Wang Qiqi shot out like an arrow of pure fury. The onlookers nearby, hearing the deeply resentful and almost tearful tone of her voice, felt overwhelming sympathy for her. After all, she was an orphan, and moreover, some people had witnessed the argument that had just erupted between Wang Rui and Wang Qiqi. While some felt Wang Qiqi hadn't been entirely blameless, the subsequent intrusion of Li Cui made the crowd feel like she was ganging up on the girl.

It had originally been a mere spat between two young women, but Li Cui, an adult and an elder, had jumped in, immediately accusing Wang Qiqi of deceiving Wang Rui. The crowd instantly felt Li Cui had gone too far. Consequently, nothing Wang Qiqi said afterward seemed excessive to them; anyone in her shoes would have said the same, especially considering how exceptionally kind Wang Dajun and his wife had once been to Wang Dahui’s couple, to the point where the Wang Dagui couple now felt entitled to it.

The murmurs of the crowd gradually grew louder. Only then did Li Cui notice the significant number of people surrounding her, the vast majority of whom were openly criticizing her. She snorted a few times and scanned the area. A few people looked away from Li Cui’s gaze, but more stared directly back at her, convinced that what they were saying was the truth.

Wang Qiqi sprinted all the way home and immediately collapsed onto her knees before the memorial tablets of her parents. She simply stared at them, not uttering a single word. Wang Qiqi had firmly resolved to remain kneeling there, refusing to move until they came to her. She doubted Wang Dagui’s couple would dare do anything to her with so many people watching.

Wang Qiqi bolted toward home, completely ignoring the glances of passersby. As she ran, some neighbors who had just returned from the post-funeral meal were downstairs, chatting with those who hadn't attended about how excellent the food was and how ample the alcohol supply had been. Naturally, they also boasted about how stunning Wang Dajun’s couple’s wake hall was and how luxurious the burial plot looked. Of course, they also added wry comments, suggesting that having lost so much money, they could certainly afford such lavish arrangements.

As these people were engrossed in their gossip, they were naturally surprised to see Wang Qiqi tearing home. Nothing seemed amiss at the house, and others were even present to keep watch. Why was that girl rushing home in such a panic? They exchanged glances, and excitement sparked in their eyes. They understood that some kind of dispute must have occurred on the road, especially since Wang Dagui had explicitly stopped Wang Qiqi, telling her she needed to return home immediately to discuss something.

The gossiping crowd, which had begun to disperse, was now willing to stand under the shade of the trees, enduring the hot wind, just to wait for the anticipated news.

Before long, Wang Damei’s family of four, along with Wang Dagui’s family of three, appeared in sight. At this moment, everyone noticed that the expressions on Wang Dagui’s wife and daughter were far from pleasant. In contrast, Wang Damei’s daughter and son were looking at the mother and daughter with visible dissatisfaction?

It seemed Li Cui had clashed with Wang Qiqi again. The only question was who had won this round. However, everyone surmised that the speed at which Wang Qiqi had run back indicated she was the one who had been wronged. But why, then, did Li Cui and her daughter also look as though they had lost out?

Seeing the cluster of people standing under the trees, Wang Damei could only sigh. There was nothing else to be done. On their way back, they had passed quite a few people—some merely glanced at their group, while others pointed fingers directly, making comments about Wang Dagui’s couple. All Wang Damei could do was quicken her pace.

Their group arrived at Wang Dajun’s doorstep and saw Wang Qiqi kneeling beneath the memorial tablets of Wang Dajun and his wife. Li Cui had a sudden thought: Is she complaining to her dead ghost parents? Hmph, if she hadn't caused trouble today, would I be in this miserable state? But she knew that if she spoke again, the girl would offer her even less civility. If the girl dared speak to her that way in public, she certainly wouldn't hold back at home.

“Qiqi, what are you doing?” Wang Damei cried out as she entered the house and saw her niece weeping uncontrollably on the floor. Her head throbbed. She thought, My niece isn't easy to get along with, my younger brother and his wife are clueless, and that little niece has been spoiled rotten as well. Ah, well, it was none of her business; she was married now, and a married daughter’s affairs were water spilled outside the door; she shouldn't meddle in her maiden family’s issues.

“What else would I be doing? Wang Rui has her aunt, and I have my parents! I can tell my parents everything that happened today,” Wang Qiqi managed, her voice thick with tears. “Even if my parents are gone, they are still in this house. They promised they would stay and keep me company forever, so that those who try to bully me won't succeed.”

As Wang Qiqi spoke, she deliberately shot an angry glance toward Li Cui. In her heart, she was certain this statement would remind Li Cui of the strange occurrences that had happened in the house the last time she came to cause trouble.

