TPW – Chapter 125 – Extra 6

“Qin Xiaoman?” Jin Yuzhen walked over, confused, her gaze shifting between the tightly bound woman and her husband, her mind a complete blank.

“Liu Shiren, what are you doing?”

She still had no idea that Qin Xiaoman was also one of her husband’s mistresses.

When Liu Shiren saw his wife, his mind went blank for a second—he couldn’t understand why she was home at this hour.

But he quickly collected himself and stepped in front of Qin Xiaoman. “It’s nothing, just some personal grudge. Yuzhen, go upstairs first. I’ll come back in a bit.”

He was about to drag Qin Xiaoman away when Jin Yuzhen stepped forward and blocked him. “Personal grudge? Why don’t I know anything about this grudge? What kind of grudge is so serious you have to tie her up and slap her?”

Suddenly remembering something, Jin Yuzhen became furious and pointed at his nose. “Liu Shiren! You dirty bastard, now you’re taking revenge on Xiaoman because of your own disgusting actions? Are you even human?!”

She had only just started to feel better after the whole affair, but now that she recalled everything, the more she thought about it, the angrier she became. She raised her bag and smashed it at him. “You dog! Cheating on me behind my back and still blaming her for tattling on you? Good for her! From now on, you won’t get a single cent from my family!”

The Jin family was wealthy and powerful, a prominent name in Yun City.

As the saying goes, the more prominent the family, the more they want to keep their dirty laundry hidden.

Moreover, Liu Shiren had only committed the “mistake that all men supposedly make.” In the Jin family’s eyes, a good scolding, a good beating, and cutting off his financial support counted as punishment enough.

For the sake of Jin Yuzhen’s two daughters, they hadn’t done anything more to Liu Shiren. But his days were no longer easy. He had no more endless money, lost his position, and had his visible assets confiscated. Now he was just an unemployed loafer with less money than his own daughters. After decades of living extravagantly, this felt no different than being imprisoned. Life had been unbearable lately.

Of course, only his visible assets were confiscated—he still had secret stashes of money. His wife just didn’t know.

Jin Yuzhen furiously grabbed him by the ear and dragged him upstairs. Liu Shiren was unwilling to let Qin Xiaoman slip away like that. He exchanged a glance with Xu Haizhou, silently signaling him to hide her away. He’d find a chance to deal with her later!

Just as that glance was exchanged, Jin Yuzhen abruptly let go of his ear and marched up to Qin Xiaoman. She reached out to remove the tape from her mouth and untie her limbs.

As she bent down, she looked at Xu Haizhou and asked, “Who are you? I just saw you throw Xiaoman off the truck.”

Could it be that the kidnapping was done under Liu Shiren’s orders? But this man was tall and handsome—she didn’t recall her husband ever knowing someone like this.

“I’m…”

Xu Haizhou had just opened his mouth when Liu Shiren rushed over, hugging his wife and dragging her upstairs. “Yuzhen, Yuzhen, just stay out of it between me and Qin Xiaoman. Let’s go back upstairs, okay?”

“Okay your ass! Don’t touch me!” She shoved his chubby, greasy face away. The way he said “okay” so sickeningly made her want to slap him, but she held back—didn’t want her palm covered in his grease. Disgusting.

Qin Xiaoman, this venomous woman, was full of spite. Just now Liu Shiren had slapped and kicked her again—would she not immediately air all his dirty laundry in front of Jin Yuzhen?

If she exposed the fact that he had an illegitimate child, he’d really be done for! His wife would definitely divorce him!

So Liu Shiren couldn’t let Jin Yuzhen untie Qin Xiaoman. He clung to her, pulling her back without letting go.

“Get lost! Liu Shiren, I won’t say it a second time! Get lost! Let go of me!”

Even though Liu Shiren’s heart was pounding with fear, he still clung tightly to her, not daring to release his grip.

In a family as respectable as the Jin’s, they rarely aired their dirty laundry, always pretending like nothing had happened. But the one thing they absolutely couldn’t tolerate was illegitimate children!

Few people knew that the original founder of the Jinxiang company was actually Jin Yuzhen’s grandfather. Back then, before the founding of the country, he had opened a fabric store. Business boomed, and the Jin family became one of the most influential names in Yun City.

Although Jinxiang was built up by Grandpa Jin, the family’s greatest pain was also… Grandpa Jin himself.

