The Blind Date from Hell

During Chinese New Year, I was forced into a blind date. The man sent me a 520 yuan transfer, followed by a note:

"This transfer is a voluntary gift for the purpose of marriage. If we break up for any reason in the future, the recipient must refund the full amount. Accepting this transfer means agreement to the above terms."

I replied, "You think I need your 500 yuan?"

The blind date sent a smiling emoji with a hand covering his mouth, "You can refuse it. Then I'll just deduct 500 from the bride price. Wait until my family comes to formally propose marriage—don't be too excited!"

So, I promptly posted a fixed 500 yuan payment code at my door.

"This payment is a courtesy fee for the first visit. Regardless of how we separate in the future, this payment is non-refundable. Payment constitutes agreement to the above terms."

The proposal party's faces turned green. I noticed the red envelope the man's mother brought and quickly snatched it to open.

Inside were eight 10-yuan bills and eight 1-yuan bills, totaling 88 yuan.

01

I heard this time's match was 1.8 meters tall and weighed 72 kilograms.

But I had experience—guys are usually shorter than advertised. I estimated he was probably around 1.75 meters.

I was still too naive.

The man across from me wore small gold-rimmed glasses and looked like he was in his early thirties, but was already showing signs of a receding hairline.

When he poured water for me, I estimated he was about 1.7 meters tall.

Never mind.

You can't ask for too much. The fact that he was willing to pour water for me already put him ahead of eighty percent of blind dates.

"Let me be direct then." The man pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses. "My name is Qi Tao. I hear you're just an artist?"

Just as I was about to speak, Qi Tao's lips moved rapidly, "Fortunately, your family's circumstances are quite good. Art doesn't earn much money, but your family can still support you."

The sun suddenly jumped, and I immediately found an opening to interject, not bothering to be polite.

"May I ask where you work?"

"How much is your monthly salary?"

"Do you have any siblings?"

"What do your parents do? Do they have retirement pensions?"

Qi Tao froze for a moment, then gave a sinister smile, "So you want to know so much about me."

"I'm a bank clerk, making over thirty 'zhang' a month. The main thing is this profession has good prospects."

"I'm the only child. My conditions are pretty good, right? Oh, my parents are farmers—they depend on the weather for their livelihood, so it's an iron rice bowl."

"My personal qualifications are good too—211 university graduate. These conditions are more than enough for you."

I was speechless.

Monthly salary of thirty "zhang"—he made it sound so impressive, but wasn't that just 3,000 yuan? Not even a fraction of my monthly income.

"Satisfied with my conditions?" Qi Tao chuckled confidently, parting the three strands of hair on his forehead diagonally.

How was I supposed to answer that?

I cleared my throat and said sarcastically, "Bro, your conditions are really rare on the blind date market!"

Qi Tao didn't catch my sarcasm and instead blushed, "Haha, thanks. I'm quite picky. I haven't been in a single relationship all these years—I'm still a pure, innocent boy."

I glanced at his sparse head and rubbed my stiff face, "How old are you?"

"I'm twenty-five this year."

The face I just rubbed stiffened again.

This guy looks twenty-five—I'd believe thirty-five.

"Haha, you look very mature, haha." I picked up my handbag, ready to leave, when the man across from me spoke again.

"I think you're quite nice. After we get married, you can stay home doing what you like, but I have a few requirements."

"One, I'm busy with work, so you need to handle all the household chores. I'm a bit of a neat freak."

"Two, my mom will move in after we marry. My mom loves square dancing. Although she'll help you, you need to be understanding."

"Three, my parents are getting older and want a grandchild. Ideally, you should get pregnant within a year."

"Although you're also an only child, my family's burden is slightly heavier, so your focus should definitely be on my family."

Oh my heavens!

If I'm guilty, let the law punish me—don't make me listen to this overconfident man praise himself!

If I had known, when my father insisted I go on this blind date, I would have cried, thrown tantrums, and threatened to hang myself—I would have refused to the death!

It's true what they say—daughters grow up and can't be kept!

"That's enough. I have something else to do. I'm leaving first." I put on a stern face, wanting to escape quickly.

Qi Tao was quite polite and stood up to see me off, then went to the register to pay the bill.

