"You're lying!" Old Lady Li's shrill voice cut through the air like a knife. Her eyes burned with rage as she turned on Li Jianfang, her words venomous.
"Is this how you teach your daughter? To lie to her elders without shame?"
Li Jianguo stepped forward with a sneer, his arms crossed smugly. "Exactly. Just because I didn't say anything to you yesterday, girl, doesn't mean I'll let you off today. Elders are speaking here—so know your place and keep that mouth shut."
Li Ziqing tilted her head slightly, her lips curling into the faintest of smirks. She looked him up and down, unhurried, as though weighing whether his words were worth a response. Then she let her gaze sweep over the entire group.
"Oh… elders?" Her voice was soft, but the disdain in it rang like a bell. "Forgive me—I must be blind. All I see here are my so-called relatives… and a pack of hungry wolves circling for a piece of meat."
"You—!" Li Jianguo's face flushed crimson. He pointed at her, sputtering for words, but nothing came out. His mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water.
Old Lady Li's fury only grew. She jabbed a gnarled finger at Li Jianping.
"Are you just going to stand there and let that little bitch speak ill of your family? Can't you see they're using you for your money? That money belongs to the Li family! How dare you spend millions on them?"
Li Jianping's eyes darkened. "For the last time, that money belongs to A Qing," he said slowly, his voice rumbling like a warning growl. "It has nothing to do with me. This car? She bought it for Jie—because Jie will soon be president of a company."
Wang Yunmei threw her head back and burst into laughter, the sound high-pitched and grating, echoing through the courtyard. When she finally caught her breath, she wiped a tear from her eye and mocked, "President of a company? Why stop there? Why not say president of the country? Do you take us for fools? Just admit you're hiding the money so you can waste it all on her!" She gestured dramatically at Li Ziqing. "Li Jianping, look at your old parents, your elder brother—your family! And you'd rather pour your riches on her?"
Li Jianping's lips parted to speak, but another voice sliced through the tension.
"When was the last time you visited him?"
The question hit like a bolt of lightning. Heads turned.
Li Ziqing stepped forward, her presence commanding. She positioned herself squarely between Old Lady Li and her uncle, her eyes locking onto the old woman's face like a hawk spotting prey.
"When was the last time you asked about his well-being?" she continued, each word deliberate. "When was the last time you cooked him a meal? Washed his clothes? Did anything a mother does for her child?"
Old Lady Li's breath caught. Her lips trembled. She searched her mind for an answer—but there was none. She knew the truth. When Jianping was born, Jianguo had been preparing for his college entrance exams. After nursing the boy for only a few months, she had shoved him into Li Jianfang's arms, who at the time was barely nine years old. Once Jianguo entered university, she had completely abandoned her younger son. But to admit that now would shatter her image in front of the neighbors.
Her eyes darted, and then she found her target. She spun toward Li Jianfang, her voice rising with fake indignation.
"It was her! She's the one who brainwashed my younger son! I only asked her to take care of him—what could I do? I had five children to raise! And she's the elder sister—shouldn't she take responsibility? What did I do wrong?"
She suddenly dropped to her knees with a dramatic thud, slapping her thighs with loud smacks and wailing so loudly the windows rattled.
"Everyone come and see! She's stolen my son from me! She's using him for money! Look at her—so shameless!"
It didn't take long for curious neighbors, who had been quietly eavesdropping from their windows, to step into the courtyard. Their voices joined in the chorus of judgment.
"How can Li Jianfang be so shameless? Li Jianping is Old Lady Li's son—of course his money should belong to her."
"Exactly! She kept him close all these years, and now she's showing her true colors."
The air grew heavy with whispers and accusations. Li Jianping's jaw clenched, and his fists tightened at his sides. He was ready to lash out, but a gentle pressure stopped him—Li Ziqing's hand. She gave him a glance, calm but sharp, the kind that promised she had this under control.
Li Ziqing stepped forward, her eyes sweeping over the courtyard and every pair of prying eyes lingering in the shadows. The neighbors, emboldened by gossip, stood like scavenger birds waiting for scraps of drama.
"You're all very loud for people who know nothing," she said coolly, her voice carrying effortlessly through the night air. "You've been crawling around our courtyard for years, watching our every move like hawks starved for gossip." Her lips curved into a mocking smile. "Tell me — when a mother treats her son like an unwanted stray for decades, does she still have the right to call herself a 'parent'?"
A ripple of gasps cut through the crowd.
