"Huh?" Wen Tingxue blinked.
Her almond-shaped eyes widened slightly, seemingly not understanding why her father was angry.
But she instinctively blocked his path.
Wen Zhong'en's anger flared further. "Did he do anything inappropriate to you?! Don't defend him, Dad absolutely won't let you be taken advantage of for nothing!"
Wen Tingxue: "..."
Was it that obvious? The little girl lowered her head, utterly embarrassed. "Dad, what are you thinking!"
Wen Tingxue nervously fiddled with the hem of her clothes, offering a half-truthful explanation. "We didn't do anything, we just talked for a while."
Her soft, sweet voice managed to quell most of Wen Zhong'en's anger. However, upon hearing the content of her words, Wen Zhong'en's temper surged even more. "Just talked for a while?!" And this was the result?! His daughter was too naive. How could she handle the Yu family's son with just a few words? Wouldn't she be completely dominated in the future? No, no.
The more Wen Zhong'en thought about it, the more uncomfortable he felt. He eyed the mop beside him, wishing he could grab it and storm over to the Yu family's house.
The young girl slowly understood her father's thoughts. She took a step forward, wrapped her arms around his waist, which had grown thinner, and said softly, "Dad, don't worry, Brother Yu is very good to me. He won't bully me."
Wen Zhong'en hugged his daughter's slender shoulders, verbally agreeing but grumbling inwardly. "Worry? Impossible to stop worrying!" The Yu family's son was as cunning as a fox, and his daughter was an innocent little white rabbit, unaware of the world. If he wasn't watching closely, she'd be devoured without a trace!
Just then, there was a sudden knock at the door.
Wen Zhong'en let out a gruff snort through his nostrils. "You audacious Yu family brat! You dare show up now!"
Wen Zhong'en released his daughter and strode to the door in a huff. Wen Tingxue tried to stop him, but it was too late. She could only watch helplessly as her father pulled open the door and roared with fury, "Yu Wen..."
"Yu what?"
Yu Xiuxiu glanced at him as if he were an idiot. "It's late at night, who are you planning to kill?"
Wen Zhong'en's spirit instantly deflated, and he chuckled sheepishly. "Wife, why are you back so suddenly? Didn't you say you had overtime tonight?"
Yu Xiuxiu lowered her head to change her shoes, too tired to speak. Wen Zhong'en glanced to the side, looking at Aunt Fang standing at the door, and...
"...This is my niece." Aunt Fang smiled sheepishly. "She wanted to stay the night, I wasn't sure if it was..."
"Convenient." Wen Zhong'en nodded politely. His wife had already brought someone back, so what inconvenience could there be?
Aunt Fang immediately breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you."
"Come in." Wen Zhong'en found a pair of new slippers from the shoe cabinet.
When Wen Tingxue came over, Aunt Fang was just bringing her niece inside. Yu Xiuxiu looked up and saw her daughter, her spirits lifting slightly. "Why aren't you asleep yet? Where did your Brother Yu take you to play today? Why do you smell of smoke and alcohol?"
Wen Tingxue stared blankly at Xu Kekxin, only remembering to answer after Yu Xiuxiu approached. "...A bar."
Yu Xiuxiu frowned and gently admonished, "You should go to places like that less often in the future, unless your Brother Yu takes you. Do you hear me?"
Just as Wen Tingxue was about to nod, Wen Zhong'en said unhappily, "You shouldn't go even if he takes you. It's not a good place."
Wen Tingxue: "..."
Yu Xiuxiu recalled the scene at the door and was puzzled. "Did the Yu family's son provoke you? Such a fiery temper."
"I..." Remembering there were outsiders, Wen Zhong'en changed his tune. "He did provoke me! Yi'er, Dad will take you upstairs to sleep. Don't listen to your mother's nonsense."
Yu Xiuxiu: "..." Crazy.
"Wait." Just as she was about to be taken away by her father, Wen Tingxue quickly said, "I want to stay. She's my classmate."
Yu Xiuxiu & Wen Zhong'en: "???"
Living room.
Aunt Fang was crying profusely. "Xiuxiu! I'm begging you, you must help me get custody, otherwise my poor niece will be sold! Her father is worse than a dog! If she stays at home any longer, something will happen to her sooner or later, Xiuxiu~"
Yu Xiuxiu handed her a tissue and said calmly, "Sister Fang, don't curse for now. Tell me exactly what happened. Then I can help you better."
While she was looking through documents late at night, Aunt Fang suddenly found her with her niece, crying. She had been busy then and had asked them to wait outside first. After briefly finishing her work, she brought them home. She had been on the phone the entire way and hadn't had time to ask. It was only now that she had time to inquire about the specific situation.
Aunt Fang haphazardly wiped her tears, barely controlling her emotions, and said, "It all started a long time ago."
She sniffled. Xu Kekxin's lowered eyelashes trembled slightly but she didn't stop her. "My sister met Xu Ziliang when she was eighteen and was deceived by his sweet talk. She was determined to marry him, and no matter how much her family opposed it, she wouldn't change her mind. There was nothing they could do, so my parents, fearing she would be wronged, gave her the best dowry, hoping she would have a smooth life. As for Xu Ziliang? Not only was he unwilling to pay the bride price, but on the day my sister gave birth, he didn't even show his face! He took my sister's meager dowry and played mahjong all night! It was only when I finally called him back that he saw it was a daughter and went to gamble again. My sister finally realized she had married the wrong person, but there was nothing she could do. Back then, people always advised reconciliation, not divorce. Even my parents hoped my sister would endure it, especially since she had a child, and the child shouldn't grow up in a single-parent family. My sister couldn't withstand the persuasion of both families and ultimately didn't divorce. She took the child and opened a shop in Jiangcheng. She hoped to give her child a better future through her own efforts. That shameless Xu Ziliang, after losing all his money back home, shamelessly came to Jiangcheng to ask my sister for money. My sister didn't want to give it to him, so he used the child as leverage."
At this point, Aunt Fang glanced at Xu Kekxin, who was sitting in the corner of the sofa. Xu Kekxin didn't look up, her voice hoarse as she said, "Auntie, please continue."
Aunt Fang pursed her lips and, after a pause, continued, "Children always like their fathers, and Xu Ziliang was good at making people happy. Kekxin liked him so much back then, she couldn't bear a day without seeing him. My sister, because of the child, had no choice but to give him money. After tasting the sweetness, Xu Ziliang was unwilling to return home. He would pick up and drop off Kekxin at a fixed time every day, holding her firmly in his grasp, all just to get money from my sister. My sister was busy with her shop, and the business was booming, so she really couldn't take care of Kekxin. She thought that he was the child's father, and no matter how much of a scoundrel he was, he wouldn't do anything to the child. At most, he'd just ask for money, so she gave it to him. She never expected that Xu Ziliang was a bastard who would do anything for money!"
Aunt Fang's eyes were bloodshot, as if stained with blood. Xu Kekxin slowly closed her eyes, the knuckles of her fingers digging into the armrest of the sofa, turning deathly white.