I found this strange, and just as I reached the restaurant entrance, Qi Tao suddenly called out to me, "Hey, wait. The total is 135 yuan. You can transfer me 68."

Damn, he even made an extra 50 cents off me!

02

Lu Xun was right—stay away from overconfident men and enjoy a carefree life.

Without any males around, even passing dogs look handsome to me.

When I got home, my parents' faces were filled with smiles, and they kept glancing at me, which was puzzling.

"Momo, wasn't that young man nice? I heard from your Auntie Biao that you two had a great conversation!"

My face instantly darkened.

Under my parents' questioning gazes, I recounted everything that had happened.

Gradually, my parents' expressions also darkened.

"Chen Jianguo, doesn't your cousin's wife know our family's situation? How could she introduce someone like this?" Mom held her forehead in disbelief.

Our family isn't extremely wealthy, but we're firmly middle class.

My dad is a state-owned enterprise employee, my mom runs her own beauty salon, and I'm a freelance illustrator.

This profession sounds unstable, but the income is quite good—breaking ten thousand yuan monthly.

More than four times Qi Tao's salary.

"I told you it wasn't reliable. Better than that young man Huang my friend introduced last time." Mom rolled her eyes.

"Never mind. If it's not suitable, just ignore it. Our Momo isn't desperate to find a partner." Dad scratched his head and laughed awkwardly.

I also thought the matter was closed and went about my daily routine—eating, drawing, and letting Qi Tao's WeChat collect dust in my contacts.

So much so that when a "girlfriend" message popped up, I couldn't even remember who this person was.

"Girlfriend, it's time to come out for dinner this weekend!"

With a confused expression, I opened the person's profile, moments, and clicked on photos—all in one smooth motion.

Qi Tao's enlarged greasy face popped up on screen, nearly making me drop my phone.

So it was this guy!

When did I become his girlfriend!

Absolutely ridiculous.

I didn't reply to Qi Tao, but on Friday evening, he directly voice-called me.

I still ignored him, coloring my new work on my tablet.

However, this person was persistent—he called for a full ten minutes, and the phone's vibration made my dad peek over.

"Who is this? Why aren't you answering the phone?"

"That blind date from last time." I said without looking up.

Dad's face stiffened, and he said weakly, "If you really have to, just answer it and say a few empty words. It'll make it easier to explain to your Auntie Biao."

Auntie Biao is my dad's cousin's wife—not exactly close, but not distant either.

Dad has always been a people-pleaser, unwilling to make things awkward.

I wore an expression like I'd swallowed a fly and reluctantly picked up my phone.

03

When that low male voice with more bubbles than soap entered my ears, I wanted to post online asking for help.

Is there a substitute service? I need someone to live for me for a while—I'm tired.

"Girlfriend, you're not cheating on me, are you? It took you so long to answer the phone." After saying this, Qi Tao added two words.

"Boo hoo."

I'll boo hoo your head! I really want to smash a hammer on your head and see if you can still cry.

However, looking at my elderly father beside me, I pulled the corners of my mouth and asked knowingly, "Who is this?"

"I'm your boyfriend Qi Tao! Don't you remember?" He chuckled twice, seemingly thinking I was playing some sort of couple's game with him.

"I'm sorry, I don't know anyone named Qi Tao, but I already have a boyfriend." I replied coldly.

"You're joking, Momo. Your Auntie Biao told me you don't have a boyfriend." He gave a sleazy laugh again, "Let's have dinner together tomorrow."

I suppressed my frustration, "Sorry, I'm busy!"

Then I hung up without mercy.

I turned to see my old father scratching his head and giving me an awkward smile, "Don't look at me like that. With that attitude, he definitely won't dare contact you again."

04

Everyone, judge for yourself—doesn't my dad make some sense?

But only three days later, on Monday when he was working and couldn't spend money on meals with me, this guy contacted me again.

"Dear girlfriend, guess what I'm doing?"

At that moment, I was laughing uncontrollably at a funny video and casually sent him a question mark.

The next second, Qi Tao sent a photo of a cup full of tea, followed by three letters, "ten."

I: "?"

Qi Tao: "Having tea, can't you understand?"

"Brother, you mean 'tea' right?"

"Close enough."

Is this guy really a 211 university graduate?

