Chapter 5 — The Illusion of Spring Peaches

I watched the expression of Tao Han Giang through the screen, my eyebrows slightly furrowed. He was too perfect, too silent, silent to the point of… resembling someone playing a role. Tang Vien was still baring its teeth and growling inside the cage, its barks low and hoarse, not sounding like anger — but rather like an urgent warning. I became increasingly certain — something about Tao Han Giang was… absolutely not right.

After a bout of sobbing, Ly Van Tinh stood up, her face pale, her eyes swollen and red, her voice hoarse: “I… am going to the balcony for a moment to get some fresh air.” With that, she walked toward the open balcony at the other end of the apartment.

“I will go check on you.” Ly Tieu jumped up, watching his sister’s staggering back with a heart full of anxiety, and hurriedly gave chase.

In the spacious living room, only Tao Han Giang remained. He sat on the sofa, his back straight, his hands resting on his knees. For several seconds, the space was so quiet that one could hear a pin drop. Then, he raised his head.

At that moment, every single viewer in the livestream shuddered. His eyes, which had been gentle and mild just moments before, were now as cold as a black glacial lake. His face — from the corners of his mouth to the line of his jaw — all froze into a ruthless expression, completely different from his previous demeanor as the "model husband."

The comment section exploded:
[WHAT?! A moment ago he was a gentle and dashing brother-in-law, why does he look so terrifying now?!]
[Wait a minute… What is he planning to do???]
[I hope I am not thinking what I am thinking…]

They only saw Tao Han Giang slowly stand up, with extremely unhurried movements, like a fierce beast leaving its cave. With each step he took toward Tang Vien's cage, a chilling aura radiated with every breath. The livestream phone camera was placed very close to the cage, so as he drew nearer, his face gradually enlarged on the screen. The camera angle shook, but everyone could clearly see: the warm smile from earlier had vanished, replaced by a suffocating gloom.

[Oh god… is the brother-in-law going to… do something to Tang Vien?!]
[No way… right?]
[Brother-in-law, just take your vitamins, don't practice martial arts!]

As he passed the sofa, Tao Han Giang casually grabbed the neatly folded blanket draped over the armrest. His hand gripped the corner of the blanket, his knuckles turning white with tension. Tang Vien inside the cage also sensed the danger; its entire body trembled with its fur standing on end, its fangs bared, emitting a low, hoarse growl, its bloodshot eyes filled with vigilance. It intuitively knew… the creature before it was a demon.

“Grr… woof woof!”

The bark was tearful and desperate, sounding like an alarm. Tao Han Giang let out a low, cold chuckle. He unlocked the cage. The exact moment Tang Vien lunged out, before it even had a chance to run, “THUMP!” — a vicious kick landed squarely on its lower belly.

“Aaaa—!”

The heartbreaking cry echoed through the livestream microphone, stunning the chatroom into dead silence. Tang Vien crashed to the floor, rolling several times before finally curling up in a corner, its whimpers as weak as a snapping thread.

Yet Tao Han Giang did not stop. He leaned down, using one hand to muzzle Tang Vien while his other hand used the blanket to wrap it tightly.

“Thump! Thump!”

The sound of fists pounding down was steady and muffled. Each strike hit like a hammer driving into flesh and bone, but thanks to the thick blanket, it would leave no visible bruises on the outside. As he beat the animal, he gritted his teeth and cursed, his voice low and icy: “You beast! You are no different from that b*tch!”

“One day… I will crush you… Along with your “mother”.”

The livestream comments erupted violently:
[WHAT! I cannot believe it… the brother-in-law is this kind of person!]
[Damn… this isn't hitting a dog, this is torture!]
[You idiots above, do you think hitting through a blanket means it is okay? This is a classic torture method, smashing internal organs to pieces without leaving a single bruise on the outside!]
[Oh god… someone do something! Streamer! Save Tang Vien quickly!!!]

……

I stared at the screen, my hands gripping the edge of the desk. My chest burned with heat, anger rushing straight to the top of my head. This… was the true face of Tao Han Giang. But I knew that if I revealed my discovery, I would lose the chance to expose everything completely. I had to wait… I had to wait for Ly Tieu to return.

Without a second thought, I grabbed the microphone with one hand, turned on the reverb effect of the sound card, and shouted at the top of my lungs: “Stop right there! In the name of the Moon, I will punish you!”

The sound reverberated throughout the living room. Tao Han Giang, who was in the middle of swinging his fist, suddenly froze. A flash of panic crossed his face as his eyes darted around, trying to find the source of the voice. Then, abruptly, his gaze locked onto the corner of the room — the phone stand live-streaming the scene.

He frowned, his lips pressed tightly together, his gaze growing increasingly cold. He took slow steps, walking closer and closer to the camera.

The comments in the livestream exploded:
[Crap! He discovered we are watching!]
[If he turns off the livestream, how are we supposed to notify Ly Tieu?!]
[Wails, what if he turns off the phone and finishes off Tang Vien right then and there...]

