Chapter 11: Zhou Wanfeng’s Insight
Zhou Wanfeng coldly watched as Zhou Zhiru humbled himself, constantly apologizing to everyone. He seemed to be doing it for her, yet from beginning to end, he never once asked her what had happened.
A real father wouldn’t be like this.
Zhou Zhiru was using her to perform an act of deep fatherly love, using her to achieve the outcome he desired.
From the moment she set foot in Yunhai City and entered his sight, he had probably been calculating. He needed her to create conflict, to increase the tension. She was the spear sent into this family to pierce the bubble of harmony.
After figuring this out, Zhou Wanfeng suddenly felt a chill run through her. She couldn’t help but stare at Zhou Zhiru, who was trying to appease the crowd.
In the original novel, how did the female lead end up in such a tragic situation? Did he play a part in it?
If it were the Zhou Zhiru before her now, he definitely would have. He would have quietly given the original Zhou Wanfeng some of what she wanted, nurturing her desires and ambitions, making her jealousy grow wild. Then, at a crucial moment, he would step out and put on a show, gradually molding the original Zhou Wanfeng into the person he needed her to be.
Zhou Wanfeng’s palms grew cold. She seemed to have seen the original Zhou Wanfeng’s future.
She had arrived six years early, with a mature mind and fierce methods. In Zhou Zhiru’s eyes, she was a spear that didn’t need to be forged, one that could be put to use right away.
“Aunt, please calm down. I will discipline this child properly. It’s been my negligence all these years. Yes, yes, it’s wrong for a child to hit someone,” Zhou Zhiru desperately tried to placate the high-cheekboned woman.
“She smashed the table and hit someone, and then just walks away without a word? Where in the world is there such a good deal? Zhou Zhiru, don’t keep calling her a child. She’s starting junior high after the break. If she hits an old person at home, she’ll dare to hit teachers and classmates at school. Do you think you can just apologize and take her away then?” the high-cheekboned woman persisted.
A woman who resembled Yang Yijun stood to the side and joined the attack. “Nephew-in-law, this isn’t something that can be solved with a simple apology. My sister is in her sixties, and she was hit by a junior. This is unacceptable, no matter how you look at it.”
The woman raised her hand and, reaching over Zhou Zhiru, tried to slap Zhou Wanfeng.
Zhou Zhiru blocked her, calling out “Auntie, Auntie.” The scene was extremely chaotic. Some people were pulling, others were shouting to talk things out and not resort to violence.
The old man in the middle of the sofa raised his cane and smashed it on the coffee table, swinging it wildly. The fruit platter, teacups, and ashtray on the table went flying.
With a series of crashes, things rolled, shattered, and debris littered the floor.
The noisy environment, the broken glass rolling at her feet—Zhou Wanfeng’s mind buzzed and exploded. She felt dizzy for a moment, as if she had traveled through a time tunnel. She saw a phantom image, smashing things wildly. Bang, crash, smash. Shards flew around the room like cannonballs. Tables and cabinets were overturned. A man and a woman were fighting, the woman’s screams piercing her eardrums…
Yun Haisheng stepped forward to stop them, but was attacked by Yang Yijun’s brother, sister-in-law, sister, and nephew.
Zhou Wanfeng was pushed hard. As she stumbled, her pupils constricted. She was stunned for a few seconds, then slowly looked around, her eyes turning dark and gloomy.
She quickly turned and ran towards the first-floor bedroom.
In the chaos, Granny Zhang had been keeping an eye on the little beast. Seeing her dazed expression and the panic in her eyes, she felt a surge of glee. That cold little face knows fear now.
But in the blink of an eye, the little beast turned and ran. Just as she was about to shout for someone to stop her, she saw the direction she was running and slapped her thigh, shouting as she ran, “Oh no, the little beast who hit someone is running away!”
Granny Zhang tried to grab Zhou Wanfeng but missed, and instead fell to the ground. She immediately started wailing.
Zhou Wanfeng twisted the bedroom doorknob, but it wouldn’t turn. It was locked from the inside.
Her face was as dark as iron. She picked up a large potted plant from the doorway and, bang, smashed it against the doorknob. She then grabbed a nearby mahogany armchair, a solid wood one, and raised it over her head, smashing it down again and again.
The commotion was so loud that the people arguing in the living room finally noticed.
Granny Zhang screamed like a pig being slaughtered. “Help, murder! The little beast is going to kill someone! Someone, help!”
Crack.
The lock was broken.