Her gaze turned razor-sharp as she continued. "When he was sick, who stayed up all night to care for him? Not her. When he was hungry, who made sure he ate? Not her. And when people like you turned your backs on him — who stood beside him? Certainly not her."
Li Jianguo opened his mouth, but she cut him off with a raised hand, her smile glinting like the edge of a blade. "Elders, you say? Respect is earned, not demanded. If you want me to bow my head, then stand tall as people worthy of it."
The courtyard fell silent. Even the boldest neighbor suddenly found the cracks in the ground far more interesting than the confrontation unfolding before them.
Li Ziqing's eyes shifted to Old Lady Li, still kneeling in stunned silence. Her tone softened — deceptively — becoming almost playful, yet every syllable cut clean through the night.
"My, what a performance. If this were a movie, I'd buy a ticket just to watch you cry on cue." Her gaze lingered with malicious amusement. "Though… the script is lacking. Do you know what would be more entertaining? If you started banging your head against the wall. I'll even sweeten the deal — ten yuan for every bang."
Sharp intakes of breath came from every corner.
She tilted her head, as if struck by a sudden thought, and turned to Wang Yunmei. "Tell me, Aunt Wang — if I announced tomorrow that I'd bought you a luxury villa, would you refuse it out of pride? Or would you move in before the paint was dry?"
Wang Yunmei stiffened but didn't get a chance to reply.
"I'm sure it's the latter," Li Ziqing went on, her voice smooth as silk but barbed like wire. "Because your pride is just like your nose — the higher you try to hold it, the more it sticks out… downward."
The jab hit its mark. Wang Yunmei's face flushed crimson. She had always been sensitive about her slightly bent nose, and no one — not even the most spiteful in the family — had dared to say it aloud. But Li Ziqing had said it, right here, in front of everyone.
"You—! Li Ziqing!" Wang Yunmei's voice trembled with fury. She looked ready to slap her, but the thought of losing access to money tethered her rage. She forced a disdainful laugh instead. "Some people get rich and forget their roots. Look at your sharp tongue — just because you have a luxury car and a few dresses, you think you're untouchable?"
"Oh, Auntie Wang, no need to worry — I haven't forgotten my roots," Li Ziqing replied with a slow smile. "I just keep my roots well-trimmed… so they don't grow into someone else's yard."
The jab landed, and Wang Yunmei's expression twisted.
Li Ziqing tilted her head toward Old Lady Li. "As for 'showing off'… if you think owning a car is showing off, maybe the problem isn't with me — maybe it's with your inability to imagine owning one yourself."
Her voice turned crisp, each word ringing out clearly. "And who said I only have a few luxury brand dresses? My family owns clothing and jewelry worth twenty-five million yuan."
Gasps erupted from every corner of the courtyard.
As if on cue, the low rumble of a vehicle drew everyone's attention. A yellow-and-black mini truck pulled up to Li Jianfang's courtyard. But it wasn't the vehicle's color that held the crowd's gaze — it was the name emblazoned on its side: Central Shopping Plaza.
Every local knew the name. Central Shopping Plaza housed more than sixty high-end luxury brand stores, each one a place most people in Wuhan could only dream of entering.
The car—that was following the mini truck, door swung open and a man stepped out, dressed in a dark green suit that looked as though it had been tailored to perfection. Not a crease in sight. His demeanor was courteous and polished as he approached Li Jianfang.
"Ms. Li," he said with a polite bow, "I'm the manager of Central Shopping Plaza. I'm here to deliver your purchases from today." He pulled out a long checklist, the paper curling slightly under its own weight. "This is the complete list of your items," he said, extending it toward her.
Every eye in the courtyard followed that checklist. It was long — far too long for casual shopping. The crowd stood frozen, but none more so than Wang Yunmei, who could only stare at the proof of Li Ziqing's words, her mind ringing with the number she'd just heard.
Li Jianfang was about to respond, but her words died in her throat when she noticed the shift in the courtyard's atmosphere. Every single person—neighbors, bystanders, and the Li family alike—had their eyes glued to the long checklist and the black-and-yellow mini truck parked in front.
Her heart skipped a beat.
The northern district wasn't exactly known for safety. Robberies and theft were practically seasonal occurrences, and now, after her daughter's bold declaration of "twenty-five million in luxury goods," the news would spread faster than wildfire. By morning, the entire district would know.
Her breath hitched. She hesitated.
Li Ziqing, however, caught the flicker of unease in her mother's gaze. In that moment, regret gnawed at her. She hadn't meant to cause trouble. But years—no, decades—of contempt and disdain from these people had sharpened her tongue into a blade she could no longer sheath. And once drawn, it cut without mercy.
