Trigger warning: victim blaming
By the time Shu Ning got home that evening, Yin Mingzheng had also made it back home. Shu Ning couldn’t wait to tell him everything that happened at school. He wanted Yin Mingzheng to know about their teachers and classmates’ change in attitude.
However, Yin Mingzheng didn’t react. He blankly said, “Oh.”
Shu Ning observed his expression for a moment and found that he wasn’t moved. Shu Ning secretly sighed to himself.
Over the past fifteen years, Yin Mingzheng had been rejected, excluded, and falsely accused. The scars that it left behind couldn’t be wiped away just like that.
It made sense. Who in the world could possibly be able to forgive right away? That’s something that only happened in TV shows.
Shu Ning thought about it. Then, he changed the subject. “Mingzheng, were you able to find anything out at the hospital?”
He was very curious about the results of Yin Mingzheng’s investigation. To be honest, he had only skimmed through the original novel. He had a general idea of how Zhou Juan ended up switching the children, but he didn’t know much of anything else.
There wasn’t a lot of information he could give, and he didn’t have any evidence. Because of this, he was worried that Yin Mingzheng wouldn’t be able to find anything.
His original plan was to give Yin Mingzheng’s information to the Wei family. The Wei family could perform their own paternity tests for both Yin Mingzheng and Wei Ximing. That way, the truth of the matter would naturally come to light on its own, and there wouldn’t be any need for any more proof.
However, even after handing the information to Wei Shanhe, nothing happened.
He couldn’t sit still. He was worried that Zhou Juan would convince Yin Mingzheng to go back home with her, so he anonymously told Yin Mingzheng the truth about the past. However, he was also afraid that they wouldn’t be able to find anything. He didn’t want the Yin Mingzheng to be running around in vain.
Yin Mingzheng said, “Too much time has passed. The surveillance footage has been deleted, and a lot of the staff from back then have already left. Even the hospital building’s been completely renovated. I wasn’t able to find anything.”
Although there wasn’t any physical evidence, his speculation probably wasn’t too far off from the truth.
“Really?” Shu Ning was a little disappointed.
“I won’t look into it anymore.” Yin Mingzheng said, “It doesn’t really matter whether I do or I don’t.”
Shu Ning was stunned and asked curiously, “Don’t you want to know the truth? You don’t want to go back to your real family?”
Yin Mingzheng was silent for a moment. Then, he shook his head. “I’m fine as I am now.”
Familial affection was, in a way, similar to romantic affection. He had exhausted all of his feelings on Zhou Juan. It would be difficult for him to start another relationship in such a short period of time
Yin Mingzheng had looked up information on Jiang Rui. She was the madam of the rich and wealthy Wei family. She had a single son, whom she loved dearly. The two of them had a very good relationship.
Would they be willing to accept him?
Relationships within the Wei family were probably even more complicated than the relationship between Zhou Juan and Yin Qiang.
After everything he went through, Yin Mingzheng was no longer a simple and naive boy.
He didn’t want to be tired anymore.
Now, he just wanted to be with the person he loved the most and live a simple life.
He didn’t need anything else.
As for Zhou Juan…
Shu Ning hesitated for a while before saying, “Zhou Juan is not a good person. No matter what she says to you, don’t be soft-hearted, okay?”
Yin Mingzheng smiled, a malicious look hidden in his eyes. “Okay.”
He wouldn’t be soft-hearted. He was going to make Zhou Juan understand the consequences of her actions!
Zhou Juan shut herself at home for two days. She felt as though everyone was gawking at her. She couldn’t stand it, so she ran back to her hometown.
On this day, she had made a trip to the county seat to buy a couple of daily necessities. A few people walked up to her and said hello, “If it isn’t the Zhou family’s daughter! When did you come back?”
When Zhou Juan heard this, she raised her head and said with a smile, “Just a few days ago.”
They asked, “Your husband and son didn’t come back with you this time?”
An unnatural expression flashed across her face, but she quickly recovered. “They’re both busy, so they didn’t come with me.”
Another person piped up, “Well, your husband is a business owner after all. How could he possibly have the time to be running back and forth? Only the boss’ wife would be this free.”
Zhou Juan was very pleased when she heard this. However, she pretended to politely brush it off. “No way, no way.”
After shopping, she returned to the village. As soon as she arrived at the intersection, she saw her parents standing at the entrance of the village, their expressions grave.
Zhou Juan walked over quickly and asked, “Mom, Dad, what are you guys doing?”
Her parents fumed, “We were waiting for you!”
Zhou Juan was confused. “Why are you waiting for me?”
They pulled out a sheet of paper and handed it to Zhou Juan. They asked angrily, “Juan’er, what exactly is this?”
Zhou Juan’s heart jumped. She quickly grabbed the A4 paper. On it was a news report about Yin Qiang’s murder case. At the top was a photo of Yin Qiang’s arrest. Zhou Juan’s face was in the photo as well.
Zhou Juan’s village was poor and backward. Most of the people here were old and elderly, and most of them used old-fashioned devices. This was why no one here knew about what had happened with Yin Qiang. This was why Zhou Juan was able to keep lying.
