Free Web NovelChapter 56: Chapter 56: Pissing You Off
By now, pretty much everyone in Xinghua Village knew that Tang Yuanxiao had returned—everyone except their next-door neighbor, Qin Shanshan.
Ever since the last incident, Qin Shanshan had been cooped up at home, refusing to go out.
She was filled with hatred and tried to find ways to improve her situation, but it was hopeless. The moment she stepped outside, she was met with gossip, so she preferred not to leave.
These days, she spent all her time at home brooding, cursing Su Li and the others. She never stepped out the door, living in a self-imposed isolation from the world.
This isolation was so complete that she didn’t even know Tang Yuanxiao had come back. freeweɓnovēl.coɱ
Her mother, Aunt Li, had known for a while but hadn’t bothered to tell her. Aunt Li used to have a good relationship with the Tang Family, but things hadn’t been so great recently.
As a mother, Aunt Li didn’t care whether Qin Shanshan was right or wrong; all she knew was that her daughter’s reputation had been damaged, so she redirected her anger.
Aunt Li had started to resent Mrs. Tang, Su Li, and even Tang Yuanxiao, so she didn’t want to bring them up.
Her silence, however, caused Qin Shanshan a world of trouble.
Five minutes ago, when Qin Shanshan suddenly heard the news of Tang Yuanxiao’s return, she was shocked, overjoyed, and in disbelief all at once.
Her heart instantly started racing. She hastily straightened her clothes and hair, and on a sudden impulse, she ran right into the Tang Family’s home.
"Brother Tang Yuan..."
The moment she entered, her eyes locked onto Tang Yuanxiao, who was busy with some work. Her gaze instantly became infatuated, and she saw no one else.
The "no one else" included Su Li and Little Tang Mo. Even though they were closer to her, she completely ignored them.
Watching Qin Shanshan’s dazed expression and the way she reached out into the air, Su Li nearly gagged.
’Does she think she’s in a TV drama?’ Su Li grumbled to herself.
Tang Yuanxiao glanced back casually, not even noticing Qin Shanshan’s lovelorn expression.
"Caihua’s here."
Their families were next-door neighbors, so of course he recognized her, but that was about the extent of it.
He paid her no mind after the greeting, but as Qin Shanshan looked at him... her eyes filled with tears.
"Brother Tang Yuan, it’s been another year."
’A whole year. So long. This longing pierced her to the bone.’
’If I hadn’t stolen a photo of Tang Yuanxiao from Mrs. Tang, which let me soothe my heartache from time to time, I probably wouldn’t have been able to bear it...’
Thinking of all the grievances she had suffered, tears welled up in Qin Shanshan’s eyes.
Su Li was speechless.
’I can’t watch this anymore. It’s disgusting!’
"Mama, can’t she see us?" Little Tang Mo asked Su Li honestly, glancing at Qin Shanshan.
"Maybe not," Su Li chuckled. "Little Mo, Qin Shanshan is a scholar. Scholars often have bad eyesight. They’re so nearsighted, it’s almost like being blind. You’ll have to forgive her for it in the future."
Su Li didn’t lower her voice, so Qin Shanshan couldn’t possibly ignore her.
Su Li’s voice snapped Qin Shanshan back to reality.
She pulled her hand back, looked toward Su Li and Little Tang Mo, and forced a smile as she greeted them.
"Su Li, Momo..."
Though she was smiling, her eyes were filled with icy hatred.
Little Tang Mo looked at her and immediately hugged Su Li. "Mama."
His voice held a trace of unease. He wanted to hide, but he also wanted to protect Su Li, so he took two steps back while clinging to her.
"Has it been so long that Momo’s gotten shy around me?"
With the man she loved right there, Qin Shanshan suppressed her anger and put on a ’motherly’ smile. "How about Sister Shanshan comes over to play more often in the future?"
Little Tang Mo didn’t answer, refusing to give Qin Shanshan the "yes" she wanted.
Tang Yuanxiao, who had been listening to their conversation, thought for a moment, then put down his work and walked over.
"Momo, come here. Let your mom talk with Sister Caihua."
