Courtyard House: I fish in the heavens, a professional bird abuser.

night, deeper.

The sky above the courtyard was like a heavy, tattered cloth soaked in ink, pressing down darkly and oppressively, making it almost impossible to breathe.

The moon had long since timidly hidden behind thick clouds, stingily refusing to cast even a sliver of its light. Only the dim, yellowish light from the windows of each house cast countless mottled, distorted, ghostly shadows in the empty courtyard, swaying gently in the evening breeze.

In the middle courtyard, at the entrance of the low, dilapidated west wing of the Jia family's house, a figure sat slumped in despair.

It's Qin Huairu.

She was like a clay or wooden sculpture stripped of all her energy, spirit, and even soul, leaning weakly against the cold, rough doorframe. Her eyes were terrifyingly empty, staring blankly at the puddle on the ground where she had just vomited, a mixture of stomach acid, tears, and boundless despair. Her body was still trembling slightly uncontrollably, like the last withered leaf in the autumn wind.

The surrounding noise had long since dissipated, like the receding tide.

The neighbors who had come to watch the spectacle, each carrying a head full of "juicy tidbits" a hundred times more exciting than the most thrilling scenes on stage, returned home satisfied. They couldn't wait to sit on their warm kang (heated brick bed) and embellish the story, sharing with their families the earth-shattering drama that had unfolded right before their eyes.

The only sound in the courtyard now was the mournful wail of the evening wind blowing through the old locust tree, a sound that was both desolate and piercing, like the wailing of ghosts.

Furthermore, faint sobs, hoarse and intermittent, could be heard coming from inside the Jia family's house, caused by extreme fear and humiliation.

"It wasn't me... I really didn't say that... It was that He Yuanchao... He used sorcery... Yes, sorcery..."

That incoherent and illogical explanation seemed so pale and ridiculous in the deathly silent courtyard, yet it also revealed a deep-seated pathos.

Sha Zhu, He Yuzhu, still stood stiffly in the middle of the yard like a wooden stake.

He stood there, like a statue struck by a thunderbolt from the heavens, instantly losing all his soul. He remained in the same position, unable to move, as if he had wanted to rush up to protect Qin Huairu but was nailed to the spot by He Yuanchao's cold words.

The evening breeze stirred up the dust on the ground, carrying a bone-chilling cold, and brushed against his face, which had long since lost all color and was as pale as a corpse. It felt like being cut by a knife, yet he felt no pain.

His mind was blank, as if all his thoughts had been evaporated in an instant; or like a giant beehive that had been poked, buzzing and humming, with countless sounds and images intertwining, colliding, and tearing at his mind!

"Shazhu? He's a complete idiot! A backup plan, someone you can summon and dismiss at will! A total sucker!"

"I'm just stringing him along, treating him like a fool, using him as a slave to my family, a long-term, free meal ticket!"

"I've never even looked down on him! With his character, he's not even worthy of carrying He Yuanchao's shoes!"

Qin Huairu's "truthful words," every word and every sentence, were like a branding iron heated red-hot in a steel furnace and quenched in highly toxic liquid, carrying billowing smoke and a "sizzling" sound of malice, fiercely and repeatedly branding his burning heart that had been beating for her for so many years!

One brand, and a bloody hole!

Scorch another piece until it's charred black!

He was branded until his flesh was a bloody mess!

He was branded until his body was completely covered in scars!

The branding caused him excruciating pain, and his soul trembled under this torture!

So that's how it is...

So, all those years of selfless devotion, heartfelt sincerity, hardship, humiliation, and self-pity... in Qin Huairu's eyes, he was nothing more than... a fool? A backup plan? Someone who wasn't even worthy of carrying He Yuanchao's shoes... the number one sucker?

Countless images flashed before his eyes in an instant.

He recalled how, every day, he would nervously steal a heavy lunchbox from the canteen so that Sister Qin and her three children could have a hot meal of steamed buns and meat dishes. For this, he was criticized by the factory's top leaders, had a huge amount of his wages deducted, and almost lost his job, but he did it willingly, feeling that it was all worth it for Sister Qin.

