Kill the beasts in the courtyard, I fled to Hong Kong, surrounded by beauties on both sides.

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Chen Fei was awakened by the cold.

A biting chill seeped in through the gaps in the patched-up quilt, like countless fine needles pricking his skin. He suddenly opened his eyes, and what greeted him was not the stark white ceiling of the hospital, but a blackened beam with a string of dried red chilies hanging from it, and half a corncob entangled in cobwebs.

"Damn it..." he cursed under his breath, trying to sit up, but found that every bone in his body ached, as if he had been beaten up by a dozen people. The hard bed beneath him was painfully hard, and the straw on it was stiff and smelled musty and faintly smoky.

This is not his body.

The moment the thought crossed his mind, a torrent of memories, like a flood bursting its banks, instantly overwhelmed his consciousness.

Fragments of images flashed wildly: a little girl with pigtails held up a piece of candy and laughed, calling out "brother"; a man in blue overalls squatted in front of the stove, adding coal to the firebox, his profile resolute; a woman wearing an apron was mending clothes, her eyes full of tenderness when she looked up... These were the original owner's parents and younger sister—Chen Jianguo, Li Xiulan, and Chen Xiaoyu.

Then came the shadow of death.

Amidst the roar of the steel rolling mill, a massive steel ingot suddenly slid down, crashing into Chen Jianguo at the control panel. Blood instantly stained his blue overalls. Those around gasped in shock, but a middle-aged man (Yi Zhonghai) wearing the same overalls stood a short distance away, his eyes darting around, not immediately rushing to his aid. In the textile factory workshop, Li Xiulan suddenly clutched her chest and collapsed, her face deathly pale. A short, plump woman beside her frantically went to call for help, but deliberately took a longer route. By the time the doctor arrived, she had already stopped breathing. Under the willow trees by the river, Chen Xiaoyu ran past carrying her schoolbag, followed by a chubby-faced boy (Bang Geng). Suddenly, Xiaoyu slipped and fell straight into the icy river. The boy, standing on the bank, not only didn't call for help, but instead turned and ran away…

In just three months, he was the only one left in his family of four.

Chen Fei lay on the bed, panting heavily, his forehead covered in cold sweat. He was a hoodlum in the modern city, where fighting was commonplace. Last night, in a fight over territory, he was surrounded by more than a dozen people and hit on the back of the head with a beer bottle. He thought he was going to die, but when he opened his eyes, he found himself transported to this godforsaken place.

In 1961, Longcheng, No. 95 Nanluoguxiang, a courtyard house.

Parallel worlds? What a load of rubbish! This is clearly a den of wolves and tigers!

He forced himself to sit up and looked around the dilapidated room. The walls were bare, the plaster peeling off to reveal the yellow earth underneath. A peeling wooden table sat in the corner, on which sat a chipped, rough porcelain bowl containing half a cornbread, as hard as a rock, probably left there for several days. Next to it was a worn-out wooden cabinet, its doors unable to close properly, its interior empty except for a few old, patched-up clothes.

A family photo hangs on the wall, its surface slightly yellowed. In the photo, Chen Jianguo is wearing brand-new work clothes, Li Xiulan is smiling and holding his arm, Chen Xiaoyu stands in the middle holding a small red flower, and the original owner stands on the far right with a shy smile. The four of them look happy and harmonious.

But now, all that's left is this photograph and the deathly silence of the room.

Chen Fei's fingers traced the smiling faces of his parents and sister in the photo, his fingertips icy cold. The original owner of this body was an honest, timid young man who, after his parents' death, was completely controlled by his neighbors in the courtyard house. His pension was "managed," his food coupons were "borrowed," his property deed was "kept in safekeeping," and even his sister's school enrollment was coveted.

This group of people, on the surface, claimed to be "helping each other," but in their hearts, they were all greedy and ruthless! They saw that the original owner's family was easy to bully, so they gradually devoured them until they drove the family to ruin and death, and even wanted to eat the last of their descendants!

"Heh..." Chen Fei let out a cold laugh, his eyes filled with chilling coldness. Who was Chen Fei? He'd been on the streets for over a decade; what hypocrites and scoundrels hadn't he seen? Fighting, swindling, cheating—he wasn't exactly a good person, but he hated those backstabbing bastards who kicked someone when they were down the most!

The original owner of this body was a coward, letting them bully him, but Chen Fei was not!

Just then, a burst of laughter and chatter came from outside the window, mixed with the sound of bowls and plates clattering. "Bang Geng, eat more meat, you've gotten so thin lately!" It was Qin Huairu's voice, so gentle it could melt hearts, but to Chen Fei it was more grating than the hiss of a venomous snake.

"Mom, this meat smells so good! Does Chen Fei's family still have food coupons? I want to go to his house to look for them!" It was Bang Geng's voice, innocent like a child, but his words were extremely malicious.

"Don't talk nonsense!" Jia Zhangshi's voice rang out, deliberately lowered. "That brat is acting like a mad dog now, don't mess with him. In a couple of days, have your uncle take the lead and get his house and food coupons back. Then you can have whatever you want to eat!"

