Chapter 119:

Why did it affect them?

Yu Qingshan was at the supermarket this time, inspecting the wall near the entrance on the first floor. A notice board was posted there, listing information such as the fire safety officer and the food court manager. The blank space next to it was reserved for small inspection cards recording safety and hygiene checks, including the results and times. If left empty, it meant they hadn’t conducted the inspection.

Li Dazhu stood beside him, staring blankly since he couldn’t understand what was written.

Lost in thought, he was suddenly jolted awake by a commotion.

Yu Xianghai wanted to call Yu Qingshan, but Yu Qingshan hadn’t brought his phone, so the news arrived a step late—just in time to witness the scene firsthand.

Even Yu Xianghai was shocked.

Not long ago, his father had just asked about it, and now this had happened.

When he heard Ye Qijia mention it, he was stunned.

He had been buried in his work and hadn’t noticed, but near Ye Qijia’s clothing store, many big-character posters had been plastered everywhere—as if they were free—covering the entire street.

The posters contained both images and text. The images were particularly scandalous, showing Ding Minxiu kissing a man.

Such pictures naturally drew attention, and some people began making crude remarks.

“Who is this woman?”

“She looks familiar.”

Then someone recognized her: “Isn’t that the Zhou family’s daughter-in-law?”

“That’s her! No wonder she looked familiar!”

“Tsk, who knows how many men she’s been with after working outside for so many years.”

“This must be the work of the original wife.”

“No wonder their family seemed to be doing well—she must have been ‘earning money’ outside.”

The implication of “earning money” was obvious.

“She’s not bad-looking. Wonder how much she charges…”

The conversation grew increasingly vulgar.

When Zhou Boyang saw the posters, his head buzzed, and everything went black.

Whoever distributed the photos had come prepared. They knew where the Zhou family lived and even handed Zhou Boyang a high-definition version.

The shock was too much. By the time Zhou Boyang regained consciousness, his son and daughter-in-law were already arguing over the poster.

The daughter-in-law shrieked, “Your mother is a disgrace! How dare you raise your voice at me?”

Zhou Tianyou retorted, “She’s your mother-in-law too!”

Zhou Boyang, furious, roared, “She’s no mother of yours—she’s a disgrace!”

Gasping for breath, Zhou Boyang immediately grabbed money to buy a train ticket. He was going to beat that shameless woman to death!

After a moment’s hesitation, Zhou Tianyou followed.

His wife stayed behind to watch the house.

The original wife had provided detailed information, so Zhou Boyang knew exactly where to find Ding Minxiu once he arrived in the special economic zone.

No one in Baishi County had warned Ding Minxiu in advance. Who would dare bring up such a thing?

Besides, Ding Minxiu and Zhao Qiangniang had no close friends. Now that this scandal had erupted, people were more likely to laugh at them than help.

Zhou Boyang and Zhou Tianyou arrived in the special economic zone.

Ding Minxiu, unaware of the situation, was at home having lunch when they set out.

Their home—yes, *their* home.

It was a 90-square-meter apartment with three rooms, just right for their needs. There was even space for the child to have their own room when they grew older. Zhao Qiangniang helped with daily chores and childcare. Ding Minxiu cared for her young son, though she didn’t spend as much time with him as Zhao Qiangniang did—she was busy improving herself.

She bought many magazines—fashion, clothing, and more—to ensure she had common topics with Chen Wen. She couldn’t rely solely on their child to keep him interested; she needed to maintain his affection longer to gain more benefits.

Ding Minxiu’s studiousness, combined with her current lack of financial pressure (since she didn’t work and Zhao Qiangniang helped with the child), made her appear even younger. This indeed made Chen Wen pay more attention to her. No one wanted to talk to someone who couldn’t understand them.

Afraid of being recognized by acquaintances, Ding Minxiu lived like a “kept woman,” rarely leaving the apartment. When she did go out, she disguised herself. Only when Chen Wen took her out did she dress up and appear in public looking glamorous—something Chen Wen loved.

Back in her hometown, Ding Minxiu sent money regularly and occasionally had Zhao Qiangniang return to check on things.

That was her other son’s home.

Though he seemed hopeless, Ding Minxiu couldn’t abandon him.

After lunch, Zhao Qiangniang asked what she wanted to eat. The fridge was empty, and Ding Minxiu wanted some fresh air. “Let’s go out together after our nap.”

When Zhou Boyang and Zhou Tianyou arrived at their address, the two women were out. After knocking repeatedly with no response, they began to doubt—either they’d just left, or the information on the poster was wrong.