He assumed Qin Shanshan must have come over to chat and hang out with Su Li.
Hearing this, Qin Shanshan’s face froze. She almost blurted out, ’I came to see you!’
’As if I’d want to see Su Li! I was patient and pretended to be friendly with her before because I had to. Now... Su Li’s not so easy to fool, so I can’t be bothered.’
Qin Shanshan looked aggrieved. "Brother Tang Yuan, I only came over because I heard you were back. We grew up together, and you’re always away from home. I... We all missed you a lot."
Tang Yuanxiao frowned and let out a confused, "Oh."
Qin Shanshan gritted her teeth and added, "Brother Tang Yuan, I changed my name. You can call me Shanshan from now on."
’Being called Caihua is just awful! It’s completely unbearable.’
Tang Yuanxiao frowned again. "Oh. Well, Su Li, you can talk with Caihua then."
He’d acknowledged what she said, but still called her Caihua...
Qin Shanshan felt like she was about to spit up a mouthful of old blood. The sense of grievance was overwhelming.
Unfortunately, Tang Yuanxiao didn’t even look at her. He just picked up Little Tang Mo and walked away.
Su Li, who had witnessed the entire exchange, really wanted to laugh.
And since she wanted to laugh, she did. "Pfft..."
As Su Li burst out laughing, Qin Shanshan’s face turned livid.
Hearing Su Li’s laughter, Tang Yuanxiao stopped in his tracks and suddenly turned back to look at her. "Stop fiddling with it. You’ll actually hurt your hand. Just wear it properly."
As he spoke, he gave a pointed look at Su Li’s hand, then turned and walked away, his ears suspiciously red.
He left with Little Tang Mo in his arms, leaving only Qin Shanshan and Su Li in the courtyard.
Qin Shanshan followed Tang Yuanxiao’s gaze to Su Li’s hand, her face a mask of astonishment. "A ring?"
’It’s gold!’
Qin Shanshan’s eyes turned red with envy. After a moment, she concealed her feelings, her gaze flickering as she spoke.
"Su Li, you have such a nice dowry gift? Why have I never seen you wear it before?"
’She’d rather die than consider the possibility that Tang Yuanxiao gave her the ring!’
"This isn’t from my dowry," Su Li said nonchalantly, raising her hand to look at it. free𝑤ebnovel.com
"Not from your dowry?" Qin Shanshan’s expression was full of denial, her voice suddenly rising. "You’re not going to say that Brother Tang Yuan gave it to you, are you? Don’t be ridiculous..."
"He did give it to me," Su Li cut her off, still affecting an air of indifference. "It has no design on it, and it’s so small and light."
Su Li wore an expression that clearly said, ’I’m not impressed.’
Qin Shanshan’s face twisted. "Su Li, how can you say that? This ring is so nice, how could you..."
At this, her eyes shifted, and she suddenly said, "Su Li, since you don’t like it, why don’t you give it to me?"
After saying this, Qin Shanshan’s eyes burned with desire, though she feigned indifference.
Su Li sneered inwardly at Qin Shanshan but put on a troubled expression.
"I don’t care for it, so I wouldn’t mind giving it to you, but... I’m afraid Tang Yuanxiao wouldn’t be happy. He insists that I wear it."
Su Li said this deliberately, of course, just to provoke Qin Shanshan.
The more dismissive Su Li was of Tang Yuanxiao and his things, the more Qin Shanshan, who longed for but could never have them, would be consumed by envy, jealousy, and hatred.
Sure enough, in the next second, Qin Shanshan’s face contorted.
She squeezed out a smile with all her might. "Brother Tang Yuan probably wouldn’t mind..."
"You really like this ring, huh?" Su Li deliberately waved her hand in front of Qin Shanshan’s face. Seeing her expression twist again, she smiled in satisfaction.
’What’s that saying again? "Seeing you so miserable puts my mind at ease."’
Su Li’s current mentality was exactly that: ’Seeing you so angry you could spit blood makes me happy.’
With the divorce not going smoothly and having a ring inexplicably forced on her, Su Li had a lot of pent-up anger to release, and this was the perfect outlet.
