Chapter 19

Chapter 19

“Let’s sleep together, Dad!”

Qiao Yu: “…Get lost. I’m counting to three.”

Man-Eating Crocodile refused to budge. “But… Dad, I’m scared~”

Qiao Yu sighed. “You’re old enough to grow up. Be good. I’ll be merciful and give you the chance to sleep on the floor.”

“But… the floor is so dirty.”

Where did this guy get so many ‘buts’? He clearly lacked a proper beating from society.

Qiao Yu impatiently issued a final ultimatum: “If you don’t get down right now, I’m opening the door to let the ghosts in.”

Man-Eating Crocodile performed a kip-up and leaped off the bed. “Okay, Dad. Goodnight, Dad.”

Qiao Yu’s biological clock was usually punctual. If the time hadn’t suddenly accelerated by several hours, he wouldn’t have stayed up until midnight with everyone else. Between the escaping and the mental exertion, Qiao Yu felt like he was getting old; he needed his rest.

As the early morning sunlight filtered into the room, Qiao Yu’s eyelashes fluttered right on cue.

The moment he opened his eyes, he saw Brother Crocodile sitting on the floor, his face resting against the edge of the bed as he slept.

If the guy’s face hadn’t been so excessively clean, Qiao Yu would have suspected that the severed head had come back for revenge.

Qiao Yu got out of bed quietly. Catching a glimpse of the sewage and minced meat covering the bathroom floor, he decisively headed back to his own room to wash up.

As long as one didn’t violate the rules, the apartment was quite safe during the day.

Of course, bloody water flowing from the pipes was a minor annoyance compared to the events of last night.

Qiao Yu expertly clenched his fist and slammed it against the rusty, old water pipe. A second later, the water flow instantly turned clear.

“It really does respond better to a beating!”

Qiao Yu rolled up his sleeves, quickly brushed his teeth and washed his face, then rushed out of the bathroom. He planned to try and run into Li Xiaoqin again; he wondered if there were still free vegetables to be had. It was all the fault of his newly-acquired ‘son’-that perfectly good plate of stir-fried tomatoes and eggs had gone to waste.

However, Qiao Yu froze for a moment after opening his door in frustration.

There was no other reason than the fact that while he had run into someone, it wasn’t the right person.

He saw Li Xiaoqin’s wretched husband humming a tune as he walked toward them, looking as though he hadn’t been home all night.

“Open the door!”

The man looked smug, as if he had picked up money off the street.

The door opened quickly, revealing Li Xiaoqin, who looked like she had just woken up.

He was too early; she hadn’t left for the wet market yet.

Qiao Yu: “…”

What a waste of his anticipation.

Strangely, Li Xiaoqin looked as if she had been frightened. Her face turned as pale as paper, though she looked slightly better than she had yesterday.

Qiao Yu rubbed his stomach. Deciding that eating was the top priority, he resolved to go downstairs to the Landlord Uncle’s shop to buy some snacks to tide himself over.

Before he could even step out of his doorway, he heard Li Xiaoqin’s wretched husband shouting orders. “I’m starving. Hurry up and cook. I want some chicken soup to nourish myself.”

“Do you know how much I won yesterday?”

“Seven thousand! A full seven thousand yuan!”

“Hurry it up. I have to go back after I eat. I need to strike it rich while my luck is still good.”

Li Xiaoqin was stunned. Suppressing the shock in her expression, she stepped aside to let the man in. Then, she tried to advise him as usual. “Since you’ve already won seven thousand, why don’t you skip going today? Your supervisor called again and said your attendance this month is substandard. If you’re late again, they’ll fire you.”

“What the hell do you know? If I don’t win big while my luck is high, am I supposed to just let it slip away?”

“And another thing-don’t bother me with work talk ever again. If he wants to fire me, let him. If you keep nagging me, believe it or not, I’ll beat you to death!”

Qiao Yu pulled back his foot, narrowing his eyes as he watched the man’s smug, arrogant expression.

It was just seven thousand yuan won from gambling. To look at him, one would think those seven thousand yuan were going to double the national GDP.
He hated men who bullied women more than anything-and that applied to female ghosts, too. Thank you very much.

“That’s enough. Only a worthless man takes his frustrations out on his wife every day.”

“Where the hell did this busybody come from? Who are you?” The man was built like a bear, and the look he gave was more vicious than a malevolent spirit from the abyss.

“I’m the guy from next door.”

The man frowned. “Who? I don’t know you.”

“It doesn’t matter if you know me, but if you’re willing to call me ‘Daddy,’ then from now on, you can be my little prince.”

Li Xiaoqin: “…”

It took the man a good while to realize he was being insulted. He shoved Li Xiaoqin aside and lunged toward Qiao Yu, threatening, “You think I won’t beat the crap out of you?”

Qiao Yu rolled up his sleeves and clenched his fists, looking completely fearless. “Go ahead. I’ll believe it when I see it.”

His “I don’t care about life or death, let’s go” attitude actually made the man hesitate. He stood there for a long moment, unable to tell if Qiao Yu actually had the skills to back it up or if he was just bluffing.

“What? Scared?”

Faced with Qiao Yu’s repeated provocations, the man instinctively took a step back. Immediately feeling like he’d lost face, his eyes darted around in frustrated embarrassment until they landed on Li Xiaoqin’s wooden expression. As if he had suddenly figured something out, he roared, “I get it now!”

*Wait, what exactly do you get?*

“You’re this bitch’s lover, aren’t you? You’re here to play the hero for her?”

Qiao Yu: “…”

Was this what they meant by “sitting at home while an affair falls from the sky”?

Before Qiao Yu could even deny it, Li Xiaoqin seemed to snap. She let out a wail and rushed forward. “You’re lying! You’re lying! How did you become like this? How can you frame me so indiscriminately! I’m just… I’m just infertile. You said back then not to take the child issue to heart, and we even adopted Yuanyuan… But, but why have we become like this? Hou Yong, tell me!”

For some reason, a rare flash of guilt appeared on the man’s face. He shook Li Xiaoqin off and snapped, “Whether I’m framing you or not, you know the truth in your heart. Besides, what are you trying to do by bringing up all this old history? Forget it-I’m not eating this meal!”

With that, he fled the scene in a panic.

*This reaction is a bit off,* Qiao Yu thought.

Li Xiaoqin chased after him but couldn’t keep up with Hou Yong’s pace. She could only stand there helplessly, watching the man’s retreating back, murmuring to herself, “Why did it turn out like this… Tell me, make it clear…”

“Um…” Qiao Yu couldn’t help but step forward with a soul-searching question. “Did this man named Hou Yong save your life at some point?”

Being devoted was one thing, but you had to pick the right person, lady. Why stay with a guy like this? Is she keeping him around for the holidays?

Li Xiaoqin lowered her lashes and shook her head. In a soft, nasal voice, she defended her terrible husband. “He used to be very good to me. He was gentle and considerate, and he never raised his voice at me. There were even several times when I was half-asleep and heard him whispering to me, ‘Baby, I love you so much.’ I don’t know why things suddenly changed between us. Maybe he still hates me because I can’t carry on his family line…”

Qiao Yu wanted to say that the Qing Dynasty was long dead-what was the point of passing on his surname? Was it to inherit the family’s pots and pans?

Of course, he couldn’t say that out loud. Li Xiaoqin was a total hopeless romantic; she might even be blaming herself for the whole thing.

Qiao Yu was silent for a moment before saying, “Let’s look at the bigger picture here. Do you think there’s a possibility that when you were sleeping, he was actually sending voice messages to a different ‘baby’?”