A neighbor, annoyed by the noise, shouted from inside, “They went to the supermarket to buy groceries. Stop knocking! If it’s urgent, you can go there. They just left and won’t be back soon.”

Zhou Boyang asked which supermarket and headed there.

As they left, Zhou Tianyou was still in a daze.

Such a bright, beautiful apartment… His mother lived here?

The supermarket Ding Minxiu and Zhao Qiangniang went to was the same one Yu Qingshan was inspecting.

They didn’t know Yu Xiang’an had a stake in it—otherwise, they probably wouldn’t have set foot inside.

Zhou Boyang and Zhou Tianyou entered the supermarket, searched around, and spotted Ding Minxiu near the entrance in the home appliances section.

With the child in her arms.

As they approached, they heard Zhao Qiangniang cooing at the baby: “Little treasure, are you awake? Did you miss Grandma? Wait a bit, let Grandma rest her arms first.”

The baby giggled, blowing a raspberry.

Zhou Boyang’s face twisted into a grotesque smile. *Grandma?* Oh, this was rich.

“Whose child is this? Huh? Tell me, whose bastard is this?!”

Zhou Boyang’s blood boiled. He’d originally planned to find a private place to talk and avoid a scene, but now he couldn’t hold back.

His outburst startled Ding Minxiu and Zhao Qiangniang, who had been leisurely browsing rice cookers. When they turned, they saw Zhou Boyang’s furious, bull-like glare. Ding Minxiu instinctively tightened her grip on the child.

Zhao Qiangniang was also terrified, her face flushing red as she trembled.

She knew her daughter was in the wrong.

If their marriage was truly unbearable, she should have divorced first. But she hadn’t—she’d cheated instead.

She’d tried to advise her, but Ding Minxiu wouldn’t listen. What else could she do?

Now that her son-in-law had appeared, Zhao Qiangniang froze in fear.

Zhou Tianyou, staring at the child who couldn’t even walk yet, was equally furious, his chest heaving.

No wonder his mother hadn’t returned for so long—she’d had another child! Of course she didn’t dare go back.

Ding Minxiu was too shocked to speak. Zhou Boyang grabbed her shoulders and shook her violently. “What, you still won’t say who you’re protecting?!”

During the New Year, when Ding Minxiu hadn’t returned, claiming she was too busy but sending more money, he’d been happy for her, thinking she was valued at work. But no—she’d been cuckolding him!

She’d even had a bastard!

Noticing the gold earrings on her ears, he gritted his teeth. “The adulterer’s rich, huh? Still won’t talk? And this little bastard!”

He glared at the wide-eyed child, startled by his shouting, and tried to snatch it away—this was the adulterer’s child!

Ding Minxiu clung tightly to the baby. “What are you doing? Are you insane?!”

Zhou Boyang roared, “Insane? Yes, I am insane!” When he couldn’t take the child, he backhanded Ding Minxiu across the face. The force sent her stumbling, blood trickling from her lips. To avoid crushing the baby, she twisted mid-fall, landing on her back. The child, terrified, burst into tears.

The commotion grew louder. People nearby had already been watching, and now even those farther away turned to look.

Curious onlookers quickly formed a crowd.

Zhou Boyang ignored them, continuing to berate Ding Minxiu: “You shameless whore! I should’ve known you’d spread your legs for anyone! What, am I too old for you now? Had to find a richer man? Abandoned your family, your son, your grandson—where is he? Where’s that bastard?!”

He struck her again, putting his full strength into the blow. No one intervened.

The implications in his words were too damning. This was her husband, and the child wasn’t his—how could they possibly step in?

Only Zhao Qiangniang, trembling, moved between them, sobbing, “Stop hitting her! Please stop!”

Zhou Boyang showed her no mercy, shoving her aside. “You have no right! You two must’ve planned this together! Get in my way again, and I’ll hit you too!”

He retained some shred of rationality—he didn’t strike Zhao Qiangniang. An elderly person could easily die from a single blow.

As the scene escalated, Yu Qingshan, unaware of who was involved, knew disturbances had to be stopped quickly. “Excuse me, let me through.” He pushed forward and saw Zhao Qiangniang being shoved to the ground. Zhou Boyang, in his rage, had used considerable force, and Zhao Qiangniang couldn’t get up, moaning in pain.

Zhou Boyang ignored her, kicking and punching Ding Minxiu.

Yu Qingshan: “!!!”

He understood the situation now, but if this continued, how could the supermarket operate normally? He shouted, “Security! Security, come quick!”