My phone made a series of notification sounds, but whatever he was trying to compensate for, I simply didn't reply.

This continued until New Year's Eve. While enjoying my parents' cooking, I was boredly scrolling through my phone.

Suddenly, a transfer popped up at the top of my screen. I got excited.

Which relative was giving me New Year's money?

When I opened it, Qi Tao's name jumped out.

"Dear girlfriend, Happy New Year!" First the greeting, followed immediately by a 520 yuan transfer.

And below that, a paragraph that made my blood pressure skyrocket.

"This transfer is a voluntary gift for the purpose of marriage. If we break up for any reason in the future, the recipient must refund the full amount. Accepting this transfer means agreement to the above terms."

"Do I look like I need your 500 yuan?" I couldn't help but curse.

"What's wrong, you're so happy I transferred you money?" Qi Tao sent a face-palming emoji.

I had too many curses to choose from—I didn't know which to say first.

While I hesitated, Qi Tao sent another message.

"You can refuse it. Then I'll just deduct 500 from the bride price. Wait until my family comes to formally propose marriage—don't be too excited!"

Before I could digest the significance of this statement, several firework emojis popped up on the screen.

"Such a good girl, saving money for your boyfriend."

The shrimp balls in my mouth instantly lost their flavor.

My parents saw my terrible expression and quickly asked why. After seeing my chat history with Qi Tao, even my father looked like he'd swallowed a fly.

"Chen Jianguo, look at the kind of people your cousin's wife introduces! Look how disgusted she made Momo!" Mom cursed while pulling Dad's ear. "If you keep being so spineless and agreeing to introduce those shady people, I'll divorce you!"

"Yes, yes, yes!" Rarely, Dad agreed with Mom for the first time on this matter, "Before, I was too concerned about saving face. But when it comes to Momo's matters, what face is there to save?"

I spoke weakly, "Mom and Dad, his family won't really come to propose marriage, will they?"

As soon as I finished speaking, the doorbell rang.

We three looked at each other, then Mom opened the door with a cold expression.

Seeing the sparse group of aunties and uncles in bright red clothes at the door, we were all stunned.

Whose proposal team is this shabby?

The woman at the front forced a smile, "In-laws, first time meeting, hello, hello!"

Before Mom could react, Qi's mother enthusiastically shook her hand.

Damn it! I couldn't take it anymore!

I rushed forward, holding up my 500 yuan fixed payment code, "First time meeting, nice to meet you! Come, come, everyone gets a share!"

"This payment is a courtesy fee for the first visit. Regardless of how we separate in the future, this payment is non-refundable. Payment constitutes agreement to the above terms."

Auntie Biao jumped out from the crowd, glanced at my dad, "What does your family mean by this? Since when do people charge courtesy fees for first meetings?"

Dad chuckled twice, not backing down, "Our Momo isn't even dating Qi Tao. You came to propose marriage out of nowhere—you definitely need to pay."

"Nonsense! The two children have been dating for a long time." Auntie Biao looked unconvinced.

Qi's mother quickly came to mediate, picking on me as the soft target, "Momo, Auntie thinks you're a good child. How about this, let's go inside and talk."

Heh, once inside, they definitely won't pay.

Today I'll show you what happens when you mess with me—you'll hit a brick wall!

I enthusiastically grabbed Qi's mother's hand, and my parents behind me stared in disbelief.

The next second, I reached out, "Auntie, last time I had dinner with Qi Tao, he overcharged me by 50 cents. Since he's not here, you can pay it back for him."

Everyone's expressions changed. Auntie Biao scolded, "Child, are you really going to quibble over 50 cents?"

I looked wronged, "Qi Tao himself said we should go Dutch, but then he overcharged me. If we're going Dutch, we should calculate carefully!"

"Actually, it's not that I must have that 50 cents, but the courtesy fee is still necessary." I changed the subject.

Qi's mother's gaze turned fierce as she gave a smile that didn't reach her eyes, "My son even transferred money to you. With so much money spent on you, yet you're hung up on 50 cents."

I showed her our chat history, "I didn't accept it. Besides, Qi Tao and I only met once—we're not familiar with each other at all. How could we be dating?"

"If we're not dating, then why are you charging us a courtesy fee?" Qi's mother asked.

