The Scumbag Attackers Regretted It Deeply After My Death - Chapter 21

Hearing Yao Anna’s words, Jiang Nian’an couldn’t help but feel astonished. These were not the words of the Yao Anna she once knew—the woman who used to value family ties above all else.

Whether facing Yao Guangming’s unreasonable demands or Yao Zhenzhen’s relentless troublemaking, the old Anna would accept it all, doing her best to satisfy them and seeking their approval without limit.

But now, her attitude had undergone a 180-degree reversal.

Ultimately, Jiang Nian’an left alone.

Though the two had been arguing incessantly earlier, Yao Anna’s final sentence had plunged Jiang Nian’an into silence. She keenly sensed that this woman wasn’t merely bluffing; she was serious.

It was as if Yao Guangming’s life or death truly had nothing to do with her anymore.

The moment Jiang Nian’an stepped out of the room, a heavy thud echoed behind her—

“Bang!”

It was the forceful sound of the door closing, as if urging her to leave as quickly as possible.

Even her attitude toward Jiang Nian’an had changed abruptly. Before, Anna’s presence seemed to be everywhere; now, Jiang Nian’an had to seek her out personally, only to be swept out the door at the slightest disagreement.

Jiang Nian’an turned slowly, staring at the tightly shut door with a glimmer of helplessness in her eyes. Faced with a stubborn, impenetrable Yao Anna, she truly felt at a loss.

She stood silently for a moment, then collected herself and hurried into the elevator to leave.

Inside the room, Yao Anna moved like a graceful butterfly toward the floor-to-ceiling window. She used a slender finger to gently lift the curtain, catching a glimpse of the Bentley downstairs finally driving away. Only then did she breathe a sigh of relief. Returning to the inner room, she flopped onto the soft, large bed and pulled out her phone to message Pei Congling.

Anna Starting Over: “Everything is OK on my end. You can begin your performance now.”

The other party seemed busy and didn’t reply immediately. Having eaten and drunk her fill, Yao Anna felt drowsy, like a lazy kitten. In her daze, she gripped her phone and curled into a ball, falling asleep in a posture that suggested a deep lack of security.

After leaving the Yao household, Yao Anna hadn’t hesitated to change both her WeChat and Weibo nicknames. She used to be Little Yao’s Hardworking Day, a name familiar to everyone who knew her, as she had used it for years.

Since her debut, she had worked tirelessly without a single day off. She chose that name to spur herself on to work and study harder, to become a better version of herself—and she had indeed achieved that, never slackening for a moment.

The name change was a way to wave goodbye to her past self. She was no longer the puppet who would end up dead and slandered.

However, in the eyes of certain people, this was a clear sign that she intended to sever ties with the Yao family completely.

When fans returned from scolding Yao Zhenzhen and discovered Anna’s new nickname, they flooded her comment section with concern:

“Sister Anna, why did you suddenly change your name? ‘Starting Over’… does this mean drawing a line between you and certain people from the past?”

“Is there even a need to ask? Definitely!”

“No matter what decision Anna makes, we fans will support her with all our might!”

“As expected, Anna must have been threatened by that schemer Yao Zhenzhen. Does this mean she’s cutting ties? Well done! As an old fan, I fully support this!” 9999 Likes

“My heart aches for you, Sister. You are the best!” 8763 Likes

Among the waves of comfort, however, were the inevitable sour notes from Yao Zhenzhen’s fans trying to make their presence felt.

“Hehe, the tea is as green as it gets. You think it’s cool to bully your own younger sister?”

“Is the person above seeking death? Looks like that Yao schemer needs another scolding. Charge, sisters!”

At the hospital, outside the operating room where the red light glowed, Zheng Xiulan was pacing back and forth like an ant on a hot griddle. Her high heels clicked incessantly against the floor; her face masked with a worry so deep it looked as though her world was collapsing.

In truth, she wasn’t faking her emotions this time. Zheng Xiulan was genuinely terrified for Yao Guangming’s health.

After all, Yao Guangming was a man of deep schemes and great cunning; he held the entire Yao family’s financial power firmly in his grasp. Despite being with him for so many years and bearing him a daughter, Zheng Xiulan’s only reward was a monthly allowance of 200,000 yuan.

