Qian never denies that she is petty.
When Jia Xiufang mentioned buying melons, Qian thought of events from her past life.
Her brother loved melons, and so did she. In her past life, on her way home, her mother bought two melons. But that night, Ni Jianren invited her out for dinner, and by the time she returned, her family had eaten a whole melon.
None was left for her.
When she came back, seeing the melon rinds in the trash and hearing the family watching TV, no one cared about her. Coupled with the grievances during the date with Ni Jianren, that feeling of being excluded was unforgettable.
At that time, she consoled herself, thinking there was still one more left; she would get to eat it the next day.
The next day, her dad sent her out for errands, and when she returned, she found another trash can full of melon rinds.
It wasn't a big deal, but during a specific emotional period, a trivial matter could leave a deep impression, reflecting her status in the family over the years.
Back in the present, when she heard her mother say she wanted to buy melons again, all those moments her parents ignored her resurfaced.
Pulling her mother down a different street, a sharp glint flashed in Qian's eyes behind her glasses.
Although the mindset of "if I can't have it, neither can you" is somewhat childish and immature, it's exactly what she wants to do — like an obsessive compulsion to wash hands. She knows it's not right, but doing it feels satisfying.
Jia Xiufang, pulled along by Qian, continued to ramble about marriage.
"The day after tomorrow, huh? The first time you visit your future mother-in-law's home, if you want to help with chores, do it; if not, then don't. Avoiding being looked down upon is best. Jianren's family is well-educated; they shouldn't bully you too much..."
"Sometimes, direct vulgarity is much better than lofty hypocrisy."
That intellectual family of Ni Jianren, after finding out that he was gay, used all kinds of methods to oppress her, preventing her from divorcing him. Even after Qian divorced, they pressured her university.
Walking on campus, she was often pointed at; divorce was never seen as a good thing. The Ni Family constantly smeared her reputation, accusing her of being morally corrupt. Thankfully, her female class advisor believed her, and the kind person who sponsored her tuition wrote to encourage her, helping her grit her teeth and transform through those difficult times.
Those hypocrites of the Ni Family suffered her comprehensive revenge after she succeeded in her career. But even after getting revenge, she felt uncomfortable; her best years were ruined by those people. Even revenge years later couldn't mend the wounds in her heart.
Fortunately, the heavens have allowed her to return to those best years once again. This time, she needs to act first and crush those people.
"Qian'er, what did you say?" Jia Xiufang didn't understand what her daughter meant.
"It takes more than a day to freeze three feet of ice; one's character is directly related to their environment."
Ni Jianren is gay, backed by his conniving family. Her brother is a good-for-nothing, inseparable from their parents' coddling. That little girl with kleptomania likely has a direct relation to her father's upbringing.
As for herself, this cold-hearted woman, should she thank the hardships of life and endless oddities for honing her into such a ruthless character?
"Are you out of your mind? Why are you saying things I can't understand today — Where are you taking me, where are the melons?" Jia Xiufang looked around the alley — not far from home, there were fruit sellers by the road, but no melons.
"Buy grapes, I love them." Qian's lips curved slightly.
Her earlier judgment was correct; the vendor who was about to sell melons had just passed by, with wheels covered in sand. Rumors said this area was set for demolition; many residents were frantically building houses.
Intelligence is indeed a good thing; you can play however you want. Unfortunately, for the first 18 years of her life, she was bound by kindness and emotion, always unwilling to use her intelligence to crush others.
Away from these binding emotions, letting herself do as she pleases, she enjoys this feeling. As a villainess boss, she should—
"Watch out!" Qian hadn't finished reinforcing her mental suggestions when she saw a man with a thick stick attacking people.
If she had run by herself, it would be easy. But seeing this, her first instinct was to pull Jia Xiufang.
But they ran a bit slow, and the man hit her leg with the stick.
Jia Xiufang screamed, "Why is that madman from Aunt Qi's family out again!"
He was a well-known lunatic in the area, attacking people whenever his illness acted up. Aunt Qi usually kept him locked up, but today, somehow, he got out again.
Seeing the lunatic attempt to strike again, Qian endured the pain and dragged her mom, while people shopping scattered in all directions.
"Defeat the RB imperialists!" The lunatic chased after Qian.
With lunatics, reasoning is impossible. Killing people is not punishable for them, so if you don't want a pointless beating, run quickly.
Running dozens of meters towards her maternal home, she suddenly saw ahead a man in a white shirt, holding some fruit. Jia Xiufang became overjoyed.
"Jianren! Help quickly!"
It was her future son-in-law, who must have come to find Qian. Jia Xiufang couldn't run anymore and hoped Ni Jianren would lend a hand.
"Damn RB devils, how dare you call me Jians!" The lunatic was infuriated by Jia Xiufang, swinging his stick viciously.
"I didn't call you names, I was calling my future son-in-law, his name is Jianren—" Jia Xiufang even turned back to explain.
Qian pushed her mom, "Why are you explaining to him? Just run!"
Jia Xiufang yelled at Ni Jianren.
"Jianren, there's a shovel next to you, pick it up and help us fend him off!"
Every household was building, and right beside Ni Jianren's feet, there was a pile of sand with a shovel stuck in it.
Seeing the filthy lunatic rushing towards him, Ni Jianren was so scared his orchid fingers pointed up.
Dropping the bag of fruit, he sprinted forward; the speed was comparable to a sprinting champion.
"Auntie, I'll go get reinforcements for you, hang in there!"
Just don't lead the lunatic over here.
... Though the situation was dangerous, Qian inexplicably wanted to laugh.
Jianren, indeed, still as lowly as ever, running fast when facing problems.
Seeing her future son-in-law flee while being chased by the madman, Jia Xiufang gritted her teeth.
"Qian'er, you run first, I'll stall him for a bit!"
Her daughter's leg was injured. If they continued to run like this, she would definitely get hit again.
Qian was stunned, looking at Jia Xiufang in disbelief that her mother would protect her?
"You scaredy-cat, run already, run!" Jia Xiufang pushed Qian and went for the lunatic with a brick in her hand.
Qian felt a pang in her heart; this had never happened in her past life...
She ran toward the sand pile, grabbed the shovel, ready to help her mother, but when she turned back, she saw a tall, handsome man had already pinned the lunatic down.
That man's face...!!!