Chapter 239: The Arrogant New Neighbor

The two women of the Bai family clutched their bleeding shoulders, running through the villa complex while shouting:

“I’ll never meddle in other people’s business again!”

“I’ll never meddle in other people’s business again!”

For a moment, they drew the attention of many onlookers.

Lately, supplies in the villa complex had been running low for every household. Some people, unable to hold out any longer, had even gone to their neighbors to “borrow” food.

As a result, almost everyone now stayed home, rarely venturing outside.

The villa complex had been quiet for a long time, so the commotion outside was unusual. Quite a few people stood by their windows, peering out to see what was happening.

The first to hear the noise were the Chen couple.

They lived diagonally across from the An family, and with their windows open, they could hear everything clearly.

Before An Nan fired her gun, Mr. Chen frowned and commented, “Mrs. Bai isn’t wrong. An Nan moved in here without our permission—she shouldn’t have done that. If everyone followed her example, wouldn’t this place turn into a shelter for beggars?”

Mrs. Chen tugged at him. “I told you, mind your own business.”

Mr. Chen was about to argue back when the gunshot rang out. Soon after, Mrs. Bai and her daughter, wounded and disheveled, were downstairs shouting their apologies.

Mrs. Chen pointed at the blood dripping on the road. “See? I told you to stay out of it.”

Mr. Chen sighed. “That An Nan—she actually dared to fire a gun!”

Mrs. Chen glanced at him. “Put away that gentlemanly attitude of yours. The world’s changed.”

Then she looked at An Nan, who was diligently scrubbing the wall not far away. “That girl’s nothing like her father. She’s got a bit of Shulan’s style.”

Mr. Chen snorted. “Just as difficult as Qi Shulan! Fiercer than most men.”

Mrs. Chen rolled her eyes at him. “That’s called being a strong woman. You men just can’t stand outstanding women.”

Mr. Chen turned and went back to the bedroom without another word.

Back in the day, An Nan’s mother, Qi Shulan, was something of a legend herself—a well-bred lady who managed to carve out a place for herself in the male-dominated business world. Her only “flaw” was refusing a business marriage and instead marrying for love, but otherwise, her life was spotless.

Mrs. Chen looked at An Nan across the way and sighed. “If Qi Shulan knew what her daughter was going through with her husband, she’d probably be so angry she’d come back to life.”

Elsewhere, Wei Yang and Jiang Mengqiu had also heard the gunshot.

Jiang Mengqiu, her face pale, watched Bai Manxue parade her wounds and exclaimed, “That policewoman actually shot someone…”

Wei Yang couldn’t help but feel a chill. Thank goodness he hadn’t gambled yesterday—one wrong move and he might not have survived.

He said grimly, “I don’t think that woman’s really a cop.”

Jiang Mengqiu turned to him. “Huh? But she was wearing a police bulletproof vest…”

Wei Yang mused, “Just because someone rides a white horse doesn’t mean they’re a prince—they could be the monk from Journey to the West.”

Jiang Mengqiu was confused. “You mean… she might be a fake cop?”

Wei Yang rolled his eyes. “Not exactly… I mean, we saw the vest and just assumed. But think about it—she probably killed a cop to get that gear.”

Jiang Mengqiu covered her mouth. “Killed a cop and stole their equipment? That’s insane!”

Wei Yang nodded solemnly, feeling his reasoning was sound. “Exactly—insane! Did you see her yesterday? She even dared to threaten me with a gun.”

He touched his face. “I’m one of the top celebrities in the country—everyone in Huaguo knows me! And she still dared to go after me!”

Jiang Mengqiu thought for a moment. “Yeah, if she even dared to mess with you, she must be a ruthless criminal.”

She clung to Wei Yang’s arm, frightened. “Honey, can’t you get a gun too?”

She hadn’t seen anyone in the villas with a gun before, but now that shots had been fired, she felt terribly unsafe.

Wei Yang shook his head. “With things the way they are, where am I supposed to get a gun?”

Jiang Mengqiu’s face grew even paler. “Then what do we do? I’m so scared…”

Suddenly, as if remembering something, she asked, “Honey, do you think that fake cop could be a hitman your wife hired?”

Wei Yang replied firmly, “No way. We already divorced in secret, she was satisfied with the property split—why would she hire a killer?”

Jiang Mengqiu said, “But your divorce was because she found out about me…”

Wei Yang cut her off. “Still, no. With all these disasters, she’s far away in the Soviet Union. There’s no way she’d go to all that trouble to send a killer after me.”

