Father-in-Law 012

However, both she and Chen Cai still had one thing on their minds.

That was Fang Zhiyi's house and property. They had even fantasized about suddenly hearing news of Fang Zhiyi's death, notifying them to return and inherit it.

But at this moment, Fang Zhiyi was sitting on a long-distance bus, leisurely watching the scenery outside.

As the bus stopped, a woman of similar age got on. After looking around, she sat down next to Fang Zhiyi.

The journey was silent until the bus entered a tunnel.

"Something the matter?" Fang Zhiyi didn't turn his head.

The woman was surprised. "You noticed me?"

"You make it sound like you're a ghost. With so many empty seats, you chose to sit next to me. Either I'm too handsome, or you have a problem." He shifted to a more comfortable position. "Go on."

"Hello, I am Chen Cai's ex-wife." The woman extended her hand.

Fang Zhiyi turned to look at the woman's hand hanging in the air but did not shake it. "Oh?" His eyes were full of teasing.

The woman pursed her lips. "No matter who I am, at least for now, I am Chen Cai's ex-wife."

"You've picked a good time. If you act now, you have a seventy percent chance of success." Fang Zhiyi looked at the woman.

The woman smiled. "You're worth a lot of points. A lot."

Fang Zhiyi sized her up. Though no longer young, the woman clearly had an air of refinement, a quality that age could not conceal.

He relaxed and shifted his posture again.

The woman was somewhat puzzled. "Aren't you going to struggle?"

"If you were going to act, you would have done so already. Why waste words? Have you ever seen any expert exchange pleasantries before a fight?"

The woman smiled faintly, her expression completely unlike someone her age.

"I merely wanted to understand my prey before striking," she said, looking at Fang Zhiyi. "Originally, I could have dealt with you much earlier, but you happened to complete my mission for me. So... letting you live this long can be considered your reward, right?"

Fang Zhiyi chuckled. "Your mission?"

The woman seemed to enjoy talking.

"This woman's husband relied on her to support him. Who would have thought that scoundrel would turn around and hook up with a young vixen, divorcing her in a flash. That should have been a good thing, but..." The woman's tone turned melancholic. "...who knew she had also raised an ungrateful son? He secretly kept in touch with his deadbeat father. After you died... ah, after that body of yours died, he learned from that little ingrate... news that my client had won the lottery. You can probably imagine the rest."

After finishing, she shrugged.

Fang Zhiyi looked at the system on her shoulder, which resembled a hand. "Betrayed by her son, deceived by her ex-husband, ultimately meeting a tragic end. Correct?"

The woman laughed. "So, you did my work for me, and I let you live a little longer. Fair, isn't it?"

Seeing that the hunter before her showed no sign of fear, she was puzzled. "But I am a bit surprised. Weren't they saying there was supposed to be a... creature specialized in attacking systems around you? I've been watching you for a long time, and you've always been alone."

Fang Zhiyi let out a deep sigh but did not answer.

The woman shook her head. "You don't seem particularly vicious either. Why do they say you're extremely dangerous?"

Fang Zhiyi remained silent.

Having said enough, the woman continued, "Actually, I admire you. To achieve such results without a system is impressive. A pity, your life... is very valuable."

A blue light glowed in her hand, seemingly quite lethal, and the system on her shoulder emitted the same light.

"Ah." Fang Zhiyi sighed. "I never understood before why villains always like to spout a bunch of nonsense at the decisive moment, giving their opponents a chance. I always thought it was just for dramatic effect."

The woman tilted her head.

Fang Zhiyi smiled at her. "Now, seeing you, I suddenly think that even if it's dramatic effect, the inspiration must come from reality."

"What do you mean?" The woman was confused. She had observed for so long; this Fang Zhiyi was just an ordinary person.

"I mean... if you had acted immediately at the start, your chance of success was ninety percent. Now... tsk tsk."

"Bluffing!" The woman felt an inexplicable panic. Her hand formed a claw as she fiercely struck at Fang Zhiyi, but he easily dodged and grabbed her wrist.

Now the woman also sensed something was wrong. She saw several black tentacles extending from behind her. Her face turned pale, and she looked back in terror. A dark creature stood behind her, and her original system had vanished.

"Wake up?" Fang Zhiyi asked with a smile.

Little Black nodded. "Just about."

"You... you are the..."

The woman didn't finish. Several tentacles suddenly wrapped around her body. Fang Zhiyi looked at her pale, frightened face and shook his head.

The bus emerged from the tunnel. The woman slowly woke up, looking around in confusion. "Where am I?"

Fang Zhiyi kindly handed her a wet wipe. "On the bus, remember? You signed up for a seniors' tour group. I'm your fellow tourist, Fang Zhiyi."

The woman rubbed her head, took the wipe from Fang Zhiyi, and said thank you. She seemed to have forgotten some things...

Time passed slowly. Fang Yunyun no longer had her former arrogance. Years of exposure to wind and sun had roughened her skin, and her hands had lost their former delicacy. The biggest advantage was that she always seemed to have the upper hand when fighting with Chen Cai.

Looking at the phone in her hand, she had lost count of how many times she had sent apology messages to her father, but he never replied.

What shattered the hopes of their entire family was the news that night.

Fang Zhiyi had died. But before his death, he had completed donation procedures, giving away everything from his property and house to his body.

Seeing this news, Fang Yunyun broke down crying once again. She still resented Fang Zhiyi. Why? You are my father, you should have given everything to me! Equally despairing was Chen Cai. He had aged. He had been in contact with the son from his previous marriage, but later heard that son had inexplicably developed a mental illness and been locked away.

His current wife constantly fought with him and insulted his "art" as worthless. His son... was even more of a disappointment. As he grew older, Chen Xiaoqun's hatred for them deepened, evolving from running away from home to now daring to challenge them physically. Chen Cai's health had long been ruined, and he gradually couldn't even beat his own son anymore.

It wasn't that Fang Yunyun hadn't thought about leaving, escaping this disgusting father and son.

But she couldn't leave. Both Chen Cai and Chen Xiaoqun knew perfectly well that with her came the economic support.

They clung desperately to this lifeline, and the whole family was trapped in a vicious cycle.

Fang Yunyun dreamed more than once of her youth, when although the family had no money, her father had been so very good to her.

She jolted awake, looking at her own reflection in the mirror she had picked up—haggard and aged. After a long while, she stood up and began preparing breakfast.

Chen Cai didn't suspect anything, nor did he have the right to. Chen Xiaoqun hurriedly ate his meal, eager to go out and play. Fang Yunyun watched them eat, hesitated for a moment, then also picked up her bowl.

In the bowl was the rat poison she should have ingested when she was just a few years old.

Only this time, there was no one to pull her back from the brink of death.

The neighbors discovered them and promptly called the police. Fang Yunyun was dead. Chen Cai was dead. Chen Xiaoqun, being young, was resuscitated.

However, without his parents, he became more like worthless mud. He took to the streets early, engaging in scams and thefts. Going in and out of the police station became as routine as going home. Relying on his status as a minor, Chen Xiaoqun was utterly brazen—a bravado that would ultimately lead him to his demise.

One evening, during a conflict with another gang, Chen Xiaoqun was slashed across a major artery and collapsed in a pool of blood.

Before dying, he faintly saw a vision of his childhood: his detested grandfather forcing him to study, droning in his ear, "Study hard, become a doctor in the future."

"I don't want to be a doctor."

"Then be a teacher."

"I don't want to be a teacher either."

"Then what do you want to do?"

"I..." Chen Xiaoqun's vision gradually darkened. If only... but there were no ifs...