Wang Yue’s expression changed at his words. Furious, he snapped, “Ye Qingyang, how are you talking to me?! Is this how your parents taught you to speak to your elders?!”
Ye Qingyang let out a cold laugh. “My parents died early—you knew that, didn’t you? I’m still a student, my values are still being shaped. Naturally, I become like those around me. Spend enough time near people with no manners—like you and my aunt—and I end up the same.”
“You—!” Wang Yue raised his hand to strike him.
This was the first time Ye Qingyang had seen him actually try to hit him since he came here. Looks like this pretentious uncle-in-law was truly provoked.
Ye Qingyang grabbed his wrist in one swift motion and struck back.
Smack! The crisp sound of the slap echoed through the living room.
Feigning surprise, Ye Qingyang said, “Oh, sorry, Uncle. My hand slipped. Didn’t control it well—accidentally hit you. Didn’t hurt, did it?”
Wang Yue was stunned, momentarily unable to react.
Ye Hong, however, was already fuming. She grabbed a broom and swung it straight at Ye Qingyang.
He caught the broom, yanked it away with force, and in the next second, struck her with it.
He didn’t forget to warn Wang Hui, either. “Sis, step back a little—wouldn’t want me to accidentally hit your kid.”
Hearing that, Wang Hui actually took a step back.
Ye Hong snapped, “What are you backing away for?! You’re pregnant—he wouldn’t dare hit you! Don’t you want that six thousand anymore?!”
Wang Hui thought about it—right. She immediately straightened up and walked closer, hand on her belly. “Ye Qingyang, give me back the money.”
Ye Qingyang clicked his tongue and lightly poked her stomach with the broom. Calmly, he said, “Sis, did you forget? That’s not my kid you’re carrying. If something happens to it, I’d be the least concerned person in this house.”
Wang Hui stared at him in shock. “Are you insane?! That’s a life! Are you even human?!”
Ye Qingyang chuckled softly. “That’s why I told you to stay back. You insisted on coming closer. If even you don’t value your own child’s life, why would I, an outsider, care?”
Wang Hui immediately retreated again, afraid he might actually hurt her unborn child.
“Enough!” Wang Yue roared. “Ye Qingyang, have you made enough of a scene? Even madness has its limits!”
“Who’s messing around with you?” Ye Qingyang leaned on the broom, tilting his head. “At this point, there’s no way we can live peacefully together anymore. So, Uncle, take your whole family and get out of my house. From now on, I’ll walk my own road, and you can walk your narrow bridge. No interference.”
“Ye Qingyang, I’m telling you—if anyone leaves, it’s you! This house—your father clearly wrote that I get to live here. What right do you have to kick me out?!” Ye Hong shouted.
“Not leaving?” Ye Qingyang raised the broom slightly. “Then don’t blame me for being rude.”
As soon as he finished speaking, he started driving them out.
Caught off guard, Ye Hong and Wang Yue were hit several times, cursing angrily, “He’s gone mad—completely mad!”
Wang Yue tried to grab the broom and fight back.
But Ye Qingyang had been trained. His father was a retired special forces soldier. Dealing with someone like Wang Yue—a regular office worker—was effortless. Even if Ye Qingyang hadn’t surpassed his father, he was more than capable of handling several middle-aged men like him.
He shoved Wang Yue and Ye Hong out the door together, locked it, then turned to Wang Hui. “Are you leaving on your own, or do I need to help?”
Wang Hui stared at him in shock. She wanted to curse him but was afraid he might actually hit her, so she obediently walked out.
Only then did Ye Qingyang clap his hands, feeling like the world had finally gone quiet.
He sat down on the couch, thought for a moment, then took out his phone, snapped a few pictures of the house, and posted a rental listing.
After briefly describing the property, he specifically selected male tenants only.
“Men only. Preferably strong and well-built.”
Not long after, the listing caught someone’s attention.
“Hey, is this Brother Ye? I saw your rental post online. Can I ask why you specified strong, well-built men in the notes?”