Amid the crowd of onlookers, Yu Qingshan stood out as the only one calling for security.

Ding Minxiu turned toward the voice. *Who’s calling security? Good—better yet, call the police!* She feared Zhou Boyang might beat her to death in his rage.

Then she saw Yu Qingshan, standing firmly in the crowd, summoning security. A chill ran through her. *I’m in this state, and Mom can’t even get up—can’t he at least try to protect us?*

*After all those years of marriage, is this how little he cares?*

*He really is heartless.*

Yu Qingshan had no intention of stepping in himself. At his age, he feared ending up on the ground too. That’s what security was for—they were paid to maintain order.

Li Dazhu stood protectively beside Yu Qingshan, shielding him from the jostling crowd.

Ding Minxiu took another heavy slap. Zhou Boyang: “You whore! You and your bastard! Still won’t talk? Where’s the adulterer?!”

Chen Wen couldn’t be dragged into this.

Ding Minxiu knew that much.

She didn’t know how Zhou Boyang and their son had found out or why they’d arrived so suddenly, giving her no time to react. But Chen Wen couldn’t be involved—if he were beaten, he’d resent her, and she’d soon be cast aside. That wasn’t what she wanted.

With the Zhou family already in ruins, she couldn’t lose Chen Wen too.

So Ding Minxiu pointed—at the tall, burly Li Dazhu. “You want to know who the father is? It’s him! ‘Dad,’ aren’t you coming over? Your wife and child are being beaten to death!”

Li Dazhu looked left and right as people quickly stepped aside, leaving him and Yu Qingshan exposed. He glanced at Yu Qingshan—surely she didn’t mean him? Then it must be… himself?

Li Dazhu’s face paled. He had someone he liked—how could she slander him like this? But the more panicked he grew, the less he could speak. Sweat beaded on his forehead as he shook his head frantically, unable to utter a word.

*How could this woman be so cruel? We’ve never even spoken!*

Zhou Boyang looked over, feeling as if a bucket of ice water had been dumped over him, chilling him to the bone.

This wasn’t the man in the photo. This woman—she’d given him *multiple* green hats!

Zhou Boyang saw red. All rationality vanished as he rained blows on Ding Minxiu.

“I’ll kill you, you shameless slut! You disgraceful whore! Die!”

Ding Minxiu screamed in pain. “Help! Someone help!” *Why is he still hitting me after I pointed someone out?!*

Zhou Boyang’s frenzy made bystanders even more reluctant to intervene—they’d only get hurt.

Some turned their gazes to Li Dazhu. *Why is this adulterer just standing there like a log?*

*Isn’t he going to protect her?*

*At least say something in defense—why just stand there dumbly?*

Yu Qingshan glared at Ding Minxiu, his sympathy gone. *How dare she frame Dazhu like this? How heartless!*

Fortunately, security finally pushed through the crowd. Yu Qingshan pointed at Zhou Boyang. “They’re causing a disturbance. Has anyone called the police? They can’t keep making a scene here—where’s your manager?”

The security team swarmed Zhou Boyang, restraining him from further violence. They didn’t know Yu Qingshan, but he was right—this couldn’t continue. If things escalated, say, to manslaughter, it’d be terrible for business.

Zhou Boyang’s hands were restrained by others, unable to move, so he resorted to kicking, striking Ding Minxiu’s body. “You vile woman, vile woman!”

Ding Minxiu hunched over, fiercely protecting the child in her arms. Seeing that he was being held back, she quickly shuffled backward to put distance between them.

A security guard observed the scene and said, “We’ve already called the police. Please come with us. No disturbances are allowed here. Everyone, disperse. There’s nothing to see.”

As the crowd was dispersed, Zhou Boyang and the others were escorted to a meeting room to wait for the police.

Zhao Qiaoniang lay on the ground, tears streaming down her face. A security guard tried to help her up, but she cried out in pain at the slightest movement, so they dared not lift her and instead called for an ambulance.

A nearby police station ensured officers arrived quickly.

Upon learning it was a domestic dispute—where a wife had cheated and had a child with another man—the two male officers, though sympathetic, sternly reprimanded Zhou Boyang for resorting to violence.

Moreover, Zhou Boyang had pushed an elderly woman, sending her to the hospital with unknown injuries. If the injuries were severe, the consequences would be far worse.

Li Dazhu, an innocent bystander, was dragged into the mess simply because Ding Minxiu had falsely accused him of being the child’s father. Terrified—he had never imagined ending up at a police station—he kept casting pleading glances at Yu Qingshan. Unable to ignore him, Yu Qingshan patted Li Dazhu’s arm reassuringly, promising to accompany him.

