“Mom!” Yu Li called out twice before the man struck her face with his palm.

“Yell louder, why don’t you? Get all the neighbors here – I’ll show them your mother in her current state!” The man threw Yu Li to the ground.

He was extremely strong and powerfully built, appearing to be someone well-suited for physical labor. Such a large, strong man easily gave women a sense of security, which was why Yu Li’s mother felt she had found someone to rely on when she was introduced to him. Even his bad temper seemed masculine then.

At first, his temperament wasn’t bad – he appeared honest and had an excellent reputation among others. But as they say, even filial children grow weary at a sickbed – let alone a marriage of convenience. Yu Li had known her stepfather behaved differently at home than in public, but after her mother became paralyzed, his true nature fully emerged. He resented having a paralyzed person at home who couldn’t work, only spent money, and needed constant care.

He wanted to throw the paralyzed woman out but couldn’t – it would damage his public image. Additionally, Yu Li had grown into a lovely young woman. After raising his stepdaughter for so many years, how could he let go without getting something in return? Using his paralyzed wife to control his teenage stepdaughter was almost guaranteed to work.

He hadn’t expected this little wretch to plot against him while pretending to appease him. Though Yu Li was clever, she wasn’t yet 18, and couldn’t perfectly hide her excitement about leaving this awful place.

At first, the man didn’t realize Yu Li planned to run away – he thought she was just hiding her wages. When Yu Li went to work, his demeanor changed. He tormented Yu Li’s mother at home using various methods, humiliating the poor woman until she had mental breakdowns, trying several times to bite her tongue to die… But the man wouldn’t let her die. He stuffed her mouth with rags, tormenting her until she reached the state Yu Li now witnessed.

Though still breathing, her spirit was completely crushed. Yu Li’s mother had resolved to die, believing her death would free her daughter from this burden.

Yu Li glared at the man with tear-filled eyes filled with hatred. “You’re a beast, an inhuman beast! She’s my mother, and she’s your wife!”

What normal man would leave his wife exposed to the cold and threaten to show her to others? Only a beast could do such things!

“I’m a beast? You little wretch – someone else’s child can never be truly yours. Even a dog knows gratitude – you’re worse than a dog! Do you think that a small amount of money would satisfy me? When I told you to change jobs, you made excuses… It was all lies! I’ll break your legs, make you paralyzed like your mother. Let’s see where you run then!”

Yu Li pulled the blanket to cover her mother’s body. No matter how the man hit and cursed, she kept her face pressed against her mother’s chest, relieved to feel it still rising and falling.

When the man beat her with a stick, Yu Li ran toward the courtyard. She had already decided to risk everything today – why keep hiding? Better to expose all the ugliness.

The neighbors didn’t believe the man’s evil deeds. Fine – she would make this a bigger issue! Take it to the street office, to the police station!

It didn’t matter if others didn’t believe her. Director Xia would believe her, and as long as he still wanted her as his secretary, she could support her mother. She didn’t need to run away secretly. She hadn’t done anything wrong!

Worst case, they could get a divorce. As long as her mother divorced this beast, they could walk out of this house with dignity. A divorced woman wasn’t shameful – they could survive. Wasn’t Aunt Liu divorced? And she now owned several clothing stores…

These thoughts supported Yu Li as she ran. In that brief moment, she had considered both the worst and best outcomes. The man tried to grab her but stumbled on a table. Yu Li seized the chance to reach the door.

The man seemed to sober up slightly. “Come back… I won’t hit you…”

“In your dreams!”

Yu Li wasn’t afraid of being beaten – she feared him torturing her mother. She’d had enough of this life!

Yu Li worked on the door bolt. The man, furious with shame, stopped chasing her and turned back toward the room with his stick.

Yu Li froze. “You beast, what are you doing? Stop!”

The man gave a chilling laugh. “Go ahead and run – run!”

He brought the stick down on Yu Li’s mother’s head. Being paralyzed, she couldn’t dodge. The blow landed solidly, covering her head in blood.

Yu Li felt her heart and gut wrench!

She thought she heard someone calling her name. Who would be calling her at this moment? No, no one would come to save her – no one believed her. Yu Li had only one thought: as long as this beast in human form lived, she and her mother would never truly be free.

Then they might as well all die together.

The man raised his stick for a second blow.

Yu Li grabbed the small knife from the table – the one the man had left out after cutting pork. She gripped it tightly and lunged forward, filled with hatred, using all her strength to plunge the knife into the man’s back.

The man hadn’t expected this. The stepdaughter he’d bullied for so many years dared to stab him.

He dropped the stick and fell to his knees.

He tried to grab Yu Li, but she pulled out the knife and stabbed him again fiercely.

As she prepared for a third strike, the courtyard door was kicked open. Shao Guangrong stood there – was it Shao Guangrong? Or was it just a neighbor who had heard the commotion?

No, why would any neighbor come to check?

Yu Li pulled out the knife, splattering blood across her face.

Shao Guangrong ran in. Yu Li’s hands were shaking as she prepared to stab a third time, but Shao Guangrong grabbed her wrist: “Have you gone mad? This is murder!”

What was happening?

Shao Guangrong had felt something was off about Yu Li tonight. After thinking about it in his car without reaching any conclusions, some strange impulse made him walk into the hutong after getting out. He didn’t even know which courtyard was Yu Li’s home and wandered for a while before hearing noises from this courtyard.

He thought he heard Yu Li’s voice and called out several times, but no one responded. Following the sounds, he forced open the door to find Yu Li covered in blood, stabbing someone with a knife.

Yu Li still wanted to stab, but Shao Guangrong held her back. Yu Li’s entire body was trembling violently – Shao Guangrong could feel how terrified she was. What had driven Yu Li to stab someone? Was the person on the ground a thief?

There was also a motionless woman on the bed.

Shao Guangrong was scared too. Though he had often fought as a child, he had never killed anyone! But if he showed fear now, Yu Li would be truly finished!

Shao Guangrong struggled to stay calm: “What happened? Was it a burglar? Say something! You’ve got nothing to fear with me here.”

Yu Li couldn’t speak.

Having no choice, Shao Guangrong checked the woman’s breathing – it was very weak, but she seemed to be still breathing.

“Yu Li! She seems to be alive! Say something – should we save her or not?”

Yu Li, in a daze, heard Shao Guangrong say her mother was still breathing. She scrambled over to embrace her: “Save her! Yes, save her… she’s my mother… Shao Guangrong, please save my mother… I’ll do anything to repay you!”