She won't clear her name; she'll throw away all the scum.

Grandma Xia stood on the rooftop of the workshop, looking at the sparse crowd in the factory. It was time to get off work, and everyone who could go home had gone home, while those who lived in the dormitory had gone to the canteen for meals.

The view from this spot is great; it's not high up, but you can see the entire factory area.

In the distance, Team Leader Sun from the next workshop was pulling at the director, smiling obsequiously. He said something that made the director laugh heartily. The two of them walked out of the company gate together and saw a woman pulling at Team Leader Sun. After being loudly reprimanded by him, she bowed deeply to the director, seemingly apologizing. Old Mrs. Xia scoffed, thinking it was like something out of feudal society, where her husband was considered inferior, and even she couldn't stand up straight.

Near the gate, Fang Yingdi, a student from her dormitory, was being pulled by a woman. Fang Yingdi took out some money and handed it to the woman. After counting it, the woman put her hands on her hips and started swearing. There was also a boy next to the woman, who looked about the same age as Chen Xiangbei. He impatiently pushed Fang Yingdi aside.

Although it was unclear what she was cursing, it must have been quite vulgar. Fang Yingdi's back was trembling, as if she were crying.

At the back door, Qiao Yi had just come out of the cafeteria, carefully carrying her lunchbox. Suddenly, upon seeing someone, she jogged over. Grandma Xia had never seen such a timid manner before; it was so awkward, like a man running with his balls pulled out. She tried to see who it was, but the person's face was obscured by tree branches.

Everyone's life is very fulfilling.

What could she do then? Looking at the darkening sky, Old Mrs. Xia felt utterly lost for the first time. Back in that family, one thing after another kept happening. The problems with Old Chen and the children had exhausted her, not to mention the other things happening in the compound. She simply didn't have time to calmly think about this problem.

She was young once too. Back then, she came here alone, bewildered, with the few dollars her sister had secretly saved for her, and with her sister's whispered blessings that she should run away and never come back.

At that time, she had already passed the recruitment exam, but it wasn't time for her to start work yet. So, she had nowhere to stay when she arrived, and slept sitting at the factory gate for the night.

What was she thinking about in her youth? She was thinking about her bright future, about how she had survived that ordeal after escaping that family, about earning more money, settling down in the city, marrying a good man, and having several well-behaved children. She didn't think about anything else.

It seems that a girl or a woman has little else to do besides these things. Just like men, they have little else to do besides starting a family and building a career.

Thinking of the sycophantic man she had just met, Old Mrs. Xia felt a surge of displeasure. If promotion depended on such means, she truly couldn't do it. But if she didn't work hard and put in the effort, was she just going to wait to die each day?

If she were just going to wait to die, as Xu Meiyu said, she would have no ambition at all, and might as well stay in the compound and watch the excitement instead of getting a divorce.

The weather was still quite cold after the New Year, and it got dark quickly. The workers on the night shift in the workshop had already gone to their posts, but on the rooftop, Grandma Xia didn't even have a flashlight. She just squatted silently in a corner, lost in thought.

Suddenly, voices came from the stairs on the rooftop, very soft but with a hint of ambiguous panting.

As someone with experience, Old Lady Xia immediately knew what kind of commotion it was. Damn it, in broad daylight... uh... in the dark, someone was having an affair.

"Little Qiao, we've been dating for so long, but you won't take me to meet your parents or let me touch you. Do you not want to be with me anymore?"

"Let me go, we shouldn't be like this, this is... wrong."

"But I really like you so much. I like everything about you. Just let me kiss you, just one kiss, okay?"

"No, it really won't work. I'll convince my parents soon, and then we can be open and aboveboard, won't we?"

"It was bound to happen sooner or later, why can't you just say yes this once?"

Qiao Yi pushed him away even more forcefully. She was a conservative girl, and although she liked the man in front of her very much, she would never cross the line. At most, she would hold his hand. But tonight, for some reason, he was behaving in a frightening way. "No, you can't be so disrespectful to me. Can we take it slow?"

Grandma Xia immediately perked up her ears. Wasn't this Qiao Yi, the shy girl who had just run off to find someone? She felt a little nervous, unsure whether to leave or remain silent. From her current position, going out would definitely alert the other person. But if she stayed, she could remain hidden from everyone—her location was too ingenious.

The other person seemed to be angry and embarrassed. "Qiao Yi, do you really like me? You won't even do anything intimate with me. What kind of liking is that? Liking someone should be open and aboveboard, not like you doing it secretly. You really disappoint me."

Old Mrs. Xia, who was eavesdropping: ......?

Qiao Yi seemed to hesitate, but as the other person got closer and closer, she pushed him away, her voice trembling, "No, my mom said this is wrong."

The other person suddenly took a step back. "Qiao Yi, you... today you either agree to take things further, or we'll pretend we don't know each other from now on."

Grandma Xia: Oh dear, they're even threatening us now.

Seeing Qiao Yi hesitate, the man softened his tone, "Don't you believe I'll take responsibility for you? There's no one here, and no one will know what we've done?"

Qiao Yi remained silent, seemingly acquiescing to the other person's actions, but Old Lady Xia noticed with her fairly good eyesight that Qiao Yi appeared to be trembling.

"Useless!" Old Mrs. Xia cursed inwardly. Just like her son Chen Xianghong, she was utterly useless, easily fooled by a man.

Just as the man was about to make an even more outrageous move, Old Mrs. Xia suddenly coughed.

"Who, who's there?" Both of them were startled. The man shouted sternly, "Don't be a coward. If you have the guts, come out openly and honestly. Don't be a scoundrel behind my back."

Qiao Yi nervously clutched the man's clothes and hid behind him, following him step by step towards Old Lady Xia.

Old Mrs. Xia sighed. It seemed she couldn't even have peace and quiet anymore. But Xia Yue'e was upright and honest, so what was there to be afraid of? So she nimbly darted out from the corner.

"It's your grandma! What, you've done something wrong and you want to kill me to cover it up?"

As soon as Old Mrs. Xia spoke, Qiao Yi's face turned deathly pale. It was someone she knew. She thought to herself, "It's all over. My reputation, everything I have is going to be gone."