He remembered how, to take the blame for the thief who stole the hen from Xu Damao's house, he knelt down before Xu Damao at a general meeting, in front of everyone, enduring the humiliation and paying a hefty sum of one hundred yuan! That was his hard-earned money, saved up over countless years! But seeing Sister Qin's grateful, tearful eyes, he felt that his knees had been weak for nothing!

He recalled how, in order to replace Banggeng, who had pulled out the valve cores from all the bicycles in the courtyard, he was forced by He Yuanchao to pump up the tires of everyone in the courtyard like a dog, enduring everyone's ridicule and scorn! At that time, he felt that as long as he could protect Banggeng and Sister Qin's face, what did it matter if he suffered a little grievance? A real man can bend and stretch!

He recalled how many times he had fought with He Yuanchao and Xu Damao, leaving himself humiliated, all to protect her pitiful "reputation" that had long since vanished in the courtyard. He had even gone so far as to turn against his only relative, his own sister He Yushui, driving her home in anger!

He gave everything he could!

His dignity, his money, his family, his reputation...

He was like the most devoted fool in legends, respectfully and unreservedly offering her everything he had, just to win a gentle glance or a warm word from her.

But in the end, what did he get in return?

In return, I received a chilling "idiot"?!

In return, he received the utterly contemptuous remark, "He's not even worthy to carry He Yuanchao's shoes!"

"puff--"

A strong, sweet, metallic taste surged from his stomach and rushed to his throat. Sha Zhu could no longer control himself; his chest churned violently and spasmodically. He bent over abruptly, bracing himself on his knees, and with a loud "whoosh," he vomited the few ounces of cheap liquor he had drunk that evening, along with the pitiful amount of cornmeal porridge that barely filled his stomach, mixed with bitter stomach acid and bile, all onto the ground!

He vomited violently!

He vomited so much his intestines were breaking!

At this moment, it seemed as if he wanted to vomit all the grievances, resentment, anger, and incurable stupidity that he had swallowed over the years, all of which had seeped into his bones and been completely expelled from this filthy body!

"Heh...heh...heh..."

The violent vomiting drained all his strength. He gasped for breath, like a fish out of water, supporting himself on his knees, his body swaying, almost collapsing to the ground.

He slowly raised his head, and for the first time, his eyes, bloodshot with horrifying rage, shame, and alcohol, no longer held the familiar, eager, ingratiating, and humble light he had when looking at Qin Huairu. Instead, they became empty and blank, like two dry wells, cracked and utterly dried up by the scorching sun.

He looked at Qin Huairu, who was slumped in the doorway not far away, looking equally lost and dejected.

He gazed at the figure who had once been perfect and flawless in his heart, like a holy goddess. That figure whose smile melted his heart; that figure whose tears shattered his heart.

At this moment, the figure in his empty vision collapsed, twisted, and shattered little by little... Finally, it collapsed with a bang, turning into a pile of rotten mud that smelled of stench, was disgusting, and crawled with maggots!

He suddenly remembered how Qin Huairu always acted with such calculated vulnerability and quick tears whenever she needed his help.

He recalled Qin Huairu's hesitant, half-hearted, half-reluctant attitude and the barely perceptible, smug smile on her lips every time she accepted his lunchbox.

He remembered how Qin Huairu would comfort him with the gentle, almost tender voice every time he was wronged, saying, "Brother Zhu, you're such a good person."

It turns out, it was all fake!

It was all acting!

It was all a scheme to make a fool of him!

It turns out that what he was so proud of as "righteousness" was seen by others as the biggest "foolishness"!

"Hehe...hehehe...hahahaha..."

Sha Zhu suddenly chuckled softly. The laughter was hoarse and dry, even more unpleasant than a ghost's wail, filled with endless, deep-seated self-mockery and sorrow.

"Idiot Zhu...Idiot Zhu...I, He Yuzhu...Turns out, I really am a complete and utter idiot Zhu..."

He staggered around, using all his strength to avoid looking at the pile of "mud" again. He also ignored the complex gazes, tinged with pity, disdain, and mockery, cast from behind the doors and curtains that had not yet completely dissipated.