Ye Qingyang answered while eating fruit, “You saw the rent—it’s lower than others in the same area. That’s because I’ve got an annoying relative. He likes to drop by uninvited, always saying the house is empty anyway, so I might as well let him stay. If we were on good terms, fine—but we’re not, so there’s no way I’d agree.”
“So I’m worried that even after renting it out, they’ll still come around. If it’s a girl—thin-skinned, dealing with shameless people like them—it wouldn’t be safe if things turn physical. But if it’s a guy, especially someone strong, it’s different. You can just ignore them, and they won’t dare touch you. If they do, just hit back. I’ll cover the medical bills.”
The other party understood. “Got it. So when can I come view the place? And is the rent negotiable?”
“Come on, man,” Ye Qingyang sighed. “The rent’s already low. I’ve got to rent somewhere else myself too—cut me some slack.”
“Fair enough, fair enough,” the other person laughed.
Just as Ye Qingyang was about to continue, he heard Ye Hong shouting from outside, “Ye Qingyang! If you don’t open the door, I’m calling the police!”
Go ahead, he thought. You think I’m scared?
He calmly continued discussing the rental details, set a viewing time for the weekend, then hung up.
After that, he lay on the couch and chatted with Lu Jingcheng on WeChat.
Lu Jingcheng asked: How is it? You didn’t get bullied, right?
Ye Qingyang replied: “Relax. No way I’d let them bully me.”
Only then did Lu Jingcheng feel a bit relieved. “If anything happens, call me. You’re alone and you don’t know how to fight. If it really comes to blows, you’ll be the one at a disadvantage.”
Ye Qingyang, who had just beaten them all out: …
He scratched his head. “Got it.”
They chatted for quite a while. Soon, noise came from outside. Ye Qingyang guessed the police had arrived, so he ended the voice call and quickly adjusted his emotions.
Right on cue, there was a knock on the door.
He walked over and opened it. Outside stood two uniformed officers—a man and a woman, both with upright, composed appearances.
“Are you Ye Qingyang?” the female officer asked.
He nodded.
“We received a report claiming you defrauded Ms. Ye Hong of sixty thousand yuan and illegally occupied her house, forcing her family out.”
“That’s right!” Ye Hong rushed forward, pointing at him angrily. “Officer, it’s him! This shameless, ungrateful wretch!”
Ye Qingyang looked at the officer in surprise, then turned to Ye Hong in confusion. His eyes blinked—and tears immediately fell.
He shook his head, voice trembling with sorrow. “Officer, that’s not true. I didn’t do that. I’m still a student—how could I possibly do something like that? If I were really that capable, would I have been bullied so badly by my aunt all these years?”
Tears streamed down his face, his shoulders trembling slightly. He looked pitiful and helpless.
With his naturally delicate, youthful appearance—and his school uniform—he looked even younger, instantly stirring sympathy in the female officer.
“Don’t cry,” she said gently, handing him a tissue. “Tell us what happened, slowly.”
Ye Qingyang wiped his tears and opened the door wider. “Please, come in and I’ll explain.”
The officers entered. Ye Hong’s family followed right behind.
Ye Qingyang poured two glasses of water and set them in front of the officers.
“Thank you,” the female officer said, though she didn’t drink.
She turned to Ye Hong. “Ms. Ye Hong, the nephew you mentioned—Ye Qingyang—is this him?”
Ye Hong nodded. “That’s him!”
The officer frowned slightly. “But he’s clearly still a student.”
“Students can commit crimes too! Plenty of murderers are minors!”
Hearing that, Ye Qingyang’s expression filled with fear. “Aunt, how can you say that about me? All these years, you occupied my house and abused me—I never said a word. I thought of you as my only family and endured everything silently. And now you compare me to a murderer? Aren’t you afraid my parents will hear this and come back to haunt you?”
“Bullshit! What do you mean I occupied your house? This house is mine! Your father wrote it himself—it’s mine!”
