Bully 011

Upon entering the Bai family's villa, Fang Yuntian sensed a heavy atmosphere. Elder Brother Bai, who had never been fond of him, gave him a cold nod. The other Bai brothers were gathered in the living room, seemingly deep in discussion, but they fell silent the moment he arrived.

Fang Yuntian quickly asked about Bai An'an's whereabouts. They casually pointed upstairs before resuming their conversation, their odd behavior making him uneasy.

Pushing open the door, he saw Bai An'an lying on the bed.

She smiled at him, but Fang Yuntian's irritation didn't fade. Why did her face seem so plain now? No, he must be letting that damned old man affect his mood.

Rubbing his eyes, he looked again—Bai An'an seemed to have lost her usual charm. Her features were ordinary, her hair unremarkable, and... were those freckles on her face?

This couldn't be right. Still, remembering the coffee shop plan, he forced himself to ask about her condition.

"I don’t know. I suddenly had a terrible headache and nearly fainted. Elder Brother brought me back to my room," Bai An'an said.

Her voice made Fang Yuntian nauseous. How had he ever found her way of speaking endearing?

"Is something wrong?" Bai An'an frowned at his expression.

Fang Yuntian forced a smile. "I found a good location for the coffee shop."

"Really? That's wonderful! I'll ask Elder Brother for the money right away!" Bai An'an beamed.

The idealized image he once held of her shattered completely. He decided then—once the shop opened, he’d never run errands for this woman again. What had he been thinking before?

But getting the money wasn’t easy. Bai An'an overheard her brothers discussing their recent troubles: Second Brother, once hailed as a medical genius, had been suspended due to a string of accidents; Third Brother, a celebrity, was losing roles and facing scandals; Fourth Brother, a writer, was embroiled in plagiarism accusations; and Fifth Brother, the closest to her and a tech prodigy, had been arrested, leaving their parents scrambling to bail him out.

When Bai An'an asked for funding, Elder Brother stayed silent. Second Brother removed his glasses, and Third Brother scowled. "An'an, the family’s in chaos. Don’t be selfish."

She froze—they’d never called her selfish before. Tears welled up as Fourth Brother rolled his eyes and left. Eventually, Elder Brother relented.

She was still their sister, after all.

On opening day, Fang Yuntian grinned—his dream realized. If only Bai An'an weren’t by his side. The more he looked at her, the more she grated on him.

Remembering how he’d once adored her now made him sick.

Then the Bai brothers stormed in, trashing the shop and beating him, even shoving Bai An'an aside.

"What the hell?" Fang Yuntian spat.

"You dare ask?" Elder Bai thrust a photo at him—it was that damned old man.

"So this was your plan all along—befriend An'an, infiltrate our company, and ruin us? Even after the company collapsed, you stayed to scheme? And now you swindle money for this shop?" Third Brother slapped him.

"Elder Brother, what are you talking about?" Bai An'an cried.

Elder Bai pointed at her. "You fool! The man targeting our family is his father—Fang Zhiyi!" The revelation had stunned them too.

Bai An'an stared at Fang Yuntian in disbelief. "I didn’t know! I had no part in this!" How could that old man pull this off?

"Of course you’d deny it. Beat him!" Elder Bai turned. "Bai An'an, go home. You’re grounded."

She fled in tears.

Police arrived, hauling the Bai brothers away. The scandal crushed the already-faltering Bai family. Injured but vengeful, Fang Yuntian pressed charges—only to find his estranged younger brother, Fang Yunhe, as the opposing lawyer.

The Bais paid damages. Fang Yuntian studied his brother’s cold professionalism before calling out to him.

Fang Yunhe didn’t even glance up. "Don’t. My father has only one son—me."

Heartbroken, Fang Yuntian watched him leave, then spotted his father’s car waiting. The two walked off, arms slung over shoulders like brothers.

The compensation was just enough to reopen the coffee shop. Staring at the sum, Fang Yuntian seethed.

He tried apologizing to his father but was barred. When he approached Fang Yunhe again, his brother’s icy glare sent him fleeing.

The Bai family collapsed. Ironically, Bai An'an, deemed too spoiled, was cut off and told to fend for herself. She sobbed her way to Fang Yuntian, who, pitying her past help, poured her drinks. They drowned their sorrows—she cursed her family; he slapped himself. They woke in bed together.

Bai An'an demanded marriage, even dragging Elder Brother into it. Trapped, Fang Yuntian agreed.

A year later, she bore a child, but their lives worsened. His failing business drove him to gambling, morphing him into the very wreck he despised.

Bai An'an wept daily, her health failing. Only Mother Bai occasionally visited.

Into this hell, the heroine was born.

"A gambling father, a sick mother, and a broken girl. Pitiful," Fang Zhiyi mused.

His shadow companion, having digested their stolen fortune, burped contentedly. "But the protagonist might rise again. Though those Bai boys didn’t fare well either."

Murong Ke, abandoned abroad by his family, had his legs broken by local gangs. Bedridden, he endured regular beatings from thugs.

Wang Zihan failed to get into university, and his family forced him to retake the exams. Once again, he demonstrated his talent for bullying classmates—but this time, the victim’s family refused to let it slide. Upon hearing that there were people who specialized in dealing with such matters, they sought help. Wang Zihan’s actions were exposed, and past victims also stepped forward. In the end, his parents, as legal guardians, were sued and had to pay hefty compensation.

One night, Wang Zihan had his arms and legs broken—again. The person who beat him turned himself in immediately afterward, claiming to be a fugitive but saying he couldn’t stand such scum and chose to cripple him before surrendering.

As for his accomplices, they all suffered various "accidents" over time. Though none were fatal, the injuries were severe enough to leave them in misery.

When Fang Zhiyi was dying, Fang Yunhe held his hand and told him that the anti-bullying law for minors he had been pushing for had finally been formally proposed.

Fang Zhiyi worried whether the kid had included the things he had taught him in the draft—that simply wouldn’t do.