Indeed, the moment Wang Qiqi finished speaking, Li Cui felt a distinct chill in the room, an almost eerie atmosphere. Especially when she looked toward a certain empty space, her heart leaped violently. In her mind, she frantically wondered if her brother and sister-in-law were truly still in the house. If not, why had that object fallen so inexplicably last time, missing her by a huge margin but nearly crushing her? Thinking this, Li Cui felt a genuine wave of terror. It seemed this house would not be easily claimed, and she certainly wasn't going to come here to cook for that girl, Wang Qiqi. She should just hire someone. She couldn't believe such a young girl would have any concept of thrift. When Wang Qiqi ran out of money, she would see how she could mock her.

Wang Damei had heard her sister-in-law mention the possibility of spirits once, but she didn't truly believe in ghosts. “Qiqi, your parents are gone. Don't dwell on this so much. Thinking like this is bad for your health.”

“My health is very good, and my parents wouldn't harm me,” Wang Qiqi insisted stubbornly. “Oh, right. I need to go into the room and get the money.”

Wang Qiqi inwardly thought that she had sufficiently frightened the target person; scaring her further now would be too much. Some tricks were best saved for the most crucial moments.

The Song siblings, hearing Wang Qiqi mention money, were inwardly delighted. As for Wang Rui, she sneered inwardly at Wang Qiqi’s words, but she was also quite expectant—after all, it was money that could buy pretty clothes and good food.

Wang Qiqi returned with three thick, large red envelopes, handing them over while offering thanks: “Thank you, Sister Yaoyao, thank you, Brother Ziwen, thank you, Little Sister Rui.”

The three of them clutched the bulging envelopes, their excitement mounting. Song Yao quickly felt the thickness of her envelope and immediately stuffed it into her bag. “Mom, I already have plans to go shopping with friends. I’m leaving now.” Without waiting for her parents’ permission, she bolted out the door.

Song Ziwen was momentarily stunned by Song Yao’s swift action. Honestly, in his script, he should have been the one to leave first. But he hadn't expected his older sister to be so bold today, leaving ahead of him. Wait—if Big Sister left first, would he face any repercussions once his parents snapped out of their daze? They absolutely had to secure the red envelopes. Snapping back to reality, Song Ziwen twisted his body and ran toward the exit. “Hey, Sis, what’s the meaning of that?”

By the time Song Ziwen had also fled, Wang Damei and her husband were finally regaining their senses. But by then, the siblings had vanished. Song Wenbo hurried down the stairs and peered around the stairwell corner, only to see that his daughter’s figure had already turned the corner, and his son had already bolted out of the building. This infuriated Song Wenbo; he silently berated the boy in his mind. Only now did he realize why the siblings had been whispering incessantly on the road—they had been planning this whole scheme.

Wang Damei didn't pursue them. She knew her daughter had been on the school's long-distance running team, so her speed was predictable. As for her son, he was young, and having gained a minute's head start, old Song chasing after him would be futile. “Qiqi, Qiqi, why did you give them so much money?”

Wang Qiqi chuckled inwardly at the sight of the two silly siblings bursting out the door. Why should she stop them? But she disagreed with Wang Damei’s accusation. “This money was agreed upon beforehand as payment to them. If I hadn't said anything, you wouldn't have given it to them, would you, Auntie? Did you not make that agreement with them?”

Li Cui, who had been standing by, had already recovered from the shock the moment Song Ziwen bolted out. Although she knew her daughter wouldn't do something like that, just in case, she quickly snatched the red envelope from the stunned Wang Rui’s hand.

When Wang Rui came to her senses, she realized her hand was empty. Looking up, she saw the red envelope was already in Li Cui’s grasp. “Mom, that envelope was mine!” How infuriating! Although the money was supposed to be turned in, Wang Rui had planned to negotiate the submission percentage thoroughly with her parents. Of course, she didn't have the guts to pocket the entire ten thousand yuan. After all, Song Yao and the others were already working and wouldn't starve, but Wang Rui couldn't say the same; she relied on the family for support.

“I know, don't worry. I’ll give you one thousand yuan to buy clothes. Isn't that enough? Spend it sparingly; don't act like before. You must buy clothes from the mall; you’re destined to only wear stuff from roadside stalls,” Li Cui said, reluctantly peeling off a thousand yuan while making sure to inject a sting of sarcasm into her tone.

Wang Qiqi spoke up quietly from the side, “That’s true. However, if my parents had been capable, they would have bought me clothes from the mall too. It’s just that perhaps the parents lacked that ability. And of course, ambitious parents wouldn't push their daughter off onto their brother and sister-in-law to care for.” You want to mock me? Then I won't hold back either. “Capable parents wouldn’t let their children suffer indignities. At least my parents never let me suffer, whether they were alive or after they passed.”

Wang Rui glared at Wang Qiqi, filled with hatred. Was she to be so fundamentally different from Qiqi starting today? Was she truly destined to be on the ground while Qiqi was in heaven? Wang Rui refused to accept it. You couldn’t choose your parents or your birth, but you could choose your marriage. Marrying a wealthy man, especially one snatched from Wang Qiqi, would bring her the greatest sense of accomplishment.

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