Zhou Wanfeng kicked the door open, went inside, and immediately pushed a low table against the door, then a long footstool.
The bedroom was huge, with a walk-in closet and a bathroom. Yang Yijun, who had been lying on the bed, sat up in terror when she heard the door being smashed. The windproof headband on her forehead was askew, her hair half-down and messy. She stared at Zhou Wanfeng, panting heavily.
There was a banging on the door, accompanied by all sorts of curses and threats.
“You little beast, open the door! If you dare to touch her, I’ll kill you!”
“Open the door! Open the door!”
“You little bitch, open the door! If you have the guts, come at us!”
Zhou Wanfeng stared at Yang Yijun, who was pretending to be calm, and couldn’t help but sneer. “Your face is fine, so I must have hit your body. Should I drag you out to prove you have no injuries?”
Yang Yijun glared at her. “Zhou Wanfeng, don’t think you can do whatever you want just because you’re young.”
“And you’re allowed to use your old age to frame people?” Zhou Wanfeng stepped forward. Outside, the crowd was pushing and pounding on the door, the noise growing louder and louder.
Seeing Zhou Wanfeng approach, Yang Yijun’s eyes trembled with fear. She clutched her collar and quickly turned to the other side.
Zhou Wanfeng stopped, her eyes filled with sarcasm as she looked at Yang Yijun. “You still have the mood to play sick? If you keep lying here, by the time you go out, Zhou Zhiru will have already moved out of your house with your daughter, your granddaughter, and your grandson.”
Yang Yijun’s brow furrowed.
“Thank you for the trap you set for me. But while the mantis stalks the cicada, and the snipe and the clam grapple, the one who benefits in the end is that hypocrite outside. If you haven’t had enough of your act, then keep lying here. When this door is broken down, my smashing the door and hitting someone will be confirmed, and Zhou Zhiru will definitely choose to stand with me. In the countryside, if you want to split the family and live separately, you have to find an excuse to make a scene. You’ve fanned the flames well, calling all the relatives you could. If you force me away, Zhou Zhiru can take your daughter, granddaughter, and grandson with him. Oh, and I’m afraid it won’t be long before the little fatty’s name is changed to Zhou Chengbin.”
Zhou Wanfeng spoke with a light and airy tone, and with one hand, she lifted the thin silk quilt. “You can keep lying here. Remember to cover your face with your hands to make the act convincing. It would be even better if you could shed a few tears. That would really fan the flames.”
After saying what she needed to, Zhou Wanfeng didn’t even glance at Yang Yijun. She went to the door and kicked away the low table and footstool.
The door was pushed open with a bang by the crowd.
A few people rushed forward to throw punches. Zhou Wanfeng caught them and, with a twist of her elbow, pushed them back. This professional stance immediately intimidated them.
Granny Zhang rushed to Yang Yijun’s side, wailing, “This old woman is useless! I couldn’t stop her and even fell myself.”
Yang Yijun’s chest heaved. Her feelings were complicated. Her relatives were very imposing. Her sister-in-law, whom she usually looked down on, could dig up three generations of ancestors when she cursed someone. Her nephew and his wife were also very supportive.
If it weren’t for what had been said before, she would be lying comfortably in bed, watching the show.
But now, her gaze unconsciously shifted to Zhou Zhiru. She saw him protecting Zhou Wanfeng with all his might, shielding her behind him. Her nephew’s fists landed on him several times.
Yun Haisheng came over to ask if she was alright. His brow was tightly furrowed, and he looked at the farce before him with a sense of annoyance. He said to the red-eyed and flustered Yun Lan, “Go upstairs and pack. Take them away for now.”
At these words, Yang Yijun’s eyes widened. She grabbed Yun Lan’s hand. “Where are you going?”
“Where can we go? Look at this house, it’s a mess. Does it even look like a home anymore?” Yun Haisheng’s head ached from the noise.
Zhou Zhiru pushed aside his cousins’ obstruction and pulled Zhou Wanfeng to Yang Yijun’s bedside.
The people around them were condemning her, their eyes red with anger. “We didn’t see it before, but now the evidence is irrefutable. Quick, call the police! This isn’t just hitting someone, this is attempted murder!”
“Nephew-in-law, I know you’re a good person and you want to be a good father, but look at this child’s expression now. She’s so arrogant after hitting someone and smashing the door. She’s so defiant.”
Zhou Zhiru turned to look at Zhou Wanfeng. Her pupils were dark, her chin slightly raised, and her lips were curled up. When she saw him looking at her, she even met his gaze.
