Opening with a Cursing Outburst

Chen Yunchao had stayed at guesthouses before and knew that guest room numbers were strictly confidential information. The receptionist certainly wouldn't tell him directly, but with An Qi standing beside him, the receptionist might show him an extra ounce of trust, making up an excuse to get Li Taohua's room number much easier.

Being able to state Li Taohua's name and home address accurately, coupled with the pretense of having an urgent matter with her, convinced the receptionist, who agreed to lead him and An Qi to Li Taohua's room on the third floor. Chen Yunchao politely said he could go up by himself, brushed off An Qi's hand, and hurried up the stairs.

At that moment, Chen Yunchao had only one thought in his mind: Li Taohua had found someone else in the county town.

The last time Chen Yunchao's oldest brother was hospitalized, Li Taohua had suddenly abandoned him on the way to the dormitory and disappeared. When Chen Yunchao found her the next day, she had bought new clothes and brand-new leather shoes, preparing to hail a taxi back to Xiaowu Village.

Back then, Chen Yunchao had suspected that Li Taohua might have met some wealthy tycoon in the county... And today, he had caught them red-handed. With a cuckold's cap planted firmly on his head, he must force these two faithless wretches to kneel before him and beg for mercy, make everyone in Xiaowu Village know that Li Taohua was a loose woman, and then ruthlessly discard her.

At the mere thought of the scene he was about to witness, Chen Yunchao trembled with excitement, his breathing grew shallow and rapid, and he lifted and set down his feet with utmost care, trying desperately not to make the slightest sound for fear that the man and woman inside would be alerted by the heavy thud of his work boots...

Arriving at the door of room 307, Chen Yunchao pressed against his chest, where his heart felt as though it were about to leap out. He felt even more nervous than when he had taken the college entrance examination. He secretly regulated his breath to clear his throat, preparing to burst in the moment Li Taohua opened the door and fight to the death with that wild man.

"Knock, knock, knock."

The knocking was polite and restrained.

Li Tian'er had just stepped inside and put down her purse. Hearing the knock, she assumed it was a member of the housekeeping staff coming to replace bathroom supplies. Before she could even turn the latch and pull the door open, it was shoved violently from the outside, instantly pinning her behind the leaf and nearly banging her forehead against the wooden panel.

Hearing the lock click open, Chen Yunchao pushed the door open and charged into the room. The dozen-square-meter room was visible at a glance: the bedding was neatly folded, and the bathroom door stood wide open, completely empty inside.

"Why are you here?"

Li Tian'er rubbed her forehead and stared at Chen Yunchao as if looking at some rare zoo animal.

"Why are you here?!"

Chen Yunchao retorted, a trace of inexplicable resentment lingering in his heart. He refused to believe that a woman would stay at a guesthouse all by herself.

Chen Yunchao's expression was fraught with hostility, and Li Tian'er had no desire to speak with him.

"Yunchao."

A honey-sweet voice drifted in from the doorway. An Qi poked her head in first, and upon seeing Chen Yunchao, her eyes and brows curved into crescent moons as she walked inside.

"I was getting so tired of waiting! How much longer were you planning to talk? Who is she?"

Downstairs at the front desk, when Chen Yunchao asked for Li Taohua's room number, An Qi had already figured out that his wife had arrived. Yet here she was, feigning ignorance while intimately stepping forward to link her arm through Chen Yunchao's.

Chen Yunchao had come upstairs to catch his wife committing adultery, but with An Qi pulling this stunt, she instantly framed him as a morally bankrupt husband engaging in an extramarital affair.

"My name is Li Taohua. Can you two leave now? I need to rest."

Li Tian'er showed no surprise whatsoever at An Qi's appearance, maintaining a courteous, polite smile as she showed them out.

"Get out first. This has nothing to do with you."

With a dark expression, Chen Yunchao shook off An Qi's arm. Unfazed, An Qi clung to his side like a plaster.

"Yunchao, who on earth is she? Didn't you say your wife's name is Li Taohua? Could it be her?"