However, when she saw the crystal clear image on the page, Zhou Juan almost fainted.
“Who gave this to you!? Who?!” Zhou Juan shouted, yelling herself hoarse.
She was nasty and cowardly, but she cared very much about how she appeared before her parents. In the past, she was never as good as her sister at anything. Her parents went through great pains because of her, so she wanted to marry someone from the city. She wanted to beat her sister for once. She wanted to show off in front of her family. She wanted to show off in front of her first love.
When she saw the news report, she instantly felt as if she had been stripped naked. She felt as if everyone was gawking at her, seeing right through her.
Her parents were also anxious. “Is the news report true? Is Yin Qiang really a murderer?”
“It’s fake! It’s all fake!” Zhou Juan furiously shook her head and denied it. “Why do you have something like this?”
Her parents explained, “Someone sent it directly to the village. A lot of people got one.”
A lot of people!?
Zhou Juan’s heart dropped when she heard this.
Was there someone who had a grudge against her?
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Was her sister jealous of her?
Qjr Kjcu Lejdljcu algfv bo tfg rtbklcu boo lc ogbca bo tlw?
Qjr Tlc Hljcu’r oglfcv ulnlcu tfg j kjgclcu?
Vtf atbeuta bo j iba bo qbrrlylilalfr, yea cba bcmf vlv rtf mbcrlvfg atja Tlc Zlcuhtfcu kbeiv tjgw tfg. Tlc Zlcuhtfcu tjv jikjsr yffc tfg qgbafmabg.
Vtf xcfk atja Tlc Zlcuhtfcu kjr jcugs, yea rtf cfnfg atbeuta atja Tlc Zlcuhtfcu kbeiv tega tfg.
She knew Yin Mingzheng. He was a kind, soft-hearted child.
Now, that child had his heart broken and left her.
Plus, in her mind, whoever sent these things to the village must also be someone from the village.
“If it’s fake, then it’s fine. It must be fake.” Her parents didn’t believe the news report either.
Zhou Juan was still trying to figure out who in the village she had offended. Her heart was pounding. She said to her parents, “Let’s go back first.”
The three of them headed home in a hurry. Many people greeted them along the way, and some of them asked, “Hey, Miss Zhou, is Yin Qiang really a murderer?”
Her heart seemed to bleed every time she heard this question.
She used to think that Yin Qiang was very good. He was handsome, he was from the city, and he even had a house. Even if he hit her sometimes, she could tolerate it. However, now, she was starting to resent him.
Yin Qiang, are you fucking crazy? Why did you have to kill someone!?
He killed someone and forced her to become the wife of a murderer! She couldn’t even hold her head up in public anymore!
Whenever anyone asked, she desperately denied it. After she finally returned home, someone from next door came over with a cell phone. “Miss Zhou, my grandson helped me look it up online. Yin Qiang really did kill someone! It even trended on Weibo! Everyone in the entire country knows about it, yet you’ve been hiding it from us! You sure are something!”
At first, whenever anyone asked, Zhou Juan would refuse to admit it. However, the neighbors had already looked it up online, and more and more information was being revealed. The evidence was irrefutable. Even if she denied it to the very end, there was nothing she could do.
More and more neighbors were visiting to join in on the fun. They were all here because of the matter with Yin Qiang.
Her parents’ expressions were very bad. Zhou Juan didn’t know what to say anymore.
“This news report says that Yin Qiang stays at home all day. He’s an alcoholic, and he hits his wife and son. He doesn’t have a job, and he’s unemployed. Juan’er, why did you say that he was business owner?”
“I’ve always thought it was strange. They always said that he was a business owner, but they never brought any gifts or donated any money. I knew there was something fishy with them.”
“Juan’er, the issue isn’t him hitting you. The issue is you lying to us.”
“I thought you married some rich city guy with a house. Turns out it was nothing but lies.”
The people in the village were chatting and gossiping with each other.
In the past, Zhou Juan insisted on showing off and flaunting in front of others. She was super proud of marrying a city guy with a house. Her behavior irritated a lot of people in the village.
Now that Yin Qiang’s true identity had been exposed, most people were gloating at her misfortune.
When she saw their jeering faces, Zhou Juan felt as if she had gone back to high school. When it was revealed that she was pregnant out of wedlock, the people in the village had also talked about her like this. Some of the children from the village also threw rocks at her and called her a slut and a whore.
Zhou Juan finally couldn’t take it anymore, so she ran away from the village. She went north to find work and ended up in Chuzhou.
At that time, she vowed to turn things around. She was going to marry a good man and wash away the shame of the past.
After marrying Yin Qiang, she managed to get her dignity back through lying, but, now, it’s all been exposed by a single news report!
She felt just like she did back in high school. It was as though the entire world was spurning her. She felt very helpless and incredibly ashamed.
At first, her parents tried hard to defend her, but the villagers kept shoving various news reports into their faces. Eventually, they could no longer find it in themselves to insist that Yin Qiang was innocent.
The two quickly excused themselves and drove out the neighbors. Then, they closed the door to have a talk with Zhou Juan.