Just like Liu Shiren, he had taken a mistress behind his wife’s back and fathered an illegitimate son. When Grandma Jin found out, she was so angry she died from the shock.

Back then, keeping a mistress wasn’t uncommon. But the old couple had married for love. Grandma Jin couldn’t accept that her beloved husband had a woman on the side—and an illegitimate child! She always thought she was Grandpa Jin’s only “true love.”

After Grandma Jin died, Grandpa Jin brought the mistress and illegitimate son—Jin Mingchan—home.

Jin Mingchan was clever and quick-witted, but the Jin family never accepted him. Since he entered the family at seven years old, he had been coldly treated, bullied by his siblings, and his mother as well.

Then the tables turned. When he grew up, no one expected the old man to foolishly hand the family business over to his illegitimate son! The three sons born of the legal wife had to work under a bastard.

Who could accept that? They kicked up a huge fuss, and the old man died in the turmoil. But before he died, he ruthlessly handed everything over to Jin Mingchan.

Still, no one could deny that the old man had a sharp eye—Jin Mingchan was indeed a business genius. But his heart no longer belonged to the Jin family.

Under his leadership, Jinxiang became a dominant force in Yun City. While others starved, the Jin family wore silk and dined in luxury… until the political climate changed. During the public-private partnership era, Jinxiang became “state-owned.” Sensing danger, Jin Mingchan donated a large sum of money and fled before the reforms began. All of Jinxiang’s visible cash assets were converted into gold and other valuables, and he escaped overseas with his mother, leaving the Jin family to clean up the mess.

This wasn’t a sudden escape—it had been long planned. The surface-level accounts looked good, but the inner finances were a complete disaster, which Jin Mingchan had hidden well. It was only after he fled with the money that everyone discovered the truth…

That period, after Jin Mingchan’s escape, was the Jin family’s hardest time. From luxury to hardship, Jin Yuzhen’s childhood became as poor and lacking as the average person’s. It wasn’t until after the reform and opening-up that her father and two uncles supported each other and revived the family business, restoring Jinxiang’s former glory in less than a decade.

Of course, even before the reforms, the three Jin brothers had already secretly engaged in speculative activities, which allowed them to expand so quickly afterward.

In short, the Jin family’s ultimate sore spot is illegitimate children. Liu Shiren keeping a mistress had already landed him in the Jin family’s “death row.” They hadn’t pushed for a divorce only because he was the father of Yuzhen’s two daughters. He had been given one last chance.

But if the existence of a bastard child were revealed, it wouldn’t matter whose father he was. Even if Jin Yuzhen didn’t want to divorce him, her uncles would force her to.

And realistically, Jin Yuzhen would most likely agree to the divorce.

So now, the more Liu Shiren tried to stop Jin Yuzhen from tearing off the tape from Qin Xiaoman’s mouth, the more determined she became.

Qin Xiaoman must know some secret that scared Liu Shiren. She had to hear it! She had to know what else this bastard had been hiding from her!

But men and women have vastly different physical strengths. No matter how much she struggled, Jin Yuzhen couldn’t break free from his grip. He kept dragging her upstairs.

Seizing the moment while the two struggled, Xu Haizhou quickly removed the tape wrapped around Qin Xiaoman’s mouth.

Suddenly, the birds resting in the treetops scattered in fright, flapping their wings in chaos.

“Ahhh—Liu Shiren! You dared to hit me! You actually dared to hit me! Liu Shiren! Bastard! Beast! You dog! I’m going to kill you—!”

Xu Haizhou instinctively looked around. As expected, the commotion had already started to attract curious glances from nearby.

He immediately stepped in front of Qin Xiaoman, shielding her body so others wouldn’t see her. Otherwise, those unaware might think this was a group bullying a female comrade.

“Sister Jin! Sister Jin, why haven’t you divorced this scumbag yet? He not only keeps a mistress—he even has an illegitimate child! He had a son with his mistress!”

“You filthy whore!” Liu Shiren was furious. He grabbed a stone and smashed it at her face without thinking.

Qin Xiaoman’s cheek instantly became a bloody mess.

Hiss— Even Xu Haizhou couldn’t help but feel a little sorry…

No matter how you looked at it, these two were reaping what they had sown. Watching them tear into each other was almost amusing.

“Ahhh—!”

