That was exactly the idea Xiao You had.

As long as Xiao Rong was alive, she could not fall sound asleep.

He was an alive competitor. Although he was no longer competitive, he might as well be dead.

Therefore, she still wanted Xiao Rong to disappear completely.

That would be superb if Xiao Rong could die in Gui Town.

"It's none of your business."

Xiao You did not want to speak nonsense with Han Lu anymore.

Han Lu smiled at her, "If you kill Xiao Rong, your father might get hurt."

Xiao You could not help laughing, "He will be sad? Or you will?"

"It's Chengye who will be sad." Han Lu glanced at Xiao You calmly, "It will turn out to be good for me if you dispose of Xiao Rong."

"You mean, after I dispose of him, if anything happens to my dad, there will be a fight between you and me for the property of Xiao Family?"

Xiao You understood Han Lu's intention.

Xiao Chengye only had two children. One was Xiao Rong from the ex-wife.

The other was Xiao You.

Apart from them, he had no child.

If Xiao Rong came to a bad end, Xiao You would be the successor.

But Han Lu, as Mrs. Xiao, could also get certain property.

She just looked down upon Han Lu.

Moreover, she was sure that if Han Lu dared to contend with her for Xiao Family's property, Han Lu would be knocked out by her easily.

Han Lu was no match for her.

Because Han Lu did not bear any child for Xiao Family.

If she had given birth to even a daughter, she would have been her opponent now.

Pitifully, she was sterile.

Nothing was born.

"Am I wrong?"

Han Lu asked back.

Xiao You shook her head, saying to her with disdain, "You think too highly of yourself. You are no match for me. You are just a sterile hen."

Xiao You blurted out sharp remarks.

Han Lu turned pale on the spot.

She could not help clenching her fingers on hearing those terrible words.

What Xiao You said struck a nerve with her.

But she could not retort, because it was true.

She was no match for Xiao You, never.

Xiao You had a blood relationship with Xiao Chengye. She was his daughter.

But she was only a rematch for Xiao Chengye.

The most contemptible thing about her was that she did not even have a child for the Xiao Family.

Xiao You noticed Han Lu's pale countenance and walked out of the lavatory with a scornful smile.

She intentionally brushed past Han Lu's shoulder with her shoulder on the way out.

Han Lu could not help but shake a bit.

The woman who bumped her, however, did not have any tendency to make an apology.

She left with an arrogant sneer on her face.

Han Lu was red-cheeked with rage staring at Xiao You's back.

Xiao You was too haughty to take her seriously.

She readily believed Han Lu, who did not have a child, had no place in the Xiao Family.

Even if Xiao Chengye were dead, however, she was still his wife.

She was the seeming mother of Xiao You and Xiao Rong even if She was their stepmother.

They still were required to call her mom as Xiao Chengye was alive.

After Xiao Chengye's death, as long as she did not get a divorce from him, she was still their mother.

Han Lu bit her lips and squinted her eyes maliciously. An idea hit her.

She smiled coldly in an undertone, "Little bastard, you don't give a shit on me, and I'm gonna let you suffer. Then you will know my means to enter the Xiao Family. "

Han Lu, among the numerous women, could marry Xiao Chengye with his approval.

It was not because of her fortune but of competence.

If Xiao You wanted to have a test on her competence, she would fulfill her.

But she will regret it beyond all questions.

She was too young to defeat her stepmother.

...

"It's heard that Tiantian, that silly girl, found a corpse in the grass."

"A female body. Seemed to be thirty and burned to death. Every piece of cloth under her buttocks had been burned."

In a room full of the smell of cigarettes, Second Uncle, Third Brother, and their sons, while drinking and smoking, were playing mahjong with the families of Third Uncle.

Third Uncle's son refused to smoke, and he did not play mahjong well.

He had been discarding tiles for others to win.

He had lost a lot of money. Hearing Second Uncle talking about Zhang Tiantian, he could not help interrupting, "She's unlucky. Whatever bad can happen to her."

"That's true. First, her parents died, and then her brother died. And she happened to see a murdered body on the way to her homeland. What an unlucky girl!"

Second Uncle said.

Third Brother smiled on hearing their dialogue, "She's not that unlucky. After all, she got to know Xiao Rong."

"Xiao Rong?"

Third Uncle raised his eyebrows, "He's just a discarded son of Xiao Family without an opportunity to succeed any property. Everything is under the control of his elder sister."

"Be that as it may, Third Uncle. Fortune knocks once at every man's door." Third Brother smiled and discarded a tile, saying casually, "What if Xiao You died earlier than Xiao Chengye? Then only Xiao Rong can succeed the property of Xiao Family."

Third Brother declared his assumption.

Second Uncle and Third Uncle laughed simultaneously.

"You're dreaming."

"Here you go. Xiao You is leading a wonderful life now. How could she die ahead of a mute?"

"The dead person could only be Xiao Rong. Xiao You is always a successor of the Xiao Family." The cousin also discarded a tile.

Third Brother and Second Uncle thought the tile was useless.

