evening.

The Zhou family's old residence.

A melodious piano tune drifted from the living room.

Zhao Shuyan sat in front of the piano and patiently taught the child. She had done her best, but the young master of the employer's family still didn't seem to be very interested.

Her small, delicate face remained tense and aloof.

His expressionless face even carried a sense of oppression that only adults possess.

When the time was up, the last note also stopped.

The handsome little boy stood up. "Teacher, please come again tomorrow."

Zhao Shuyan felt a strange sense of unease. She desperately needed this job, as the pay was ten times higher than what she earned elsewhere.

"Okay, sure."

Suddenly, the sound of an engine came from the courtyard gate, and then the car door opened and closed again.

The man in the suit got out of the car. He had gone home early from the company today, and it was still daylight.

As soon as Zhou Ji entered the living room, he saw the new teacher.

"Sir, this is the young master's piano teacher."

The man responded with a faint "hmm."

Then he casually asked, "Is class over?"

The butler nodded: "Just finished."

Zhou Ji glanced at his son. The well-behaved little boy seemed to be waiting for him to come back, staring at him without blinking, as if he had something he couldn't wait to say.

Zhou Ji turned his gaze back to the new teacher and said a few words: "Thank you for your hard work."

Zhao Shuyan's face flushed red for some reason, and she stammered, "Y-yes, it's my duty."

Zhou Ji said indifferently to the butler, "Have the driver take this teacher home."

He didn't even remember the other person's name.

"Yes, sir."

Zhao Shuyan followed the housekeeper out of the living room. For some reason, she felt a little disappointed. She couldn't help but look back. Even the man's back view was more handsome than others.

I recalled that fleeting glance we exchanged just now.

Her face seemed to be burning hot again.

Zhao Shuyan got into the car and left the manor, gazing absently at the scenery outside the window, her mind filled with the man she had just caught a glimpse of.

A well-tailored, exquisite black suit; a superior, tall figure; and an outstanding demeanor.

It's hard to imagine that the domineering wife was so lucky to have a husband who seemed to be so superior in every way.

She bit her lower lip, a hint of jealousy in her eyes.

If only... if only it were her.

*

In the living room.

Zhou Ji deliberately ignored the child.

"dad."

"What's wrong?" Zhou Ji pinched the child's soft cheek, asking casually, though he already knew the answer.

No matter how mature a child is, they can't hide their thoughts from their father.

He had to tilt his head back to face his father, and perhaps seeing that he was having a hard time tilting his head back, the man easily lifted him into his arms.

"Isn't Mom coming today?"

When the child asked this question, his voice was soft and hesitant.

Zhou Ji sometimes had to admit the greatness of blood ties, saying, "She won't come."

The little boy's face betrayed his disappointment. He buried his face in his father's arms, his voice thick with emotion: "I miss my mother. I want to go back."

He counted on his fingers, making sure he knew exactly what he was saying: "I haven't been back for seven days."

Zhou Ji hummed twice, then his expression suddenly turned pale. "She will hit you."

The little boy in her arms couldn't help but lift his face, his eyes red-rimmed, and he stubbornly said, "No!"

Faced with his father's silent gaze, his voice gradually weakened, as if he himself lacked confidence, "He didn't hit me or pinch me in the past few days."

He looked at his father longingly and said, "She loves me."

Zhou Ji reached out and gently tapped his forehead with his finger. "Is that all the ambition you have?"

He couldn't trust Jiang Yue in any way.

"Dad, I'm not afraid."

He is not afraid of those injuries.

He just wanted her love.

Zhou Ji was able to treat Jiang Yue like a decorative vase, keeping her at home, cold-hearted, and ignoring her completely.

He didn't want to be so cold to their child.

"Call her yourself and ask if she'd like to come pick you up."

"Thank you, Dad."

Although he said it was a question, Zhou Ji felt that Jiang Yue wouldn't refuse.

Although she saw the child as a tool, she was always very attentive and did everything she could to please his parents whenever they returned to the old house.

In fact, Zhou Ji had told her this before.