"If we're not dating, then what kind of marriage are you proposing?"

The middle-aged woman was so angry her facial fat trembled, and she couldn't speak for a long time.

My gaze swept over the things they brought.

A bag of flour, a carton of eggs, and on top of the eggs lay a bright red envelope.

"Oh, there's even a red envelope!" I refused to believe this family would put much money inside.

I quickly reached out and grabbed it. Feeling its thickness, I was surprised—it was more than I expected.

Qi's mother tried to stop me, but I dodged nimbly and opened the envelope in front of everyone.

Inside were eight blue-gray 10-yuan bills and eight green 1-yuan bills.

Not a single red bill.

My parents instantly became furious. Mom rushed forward, hands on hips, and yelled, "Eighty-eight yuan! Are you trying to pay off a beggar?"

"With your rotten eggs and flour, I could stomp on the money in my beauty salon's register and grind out your old woman's coffin savings!"

"Jianguo, aren't you going to control your wife? How can a man be so dominated by a woman?" Auntie Biao's face didn't look good as she tried to stop this farce.

Dad uncharacteristically spat at her, "Your husband beats you so hard, yet you're so dominated by a man—are you happy now?"

Instantly, Auntie Biao trembled with anger.

Mom grabbed the nearby broom and waved it at this group at the door, "Get out! All of you, get out! Running into you confused people on New Year's Eve—what bad luck!"

Mom's well-maintained face and her shrew-like behavior were incredibly contrasting. I was both angry and amused.

The group scurried away, and Qi's mother didn't forget to grab that worthless bag of eggs.

After they left, my parents continued to curse nonstop.

05

"What kind of gold-digging woman are you? Just because the money wasn't enough, you drove my mother out!"

Soon, Qi Tao came to confront me.

I couldn't take it anymore. Today I must have a three-hundred-round battle of curses.

"Are you crazy, bro? We've only met once. Do you have a persecution complex, thinking I'm dating you?"

"With your family's eggs, flour, and eighty-eight yuan, you want to marry me? My individual income is higher than your entire family's annual income!"

Qi Tao explained again, "It wasn't just eighty-eight yuan! Our family originally wanted to give you 688, but you refused the 520, so we made it eighty-eight for good luck."

"So I should thank you? Can't you even understand plain speech? Are you really a 211 graduate?"

"Of course I am! I did a 3+2 program—vocational school to junior college, then XX undergraduate. That adds up to five years, and 211 also adds up to five!"

The XX undergraduate college Qi Tao mentioned, I'd never even heard of.

Nowadays, even graduates from diploma mills can twist concepts to claim they're 211 university graduates?

Suddenly I discovered that with people who have their own twisted logic, there's no reasoning with them.

I kept it brief, "Phoenix man! Cheapskate! Baldy!"

Sure enough, the other side was triggered and immediately deleted me.

Battle, satisfying!

06

On the fourth day of the New Year, Auntie Biao came to visit, and my parents didn't give her a warm reception.

Unfortunately, it wasn't just Auntie Biao—other relatives were present, making it impossible to explode on the spot.

During the New Year, the unavoidable topic is the younger generation's marriage matters.

After the conversation went in circles, it inevitably returned to me.

"Momo is at this age—dating yet?" my uninformed grandmother asked.

My parents' expressions stiffened, and Auntie Biao lowered her head in embarrassment.

I shook my head in response.

"Huh? Didn't you introduce a boyfriend to Momo before? I heard they were dating." Uncle Biao said with a somewhat fawning smile.

Uncle Biao was domineering at home but had always put on a smiling face for our family—the most successful one in the clan.

Mom snorted coldly, her gaze sweeping sideways at Auntie Biao.

Dad quickly tried to mediate, "That fell through. It wasn't suitable."

Auntie Biao obviously breathed a sigh of relief, but Uncle Biao frowned and continued, "Not suitable? How could that be?" Uncle Biao turned to look at his wife beside him, "Didn't you say that young man was a 211 graduate, worked at a bank, and his parents were government employees?"

"This young man also understands social etiquette. After you introduced him to Momo, didn't he even give you a 200 yuan red envelope?"

Auntie Biao trembled, not daring to answer.

My parents and I exchanged glances and immediately understood why Auntie Biao had introduced Qi Tao to me.

