“Xiao… is that you?”

How could this possibly be Xiaoqiong?

Xiaoqiong wasn’t like this at all.

In less than two years, how could someone change so drastically?

Ye Xiaoqiong didn’t look at him.

Yuan Han was already at his wit’s end, a dead fish that could no longer flop around. Ye Xiaoqiong was more concerned about Zhou Yi—her psychology was incredibly complex. She had always seen Zhou Yi as an enemy, while Zhou Yi saw her as a friend, trusted her, and relied on her.

She knew that when Zhou Yi discovered who Joan was, she would break down.

“Zhou Yi.”

Ye Xiaoqiong looked down at her from above. Zhou Yi opened her swollen eyelids, struggling to widen her eyes.

She tried to crawl toward Ye Xiaoqiong’s feet.

“Joan, Joan, you’re here…”

“Yes, I’m here.”

The Yuan family finally snapped out of their shock. This was Ye Xiaoqiong—that doormat had somehow transformed herself into someone so impressive through unknown circumstances!

Yuan’s Second Sister jumped up, “Xiaoqiong, it was this shameless woman who seduced Yuan Han! Her family is government officials, Yuan Han didn’t dare resist, that’s why he wronged you. Xiaoqiong, Second Sister beat her for you, Second Sister avenged you!”

Yuan First Sister’s hair was disheveled; she wasn’t as shrewd as Yuan Second Sister.

Yuan’s First Sister feared this new Ye Xiaoqiong.

But if Yuan Second Sister was going to hit Zhou Yi, following along couldn’t be wrong—Yuan Second Sister had always been the family’s clever one.

With one glance from Ye Xiaoqiong, He Shiyuan quickly had the thugs restrain the Yuan sisters.

Ye Xiaoqiong sneered:

“I did resent Zhou Yi, wanted her to experience everything I went through, and she certainly has—she’s witnessed how your Yuan family turns on people without mercy and kicks them when they’re down. But who I hate most is, of course, Yuan Han and your accomplices.”

Zhou Yi truly was a fool, believing whatever others told her.

By “heroically saving” Zhou Yi at crucial moments, one could easily gain her trust.

Wasn’t that how Yuan Han first won Zhou Yi’s favor, by helping her at work?

Ye Xiaoqiong despised this fool, but it depended on who she was comparing her to… Her hatred for the Yuan family and Yuan Han far exceeded her feelings toward Zhou Yi.

The Yuan family thought that by viciously trampling Zhou Yi now, she would forget what they had done.

Yuan’s Second Sister anxiously tried to explain, but under Ye Xiaoqiong’s cold gaze, her clever tongue couldn’t stir up any waves.

She was just a woman from some small town, only good at sweet-talking old men!

Tears flowed from Zhou Yi’s eyes:

“Joan, so it was you.”

Joan was “Qiong,” was the “Xiaoqiong” the Yuan family kept calling, and was Yuan Han’s ex-wife.

She had thought she’d truly made a sophisticated friend.

This friend who cared about her, who had saved her from thugs in New York.

This friend would especially visit her during business trips to America.

This friend encouraged her to pursue further studies in America.

This friend who helped strategize, said they should investigate He Shiyuan’s background.

These days, Zhou Yi had considered telling her family everything. Joan hadn’t stopped her, had even said that’s what she should do. But when Joan advised her, Zhou Yi would change her mind—she didn’t want Joan to look down on her, wanted Joan to see that she was capable too.

But had there been no suspicion at all?

There had been.

She had found it strange how Joan would ask if she had known Yuan Han was married back then.

It was trust in a friend that made Zhou Yi suppress her doubts.

Today’s events happened suddenly; she hadn’t had a chance to notify Joan, yet Joan still appeared here. What was there left for Zhou Yi to not understand?

Joan hadn’t come to save her.

There had never been anyone who could save her.

It was she who had chosen such a terrible man, who had turned a blind eye throughout the process, who had played an inglorious role… So, she deserved it all. Perhaps because her feelings for Yuan Han had faded, when she discovered his affair, Zhou Yi felt more anger than anything else.

There was heartbreak and sadness too, but far less than the anger.

Including He Shiyuan’s insults and the Yuan family’s true colors.

None of it hurt as much as confirming Joan’s identity at this moment. She had truly invested genuine feelings in this friendship—betrayal in friendship felt no better than betrayal in love!

“Yes, it’s me. Joan is my English name. You can also call me by my Chinese name, Ye Xiaoqiong. I have another identity as Yuan Han’s ex-wife, your former defeated rival… Meeting you formally with this last identity, pleased to make your acquaintance.”

Zhou Yi didn’t even want to speak.

She could have screamed and thrown a tantrum.

She could have cried and questioned Ye Xiaoqiong.

But she refused to do so!

He Shiyuan also felt the atmosphere was quite strange and came forward, “Miss Ye, it’s getting dark, what should we do with the Yuan family?”

Yuan First Sister was so frightened she kowtowed:

“Xiaoqiong, don’t kill me, I shouldn’t have bullied you before, don’t kill me, please!”

She still remembered He Shiyuan’s threats, thinking that when He Shiyuan mentioned it getting dark, they were going to be killed and thrown into the sea to feed the fish.

Who doesn’t want to live? When it comes to life and death, face means nothing.

Let alone kneeling and begging, if eating dog excrement meant survival, how many people wouldn’t do it?

Yuan’s Second Sister also begged pitifully, as did Mother Yuan.

Ye Xiaoqiong looked at these people and suddenly felt it all meaningless.

Only Zhou Yi didn’t beg her.

Of course, Zhou Yi wouldn’t beg her—no matter how beaten down Zhou Yi was, there was still a gap between her and the Yuan family’s shamelessness.

“I won’t kill you. Killing people is against the law.”

“You took what was most precious to me, so I took what you valued. The house returned from my family, your savings, Yuan Han’s future… The suffering I endured physically will be repaid on Yuan Han.”

At the mention of “house,” even the weakened Mother Yuan wanted to jump up.

He Shiyuan laughed, “Afraid your pig brains won’t understand—why would I want Yuan Han’s money? It was Miss Ye’s idea to make you voluntarily return the house. Oh my, what will you do now? Your whole family has no savings, no house, destined to live miserably from now on!”

Yuan Han was furious.

So was the Yuan family.

But they all dared not speak their anger.

Ye Xiaoqiong was completely different from their memories—begging was useless, threats even more so.

Everything they could lose, Ye Xiaoqiong had taken away. Now only their lives remained.

If they angered Ye Xiaoqiong and she killed them now, what then? This was the middle of nowhere—if she killed them and ran, the police might never catch her.

Not daring to provoke Ye Xiaoqiong further, they all wept bitterly.

Yuan Han cried the most wretchedly, mumbling “Xiaoqiong” repeatedly, but Ye Xiaoqiong wouldn’t look at him.

“Do as we discussed before.”

Ye Xiaoqiong said to He Shiyuan. He Shiyuan made a gesture, and the hired thugs knocked out Yuan Han and the three Yuan women, stuffing them into a van. Ye Xiaoqiong specifically left Zhou Yi behind.

“If you’re not satisfied with today’s events, I welcome you to seek revenge against me.”

He Shiyuan drove away with Ye Xiaoqiong.

The van carrying the unconscious Yuan family also disappeared.

Zhou Yi lay on the ground, staring blankly at the sky, not moving at all.

Revenge?

What did she have left to take revenge with?

A figure slowly approached Zhou Yi, but she had no reaction—she didn’t even care if she was encountering another bad person.

“Hey, are you alright? Don’t scare me!”

“Hey…”

Zhou Yi fainted.