Chapter 4 — My Husband Brought His Ex Home

Before the elevator doors slid completely shut, I caught a glimpse of Hao standing in the threshold, his expression a chaotic storm of panic and suppressed rage. Yet, he did not chase after me. By the time I reached the management office on the ground floor, Lan's younger sister, Lan Phuong, was already seated on the sofa. She clutched a crimson designer handbag in her lap, while a sleek silver suitcase stood propped up right beside her. I recognized it instantly. A pair of silver, pointy-toed high heels rested neatly against the base of the luggage, and fluttering from the handle was a luggage tag bearing the name Huong.

The fluorescent lights in the management office cast a sterile, blinding glare. When Lan Phuong saw me, she froze for a fraction of a second before instinctively shoving her handbag behind her back. The staff member on duty stood up respectfully.

"Ms. Xu, you have arrived."

I gave a curt nod.

"Where is that authorization form?"

The employee handed the document over. I did not take it from his hand. Instead, I said, "Please, leave it flat on the desk."

"I will simply take a photograph for my records."

Lan Phuong’s expression twisted into something deeply unpleasant.

"Zhixia, what on earth are you doing?" she protested. "We are all family here. Is it truly necessary to treat us as though we are being interrogated for a crime?"

Without answering, I pulled out my phone, snapped a clear picture of the authorization document, and immediately followed it with a wide shot of the silver suitcase.

"Whose luggage is this?" I asked.

Lan Phuong recovered her composure instantly. "It belongs to your aunt."

I leaned down slightly, squinting at the luggage tag. "Your aunt's name is Huong?"

Lan Phuong’s face stiffened. The staff member glanced over as well, and the ambient temperature in the room seemed to drop as the atmosphere turned acutely awkward. Lan Phuong forced a brittle, nervous smile.

"I am simply carrying it for Huong," she stammered. "She is a young woman with far too much luggage, and I happened to be passing by, so it was convenient."

"Convenient enough to stop by the management office and apply for a long-term resident access card for my home?" I countered.

Her brows drew together tightly in annoyance. "Why must a young person speak with such a sharp tongue? Your mother-in-law was merely showing kindness and taking pity on someone." Huong has just returned from abroad with no relatives nearby to lean on. Letting her stay in your home for a few days—does it slice a piece of flesh from your bones?"

I looked straight into her eyes. "Every single time you people use the phrase 'just a few days,' it inevitably turns into an entitlement. I do not agree to this."

Lan Phuong’s face darkened in an instant. "You do not agree? On what grounds do you presume to object? Hao is your husband, and his friend is merely coming to stay for a few days. As his wife, can you not manage to show a little generosity?"

I let out a cold, dry laugh. "If you are so extraordinarily generous, why didn't you invite her to stay at your own home?"

Lan Phuong was struck dumb, choking on her own words. The staff member cleared his throat softly to break the tension.

"Ms. Xu, we have already temporarily halted the processing procedure," he said. "This authorization form genuinely requires your personal, direct confirmation."

"Not just temporarily halted," I instructed firmly. "Please make a permanent note in the resident system. Without my personal signature on-site accompanied by a verification of my identification card, no one is to be granted any additional gate access privileges. That includes my husband, Hao, and his parents."

The employee nodded without hesitation. "Understood. We will log the restriction into the system immediately."

Panic flared in Lan Phuong’s eyes. "How can you do that? Hao is right here as well!"

I turned my gaze to her. "He may reside here, yes. But that does not grant him the authority to unilaterally dispose of my property, nor does it mean the rest of you have the right to use my home as currency to curry favor with strangers."

Lan Phuong’s complexion turned an ugly, mottled shade of green. "Xu Zhixia, you are speaking with absolute ruthlessness. A woman navigating marriage cannot afford to be so petty and calculating. If you alienate the entire Han family to this extreme today, do you honestly believe you will have an easy life ahead of you?"

I quietly activated the voice recorder on my phone and laid the device flat on the desktop.

"Do go on," I said evenly. "Please repeat those words for the record."

When she saw the screen light up, her expression shifted dramatically. "Are you recording this?"

"I have been recording from the very moment I walked through that door," I replied. "Since everyone here is so fond of making executive decisions on my behalf, I am simply forced to collect a little evidence to protect myself."

Her hands trembled with rage, but the sight of the glowing recorder effectively choked off any further threats. At that exact moment, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed from the hallway outside. Hao had arrived, closely trailed by Lan. The older woman barged through the entrance and lunged straight for the authorization form on the table.

"Stop taking pictures!" she shrieked.

I moved faster, pressing my palm flat against the edge of the paper. She swiped at empty air. The alert staff member quickly swept the document out of reach.

"Mrs. Han, please calm yourself."

Lan burst into theatrical tears right then and there. "I merely wrote a few simple lines, what harm was in that? I am neither a thief nor a criminal!"

I stared at her coldly. "You forged my signature. That is identity fraud."

Lan gritted her teeth, her voice rising in hysteria. "I am your mother-in-law!"

"You are not me," I replied.

Hao stepped directly into my line of sight, his voice strained as he tried to keep his temper in check. "Xu Zhixia, exactly how far do you intend to push this? The access card was never issued, and nothing was actually stolen. Must you insist on leaving my mother with a criminal record?"

I looked up at him. "You are terrified of her acquiring a criminal record. When the lot of you orchestrated this behind my back, did any of you spare a thought for the psychological trauma you were inflicting on me?"

He groaned in frustration, raking his hands aggressively through his hair. "Huong is genuinely only staying temporarily!"

I pointed a finger directly at the silver suitcase. "Temporarily, to the extent that her luggage has already been unloaded at the management office?"

Hao glanced over his shoulder at the bags, and a genuine flicker of shock crossed his features. It was clear he had no idea the luggage had already arrived. Lan rushed in to smooth things over.

"It is simply because Huong had an excess of belongings, and I was merely afraid you might be displeased, so I asked your aunt to keep them here first," she stammered.

I sneered. "Afraid I might be displeased, yet you proceeded to apply for a long-term residency card behind my back. Afraid I might be displeased, yet you felt compelled to forge an authorization letter. Your version of fear is certainly a unique phenomenon."