Jiang Mengqiu wanted to say more, but Wei Yang snapped impatiently, “Enough! Stop blaming everything on my ex-wife. She’s a decent person—she’d never do something like that.”

Jiang Mengqiu pouted. “Then what’s with these three fake cops?”

Wei Yang said irritably, “Who cares? As long as we stay home and don’t provoke them, we’ll be fine.”

Jiang Mengqiu was still uneasy. “But what if they come after us? This glass won’t stop a bullet…”

Wei Yang rolled his eyes. “You think everyone’s as bored as you?”

Then, annoyed, he added, “Aren’t you supposed to be the ‘man-slayer’ in our circle? There’s a guy among those fake cops—if you’re that scared, why not go seduce him?”

Jiang Mengqiu froze for a second, then pouted coquettishly, “What are you saying? I only have eyes for you now…”

She snuggled weakly into Wei Yang’s arms.

Wei Yang hugged her. “Alright, stop overthinking. If they wanted to kill us, they would’ve done it yesterday. Since they didn’t, it means they’re not some kind of psycho killers. As long as we don’t provoke them, we’ll be fine.”

Jiang Mengqiu nestled into his embrace. “Okay, I understand.”

But a sharp glint flashed in her lowered eyes.

Meanwhile, the Bai mother and daughter were still limping through the villa complex, wounded and on display.

At the An family’s dining table, An Xingye, An Xiaobei, and Liu Xiulian were eating when the commotion outside caught their attention.

An Xingye frowned. “Was that a gunshot?”

Liu Xiulian said, “From the shouting outside, it sounds like Mrs. Bai…”

She stood up. “You two eat, I’ll go see what’s going on.”

An Xingye nodded. “Be careful.”

An Xiaobei, curious, followed her out.

Liu Xiulian and An Xiaobei walked into the yard and stood by the gate, just in time to see Mrs. Bai passing by, clutching her wound.

An Xiaobei called out in surprise, “Auntie, what happened to you?”

Mrs. Bai glanced back, making sure An Nan’s house was out of sight before whispering, “We offended the new neighbor—she used us as an example!”

Liu Xiulian looked at her gunshot wound in shock. “What new neighbor is so brazen?”

Mrs. Bai glanced at Liu Xiulian’s elegant face, and the words “An Nan” stuck in her throat. How could this fake socialite look even better maintained than a real rich lady like her?"

"**Chapter 240: Your Father Is Useless Now**

Mrs. Bai couldn’t help but feel a surge of jealousy.

Liu Xiulian was just a village woman, a shameless mistress who clawed her way up—so how was she living more comfortably than Mrs. Bai, the legitimate wife of a wealthy family?

She hadn’t been able to go out for beauty treatments these past two years, and her face had deteriorated quite a bit. But Liu Xiulian didn’t seem affected at all—she was still as attractive as ever.

Well, of course. If she didn’t have looks, how could she have climbed up in the first place?

Mrs. Bai sneered inwardly. Then she thought: Annan, that brat, is clearly an enemy of Liu Xiulian and her daughter. It can’t just be me and Manxue who suffer in the end, right?

So, rolling her eyes, she decided not to warn Liu Xiulian that Annan had returned.

She replied perfunctorily, “Just a girl living alone, carrying a gun… Anyway, I can’t talk now. I need to finish this up and get home to bandage my wounds.”

Liu Xiulian and her daughter frowned as they watched Mrs. Bai continue her parade and walk away.

An Xiaobei looked worried. “Mom, do you think our place on the hillside won’t be safe anymore?”

Liu Xiulian frowned. “It was only a matter of time before things got dangerous. The fact that we’ve had peace for this long is already a stroke of luck.”

She sighed. “The villa district is bound to fall into chaos sooner or later.”

An Xiaobei felt uneasy. “So what should we do?”

Liu Xiulian thought for a moment. “Find someone strong to rely on.”

An Xiaobei didn’t get it. “Rely on who?”

Liu Xiulian glanced in the direction Mrs. Bai had left. “Whoever is the strongest, we stick with them.”

An Xiaobei suddenly understood. “You mean that new resident?”

Liu Xiulian nodded. “From what Mrs. Bai said, she’s a young girl, so she should be easier to approach…”

She paused, then instructed, “Tomorrow I’ll make some date cakes. You take them over as a friendly gesture. It’s easier for young women like you to build a friendship.”

But An Xiaobei was reluctant. “Mom, you heard those gunshots just now. I’m not going over there.”