“You bastard! Bastard! How dare you hit my face! I’ll kill you! I’m going to kill you, you animal! Liu Shiren, you’re a damn beast—!”

Of all the places Liu Shiren could’ve hit, he had to smash her proudest feature—her face!

If her hands and feet weren’t tied, Xu Haizhou wouldn’t have doubted for a second that she’d pounce and kill Liu Shiren right then and there.

What’s a beating? What’s a round of insults? Once this ordeal was over, she had planned to disappear without a trace. As long as she still had her face, she’d never worry about making money.

But now, Liu Shiren, that damn animal, had smashed her face with a stone!

Blood—streams of blood trickled down from her scalp, running along her temples. Qin Xiaoman felt utterly hopeless. The burning pain on her face told her something was seriously wrong.

It’s over. Everything is over…

Jin Yuzhen was stunned. Liu Shiren had always been gentle and considerate in front of her. Even though he kept a mistress outside, once home he treated her like a queen. She had never seen him so violent.

More than twenty years of marriage, and now she realized the man who had always seemed so considerate was someone she barely knew.

Terrifying. Truly terrifying.

After being tormented all night and now all morning, Qin Xiaoman’s emotions finally collapsed.

She broke down, no longer holding anything back. She spilled every dirty secret she had, not even caring whether it would hurt her too.

“Liu Shiren is a beast! He even bought a house for his illegitimate child! Two thousand—no, twenty thousand yuan! A luxury apartment! Sister Jin, do you know how many kickbacks he’s taken behind your back? How many bribes he’s accepted? He’s been using the Jin family’s influence to line his own pockets! He’s just a filthy bastard, a total scumbag!”

Liu Shiren’s eyes bulged with rage. He suddenly kicked her in the chest so hard that Jin Yuzhen didn’t even have time to stop him.

“You think you’re some kind of saint? You filthy whore! You seduced me! Slept with me! Spent my money! I bought you a 500-yuan watch, took you to 200-yuan meals, and this is how you repay me?!”

Listening to the two of them hurl insults and accusations at each other, Jin Yuzhen was utterly dumbfounded.

“Pah! Disgusting! I seduced you? What a joke! You think I ever liked you? Do you know how hard I had to fight the urge to throw up every time I was with you? You think I enjoyed sleeping with you? Pah! Disgusting! Every time you did those sick things, you liked to yank my hair, pinch me, punch me, and then ask me if you were good in bed! You only cared about yourself! You never once cared how I felt! Liu Shiren, you’re trash! You’re the worst man I’ve ever been with! Do you know why I quit? Why I told your wife all your dirty secrets? Because I’m not grateful to you—I’ve had enough of your crap!”

Hiss—there was just too much information to take in. Not just Jin Yuzhen—even Xu Haizhou couldn’t help but furrow his brows.

Liu Shiren was no spring chicken, but he sure played wild…

And Qin Xiaoman—what a woman. All looks, no brains. Did she think exposing Liu Shiren would help her? At most, it was just a case of dragging the other down with her.

Pushed to the limit, Liu Shiren was now furious and humiliated.

“You fucking—” He picked up another stone and aimed to smash her again. This time, he was serious. If it hit her head, Qin Xiaoman might pass out on the spot.

“You animal! How many women have you supported behind my back?” Jin Yuzhen slapped him hard across the face, knocking the stone right out of his hand. “Liu Shiren! I never thought you could be this disgusting! Go upstairs right now, pack your things, and get the hell out of my house! I’m divorcing you!”

The few kicks Liu Shiren gave Qin Xiaoman caused internal injuries—bruising and tearing of her organs. In the end, it was Jin Yuzhen who paid the hospital bills.

While waiting for Qin Xiaoman’s treatment, Jin Yuzhen used the hospital phone to call a few of her older brothers to come to the hospital.

Now, it was time to deal with Liu Shiren once and for all.

That man, once the final shred of decency was stripped away, tore off his mask completely. He ran upstairs, smashing everything in the room in a frenzy, until Xu Haizhou gave him two punches that made stars dance in his eyes. Only then did he calm down.

Afterwards, they got Qin Xiaoman into the hospital for proper treatment. While waiting for Jin Yuzhen’s brothers to arrive, Xu Haizhou explained his identity.

Jin Yuzhen suddenly came to a realization—so he was a victim too. If his willpower had been as weak as Liu Shiren’s, then her current family tragedy would have become his future.