Good, really "soft mouth after eating, soft hands after taking"!

Mom's suppressed temper finally exploded, "Nonsense! That man graduated from a diploma mill, earns 3,000 yuan a month, and his parents are farmers!"

"Momo never agreed to be with him, but his family came to propose marriage without saying a word, bringing a basket of eggs, a bag of flour, and eighty-eight yuan!"

Instantly, the whole family fell silent.

Uncle Biao's sinister gaze fell on Auntie Biao, and the latter immediately shuddered.

The family took turns greeting Qi Tao's ancestors for eighteen generations, and finally Uncle Biao stood up and said to my mom with embarrassment, "Sister-in-law, I'm really sorry that Momo was wronged. I'll go back and teach this bitch a lesson!"

Uncle Biao did not break his promise.

A man who usually beat his wife after drinking now had a legitimate reason and struck without mercy.

Auntie Biao cried out in pain for three full days.

I heard that Qi Tao's mother had actually given 500 yuan, asking Auntie Biao to introduce a girl from a good family, but Auntie Biao only said 200.

Ha, the 300 yuan she secretly hid was still found by Uncle Biao.

07

After the New Year, Mom's beauty salon was preparing to reopen, with employees doing preparation work.

Mom took me along, saying I was just idling anyway and might as well get a beauty treatment at her shop.

I had just washed off the cleansing mask when a commotion suddenly erupted outside the shop.

"Black-hearted people! My family already gave the bride price, but now you won't marry your daughter to my son!"

"No justice in this world! You're trying to drive my old woman to death!"

I frowned and went to the door, where I indeed saw Qi's mother sitting on the ground crying loudly.

Since it was just reopening, there weren't many pedestrians on this road, but all the shops were open for business.

Mom was furious and wanted to go argue, but I stopped her.

"Call the police!"

Qi's mother cautiously eyed me, "How can the police handle family matters?"

"We'll see if they can handle it or not." While speaking, I had already called the police and explained the reason.

Then, Mom and I stood calmly at the beauty salon door, arms crossed, watching Qi's mother.

Perhaps because Mom and I were too calm, Qi's mother couldn't cry anymore and instead rushed at me to argue.

"I'm not an unreasonable person. Just return the bride price money to me, and I'll leave!"

"You old woman, are you confused? I never took those eighty-eight yuan." I deliberately raised my voice.

When passersby heard the explosive eighty-eight yuan, they began discussing Qi's mother. She became embarrassed and shouted loudly, "Nonsense! It was clearly 280,000 yuan!"

I immediately burst out laughing, "Has your family's wheat been harvested this season? That must be tough. Can you make 50,000 yuan from selling one harvest?"

Qi's mother's upper and lower lips trembled with anger—whether she answered yes or no would confirm her family situation made it highly unlikely they could suddenly produce 280,000 yuan.

She simply lay down on the ground again and began wailing, "My life is so bitter! I finally saved up money for my son to marry a wife, and now I've lost both person and money!"

"You black-hearted people! I might as well smash my head against the wall and die!"

Mom and I continued to watch the crazed Qi's mother with composure, then exchanged glances.

It didn't matter—there were security cameras, and I hadn't even touched a single hair on Qi's mother's head.

While the old woman was crying, the police arrived. She acted as if she'd taken some magic medicine—her body instantly recovered, and she scrambled up from the ground, grabbing the police officer's sleeve and crying loudly.

The police officer looked impatient and waited for her to finish crying before asking us what had happened.

"This is simple!" The police officer said righteously, "Just check this grandmother's family's bank statements. For such a large amount, there would definitely be records if it was given out."

Qi's mother stammered, "I-I gave it in cash."

"Then we can also check withdrawal records." The police officer added.

"I remembered wrong—it seems I didn't give it after all! I'm old, my memory isn't clear!" Qi's mother patted her forehead, groaning.

What else didn't the police officer understand?

Mom and I weren't affected at all, but Qi's mother was lectured by the police officer.

Besides Qi's mother being lectured, there was also my dad.

"What kind of lousy thing did your cousin's wife do? Today that family of scammers even came to my shop door trying to extort 280,000 yuan from us!" Mom fiercely twisted Dad's ear.

Ah, this was something I couldn't get involved in.