Liu Xiulian’s tone hardened. “What’s there to be afraid of? The Bai mother and daughter have always been arrogant—they must have provoked her and got what they deserved. If you go over politely with a gift, do you really think she’d hurt you?”

Seeing An Xiaobei’s troubled face, she scolded her, exasperated:

“How many times have I told you—fortune favors the bold! If I hadn’t braved enormous pressure to give birth to you back then, would we be living this comfortable life now?”

An Xiaobei was still unwilling. “Mom, can’t we just keep to ourselves? We have enough supplies in the basement to last us a long time!”

Liu Xiulian shot her a look. “Last how long? Can it last a lifetime?”

An Xiaobei fell silent.

Of course it couldn’t last a lifetime. If it lasted three years, that would already be lucky.

Liu Xiulian glanced back at the villa and lowered her voice. “Things aren’t like they used to be. Your father is useless now. We need to find a new protector as soon as possible.”

An Xiaobei protested, “How is Dad useless?”

Liu Xiulian’s face was serious. “All the money and stocks are worthless now—just scraps of paper and numbers. Your father’s wealth has turned to dust. You’ve been down the mountain—you know what matters most out there now?”

An Xiaobei thought for a moment. “Strength…?”

Liu Xiulian nodded approvingly. “Exactly. Strength. Force. Your dad’s old now—he can’t protect us. If we don’t find a new backer soon, what will we do when chaos breaks out in the villa district?”

An Xiaobei had grown up with her mother; her father had always been absent. It wasn’t until a few years ago, after Annan’s mother passed away, that she started living with her father, so she didn’t have much attachment to him.

Hearing her mother’s reasoning, she was convinced.

“Okay, I’ll go visit the new neighbor later.”

Liu Xiulian shook her head. “No rush, go tomorrow.”

An Xiaobei was puzzled. “Why?”

Liu Xiulian poked her forehead. “Why are you so dense? You’re nothing like me.”

An Xiaobei rubbed her forehead in protest, about to retort, when Liu Xiulian continued:

“That new resident was already angered by the Bai mother and daughter today. Why go now and risk getting on her bad side? Wait until she’s calmed down tomorrow.”

An Xiaobei suddenly understood. “You’re right.”

Then she asked, “Mom, if you think Dad is useless, why do you still take such good care of him?”

Liu Xiulian sighed. “It’s chaos out there now. No matter what, our family needs a man around. Doesn’t matter if he’s useful or not—just having him here makes others think twice before messing with us.”

An Xiaobei nodded, half-understanding.

As they walked back, Liu Xiulian reminded her, “Everything we talked about today—keep it to yourself. Don’t go blabbing to your dad, got it?”

An Xiaobei followed behind. “Got it. I’m not stupid.”

When they returned to the dining table, An Xingye had already eaten most of the food, leaving only a few scraps.

The mother and daughter could only eat enough to be half-full.

Liu Xiulian shot him a look of displeasure.

An Xingye looked up. “What took you so long? What’s going on outside?”

Liu Xiulian hid her feelings and put on a gentle smile. “Nothing major. The Bai mother and daughter offended the new neighbor and got taught a lesson.”

An Xingye frowned. “What new neighbor? Who would move in at a time like this? What are those security guards doing?”

Liu Xiulian sat down at the table. “It’s a young woman living alone with a gun. No idea where she came from. She’s armed—what could the guards do?”

An Xingye felt uneasy. “This hillside has always been safe. How could someone with a gun just break in…”

Liu Xiulian tried to reassure him. “She probably just thinks it’s safer here and wants to move in.”

But An Xingye was still worried. “We don’t know anything about her. What if she’s a dangerous criminal?”

Liu Xiulian was much calmer. “It’s fine. We’ll go check things out tomorrow.”

An Xingye thought for a moment. “It’s too dangerous outside. Let Xiaobei go—you stay home.”

An Xiaobei, who was picking at her food: …

You really are my biological father!

Liu Xiulian glanced at An Xingye.

She knew he wasn’t worried about her—he just needed her womb.

Sure enough, An Xingye asked, “Did your period come this month?”

Liu Xiulian glanced at her daughter, who was eating with her head down, and replied awkwardly, “It lasted several days. Just finished yesterday.”

An Xingye immediately looked disappointed. “Still not pregnant…”

Seeing Liu Xiulian stay silent, he stood up and ordered coldly, “Hurry up and eat. After you’re done, come upstairs and give Mom a massage.”

With that, he turned and went back to his room.

Liu Xiulian quietly answered. After he left, she glared at the leftovers on the table.

It’s the end of the world, and you still act like there’s a throne to inherit in this family?"