“Back then, Qin Xiaoman was also… almost misunderstood by my wife. Fortunately, my wife trusts me and didn’t take it to heart.” In fact, this was the first time Xu Haizhou had encountered a woman like Qin Xiaoman—also the first time he had been openly seduced.

Before marriage, there were occasionally some subtle confessions from young girls. After marriage, he sometimes encountered female clients teasing him jokingly, but it was all polite and restrained.

Qin Xiaoman, however, was one of a kind—unprecedented and unmatched. If he were to encounter a similar woman again, he would surely handle it more decisively.

“This crazy woman! I actually treated her like a sister, even told her to help Liu Shiren with his work… Who knew helping him meant helping him into bed!” After receiving a pile of shocking information about her husband in a single day, Jin Yuzhen was already on the verge of a breakdown.

Sitting on a wooden bench in the hospital hallway, she covered her face and took deep breaths.

Xu Haizhou coughed lightly, kindly reminding her, “What’s done is done. You should think carefully about how to handle the illegitimate child, and also those mistresses… Oh right, and that 20,000 yuan house Qin Xiaoman mentioned.”

Everything else was manageable—except money. That was real hard cash, and it was the Jin family’s money!

Jin Yuzhen clutched her hair in frustration.

Right, she still had to clean up Liu Shiren’s mess afterward. That was the most infuriating part!

“Mm, I’ll think about it. Thank you.”

Xu Haizhou sighed and said, “You’re welcome. It was just a small favor.”

Now that he had brought the person over and Qin Xiaoman had been dealt with, Xu Haizhou had no reason to linger and meddle in the Jin family’s affairs. After saying goodbye to Jin Yuzhen, he prepared to leave.

But just as he turned around, Jin Yuzhen suddenly called out, “Director Xu, leave me your number. It’ll be easier to contact you in the future.”

Xu Haizhou turned back. Although he didn’t know why she wanted his contact info, he still wrote it down.

He borrowed paper and pen from the front desk, wrote down the number, and tore it off. “This is our factory’s landline. If you need anything, feel free to call me. I’m usually there except Sundays and evenings.”

“Your factory closes on Sundays?” Jin Yuzhen asked curiously.

Xu Haizhou chuckled. “No, I take Sundays off—to spend time with my wife and kids.”

“Oh.” Jin Yuzhen gave a bitter smile, her eyes looking at him with complicated emotion.

Why complicated?

On one hand, she was grateful he had brought Qin Xiaoman over, letting the two fight like dogs and showing her Liu Shiren’s true colors. On the other hand, their dirty laundry had been aired in front of him, which was embarrassing, and she worried he might spread it and hurt the Jin family’s reputation.

Xu Haizhou was a meticulous man—how could he not understand what she was thinking?

He immediately gave her a reassuring smile. “Mrs. Jin, today’s events are over and done with. I know nothing.”

He called her “Mrs. Jin” instead of “Mrs. Liu”—that subtle detail made Jin Yuzhen very satisfied. She didn’t know why, but she felt respected by him.

“Thank you.”

Seeing her look so dazed and lost, Xu Haizhou thought of Qiao Lu.

His wife had also once been hurt by a scumbag like that.

Maybe because his wife had gone through something similar, he was overflowing with sympathy and couldn’t help speaking more.

“Actually, before my wife married me, she was hurt by a jerk too.”

In response to Jin Yuzhen’s puzzled look, Xu Haizhou briefly explained how Qiao Lu had married him with her child.

After hearing it, Jin Yuzhen was stunned. She asked him three times if it was really true and not just something to comfort her.

After getting a definite answer, Jin Yuzhen gave him a big thumbs-up, amazed. “Director Xu, you’re something else! I’ve never seen such a courageous man. You and your wife are true love.”

In this day and age, what man would accept a divorced woman, especially one with a kid in tow?

And back then, Xu Haizhou had never been married—he was a pure bachelor who hadn’t even dated! Just imagine the pressure he had to face to bring his wife home.

Now, the couple didn’t care about gossip, lived happily, had a beautiful daughter, and from what he said, even the son was obedient and liked him very much—treated him like his real father.

They were lucky too—when the son was only three years old, he had followed his mother to Xu Haizhou’s home. So, in the child’s memory, Xu Haizhou was the only real father he’d ever known.