“Juan’er, tell us right now! Is it true or not!?” Zhou Juan’s parents snapped. “You have to make things clear today!”
“Yin Qiang isn’t a business owner at all. You’ve been lying to us. All he’s got is a handsome face and a house, right? He drinks everyday, he doesn’t work, and he beats his wife and children. Isn’t that right?”
Zhou Juan felt a bit more at ease once the neighbors had left. She knew that she couldn’t hide it any longer. Tears streamed down her face, and she weeped, “Mom, Dad, I’m sorry. I lied to you.”
Then, she started to cry. She didn’t bother denying it this time.
When they heard her confess, Zhou Juan’s parents became furious.
“Back then, you messed around with that boy from the Tang family and ended up getting pregnant out of wedlock! You completely embarrassed us, and now you’re doing it again! Zhou Juan, are you really that cheap?” Her mother’s sharp words rained down like gunfire.
Her mother’s roar was like a sharp sword pierced into Zhou Juan’s heart. She felt like her chest was dripping with blood.
Her father shook his head. “Just take a look at yourself. Why are you always trying to compete with your sister when you’re like this? Forget it. You should go back after a couple of days.”
Zhou Juan’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Dad, are you kicking me out?”
Her mother was livid. “What? You still want to stay? Don’t you think you’ve embarrassed us enough? You staying here will only bring us even more shame!”
It was always her sister!
Her sister was always better than her, greater than her!
Whenever anything bad happened, they always scolded her! Drove her away!
She couldn’t take it!
Zhou Juan was both angry and upset. “I didn’t want to stay here anyway! So what if Yin Qiang’s a murderer? He has a house, and now that house is mine! I have a house in Chuzhou!”
She rushed into the room, furious and heartbroken. Then, she picked up her bags, turned around, and left the house.
Zhou Juan had never imagined that she would be ruined and driven away by her family for a second time.
She recalled everything that had happened back then. Tang Huaqiang had gotten her pregnant before marriage. She was looked down on and chased away by her own family. It was only after she married Yin Qiang that she was finally able to raise her head before the Tang family again.
If this ended up reaching the Tang family’s ears, what would the Tang family think of her?
Zhou Juan didn’t dare to think about it…
She definitely couldn’t stay in the village any longer.
Zhou Juan was incredibly upset. She rushed to the county seat, bought a train ticket, and headed straight back to Chuzhou.
Once she got back to Longtan Community, she realized that she was all alone within that messy little house. Even if she was upset, there was no one that she could vent to. Zhou Juan suddenly missed Yin Mingzheng very much. Before, Yin Mingzheng would at least comfort her and listen to her whenever she felt aggrieved.
But now, no one would listen to her pain anymore.
After losing the two men in her life, she felt as if she had lost her backbone.
Zhou Juan was unbearably miserable. She desperately wanted to find another man, find someone to rely on. Otherwise, she really wouldn’t be able to keep living.
She started meeting up with men again.
This time, she wasn’t so picky. Even though the man had two children and was unemployed, she didn’t care. It seemed as if this was the only way she could prove that, even without Yin Qiang, there were still men who wanted her.
After being cursed out by her family, she had made up her mind to divorce Yin Qiang as soon as possible, lest Yin Qiang’s identity as a murderer drag her down.
Therefore, she lowered her standards a lot this time around.
Then, she met a man named Luo Hua.
Luo Hua had a nice appearance, but, other than his looks, he didn’t have anything else. He didn’t even have a house.
Zhou Juan wasn’t picky, so Luo Hua moved into Yin Qiang’s house with his two children and started living with her. Zhou Juan figured that, if they got along well, she would go to the prison and divorce Yin Qiang. Then, she would get a marriage certificate with Luo Hua.
However, she quickly discovered that she made a mistake.
Luo Hua also liked to hit people.
This time, there was no one there to help when she was beaten. She had to take all the blows herself.
Luo Hua was also very heavy-handed. Zhou Juan couldn’t bear it without Yin Mingzheng’s help. She wanted to drive Luo Hua out of the house, but she found that it was easier to invite the devil in than to send him away. Luo Hua wouldn’t leave. He simply settled himself into her room, demanding food and drink, refusing to leave.
Zhou Juan was incredibly miserable.
In the past, others would sympathize with her every time Yin Qiang hit her. However, she ended up getting together with yet another man who beat her up, so others inevitably started suspecting that there was something wrong with her.
“Why is Zhou Juan always getting together with abusive men?”
“Yeah, it’s not like every single man is abusive, yet she always manages to run into one. Is there a problem with her?”
“Sometimes when I look at her, I even want to give her a slap.”
“I know what you mean. She’s just got a punchable face.”
The things that others said all landed within Zhou Juan’s ears. It upset her a lot.
She and Yin Qiang had been going back and forth for so many years. Everyone had long since gotten used to it, so no one bothered to help her. Even if she ranted and raved like Mistress Xiang Lin, nobody cared. They only found her annoying. Moreover, the things she did to Yin Mingzheng had become infamous within the community.
Evil is as evil does! This was what she deserved!
