Chapter 6

Chapter 6

After that incident, the Duck Family kept a much lower profile in the neighborhood.

They stopped actively picking fights, but their petty habits-littering and spitting everywhere-continued unabated.

I knew full well their restraint was only because I was here.

But my lease was only for a year.

What would happen after I left?

What would happen to the elderly, the weak, the women, the children, and the honest people living here?

To leave evil partially uprooted is to not remove it at all.

I had to pull them out by the roots.

Fortresses are always breached from within.

To completely eradicate this family, I had to break them apart and take them down one by one.

To that end, I orchestrated a “Duck-Butchering Scam.”

Mr. Duck’s weakness was obvious: he was a lecherous glutton with an insatiable libido. If a mosquito flew past him, he’d probably catch it just to check if it was female.

Mrs. Duck, on the other hand, was obsessed with “toxic chicken soup” for the soul. She lived for those short videos that preached things like, “You handle the breadwinning, I’ll handle the beauty,” or “A man’s heart is wherever his money is.”

She could scroll through those videos all afternoon without stopping.

As for Little Duck, he was even easier.

I walked straight out my door and knocked on the neighbor’s house.

Little Duck looked at me with a face full of suspicion. “What do you want?”

“Do you play Honor of Kings?” I asked.

“My dad says you’re a bad person,” he replied. “I’m not playing with you!”

“I’m V10,” I said casually. “I have the Monkey’s Hellfire Skin.”

His eyes lit up. “Can I come to your house and play?”

I let him play one round before taking my phone back.

“Aw, I haven’t had enough! Let me play a bit longer!”

“I want to play too,” I said. “Let’s duo queue.”

“But do you have another phone?”

I shook my head. “No. Why don’t you go steal your dad’s phone?”

“Okay,” he agreed. “I’ll go steal it when he takes his afternoon nap.”

I patted his head. “What a filial son you are.”

That was how I got ahold of his father’s phone and found his Douyin Account.

There were dozens of videos-all close-up selfies of him showing off non-existent muscles or filming his bulging beer belly.

The background music was always some soulful, raspy song from a bygone era, paired with heavy filters that made him look like an old cucumber painted green to look fresh.

The vibe of an old peacock fanning its feathers to find a mate was overwhelming.

As for why I didn’t ask for his WeChat ID…

WeChat is more private. During this sensitive period, it would easily arouse Mr. Duck’s suspicion.

A Douyin Account was different. Mr. Duck would simply think I was an ignorant young girl captivated by his “robust masculine aura.”

So, how should this “young girl” start the conversation so it felt natural and not forced?

After changing my profile picture to a female one, I sat in my study and racked my brain.

Saying “Hello” was too business-like.

Saying “I’m home alone and so scared” was too disgusting.

Saying “Big brother, you’re so handsome” was more than my conscience could bear.

Just then, Mr. Duck took the initiative and sent me a private message.

“Hello, beautiful (rose). Are you bored being home alone? Do you need a handsome big brother to comfort your loneliness? (covering mouth laugh, smirk).”

I froze for a second, then realized he must have seen my profile in his recent visitors list.

He had caught the scent and come running.

It absolutely revolted me.

I typed back: “Stop it, you’re so bad.”

On Mrs. Duck’s side, things were also in motion.

One of the neighbors in our group chat had a wife who owned a beauty salon.

She had also been victimized by the Duck Family’s antics before. When she heard I was seeking revenge, she was all for it.

While Mrs. Duck was out shopping, they handed her a flyer.

Free cosmetics and a free skin analysis.

No gimmicks, no pressure to buy a membership-just pure sincerity.

As soon as Mrs. Duck walked in, the owner said, “We don’t do treatments for minors.”

The employee who led her in said, “Boss, this sister is an adult.”

The owner looked skeptical. “No way. Let me see her ID.”

Mrs. Duck beamed as she pulled out her ID card.

The owner covered her mouth in disbelief. “You’re thirty-six? I thought you were sixteen! Sister, how do you maintain yourself? You look like you could be in the same class as my daughter!”

The employee chimed in, “Exactly! This sister’s skin is amazing. I’ve been in the medical aesthetics industry for years and I’ve never seen skin so naturally hydrated!”

“Wow, it feels softer than a baby’s!”

“How could God be so biased toward you? It’s not fair!”

Amidst the barrage of compliments, Mrs. Duck gradually lost herself.

“Quack, quack, quack, quack!” she cackled with joy.