“My dad was worried I was too young to understand the value of property, that I might be tricked into selling it. That’s why he wrote that before I came of age, the house would be under your care. You could live in it—but you don’t own it. The ownership has always been mine. You’re the one who took over someone else’s home and abused me!”
The two officers exchanged a glance as the argument went back and forth. They were already forming a picture.
“Enough. One at a time,” the male officer said.
He looked at Ye Qingyang. “This house belonged to your parents?”
Ye Qingyang nodded.
Ye Hong cut in, “But after they died, my brother—his father—said I could live here!”
The female officer shot her a look. “Please remain quiet until you’re asked to speak.”
Ye Hong reluctantly shut up.
“Then after your parents passed away, your aunt’s family moved in?” the officer continued.
Ye Qingyang nodded softly. “One moment.”
He went to the balcony, opened a drawer, and took out a document.
“This is my father’s will. It clearly states that before I turn eighteen, the house is temporarily under my aunt’s care. She can live in it but cannot sell or invest it. After I come of age, full ownership belongs to me alone.”
The officers examined it and nodded.
“So you kicked them out,” the male officer said.
Tears welled up again in Ye Qingyang’s eyes. He nodded, voice trembling. “I’m an adult now. I don’t want to live with them anymore. I’m scared.”
He looked up at them, eyes clear. “Do you know where I used to sleep?”
He pointed to the balcony. “There. After they moved in, they took all the rooms and gave me a wire bed on the balcony. I had no money, no clothes, no personal space. Sometimes I wonder what the point of living like this even is… maybe it would’ve been better if my parents had taken me with them back then.”
“How can you think like that?” the female officer said quickly. “You’re still so young—if your parents knew, they’d be heartbroken.”
“But my aunt and cousin say it all the time. They say I’m useless, that I’d be better off dead—that I’m just a burden.”
The female officer fell silent, then turned sharply toward Ye Hong and Wang Hui.
“I never said that!” Ye Hong protested. “Don’t listen to his nonsense—he’s always making things up! Otherwise how could he have scammed me out of sixty thousand?”
“I have evidence,” Ye Qingyang said calmly.
Ye Hong froze. “What?!”
“You do?” the officer asked.
He nodded. “I have both physical and witness evidence.”
He continued, “Once, my aunt locked me out and refused to feed me. The old lady in unit 802 on the eighth floor saw it. She helped me get back inside. If you want, you can go ask her.”
The female officer nodded. “We will.”
“And this too.” He took out his phone and played a recording.
A sharp female voice rang out—
“You still have the nerve to eat? Get out!”
“I’m part of this family too…”
“You little thief!”
“I didn’t steal—I left a note for my sister…”
“You think she’d let you eat that?”
“But I’m hungry… You don’t give me food or money. I’m still a minor—I can’t even find work… I have no choice but to sneak food…”
“I’m your only nephew! How can you be so heartless? I can’t eat, can’t stay warm, can’t sleep… don’t you feel any guilt?”
“Tch! If I hadn’t taken you in, who knows where you’d be now? If not for the fact you’re my nephew, I’d have thrown you out long ago!”
“But this is my home… weren’t you supposed to move in to take care of me?”
“Who said this is your home? This house belongs to the Wangs now, not the Yes! And haven’t I taken care of you? At least you’re not some street kid!”
“That doesn’t mean you can beat me, curse me, and starve me!”
“You deserve it! You’re born low! Stealing eggs one day, snacks the next—how shameless! My brother actually gave birth to a thief like you—just thinking about it makes me want to hit you again!”
Hearing her own voice, Ye Hong lunged to snatch the phone, but the female officer stopped her.
“So this is how you usually talk to him?” she demanded.
“Of course not!” Ye Hong argued.
“How is it not?” the officer snapped. “You just said earlier that this was your house—when it clearly belongs to his parents!”
“I was taking care of him on their behalf!”
“Taking care of him by starving him and making him sleep on the balcony? Is that what an aunt is supposed to do?!”