Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

  When she just returned from the capital, Ding Jiayi was both scared and angry. She didn’t expect Qiao Zijin to be so ruthless. She specially went to the capital to take care of Qiao Zijin. Who knew that Qiao Zijin took away all her money and even kept her identity card so that she couldn’t return to Ping Cheng?

  After returning to Ping Cheng, the first thing Ding Jiayi wanted to do was to complain to Qiao Dongliang so that he could comfort her. She didn’t understand. When Qiao Zijin was young, she was so obedient. Why was it that she became so scary after growing up? She didn’t look like her daughter at all. Ding Jiayi wanted to let Qiao Dongliang know that for matters pertaining to Qiao Nan and Qiao Zijin in the future, she would definitely be aligned with Qiao Dongliang’s position and not do anything to make him angry again.

  Who knew that after Ding Jiayi returned to Ping Cheng, she couldn’t use her key to open the door? As she lowered her head to take a closer look, she realized that the lock had been changed. Ding Jiayi, who didn’t understand the situation, just like Qiao Zijin now, called Qiao Dongliang. Of course, Ding Jiayi’s situation was worse than Qiao Zijin’s. Qiao Zijin’s call went through but Ding Jiayi deliberately hung up the call. Ding Jiayi called Qiao Dongliang and his phone was switched off.

  Ding Jiayi immediately became confused.

  Since when did Qiao Dongliang have the habit of switching off his phone? The lock had been changed and she didn’t have the new keys. She tried to call Old Qiao but his phone was switched off. What should she do next? Could she only squat in front of the house and wait for Old Qiao to return?

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  What else could she do but wait?

  However, even when it got dark, Ding Jiayi didn’t manage to wait for Qiao Dongliang to return. Ding Jiayi was worried that Qiao Dongliang ran into an accident outside or that he couldn’t return because of some circumstances. She couldn’t enter the house either. Wasn’t the situation a mess?

  Ding Jiayi had no choice but to find a locksmith to pry the door open. However, even a locksmith wasn’t willing to help her pry open the door. If he really did that, wouldn’t he become a thief? The locksmith asked Ding Jiayi for her identity card. Only after the information was registered could he accept the payment and work. Besides, it was best if he finished up quickly. No matter what industry one was in, there was always time to get off work.

  To others, as long as one wasn’t stealing and was really just returning to their home, it wasn’t an issue to register the information on the identity card. What was bad was that Ding Jiayi’s identity card was still with Qiao Zijin and she couldn’t produce it. Ding Jiayi nearly cried because of this situation. She had no choice but to beg the locksmith to go to the courtyard and find a bunch of neighbors to prove that she was indeed the house owner.

  The locksmith didn’t buy it. What if they were in cahoots? He was doing business. If there were some issues with the procedures, he couldn’t proceed with the job. In the end, the locksmith asked Ding Jiayi if she dared to go to the police station to make a report. If all was good, he would open her door.

  Seriously, one should find the police if something happened.

  After all, Ding Jiayi’s situation was pretty embarrassing. Aside from her two outfits, she had no money and ‘lost’ her identity card. It looked like nobody was home either. After the police officer checked Ding Jiayi’s household information and confirmed that she was the owner of that house, they issued a certificate to Ding Jiayi to prove that she had the right of residence. With this certificate, Ding Jiayi could finally ‘go home’.

  Ding Jiayi managed to find the money to pay the locksmith only after searching the house. After returning home and sending away outsiders, Ding Jiayi was both worried if Qiao Dongliang might be in trouble and hungry. She felt that Qiao Dongliang was already a grown-up and would definitely know how to take care of himself. If there was something, how would he not contact Qiao Nan? She might as well prepare dinner. That way, when Qiao Dongliang returned from outside, he would be able to have dinner together with her.

  After making this decision, Ding Jiayi rolled up her sleeves and wanted to make a good meal for Qiao Dongliang to coax him.

  Earlier, Qiao Zijin had called to say that she was seriously ill and needed someone to take care of her. Ding Jiayi had been so anxious and wanted to rush to the capital, but Qiao Dongliang had tried to stop her from going. The couple was finally leading a harmonious life. However, because of this situation, it returned to freezing point again.

  Ding Jiayi, who didn’t forget about this situation, was thinking on the way back to the capital what she should do to coax Qiao Dongliang well.

  Furthermore, this situation was different from the past. In the past, she had promised to lead a good life with Old Qiao and ignore their daughters’ matters, yet she had failed to do so. Hearing that Zijin had run into trouble, she couldn’t control her heart and legs and had foolishly run over to Zijin.

  Now, she wouldn’t do that. Zijin… had grown up. She had her own thoughts and mindset. She, as a mother, didn’t need to be involved too much. She only needed to lead her own life well and not let her two daughters worry about her. In the future, she would do what Old Qiao said. She would never do anything that upset Old Qiao again. She was going to lead an honest life with Old Qiao. After all, spouses accompanied each other in old age. She often revolved around Zijin. That was wrong of her.

  Ding Jiayi had thought of everything. However, reality was the real blow.

  Ding Jiayi wanted to do a good job so that Qiao Dongliang would be appeased and they could return to the state before she had gone to the capital. Who knew that the refrigerator at home was empty? Most importantly, there was no electricity. Ding Jiayi was shocked. There was no food at all. There were no rice and leftovers.

  Ding Jiayi, who had an ominous feeling in her heart, looked at her surroundings again and realized a bigger problem. It wasn’t strange that there was no food at home. Why was it that there was a layer of dust on the furniture? She had only left for two or three days but the house seemed to be unoccupied. Only an unoccupied house would accumulate such a thin layer of dust in two or three days.

  Ding Jiayi didn’t know what happened at home. She could feel that something was very wrong. Upon thinking that Qiao Dongliang wasn’t at home and she hadn’t seen him after waiting for so long, she immediately became shocked.

  Could he have run into trouble? Was he kidnapped, or was he injured and admitted to the hospital? Why was he missing?

  Even after she had entered the house, Ding Jiayi felt more flustered than when she couldn’t enter the house. Her hands and feet trembled. She didn’t know what she should do…… After thinking for a while, Ding Jiayi was considering either calling the hospital to check if Qiao Dongliang was there or finding the police to see if there was any situation.