"What?"
The sudden declaration caused Fang Zhiyan's expression to change instantly.
"Dad"—this word carried a trace of fear for Fang Zhiyan.
Perhaps due to childhood influences, his immediate reaction upon hearing those two words was an involuntary shudder.
But soon after, an overwhelming surge of anger followed.
"That bastard actually dares to show up?"
"Zhixia, take Mom and go first. I'll be right there!" Fang Zhiyan instructed, anxiously glancing outside the bus.
The bus moved slowly, but fortunately, it wasn't far from the urban village where Fang Zhiyan lived.
Two stops later, the bus halted. Fang Zhiyan didn't even wait for it to fully stop before rushing out.
"Hey? Dr. Fang?"
Xu Qiushuang got off the bus, stomped her foot in frustration as she watched Fang Zhiyan's retreating figure, then quickly followed.
At that moment, in the main street of the urban village, a man was surrounded by a crowd.
He looked nervous but still spoke up, "What are you all doing?"
"I'm here to find my wife. Why are you blocking me? My wife is right over there."
As he spoke, he pointed toward Jiang Xu in the distance.
Jiang Xu was holding Fang Zhixia, hiding to the side. When she noticed the man's gesture, she instinctively shrank back.
Seeing this, the man smirked triumphantly.
"Jiang Xu, come out now. Did you really think hiding here would stop me from finding you?"
"Listen, if you come back with me right now, I might still forgive you. Otherwise, don't blame me for what happens next."
But before his words could fully land, a furious shout erupted from the side.
"You dare?"
"You want to hit someone? A woman, no less?"
"You've got some nerve! Go ahead, try it—see if I don't beat you to death first!"
A stout, muscular woman stepped forward, rolling up her sleeves as she glared at the man.
This woman was Liang Damin, the head of the women's affairs committee in the urban village.
Her build was more imposing than most men's.
Standing in front of the man now, she made him stammer in fear.
"I—I'm disciplining my wife. What's it to you?"
"I'm the women's affairs director. What do you think it has to do with me?" Liang Damin roared.
The man visibly shrank back.
Just then, another furious voice rang out from the distance.
"Good, Fang Jianjun, you finally showed up!"
"You've got some nerve, beating my sister and abusing my niece and nephew!"
"Fang Jianjun, you deserve to die a miserable death!"
A tall, burly man rushed over, gripping a wooden stick.
This man was Jiang Xu's older brother, Jiang Zhao—the uncle of Fang Zhiyan and Fang Zhixia.
He had known for a while that his sister had been forced to leave, so he had been secretly helping her.
He had wanted to avenge her, but the Fang family was a powerful clan. Going after them directly would have been risky.
But now, Fang Jianjun had come to them.
This was like walking straight into the lion's den!
Jiang Zhao tightened his grip on the stick and swung it straight at Fang Jianjun's head.
The scene was so shocking that even the women's affairs director jumped in alarm.
"Stop! Don't hit him! What if you kill him?"
A direct hit like that could be fatal.
Jiang Zhao was truly reckless.
The crowd swarmed forward, pulling Jiang Zhao back.
Fang Jianjun, seeing this, let out a relieved sneer and pointed at Jiang Zhao mockingly.
"Oh? Trying to scare me?"
"Here, my head's right here. Go ahead, hit me. Do you even have the guts?"
The moment he finished speaking, a dull thud sounded from behind him.
Then came searing pain.
Fang Jianjun clutched his head, howling as he crumpled to the ground.
Everyone exchanged bewildered glances.
Jiang Zhao was still being restrained—so who had struck?
They looked around in confusion before their eyes finally landed on Fang Jianjun's back.
There stood Fang Zhiyan, holding a cane.
That cane had just smashed into Fang Jianjun's skull.
For a moment, no one knew what to say.
"Zhiyan!"
Jiang Xu finally snapped out of her daze and hurried forward.
"How could you hit him? He's your father!"
Fang Zhiyan nodded, returning the cane to an elderly bystander who had been watching the spectacle. Then he looked at his mother and said calmly,
"Mom, I don't have a father like him."
"Did he ever treat us as family? When he hit you, did he ever think you were his wife?"
"Besides, I'm a doctor. Even if I don't kill him, I can stitch him up. I'm not afraid!"
Jiang Xu was stunned into silence.
The onlookers couldn't help but nod in agreement, momentarily forgetting to restrain Jiang Zhao.
Seizing the opportunity, Jiang Zhao broke free, raised his stick, and brought it down with a crash.
"Let me have a turn too!"
Thwack!
Another scream tore through the air.
Not satisfied, Jiang Zhao tossed the stick aside, grabbed Fang Jianjun by the collar, and began slapping him repeatedly.
Slap! Slap! Slap!
The crisp sounds echoed one after another.
Between strikes, he cursed, "You bastard! You dare hit my sister? Bully my nephew? Lay a hand on my niece?"
"I'll beat you to death today!"
Jiang Zhao was thoroughly enjoying himself, and the crowd was loving it.
A few even pretended to intervene—only to "accidentally" slip and stomp on Fang Jianjun's hand.
Or "unintentionally" flail an arm, smacking Fang Jianjun across the face.
No matter what, Fang Jianjun was the one suffering.
Finally, he couldn't take it anymore.
"Stop! Please stop! My teeth are going to break!"
Hearing this, the women's affairs director finally stepped in.
"Alright, that's enough. Don't go overboard—killing him isn't worth going to jail for."
Panting heavily, Jiang Zhao stood up, though his glare at Fang Jianjun remained furious.
"Listen up—beating women and domestic violence are crimes now!"
"Scum like you belong in jail!"
"If it weren't for Jiang Xu's soft heart, you'd already be locked up!"
The women's affairs director berated him mercilessly.
Faced with the crowd, Fang Jianjun didn't dare retort, only trembling with his head down.
But when Jiang Xu approached, he suddenly looked up, his eyes filled with venom.
"You wretched woman, you'd better never come back!"
"Come back?" Jiang Xu let out a cold laugh.
"I'm not a fool. I'm telling you now—I'm never going back. And what's more, I'm divorcing you!"
Her words struck Fang Jianjun like a bolt of lightning.
His face twisted in disbelief and rage.
"What did you say?"
"You want a divorce?"
"Do you even realize what that means? If you divorce me, how will you survive in this society?"
"You'll be scorned by everyone!"
"You'll never have a good life again!"
"Jiang Xu, have you lost your mind?"