Volume 1, Chapter 7: The Stepmother and Her Simple-Minded Brother Are Beaten

A sudden surge of fury ignited in her eyes, followed immediately by a wave of guilt and self-reproach; she felt she had been a completely incompetent older sister. Without hesitation, she sought out her younger brother’s homeroom teacher and begged her to look after him.

The teacher informed her that the boy had been fighting at school to defend her reputation, as rumors had been circulating among the students that she was promiscuous and undisciplined.

Hearing this truth, Su Wanyue stood frozen in place, her face etched with shock and regret.

She had never imagined that the former version of herself had been so absurd, engaging in such disgraceful behavior, while her brother had been silently protecting her all along.

The old Su Wanyue had relied on her good looks to behave recklessly, looking down on everyone and wasting her days idling at home. Not only that, she had never considered her own brother, even resenting her family for paying for his high school education, which put further strain on their already meager finances; she had practically wished he didn't exist.

Yet, this brother had been kind to her since they were children, always yielding to her and shielding her. Even knowing she was a failure who treated him poorly, he still stood up and fought others to protect her honor.

"Teacher Zhang, thank you for telling me this," Su Wanyue said, coming back to her senses and looking at the teacher with gratitude.

Teacher Zhang smiled gently and said earnestly, "I shouldn't really be telling you so much, but Zhiqiang is such a brilliant student—it would be a terrible shame if he didn't go to university."

Su Wanyue caught the significance of the teacher's words and quickly asked, "Not go to university? What do you mean?"

"Sigh! This is a family matter, and as a teacher, it’s not my place to interfere. But since you’re here today, I do hope you can do something for him..." Teacher Zhang said with some hesitation. "Su Zhiqiang’s stepfather hasn't given him money in a long time. I felt sorry for the boy, so I paid his tuition fees. I’ve heard he plans to go out and work as soon as he graduates from high school."

Not given money in a long time...

Su Wanyue felt as if she had been struck by lightning. Her body trembled slightly, and a look of disbelief crossed her face.

He had never asked their father for money, nor had he asked her. How had he been living all this time? She couldn't even bear to imagine it.

"Teacher Zhang, thank you, truly." Su Wanyue pulled ten yuan from her pocket and pressed it into the teacher’s hand. "I will pay back his tuition. Please take this ten yuan for now, and I will bring you the rest later."

"You must accept this. And please rest assured, I will provide for Zhiqiang to attend university so he can focus entirely on his studies and exams," Su Wanyue said, her eyes filled with determination.

After her conversation with the teacher, Su Wanyue vowed to turn over a new leaf, reform her ways, work hard to earn money, lift them out of poverty, and ensure her brother’s path to university.

Before leaving school, Su Wanyue tracked down the boys who had been bullying her brother. Having practiced Taekwondo since she was a child and holding a black belt, dealing with these few boys was more than easy for her.

She glared at them fiercely and shouted, "You bullied my brother, and today I’m going to teach you a lesson!"

With that, she dealt with them without mercy until they were begging for mercy, only then returning home with a sense of relief.

"Wanyue, you’re finally back! Something’s happened at your place!"

Just as Su Wanyue set down her basket to catch her breath, Auntie Wang from next door rushed in, her face full of anxiety and sweat beading on her forehead.

"Auntie Wang, what is it? What happened?" Su Wanyue felt a jolt of alarm, stood up, and asked nervously.

Auntie Wang gasped for air and said, "Your brother Xiaoxing got into a fight with Dazhuang, the son of Yunfei’s wife. Your mother went over to apologize, but ended up getting beaten by Yunfei’s wife."

Hearing this, Su Wanyue didn't care about resting; she took off running toward Chen Ruyun’s house. She was frantic, her eyes burning with anger and concern.

When she arrived, her stepmother, Liu Zilan, was shielding Xiaoxing, while Chen Ruyun was raising her hand to strike them both.

Just as the blow was about to land on Liu Zilan, Su Wanyue lunged forward, grabbed Chen Ruyun’s wrist with a firm grip, and roared, "What do you think you’re doing?!"

Her eyes blazed with fury as she stared down Chen Ruyun, a presence so intense that those around her were taken aback.

Seeing it was Su Wanyue again, Chen Ruyun snorted, put her hands on her hips, and said unreasonably, "Xiaoxing scratched my Dazhuang’s face, so I have to teach him a lesson!"

"You didn't just hit my brother; you hit my mother, too!" Su Wanyue declared, shielding the pair behind her. She rolled up her sleeves and shouted, "I won't let this go!"

Liu Zilan was a timid woman who always assumed she was in the wrong and only knew how to bow her head. She had to take care of her intellectually disabled son, and Xiaoxing was mischievous, often running off or getting into trouble by stealing, which kept her in constant fear. Every time Xiaoxing caused trouble, he would get beaten, and Liu Zilan would have to go and apologize, often taking a few hits herself. It had happened countless times.

Now that Xiaoxing had fought with Dazhuang, she didn't dare argue with Chen Ruyun, feeling only that she was in the wrong, and wept in frustration. She dared not protect her child or argue back because the family was so poor they couldn't hold their heads up, and her son’s disability made him difficult to manage. Seeing Xiaoxing being hit broke her heart, but she felt she had no choice but to endure it.

Seeing Su Wanyue protecting them so fiercely, acting as if she feared nothing, the pent-up resentment in Liu Zilan’s heart suddenly began to dissipate.

"Yunfei! Hurry up and kick these people out!"

Seeing that Su Wanyue looked ready to fight, Chen Ruyun called for her husband. Li Yunfei had always been henpecked, and he obeyed as soon as his wife spoke.

"I dare you to try!" Su Wanyue stepped forward, her eyes wide and piercing, radiating a formidable power.

"Chen Ruyun says your Dazhuang was beaten by my brother Xiaoxing, but who saw it? Nobody! For all we know, your Dazhuang was the one bullying my brother!" Su Wanyue shouted. "But everyone here saw you hitting my little brother Xiaoxing and my mother, Liu Zilan!"

"Auntie Wang! Please, go call Village Chief Jin and have him come judge this!" Su Wanyue turned to an acquaintance in the crowd.

Hearing that Su Wanyue was calling the village chief, Li Yunfei panicked. He quickly blocked Auntie Wang, his face full of alarm, and said, "It’s just a small matter; no need to bother the village chief."

He and his wife both worked for the production team, and Village Chief Jin was their superior, holding their livelihood in his hands. If they angered the chief over such a triviality, their future would be bleak.

"Small matter?! How is this a small matter? Look at my Dazhuang’s face, it’s all scratched up! If he’s disfigured, how will he ever find a wife?!" Chen Ruyun pulled her son forward to show everyone the scratches, her voice sharp and filled with feigned heartbreak. "Look at Xiaoxing—where are his injuries? Those red marks are just from when I hit him in anger!"

With her husband backing her up, Chen Ruyun felt bolder and tried to turn the tables on Su Wanyue.

Su Wanyue wasn't having it. Who said the one with the injury was the victim and the one without was the bully?

"By the way, besides Xiaoxing and Dazhuang, Tianniu was playing with them too."

Hearing someone in the crowd say this, Su Wanyue smiled and beckoned to the daughter of Wang Hui, saying gently, "Tianniu, tell me, was it brother Xiaoxing who started it, or brother Dazhuang?"