Sister 012

Even so, life had to go on.

Huang Minhao still placed great importance on his son, after all, a son could carry on the family line and support him in the future. Thanks to the arrival of this grandson, the relationship between Old Man Huang and his son had also eased considerably.

The Huang household regained some laughter and joy. Huang Minhao even went so far as to change his son’s name—his blood had to bear the Huang surname! And so, Fang Xiangyang became Huang Wenhao once again.

Huang Minhao doted on him meticulously. With nothing else to occupy his time, he spent his days revolving around Huang Wenhao. To Huang Wenhao, this was the true expression of a father’s love, unlike his mother, who was always too busy! And that uncle of his was no good either, always wearing a stern face.

However, the comfort didn’t last long. Huang Wenhao soon began to feel uneasy. The living conditions at his father’s place were far worse than what he had been used to in the city. The food wasn’t as good either, and his school had been downgraded from a city institution to a county one. Everything made him deeply uncomfortable.

But Huang Wenhao didn’t regret his choice—instead, he resented it. He resented his mother, who had so callously severed ties with him. This resentment only grew as he listened to his father and grandfather complain daily that if it weren’t for Fang Nuan, their lives wouldn’t be so miserable.

Huang Wenhao made up his mind—he would demand everything back from his mother!

Huang Minhao supported him wholeheartedly. In truth, he had deliberately brought up these grievances in front of his son. If he went to confront Fang Nuan himself, he’d only get beaten up, but surely they wouldn’t lay a hand on Huang Wenhao, right?

He even dug out the last of his money and stuffed it into his son’s hands, making a grand show of sacrificing everything for him. As expected, Huang Wenhao was deeply moved—and his hatred for his mother, who had abandoned the family, grew even stronger.

With his head held high, he boarded a long-distance bus to the city. But in the end, he didn’t even make it past the gate of the Fang residence.

The security guard at the entrance was firm: "Hey, Xiangyang—"

Huang Wenhao stiffened his neck. "I’m Huang Wenhao now!"

"Alright, alright, Huang Wenhao. Boss Fang gave strict orders—you’re not allowed inside. So, how about you…?"

Huang Wenhao’s eyes widened. "Who does he think he is?!"

The guard shrugged. "We follow the homeowners’ instructions. And as your elder, let me give you some advice—fighting with your mom isn’t right. You should apologize and make things right…" He had already heard the full story from Fang Zhiyi—a tale of a woman escaping domestic abuse and rebuilding her life with independence and strength.

He said these words because he had often seen this child in the past. Back then, he hadn’t noticed, but now it was clear—this kid was nothing but an ungrateful brat.

"That father of yours… tsk, not a good man, I’ll tell you that."

"How dare you insult my dad?!" Huang Wenhao, already irritated, nearly jumped out of his skin at the criticism of Huang Minhao. "Who do you think you are, some lowly security guard? Believe me, I’ll report you!"

The guard was taken aback, then his expression darkened. "Fine, forget I said anything. Now, please leave."

"I’m not going anywhere!"

The guard gave him a cold look. There was nothing he could do—as long as the kid didn’t enter the premises, it was fine.

So the two remained locked in a standoff. The longer Huang Wenhao stood there, the more wronged he felt. What was so bad about wanting to be with his father? And yet they had specifically ordered him barred from entering? It seemed his father was right—that woman was nothing but a selfish, heartless creature!

He crouched by the wall, quietly sobbing.

After what felt like an eternity, someone stood before him. Looking up, Huang Wenhao saw his uncle.

Fang Zhiyi held a stack of bills in his hand. "Here, your mom’s child support. Legally speaking, she’s responsible for half of your living expenses, which will be deposited into your dad’s account every month." As if remembering something, he dug into his pocket and pulled out a crumpled one-yuan note. "Uncle feels bad for you, so here’s a little extra."

Huang Wenhao felt utterly humiliated. He sprang up. "What’s that supposed to mean?! You think throwing some money at me fixes everything? She swindled my dad out of his money and just ran off with another man!" He had fully bought into the lies spun by the Huang father and son.

Slap!

The sharp sound of the blow nearly knocked the soul out of Huang Wenhao.

Fang Zhiyi flexed his wrist. "Honestly, I’ve wanted to slap you for a long time—just didn’t have a good enough reason before."

"You—!"

"Get lost before I give the other side of your face the same treatment." Fang Zhiyi’s face was all smiles, but his tone was icy.

Huang Wenhao panted heavily. He had actually been struck by this so-called uncle!

The security guard watched the scene unfold. An uncle disciplining his nephew—fair enough. But if the kid retaliated, should he step in? After all, he and Fang Zhiyi were on good terms.

"Fine! I’m leaving!" Huang Wenhao stormed off with all the bravado he could muster. But after a few steps, he suddenly turned back, snatched the money from Fang Zhiyi’s hand, and marched away.

The guard scratched his head. What was that about?

Fang Zhiyi sighed regretfully.

"You’re back early today," the guard greeted him, tactfully avoiding any mention of what had just happened.

Fang Zhiyi smiled. "Yeah, just came back to grab something."

Unbeknownst to Huang Wenhao, shortly after he left, Fang Nuan moved out of the residence, leaving the house to Fang Zhiyi. Fang Zhiyi didn’t understand why, but Fang Nuan simply said the place was too far from her law firm—she had bought a small apartment nearby instead.

Fang Zhiyi wasn’t worried. Fang Nuan had become fiercely independent. He was confident that even if the old Fang couple and the Huangs showed up together, she could handle them with ease.

After quickly gathering his things, Fang Zhiyi hurried off to the official investigation bureau.

Today was his first day on the job.

Huang Wenhao returned to the Huang household with the money in hand. Facing his father’s eager expression, he awkwardly hid his swollen cheek. "She said she’ll send child support every month from now on, deposited into your account."

Huang Minhao was momentarily stunned, but then he grinned, revealing a mouthful of rotten teeth. "Good. Hungry? Go eat." Even as he spoke, his hand reached for the money in Huang Wenhao’s grip.

Huang Wenhao hesitated but said nothing.

After all, his father would never shortchange him—unlike that wicked woman!

That night, Huang Wenhao tossed and turned, unable to sleep. His mind was filled with thoughts of his despicable uncle and cruel mother. He swore he would make something of himself—just to throw it all back in their faces!

The next day, he went to school with renewed determination. Even if the environment was worse, he would study hard.

Seeing his diligence, the teacher nodded approvingly before informing him that, as a transfer student, he needed to pay an additional fee for his uniform.

Huang Wenhao agreed and went home that evening to ask his father for the money—but Huang Minhao wasn’t there.

Only the hunched figure of Old Man Huang sat basking in the sun.

He waited for hours, deep into the night, before Huang Minhao finally stumbled through the door—reeking of alcohol.