Beyond that, she had nothing.

If Yao Guangming failed to survive this surgery…

Zheng Xiulan didn’t dare think further. The thought of losing her “money tree” filled her with panic and helplessness. She began to pray silently for his safety, because only his survival could guarantee her and her daughter’s future. If he was finished, she had no idea how they would survive.

As the saying goes: “It is easy to go from poverty to luxury, but difficult to go from luxury back to poverty.”

On the other side, Yao Zhenzhen sat alone on a sterile white hospital bench. Her head was bowed, her eyes fixed darkly on her phone screen.

She had already seen the comments on Weibo. At this moment, she hated those words with a passion, her mind racing for a way to reverse the unfavorable situation. Before, she hadn’t been in a rush, but now she was burning with anxiety.

“Mom, can you stop pacing in front of me? You’re making me dizzy!”

Yao Zhenzhen was already in a foul mood, and the constant sound of Zheng Xiulan’s footsteps made her blood boil. Lashing out, she looked up, her bloodshot eyes glaring at her mother with extreme impatience.

Zheng Xiulan’s face darkened instantly. Like a bristling cat, she shouted back, “How did I give birth to such a heartless, ungrateful wolf! We don’t even know if your father is alive or dead, and you’re worried about messy internet gossip! I want to ask you—is your so-called stardom more important, or your father’s life?!”

In truth, if Yao Zhenzhen hadn’t been so desperate for the lead role in The Phoenix Reborn, Yao Guangming wouldn’t have been provoked into the hospital by Yao Anna. Zheng Xiulan was simply so worried about her husband that she spoke without thinking.

Startled by the reprimand, Yao Zhenzhen froze for a moment. She quickly lowered her head again, hiding the dark glint in her eyes, and whispered submissively, “Of… of course Dad is more important…”

Hearing this, Zheng Xiulan’s expression softened slightly. She felt relieved that her daughter hadn’t completely lost her mind or become entirely cold-blooded.

She stopped pacing and sat on the bench opposite Zhenzhen, covering her face and letting out a heavy sigh.

“Zhenzhen… don’t take it to heart. Mom just lost control of her emotions for a moment,” Zheng Xiulan said, her voice tinged with guilt.

Yao Zhenzhen shook her head gently. “It’s okay, Mom. I’m not angry. I know you’re just worried about Dad.”

Her tone was calm and steady, as if assuring her mother there was no need for self-reproach.

Zheng Xiulan was moved. She looked at her daughter with maternal affection. “Truly my good child… I’m so relieved you understand.”

The two women locked eyes. Yao Zhenzhen stood up, sat beside Zheng Xiulan, and wrapped an arm around her mother’s shoulders to comfort her.

Despite her words, Yao Zhenzhen’s internal answer was different. Compared to Yao Guangming’s safety, she wanted nothing more than to immediately silence the negative public opinion.

Thinking of Yao Anna, her face turned grim. She believed her current downfall was entirely Anna’s fault. If not for her, she and her father wouldn’t be in this mess.

“Mom, we can’t just let this go!”

Zheng Xiulan paused, her hands dropping limply. She stared at her daughter’s fierce expression, knowing full well that Zhenzhen was targeting Yao Anna.

Thinking about it, she agreed. If not for Anna, her daughter wouldn’t be blacklisted by netizens, and Yao Guangming wouldn’t have suffered a heart attack. His condition hadn’t flared up in a long time.

“What do you want to do?” Zheng Xiulan asked after a silence. She shared her daughter’s sentiment; neither of them could swallow this insult.

Previously, Yao Guangming had promised that when the time was right, he would transfer the 20% shares left by Yao Anna’s biological mother to Yao Zhenzhen as compensation. That was a massive amount of wealth that Zheng Xiulan had been eyeing for years. The only reason she had been patient and kind to Anna was to secure her signature for that transfer.

But now, Anna had snatched those shares back from Yao Guangming, shattering their long-held hopes and throwing the Yao household into chaos. How could Zheng Xiulan accept such a loss?

No, she had to make Yao Anna pay the price.

The mother and daughter looked at each other, their eyes flashing with a shared, ruthless light.