An Qi looked Li Tian'er up and down, a trace of unconscious envy leaking into her eyes. She envied Li Tian'er's tall stature and perfect body proportions. Standing at under one hundred and sixty centimeters even in high heels, she wore skirts year-round to conceal her wide hips.

An Qi delivered another heavy blow, making Chen Yunchao's complexion even more unsightly. The current situation was disadvantageous to him, and he wanted to make his escape as soon as possible.

"Right, go ahead and rest. I'll come back later."

Gritting his teeth and without sparing An Qi a single glance, Chen Yunchao strode directly toward the door. An Qi hurried after him, turning back to smile at Li Tian'er as she said:

"Don't mind him. Yunchao is just like this, even at work. I'm the one who always has to clean up his messes."

"Then thank you for your hard work."

Li Tian'er moved to close the door. At that moment, the neighboring door opened, and An Changlin stepped out. Clearly, An Changlin had not expected Chen Yunchao to turn up at Li Tian'er's doorway. He froze for a second, then turned as if to retreat back into his room.

"Ah, I knew it... Hmph, the truth is finally out! You two shameless dogs, you couldn't get a marriage certificate yet you still shared a room—no wonder you were willing to splurge on two separate rooms..."

The anger that had just subsided within Chen Yunchao flared up anew. As he spoke, he pointed a trembling finger at An Changlin, his furious voice cracking in pitch. Yet angry as he was, he did not dare step forward to fight An Changlin physically, well aware of An Changlin's prowess—a single reverse arm-lock was all it would take for An Changlin to snap his arm off.

"What are you making a ruckus about in the hallway? If you have something to say, take it inside."

An Changlin had originally intended to retreat into his room to avoid a conflict with Chen Yunchao, but he hadn't expected Chen Yunchao to fixate on him with endless abuse. Then he noticed the young woman by his side, whose hand kept tugging at Chen Yunchao's sleeve in an unmistakably intimate fashion.

"If we're going inside, we'll go inside!"

Though Chen Yunchao shouted these words, his feet remained rooted to the spot, suddenly hyper-aware of the most conspicuous presence beside him—An Qi.

"I'll talk to you another day, you shameless scum! I'm going to let everyone in the village know about your dirty deeds..."

Driven frantic by rage yet terrified to engage in a physical showdown, plagued by a guilty conscience, Chen Yunchao's expressions shifted chaotically, his words devolving into total incoherence.

"Wash your mouth out before you speak. Whose dirty deeds are you talking about?"

An Changlin stepped forward and seized Chen Yunchao by the collar. Whether intentionally or not, the moment An Qi saw Chen Yunchao grabbed by the collar, struggling with a red face and swollen neck, she suddenly let out a piercing shriek.

A woman's scream in the hollow hallway rang out like a thunderclap, drawing the occupants of every room on the fourth floor out to investigate. The guesthouse receptionist threatened to call the police, prompting Li Tian'er to rush forward and intervene, explaining that it was merely a minor domestic dispute over visiting a sick family member.

"You'd better mind your manners and keep the noise down. If this happens again, I won't be able to take the responsibility—you're going to scare all the guests away."

Muttering under her breath, the receptionist clutched her ring of keys and headed downstairs. An Changlin dragged Chen Yunchao into the room, leaving An Qi locked out on the other side.

"You can either go downstairs and wait for him, or go home by yourself."

With those words, Li Tian'er shut the door. Outside, An Qi pressed her ear against the panel for a moment. Upon hearing the muffled sounds of Chen Yunchao groaning in pain, a meaningful smile touched her lips before she turned and walked away.

Today had driven Chen Yunchao into a corner; he had no choice left but to make a decisive move.

Chen Yunchao struggled with both hands to pry open An Changlin's grip on his collar, but his efforts were entirely futile. An Changlin shoved him down onto the chair by the window, finally allowing Chen Yunchao to draw a smoother breath. After coughing repeatedly, he regained his voice, only to resume cursing them as shameless scum.