C5 This Was Abuse!

Xia Nannan sat in her room, guessing that the person outside was probably half-dead by now. The thought made her happy. Moo Yongrong, your karma has finally caught up with you. Xia Nannan gripped the bedsheet tightly. Because of Moo Yongrong, she had lost her family, but she was determined to get everything back.

Ring, ring, ring...

Zheng Yizhou pulled out his phone, feeling a bit annoyed as he looked at the caller ID. For some reason, he felt indifferent toward his mother. She treated him well enough, but there was a lack of genuine familial warmth.

"Yizhou, you need to come home for dinner. Deng Yu'er has been waiting at our house for ages. How could you keep a young lady waiting for so long? Show some gentlemanly manners."

On the other end of the line, a cheerful female voice could be heard. No need to guess—it was Deng Yu'er. His mom was absolutely smitten with her.

"I know, I'll be home soon," Zheng Yizhou replied impatiently. He had made it clear he didn't like Deng Yu'er, but she clung to him like a stubborn sticker, impossible to shake off.

Zheng Yizhou hung up the phone in frustration and glanced upstairs before leaving. What did Xia Nannan's situation have to do with him? Why was he even thinking about her? He shook his head, trying to dismiss the idea. How could he be interested in a gold digger like her? It was impossible.

"Yizhou, you're back." As soon as Zheng Yizhou walked in, Deng Yu'er latched onto him, talking about how long she'd been waiting and how much she missed him.

"Let's eat," Zheng Yizhou said, ignoring her as he headed straight to the dining room. Deng Yu'er's face flushed with embarrassment. She had been pursuing him for so long, why wouldn't he accept her?

"Yu'er, sit next to Yizhou," Moo Yongrong suggested, her eyes crinkling with a smile. If it weren't for the fact that she was his only mother, Zheng Yizhou wouldn't have bothered coming back. His father had asked them to take good care of her before he passed away.

"Okay." Yu'er obediently walked into the kitchen to help Auntie carry the dishes.

"Oh dear, you're a guest. You shouldn't be doing this," Moo Yongrong hurriedly stepped forward, trying to take the dish from her. Yizhou watched them with a blank expression. He was used to it by now; if he didn't like something, nothing could change that.

"Yizhou, you must be exhausted today. Eat up. And Yu'er, she's such a good kid, always so considerate to me," Moo Yongrong said with a broad smile, continuously serving them food. The more she looked at Yu'er, the more satisfied she was.

Nannan came downstairs and looked around. Where is everyone? Seriously, they just left her here? What was she supposed to eat? Feeling frustrated, she glanced at the fridge. It was empty, like it had never been used. She felt like she'd been abandoned in the middle of nowhere.

Nannan pulled out her phone. If there's no food, I can at least order delivery, right?

"Sorry, you're too far out. We don't deliver to your location."

Staring at her phone, Nannan wished she could tear Yizhou into pieces. He left without telling her and didn't even leave any food behind—not even a bottle of water.

Her stomach growled. Fine, I'll just sleep. If I'm asleep, I won't be hungry. I'll figure something out tomorrow. If there's still no food, I'll crawl back if I have to. This is torture. Her mind was racing with frustration.

"Yizhou, let's go see a movie. It's been ages since we last went," Yu'er said sweetly, linking her arm with Yizhou's after dinner. Yu'er was quite attractive, the kind of woman any man would find hard to resist. Maybe Yizhou wasn't like most men; he just didn't take the bait.

"No, I'm heading back to my room." Yizhou gently pushed her away, a flicker of annoyance in his eyes. He wasn't fond of people invading his personal space, especially not this close.

"Don't just bury yourself in work and stay cooped up in your room all day. Yu'er is a guest; keep her company," Moo Yongrong chided from the side. The more she looked at Deng Yu'er, the more satisfied she felt. Wealthy and devoted to Yizhou—where could she find a better daughter-in-law?

Yizhou acted as if he hadn't heard a thing, retreating to his room and leaving Deng Yu'er fuming in the living room.

"There, there. He'll understand your feelings one day," Moo Yongrong reassured, patting Deng Yu'er on the shoulder. She was quite a catch, so why was Yizhou so indifferent to her?

"I understand, Auntie. Can I stay over tonight?" Deng Yu'er glanced up at the room. No matter what, she was determined to win over Yizhou. She couldn't believe he would ignore someone standing right in front of him.

"Of course, of course." Moo Yongrong smiled, holding Deng Yu'er's hand.

"Send some food to the beach house, the lighter the better," Yizhou instructed over the phone. He nearly forgot about the place; he rarely visited and never cooked at home, so the house was probably devoid of food, maybe even water. He wondered what that woman was up to now.

Nannan lay in bed, too hungry to sleep. She had mentally cursed Yizhou's ancestors multiple times. She couldn't let herself starve before exacting her revenge; she had grand plans to fulfill.

Knock, knock, knock...

Nannan shot up from the bed. Was he back? This place was so isolated, it couldn't be anyone else. With that thought, she dashed downstairs, ready to give him a piece of her mind. Treating a pregnant woman like this—though she wasn't actually pregnant, Yizhou believed she was.

"This is from the boss," said the man as soon as the door opened. He looked to be in his forties, sporting a slicked-back hairstyle reminiscent of the 1980s. Surprisingly, it didn't make him look outdated or unattractive; instead, it gave him an air of authority.

"Thanks," Xia Nannan quickly took the food. At least he had some decency to send her a meal. She wondered what she had done to deserve this situation.

"And starting today, I'll be staying here. You can call me Mr. Ji," the man continued. Xia Nannan couldn't fathom what Zheng Yizhou was thinking, sending someone with such a notorious reputation to keep an eye on her.

"Let's call it what it is—you're here to spy on me," Xia Nannan muttered under her breath, eagerly opening the insulated container.

Porridge... and pickles...

"Is this supposed to be food?" Xia Nannan glared at him. Zheng Yizhou, you jerk. I almost thought you had a shred of decency, but this is how you treat me?

"There's shrimp porridge at the bottom. It's quite nourishing," Mr. Ji added, which almost made Xia Nannan roll her eyes. It's still just porridge, isn't it?