No one was there to take on her burden, so Zhou Juan was left to take it all on herself. She was beaten so much that her head was bleeding. She was really scared now. She suddenly remembered how Yin Mingzheng had nearly died because of a brain hemorrhage.
She finally started to understand how he must’ve felt.
In the past, the reason she thought Yin Qiang was so good was because there was someone taking on her burden. There was someone sharing her pain. Now that no one was helping her, she found that being beaten was really very terrifying. She really could die!
Whenever Yin Qiang beat her, she would go to her workplace or some corner of their neighborhood and cry. Then, others would come and sympathize with her. She liked being sympathized with. After being comforted, she would have an almost perverted sense of satisfaction in her heart.
It was as if she was saying, “Everyone come look! I’m hurt!” Then, everyone would gather around her, look at her wounds, and give her words of sympathy. They would sympathize with her experience and her tragic fate. They would condemn the man who hit her.
This was what made her feel the happiest.
She felt like she had gained everyone’s concern, acceptance, and attention. She was being valued. Everyone was paying attention to her. They were standing by her side and supporting her.
Through her identity as a victim, she was able to gain a sense of recognition.
However, this time, no one comforted her nor sympathized with her.
Everyone was indifferent to it. There were some people who straight-up said, “You were the one who got together with him. You aren’t even married to him, so why are you sticking around? Aren’t you just asking for it?”
Zhou Juan was stupefied.
She had always put herself in the weaker position. Whenever anything happened, she always hoped that someone would help her out. In the past, Yin Mingzheng would be the one to charge forward for her, but now, no one was stupid enough to do so.
When she was with Yin Qiang, Yin Mingzheng had also helped her. It was clear that she could just divorce him and leave, but it was her who didn’t want to.
Now, she found herself another abusive man. They hadn’t even gotten married, yet she herself brought him into her home. Whenever he hit her, she didn’t call the police, and she didn’t drive him away either. She would just cry like a pitiful Mistress Xiang Lin.
Who was she crying for?
Sympathy wasn’t an endlessly flowing emotion. It was something that could be used up. Slowly, everyone stopped feeling so sympathetic for her.
Besides, they could all see the things she did and the way she acted. Why would they sympathize with her? It was as the saying goes, “Every pitiful person must have a cause to be despised“.
Zhou Juan was being beaten physically, but she couldn’t find comfort emotionally. She was absolutely miserable. She was getting used to the beatings, but she simply couldn’t get used to the loneliness growing in her heart.
She was clearly trying to find a man to support her, give her a sense of security. However, in the end, she ended up with a second Yin Qiang.
When she went to bed at night, she laid in Yin Mingzheng’s old bedroom and looked out at the rows of laundry on the balcony, her thoughts a mess.
She wondered why she was so miserable with Luo Hua. Both of them beat people, so why was being with Luo Hua so unbearable?
She finally came to the conclusion that it was because Yin Mingzheng wasn’t here.
She began to think to herself. Was Yin Qiang really her pillar?
Was Luo Hua her pillar?
Not at all. Yin Mingzheng, her son, was her pillar.
How good would it be if Yin Mingzheng were still with her?
Unfortunately, Yin Mingzheng wasn’t going to look back anymore.
Zhou Juan covered her face with the blanket and silently started crying
Lying on Yin Mingzheng’s bed, for the first time in her life, she felt so lonely, so helpless, and so unbearably miserable.
She was afraid to even cry out loud. If her voice was too loud, Luo Hua would accuse her of bothering the kids and rush up to beat her.
She lived more cautiously and more vigilantly than she ever had before.
However, it didn’t matter how careful she was. In the eyes of an abuser, women were just tools to vent their emotions. The abuse had nothing to do with the woman herself. It depended entirely on the man’s mood.
If he was unhappy, he’d hit her. If he was happy, he’d hit her.
Zhou Juan had to endure everything herself. Her body was covered in scars, and her pain was unspeakable.
After a while, Zhou Juan was afraid to even go home.
She clearly had a house and a job, but she found herself stranded with no place to go.
Zhou Juan reluctantly rented an old, one-bedroom apartment in a tube-shaped apartment building. She quietly lived all by herself. Whenever she thought about her life until now, she felt so, so bitter.
Why did she have to suffer from childhood to adulthood!
Since she was now renting an apartment, it was getting harder for her to make ends meet. Just at this time, a former colleague of hers hit her up to open a shop together. She said that it would definitely make money.
Zhou Juan was very moved when she heard her colleague speak about it. She had already reached rock bottom, so she started to develop a gambler’s mentality. She really wanted to give it a shot, so she agreed to open a shop with her colleague.
In order to collect the expenses for this shop, she took out an online loan at her colleague’s suggestion. Unexpectedly, the debts started getting bigger and bigger and snowballing out of control. However, her colleague had already ran off with the money.
Debt collectors weren’t your average, everyday people. They followed Zhou Juan everywhere she went, demanding that she bring out the money.
How was Zhou Juan supposed to have money like that? Besides, the house belonged to Yin Qiang. Even if she wanted to sell the house, there was nothing she could do. Plus, Luo Hua had completely taken over the house. She would only be beaten if she went back.