While they headed to the station, Zhao Qiaoniang was taken directly to the hospital.

Ding Minxiu, battered and disheveled, was helped by others to tidy up. The child in her arms wailed incessantly, frightened but unharmed thanks to her tight grip.

Ding Minxiu had tried to implicate Li Dazhu, but Yu Qingshan intervened, speaking on his behalf while Li Dazhu nodded vigorously in agreement. Ding Minxiu didn’t press further—her goal had merely been to divert Zhou Boyang’s rage and inconvenience Yu Qingshan.

When Yu Qingshan mentioned DNA testing to determine paternity, she fell silent, successfully exonerating both men.

With no further interest in the matter, Yu Qingshan left abruptly.

Now at the station, Ding Minxiu no longer feared Zhou Boyang’s violence and could face him calmly.

Realizing Li Dazhu’s innocence, Zhou Boyang glared at Ding Minxiu with venomous contempt, sneering repeatedly. How had he been so blind to choose this deceitful woman over Yu Xiang’an, his betrothed?

As his rationality returned, Zhou Boyang crouched low, head in hands, overwhelmed by shame. How could he ever show his face in public again after this?

Zhou Tianyou stayed quiet, lost in thought. Though he had restrained himself from joining Zhou Boyang’s violent outburst, he harbored his own calculations. His biological mother might have betrayed them, but she was still his mother. If she prospered, she wouldn’t neglect him. He wondered if the house she lived in was under her name—if so, it might one day be his.

Even without the house, Zhou Tianyou glanced at Ding Minxiu’s missing gold earring—she still had other valuables. So he remained silent, crouching nearby with a sorrowful expression.

Yu Qingshan returned home with Li Dazhu, both seething with anger. When Yu Xiang’an returned from work and saw their expressions, she asked curiously, “Dad, what’s wrong? Who upset you?”

Yu Qingshan waved a tired hand. “Let me catch my breath first. I’ll tell you later.”

Yu Xiang’an nodded. “Alright.”

Her curiosity only grew.

The landline rang—it was Yu Xianghai calling again after an earlier unanswered attempt. Yu Xiang’an picked up.

“Hello?”

“Xiao An? It’s me. Is Dad there?”

Yu Xiang’an: “Yes, what’s up?”

Yu Xianghai: “Well, Dad had asked me earlier if there was any news about the Zhou family. Today, something happened. Someone—probably the original wife—posted big-character posters all over our county, plastering intimate photos of Ding Minxiu with another man. Zhou Boyang and his son took a train there. The whole county’s talking about it.”

His loud voice carried, and Yu Qingshan, sitting nearby, overheard.

So that’s what happened.

Yu Qingshan sighed. “Don’t even mention it. I just got back from the police station. I witnessed the whole thing—they showed up at the mall we invested in to shop, then caused a scene. And Ding Minxiu… I don’t even know how to describe her. When Zhou Boyang demanded to know who the other man was, she pointed at Dazhu and claimed it was him. I nearly choked in disbelief.”

Li Dazhu, normally a sturdy man, sat slumped and dejected, bewildered by how someone could lie so shamelessly.

Yu Xiang’an was stunned by the drama. On the other end of the line, Ye Qijia squeezed in to listen, enthralled by the firsthand account.

This was live action, the freshest gossip!

Ye Qijia lamented not being there—their county hadn’t seen such a scandal in years, and with their family’s history with the Zhous, she would’ve loved to witness the fallout.

“Are they still at the station? I need to restock my inventory—maybe I’ll swing by,” Ye Qijia mused, eager to catch the latest updates.

Yu Xianghai glanced at her. “I’ll help you.”

Truthfully, he wanted to see it too.

He had almost forgotten their past grievances, but now, seeing their lives unravel, he wondered if they regretted their choices.

Not that it mattered.

They had made their bed.

If karma existed, this was it.

Zhou Boyang had cheated on his betrothal with Ding Minxiu, even sacrificing a job to smooth things over. Now, years later, Ding Minxiu had cuckolded him spectacularly—poetic justice.

As for Ding Minxiu, Yu Xiang’an doubted she’d fare well. The posters blanketing Baishi County proved the original wife was no pushover.

Hardship awaited her.

Yu Xianghai sighed. “Xiao An, even though we’ve moved on and live well, seeing them like this… it’s satisfying.”

So satisfying that he felt like cracking open a bottle with their father to toast.