While Third Uncle smiled from ear to ear, "I won."

"You couldn't be up your alley, could you, bro? Game is over. You lost. At this rate you're going to lose your underpants!"

Third Brother laughed at his cousin.

Second Uncle and Third Uncle beside laughed together.

The cousin was annoyed a little bit. He stood up with the sound of a chair whamming the floor. He said impatiently, "I'm out for a smoke."

"Why don't you smoke here?"

Third Brother was still laughing at him.

But his cousin walked out in silence directly.

"Third Uncle, my brother just can't afford to lose."

Hearing his nephew's evaluation of his son, Third Uncle remained silent with a smile on his face.

The three persons shuffled the tiles.

They were about to play Mahjong for a second time.

"I will take my brother back."

Third Brother was about to go out.

Mahjong was ought to be played with four players. Three could not start a Mahjong. The super player always allowing others to win was needed.

Second Uncle and Third Uncle connived in him.

The moment Third Brother was about to leave his seat, however, his cell phone beside the table rang.

Third Brother did not want to answer.

Second Uncle peered at his son's phone nearby.

The glance startled him.

He said in astonishment, "Oh! My son, it's a phone call from Beicheng."

"Beicheng?"

Third Brother was also surprised at his father's words.

There was no friend of his in Beicheng. Who would call him?

...

Zhang Tiantian and Xiao Rong were driven to the village by Zhang Kai.

The minute Xiao Rong and Zhang Tiantian got off. Zhang Tiantian immediately invited Zhang Kai to her home.

Zhang Kai had had his dinner. Moreover, he could not go to Zhang Tiantian's for drinks as he needed to drive.

Additionally, it was late now at Chinese New Year's Eve.

It was not nice for him to be a third wheel.

After some consideration, he refused with a smile, "Sorry, I have to go back to the police station."

"At Chinese New Year's Eve? The police station?"

Zhang Tiantian said in sympathy.

All the members of the family would gather to enjoy a reunion dinner on this Chinese New Year's Eve.

While the dedicated police at work could not share a reunion with his family.

It was pathetic.

"We have a duty fee. It's not a loss."

Zhang Kai started a joke.

Anyway, he had no friends or families here in Gui Town. It was better to spend the festival with his colleagues together.

"Then please take care on your way driving back!"

Zhang Tiantian worried about Zhang Kai.

Zhang Kai nodded with a smile, "Don't worry, I will be careful, It's cold outside. Now that you both have arrived at the front door, just go home."

Xiao Rong and Zhang Tiantian nodded.

Zhang Kai rolled up the window, turned around, and drove away.

Seeing Zhang Kai's police car away from the village, Xiao Rong pondered for a while.

Zhang Kai was right.

No one would sense the homesickness unless he left his hometown for somewhere else.

Just a strange fellow-townsman could intrigue one and make him feel at home.

Xiao Rong did not notice this kind of feeling when he saw Zhang Kai.

Only when Zhang Kai left did he feel the intimacy.

Zhang Tiantian found Xiao Rong kept looking toward the way Zhang Kai left. She asked him, "Are you homesick?"

Xiao Rong shook his head and told her in sign language, "My home is where you are. Why am I homesick?"

Zhang Tiantian understood Xiao Rong's gestures. She was moved within.

Hesitating for a while, she held Xiao Rong's hand shyly.

Xiao Rong felt Zhang Tiantian's fingers reaching for his hand.

He smiled slightly and held her hand tightly.

This sweetness was imprinted in Zhang Tiantian's mind.

The urge to hurry home was much stronger.

"Let's go home."

Zhang Tiantian said to Xiao Rong.

Xiao Rong nodded. They headed towards their home.

However, after a dozen steps.

They were shocked looking in the direction of the hill.

The red blaze on the hill stood out in the darkness.

Even if there were many fireworks at night, which might give off a red blaze. The red blaze they saw, however, was different from the one given off by fireworks.

Looking at the burning blaze, Zhang Tiantian unbelievably opened her mouth.

"What! That's..."

Xiao Rong clenched Zhang Tiantian's fingers more tightly. His beautiful eyes were mapping the firelight of the night, suddenly they becoming particularly cold and frightful.

Their house was overburning. The house in which they lived together.

It was their home.

They were rushing home just now.

They had thought, at that house, they could have celebrated Chinese New Year's Eve together for the first time.

Nevertheless, now, their house was burned to ashes in front of them.

Their house was burned. Their home was gone.

There was no house else they could reside themselves in. On this cold Chinese New Year's Eve.

Glaring at the burning blaze on the hill, Zhang Tiantian trembled violently.

Xiao Rong felt she got weird and held her immediately. He wanted to ask her what went wrong.

But only to find himself unable to speak at all.

He could do nothing but sign anxiously, "What's up?"

Zhang Tiantian was breathless. The firelight mapped in her eyes hurt her deeply. She grabbed her clothes off her chest tightly, and difficultly spit out a few words with a tremble in her voice, "It's painful... I, I have a heartache..."