I quickly slipped back to my room to draw, only to discover a bunch of messages on my phone that I hadn't noticed while getting the beauty treatment.

When I opened them, my world collapsed.

"Woman, your hard-to-get tactic last time, I forgive you!"

"I'm working today, so my mom went to discuss our marriage with you."

"Don't make trouble this time! If it weren't for the fact that you're good-looking and quite match me, I wouldn't be so indulgent with you!"

So these messages weren't sent through the green bubble app.

But through a short video app's chat function, where strangers can also send messages.

Ten thousand horses galloped through my heart—I wanted my palm to travel through the internet and slap Qi Tao's face.

My fingers flew as I typed out three-character phrases toward him.

The other person was clearly online, first sending a question mark, then hesitantly typing and deleting on the keyboard.

After my violent output, the other person finally sent a complete sentence.

"You have a vitality, like sunshine."

...

This isn't an ellipsis—these are bullet holes life has shot into me.

08

I've been quite angry lately, so I turned around and asked my bestie to travel with me for a few days.

My bestie knew about my "love-hate relationship" with the overconfident man, laughed at me for half an hour, and then we started planning our trip.

We flew to Sanya and had a wonderful time for three days and nights, three of which were spent persistently trying to get good photos.

When I returned home, I felt refreshed and energized—now I could kill a cow with one slap.

However, my parents looked exhausted. When I asked, they both knowingly beat around the bush.

I got angry, threw a tantrum, and only then understood the reason.

It turned out that while I was traveling for those three days, Qi Tao's family was causing endless trouble.

Qi's mother would come to the beauty salon door three to five times a day to cause trouble. As soon as Mom called the police, this old woman would run away.

One time Mom caught her, but didn't dare to lay a hand on her.

Qi's mother could lie on the ground and extort Mom, but although Mom has a somewhat fierce personality, she could never bring herself to do something as shameful as lying on the ground.

So after catching her, she could only let her go again.

And Qi Tao's father also came up from the village. Not knowing my dad's work address, he just wandered around near our home every day.

I had a bad feeling and opened the short video app to check.

Sure enough, after I blocked Qi Tao last time, he kept using different accounts to send me harassing messages.

I was so angry my hands shook—I really wanted to stuff this entire family of scammers into a police station.

But the things these three people did didn't cross legal lines—at worst, it was just bad character.

An idea popped into my head, and I suddenly had a clever plan, saying, "Mom and Dad, leave this matter to me."

Mom stroked my head, her eyes soft, "Silly child, what can you do? Let the adults handle it."

I chuckled and ran back to my room.

Then I posted on a forum—

"Looking for enforcers. Must be bold, preferably have served prison time. No surveillance near the work site. High pay!"

Before long, curious netizens started building a tall thread under my post.

But there was one guy seriously looking for a job who private messaged me.

"I've killed before, not afraid of trouble, strike hard!"

Below was attached a selfie of the guy with a full beard and fierce eyes.

Perfect, it's him.

I arranged to meet Qi Tao in the suburbs—a desolate area where he quickly sent sleazy messages.

"You women love playing these little games, haha, big brother will definitely be there on time."

"I didn't expect someone who looks so innocent to be so wild."

You little bastard—when my fist smashes into your head in a moment, let's see if you still want to play with me!

09

When the forum brother and I arrived, Qi Tao was excitedly rubbing his hands in that deserted alley.

I saw him from a distance and nodded to the forum brother, who immediately understood and walked over menacingly.

"Who are you!" Qi Tao asked with a trembling voice.

"Your daddy!" The forum brother swung his fist and smashed it into Qi Tao's left cheek.

Instantly, the alley was filled with Qi Tao's screams.

I hid around the corner chuckling, focusing intently on watching Qi Tao get beaten.

"You're crazy! Be careful or I'll call the police! Ah!"

"Ah! Brother, stop hitting! I was wrong!"

"Damn it! Don't hit my face! Boo hoo, bro, brother, I was really wrong!"

The forum brother truly didn't lie—he struck without mercy. Within minutes, Qi Tao's face was bruised and swollen as he repeatedly begged for mercy.

Seeing it was about enough, the forum brother stopped to admire his handiwork.