"Mom is amazing!"

The laughter and chatter continued, a stark contrast to the deathly silence inside the room, like sharp knives piercing Chen Fei's heart.

He clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white. His nails dug deep into his palms, sending a sharp pain through him, but it only made him more alert.

"Yi Zhonghai, Liu Haizhong, Yan Bugui, Jia Zhangshi, Qin Huairu, Xu Damao, Shazhu..." Chen Fei silently recited these names in his mind, each one seemingly poisoned. "You all just wait! I'll avenge the original owner's grudge! What you owe the Chen family, I'll make you pay back a thousandfold! Want to eat up the Chen family's bloodline? I'll make sure you regret it!"

He struggled to get out of bed, and as soon as his feet touched the ground, he felt dizzy. The original owner of this body hadn't eaten or drunk anything for days, and his body was extremely weak. He leaned against the wall, slowly walked to the table, and picked up the hard, dry cornbread.

He took a bite, and the coarse cornmeal stung his throat, making it difficult to swallow. But he forced himself to chew it and swallow it.

Only by surviving can one have the means to seek revenge.

He walked to the water vat, lifted the lid, and found only a shallow layer of murky water inside. He scooped up a ladleful, took two sips, and the icy water slid down his throat, slightly relieving his hunger.

Just then, there was a gentle knock on the door.

"Knock knock knock".

"Who?" Chen Fei asked warily, his eyes instantly turning sharp.

A gentle voice came from outside the door: "Little Chen, it's me, Sister Qin. I brought you some food."

A hint of mockery flashed in Chen Fei's eyes. Bringing food? They're probably here to probe the truth, or to continue their moral blackmail.

He didn't open the door, but leaned against it and said coldly, "No need, I have my own food."

Qin Huairu, standing outside the door, seemed to pause for a moment, then said softly, "Xiao Chen, don't be so polite with me. I know you've had a tough time these past few days, and there's not much food at home. My son Banggeng is still small and can't eat much, so I left you a bowl of porridge. Please drink it while it's hot."

Just then, the sound of a door being pushed open was heard. Chen Fei was prepared and held the door firmly in place.

"Sister Qin, I said I don't need it." His voice was devoid of warmth. "Although my Chen family has suffered misfortune, we're not so poor that we have to rely on others' charity to survive. You should take the porridge back and give it to Bang Geng to help him recover."

Qin Huairu, standing outside the door, remained silent for a moment, then said with a hint of grievance in her voice, "Xiao Chen, what are you saying? Isn't it only natural for neighbors to help each other? I know you're upset, but you can't make things harder for yourself."

Chen Fei sneered, "Mutual help? Sister Qin, if you really want to help me, why don't you return the grain coupons that were 'borrowed' from my family, return my father's pension, and return my family's property certificate?"

These words seemed to strike a nerve with Qin Huairu, and the voice outside the door instantly became somewhat unnatural: "Xiao Chen, how could you say that? The grain coupons were kept by Third Uncle for you, and the pension was collected by First Uncle on your behalf—it's all for your own good. As for the property deed… isn't it still at the neighborhood committee office?"

"For my own good?" Chen Fei scoffed. "You take all my things and then tell me it's for my own good? Sister Qin, do you even believe that yourself?"

Qin Huairu, standing outside the door, was speechless. After a long while, she said with a hint of anger, "Since you don't appreciate it, then I won't bother you any longer."

The footsteps gradually faded into the distance.

Chen Fei leaned against the door and slowly closed his eyes.

These people are indeed hypocritical to the extreme.

He knew this was just the beginning. These beasts would surely have many more ways to deal with him. A general meeting of the entire compound, pressure from the neighborhood committee, and perhaps even some illegitimate means to force him to leave the compound and relinquish everything belonging to the Chen family.

But he won't let them succeed.

He, Chen Fei, is not someone who can be easily manipulated.

He walked to the window, lifted a corner of the curtain, and looked into the courtyard. Qin Huairu was carrying a rough porcelain bowl toward the Jia family's house. Jia Zhangshi stood at the door, looking at her with dissatisfaction, muttering something under her breath.

Not far away, Sha Zhu was carrying a lunchbox, humming a little tune as he walked towards Yi Zhonghai's house. Xu Damao, on the other hand, leaned against the door frame, his eyes gleaming as he watched the Chen family's direction, seemingly plotting something sinister.

The entire courtyard appears peaceful and serene on the surface, but in reality, it is rife with undercurrents, calculations, and malice.

Chen Fei took a deep breath and suppressed his anger.

The game has only just begun.

He turned and went back into the house, sitting down at the old wooden table. Memories of the original owner of this body kept flashing through his mind—scenes of being bullied and schemed against—which only strengthened his resolve for revenge.

He needs time, he needs to recover, and he needs to develop a detailed plan.

He looked out the window; the sky was gradually darkening. As night fell, the lights in the courtyard came on one by one, but they couldn't penetrate the darkness inside the house.

A cold smile curled at the corner of Chen Fei's lips.

"Just you wait, you beasts. The night is when revenge begins."

As night deepened, the lights in the courtyard were extinguished one by one.