Chapter 4 — Blindly Dutiful

Consumed by a blinding rage and an all-consuming thirst for vengeance, Gu Mingxian had entirely lost his reason, turning a deaf ear to every plea. His eyes were bloodshot and wild as he locked a ferocious glare upon my father. He let out a desperate, unhinged howl, his voice tearing at the air.

It is all his fault! If he had not fallen gravely ill, why would Nian Nian refuse to help me? My venture has failed, and my company is on the brink of total collapse. This accursed old man has ruined me!

If I am doomed to ruin, none of you shall ever know peace!

Panic surged through me like a rising tide, threatening to drive me mad. I had exhausted every tactic, yet his grip remained unforgiving, as unyielding as a vice. Suddenly, my gaze fell upon the ceramic vase resting on the edge of the table. Without a moment's hesitation, I lunged forward, hoisted the heavy vessel high above my head, and brought it crashing down onto Gu Mingxian's skull. The porcelain shattered into countless razor-sharp fragments upon impact. The sheer force of the blow staggered him, sending him reeling backward, and the vice-like strength in his hands involuntarily slackened. My father seized the fleeting moment to drag in a ragged lungful of air, though it instantly triggered a violent, hacking cough. His complexion was as pale as bleached paper, his chest heaving with shallow, erratic breaths as if his life could extinguish at any given second.

Mingxian! Release him at once! You are going to commit murder!

My mother-in-law finally snapped out of her paralyzed horror. She lunged forward like a ghost, clawing desperately at Gu Mingxian's arms, her voice warped and shattered by sheer terror.

Murderers go to prison! Have you completely lost your mind!

Perhaps the shattered remnants of the vase jarred some remnants of sanity back into his fractured mind, or perhaps the sight of his mother's tear-streaked, snot-soaked face struck his final vulnerability. After a brief, agonizing hesitation, Gu Mingxian finally let go entirely. My father collapsed limply back against the sofa, his mouth gaping as he dragged in desperate, wheezing breaths. His chest rose and fell in violent spasms, his entire frame so fragile that it seemed ready to dissolve into nothingness. Weeping hysterically, my mother threw herself over him, frantically patting his body to check for injuries while stroking his heaving chest to ease his breathing. I stepped immediately between them, shielding my father with my body while my eyes blazed with an infinite, venomous hatred directed straight at Gu Mingxian.

Gu Mingxian, you are no human being! You are an absolute beast! What wrong did my father ever do to you? You lacked the competence to succeed, and when your venture failed, you chose to vent your fury upon a dying old man. Do you possess even a shred of humanity left in that black heart?

Gu Mingxian heaved heavy, shuddering breaths. The wild madness in his eyes slowly receded, replaced by a hollow, creeping panic and a dense fog of confusion. He stared at my father's agonizing struggle for air, then at my mother and me weeping uncontrollably, and finally down at his own trembling hands, which still bore the angry red impressions of his murderous grip. His pupils dilated sharply, his lips quivering as words utterly failed him. My mother finally regained her composure, her trembling fingers reaching blindly for the teetering phone on the coffee table.

Call the police! I am calling the authorities right this instant!

This wretched beast belongs behind bars!

Her hands shook with such violent tremors that she fumbled the buttons several times before she managed to punch in the emergency number. But just as she was about to press send, two distinct voices rang out simultaneously to stop her.

Do not call the police!

Do not call the police.

One voice belonged to my mother-in-law, whose face had drained of all color. Her eyes were wide with unadulterated terror as she bowed her head in frantic supplication. The other voice belonged to my father. With one aged hand pressed tightly against his bruised throat, his voice was as abrasive as coarse sandpaper dragging across stone, ruined by the prolonged constriction. Yet beneath the weakness lay an unshakeable resolve that brooked no argument. Slowly, he raised a heavy arm, gently pinning my mother's hand to the phone, his gaze sweeping sternly over the two figures of the Gu family.

Father!

Dearest!

My mother and I cried out in unison, utter incomprehension written across our faces. This was indisputably the golden opportunity to permanently sever ties with these parasites and make them pay; why on earth would he willingly relinquish it? My father gave a couple of dry coughs, leaning back to catch his breath for a moment. Then, his gaze settled heavily upon Gu Mingxian once more, his tone steady yet carrying a crushing, oppressive weight.

Attempted murder is more than enough to put you behind bars for several years. If the police are truly brought into this, your entire life will be irrevocably ruined. Your mother will spend the remainder of her days waiting outside prison gates, and the Gu family name will be completely obliterated.

The color vanished entirely from the faces of both Gu Mingxian and his mother. Being the quicker-witted of the two, my mother-in-law instantly recognized that my father was leaving a narrow path for negotiation. She scrambled forward, yanking her son down to the floor with her, and began kowtowing frantically against the hard ground.

Elder brother-in-law! You are truly merciful and magnanimous! We know the error of our ways, we swear we shall never dare cross this line again!

My father offered a cold, mirthless smile devoid of any warmth.

I am by no means a saintly or forgiving man. I merely wish to prevent your worthless filth from continuing to consume Nian Nian's precious time.

He paused for a heartbeat. Sweeping his piercing gaze across their panic-stricken features, he pronounced each word with deliberate, chilling precision:

If you wish to prevent me from contacting the police, there is only one condition: divorce.

Tomorrow morning, the two of you will accompany Nian Nian to the civil affairs bureau to finalize the paperwork. The divorce settlement will be drafted entirely by our side. Regarding assets, you will walk away completely empty-handed, signing the documents cleanly and without hesitation, and you are forbidden from raising any disputes under any circumstances, including revoking your consent during the mandatory thirty-day cooling-off period.

Should you dare to drag your feet, should you ever dare to harass Nian Nian again, or should I hear so much as a single syllable of grievance regarding today's events, I will dial the emergency numbers without a moment's hesitation. When that time comes, I will submit the undeniable evidence of your unlawful trespassing into a private residence. At that point, this matter will no longer be limited to a mere few years in prison.

The exact instant those words left my father's lips, I stood frozen in absolute shock. He was utilizing his own battered body as a strategic pawn; by holding the leverage over today's criminal assault, he effectively seized the absolute weakness of the mother and son in the palm of his hand.