The night was quiet when Li Tian returned to the Wu family villa. No one welcomed him. No servants bowed or smiled. Not even the security guard outside the iron gates lifted his eyes.
He was invisible. Or so they thought.
But this time, Li Tian didn't care.
He wasn't the same man who left earlier that evening.
As he walked into the lavish house, the System's voice echoed in his mind again:
Ding! Midnight update: Host's hidden fortune successfully integrated.Total assets: 10.4 billion yuan. Hidden martial files unlocked. Mission tracking engaged.
Li Tian removed his shoes calmly and entered the main hall.
The Wu family mansion was grand—marble floors, golden trim, antique vases worth a small fortune. Yet none of it impressed him. He'd seen richer palaces, slept under harsher roofs, and walked through battlefields stained with blood.
He was here for one reason now—to finish what he started.
"Where have you been?"
His wife's voice sliced through the silence.
Wu Yanyu stood at the top of the stairs, arms crossed, wearing a satin robe. Her long hair spilled over her shoulders like ink, but the warmth in her eyes was long gone.
"Out," Li Tian replied evenly, not stopping.
She narrowed her eyes. "You embarrassed my family tonight. Do you have any idea what you've done?"
"Yes," he said, pausing. "I reminded them that I'm not a dog."
She scoffed. "You broke Gang-ge's wrist in front of everyone! They're furious. My uncle is threatening legal action!"
Li Tian tilted his head. "Did he mention why I broke it?"
Wu Yanyu froze. "What?"
"Did he mention that he tried to slap me like I was trash?"
She looked away, silence confirming the truth.
Li Tian stepped closer, his voice quieter but heavier. "For three years, I tolerated everything. The insults. The mockery. The disrespect. Not because I was weak… but because I respected you."
Her jaw clenched. "Respect me? You call what you've done respectful?"
"I never once humiliated you," he said calmly. "I ate cold food while your cousins laughed. I mopped floors while your aunts watched. I bore everything just so your father would live peacefully."
Tears gathered in her eyes, but she blinked them away. "You think violence makes you a man now?"
"No," he said, stepping away. "But it ensures no one ever disrespects me again."
He turned toward the guest room—his usual punishment chamber whenever he "stepped out of line."
But tonight, he paused.
"I'll be sleeping in our room tonight," he said over his shoulder.
Wu Yanyu gasped. "Excuse me?"
"I'm still your husband. I've earned my place."
She stood frozen, lips parted in disbelief, as he walked past her—head high.
The next morning, the villa buzzed with hushed whispers.
Maids gossiped in the corners. The Wu family elders had scheduled an emergency family meeting.
Li Tian stepped into the dining hall where breakfast was laid out—thick congee, steamed buns, and boiled eggs—but the atmosphere was far from peaceful.
Wu Gang sat there with his arm in a sling, a heavy cast around his wrist, eyes bloodshot with fury.
As soon as Li Tian entered, everyone turned.
"There he is!" one aunt snapped. "The savage dog!"
"How dare you show your face here again?" shouted Wu Gang's mother.
"Enough!" Wu Zhiguo's voice boomed, as he entered slowly with the help of his cane. "Let's not turn this into a circus."
Li Tian bowed slightly. "Good morning, Father."
Wu Zhiguo's eyes studied him carefully. "You're acting different, Li Tian. Confident. Almost... arrogant."
"Just awake," Li Tian replied.
The old man snorted. "Then let's see how awake you really are."
He snapped his fingers.
A man stepped forward from the shadows. Tall, broad-shouldered, with a military haircut and cold eyes.
"Meet Zhang Bo," Wu Zhiguo said. "Former Sanda champion. National martial arts medalist. And today's little test."
Li Tian raised an eyebrow. "Test?"
Wu Gang grinned. "You think you're a fighter just because you broke a few wrists? Let's see how you do against a real martial artist."
Li Tian chuckled. "You're trying to beat your own son-in-law in front of the family?"
"It's just a friendly spar," Wu Zhiguo said calmly. "Unless… you're afraid?"
Ding! Challenge detected. Accepting will increase host's strength by +20% temporarily. Bonus reward: Family reputation +3 if you win.
Li Tian took off his watch and placed it on the table.
"Let's dance."
The sparring arena was set up in the backyard. Wu servants and family members formed a circle. Wu Yanyu stood at the edge, arms crossed, frowning.
Zhang Bo cracked his knuckles. "I don't care who you are. You touch my young master, you face me."
Li Tian said nothing. He simply raised his hands and entered a basic stance—loose, fluid, almost lazy.
Zhang Bo lunged.
Fists flew.
The bodyguard's punches came fast, heavy, precise.
But Li Tian's body moved like water. He dodged left, sidestepped right, then ducked under a sweeping hook and slammed his palm into Zhang Bo's chest.
Boom!
Zhang Bo flew back five meters and hit the ground hard, coughing blood.
The crowd gasped.
Wu Gang shot to his feet. "That's impossible!"
Zhang Bo struggled to sit up, his eyes wide. "He… he's trained in internal martial arts…"
Wu Zhiguo narrowed his eyes.
Li Tian walked back calmly, picked up his watch, and slid it on.
"Anyone else?"
Silence.
Ding! Mission complete: Humiliate opponent in public – SUCCESSRewards: Strength +10%, New skill unlocked: [Shadow Step]Family reputation +3. Loyalty of Wu Yanyu increased slightly.
Wu Yanyu stared at him like she didn't recognize him.
She didn't.
The man standing in front of them wasn't a servant, a loser, or a doormat.
He was a storm.
That afternoon, Li Tian visited the hospital privately.
Wu Zhiguo's health had worsened again.
"Doctor Chen," the old man wheezed as a specialist examined him, "tell me the truth."
The doctor sighed. "The stroke weakened your heart. You may not last three more months."
Outside the room, Wu Yanyu stood frozen. Her father's life was slipping away, and she was powerless.
Li Tian stepped forward.
"I can help."
Wu Yanyu turned. "You're not a doctor—"
But Doctor Chen interrupted. "Actually, he is."
"What?"
Doctor Chen looked embarrassed. "I didn't recognize him until just now. Years ago… he saved my wife's life in Guangzhou. He performed a spinal nerve operation no surgeon dared to attempt."
Li Tian ignored the doctor. He focused on his father-in-law.
"You have a blocked artery. I can clear it."
"You?" Wu Yanyu whispered. "When did you—"
He gently took her hand and placed it on his chest.
"My hands aren't just for cleaning floors."
Two hours later, Li Tian emerged from the operating room. Wu Zhiguo had color in his cheeks again. His pulse had stabilized.
Doctor Chen wiped his eyes. "That was the cleanest micro bypass I've ever seen…"
Ding! Mission complete: Save Wu Zhiguo's life. Reward: Family loyalty increased. Wu Yanyu's affection +10. Reputation reversal 20% complete.
Wu Yanyu looked at her husband as if seeing a stranger.
"You're… not who I thought you were."
"No," Li Tian said, wiping his hands. "I'm not."