No one spoke; the only sound in the courtyard was Yang Qi's muffled groans.
Watching that face contorted in pain, Hua Zhi felt a deep sense of satisfaction. The wheel of fate turns—how you treated my aunt back then, today it all comes back to you!
After letting Wang Rong land a few more punches, Hua Zhi finally spoke, "That's enough."
Yang Qi could no longer stand. His resentful gaze fell on Hua Zhi, but having just suffered, he wisely refrained from uttering any harsh words to avoid further punishment. Once he left this place, once he returned home...!
Hua Zhi showed no fear of him and asked calmly, "Does it hurt?"
"I won't write the divorce papers!" Knowing what she was after, Yang Qi sneered. Don't even think about getting your way!
"You're overthinking again. Those punches were just to vent my aunt's anger. As for the rest... I figured you'd be stubborn, so I specially prepared something nice for you. I hope you can hold out to the end."
Shaoyao rubbed her hands together and chuckled, picking out two items from her pile of treasures. She had Wang Rong force his mouth open and dripped one drop of each inside. No matter how Yang Qi struggled, he couldn't break free.
Terrified, he clawed at his throat, retching violently but unable to vomit anything up. Then a suffocating sensation overwhelmed him, darkening his vision. Fortunately, the feeling didn't last long. Just as he relaxed, the feeling of suffocation returned, fading and returning repeatedly.
At first, he managed to cry out a few times, hoping someone would hear the commotion and rescue him. But when no one came and it only made his suffering worse, he stopped.
Clutching his neck, he seized the moment the feeling of suffocation faded to reach out toward Hua Zhi. Yet, even as the next wave of suffocation hit, Hua Zhi showed no reaction.
It wasn't that she didn't understand his plea; Hua Zhi simply knew men like Yang Qi too well. Once he escaped, he would surely cause her endless trouble. Though she had backup plans to keep the trouble from reaching her, for now, she could collect a little more interest.
Another quarter-hour passed. Just as Yang Qi felt he would die there, he finally heard Hua Zhi's voice, "Willing to write now?"
Yang Qi felt as if granted a pardon. Not daring to move his head for fear of worsening his discomfort, he croaked, "I'll write, I'll write!"
"Release him."
Shaoyao poured a bowl of water into Yang Qi's mouth, muttering, "So useless, he didn't even last long."
Humiliated by the woman whose face he couldn't see but whose voice was pleasant, Yang Qi's face flushed red. But then, remembering it was she who had fed him that earlier concoction, his red face instantly turned pale.
Wang Rong placed the prepared paper and ground ink before him. Yang Qi stared resentfully, unwilling to pick up the brush.
Hua Zhi couldn't be bothered to reason with him and said directly, "Continue giving him—"
"I'll write!" Yang Qi didn't dare delay any longer. He picked up the brush, his hand trembling as he prepared to write.
Hua Zhi added, "What I need is a divorce paper written in your usual handwriting, Yang Qi. I know everything you know. If you don't want to go through that again, write properly what I want. If I find you being dishonest, you'll take a trip to hell, and then we'll discuss whether you can write properly or not."
Yang Qi's last shred of hope shattered. The agony of suffocation lingered, and the residual pain in his stomach persisted. His hand shook, and a drop of ink fell onto the rice paper. His heart trembled along with it, and he quickly looked up at Hua Zhi, afraid she might think he did it on purpose.
"There's enough paper left for you to write on."Yang Qi took the top sheet of paper, not daring to make any other moves, and began writing stroke by stroke with forced concentration.
He couldn't comprehend how a person could change so drastically. Having been married to Hua Xian for over ten years, he had practically watched Hua Zhi grow up. In his memory, Hua Zhi was just a proper young lady from a noble family—quiet, unremarkable in every aspect like a wooden doll. Yet this very woman was now making him suffer unbearably. Could it be that she had always been this ruthless, and her years of obedience were all an act?
He refused to believe someone could be so precocious, hiding their true self since childhood. Moreover, the Hua family had always been harmonious, so there was no reason for her to behave this way!
But one thing he was certain of—they had all been fooled!
Looking up at Hua Zhi, Yang Qi reluctantly signed his name with resentment. With this document in hand, the Yang family would no longer have any leverage over the Hua family.
Wang Rong picked it up and carefully reviewed it to ensure there were no issues before handing it to Hua Zhi. She examined it word by word with meticulous attention. Having dealt with contracts for years, she knew all too well how these profound square characters could be used to deceive.
After confirming once more that everything was in order, Hua Zhi stood and approached Yang Qi. Gu Yanxi, who had been observing silently, followed closely behind.
"Yang Qi, among all the idle young masters in the capital, you're the one I despise the most. I wouldn't even scorn you for fighting over a woman outside, but you're not like that. You shut your doors and lay hands on a timid, physically weak woman—a woman who has been with you for over ten years, bore your children, and never stood in the way of anything you wanted to do. Yet this is how you treat her. You're only capable of bullying those within your own household."
Such blatant humiliation was more embarrassing for a man than being slapped in the face. Yang Qi breathed heavily, his face flushed red, but he didn't dare move or even respond.
He never wanted to experience that kind of pain again.
"You can go back and complain now. See him off."
Wang Rong bowed to her. He genuinely admired this eldest daughter of the Hua family. Only such a woman was worthy of the Heir.
She had the means, the courage, and the ruthlessness, yet her protectiveness toward her family made it impossible to harbor any ill will toward her. In the current state of the Hua family, if she weren't harsh, they would be torn apart by the other noble families.
After knocking Yang Qi unconscious and tossing him into the carriage, Wang Rong drove away.
Hua Zhi let out a deep sigh of relief. It was finally done. However, this had completely cemented the enmity with the Yang family. But so what? It wasn't as if she had been the one to act heartlessly first.
"Let's go back."
The three of them walked out of the courtyard, where a carriage was already waiting.
Hua Zhi glanced at the nearest houses, which were at least two hundred meters away, but didn't inquire about the purpose of this property. She allowed Shaoyao, who had jumped onto the carriage first, to pull her up.
Shaoyao turned back and made a face at Gu Yanxi before eagerly following Hua Hua into the carriage.
A flicker of amusement passed through Gu Yanxi's eyes as he sat on the carriage driver's seat and took up the reins.
The carriage moved steadily. Each time he flicked the whip, he did so with restraint, but a smile never left his face.
The two most important people left in his life were right there in the carriage behind him. From time to time, he could hear their laughter, and he could vividly imagine how they looked at that moment—Shaoyao undoubtedly lounging carelessly without any proper posture, while A Zhi would have curved eyebrows and sparkling, radiant eyes. Just the thought of it filled his heart with tenderness.In the future, he would prepare a residence to A Zhi's liking, placing both of them inside, letting them do whatever they wished, allowing them—no matter what—to follow their hearts.
P.S.: Ended up getting sentimental in the end. Dare not speak of quantity, but I hope this month's updates live up to everyone's support and affection. Next month, please continue supporting Kongkong just the same—starting with guaranteed monthly votes! (How shameless of me...)
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