Chapter 11 — My Husband Brought His Ex Home

I cannot bear this form of address from you.

Han Hao wore an ugly expression.

What are you doing here, Dad?

My father pointed directly at Fang Xiaohui.

If I had not come, would I have missed the pathetic spectacle of someone kneeling outside my daughter's door in the middle of the night to force her into dropping a lawsuit?

Han Hao rushed forward to help Fang Xiaohui up.

Xiaohui, get up.

Weeping bitterly, she shook her head.

Ahao, do not worry about me.

It is all my fault.

I should not have made things difficult for you.

Watching the two of them—one offering support, the other playing the helpless victim—I found the entire scene grotesquely absurd. But my father saw nothing to laugh about. He stepped forward, placing himself squarely between Han Hao and me.

Han Hao.

You will explain yourself clearly today.

Since when did my daughter's home become a place for you to harbor your first love?

Han Hao pressed his lips into a thin line.

Dad, it is not what you think.

My father raised a hand, cutting him off abruptly.

I only care about evidence.

I have seen the photographs.

I have reviewed the security footage.

Your mother used my daughter's signature to acquire a passkey, and you escorted this woman directly into my daughter's master bedroom.

How else would you have me interpret this?

A flash of irritation crossed Han Hao's eyes.

This is a private matter between Xia Zhi and me.

Without warning, my father delivered a resounding slap across his face.

The sharp crack echoed loudly through the quiet hallway.

Silence fell over everyone present. Han Hao turned his head away, his eyes wide with utter disbelief. My father's hand trembled slightly.

She is my daughter.

Any harm you bring to her concerns me directly.

Fang Xiaohui let out a piercing shriek.

Uncle, how could you possibly strike someone?

My father turned his gaze upon her.

Utter another word, and I will summon the police this very moment to arrest you for stalking and trespassing in this residential building.

Fang Xiaohui fell instantly silent. Clutching his face, Han Hao finally cast aside any remaining shred of pretense.

Xu Xia Zhi, are you satisfied now?

You drove my mother to the police station, and now you have your father strike me.

Is it your ultimate goal to completely ruin my family?

I looked straight at him.

Ruin your family?

All I have done is ask you and yours to vacate my property.

His gaze darkened menacingly.

Then do not forget something crucial.

I have lived within these walls for nearly a full year.

I contributed financially to the renovations.

If you expect me to walk away empty-handed, you are sorely mistaken.

My father's expression shifted with worry, but I remained entirely composed.

So it finally comes down to money.

Very well.

We shall meet with the lawyers tomorrow.

Han Hao let out a cold, derisive laugh.

If it must come to a lawsuit, then so be it.

Xu Xia Zhi, should this actually go to court, the outcome might not favor you as cleanly as you imagine.

At that exact moment, Fang Xiaohui's phone began to ring loudly. Seeing the caller ID, the color drained completely from her face. The name flashing across the screen was unmistakable: Han Dehai.

Han Hao had caught sight of the name as well, his brow furrowing deeply.

Why is my father calling you?

Fumbling in a panic, Fang Xiaohui tried to silence the device.

He must simply be worried about auntie.

I stared unblinkingly at her.

Then answer it.

The pallor on Fang Xiaohui's face deepened further.

This is not a convenient time.

My father sneered.

Kneeling at someone else's doorstep in the middle of the night is convenient, yet answering a telephone call is not?

Han Hao's face darkened as well.

Xiaohui, answer the phone.

Biting her lip hard, Fang Xiaohui kept her fingers frozen on the screen until the ringing finally stopped. The very next second, a text message from Han Dehai popped up on the display. Is there anyone outside the door? Did you retrieve the item? That card must be recovered at all costs. Do not let Xu Xia Zhi get her hands on it. The hallway remained so quiet that the faint hum of the elevator machinery could be distinctly heard. Snatching the phone directly from Fang Xiaohui's grip, Han Hao read through the lines, his expression transforming completely.

What card?

Tears burst forth from Fang Xiaohui's eyes like a broken dam.

I have no idea.

Perhaps he meant the residential access card.

I held out my hand.

Give me that phone.

Han Hao stood frozen. My father spoke in a low, ominous tone: Han Hao, if you refuse to hand it over right now, you are merely acting as her accomplice. The property manager had already picked up his telephone, preparing to contact the authorities. Tense for several agonizing seconds, Han Hao finally surrendered the device to me. I tapped open the message thread. Much of the earlier history had been systematically deleted, but the most recent exchanges remained intact. Han Dehai had instructed Fang Xiaohui to sneak upstairs in the middle of the night to locate a specific bank card hidden inside the drawer of my master bedroom nightstand. He stated that the card contained a substantial sum of money that must never be discovered by Xu Xia Zhi. He warned that if the truth came to light, the Han family would be entirely finished. I read every single word as a chilling cold spread deep within my chest. A bank card. A sudden memory surfaced in my mind. Six months into our marriage, Han Hao had claimed he wanted to start a side business and asked to borrow three hundred thousand from me. I refused—not out of stinginess, but because he could not even produce a basic project proposal. Afterward, Zhou Lanzhi spent half a month making passive-aggressive remarks behind my back. Soon after that, Han Hao abruptly purchased a brand-new car worth over three hundred thousand, insisting he would service the auto loan entirely on his own. At the time, I did not press the matter. Viewed in this new light, however, that money was likely far more complicated than a simple car loan. I handed the phone directly to the property manager.

Call the police.

Fang Xiaohui lunged forward desperately to snatch the device back.

You cannot do that!

This is a violation of my personal privacy!

I simply stepped back out of her reach.