"In the dead of night, when you wake up and see Yi Yong's scruffy old face, have you ever regretted your past choices?"
As she spoke, she yanked the cloth out of Zhang Lanxiang's mouth.
"Yes...yes I have..." Zhang Lanxiang, who could speak, was oblivious, feeling as if she were in a colorful vortex, the world before her eyes was spinning.
Only a pair of shining, understanding eyes guided her toward the right path in life.
She opened her mouth, letting years of suppressed discontent pour out like a tidal wave.
"Yi Yong is no good. Even though I was pregnant with Yi Jing, he refused to marry me and instead married Zi Shuyu..."
Zi Shuyu was the name of the original protagonist's mother. Yi Chichi raised an eyebrow, not interrupting but tapping her fingers rhythmically.
Her ears perked up and eyes fixed on the excited and contorted face of Zhang Lanxiang, curious about what revelations she would spill.
The content Zhang Lanxiang uttered was a bombshell, summarizing as follows—
1: Yi Jing is Yi Yong's illegitimate daughter, the half-sister of the original protagonist.
Before meeting the original protagonist's mother, Yi Yong had an affair with his childhood sweetheart Zhang Lanxiang, resulting in the pregnancy of Yi Jing.
But when he moved to the city, an incident allowed him to heroically save the original protagonist's mother, Zi Shuyu.
This sparked other thoughts, leading him to abandon Zhang Lanxiang and marry Zi Shuyu.
Taking advantage of his status as the husband of Zi Shuyu, a martyr's orphan, he successfully joined the textile factory, starting as a temporary worker and becoming a regular worker six months later.
2: The fire that caused the death of the original protagonist's mother, Zi Shuyu, in the line of duty, was set by Zhang Lanxiang and Yi Yong together.
She blamed all the fault of Yi Yong abandoning her on Zi Shuyu.
Refusing to accept it, she wanted revenge and to replace Zi Shuyu by Yi Yong's side openly.
She wanted Zi Shuyu dead.
After meticulous planning, she succeeded.
She succeeded in persuading Yi Yong to set the fire with her, burning to death the warehouse manager, Zi Shuyu.
Yi Yong then used the title of his wife's death in the line of duty to receive compensation from the factory, climbing the ladder step by step.
Eventually, he was promoted to the head of the entire workshop's production.
3: Over the years, Yi Yong reported many people, with evidence and without evidence, creating evidence to report...
Summarizing these points, Yi Chichi remained expressionless. Yi Yong and Zhang Lanxiang were despicable.
She thought these two only greedily abused the original protagonist, only to realize her mother's sacrifice was their doing all along.
The former director's demotion was Yi Yong's handiwork... even Director Qin's family was ruined because of Yi Yong.
Seeing Zhang Lanxiang's distorted face, her voice was calm, "Do you have evidence?"
"Yes, I do!"
Zhang Lanxiang's face showed a complex expression, "I truly loved Yi Yong once, but later..."
She sighed, "I couldn't trust him!"
"Yi Yong is ruthless, I had to leave a way out for myself and the child."
Yi Chichi, after a moment of silence, altered Zhang Lanxiang's memory and instructed her to squander her family's assets, cut ties, and report Yi Yong.
"Squander the assets and send Chichi to the countryside...cut ties and report Yi Yong..."
She mumbled the instructions, and upon seeing this, Yi Chichi gently said, "Now sleep, and act according to the instructions when you wake."
Zhang Lanxiang murmured in agreement, her head nodding as she fell into a deep sleep.
Yi Chichi's hypnosis didn't stop there; she proceeded to bring out Yi Yong and others one by one, modifying their memories and issuing commands.
When everything was finally done, it was already past ten o'clock at night.
Yi Chichi returned to bed exhausted, falling into a good sleep, while Yi Yong and the others felt pain and fatigue.
But because their memories were altered, Yi Yong and the others didn't suspect Yi Chichi.
Nor did they think of causing her trouble.
Instead, their minds were fully occupied with severing ties with Yi Chichi.
"Sign it, after signing, I will announce it in the newspaper."
Yi Yong, having prepared the document to sever ties, slapped the paper and pen onto the table, eyeing Yi Chichi coldly.
Expressionless, she picked it up, looked it over, and then signed and thumbed the print after ensuring there was no issue.
Then, she was promptly thrown out the door in a joint effort by the relieved members of the Yi Family, finally free of this major nuisance.
Along with her belongings, a bundle exposing a shabby cotton-padded jacket and clothes was thrown out.
"Get lost!"
"I don't have an ungrateful, heartless daughter like you..."
Yi Yong cursed, pushing Yi Chichi out, who refused to leave, clinging to his hand as she struggled and sobbed, "Dad, are you really my dad? I even agreed to go to the countryside for my sister and gave you the money from selling the job, why are you still severing ties with me and not giving me a cent, sob sob..."
She cried hoarsely, her cries shattering the morning calm on the third floor.
The dormitory allocated by the factory housed at least a dozen families per floor.
Hearing Yi Chichi's pitiful cries, Madam Liu, who lived opposite the Yi Family, hurriedly rushed out, just in time to see Yi Yong raising his hand to hit Yi Chichi and urgently said, "Director Yi, please speak calmly, don't hit the child."
Here comes the moment!
Yi Chichi whimpered, turning to plunge into the arms of the rushing Madam Liu, crying, "Sob, sob, sis, my dad wants to cut ties with me, not give me a cent or prepare anything, he wants to force me to death, sob..."
Though she appeared breathless from crying, in reality, aside from her pitiably audible cries, her tears flowed freely, and her words were coherent and clear.
Yi Chichi came from the future and knows the power of public opinion.
Even complaining requires skill; rambling on without pinpointing the key issue is a major taboo. While feigning pity, there must be logical clarity so others can easily grasp the core issue.
This ensures others will be more inclined to speak up for her.
Being human, most people possess sympathy, and besides, the original protagonist was genuinely pitiful — the neighbors were aware of the life she had been leading.
Therefore, upon hearing Yi Chichi's words, the gradually gathering crowd immediately cast condemnatory gazes at Yi Yong.
Old Mrs. Zhang from next door even solemnly remarked, "Xiao Yi, even though late, she's still your daughter, do you have to treat her so harshly?"
Furious inside, Yi Yong faced the disapproving looks of the crowd and was forced to suppress his anger, making an effort to keep his voice calm while putting on a helpless facade, sighing.
"Aunt Zhang, it's not that I'm being harsh, but this child Chichi has gone too far. Do you know how much she asked me to prepare for her departure to the countryside?"
"Five hundred! A whole five hundred dollars!"
He shook one hand, "I'm just an ordinary little director, I still have a family to feed, where am I supposed to get five hundred for her?"
These words were said with apparent resignation.
Instantly, the crowd's gaze on Yi Chichi turned critical.
Disappointment and disapproval tinged their looks.
"Chichi, how could you..."
Madam Liu hesitated to speak, while Yi Chichi's tears gushed forth like a fountain, her expression and voice betraying shock.
"Dad, how can you accuse me like this?"
She clutched her chest, appearing heartbroken, "The one asking for five hundred is obviously Yi Jing! Just because she got involved with Liu Qingsong from the Liu Family, you agreed to give her five hundred to save face and now you're pinning it on me, I can't live with this shame..."