There's a saying: no one knows a son better than his mother. Back when the divorce happened, Lan Jin had no leverage, so she managed to walk away with all the money and properties under Ren Xing's name. But after the apocalypse began, Ren Xing had become a bargaining chip, and because of that, Lan Jin lost her life.
At least, that's how Mother Ren saw it.
Right now, she was sure that Lan Jin had already figured out that Meng Ying and Father Ren were having an affair behind her back. She could already imagine how Lan Jin must be laughing at her.
And that made her furious. She wasn't just angry at Father Ren or Meng Ying. What really made her blood boil was the thought of Lan Jin knowing. The thought of Lan Jin watching her become a joke.
Then another worry popped into her head.
This couldn't be the end of it.
Meng Ying had nowhere else to go. With her personality, wasn't she just the type to go running to Lan Jin? If she really caused a scene over there, then Mother Ren's pride and dignity would be completely crushed.
She had barely begun to calm herself down when she suddenly shot up like a corpse springing out of a coffin. Her face was grim.
"No. Meng Ying definitely went to find Lan Jin. We need to go too."
"Huh?" Father Ren looked completely lost. "Wait, where would we even find Lan Jin? I thought you didn't have her address."
"That's what I told Meng Ying. You think I'm stupid? I looked it up a long time ago."
Without another word, Mother Ren grabbed her things and dragged Father Ren out the door in a flurry.
It was true that the community Mother Ren lived in wasn't far from Lan Jin's neighborhood. Meng Ying had managed to walk there in high heels in just over twenty minutes. So, in their flat shoes, the elderly couple arrived at Lan Jin's community gate within the same amount of time.
But just as they reached the entrance, before they could even step inside, they spotted Lan Jin in the distance, carrying a water bucket with two people they didn't recognize. They looked like they were heading out to fetch water.
Without missing a beat, the couple hurried after them.
…
And as they had guessed, Meng Ying really was targeting Lan Jin.
After leaving the Ren family home, Meng Ying had wandered aimlessly, though her feet carried her in one clear direction.
Originally, she had planned to go back to the old rental apartment she'd lived in before. But too much time had passed. Even if the authorities hadn't filled the place with new tenants, her roommates would've taken over her old space. There was no way she'd still have a room there.
That option gone, another thought popped into her head: Lan Jin.
If she had nowhere to stay, why not just take Lan Jin's place for herself? Or better yet, she could cling to Lan Jin until she gave her a place to live. Lan Jin owned multiple properties anyway. Giving one to her ex-husband's girlfriend wouldn't kill her.
And if Lan Jin refused? Then she'd force her way in. She'd live off Lan Jin's food, drink her water, and even make her take care of her kid. Whatever it took to ruin Lan Jin's peace.
In Meng Ying's mind, this made perfect sense. Thieves always had their own logic. And mistresses? Their way of thinking wasn't something normal people could understand.
Still, from Lan Jin's perspective, having someone deliver themselves like this was actually convenient. If she could settle it quietly, even better.
Meng Ying had walked back to the place where she'd seen Lan Jin earlier that day. She looked around and did some quick mental math. Lan Jin had to live nearby. Otherwise, why would she shop at the supply store here?
She had left in a rush earlier but had glanced back. The direction Lan Jin had gone? It pointed toward the neighborhood she used to live in.
But she'd been down there before and was certain Lan Jin didn't live in her old complex. That meant the next closest option had to be the complex across the street.
Was it for sure? No. But that didn't matter. She would wait there today, and if Lan Jin didn't show, she'd wait again tomorrow. She still had a few contribution points left in her residency pass. Once those ran out, she would definitely find a way to track Lan Jin down.
With her plan set, Meng Ying headed to the water station near the complex and found a concealed spot in the bushes across from it. She crouched down and waited.
One hour passed.
No sign.
Two hours.
Still no one.
Then, in the fourth hour, Meng Ying finally saw her.
Lan Jin.
Before she could celebrate being right, her eyes landed on someone beside Lan Jin. A tall, young man.
Meng Ying's hands clenched into fists. She grabbed at a leaf from the bush in frustration and threw it to the ground. Then she stormed out and confronted Lan Jin directly, voice dripping with sarcasm.
"Well done, Lan Jin. You sure moved on fast. Your ex-husband has been missing for ages and here you are flirting with some young guy. Do you even have a heart?"
Lan Jin had expected Meng Ying to show up eventually, but she hadn't expected it so soon. She raised an eyebrow and shot back, "He's my neighbor. If you don't know how to talk properly, maybe don't talk at all. And by the way, I've said it before. He's my ex-husband. We weren't even together when he disappeared. What does that have to do with me?"
She narrowed her gaze.
"Actually, the one who looks suspicious here is you. Who knows where you hid him? And now that he's gone, you come running to me? Real classy."
Even Ling Jiang, standing beside them, couldn't help but sigh.
The three of them had come out together. Not just Huang Jinghe and Lan Jin. She was right there too. But this woman ignored her completely and went straight for the drama between Lan Jin and Huang Jinghe.
Did she not deserve a name?
Ling Jiang wasn't the type to let things slide. She had already witnessed one ridiculous scene that morning. Now she had no patience left.
"You know what? You really are like a dog, sniffing your way here. Lan Jin, you better watch out. This one might show up at your place next time."
Ling Jiang had never seen someone so shameless.
First this woman seduced the son, then the father, and now she was coming after the ex-wife like she had some kind of grudge. What kind of logic was this?
Besides, Lan Jin was already divorced. Even if she and Huang Jinghe were together—which they weren't—she'd have every right to be. There was nothing wrong with that.
But Meng Ying?
She wrecked the marriage and still didn't want to see the ex-wife live in peace. Ling Jiang couldn't help but wonder aloud.
"What's your deal? Did she dig up your ancestors or something? What kind of hatred is this?"
Lan Jin let out a tired sigh. "You don't get it. When I divorced my ex-husband, I had evidence they were cheating. He left with nothing. And she didn't get a cent."
Understanding dawned on Ling Jiang's face. "Ah. That explains it. But what's this about him going missing?"
"When the floodwaters receded, she claimed he came to find me. But I never saw him. After that, he disappeared. No one's seen him since."
Lan Jin spoke with complete innocence. No one would've guessed that Ren Xing was still hidden away in her dimensional space.
Ling Jiang frowned. "And what does that have to do with you?"
"Nothing. But she thinks it does." Lan Jin gave a helpless shrug.
Then she turned to Meng Ying, her expression calm.
There were too many people around now. Fine. She could wait.
"Why don't we go talk somewhere private?"