Chapter 30: Have Some Shame!

“See, Qiqi, I told you she’d come back! It’s almost five thirty—those bloodsucking mosquitoes are about to swarm. If she dares to go out at this hour, it’s basically a death sentence!”

He Chunmei grabbed Zhang Qiqi’s hand and started heading back, speaking with absolute confidence as she walked.

The others were momentarily stunned by her words, but quickly caught on.

The authorities had issued a blood mosquito warning at noon, urging residents to get home by 5:30 and to make sure all doors and windows were tightly shut.

Most of the people taking part in this “siege” were from Building A, but a few were from other buildings as well.

If they went back late, they might run into the blood mosquitoes.

But so far, only the residents of Building D had actually encountered them; there hadn’t been any reports from the other buildings.

Besides, 3201 was about to come back, and victory was within reach. None of them wanted to give up now.

Everyone exchanged glances and ultimately decided to stay.

It happened to be rush hour for people heading home, so the elevator kept stopping on different floors and took forever to reach the 32nd.

Just as people started to suspect Jiang Yan hadn’t actually come upstairs, the door to 3204 creaked open.

A young couple in their twenties stepped out.

The man was tall and fit, with a buzz cut, about 1.78 meters tall.

The woman was of average height, with a well-proportioned figure and long, jet-black hair tied in a high ponytail.

Both were dressed in quick-dry athletic shirts and sneakers, with sports watches on their wrists—they looked like they were heading out for a workout.

“Su Dai, Sun Jingtao, so you guys are home? Perfect! Come join us!” He Chunmei quickly waved and greeted them enthusiastically.

Su Dai was a fitness coach, and Sun Jingtao was a former soldier who now worked in security at a public institution.

On weekends, the two of them usually went to the gym where Su Dai worked around this time every afternoon.

But with the weather so hot lately, and those blood mosquitoes showing up, they’d been sticking to climbing stairs inside their building instead.

Today, after staying cooped up at home all day, they couldn’t stand it anymore. But it was just too hot to keep climbing stairs.

So they decided to just walk around on different floors as a form of exercise.

Hearing He Chunmei’s invitation, Su Dai smiled gently and replied, “Sorry, Chunmei, we’ll pass.”

He Chunmei hadn’t expected her to refuse, and felt a bit embarrassed.

After all, residents from other floors and buildings had joined in—shouldn’t next-door neighbors be even more supportive?

More importantly, the group she’d gathered was mostly made up of the old, weak, sick, or pregnant.

If things really came down to a fight, their odds weren’t great.

But she knew Su Dai and Sun Jingtao’s backgrounds—especially Sun Jingtao, who was clearly capable.

If she could get them on her side, their chances of winning would shoot up to 100%.

With that in mind, He Chunmei raised her voice a bit:

“Why not join us? Haven’t you been stuck at home all day? Isn’t it hot? The weather report says it’ll be even hotter tomorrow and the next day! You know, that girl in 3201 has two big air conditioners in her place! We’re all neighbors—shouldn’t we be united right now?”

Her words carried a hint of moral coercion, and the others quickly chimed in.

“Yeah, yeah, come on, join us! There’s strength in numbers!”

“Come on, miss, join us!”

Sun Jingtao was a straightforward guy, and he was clearly annoyed:

“He Chunmei, do you even know what ‘united front’ means? That’s for when there’s a real conflict or enemy. We’re all neighbors—why are you making it sound like a battlefield?”

He Chunmei’s face darkened for a moment, and she replied in a patronizing tone, “Oh, listen to you, Sun. Don’t take it so seriously, it was just a figure of speech.”

“Seriously? All this fuss over air conditioning, and you’ve been running around all day making a scene! People need to have some shame! If she doesn’t want to let you in, why are you being so pushy and unreasonable?

Look at the mess you’ve made of the 32nd floor! And what’s with a whole group ganging up on a young woman?

You even dragged kids into this. Is this the example you want to set for them as adults? Have some shame!” Sun Jingtao shot back without holding back.

The weather was stifling, and so were people’s tempers.

Everyone was like a powder keg, ready to blow at the slightest spark.

He Chunmei’s anger flared up as well, and she retorted righteously:

“Sun, what’s with your attitude? Her apartment is huge—whether the AC is on for one person or a group, it’s the same! It’s so hot, people are getting sick! Isn’t it only right for her to help out? And it’s not like we’re not paying!”

“Chunmei, she’s not related to you at all. If she helps, that’s her kindness; if she doesn’t, that’s her right. Where do you get off acting like she owes you? Why make things hard for a young girl?” Su Dai linked arms with Sun Jingtao and said calmly.

She and Sun Jingtao had acted early and ordered an air conditioner online as soon as they noticed the abnormal weather.

It would be installed tomorrow morning.

Their apartment was at one end of the hallway, and Jiang Yan’s was at the other. Everything that happened at Jiang Yan’s door today, the couple had seen clearly.

At this rate, it wouldn’t be long before He Chunmei and her group turned their attention to them.

So, in a way, she and Jiang Yan were actually on the same side.

It was much better to make their stance clear now than to deal with this mess in the coming days.

Besides, the couple had always had a strong sense of right and wrong.

Seeing the two of them in sync, He Chunmei sneered and mocked:

“Su Dai, it’s easy for you to talk when you’re not the one suffering! If that stillborn child of yours had survived, they’d be three or four by now, right? If you had a kid who might get heatstroke, would you still be so calm?!”

“You—!” Su Dai’s face instantly changed.

She bit her lip, eyes red, and clenched her fists, about to go after He Chunmei, but her husband Sun Jingtao quickly held her back.

“Babe, don’t stoop to her level. She’s completely unreasonable today!” Sun Jingtao was even angrier than she was, but he held it in, his fists clenched so tightly the veins bulged on his arms.

If they really went after He Chunmei, wouldn’t that just shift all the blame onto themselves?

He wasn’t stupid.

Besides, he worked at a public institution.

Even if it was just in security, he was still a manager.

He had to be mindful of his image and reputation.

Just as the others were about to step in and break things up, Song Xiaofei, who’d been watching the elevator display, suddenly shouted:

“Mom! Mom! The elevator’s almost at the 32nd floor!”

Thank you, dear [120529020351551], for the monthly ticket!

Thank you, dear [8324], for the five Xiaoxiang votes!

Thank you all for your recommendations these past few days!

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