"Yang Jianren, what are these two old folks doing here?!"
The woman speaking was Yang Yue, Liu Yutong's aunt—a plump figure with a face full of spite.
Before Grandpa could respond, Liu Yutong's expression turned icy. "Auntie, is this hotel yours? Do we need your permission to be here?"
Yang Yue instantly flared up. "You little brat! How dare you talk back to your elders? Is this how your parents raised you? No manners at all!"
Liu Yutong shot back, "The one with no manners is you, Auntie. That mouth of yours spews nothing but filth!"
Yang Yue: "You—!"
"Yang Jianren, look at this! This is your precious niece! Thank goodness I didn’t marry into your family back then, or I’d have been driven mad by all of you!"
Yang Jianren frowned at Liu Yutong. "Yutong, what’s gotten into you? No matter what, she’s your aunt. How can you speak to her like that?"
"Apologize to her right now!"
Liu Yutong scoffed. "Apologize? After what she just said about Grandpa and Grandma? If it weren’t for them, I wouldn’t have stopped at just cursing her out!"
"And you, Uncle—how many times have you visited Grandpa and Grandma since you married into her family? Did becoming a son-in-law mean your own father stopped being your father?"
Yang Jianren’s face paled, then flushed with anger.
"Yutong, you’ve gone too far!"
"Where’s your father? Get him here! I’d like to ask how he raised such a daughter!"
Liu Yutong smirked, her eyes full of mockery. "Oh, can’t handle a few truths? Now you want to drag my dad into this? He’s back in the village—go find him if you dare."
"Though I doubt you’d stoop so low. After all, you’re such a big shot in town. Wouldn’t want to dirty your reputation by associating with us country folk, right?"
From as far back as she could remember, Liu Yutong had seen her uncle only a handful of times.
She’d been raised by her grandparents, who’d poured their love into her.
So she knew all too well how little her uncle had cared for them after his marriage. Sometimes, he wouldn’t visit for two or three years.
And it wasn’t like he’d moved far away—his wife’s family lived in the county town, barely 50 kilometers from their rural home.
Yet even that short distance was too much for him to cross regularly.
Anyone would think his in-laws had bought him out of his own family.
No matter what, these were his parents—the ones who’d raised him. Didn’t he owe them some respect?
It wasn’t as if Grandpa and Grandma had ever wronged him. They were just poor.
In fact, coming from that older generation, they’d always favored him as the eldest son.
But everything he’d done since had only deepened their disappointment.
In her past life, Grandpa had suffered a stroke during harvest season. Though he survived, he was left paralyzed, unable to care for himself.
His eldest son? Never once visited. Not when he was hospitalized, not after he was bedridden. Just a hollow gesture—2000 yuan sent home, telling others to "buy him some supplements."
Only at the funeral did he finally show up, wailing about his "regrets" and "difficult circumstances."
To outsiders, his tears might’ve painted him as a devoted son.
Now, both Yang Jianren and Yang Yue stood seething, their faces twisted with humiliation.
Yang Yue, already petty and vicious, couldn’t bear being insulted by her niece while her husband stood silent. "Useless coward!" she spat at him.
Then she raised her hand, aiming to strike Liu Yutong.
"You disrespectful little beast! I’ll teach you the lesson your father never did!"
But before her hand could land, Liu Yutong moved faster.
SLAP!
The blow sent Yang Yue staggering, her cheek flaming red. She clutched her face, stunned.
"You? Teach me? Listen here, you old hag—even my dad wouldn’t dare lay a hand on me now. Who the hell do you think you are?"
"Instead of dressing like some gaudy peacock, maybe focus on losing weight. Doesn’t that moonface of yours disgust you in the mirror?"
"Honestly, I don’t know how Uncle even tolerates you. If he hasn’t found a mistress yet, he’s a saint for putting up with this."
Every word was a knife to Yang Yue’s pride. She shrieked, her entire body trembling with rage.
