Even after so many years, the moment the past surged to the surface.
Aunt Fang's whole body trembled with anger.
The sound of her teeth chattering.
In the quiet early morning, it was exceptionally chilling.
"When Ke Xin was five, she went to a gambling den with him. She was targeted by several old men. To avoid losing his pants, Xu Ziliang agreed to let them..."
Four words choked with sobs, Wen Tingxue had to strain to understand—touch Ke Xin.
The moment she understood the deeper meaning, it was like a thunderclap exploded in her ears, leaving her stunned for a long time.
Xu Ke Xin, her face pale, wiped tears from her chin and asked almost resolutely, "Auntie, if this matter is brought to court, what is the chance of winning?"
Yu Xiuxiu looked at her with some surprise. Although she was not adept at such cases, she had heard of many more brutal harms. However, few dared to bring such matters into the open. Moreover, she was still a minor. This courage earned even her admiration.
"According to Article 36 of the Civil Code, if a guardian engages in acts that seriously harm the physical and mental health of the ward, the court, upon application by relevant individuals or organizations, shall revoke their guardianship. In other words, the chances of winning are very high, but..." Yu Xiuxiu looked her in the eye, "Child, are you sure you want to bring this to court? You are still young and cannot make impulsive decisions. You must know that once this matter is public, it will harm your reputation."
Even though she was not the one at fault, society's expectations of women remained stringent. The deepest harm in such matters was always to the victim, not the perpetrator.
Xu Ke Xin shook her head, "I'm not afraid. It's not my fault, so there's no reason for me to be a turtle. Besides, as long as I can get rid of him, I'll sacrifice anything."
When she was little, she envied others who had fathers. Then her father appeared. He was incredibly good to her. Even after what happened when she was five, she still felt her father was good to her. Because she didn't understand the deep meaning of those actions, didn't understand why those people touched her there. But she knew her father was by her side; he wouldn't let others hurt her. So she never felt those actions were wrong. Moreover, after every such instance, her father would buy her lots of food. He'd even take her to water parks, Disneyland! It wasn't until her mother passed away that these buried memories flooded her mind. She finally understood what she had gone through in her childhood! She finally knew her father was a beast in human clothing! She finally realized that the person who loved her most in the world was her mother, whom she had once vehemently rejected. But she couldn't resist her father's tears. He knelt and said, "Dad only has you left. You can't abandon Dad." He held her legs and said, "Xin Xin, Dad knows Dad was a scoundrel before, but Dad will change. Give Dad another chance." He pitifully tugged at her clothes and said, "Xin Xin, Mom is gone, Grandpa and Grandma are gone. You are the only relative Dad has left in this world..."
She admitted she softened. Because she only had him left in this world. Her aunt had her own family and couldn't spare any attention. Where could she go if she left? He was her father. No matter how sad or upset she was, could she sever this blood tie? At that moment, she truly had only one thought: Mom was gone. She would rebuild the family, and someday, her father would awaken. Then she would have a home again. Little did she know, she was merely walking down the same path as her mother. Earning money, supporting him, being angered by him, being coaxed by him, until her patience was completely exhausted. She was only grateful that she woke up earlier than her mother. Otherwise, she would have been bled dry by him her entire life.
"My sister discovered Ke Xin was acting strangely three months later. They had a huge argument. My sister insisted on divorcing him. That shameless man refused to divorce at all. He even specifically found two sets of elders to mediate. He knew my sister cared about her reputation and wouldn't joke about Ke Xin's name. Therefore, he was sure my sister wouldn't reveal the truth. My sister did not reveal the truth, but despite pressure from all sides, she still wanted to divorce him. Seeing that things were not going his way, he again used the child as leverage. But he also knew that after that incident, my sister wouldn't easily give him the child. So, he agreed to the divorce while simultaneously plotting. Finally, one day, he seized an opportunity when my sister wasn't paying attention and snatched the child away. Children's minds are immature; they can't distinguish right from wrong. They only know that if someone indulges them unconditionally and spoils them, that person is treating them well and loves them the most. Therefore, during that period, Ke Xin only wanted him and rejected my sister fiercely. After much back and forth, my sister had no choice but to continue the marriage with him. But she made a condition: he was not allowed to do that again, nor was he allowed to take Ke Xin to the gambling den. He agreed to everything and indeed did as he promised."
At this point, Aunt Fang couldn't help but let out a cold laugh. "Actually, he is smarter than anyone else; he knows how to gain the greatest benefit for himself. So, from then on, he was exceptionally good to Ke Xin, to the extent that everyone envied them. But my sister and I knew his ulterior motives. To prevent any accidents, we spared no effort in cultivating Ke Xin. However, his methods were too sophisticated. My sister and I were no match for him, and we could never win Ke Xin over. Instead, we pushed her further away, especially during her rebellious phase. Ke Xin recognized almost no one except him. This illness caused my sister to fall ill, and when she discovered Xu Ziliang was having an affair with his secretary, she directly..."
Aunt Fang's tears streamed down, and even the usually strong Xu Ke Xin couldn't hold back her tears. Both cried silently yet heart-wrenchingly. Wen Tingxue and Yu Xiuxiu couldn't help but offer them tissues. The situation became somewhat awkward. Wen Zhongen felt it would be inappropriate if he didn't shed a couple of tears. But he was a tough man, someone who never shed tears unless he was severely wounded. So, after much effort, not a single tear emerged. Fortunately, Aunt Fang soon calmed down with Xiuxiu's comfort and finished her story with sobs.
"The doctor said my sister's long-term overwork and various minor ailments caused her death... to be smooth. I think this was perhaps heaven's only gentleness to my sister. It's just a pity for Ke Xin... she was only fifteen years old,呜呜呜呜..."
"She was only fifteen!" Aunt Fang couldn't control her low roar. "To be forced to raise that father of hers, who is worse than a pig or a dog!" Her unrestrained voice seemed to want to vomit out all the grievances of so many years. "Xu Ziliang, that son of a bitch, didn't just kill my sister; he won't even let his own daughter go now!"
"Xiuxiu!" Aunt Fang grabbed Yu Xiuxiu's hand shamelessly. "My niece is truly ill-fated, just like my unlucky sister. Both were utterly ruined by that beast Xu Ziliang! You must help her, you must help her! Xiuxiu, Sister will work for you her whole life, anything, Xiuxiu!"