Qi Tao was covered in injuries, holding his uncontrollably bleeding nose, and kneeling before the forum brother while whimpering.

"Qi Tao from XX Bank, right?" The forum brother snorted coldly. Seeing Qi Tao trembling all over, he continued.

"Your daddy is warning you—don't you dare harass my sister again, or I'll block you after work every day!"

"Yes, yes! I won't dare, I won't dare!"

After dealing with Qi Tao, I immediately transferred the remaining 5,000 yuan I had promised to the forum brother.

Total income was 10,000 yuan, and the forum brother was grinning from ear to ear, "Miss, if you have jobs like this in the future, come find me again. I can't stand these bastards who harass young girls!"

"I'll transfer another 3,000 yuan to you. You don't need to hit anyone—just scare them." I added.

The forum brother's face was filled with "there's such a good deal," and he nodded eagerly.

The security in my residential complex isn't very strict—almost anyone can enter freely.

But our building is at the very back of the complex, usually with few people, so suspicious activities are easily spotted.

When the forum brother stood before Qi's father, the latter, like his son, asked stubbornly, "Who are you!"

The brother didn't speak, just stared at him sinisterly.

Seeing the brother's strong, muscular build, Qi's father trembled, "Who exactly are you!"

"I damn well should be asking who you are! You've been wandering around downstairs from my house for so many days. You old bastard—don't tell me you're a thief!" The forum brother said menacingly.

"I-I live upstairs!" Qi's father answered loudly with a guilty conscience.

"Which unit? I've lived here for so many years and have never seen you?" The brother narrowed his eyes.

Seeing Qi's father hesitating and unable to give a clear answer, the forum brother took out his phone, "You must be a thief. I'm calling the police!"

As soon as he spoke, the gray-haired old man took off with hundred-meter sprint momentum, fleeing as if his feet were oiled.

Within ten seconds, he had completely disappeared.

I clicked my tongue in amazement—he ran faster than I did during my physical education exam. Indeed, people who work physical labor every day are different.

I waved my hand and transferred 3,000 yuan to the forum brother, who walked away happily with the money.

As for Qi Tao's mother, I hadn't figured out a strategy yet.

10

Paper can't wrap up fire. The next day, Mom asked me what exactly I had done.

Qi's mother's accusations evolved from our family cheating her out of bride price, to me deceiving her son's feelings, and then to me hiring someone to beat her son.

Oh no, the beating wasn't an accusation.

I confessed to my parents, thinking I would be scolded, but instead Mom nervously asked if I had been caught on surveillance cameras.

"How could I be? I specifically chose a place without cameras!" I was proud, but then Dad slapped me hard on the forehead.

"You've got quite the nerve!"

I pouted my lips—I deserved this hit.

I wasn't at all afraid that coward Qi Tao would call the police, but his mother causing trouble at the beauty salon door every day wasn't a solution.

Although Mom didn't say anything, I knew the beauty salon's business must have been affected.

After the beating, Dad's slap gave me new inspiration.

If the old woman wants to cause trouble, then I'll cause trouble too!

After finding out about Qi Tao's hometown, I rushed to their village without stopping.

An elderly woman eating sunflower seeds at the village entrance saw this unfamiliar face and immediately stopped chatting to size me up.

I smiled politely and asked them where Qi Tao's family lived.

The purple-clad woman in the lead raised her eyebrows, "You're looking for that family? Go straight ahead and then turn a corner!"

"Wait, wait, wait! Young lady, are you Qi Tao's wife?" Another woman spat out a sunflower seed shell and craned her neck to ask.

I immediately pinched my thigh hard, red-eyed and began to sniffle.

Sensing gossip, several grandmothers instantly surrounded me, concernedly asking what had happened.

At this moment, I was the Oscar-winning actress!

"I'm here to settle accounts with them. That Qi Tao pursued me for a long time, but I refused, yet he kept harassing me. Grandmothers, you tell me—is there any reason to force someone like this?"

The grandmothers all nodded.

These words weren't sensational enough, and I could clearly see the lack of interest in their eyes.

"Later, his mother came to my home, insisting I marry his son, wanting to discuss marriage with just eighty-eight yuan! Grandmothers, whose family can marry a wife with just eighty-eight yuan?"

The grandmothers' eyes lit up and quickly agreed with me.