"You little bitch! I’ll kill you!"
She lunged, claws out, her bloated face contorted with fury.
But Liu Yutong had been training since high school—regular workouts, even some sparring with Yun Cheng. She was no match for experts like Yun Cheng or Chu Yang, but against this wheezing, overweight woman? Easy.
A sidestep, and Yang Yue’s attack met empty air. Momentum carried her forward, nearly toppling her.
Before she could recover, another slap cracked across her other cheek.
SLAP!
The sound echoed through the hall. Yang Yue stood dazed, then whirled toward her husband.
"Liu Jianren! Are you just going to stand there while your wife gets beaten? Do something!"
Finally snapping out of it, Liu Jianren scowled. No matter what, letting his niece assault his wife made him look weak.
"Yutong, this ends now! If your father won’t discipline you, I will!"
He raised his hand—
Then Grandpa’s voice boomed like thunder, freezing everyone.
"Try it."
"Your father’s standing right here. Touch my granddaughter, and you’ll regret it."
A veteran who’d seen combat, Grandpa’s stern presence still commanded fear. Liu Jianren faltered.
"Dad, she hit first—"
Grandpa cut him off. "I’m not deaf."
"Today’s my granddaughter’s college celebration. We’ve got guests downstairs. Either behave or get out—don’t embarrass yourselves further."
Liu Jianren blinked. "College? Yutong got in?"
"Why wasn’t I told?"
Liu Yutong snorted. "Oh, we wouldn’t dare. Poor country relatives like us? Wouldn’t want to ‘burden’ a big shot like you. Who knows—you might’ve accused us of fishing for gift money."
With that, Liu Yutong turned to her aunt Yang Yue, who was standing nearby glaring daggers at her, and said, "Isn't that right, Auntie?"
"And I know you’d love to hit me right now, but let me give you a piece of advice—don’t mess with me. That’s not a warning, just some friendly advice."
Having said her piece, she ignored the two of them and turned to her grandparents. "Grandpa, Grandma, let’s head downstairs. Everyone’s waiting for us."
The elderly couple nodded and followed Liu Yutong into the elevator.
Once the doors closed, the lobby was left with only Liu Jianren and his wife, Yang Yue.
Yang Yue could no longer hold back—her fury erupted instantly. She spun around and slapped Liu Jianren hard across the face.
Smack!
"My face has been completely humiliated today! And you just stood there like a useless lump of wood! How did I end up with such a spineless man?"
She screamed while twisting his ear viciously, making him wince in pain.
Liu Jianren gritted his teeth but didn’t dare fight back, only whimpering, "I’m sorry, wife, I’m sorry..."
After venting her rage, Yang Yue suddenly remembered something and released him, demanding, "Liu Jianren, I haven’t even asked you yet—did you secretly give money to your family?"
Liu Jianren froze, then frantically waved his hands. "No, wife! Where would I even get money to give them?"
Yang Yue narrowed her eyes. "Then how did your niece afford to hold her celebration banquet at this hotel? With your family’s financial situation, there’s no way they could afford a venue like this!"
Liu Jianren looked utterly wronged. "How should I know? I swear I didn’t give them a single cent!"
Yang Yue still didn’t believe him. "You’re telling me the truth?"
He nodded eagerly. "Absolutely! I don’t even have any secret savings—where would I get money to give them?"
Though still somewhat suspicious, Yang Yue figured he wouldn’t dare lie to her, given how cowardly he was.
But then how could those two old folks afford to host a banquet in the most upscale hotel in Yun Cheng?
Yang Yue had always looked down on his family. Now, seeing them suddenly dressed so well and throwing a lavish celebration—on top of being publicly humiliated by her niece Liu Yutong—only fueled her resentment.
And for some reason, the icy glare Liu Yutong had given her earlier sent a shiver down her spine.
But no matter what, she was determined to make them lose face today.
