"As long as you're okay, as long as you're okay..." Zhang Minzhen hugged Gu Nuan Nuan, her heart still pounding with fear. Once she confirmed her daughter was truly unharmed, the terrifying reality of what could have happened hit her, and she could no longer hold back, breaking down into loud sobs.
She felt as if she'd been reborn, and she didn't dare imagine what would have happened to her just now. If her daughter hadn't yanked her back with that sudden burst of strength, what state would she be in right now?
Zhang Minzhen was terrified, and so was Gu Nuan Nuan. She thought about how close it had been. Just a fraction of a second more, and she would have failed to change her mother's fate of being disfigured from her past life. At the thought, she wrapped her arms around her mother and began to wail as well.
In that moment, mother and daughter both chose to ignore the man screaming incessantly behind them.
"...Stop him! Go stop him! What are you two doing just standing there? What good is crying?! Go on, stop him, don't let him get away! And a doctor! Get me to a hospital, quick! I'm done for! My eyes, my eyes hurt so much... Damn it, Zhang Minzhen! This is all because of the 'fine' daughter you raised... My face! My eyes! AHHHHH..."
Gu Lihui screamed as he frantically wiped at his forehead, face, and eyes, trying to get rid of the liquid that was burning and stinging his skin.
"Are you both idiots? One of you, go chase him! The other, get some water to help me wash this off..."
He howled for what felt like an eternity, but realized that neither Zhang Minzhen nor Gu Nuan Nuan was paying him any attention. Zhang Minzhen just kept hugging that unfilial daughter—who wasn't even hurt—and was being utterly useless. He was instantly filled with resentment and started roaring at the pair.
Gu Lihui was seething. If it weren't for them, he wouldn't be in this state.
It was especially that unfilial daughter's fault for ruining things. He'd already pulled Zhang Minzhen in front of him as a shield; there was no way he would have been hurt. But somehow, that unfilial daughter was so strong that she managed to forcibly yank her mother out of his grasp...
A sudden chill ran down Gu Lihui's spine.
'That unfilial daughter is just a little girl. How could she possibly have that much strength? It's not normal. Could she... could she actually be some kind of freak?'
Zhang Minzhen's crying stopped abruptly when she heard Gu Lihui's roar. She turned to look at him, and her heart clenched at the sight of his wretched state. She immediately realized that if it weren't for her daughter, she would be the one screaming in agony right now.
Then she turned her head to watch the retreating back of the assailant, who was quickly getting into a black Santana sedan.
Tears streamed down her face.
'They say that even the shortest marriage creates a lasting bond. After so many years together, I realize I didn't know him at all. It's incredible how well he could put on an act. Deep down, he's just like his mother: selfish to the extreme. At the critical moment, he could be so ruthless to his own wife, not only pulling her in front of him as a shield without a second thought, but showing absolutely no concern for her safety.'
'A dangerous attacker like that, and he has the nerve to tell me, a defenseless woman, to go stop him with my bare hands? Heh, he sure has a high opinion of me.'
"He's already gone," Zhang Minzhen said, her voice utterly disheartened. "You wait here. My daughter and I will go call the police and an ambulance, then we'll get some water for you." She stood, her limbs feeling weak, but still managed to half-drag, half-support her daughter to her feet.
She didn't feel safe leaving her daughter alone with Gu Lihui.
"Gone? How could you let him get away?"
Gu Lihui grew frantic. Seeing Zhang Minzhen still dawdling as she helped their daughter up, he became even more agitated, his one good eye glaring at her. "What are you doing, fussing over that unfilial daughter at a time like this? Get it through your head, I'm the one who's hurt, not her!"
"Should I be protecting you, the man who used me as a shield, instead of my own daughter?" Zhang Minzhen growled. "Don't you dare call my daughter 'unfilial' again. If you do, believe me, I will tell everyone what you just did."
She completely ignored Gu Lihui and continued helping Gu Nuan Nuan to her feet. Once Gu Nuan Nuan was standing steadily, she paused. Without turning around, she said coldly, "I can't possibly catch a grown man. If you're so capable, go after him yourself."
"You... you... you! I only did that because I panicked..." he stammered. "I'm already in this miserable state, how can you take this tone with me? And besides, if it weren't for that un— How would I have ended up like this?"
Gu Lihui was so flustered and enraged he started to tremble, momentarily forgetting the searing pain on his head, face, and in his eyes. However, Zhang Minzhen's threat had registered. After all, what he'd just done was truly despicable. If everyone found out, he'd be drowned by public condemnation.
"That's right," she said. "Thank God for my Nuannuan, or I'd be the one in your state right now. But you didn't take this for me. I'm not mistaken, am I? That man was coming for you from the start, wasn't he? You'd better start thinking hard about who you've provoked to deserve this much hatred."
After speaking, Zhang Minzhen shot Gu Lihui a suspicious glance. She steadied her daughter, and the two of them walked, supporting each other, toward a small shop nearby.
Gu Nuan Nuan listened to their exchange in silence, not interjecting. She watched Gu Lihui's performance with cold eyes. 'I already knew what kind of man he was in my last life. Naturally, an act like this won't hurt me in this one.'
'Poor Mom, though,' she thought, sighing at the thought of the future blows that would only bring her mother more grief. 'Still, I'm lucky Mom is okay this time. And it's better to rip the band-aid off quickly than to let the wound fester. This time, I have to tell her the truth as soon as possible.'
'This time, I refuse to wait like I did in my last life—wait until Gu Lihui and that other woman had been married for years, until they came triumphantly to take away the home my mother and I depended on. Only then did Mom finally hear the truth from that woman's own mouth...'
"..."
Gu Lihui stood frozen, clutching his eyes, his expression twisting in horror. 'I know that man. Of course I know him. He's the legal, nominal father of my other two children...'
'The fact that I have children with another woman... I probably can't hide it anymore. If Zhang Minzhen finds out, her older brother will find out too...' Gu Lihui thought of his hot-tempered brother-in-law who knew Kung Fu, and he couldn't help but shudder again.
'Damn it! If that unfilial daughter hadn't pulled her away, I wouldn't be the one who's hurt. If Zhang Minzhen had been injured instead, I could have used the time she was in the hospital to cover everything up. I could have just told her the attacker was some lunatic and fooled her completely...'
The more he thought, the more resentful Gu Lihui felt toward Gu Nuan Nuan. 'My mom was right, she's just a worthless girl who costs money. Just like her mother—obedient on the surface, but actually an ungrateful brat who can never be tamed. Compared to that unfilial daughter, my other two children are so much more lovable and thoughtful...'
"Hey, is this your daughter? She's a great kid, really came through when it mattered. Who was that man to you all? He's a real piece of work."
From her small shop, the female shopkeeper had witnessed the entire incident. Seeing the mother and daughter approach, she couldn't help but run out to help support Gu Nuan Nuan. She looked at them sympathetically, then glanced over at Gu Lihui, who was still standing there, a wretched sight.