There could have been 200,000 yuan, but now it's all gone—completely gone. Stunned, Zhong Jianshe murmured blankly.

Yet, as soon as he spoke, the young man from Jinzhong Village, who was already fuming and cursing, found a new target for his anger.

He lunged at Zhong Jianshe, grabbing him by the collar, and roared unreasonably, "Damn it! This is all your fault, Zhong Jianshe! If it weren't for you, the sixty-some households of Jinzhong Village could have all become millionaires by now! You're the eternal sinner of Jinzhong Village!!!"

In the mountain stream villa.

After hanging up the call, Ye Chen set his phone to automatically reject calls from unknown numbers. He put the interruption behind him and returned to the living room to watch Peppa Pig with his daughter.

Not long after, Chen Yinuo walked out of the bathroom in her pajamas, freshly showered.

"Yuyou, that's enough TV. Come take a bath with Mommy!" she called out to their daughter, who was glued to the television.

"One more episode!" The little girl held up one finger in protest.

"It's late! No more episodes—be a good girl and listen!" Chen Yinuo urged.

"Okay..." The little girl reluctantly slid off the sofa but, before leaving, she planted a kiss on Ye Chen's cheek. "Daddy, I'm going to take a bath now!"

"Go ahead, sweetheart!" Ye Chen replied, his eyes filled with affection as he patted her on the back.

When Yinuo took Yuyou to the bathroom, Ye Chen, now feeling idle, began flipping through TV channels with the remote.

Since Yuyou wasn't used to staying up so late, she nearly fell asleep while bathing. As soon as they finished, Yinuo tucked her into bed and stayed with her until she fell asleep.

"Is Yuyou asleep?" Ye Chen asked softly when Yinuo returned to the living room.

"Yes, she's asleep." Yinuo nodded.

"Come on, let me show you around the house. You haven't had the chance to explore it properly yet," Ye Chen said, standing up.

Leading Yinuo through the over-200-square-meter home, Ye Chen gave her a full tour. Still in a dreamlike daze, Yinuo silently followed him.

After the tour, the two of them stood on the balcony, side by side, gazing at the river view.

"Ye Chen," Yinuo murmured, her voice filled with emotion. "I feel like I'm living in a dream. Honestly, I never thought I'd ever be able to see the Pearl River's night view from this perspective."

Looking out at the river once more, her thoughts had changed entirely, yet she still seemed overwhelmed.

"This isn't a dream," Ye Chen chuckled. "This is just the beginning. In the future... we'll move into even better homes and enjoy even more happiness."

As he spoke, Ye Chen suddenly moved behind Yinuo and wrapped his arms around her. Yinuo's body trembled slightly, but this time she didn't resist.

She shook her head gently and said, "A better house doesn't matter to me. Even a modest place of 100 square meters would make me happy. True happiness is having a husband who is ambitious and kind and a child who is well-behaved and diligent. That's what I see as the greatest joy in life."

"But I owe you and Yuyou so much," Ye Chen said, his voice heavy with guilt. "I don't even know how to make it up to you."

"Just let me see the Ye Chen I once knew—the confident, sensible, and righteous Ye Chen. That's the best way to make it up to us. Can you do that?" Yinuo asked, her voice slightly trembling.

"The drunken, gambling, good-for-nothing Ye Chen is dead—completely dead!" Ye Chen declared. "The new me will make sure you become the happiest woman in the world."

As he gazed out at the tranquil Pearl River and the thinning crowd along the riverbank, Ye Chen spoke softly.

Yinuo didn't say anything in response, but tears shimmered in her eyes. She wanted to tell him that, just in the past few weeks, she already felt like the happiest woman alive—even when they were still living in a cramped rental unit in an urban village.

Seeing the tears in her eyes, Ye Chen's hand, which was wrapped around her waist, began to wander. After living apart for nearly two years, a familiar warmth surged back with Ye Chen's touch.

This time, Yinuo didn't push him away.

But just as the moment intensified—

"Mommy, Daddy, what are you doing?" A small, innocent voice broke through.

Yinuo froze and instinctively pulled away, spinning around to face their daughter.

Yuyou stood there, rubbing her eyes and looking half-asleep.

In an instant, Yinuo's cheeks turned crimson, the blush spreading all the way to her ears.

"Yuyou, weren't you sleeping? Why are you up?" Yinuo asked, flustered.

"Mommy, I want to sleep with Peppa Pig. Where is it?" the little girl mumbled.

"Oh, Mommy will find it for you right away!" Yinuo quickly led her daughter to the suitcase to retrieve the plush toy, her face still burning red.

Meanwhile, Ye Chen stood to the side, utterly defeated. His face bore a wry smile.

What kind of situation is this?

"Mommy, can you sleep with me, too?" Yuyou asked sleepily, clutching the toy.

"Yes, of course. Mommy will sleep with you," Yinuo replied, unable to refuse her daughter's request. She gave Ye Chen an apologetic smile before taking Yuyou to bed.

"But... Yinuo..." Ye Chen started to say.

Yinuo bit her lip, her ears tinged red. Though they'd been married for years, it had been nearly two years since they last shared a bed. "Maybe another day," she murmured shyly.

Another day? Ye Chen wanted to suggest putting Yuyou to sleep first, but he swallowed his words.

As he sighed and murmured, "Alright," Yinuo added, "It's a new place and a new bed. If Yuyou wakes up and doesn't find me there, it'll be bad."

Before he could respond, she took Yuyou into the room, leaving Ye Chen no choice but to wash up and go to bed alone.

In the master bedroom, after his nightly routine, Ye Chen lay in bed and opened WeChat. He noticed several notifications from his Moments feed. Upon checking, he realized they were all likes from Lin Mengxi, an old classmate he hadn't seen in years.

Raising his eyebrows slightly, he dismissed it and continued scrolling.

But soon, one post caught his attention.

It was from Lin Mengxi, a picture of her shadow under a streetlamp. The caption read: "Suddenly looking back, that person was standing amidst the dim lights."

What does this mean? Ye Chen frowned slightly.

They had run into each other that morning. She texted him at noon to catch up. And now, this cryptic post at night?

Ye Chen couldn't help but let his thoughts wander.

"I hope I'm overthinking," he muttered, shaking off the ridiculous speculation. To him, such drama wasn't amusing at all.