However, these loan sharks didn’t care. They kept pressing her to bring out the money. If she didn’t bring them the money, they would cut off her finger.
Zhou Juan felt like she was going to go crazy.
Zhou Juan couldn’t understand why all these things were happening to her one after another. Ever since Yin Qiang murdered Chen Hui, things started to go completely haywire.
It was as if there was an invisible hand manipulating her fate, forcing her onto the most difficult path step by step.
As things stood now, she had no choice.
Before, she wanted to wait for her real son to have the money in his hand before showing up, but, now, she couldn’t wait any longer.
She did so much for the sake of her biological son. Shouldn’t he repay her now?
Even if her son inherited billions of yuan worth of property, what was the point if Zhou Juan died? She wanted to be able to live comfortably too!
She did so much just so she could enjoy a happy life, so she could raise her head up high!
She went through so much! She did everything she could! Her real son definitely wouldn’t abandon her! All the suffering she went through was for the sake of her son!
He needed to repay her. He needed to give her money, give her status.
Zhou Juan mulled it over in her tiny little apartment for an entire night. Then, she took the last of her money and bought a train ticket to the capital the very next day. However, as soon as she arrived at the station, she was caught by the loan sharks.
Zhou Juan immediately fell apart. “You can’t treat me like this! You’re breaking the law!”
“Breaking the law?” The loan shark laughed. “You should’ve known this would happen when you took out the loan, right?”
Zhou Juan cried and screamed, “Let me go! I’ll get the money right away! My son’s in Beijing! He has a lot of money! He can definitely help me!”
The loan sharks looked at each other in dismay. The leader didn’t believe her at all.
“You have a son? And he’s in Beijing? Who do you think we are?”
“It’s true!” Zhou Juan said desperately, “As long as you let me go, I can definitely get the money for you.”
The bald-headed leader smiled. “Really? Then tell us, who’s your son? What does he do?”
Zhou Juan opened her mouth. However, in the end, she chose to remain silent.
She didn’t want to reveal her son’s identity yet.
However, it didn’t matter whether she wanted to or not. The loan sharks didn’t have the patience to keep tolerating her.
“Dumb bitch, we gave you a fucking chance! Do you really think we won’t hit a woman!?” Their leader had a body full of muscle. He grabbed one of her hands and pressed it to the ground. Then, he pulled out a knife and swiftly cut off her pinky finger.
“Ahhhhh!” Zhou Juan screamed, her body twitching like a dying fish.
She didn’t expect them to actually do it!
She thought that they would just hit her around a little bit at most. Plus, she was a woman. They definitely wouldn’t be too harsh towards a woman. Wasn’t that how it was on TV?
“Do you get it now? We’re not just playing around.” The leader smiled, playing around with the blood-stained knife. “If you don’t cough up the money, I’ll cut off another finger, got that?”
Zhou Juan almost fainted from the pain. At this moment, she no longer had the energy to worry about anything else. She hurriedly cried, “Spare me! Please spare me! My son really is in Beijing!”
With the threat of bodily harm hanging over her head, Zhou Juan spilled the entire truth about the switched children. The entire gang of loan sharks were completely dumbfounded.
It was hard for them to imagine that the cowardly woman in front of them was able to do such a thing!
The entire story was bizarre and melodramatic! Plus, this had to do with the Wei family! It was like a prime time TV drama!
The leader suddenly realized something. He pulled out his phone, opened the voice recording app, and shoved it in front of Zhou Juan. “Here, say it again.”
When Zhou Juan saw the cell phone, she wanted to stop talking. However, the leader threatened her with the knife, so she quickly gave in.
Actually, even after Zhou Juan spilled everything, they still didn’t really believe her. The details were simply too bizarre.
His subordinates asked, “Boss, what should we do now?”
The leader’s eyes were dark and calculating. “Every reward comes with a risk. If it really is true, we’re gonna make a fortune.”
He turned his head and stared at Zhou Juan. Then, he ordered the subordinate next to him, “Follow her to Beijing. While you’re there, pay Chu ge a visit. Don’t let this woman get away. If this is all true…”
The leader smiled and said, “We’re gonna be rich.”
Zhou Juan saw the greedy light in the leader’s eyes and felt a chill in her heart. She could already guess what the leader wanted to do. He wanted to blackmail her biological son!
However, things had already reached this point. There was nothing she could do. She was in a dangerous position now. She needed to at least guarantee her life before she could move on to the next step.
The leader took her to an underground clinic to bandage her wound. Then, he let his subordinates take her to the capital. Since then, Zhou Juan was never seen in Chuzhou again.
What the what?! This chapter spiraled into an unexpected direction. And I am speechless as we sink further into soap opera territory… 🍿 🥤
Zhou Juan isn’t a good person but this chapter made me almost physically sick…Nobody deserves to be abused and it’s disgusting that people in the novel are blaming her for inviting it on herself. It’s really difficult to cheer on a person in a vulnerable position being exploited and abused & devoting a whole chapter to it was really….I look forward to seeing more of Yin Mingzheng & Shu Ning soon.