Xu Haizhou’s words thoroughly enlightened Jin Yuzhen.

So what if she got divorced?

She was Jin Yuzhen—the treasured daughter of the Jin family, raised with love from all her uncles, aunts, and parents. Even during the most difficult years of her childhood, she had still been spoiled by her entire family.

With her background, even if she divorced Liu Shiren, she didn’t need to worry about others’ gossip. In fact, she should live even better—find a man ten thousand times better than Liu Shiren!

Even if she couldn’t find the right man and didn’t remarry, with the Jin family’s wealth, she could raise her two well-behaved daughters all on her own!

She looked at Xu Haizhou with immense gratitude. Before leaving, he gave her one more reminder: “Mrs. Jin, if you have time, it’s best to check the company’s accounts. Liu Shiren… I think you know what I mean.”

Without waiting for her response, he turned and left.

Watching him walk away, Jin Yuzhen clenched her fists tightly.

Time flew by—spring ended in Quyang, the weather warmed up, and as the May Day holiday approached, jackets became too hot. It was now skirt season.

With the end of all the drama, Xu Haizhou finally had time to breathe and was now busy with several big orders from the Anqiao Factory, as well as the summer launch of Purple Dragonfly.

Since 1985, the pace of “reform and upgrade” in the clothing industry had accelerated. Last year’s bestsellers would barely sell at all next year.

So every season change, Purple Dragonfly would speed up clearance sales—on one hand to recover cash quickly with promotional events, and on the other to avoid the problem of old stock not selling once new designs came out.

This year’s summer collection would launch a day or two before May Day, featuring the new “Little Bee” parent-child outfits. Since the holiday was May 1st, besides Qiao Lu, they added Qiao An as a model.

Qiao Lu wore a dress, while Qiao An wore a matching top and shorts in the same color and pattern. On his little tummy, they specially sewed a bear embroidery—an enormous amount of work, but they managed to pull it off.

Thankfully, the final result looked great—adorable to the extreme. Who wouldn’t want one for their own precious little baby?

For the launch, they hung eye-catching promotional posters at the store entrance—drawn by Qiao Lu and two design staff. Qiao Lu did the sketches, while the others outlined and colored.

Using high-saturation colors with bold yellow and blue combos, the posters instantly caught the eye of passersby. Even those who had no plans to shop would be tempted to take a peek.

To match the little bear on the tummy, Qiao Lu had a creative idea—she drew a tiny matching bear on her son’s cheek, and even dabbed a bit of cherry-red lipstick on his lips.

A fresh, pink-cheeked little guy was born—Qiao Lu couldn’t resist hugging and kissing his little head.

Having woken him up early to get ready, the little fellow hadn’t fully recovered from sleep. Even after breakfast and arriving at the Purple Dragonfly entrance, he was still yawning.

Drowsily standing at the door, waiting for his mom to unlock it.

Many shop owners in the neighborhood were also up early to catch the May Day crowd.

And right away, people noticed the family of three in matching outfits—no, four! There was also a baby in a stroller.

Most adorable of all, even eight-month-old Qiao Qiao had a matching little dress!

It was a special handmade baby version Qiao Lu had sewn herself for her daughter—unavailable for purchase, as the factory didn’t even have sizing for children under one.

Little Qiao An, wearing the same outfit as his parents, looked incredibly cute. Uncles and aunties couldn’t wait to crowd around him.

“Wow, what’s that on your face? So pretty—is it an animal?”

“It’s a bear! A very cute bear, just like the one on our clothes, right An’an?” Qiao Lu laughed and pinched her son’s soft chubby paw.

“Mm.” Still groggy, the little guy held his mom’s hand with one and his dad’s with the other, yawning in between.

“Wow, a little bear! So pretty! Who painted it for you?” Of course everyone knew it was his mom, but they asked just to tease the kid.

The little guy opened his mouth in a big yawn, leaned lazily on Xu Haizhou, pointed at Qiao Lu, and muttered in his baby voice, “Mama painted it.”

“Wow, Boss Qiao isn’t just good at business—she can paint too!”

“Yeah, she even does children’s makeup!”

“Hahaha—” Laughter filled the air.

“What children’s makeup? It’s just a little bit of color. Kids have great skin and pretty features—they look good no matter what.” Qiao Lu laughed with everyone, opened the door, turned on all the lights, tidied up, and got ready to open for business.