“Look, look! In front of so many of us, she dares to go crazy and smash the door. If we had been a moment later, she might have hurt someone.”
“You little beast, you white-eyed wolf! We were kind enough to take you in and take care of you, and you don’t even know how to be grateful. Any decent person would be kneeling and kowtowing in apology right now.”
“Yes, make her kowtow and apologize! We can’t let her off so easily.”
The nephew and his wife reached out to force Zhou Wanfeng to her knees.
Zhou Wanfeng’s shoulders twitched, her expression darkening, as if to say, Try that again. Her aura was intimidating.
Startled for a moment, they retracted their hands and started cursing again.
Zhou Zhiru put an arm around Zhou Wanfeng’s shoulders. “I’m sorry. It’s all my fault. As a father, I didn’t educate her well. If anyone should kneel, it should be me.”
With a thud, Zhou Zhiru actually knelt in front of Yang Yijun.
Everyone was stunned.
“Why are you kneeling? It’s not your fault,” they said, trying to pull Zhou Zhiru up.
When Zhou Zhiru knelt, Yang Yijun’s heart sank. Her grip on Yun Lan’s hand tightened. She caught a glimpse of Zhou Wanfeng’s half-smiling expression behind her, and it was as if a clock in her head started ticking frantically, tick, tock, tick, tock, faster and faster… spinning out of control. A dangerous, very bad thought pressed in on her.
After kneeling, Zhou Zhiru spoke with a look of deep remorse, “Mom…”
“Yun Lan, quickly pull Zhiru up! Why is he kneeling?” she said, hastily interrupting him. The ticking in her head stopped. She then looked at her own relatives with a dazed expression. “Big Brother, Sister-in-law, what’s all this about hitting someone?” She looked at Granny Zhang. “Auntie Zhang, did you get the message wrong? Why is everyone shouting about hitting and killing? I didn’t ask you to call my family over.”
Granny Zhang was a little confused, but she had been by Yang Yijun’s side for so many years, and she was quick on the uptake. After seeing Yang Yijun’s expression, her mouth opened and closed a couple of times. “Yes, yes, it was… I was the one who called the relatives over… yesterday, in the Go room…”
Yang Yijun cut Granny Zhang off at the right moment. “I asked you to inform the relatives to come over because I wanted Wanfeng to meet them, so everyone could get to know each other. She’s been so diligent with her tutoring classes, I didn’t want to disturb her studies. I just thought we could all get together in the evening for a chat. I had a headache and was resting. How did it get so noisy?”
“Auntie Zhang called and said you were beaten at home and couldn’t move. I heard that and brought the whole family over. Was it a misunderstanding?” the high-cheekboned woman looked at Auntie Zhang.
Seeing everyone looking at her, Auntie Zhang panicked. She glanced at Yang Yijun, who was looking down and saying nothing, and immediately understood. She raised her hand and slapped herself twice.
“Oh, it’s all my fault for getting the message wrong. I saw the Go table overturned yesterday, and the Old Mistress was clutching her chest, so I jumped to the wrong conclusion. But it’s really not my fault. Miss Wanfeng has hit someone before, and when I saw that posture, I just…” She slapped herself twice on the other cheek. “It was me who didn’t understand and spread the wrong message.” Her old face was red from the slapping, and the onlookers couldn’t bear to watch.
Yang Yijun stepped forward to stop her, blaming herself. “How is it your fault? I didn’t explain clearly, which caused a misunderstanding. The Go table was because I wanted to teach Wanfeng to play Go. She lost and got angry and pushed it, and the table overturned.”
Zhou Wanfeng sneered and glanced at the crowd. “I admit to knocking over the Go table, but I didn’t hit anyone.”
“No, no, it was a misunderstanding, all a misunderstanding. Wanfeng just has a quick temper,” Yang Yijun said, even smiling and gesturing for Zhou Wanfeng to come closer.
Zhou Wanfeng didn’t go.
“This child is still angry. Big Sister, this child is going to Shuangshu for school. We still have to trouble Jiawen to help. Have her over for a meal sometime.”
Yang Yijun spoke to the woman who resembled her. The woman looked Zhou Wanfeng up and down with a critical eye. “You must discipline this child properly. She’s rebellious from head to toe. Look at the way she looks at people, so defiant.”
Zhou Zhiru was pulled up by Yun Lan and stood to the side, his arm in hers. He looked at Yang Yijun and Zhou Wanfeng, an unreadable emotion in his eyes.