She didn't need to do that at all, showing concern and serving tea and water. No matter how well she did, her parents would never be satisfied with her.

But Jiang Yue wouldn't listen and insisted on making things difficult for herself.

Zhou Ji eventually stopped saying anything altogether.

The well-behaved little boy had already memorized his mother's number, and he quickly dialed her number.

Jiang Yue was enjoying a delicious dinner when she answered the phone. "Who is this?"

Upon hearing his mother's voice, Zhou Zhengchu gripped the phone even tighter. He mustered his courage and called her more affectionately, "Mom."

The voice was soft.

That sounds so well-behaved.

Jiang Yue recognized her son's voice, but she didn't care much and was extremely perfunctory, showing no awareness of the future retribution from the villain.

"Is there something you need?"

"Could you come pick me up?" The boy's voice was childish yet sincere, a hint of nervousness masking his longing for his mother. After waiting for a long time without receiving a reply, he couldn't help but say, "Mom, I miss you so much."

Jiang Yue had no idea what the child was thinking.

certainly.

No, that's not possible.

She's very busy—busy with beauty treatments, busy with skincare, busy learning how to show off on social media, and busy shopping.

Because of the last four words he said, Jiang Yue didn't say what was on her mind. She said, "I'm very busy. If you miss me, you can come back by yourself."

She was too busy to pick it up.

Moreover, she didn't want to see Zhou Ji's face, disliked the emotions influenced by the original owner, and disliked that feeling of being both thrilled and incredibly bittersweet.

The child's voice betrayed his disappointment, "Is it really not allowed?"

Jiang Yue seriously doubted the system's information. She probably had never abused her own son before, otherwise why would the child be so attached to her?

At this moment, Jiang Yue was unaware that the future villain had not been so close to his mother.

I've only been clinging to her lately.

Jiang Yue didn't give a definitive answer: "It depends on my time. I'll think about it."

His eyes seemed to light up again. "Mom, I will be a good girl and wait for you at home."

Jiang Yue hummed in agreement and then hung up the phone.

Should we go? Or not?

She was conflicted, and at the same time, she regretted her momentary soft-heartedness.

It's so annoying.

After weighing her options, Jiang Yue decided to go to the old house the next day to symbolically appease her son.

Before going to bed that night, Jiang Yue casually updated the Weibo account that the original owner had been so cyberbullied that she dared not go online anymore.

There was no text, only pictures of her newly purchased luxury goods.

The limited edition bags cost millions, and the watches, jewelry, and diamonds cost tens of millions; there were no selfies.

The comments below quickly reached 999+, and even though a long time had passed since the incident of "bullying" the female celebrity, it did not diminish other people's enthusiasm for criticizing her.

Netizen A, a righteous commenter: [Where is conscience? Where is morality? Where is guilt? Where is repentance? Where is retribution?!]

Netizen B (Justice-Seeking): [Stop being so stubborn, you vicious woman. Everyone knows you're about to be kicked ten meters away by a wealthy family. All this fancy stuff is pointless.]

...

Netizen N (Justice-Seeking Comment): [Is it fake? I need a discerning sister to expose her vanity.]

Jiang Yue didn't go online before, so she couldn't see how these people were cursing her.

Jiang Yue is not a pushover, but she is not a shrew who would argue with stupid netizens online like the original owner.

The original owner was hysterical and couldn't win the argument, so a lot of dirt on her was dug up, and she eventually got so angry that she quit the internet.

She wouldn't.

Jiang Yue looked at these comments with complete indifference.

She was bored, so she randomly picked the first comment and slowly typed a reply: "[Heartless, immoral, unrepentant.]"

She paused for a moment, then casually typed a few more words: 【There's no retribution either =w=.】

If these two sentences seem to be just a bit sarcastic...

The emoticons that followed subtly mocked them as idiots.

Ahhhhhh.

Those who dislike her are furious.

It's going to explode!

Wasn't Jiang Yue already driven to the brink of collapse by all the scolding? She's been keeping a low profile for months, not daring to utter a single word. Why is she so arrogant today?!