Her story clenched my fists tightly.

My wife is a good woman, who dedicates herself wholeheartedly to our family, allowing me to work outside and earn money with peace of mind.

Our daughter is obedient and lovely. Whenever I'm exhausted from work, just seeing her smile fills me with energy again.

But now that they are in trouble, as a man, I wasn't able to protect my wife and daughter at the first moment and stand up for them.

I've seen that brat before—triangular eyes, flat nose, a head with a fatty tumor directly on his shoulders, bow-legged when walking, looking like a mini version of his dad.

His dad's name is Zhao Wei, who works in exterior wall insulation, the same industry as mine, so I'd heard of him.

To put it simply, he's into eating, drinking, whoring, and gambling—nothing he doesn't dabble in. His character is awful, frequently defaulting on the wages of the migrant workers under him.

And with genes like that, what kind of decent kid can he produce? He even has the nerve to make a move on my precious daughter?

As if he deserves it!

My fists cracked with tension. I wanted to rush out immediately and teach that woman a lesson.

But it was already past 11 PM, and reason made me wait until the next day.

Early the next morning, I waited specifically downstairs at Hou Juan's building. My wife had told me that every weekend morning, Hou Juan would take Liangliang to his interest classes.

At eight-thirty, a short woman came out of the unit door, leading Liangliang.

I stepped forward and cut her off, "You must be Liangliang's mother."

Hou Juan looked at me suspiciously for a moment, "You are… Xixi's dad?"

I nodded, "My purpose here today is simple: from now on, please stay away from my daughter and keep your filthy mouth shut. Stop blabbing everywhere that she's your daughter-in-law. She has nothing to do with your family. Don't you dare try to claim kinship!"

There were quite a few people in the neighborhood, taking their kids to interest classes, exercising, or buying groceries. Hearing what I said, they all slowed their steps.

Even with Hou Juan's thick skin, she couldn't stand being publicly rebuked by me. Her face turned crimson with embarrassment and anger, "So what if I said it? Your wife agreed too. She has her eyes on my Liangliang. Even if I said no, she wouldn't agree!"

I snorted, "Did you get it backwards? Look at your son's appearance - looking like he steals chickens and dogs. I hear the school principal often calls you in for disciplinary talks. My wife liking your son? Do you think she's blind?"

There was a snicker from the crowd, and someone said, "I can testify. It's all one-sided from Liangliang's mom. Mrs. Xixi clearly doesn't agree."

Another person chimed in, "Who in their right mind would agree? Liangliang's mom is probably just worried her son won't find a wife when he grows up, so she's trying to force it. Shameless! Seeing someone raise a clean, neat little girl, and coveting her every day. What rotten luck."

"A toad wanting to eat swan meat—daydreaming in broad daylight, haha."

The Liangliang family had offended many in the neighborhood. Now everyone was keen on watching the drama.

Standing below her building, Hou Juan was shaking with rage, her face flushed with a kaleidoscope of colors. She outright resorted to shrewish behavior, raving incoherently:

"I heard you work away for long periods, not coming home for months. Go back and take a look. Your wife dolls up like a vixen every day. Who knows how many green hats you've worn!"

I smiled faintly, "My wife is a tall woman, 1.7 meters, with fair skin, good looks, and long legs. I love earning money to dress her up. But you? Looking like a gas canister. If you stood naked in front of me, I'd have to close my eyes. It's a nightmare!

Liangliang was in the sixth grade and understood everything. He was gnashing his teeth, looking like he wanted to fight me.

I casually rolled up my sleeves, exposing my heavily tattooed arm. The kid immediately backed down.

Unlike my wife, I had done all sorts of jobs in my youth to make a living, so I cherished everything now.

My wife and daughter are my most precious possessions—nobody can harm them!

Finally, under everyone's gaze, Hou Juan gritted her teeth and said, "Just wait. I'll call my husband!"

With that, she pulled Liangliang's hand and left in embarrassment.

The onlookers were still not satisfied. Ever since Hou Juan moved in, she had stirred trouble in the neighborhood, and everyone had long been fed up with her family.

Just after my victory, before I could celebrate, I received a call from my boss in Beijing: "Zhang Hao, your leave is almost over, right? You need to come back to work tomorrow. There's a project that needs you to follow up."

Damn it, I just got back yesterday!

But I didn't dare to say that, nodding and bowing over the phone, "Almost, almost. I'll catch the earliest flight back tomorrow."

Back home, I told my wife I was leaving the next day. She looked at me with tearful eyes, reluctant to let me go.

I understood my wife; she had always hoped I could work locally.

Actually, I had never told her that our company had just acquired a piece of land locally, and the plans were already completed. I was applying to transfer back, and it was very likely to happen.

By then, I could come home every day, staying by my wife and daughter's side.

But a week later, while in Beijing, I suddenly received a call from my wife.

She cried on the phone, "Honey, come back quickly. Xixi fell down the stairs at school, and her head is bleeding!"

I rushed home anxiously, not yet realizing the connection between this incident and Liangliang.