The Villainess's Uncle 06

Fang Xiaoxiao smiled and said, "I had nothing to do, so I thought I'd prepare bathwater for Second Uncle."

Fang Zhiyi noticed her expression wasn't right and narrowed his eyes. "What's wrong?"

Fang Xiaoxiao quickly shook her head. "It's nothing."

"Speak!"

Fang Xiaoxiao trembled and lowered her head in silence. It was the maidservant beside her who spoke up instead. "Second Madam returned and threw out the young lady's belongings, then cursed at her."

Seeing the maid's indignant expression, Fang Zhiyi was actually pleased.

"How dare she!"

Fang Zhiyi stormed into the courtyard and shouted until the entire household gathered, including Fourth Brother Fang Baoguo, who was usually away at school.

Looking around, he saw varying expressions—some uneasy, others indifferent—while his wife, Lanhua, stood with a frosty glare.

"I have an announcement to make today!"

"No—two announcements!"

"First, I'm divorcing this venomous woman!" Fang Zhiyi pointed at Lanhua, whose face shifted from icy disdain to disbelief.

"What did you say? Fang Zhiyi, say that again!"

"I'll say it ten times if I have to! You keep running back to your family at every turn, and now you dare curse my niece?" Fang Zhiyi's eyes bulged as if he were about to devour someone.

Fang Xiaoxiao timidly tugged at the hem of his robe. "Uncle, forget it. Second Aunt just... has a bad temper. She didn’t mean to curse at me."

"You little wretch!" Lanhua snarled, claws out.

Fang Zhiyi jabbed a finger at her. "You wouldn’t dare!" He never hit women, but his thunderous voice froze Lanhua in place.

"Either divorce me, or I’ll cast you out! Choose!" With that, Fang Zhiyi turned away.

"Second announcement—I’m dividing the family property!" The others, who had been watching the drama unfold, were stunned.

Even the usually uninvolved eldest brother, Fang Wenrui, frowned and spoke up. "Second Brother, you’ve caused enough trouble. What’s this about dividing the property? With your habits, how long would those shops last you?"

Fang Zhiyi scoffed. "Big Brother, have you been hiding in your study so long you’ve lost your wits? The Fang Family may pretend to be united, but we’ve all been managing our own affairs for ages."

Fang Wenrui had no retort.

"Anyway, it’s settled. If you refuse, none of you will have peace!" Fang Zhiyi reverted to his old, unruly self.

Eldest Sister-in-law Gong Hui panicked. If they divided the property now, Fang Zhiyi would walk away with three shops!

"Zhiyi, you can’t do this. Even if we’ve been managing separately, I’ve never mistreated you." She turned to Fang Baoguo. "Baoguo, talk some sense into your brother!"

Fang Baoguo had heard about the recent family disputes but didn’t care much, preoccupied with his own affairs. Just as he opened his mouth to speak, Fang Zhiyi spun around and punched him square in the face, sending him crashing into the wall.

Fang Zhiyi cheered inwardly—finally, a chance to beat up this little brat! The original story had overlooked a crucial detail: Fang Xiaoxiao had encountered trouble several times, and Fang Baoguo had witnessed it. Yet, he believed his niece was inherently worthless and deliberately ignored her. Though Fang Xiaoxiao had long given up on her relatives, the betrayal still stung.

"Zhiyi!" Fang Wenrui barked, but when he met Fang Zhiyi’s fierce glare, he swallowed his anger. "Fine! We’ll divide the property!"

Fang Xiaoxiao, standing behind Fang Zhiyi, was dumbfounded. Just like that, the family was splitting up?

The next day, they followed the formalities, inviting elders to witness the division. Once done, Fang Zhiyi immediately took Fang Xiaoxiao and the maid Huang Li away from the Fang Family. Before leaving, he finalized the divorce with Lanhua, ignoring her protests as he hired men to escort her out.

As he departed, the remaining family members wore dark expressions—especially Fang Baoguo, his face swollen, glaring hatefully at their retreating figures.

Fang Zhiyi bought a small courtyard and arranged rooms for Fang Xiaoxiao and Huang Li.

Sitting in the courtyard, Fang Xiaoxiao was still in shock. Had Second Uncle really gone this far for her? The icy walls around her heart finally began to thaw. If she had doubted his intentions before, she now truly believed he cared for her.

Fang Zhiyi even hired a tutor to teach Fang Xiaoxiao and Huang Li at home while he continued to roam around like a spoiled heir. To outsiders, he remained the same good-for-nothing, and some even placed bets on how quickly he’d squander his inheritance.

Time passed until one day, Fang Xiaoxiao and Huang Li ran into Fu Tingxiu in town.

For some reason, Fu Tingxiu was instantly captivated by her and followed them all the way to Fang Zhiyi’s doorstep, where he bumped into Fang Zhiyi returning from his usual wanderings.

"Kid, scram." Fang Zhiyi had no patience for him, inwardly cursing the ridiculous laws of attraction in this world.

Fu Tingxiu met Fang Zhiyi’s menacing glare but still managed to exchange a lingering glance with Fang Xiaoxiao before leaving.

Watching him go, Fang Zhiyi knew it was time to ramp up his niece’s education.

"The tutor won’t be coming for a while, and I won’t be going out either," Fang Zhiyi announced to the two girls. "How about I tell you some stories I’ve heard at the teahouse?"

Delighted—since teahouses were mostly male domains they couldn’t enter—they eagerly agreed.

"There was once a man born into a wealthy family who loved playing the devoted lover. His family arranged a marriage, and though he met his fiancée, he pretended to despise her just to show off. So, he went around acting pitiful."

Huang Li wrinkled her nose. "Ugh... then what?"

"Then he successfully deceived a girl. In this world, a lone girl with no support would naturally fall for such a seemingly devoted young master."

Both girls nodded, understanding the scenario.

Fang Zhiyi embellished the story with all the details he remembered.

Huang Li frowned. "That girl was so foolish."

But Fang Xiaoxiao murmured, "If a girl has lived in darkness for so long, it makes sense she’d cling to anyone who offers her light."

Fang Zhiyi inhaled sharply—time to intensify the lessons!

The next day, he told them a story about a scoundrel tycoon, adapted from something he’d read before. The girls listened intently, occasionally cursing the male lead.

On the third day, Fang Zhiyi recounted a tale of a noble lady who climbed the social ladder by betraying her best friend.

To ensure they absorbed the lessons, Fang Zhiyi spent nights drafting story outlines by lamplight while his system watched with glee.

"Make it even more tragic! I don’t think it’s tragic enough!" the system clamored.

"Shut up. Success hinges on this."

Five days passed when someone knocked on the courtyard gate. Upon opening it, there stood Fu Tingxiu, dressed impeccably, with a car parked not far behind him.

The Fu Family was indeed wealthy.