But now… perhaps she had cut too deep.
She thought quickly, eyes narrowing in calculation, then stepped closer to her younger brother. Leaning in, she whispered something in Li Zian's ear. His expression brightened in sudden understanding. Without a word, he sprinted toward the house and disappeared inside.
Moments later, he returned—keys in hand.
Li Jianfang and Li Jianping exchanged a glance and understood instantly. The purchases would be moved to their new apartment—the one Feng Zhaotian had gifted them after the banquet, located in the prestigious school district. The property documents had already been signed, the ownership secured, and the keys in their possession.
Relief washed over Jianfang like cool water on a sweltering day. That apartment was in one of the city's most secure residential complexes—high walls, armed security, and surveillance that didn't miss a shadow. No thief would dare set foot there.
Meanwhile, Li Ziqing was already speaking with the well-dressed manager from Central Shopping Plaza. She accepted the delivery slip, wrote down the new address, and handed it back with a faint, polite smile.
"Sorry for the inconvenience, Manager," she said smoothly.
The man only returned her smile, unfazed. "It's our pleasure, Miss. Delivering luxury goods safely is our duty." His tone carried a subtle implication—whether she asked for delivery across the city or to the moon, it would be done. After all, one did not question the requests of a client who could spend tens of millions on clothes and jewelry in a single afternoon.
In full view of everyone in the courtyard, Li Zian climbed into the car. The mini truck's engine rumbled to life. One after the other, the two vehicles pulled away, leaving nothing behind but the thick silence of collective shock.
The Li family remained rooted in place, as though their minds had short-circuited.
Especially Li Jianguo.
His gaze lingered on Li Ziqing, searching her face as his thoughts twisted and turned. He replayed the past two days like a rapid slideshow: her initial cold indifference toward him, the way she had verbally dismantled Li Weimin, her unflinching payment of eighty thousand yuan, and—most puzzling of all—how Li Jianping repeatedly insisted the money wasn't his.
And now, here she was, calmly orchestrating dealings with the manager of Central Shopping Plaza, her decisions followed without question by both Jianping and Jianfang. Not a single voice in her family had contradicted her.
A dangerous thought whispered in Jianguo's mind:
What if Jianping was telling the truth?
What if the money really belonged to Li Ziqing?
The possibility hit him like a sledgehammer to the chest.
Suddenly, the petty arrogance he had carried all his life felt paper-thin, ready to tear at the slightest pull. If this girl truly held such wealth and influence, then where did that leave him—her so-called elder? The realization curdled into something heavier: a sour, gnawing sense of uselessness.
His knees felt weak. His pride wavered. His eyes darkened with a mixture of confusion, envy, and something far uglier.
He drew in a long, slow breath, then turned abruptly to his parents, his wife, and his second brother.
"Let's go."
Old Lady Li opened her mouth to protest, but the look in her son's eyes made her words dry up instantly. Wang Yunmei took one glance at her husband's expression and wisely swallowed her complaints. Together, they followed him out of the courtyard in stiff, reluctant silence.
Chen Lihua, who had been silent the entire time, was no fool. Her eyes flicked toward Li Ziqing, a calculating glimmer flashing there. This quiet, seemingly humble girl… something about her had changed. And if Chen Lihua's instincts were correct, this change was only the beginning.
As the Li family disappeared into the dark, the courtyard finally fell still. The night air was heavy, thick with unspoken thoughts.
Jianfang and Jianping exchanged bewildered glances. In their hearts, they knew: after tonight, nothing would ever be the same.
____
I want to sincerely thank Kulsum_Bano for leaving the very first comment on my book — it truly made my day! ☺️
To be honest, I was starting to lose interest in writing this novel. For a while, I felt as if no one was really reading it — that people were simply adding it to their collection without actually following the story. But your comment yesterday reminded me that there are readers out there who are not only reading but also connecting with my work. That realization has given me a fresh wave of inspiration and motivation to keep going.
Writing a novel takes a lot of time, energy, and dedication. Every chapter you see here is the result of hours of effort, planning, and creativity. That's why I want to make a heartfelt request to all my readers — if you are enjoying the story, please don't just read in silence. Leave a comment, share your thoughts, or write a review. Even a short line about your feelings towards the chapter means so much to me.
Your feedback lets me know you're there, following the journey, and it inspires me to push myself even harder to bring you the best story I can. So, to every reader — your words matter. They truly keep this novel alive. ❤️