Just as Tao Han Giang was about to touch the phone, a sharp shout rang out from behind: “What are you doing?!”

The voices of Ly Tieu and Ly Van Tinh rang out simultaneously, instantly slicing through the deadly atmosphere in the room. Tao Han Giang startled, whipping his head around. The two siblings had rushed back from the balcony, blocking the entrance to the living room.

Earlier, while comforting his sister on the balcony, Ly Tieu suddenly heard a voice in his head — telling him that Tang Vien was in danger. Without thinking twice, he grabbed his sister's hand, and the two ran straight back to the living room.

The sight before them made Ly Tieu’s face turn ashen: Tao Han Giang was standing right next to the phone with heavy breathing and a gloomy expression, while Tang Vien's cage looked disheveled with the blanket shredded.

“What are you doing?!” Ly Tieu gritted his teeth, his eyes burning red.

“Woof woof woof!!!” At that moment, General — the Doberman that had escaped to the balcony earlier — also ran back, biting tightly onto the hem of Ly Tieu's trousers and pulling frantically toward Tang Vien's cage. Its behavior looked exactly as if it were screaming: “Save it quickly! Something happened to Tang Vien!”

Tao Han Giang’s face shifted slightly, but only for a fleeting second. Instantly, he recovered his gentle smile, his voice light and calm as if nothing had happened: “I just saw that Tang Vien didn't look well, so I intended to pick it up and check on it. But… it always bites me, so I wrapped it in a blanket first to avoid getting hurt.”

His expression, his voice, his tone… Everything was flawless — as if nothing had just transpired.

“He is lying!” My voice suddenly rang out, echoing through the room thanks to the microphone effect.

Tao Han Giang immediately frowned, covering his ears as if bothered by the echo, and turned to glare straight at the phone. I did not give him a chance to cut the broadcast, turning the mic up to maximum volume, my tone decisive: “Ly Tieu! The moment you and your sister left, your brother-in-law beat Tang Vien repeatedly! The entire livestream, tens of thousands of people saw it all!”

The comments exploded violently:
[That's right, Ly Tieu! The brother-in-law just beat Tang Vien so cruelly!]
[Not only that, he cursed! He said he wanted to "kill" Tang Vien along with your sister!]
[Oh god… this "model" brother-in-law turns out to be a real monster?!]

Ly Tieu’s face instantly turned pale. He snapped his head toward Tao Han Giang — his gaze filled with anger, suspicion, and fear. Tang Vien inside the cage was still whimpering softly, its weak breathing making the entire room feel as though it might explode.

Yet at this moment, Tao Han Giang merely stood in place, his eyes as deep as an abyss, the corners of his lips still bearing a faint, cold smile.

Ly Van Tinh trembled, her finger pointing straight at Tao Han Giang, her lips moving without being able to utter a single word.

Tao Han Giang's expression changed drastically, and he quickly turned around, rushing toward Ly Tieu: “Trach Phong! Don't listen to their nonsense! Van Tinh, you believe me, right?! How could I possibly beat Tang Vien? It's all fabricated, they are deliberately framing me!”

Ly Van Tinh's expression wavered for a moment, her eyes revealing clear confusion, her lips pressed tightly together as if trying to force herself to believe her husband.

Seeing this, I opened the microphone again, my voice sinking without an ounce of mercy: “Sister of Ly Tieu, my livestream has a playback feature. If you don't believe it, after the broadcast ends, you can watch the entire piece of evidence yourself. But arguing about this won't help — the most important thing right now is to take Tang Vien to the hospital. It was just beaten very badly by Tao Han Giang.”

Hearing this, Ly Van Tinh went blank before lunging toward Tang Vien's cage. She knelt down, trembling as she unfolded the blanket inside. Seeing Tang Vien's tiny body curled up tightly, its breathing weak, and its face as pale as if it had lost all blood, Ly Van Tinh suddenly let out a choked cry: “No… no…”

Without thinking further, she scooped Tang Vien directly into her arms. Ly Tieu closely followed suit, calling to book an emergency appointment while also grabbing General to go along without wasting an extra word. The two siblings carried and led the dogs, rushing out the door like fleeing from a raging fire behind them. Throughout the entire process, neither of them spared Tao Han Giang another glance.

Veterinary hospital.

The two siblings sat outside the emergency room, their faces pale, hands tightly interlocked. After nearly an hour of comprehensive examination, the veterinarian emerged with a grave expression: “Tang Vien's internal organs are severely damaged, most seriously the liver and stomach. In addition, its ribs are cracked and it requires hospitalization for observation. It must not engage in strenuous physical activity for the time being.”

Hearing this, Ly Van Tinh felt as though she had been struck by lightning, unable to stand and nearly collapsing to the floor. Ly Tieu hurriedly supported his sister, then took a deep breath and recounted everything that had happened in the living room, detailing everything from the moment the livestream witnessed Tao Han Giang beating Tang Vien wrapped in a blanket up until the moment they rushed back.