0021 Giving a Shrew a Taste of Her Own Medicine

Li Zhiyan had heard from his classmates before that getting a foot massage was incredibly refreshing. It wasn't just about the feet; you could get a head massage too, which was exceptionally comfortable. At first, he had been skeptical, thinking, "It's just a head massage, what's the big deal?" It wasn't until later that Li Zhiyan realized he had been a bit too naive. What he didn't expect was that the first person to take him for a foot massage would be Aunt Lai—a lush of a mature woman who spent her days doing nothing but drinking.

"Aunt Lai, are you serious?"
"Of course I'm serious..."
"We'll go at nine. I'll have the proprietress serve you; she and I are good friends."
"Alright then..."

Li Zhiyan had no reason to refuse Aunt Lai. He also wanted to get closer to Lai Feifei, a wealthy woman with the luck of a koi fish.

"See you later, little Yan-bao."

After confirming the plans with Lai Feifei, Li Zhiyan checked his Meituan order to see the delivery time. He waited quietly to deal with that animal, Shang Shunsheng.

...

Today, Shen Hongmei had come home early; suffering from menstrual cramps, she needed a good rest. During these seven days, she always felt the need for extra recuperation. Just as she had settled down, she recalled her encounter with Li Zhiyan at the Medicinal Garden today. Could there really be such a thing as fate? He had appeared right at that moment, bringing her an unprecedented sense of security.

Her phone rang. Seeing it was Lai Feifei, Shen Hongmei knew this drunkard must be tipsy again and looking to pester her. But who else was she to be, if not one of her few close friends?

"Hello, drunk again?"
"I'm not drunk..."
"Beautiful Shen, be honest with me—are you and Li Zhiyan a couple? You're so good to him; I don't believe there's nothing going on between you two!"
"What nonsense are you spouting... I'm so much older than him."
"So what if you're older? He has infinite energy, which is perfect."
"You're at the perfect age to be like a wolf or a tiger; you're a match made in heaven!"

Shen Hongmei felt helpless. This woman became completely unhinged whenever she drank, spouting constant vulgarities.

"Then why don't you pair up with him?"
"We wouldn't be a good fit. You're the heavy-duty truck, and he's the small pony—that's the perfect match."
"Besides, if he's with you, he won't have to worry about his rations."
"After all, you're... well-endowed."
"I just want to see you two together. A small pony and a heavy-duty truck—what a visual impact that would be!"

Shen Hongmei’s face flushed; this crazy woman! Her talk was getting more and more outrageous.

...

After the delivery driver called, Li Zhiyan knew Shang Shunsheng’s dirty tricks were coming. "Just leave it on the window ledge by the door."

The building was quite old. After coming up the stairs, one could see a long corridor connecting five apartments. The woman whom Zhao Shumin had once torn into lived on the right.

"Got it. Please give me a five-star review."

After turning on his phone's recording function, Li Zhiyan found a suitable spot. He set the phone down and left the apartment, heading up to the next floor to wait quietly for Shang Shunsheng.

Before long, Zhao Shumin returned, carrying groceries. She swayed noticeably as she walked, which made Li Zhiyan feel that this shrew must be truly exhausted. Still, being a mother wasn't easy. She cooked for Shang Shunsheng and Liu Yan all day, yet Liu Yan refused to eat with her.

Ten minutes later, a sweating Shang Shunsheng walked back. As soon as he arrived, he saw the takeout sitting on the living room window ledge.

"Son of a bitch. Daring to order braised pork ribs!"

Seeing that no one was in the living room, Shang Shunsheng pulled out two black, curly hairs. He untied the bag of Li Zhiyan’s takeout, dropped the hairs inside, and felt a rush of intense satisfaction.

"You animal, daring to hit me? Today, you'll get a taste of my secret seasoning!"

This entire scene was clearly captured by Li Zhiyan’s phone. Seeing the evidence in hand, Li Zhiyan stepped out.

"I never imagined you’d stoop to this!"