I felt really uncomfortable with this chapter too! I understand Zhou Juan is a terrible person, but the fact that they’re saying she has a problem for picking abusive men sits wrong with me.
Hmmm… It’s true that it isn’t really her fault. But, she used that abuse to get the attention she never got.
Yeah it was scummy of her to act like she suffered the most when Yin Minzheng was the one getting beat most of the time and it was 100% her fault for taking the risk with the loan sharks but I still don’t like how the community reacted by implying that she purposefully goes for abusive men to gain sympathy
Zhou Juan using her abuse for “sympathy” or attention doesn’t make the abuse magically alright or make her complicit in someone else’s decision to hurt her. In fact, I’m horrified that no one in the community offered her help to leave instead of their useless “compassion” which dried up as soon as they decided she wasn’t worth caring about.
True. Abuse is never the victim’s fault.
Quite a lot does actually. What with them labelling Mingzheng as bad just because he dyed his hair blond. Or how in most of CN novels, people are referred to as being not decent because they left two buttons open in their shirt or wore a low-riding jeans. It bothers me quite a bit in fact. But the plot/main characters reel me back in. I think this is a problem with most CN novels. The authors are still very much influenced by backward ways no matter how much they please otherwise.
*plead
she went through as a child, neglect and emotional abuse she that lead up to her being the way she is, its obvious that the author is also pointing to other factors, such as her family, her community, her partners, that have gradually affected her emotional and logical thinking, like how she constantly craves sympathetic attention, and justs accept narratives that paint her as an absolute victim that had no way out (even though it was implied that she could’ve left that abusive guy, but didn’t because “what would her hometown think?”), because of the lack of attention in her childhood, she grew up to be self serving while still developing an inferiority complex stemming from her always being compared as a loser to her sister. . The snarky comments about her said by the community isn’t supposed to be a reflection of the authors view, rather a reference to what and how real life communities treat women who have suffered because of abuse, like how whenever she goes and complains to her co-workers about her abuse (tho she claims its for the attention, and that she enjoys the attention gained, i think its a really a cry for help) rather than actually helping her, they only comfort her through useless words, which she, as an attention deprived person, perceives as good, because hey someone cares about her right.
shes still a horrible, awful person, but this chapter should pose as an explanation and a representation for women who have suffered and went through the same fate, which is what i think the authors goal in writing this chapter is ( do remember that explanation ≠ justification)
I agree! This bystander mentality is actually pretty normal and it’s brutal and cold but tbh it’s the norm where it’s just easy to judge and say things while doing nothing. I also see it as more commentary than support to these sort of subjects as well as give Zhou Juan more depth to just being horrible as hateful people are also pitiful people and Vice versa~
The reason she does attract them is ofc not her fault but these abusive men knows the signs of what women who are easy to abuse look like. Sighss. Depressing chapter I just skimmed through it.
+2!! I really hate her as well but blaming her for “choosing” to be a victim again makes me very uncomfy.
+3 i simply skimmed through this chapter, she isn’t a good person but nobody deserves this
This!! Even if she was a horrible person, she didn’t deserve the abuse. Every time something like this happens it’s always magically the woman’s fault. Even if Zhou Juan was a horrible person, that doesn’t magically make the abuse justified
I mean this is the same woman who ignore a child being sexually molested bc she prioritised her “image”, the ML could possibly be r@ped and she didn’t bat an eye over it, idk kinda hard to sympathize with such a disgusting character
I get that she’s a horrible person, but the way that this chapter treated the retribution, and especially the “she chose to be with the abusers” part makes me very uncomfortable, as someone who knows people in abusive relationships
Could it possibly be set up by yin mingzheng?
I was just gonna say that “Was no one gonna mention that Yun Mingzheng probably got a hand in this?” Then I saw your comment 😁😁. Looking back at it, I suspect the news about Yin Qiang being a murderer reaching the village is probably his doing. Tho how loan sharks reached her I wouldn’t put it past YM with how yandere he is.
“She’s got a punchable face”
“Maybe she has a problem”
🤨🤨 hateful woman but the abuse she’s going through shouldn’t be put on her And y’all can’t blame her for not leaving the situation when she’s terrified. I DO NOT LIKE HER DO NOT GET ME WRONG.
DIDNT really like this chapter, hope the next one involves more of the MC <3
+1. I don’t want to read about that hateful woman anymore.
I don’t want to say she deserves it because victims are not the cause but… She deserves it. She is such an attention seeker.
Lots of people are attention seekers, none of them deserve to be abused. The author even mentions themselves that abuse has nothing to do with the victim themselves and everything to do with the abuser using the victim to vent their own feelings. I personally think Zhou Juan deserves having her lies about what her husband actually does exposed to her entire village, because that is a consequence of her behavior. Abuse isn’t.
While I understand your dislike for this fictional character, please understand your statements have real life implications. This chapter was starkly accurate to the thoughts, feelings, and experiences many survivors of DV have. Especially in more patriarchal and conservative regions.