Like a walking corpse stripped of all its bones and soul, he staggered back to his cold, dark, lifeless room, step by step, one step at a time.

"Bang!"

The door was slammed shut.

"Click".

The door was locked tightly from the inside.

He isolated himself from everything outside and locked himself in a cage of despair.

Inside, it was pitch black and deathly silent.

Sha Zhu groped around like a blind man, tripped over something, and kicked over a small stool with a loud bang. He took two more steps forward, his thigh slamming hard against the corner of the table, sending a sharp pain through him, but he felt nothing.

Finally, he reached the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) and found the half-empty bottle of Erguotou (a type of Chinese liquor).

He was too lazy to even turn on the light. He unscrewed the rusty bottle cap, tilted his head back, and like a traveler dying of thirst in the desert who had found water, he gulped down the spicy, throat-irritating liquid without any regard for his own life!

The liquor burned like a fire dragon, from his throat all the way to his stomach, causing his internal organs to churn violently and writhe in excruciating pain!

But he couldn't feel any pain.

Because my heart aches even more!

The pain had numbed him!

"Why... why is this happening...?"

He muttered to himself, the empty bottle slipping from his hand and falling to the ground. He slumped down on the cold ground like a lump of mud, his back against the cold wall. Two streams of hot tears, mixed with the remaining wine on his face, silently slid down his face, which was filled with despair and hopelessness.

"I'm such a fool... I've lived half my life... what have I been striving for...?"

He didn't understand.

He hated it too!

He hated Qin Huairu's hypocrisy and manipulation! How could she? How dare she!

He hated the viciousness and greed of that old hag Jia Zhangshi!

He hated that ungrateful little brat Banggeng for not knowing what was good for him!

but……

All this hatred, after reaching its peak, flowed like rivers into the sea, ultimately converging on one person!

The person he hated most was He Yuanchao!

Yes! It's He Yuanchao!

If it weren't for that bastard He Yuanchao suddenly appearing! If it weren't for him stirring up trouble like a turd!

Sister Qin... Sister Qin is still the same gentle, kind, pitiful, and vulnerable Sister Qin who needs his protection!

Banggeng, Xiaodang, and Huaihua, those three children, will still call him "Silly Uncle" sweetly and affectionately, just like before!

He, Sha Zhu, is still the respected head chef of the canteen, the "pillar" who brings warmth and hope to the Jia family in its turmoil!

Although life was tough and tiring, and I couldn't save much money, at least... I had something to look forward to! I had something to hope for! Those kinds of days had something to strive for!

But now, it's all gone!

It's all over!

He Yuanchao was like an incredibly cruel, gleaming mirror, shattering his pitiful, self-indulgent so-called "happiness" into pieces, leaving him utterly devastated!

His ridiculously simp nature was exposed to the light of day, mercilessly and blatantly revealed! He was made a laughingstock by the entire hospital!

He Yuanchao has a car! He has a house! He has a television! He has fame! He has status!

He also has a beautiful daughter-in-law like Yu Haitang, the deputy factory director's daughter-in-law!

And what about Sha Zhu?

He lost his job! He lost all his money! His own sister turned against him!

Now, even the "home" he had given everything to protect has become the biggest joke in the world!

Huge difference!

Like a towering mountain and a bottomless abyss!

This insurmountable gap completely crushed his already overburdened nerves!

"He Yuanchao—! I'll fuck your grandpa!!"

A suppressed, beast-like roar burst from deep within Shazhu's throat. He abruptly picked up the empty wine bottle from the ground, and with all his might, summoning all his hatred, smashed it against the opposite wall!

"Clang—crash—!"

The bottle shattered against the wall!

Countless shards of glass mixed with liquor splashed everywhere!

On the mottled wall, a dark, rapidly spreading, damp stain with a pungent smell of alcohol remained, like an ugly scar.

"Waaaaah..."

After smashing the bottle, Sha Zhu seemed to have lost his last bit of strength and could no longer control himself. Like a child abandoned by the whole world, he hugged his head, curled up on the cold ground, and let out a suppressed sob, like a wounded beast.