He had no intention of throwing punches; Shen Hongmei was right—resorting to violence was unwise.

"Li Zhiyan, what evidence do you have!"

After reaching the spot where he had hidden his phone, Li Zhiyan clicked save and sent the video to his secondary account.

Shang Shunsheng cursed, "You damn bastard, you set me up!"
"You're the one who acted like a scumbag by messing with my food, and you say I set you up?"

Li Zhiyan kicked Shang Shunsheng. Knowing he was in the wrong and unable to win a fight against Li Zhiyan, Shang Shunsheng didn't dare resist. His shouting startled Zhao Shumin, who was cooking in the kitchen.

"What's going on!"

Seeing the two of them at each other's throats, she resolved that if Li Zhiyan fought her son again, she would rip his pants right off to see if he felt any shame.

"Your son added something to my food. Tomorrow, I’m going to your son’s workplace to show this to his colleagues and his boss."

Jobs were hard to find these days; without a company or employer, one would basically starve. At the same time, Li Zhiyan dialed the police.

Finally, Shang Shunsheng’s expression changed. Watching Li Zhiyan retreat into his room, Zhao Shumin cried out anxiously, "What do we do!"
"How should I know what to do!"
"Go! Make him delete the video, hurry!"

Shang Shunsheng yelled at Zhao Shumin, making her feel deeply aggrieved. But this matter had to be resolved. She returned to the kitchen and continued cooking in the sweltering summer heat. Soon, the police arrived and took both men to the station for investigation. Shang Shunsheng was detained on the spot for a day.

...

Back home, just as Li Zhiyan was about to order another takeout, a knock sounded at the door.

"Xiao Li, open the door for Auntie."

The shrew’s gentle voice left Li Zhiyan stunned. It was absolutely mind-blowing—a miracle on par with Aunt Lai not being vulgar. After a moment of hesitation, he opened the door.

Soon, the shrew walked in, drenched in sweat and wearing a worn-out T-shirt. Li Zhiyan could see that her shirt was soaked through, making her proud, ample bosom even more prominent. Her F-cup figure could only be described as astonishing. Even though she didn't wear makeup and dressed in dated, frumpy clothes, she still looked incredibly beautiful.

"Xiao Li, today was my son’s ignorance. Please, don't hold it against him."
"Look, this is some food I cooked for you, along with steamed buns and porridge. Consider it Auntie’s compensation. Please, delete the video, okay?"

Zhao Shumin was terrified that Li Zhiyan would expose the incident at her son’s company. Looking at the woman before him, Li Zhiyan remembered how she had pinned him down and torn his clothes, and he remained silent.

"Are you afraid Auntie put something dirty in the food?"
"Auntie promises it’s absolutely clean! I’ll eat some to show you."
"Please, delete the video. My son is ignorant; he's just a child."

As she spoke, she picked up a pair of chopsticks and took a few bites. "These buns are very clean too. Auntie really isn't lying to you."

Li Zhiyan, his anger still unspent, said, "Fine. I can delete the video."

A flash of joy appeared on Zhao Shumin’s fair, makeup-free face. "That’s wonderful! Auntie really thanks you. Eat up."

The cold air from the AC made the shrew, Zhao Shumin, shiver.

"But I have one condition. You tore my T-shirt, so now you’re going to let me tear yours!"

The shrew’s unreasonable nature had left Li Zhiyan with deep-seated resentment.

"W-what?" Zhao Shumin’s eyes widened.
"If not, then forget it. Get out."
"Don't... fine. Go ahead and tear it."

Zhao Shumin was a very traditional woman at heart; she couldn't accept this. But for the sake of her son, she had no other choice. At that moment, Li Zhiyan, his anger boiling over, grabbed Zhao Shumin’s T-shirt.

"You shrew! Unreasonable to the end!"

With a sense of vengeful satisfaction, Li Zhiyan yanked hard. With a ripping sound, he tore a large hole in her shirt, exposing her snow-white, flat midriff.