While I am sure it is not your intention, a survivor could read this and be severely impacted negatively by the statement.
I don’t say she deserves the abuse but deserves the feelings that YMZ felt. He didn’t deserve to be beaten in her place.
+1
TBH, I have a hard time reading chapters like these. Even if I hate a character, I hate reading about abuse to anyone.
Also, the fact that she allows her “real” son to be emotionally blackmailed, that took away almost all my sympathy. She’s very selfish here.
In case there is anyone reading this that needs to hear this.
It doesn’t matter who you are, what you’ve done or what situation you are in you do not deserve to be abused. Domestic Violence is the important topic and it is not your fault.
While I always encourage people to remove themselves from bad situations, not doing so or being unable to do so doesn’t mean you deserve DV or that it is your fault. Meeting another abuser doesn’t mean you deserve DV or it is your fault.
And this is also an important message to all third parties out there. Statistically everyone knows at least one survivor of DV weather you are aware if it or not.
Please be a source of compassion and understanding to those you meet, whether they are you friends, family, enemies, or strangers. It may not be your job to help someone suffering, and there is no one size solution to helping. But the least we can all give eachother is to not be sources of scorn, judgment, and vitriol that ZJ was subjected too.
Thank you for being unequivocal about this. Reading this made me realize I was being unreasonably hesitant by framing my argument with “Zhou Juan was a bad person, but.” Survivors of DV shouldn’t have to reach some moral standard to be approached with compassion.
+1 <3
She’s a selfish person don’t get me wrong now. She prioritise herself over everyone else and cries when she doesn’t get her way. I just feel kinda bad cuz she grew up having a bad childhood and even worse life after. But she definitely should get her karma. Its just that the abuse ain’t it(tho it did made her understand villain pain)
The trap authors fall into when antagonists deserve everything bad happening to them. And protagonists are justified in all their actions.
Well, that was truly unpleasant chapter. No matter how wrong she
was, that’s still too much. But yeah, there’s still such people who
would kill the person if they won’t return money, and victims are too
scared to go to the police.
About this woman. You should learn how to love yourself, if you want to be loved by somebody else
Wanna know what Wei family will do
Thanks for the chapter ~
Oh my gosh, I cannot wait for the next chapter!
But Zhou Juan really is stupid, huh… I don’t feel bad for her, at all, because its a mix of karma and her choices that lead her down this path but I kinda feel bad for both her sons…
I really want SN and YM to get together and be completely happy!
Thank you for the chapter
Let me stated first that of course she didn’t deserve to get abused but does that mean YMZ deserve that?
She stays with an abuser just to show off towards her villagers, and even pushing YMZ to hell for that. And how the residents believe our ml is a good guy if his own mother didn’t believe him?
I was glad it stated that this woman is worse than Yin Qian.
She didn’t think she was at fault for all her wrongdoings even after their meeting at school.
To be honest if your only requirement to stay with a guy is a handsome face then it’s really a gamble whether he is a good guy or not.
And for those dissing her… I can’t really fault them. Isn’t she asking for sympathy too much through all these years? Everything has a limit and as there’s no sympathy left to offer, it was replaced with malice.
Thanks for the chapter!
+1
Her parents are… really cold. They find out that their daughter has been abused, and it’s her fault? It’s not her fault her husband is a murderer too. No wonder Zhou Juan is messed up. She does make crappy choices though, but I guess it’s because she’s an abuse victim. She was the one that was earning money, so she doesn’t need a man to support her. But maybe she was craving emotional support, unfortunately jumped into the fire instead.
+1
Not a happy read today… Thanks for the update!
You’re so shameless 🤨
hmm. glad to know i’m not alone in being uncomfortable with this chapter.
let’s hope next chapter cheers us up andthatzhoujuanhasn’tbeenchoppedupforparts COUGH COUGH
the plot relevant part of this should be zhou juan’s son getting blackmailed. there were probably other ways to achieve that…
At the same time, this chapter is like a reminder that most of the people in the neighbourhood community are actually really cruel with their gossip. Recently they’ve just been sympathizing with YMZ, but before they used to blame him too for being with an abusive dad and everything.
Ah~, it’s getting better and better, I love all the melodrama in the btchs life!! 😂🤩
this chapter’s mood is really complicated…. 😶
The women finally gets what she deserves. If she had loved YM at least a little then he probably would have been more forgiving towards her and not send thugs after her. 😔
While I don’t like Zhou Juan and hope she never bothers our boys again, saying that she has a “punchable face” is really too much. This community is really rotten. All it does is vomit out trash about abuse victims.
(On a separate note, I’m impressed how ruthless YMZ is. He really orchestrated the perfect downfall for ZJ. He knows her weakness and uses it to his advantage with pinpoint accuracy.)
Thank you for your hard work!!
I don’t really pity her since she’s been doing wrong stuff from the beginning. She might have had a not very nice childhood, but still, she chose to take someone else’s child to use him in the future to get money from the Wei family AND she abused him. Nothing could excuse what she did, so yes, she deserves every single thing happening to her right now.
Oh, and the retribution I’m talking about, is her losing her money and having loan sharks stuck to her ass.