The atmosphere of shouting and killing suddenly vanished.
Seeing that Yang Yijun was about to hold a live version of a “meet the relatives” session, Zhou Wanfeng raised her hand to signal a pause.
“You don’t have to introduce them. The one with the cane who threw a cup at me in the first-floor hall is your big brother. By seniority, he’s my great-uncle. The one who kept calling me a little beast is your sister-in-law. I should call her great-aunt.
“The one who looked at me like she wanted to eat me, I should call her great-aunt. And all these people who called me a white-eyed wolf, a little bitch, a bastard, I can tell them all apart. But just one thing. The person who said I hit someone just now, now that the person involved says I didn’t, shouldn’t they apologize to me? And my father was criticized and scolded by you all, and even knelt for me. Are you all just going to pretend it never happened?”
Zhou Wanfeng looked at the group of people with a sarcastic expression, her gaze finally landing on Zhou Zhiru. “Dad, next time, don’t confess on my behalf without asking. You see, it was all a misunderstanding, and no one is apologizing to us. You just apologized and made amends for nothing.”
“If you hadn’t smashed the flowerpot and the door and made such a big scene, who wouldn’t have misunderstood?” the great-aunt glared, her face fierce, her words unforgiving. It was clear she could argue her way out of anything.
“Did any of you ask me in the first-floor hall? Didn’t you all just condemn me from the start? If I didn’t go to the person involved to clarify, who would have believed me even if I talked myself hoarse?” Zhou Wanfeng retorted. She then took two steps towards Zhou Zhiru and asked with a smile, “Dad, when are we leaving?” She then hefted the backpack on her back.
Yang Yijun looked at Zhou Zhiru with a surprised expression. “Zhiru, you’re moving out?”
Zhou Zhiru frowned and explained, “Mom, Wanfeng’s temper was spoiled back home. She caused a scene at the police station after she moved in, and now she’s caused another one. Hitting someone is wrong. I can’t let her stay here and disturb you and Dad’s peace. And I can’t just let her live alone and not take care of her, so I thought I’d take her with me.”
“It was all a misunderstanding. Wanfeng didn’t hit me. She even said she wanted to learn Go with me. You’re a grown man with a job to do, and you have to attend meetings and go on business trips from time to time. How can you take care of someone? School is about to start, and Shuangshu is close by. Don’t make things difficult for the child,” Yang Yijun said, then looked at Yun Lan.
Yun Lan received her mother’s hint. “Can we not move out? I like living with my mom, and Jingya and my brother like it here too. It’s all been explained. My mom said it was a misunderstanding, and Wanfeng didn’t hit anyone. So you don’t have to take her away, right?”
Yun Haisheng looked at Auntie Zhang with a grim expression. “We should still call my sister-in-law and have her introduce the person. Auntie Zhang is getting old, after all. Her hearing and eyesight are failing, so it’s inevitable that she’ll make mistakes. It’s good that it’s all been cleared up.”
Granny Zhang had a lot to say but couldn’t. She covered her face and kept saying it was all her fault.
Yang Yijun nodded, at the same time giving the aggrieved Granny Zhang a reassuring look. She then looked at Zhou Zhiru. “We’ve all wronged Wanfeng. Since she calls me Grandma, I’ll acknowledge her as my granddaughter. Today was just for the relatives to get to know her, so they won’t be strangers when they meet in the future.”
Yang Yijun was expecting some interaction from Zhou Wanfeng, but instead, she looked at Zhou Zhiru and said, “Dad, if you’re leaving, let me know. I’ve seen that these people have no intention of apologizing. They’re really stubborn.” With that, she turned and left without another glance.
The relatives looked at each other and said in unison, “Although this child didn’t hit anyone, her personality really needs to be disciplined.”
“She’s really spoiled rotten. At her age, she dares to smash doors. Which child is like that? And when an adult scolds her, you didn’t see the way she stared straight at you, not afraid at all.”
Yang Yijun just laughed awkwardly, her emotions in turmoil. She knew very well that after missing this opportunity, Zhou Wanfeng was destined to stay in this family.
At the same time, she had caught a glimpse of Zhou Zhiru’s hidden intentions.
She would not let her daughter, granddaughter, and grandson leave this family.
As for why Zhou Wanfeng had suddenly switched sides and reminded her, it was definitely not just about explaining the hitting incident.
Yang Yijun couldn’t quite figure it out. She glanced at Zhou Zhiru without a change in expression, but saw that his brow was furrowed, and he was lost in thought.