister even sent your favorite cake—Xuelijia,” Wang Xue added pitifully.
Xu Mei glanced to the side. There it was—a delicate little box of Xuelijia, the original Xu Mei’s favorite brand. But now she couldn’t even afford daily expenses, let alone a cake that cost hundreds per box. This “gift” felt more like a slap in the face.
“So to check how I’m doing, you had to sneak in while I wasn’t home using a spare key?”
“You wouldn’t let us in if you were here,” Zhu Rui huffed indignantly. “You don’t know a good heart when you see one!”
“You’re absolutely right,” Xu Mei smiled. “I really don’t think you’re good people.” She then pulled out her phone. “Hello, officer? I’d like to report a break-in…”
The two girls froze, stunned.
“Xu Mei! Are you crazy? You actually called the cops?” Wang Xue shrieked.
“She’s bluffing,” Zhu Rui scoffed. “If the cops come, we’ll accuse them of k********g!”
Xu Mei ignored them and walked straight over to Fu Shuyang. “Brother Fu, thank you.”
She now wanted to get closer to Fu Shuyang and change his fate, so her tone was extra gentle.
He gave her a cold glance. “You don’t have the property deed?”
Must’ve been Chu Yeyan who told him.
Xu Mei nodded. “I forgot to transfer the title after being kicked out that day.”
Fu Shuyang looked over at Chu Yeyan, his eyes speaking louder than words.
“I know someone at the housing office,” Chu Yeyan offered. “Can you convince your father to complete the transfer?”
“I can. Thanks, Brother Chu.”
“No problem.” Chu Yeyan pulled out his phone. “I’ll make the arrangements. Just confirm a time with them, and it’ll be done.”
Xu Mei nodded but didn’t contact Xu Zhongya right away. Instead, she pulled the security footage from the house.
Soon after, the police arrived.
Zhu Rui and Wang Xue burst into tears again, screaming about being held against their will and even accusing Fu Shuyang of harassment.
The officers were overwhelmed and took everyone back to the station for questioning.
“Who’s the homeowner?” one officer asked.
Xu Mei gave them Xu Zhongya’s number.
He was out to dinner and almost dropped his chopsticks when the police called.
At the station, Xu Mei showed them the security footage.
It showed Fu Shuyang calmly blocking the girls at the door. No audio, but his body language was restrained. In contrast, Zhu Rui was clearly yelling, possibly hurling insults. Eventually, Fu Shuyang tied her up and tossed her aside before sitting down to drink—no misconduct whatsoever.
“Ladies, lying to the police is a serious offense,” one officer warned. “You know filing a false report in court could land you in jail? Didn’t school teach you that?”
As the police scolded the girls, Xu Zhongya and Xu Lang arrived.
Xu Lang looked distressed, her eyes swollen from crying. Xu Zhongya, on the other hand, stormed in like a thundercloud.
“Xu Mei!” he bellowed. “What the hell are you doing now? Can’t you behave for once? I’ll beat you to death, I swear!”
His voice boomed across the room, drawing everyone’s attention.
“Watch your tone!” a cop snapped. “Who are you trying to scare? Hit someone? Go on, try it!”
Embarrassed, Xu Zhongya forced himself to calm down. “Officer, I’m sorry. It was just a figure of speech. I’d never really hit her. She’s just so out of control—it’s all a misunderstanding.”
“Misunderstanding?” The officer had already noticed the bruises on Xu Mei’s body and was suspicious. “Sit down and explain.”
With everyone’s testimonies, the situation became clear: Xu Lang had given the girls the key and sent them to check on Xu Mei.
The police didn’t want to escalate things, so they asked everyone to settle it privately.
Xu Zhongya tried to smooth things over. “Enough. You’ve made your point. Let’s talk at home instead of making a scene here.”
“I don’t have a home,” Xu Mei replied calmly. “You kicked me out, remember? Let me ask you in front of these officers—who owns that apartment?”
Xu Zhongya almost exploded. “Come home, and I’ll give it to you!”
“You said that before and took it back. You even let strangers into my place. What if they installed cameras or poisoned me? I can’t trust you.”
That one sentence made everyone freeze.
Xu Zhongya slammed the table and stood up, fists clenched.
“Sit down!” the officer barked again, convinced the a***e was real.
Xu Zhongya swallowed his anger with a trembling breath. “Fine. I swear, in front of the police, the house is yours.”
Xu Mei nodded. “Then let’s go complete the transfer tomorrow. Can you make time?”
“…Fine,” he gritted through clenched teeth.
With the matter resolved, the police gave everyone a final warning and let them go.
Outside the station, Xu Lang tearfully grabbed Xu Mei’s hand. “I’m sorry, Meimei. This is all my fault…”
Another wave of pain surged through Xu Mei’s head. She shook off Xu Lang’s hand a bit too forcefully, causing her to stumble.
Xu Zhongya rushed forward to catch her.
That fleeting sadness came from the original Xu Mei’s memories, but she brushed it off and said, “Mr. Xu, don’t forget what you promised—property transfer tomorrow.”
Xu Zhongya’s face darkened. He sneered, “You think a cop scares me? I can fix this tonight. Want the apartment? Keep dreaming!”
Xu Mei was caught off guard by how fast he changed his tune. Her mind raced, searching for a solution.
“Mr. Xu,” Fu Shuyang suddenly said as he stepped forward. “Planning to acquire the land in Qianwan recently?”
Xu Zhongya froze. “You…”
“No point bribing Mr. Tang,” Fu Shuyang added casually, with a smirk.
Shock turned to terror. “How do you know that?!”
It was top secret—no more than three people knew. How did this young man find out?
Fu Shuyang, of course, didn’t answer. He simply turned and walked away.
Chu Yeyan followed, flashing a grin at Xu Zhongya. “See you tomorrow at 10 a.m. at the Baihe District Housing Office. Don’t be late.”
- Writer