I began to cry again, "Their family is a bunch of rascals. My family is well-off, so Qi Tao's mother came to cause trouble, demanding we give them 280,000 yuan, insisting her son marry into our family!"

When they heard the words "marry into our family," the grandmothers got excited.

I was held by two grandmothers, one on each side, and following their guidance, I continued.

"I couldn't keep being harassed by their family, right? I thought if he married into our family, it might be okay, so I started getting to know Qi Tao. Then one time I went to his rental apartment for dinner, guess what I saw?"

The grandmothers' eyes were wide as they hurriedly asked what happened next.

I wailed loudly, "Qi Tao and his mother were actually lying in the same bed!"

Instantly, the surroundings erupted in chaos. The grandmothers looked askance, gathering in twos and threes, chattering noisily.

"Oh my, no wonder their family hasn't been in the village lately!"

"That Qi family has always been stingy. Getting a wife like this—I think they never wanted a wife at all, but wanted his mother to spend her life with her son, right!"

"Does Old Qi know? He came back yesterday. Could he be making room for his wife and son? Ah! I'm embarrassed for him!"

I was extremely satisfied with their reactions.

Of course, what I said above was mixed with truth and lies. Since Qi Tao's mother was shameless and would say anything, I decided to fight fire with fire.

The purple-clad grandmother looked up and asked, "Then why did you come here today?"

I took a breath, "I'm asking them for an explanation. If they want to handle it internally, why keep harassing me!"

After getting this explosive gossip, the grandmothers' attitude toward me became much warmer, and they all offered me advice.

"Miss, listen to me—leave quickly. If they harass you again, just call the police!"

"Yes, yes, yes! No one in our village likes this family. You don't need to argue with them!"

I nodded obediently and took the opportunity to go home.

Rumors have tremendous power—spreading from one to ten, from ten to a hundred in the village, and I don't know how many versions evolved.

But it definitely reached Qi's father's ears.

That afternoon, Qi's mother no longer appeared at the beauty salon entrance.

This family instantly disappeared from my life without a trace, and I returned to my daily routine of drawing.

Alas, what a pity my brilliant mind has no battlefield to display its talents!

11

My bestie asked me to go shopping. As we walked down the street carrying our bags of shopping spoils, a beggar suddenly approached us.

I stared at the face beneath the messy hair—it looked familiar.

She recognized me first, "It's you, you bitch!"

As she spoke, she tried to grab my face, but my bestie was quick and stopped her.

I gloated, "Oh, Auntie, long time no see!"

Her reaction became more intense, but kind passersby stepped forward to restrain her, just thinking it was a crazy beggar acting up for no reason.

I managed to free one hand and lazily waved at Qi's mother, who was staring at me through the crowd.

Hmm, I must have looked extremely cool.

This little episode made this shopping trip's happiness index soar.

I was humming a tune when I got home. Mom was busy in the kitchen, the whole house filled with delicious aromas. When Dad saw me, he suddenly said, "Momo, let me show you something."

I leaned over to look at his phone screen.

This was a local video showing a destitute father-son pair begging.

The elderly father was lying on several woven bags, groaning in pain on the ground.

His son knelt in front, his clothes barely passable.

Weren't these my old acquaintances Qi Tao and his father?

When I saw the words written on the cardboard before him, my eyes widened.

"Father is seriously ill, the whole village bullies us for being powerless! They drove our father and son out! I ask kind passersby to extend a helping hand and let my father receive treatment!"

"This is a charitable donation activity. No refunds after transfer!"

Damn, a dark humor joke!

Pedestrians who wanted to donate took one look at those last words on the cardboard and immediately put away their phones.

As Dad watched the video, he tsk-tsked, "I guess people in their village were gossiping. At his age, he couldn't handle the rumors and doesn't dare return to the village."

I guiltily lowered my head, not daring to tell him what I did in their village, and quickly changed the subject.

"Dad, isn't Qi Tao supposed to work at a bank? Did he lose his job?"

Dad scratched his chin, "He's probably not a permanent employee. Permanent employees usually aren't fired unless they commit serious offenses."

Tsk, thinking back to how confident Qi Tao sounded when introducing his profession.

This guy really knows how to praise himself.

(Full text complete)