Compared to her appearance on the day of the incident, Ye Xiaoqiong no longer looked as sharp and aggressive.

Without makeup, she had quite delicate features.

Though Yuan Han was scum, his aesthetic preferences were quite consistent. Ye Xiaoqiong and Zhou Yi had similar looks – not great beauties, but above average!

“Thank you, I hadn’t expected this.”

“Hadn’t expected me to come to warn you, or hadn’t expected Zhou Yi wouldn’t testify to the police? Which do you think it is?”

Xia Xiaolan’s counter-question left Ye Xiaoqiong silent.

Why wouldn’t Zhou Yi testify?

It wasn’t in keeping with Zhou Yi’s character.

When someone acts against their nature… it either means their character has changed, or more directly to the heart of the matter – Zhou Yi still considered Ye Xiaoqiong a friend, a very close friend at that.

Ye Xiaoqiong had deceived her, destroying their friendship.

When love and hatred cancel each other out, did Zhou Yi feel guilty towards Ye Xiaoqiong regarding the Yuan Han matter, and thus decide against revenge?

Xia Xiaolan leaned towards this theory, and Ye Xiaoqiong, being no fool herself, fell silent for the same reason!

Xia Xiaolan didn’t press the point, changing the subject instead:

“So, do you feel satisfied now? Revenge is like that – only when your enemy gets their comeuppance can you release that pent-up anger.”

Without revenge, Ye Xiaoqiong would never be able to start a new life; she would always be tormented by the past.

Xia Xiaolan hoped that after all this, she could make a fresh start – that was the right way to handle revenge.

Who the hell wants to perish alongside their enemy?

Of course, you should make your enemy miserable while living comfortably yourself.

In the days ahead, as the enemy becomes more miserable while you live better and better – that kind of revenge brings the most lasting satisfaction!

“I feel much better.”

But there was also an inexplicable discomfort.

That’s why she had been lingering near the hospital.

Ye Xiaoqiong smiled bitterly. No wonder she used to get deceived and bullied – she couldn’t even be a proper villain without getting sentimental.

“My business with Zhou Yi ends here. After Yuan Han goes to prison, I’ll leave Pengcheng. The world is big; Zhou Yi and I probably won’t have any reason to cross paths again in this lifetime.”

Xia Xiaolan wasn’t surprised.

Ye Xiaoqiong had her life plans. After getting her revenge, of course, she would go live the life she wanted.

Capable people won’t starve anywhere.

“Congratulations.”

She seemed to have truly let go.

Xia Xiaolan added, “And thanks on behalf of the Zhou family and Zhou Yi. I mean, everything you did wasn’t just about revenge against Zhou Yi.”

It was also about teaching that foolish Zhou Yi to grow up.

Even if the methods were a bit extreme.

Xia Xiaolan wasn’t sure if during all the time Ye Xiaoqiong had spent with Zhou Yi as friends, it was all just a calculation. Faced with Zhou Yi’s trust and dependence, had Ye Xiaoqiong remained completely unmoved?

Probably not.

That would explain why Ye Xiaoqiong was lingering near the hospital.

She had taken her revenge on Zhou Yi but couldn’t help wanting to check on her condition.

Xia Xiaolan saw through this but chose not to expose it.

After reminding Ye Xiaoqiong to take care, she returned to the hospital.

Ye Xiaoqiong had wanted to stop Xia Xiaolan, but after opening her mouth, she remained silent. Never mind – some things didn’t need to be said explicitly. When the dust settled, Xia Xiaolan would naturally know how far she had gone!

…

The police were in full pursuit of He Shiyuan and Ye Xiaoqiong.

He Shiyuan had vanished without a trace, and the police had confirmed she was a con artist.

As for Ye Xiaoqiong, she was found at the Yangcheng train station and brought to the police station.

Hearing of her arrest, the Yuan sisters left their hospitalized mother and rushed to the station, hurling abuse at the detained Ye Xiaoqiong.

“Take these two out.”

The Yuan sisters were blocked outside the interrogation room, crying pitifully with tears and mucus flowing.

They had learned from the police station that He Shiyuan wasn’t the daughter of any Hong Kong merchant He family – that identity was fake! She was just a female con artist who had swindled the Yuan family’s savings and their house.

If He Shiyuan was fake, what was so formidable about Ye Xiaoqiong?

It was all a bluff!

The whole family had been played for fools.

Though they hadn’t found He Shiyuan, they had caught Ye Xiaoqiong.

Now they could get their money back, right? And that house that was sold.

Why should it be returned to Ye Xiaoqiong? That was the Yuan family’s house, the main reason Mother Yuan had agreed to Yuan Han marrying Ye Xiaoqiong! She hadn’t claimed the house during the divorce, so she definitely shouldn’t get it now!

The Yuan sisters took turns denouncing her, determined to crush Ye Xiaoqiong.

In the interrogation room, however, Ye Xiaoqiong remained remarkably calm before the police, answering every question.

“Do you know those two women outside?”

“Yes, they’re my ex-husband’s sisters.”

“Do you know why you’ve been arrested?”

“No.”

Hmm, this Ye Xiaoqiong had quite good psychological composure.

Most people wouldn’t behave this way in a police station.

“Ye Xiaoqiong, be honest about the issues. Why did you appear in Pengcheng? Did you kidnap and extort your ex-husband’s family? When our people found you at the train station, were you trying to flee from justice?”

Ye Xiaoqiong looked astonished:

“Officer, I have no idea what you’re talking about!”

“I’ve been in Pengcheng for quite a while now. Before Spring Festival, I worked for HK Cheng Rong Group as Assistant to Second Young Master Du, and came to Pengcheng on assignment to help expand his business.”

“After Spring Festival, I wanted a change of environment, so I resigned from my assistant position.”

“Since divorcing two years ago, I haven’t seen my ex-husband’s family. I’m currently unemployed, so I hardly could have managed any kidnapping or extortion.”

“I was at the Yangcheng train station because I wanted to visit my hometown.”

The police officer slammed the table, “What are you going home for?”

“My divorce from my ex-husband was unpleasant, and his family kept my family’s ancestral property. I saved some money working in Hong Kong and wanted to buy back the house. Because of the Yuan family’s prejudice against me, if I approached them directly, they would either inflate the price or refuse to sell to me altogether, so I asked someone else to handle it for me. Unexpectedly, things went smoothly – the Yuan family suddenly announced they were selling the house a few days ago, and I quickly bought it… This trip home was to handle the property registration paperwork.”

The Yuan sisters said the house was extorted from them.

Ye Xiaoqiong said she bought it herself.

Who should they believe?

How credible was the Yuan family’s testimony?

“Where were you on February 20th?”

“I was at my residence, didn’t go out all day.”

“Is there anyone who can verify this?”

Ye Xiaoqiong shook her head, “No one. I didn’t know something like this would happen. I just watched TV at home all day.”

“Thank you for cooperating with the investigation. As a suspect in this case, you’ll be detained temporarily! Until we find more evidence proving your guilt or innocence.”

As the police officer was leaving, Ye Xiaoqiong suddenly hesitated:

“Officer, you say the Yuan family is accusing me of kidnapping and extortion? I’ve been considering whether to file a report myself. During the divorce, I was essentially driven out by the Yuan family. After I left, they sold my family’s ancestral calligraphy, paintings, and ancient books – can I press charges against them?”

— Oh? What kind of plot twist was this?