Nothing excuses domestic abuse, but then again, in her case, she let it go for the ML (let him get hit in her stead), so it’s quite hard to stand by this fact…
Thanks for the chapter ❤️❤️
I don’t like the victim blaming but it just portrays how people actually think in reality. A lot of asian countries aren’t forward in this aspect. Even the rape victims are blamed because they supposedly seduced the rapist. It’s sick I know but this chapter really shows how people’s mentality is in some countries.
I’m a bit uncomfortable with how the author potray the abuse in this chapter and how the neighbors said that there’s something wrong with Zhou Juan if she keep together with abusive man. Yes, there’s indeed something wrong with her (her poor judgement I think), but how the neighbors said it really made me feel uncomfortable.
And, heh, Zhou Juan, if you think your real son will care about you when you come at him with those loan shark behind you, you would be dissapointed.
Please put a trigger warning for victim blaming next time. I know the abuse is a recurring theme in the novel but this could be a different level of trigger to ppl.
done! thank you for letting me know
No offense, but how stupid can you be?
You had the house to yourself yet you went and shackled yourself to another man who has kids?!
It’s disgusting that even nowadays has a lot of people who is blaming the victims
You guys have to understand that it was easy for the neighbors to stop sympathizing with her. I mean she clearly doesn’t care for herself. She could have called the police but she didn’t, she didn’t file any complaints whatsoever, it’s not like she was handicapped or anything??.
The thing with her is she’s still caught up in that competitive mindset with her sister. She refused to divorce her husband because she wanted to save face. If YM was still there she wouldn’t have left this her new boyfriend, because YM would have been the one on the receiving end, that’s why she never bothered leaving LH because YM was there to take it all. She’s selfish, vain, self centered and cowardly.
She sorta enjoyed the abuse, it gave her a means to be in the spotlight as she herself said, she enjoyed being pitiful because of the sympathy and all that.
Her mentality is crooked. I understand she was neglected by her family and came from a rather traditional community but I don’t feel pity for her. She didn’t hesitate to switch kids. She didn’t want her own kid to suffer so it’s another person’s child who is supposed to be abused. More to that she neglected and used the child as a shield, even the guilt she felt wasn’t enough to feed him and buy him clothes. She’s driven by only a single goal, “being above everyone else so she can show off, lift her head up”. If she had left LH, YM could have had a better childhood, she wouldn’t even need to swap kids. But no, she didn’t want to be looked down on by her villagers because she divorced. She had clearly left that place after getting pregnant , their opinions didn’t matter anymore but she just had to go and show off her supposedly handsome husband with a house.
More to that YM had even proposed that they leave LH but she refused. The neighbors in the community had been sympathetic but soon realized that she wasn’t willing to leave those abusive men, so what were they supposed to do, force her?!. She’s an adult more to that you can’t help someone who is unwilling.
Authors not justifying the abuse, just framing how people from the outside see it and react to it. Her not even calling the police, getting into another abusive relationship, the typical reaction from people, I’m Asia especially is that something is wrong with the woman, sad but true.
The hell…….. Thank you for the chapter!
The mentor YMZ met in the Pegasus app, is either his father or grandfather.
Everyone in that damn hometown is crazy.
“Juan’er the issue isn’t him hitting you it’s you lying to us.”
WHAT??!
If i were to put myself in the perspective of the hometown people, the first thing i would say wouldn’t be:
“i can’t believe you lied to us” 💀
it would be,
“holy sht are you okay now.”
Like obviously us readers have more knowledge of what happened, and that juan’er isn’t a good person, but the townspeople don’t know that..
All they knew of her was that she married a wealthy handsome businessman, and she sometimes showed off and bragged to the townsfolk in a rude way.
Which has me fcking flabbergasted when the townspeople said “How could you lie to us” and not give a single fck about what happened to her.
The ”Perfect” stuck up “rich” women turns out to be a victim of domestic violence, barely making ends meet, and is married to an alcoholic abusive murderer, and everyone’s first reaction is to have a go at her.. holy sht
She might not be a good mother nor a good person. But she doesn’t deserve all of this, she needs help, serious psychological help. But yet again it would be hard to help someone who is in deep denial, hope someone can save her from herself.
And dang Mingzheng is no longer a little villian now huh!
Uh, maybe I’m too softhearted lately 🧍🏽♀️because I actually felt a little sorry for her in the first half of the chapter. But if I was there, I probably wouldn’t help her either out of respect for YMZ…
The author created a vile character to excuse the abuse she received. Author threw in so many bad situations as retribution, I’m surprised Zhou Juan wasn’t raped too. At this point I have an issue with the author.
Here’s the thing; victim blaming is not right, but what could you do if the victim herself doesn’t want to be rescued? I don’t believe other people in the community hadn’t tried to help her out of the situation. The police’s attitude the night Baby got hurt also implied that it wasn’t the first time they got called for this particular family’s problem. The problem was that she didn’t want to leave even though she clearly had the means to. It’s extremely exhausting to continue sympathize to someone who doesn’t even want to be helped and too busy wallowing in self pity.