CHAPTER 386: CHAPTER 386: AFRAID YOU NO LONGER HAVE A HOME

That cold gaze descended from above, as if looking down at an ant.

In that instant, the woman’s heart shrank violently.

The Cheng Family’s downfall—she was aware of it. After she left, Cheng Huai had died, Cheng Guomin went to prison, Zhao Haishuang lost her mind, and not long ago, news of her suicide spread.

Even though she had lived for the better part of a lifetime, hearing these events flooding in one after another still made her feel an ache in her head.

She also knew that all those people’s ruin sprang from the revenge of the man standing before her.

Thinking of this, she realized she could not stay here anymore.

She immediately turned to leave.

But unexpectedly, a man blocked her path.

Cheng Lie’s cold voice came from behind her: "Going home? I’m afraid you don’t have a home to return to anymore."

The woman didn’t understand what Cheng Lie meant, but judging by his current attire and demeanor, she knew he was someone she could no longer provoke.

She turned and pleaded with Cheng Lie: "Young Master Cheng, I’m sorry. Everything I did before—Mistress ordered me to do those things. Please, show magnanimity and forgive me."

Upon hearing this, Cheng Lie let out a derisive laugh, then said, "Forgive you? You think you’re worthy?"

The woman cautiously lifted her eyes to glance at Cheng Lie. His expression was enigmatic, his lips curled into a cold smile, as though watching a thrilling drama unfold.

Suddenly, a thought struck her.

"Could it be... losing my job was your doing?"

Cheng Lie didn’t respond, but his lack of denial was as good as admission.

The woman was utterly shocked.

It was truly him!

She had suspected something, wondering how she could have been abruptly cast out from that household when she’d done nothing wrong before.

"How could you be so ruthless?"

She cursed Cheng Lie, her words venomous, which even made Zhao Pan urge her to shut up.

But Cheng Lie didn’t seem angry at all. Rarely, he even smirked.

"This is the price you must pay."

After Cheng Lie said this, he turned and left.

Leaving the woman behind, still hurling curses at him.

If she had known earlier, she should have advised Mistress to kill this little bastard—that woman hadn’t been ruthless enough!

Otherwise, they wouldn’t have ended up in such dire straits.

But now, this person was no longer the boy they could casually bully in the past; he was someone with a dangerous air about him.

Beside him trailed a bodyguard exuding oppressive authority.

If Zhao Pan knew she mistook him for a mere bodyguard, he’d probably cough up blood in fury.

The woman already understood that since Cheng Lie had made his move, he surely wouldn’t give her any further chances.

Forget it, anyway, she still had some savings. She’d slowly find other work later; worst case, she could help her son raise his kids.

After all, she was used to being a nanny—handling children and housework was her specialty.

Only, when she returned to her small house in the alley, she saw piles of belongings at the doorstep. Upon closer inspection, she realized they were all hers.

What happened?

She rushed into the house.

The cramped single-story building even had more of her things scattered across the yard.

"Mom, you’re back," her son called out to her.

"What’s going on? Why are my things all dumped outside?" she asked.

"Oh, some gentleman gave me a large sum of money. He said as long as I kick you out, the money is mine."

"You’ve lost your mind!" Seeing her son’s eyes gleaming with greed at the mention of money, the woman was dumbfounded.

"Mom, Xiaomei is about to give birth. Our family isn’t well-off, so please, just help us out."

"Exactly, Mom. The baby in my belly is your grandchild. For the sake of your grandchild, shouldn’t you make this little sacrifice?"

What kind of sacrifice is "shouldn’t you make"?!

The woman’s aging face first showed shock and then sunk into despair.

"I’m your mother! And this is how you treat me?!"

Just for a little money!

Suddenly, the woman thought of what Cheng Lie had said—she no longer had a home...

At the time, she had thought he was referring to the Zhang Family.

She hadn’t expected it to mean her own family!

He had actually manipulated her loved ones, using money to sow discord between mother and child!

He truly was a devil!

The woman tried to say something to her son, but the man impatiently pushed her out of the house.

The door slammed shut, and as the woman pounded on it, no one answered.

She looked down at her old, worn blankets and familiar possessions strewn across the ground, trembling all over.

She no longer had a home.

Her own son had actually driven her out!

So this was... Cheng Lie’s delayed revenge.

If he had struck her directly, she could’ve seized the opportunity to extort some money from him. But no, he said nothing, choosing instead to destroy the bond between her and her son—a move that utterly crushed her!

To kill someone emotionally, wasn’t this the ultimate cruelty?

As Zhao Pan drove, he recalled the earlier scene.

Honestly, every step of the plan had been orchestrated by him on Cheng Lie’s behalf. Thinking of that woman’s final state, cast out with nowhere to turn, he couldn’t help but shake his head.

He resolved that moving forward, he’d tread carefully and never cross Cheng Lie.

If Cheng Lie ever used similar methods against him, he figured he’d be doomed in no time.

Mr. Cheng was that kind of man—he excelled at manipulating emotions.

When he acted calmly, his decisions seemed casual on the surface, yet they could cost lives.

He thought, that nanny’s upcoming days would undoubtedly be grim.

And there were still a few others left to face revenge.

Zhao Pan felt like a knife in the hand of an executioner. Yet, he oddly appreciated this non-violent means of resolving issues.

Thinking this, Zhao Pan couldn’t help but suspect there might be something wrong with him, for he somehow admired Mr. Cheng’s methods.

...

Yun Shifei arranged to meet Sun Xiaoqi for food.

She used the opportunity to tell Sun Xiaoqi about her plan, and without hesitation, Sun Xiaoqi agreed.

"Sure, it’s perfect timing since our family’s business hasn’t been doing well recently. If this can improve our situation, my parents will definitely look at me differently."

Yun Shifei hadn’t expected Sun Xiaoqi to trust her this much, and she felt touched.

"Aren’t you worried I might trick you?"

Sun Xiaoqi waved dismissively: "It’s just posting things online, right? Honestly, I’m on the internet a lot myself these days. There’s quite a bit of interesting stuff there."

Yun Shifei thought Sun Xiaoqi was truly wonderful—the best friend she’d made back in high school.

They ordered some food and chatted about the current situations of their former classmates while they ate.

"To be honest, Mu Chengzhu marrying Yun Sisi really came as a surprise to me."

She had previously heard that Mu Chengzhu didn’t like Yun Sisi—plus, Yun Sisi had been kicked out of the Yun Family. With her poor finances and diminished beauty, she couldn’t fathom why Mu Chengzhu had chosen to marry her.

Seeing Sun Xiaoqi also wearing the same look of disbelief about Mu Chengzhu and Yun Sisi’s mismatched pairing, Yun Shifei couldn’t help but laugh: "Don’t forget, they actually used to suit each other well."