Blood Rage

"Hou Guifen, keep pushing your luck!"

Huang Guozhen's angry roar still echoed in the air.

Then, as always, came a dead silence.

Huang Guozhen yanked the tie from his neck and tossed it onto the sofa like a dead snake. His keys and briefcase slammed onto the coffee table with a harsh, jarring clatter.

He didn't even bother to glance at the woman on the sofa, grabbing his change of clothes and walking straight into the bathroom.

Hou Guifen sat there with a look of disdain. Then, she turned on the TV to catch up on her favorite soap opera, just like she always did.

On the coffee table, Huang Guozhen's belongings were piled together in a chaotic mess. She didn't move to tidy them up, letting the eyesore remain.

For some reason, her gaze eventually settled on his black smartphone.

The screen was dark, like a dormant beast.

"That man is hiding a secret."

A chilling voice echoed in her mind. It was terrifyingly clear, and it was her own voice.

As if possessed, her hand reached out. The icy touch of the glass made her fingertips tremble. The screen lit up, displaying a complex pattern lock.

Huang Guozhen guarded his phone from her as if she were a thief, changing his password more often than he changed his clothes.

But in that very instant, the exact trajectory to unlock the pattern surfaced clearly in her mind.

Her fingers glided across the screen uncontrollably, connecting the dots, making the turns.

Click.

The phone was unlocked.

Hou Guifen's heart skipped a beat. She took a deep breath and tapped open the green messaging app.

In the contact list, a profile picture instantly seized her entire attention.

It was a woman in a long, red slip dress with a plunging neckline that revealed a large expanse of pale skin, set against the neon backdrop of a bustling bar.

The nickname was [Pink Lover].

With trembling fingers, Hou Guifen tapped into the chat.

The most recent messages were from just a few hours ago.

There were quite a few contacts on the screen, but Hou Guifen's eyes were immediately drawn to the profile picture of the woman in the long red dress showing off her deep cleavage.

She subconsciously tapped into it.

[Pink Lover]: Darling, when are you coming over? I made your favorite black bone chicken soup.

[Handsome and Suave]: I'll rush right over after work. But honestly, rather than the soup, I'd much rather eat you up. (Naughty)

[Pink Lover]: Oh, stop it. Both me and the soup are yours anyway.

Hou Guifen's breathing stopped.

"Handsome and Suave" was Huang Guozhen's WeChat name. She knew that.

But who the hell was this "Pink Lover"?

Her mind buzzed, and that chilling voice echoed again, laced with endless mockery.

"Why? Why would he cheat? Am I not enough to satisfy him?"

A chill shot up from the soles of her feet straight to the top of her head, instantly morphing into a monstrous rage.

Back in the day, she was the famous beauty of her hometown; the men chasing after her could form a line from the village entrance all the way to the town!

And what did it get her?

Now that my body is out of shape, you go out and keep a mistress, is that it? Even drinking black bone chicken soup made by another woman!

"How dare he betray you? How dare he!"

The voice in her head was screaming, roaring.

Hou Guifen abruptly stood up and stormed into the kitchen.

She yanked open a drawer to reveal a row of knives. She pulled out a sharp paring knife, its handle feeling cold and solid in her grip.

Her eyes were thoroughly bloodshot, making her look like a wild beast driven to a dead end.

Gripping the knife, she marched step by step toward the bathroom.

The water was splashing loudly inside.

She shoved the bathroom door open, and a cloud of steaming hot air rushed against her face.

Huang Guozhen had his eyes closed, rinsing the shampoo from his hair. Hearing the noise, he impatiently opened his eyes, his face twisting with disgust.

"Hou Guifen! What the hell is wrong with you now!"

Before he could finish his sentence, his pupils violently contracted.

Hou Guifen didn't say a word. She simply raised the knife and, with every ounce of her strength, plunged it viciously into his belly, which was slightly bloated from years of drinking.

Squelch.

The sound of the blade piercing flesh was eerily soft.

The impatience on Huang Guozhen's face froze, instantly replaced by a blank look of utter shock.

He looked down at the hilt of the knife protruding from his stomach. His mouth opened and closed, but all that came out was a raspy, gasping sound.

The showerhead continued to spray loudly. The warm water washed away the suds on his body, mingling with the fresh blood that was gushing from his abdomen.

The water and blood swirled together, pooling into a pale pink halo around his feet before being swallowed by the drain.

Leaning against the cold tiles, Huang Guozhen slowly slid to the floor. He clutched desperately at his wound, but the sticky crimson liquid kept seeping through his fingers, draining away his body heat and strength.

Yet, his eyes remained locked in a death glare on Hou Guifen.

Hou Guifen stood at the bathroom doorway, her arms crossed, looking as if she were admiring a masterpiece.

She made no effort to hide the vindictive thrill on her face, even breaking into a wide grin.

"You useless piece of trash, what, are you going to hit me?"

She clicked her tongue and spoke with a slow drawl, every word like a poison-tipped needle.

Staring down at Huang Guozhen, a flash of twisted satisfaction crossed her face. Suddenly, as if remembering something, she grinned again.

"But that's alright. Since you're about to die, I'll let you in on a little secret."

"Haoyang isn't your seed."

Huang Guozhen's head snapped up, his fading eyes instantly snapping back into focus.

Highly satisfied with his reaction, Hou Guifen continued, "If it weren't for the fact that you had a bit of money back then, did you really think I would have married you? I was already with someone else long before I ever met you."

Huang Guozhen's chest heaved violently. He gasped for air as bloody froth bubbled from the corners of his mouth.

"I... I knew that boy didn't look like me!"

"Hah."

Hou Guifen let out a short, mocking sneer. "With your genes, you think you could father a son that tall? Keep dreaming, you damn midget."

With that, she cast one final, trash-like glance at him, then turned on her heel and walked out of the bathroom.

Out in the hallway, she smoothed her hair and pasted a gentle, motherly smile back onto her face. She walked over to Huang Haoyang's bedroom door and knocked softly.

"Haoyang, Haoyang, come out for a second."

The furious clattering of a keyboard echoed from inside the room, followed by Huang Haoyang's impatient yell.

"Mom! Leave me alone, will you?! I'm in the middle of the final team fight!"

"Son, I have something very important to tell you. It's wonderful news!" Hou Guifen's voice grew even more sickly sweet as she continued to knock.

She tried to turn the doorknob, only to find it was locked from the inside.

Just as she raised her hand to knock again, a wave of hot, damp, metallic-smelling air washed over her from behind.

She whipped around.

Huang Guozhen had somehow silently appeared right behind her. One hand clutched his bleeding abdomen, while the other gripped the very same paring knife, his own blood dripping steadily from its tip.

With every step he took, he left a wet, bloody footprint on the floor.

"Hou Guifen, you really are a ruthless woman, making me raise another man's son for all these years!"

His voice was as hoarse as a broken bellows.

Squelch!

The sound of the knife plunging into flesh was both muffled and sickeningly clear.

Huang Guozhen didn't stop. Like a madman, he used every last ounce of his strength to stab the knife into Hou Guifen's stomach, over and over again.

The agonizing pain made Hou Guifen's eyes bulge, but she didn't even look at Huang Guozhen. Instead, her gaze remained locked on her son's bedroom door.

Mustering the very last of her strength, she slapped her bloody hands against the wooden door, screaming at the top of her lungs:

"My son! Don't open the door! Whatever you do, don't open the door!"