The cries were filled with resentment, anger, humiliation, and a kind of... bottomless despair, a despair from which no light could be seen again.

From that moment on, the once righteous, carefree, and warm-hearted "Silly Zhu" died.

The one who is alive is just a walking corpse named He Yuzhu, utterly crushed by reality and filled with hatred, his emptiness completely gone.

The final chapter of a simp's life is neither a sudden awakening nor a graceful departure.

Rather, it is when that veil of hypocrisy and self-indulgent sentimentality is ruthlessly torn away that what remains is an endless, all-consuming... dead end.

……

At the other end of the courtyard house.

He Yuanchao's small house was brightly lit and warm as spring.

He Yushui had already gone back. When she left, her eyes were still a little red; clearly, tonight's farce and Sha Zhu's final breakdown had still had a significant impact on her. But her steps were much more firm than when she arrived.

He Yuanchao didn't say anything more to comfort him.

Some roads, in the end, you have to walk alone.

Some pain, in the end, must be borne alone.

All he could offer was a hot, filling meal, a reassuring promise, and a path to "culture" that might completely change her fate.

At this moment, he was sitting alone under the lamp, calmly playing with the "Good Luck" lighter that he had just fished out of the system.

The pure brass casing gleams with a calm and warm luster under the light, and is engraved with retro and exquisite Western patterns. It feels slightly heavy in the hand and carries a strange, almost otherworldly coolness.

He didn't seem to care about tonight's "victory".

In his view, crushing a few buzzing ants and flies was hardly a victory; at most, it was just a way to clean up some roadside trash and give himself some peace and quiet.

What he cared about were the fishing opportunities the system rewarded him with after this incident, and the perfectly timed, deadly "Truth or Dare" chewing gum.

This fully demonstrates that his system not only provides material assistance that transcends time, but also offers the most precise and lethal "tactical support" when he needs it. This is invaluable.

"Truth or Dare Gum..."

A cold, amused smile curved He Yuanchao's lips. "I wonder if this kind of good stuff will be of any use to that power-hungry bum Liu Haizhong, or that lurking viper Xu Damao?"

A hunter's sharp glint flashed in his eyes.

Grandpa Yi Zhonghai has completely fallen from grace; his retirement plans have vanished, and his reputation is ruined. The deaf old lady, the mastermind behind it all, has also lost her nerve and the support of the people. And Sha Zhu, his most useful troublemaker, is now utterly useless.

Now, in this courtyard, only the second uncle Liu Haizhong, a power-hungry good-for-nothing obsessed with climbing the ranks, the third uncle, a shrewd strategist, and Xu Damao, a venomous snake lurking in the shadows, ready to bite at any moment, can still hop around a few times.

It's time to thoroughly clean up this smoky and chaotic yard.

With a thought, he carefully put the "Good Luck" lighter back into his system space, and then took out the heavy stack of two hundred yuan he had "won" from Yi Zhonghai. He counted it carefully, and after confirming that it was correct, he put it into a locked small iron box on the bedside table.

Looking at the thick stack of brand-new "Great Unity" notes, He Yuanchao showed no surprise or joy.

For him, this money was less a form of compensation and more... a spoil of war.

It was the first offering from this rotten, filthy courtyard, filled with the evil of human nature, before he completely trampled it under his feet...

And all of this is just the beginning.

He walked to the window, pushed it open a crack, and looked out at the desolate courtyard, where even the moonlight seemed to carry a sense of melancholy. He took a deep breath of the cold night air, and his lungs felt clear.

He could clearly hear the suppressed sobs coming from the neighboring house of Sha Zhu, and the sounds of things being smashed.

He could easily imagine the gloom and chaos that must be plaguing the Jia and Yi families at this moment.

But he felt no pity whatsoever.

There is always a reason why someone is pitiful.

In this compound teeming with beasts, any unnecessary or excessive sympathy is cruelty to oneself and one's loved ones.

What he needs to do is become stronger, strong enough to crush all evil spirits, strong enough to protect himself and the people he cares about!