52 Confrontation (1)

As if there was a chain locking me down, my body remained immobilized and no matter how much I wanted to move it, it wouldn't budge.

The fear had completely engulfed me within its embrace. I was left shaking like a trembling leaf in a rainy day and droplets of cold water rained all over me.

My heart jumped rapidly until that was the only thing I could hear ringing in my ears. I couldn't even feel my own breathing. It was as if I lost all of the oxygen in my body and the only thing my focus could catch on was that wooden stick in his hand.

I could recall it now, all the missing pieces. This man had hit his children for the sake of disciplining them.

That screaming behind the door where Li Fei had squatted down and cried her heart out as she quietly listened without being able to do anything to stop it. What was missing from that screaming was the sound of this man hitting his son. The sound of the wooden stick grazing the little boy's skin.

And that 'sorry' was because the little girl, Li Fei, wasn't brave enough to rush in and save her brother.

"Because you're the older sister."

'Ah...I think I know now why he had done what he did to Li Fei and why she let it go. Every time....every single time...'

It was because of guilt...

....

At the same time Huang Lijie swung the wooden stick down, a shout broke out from the side.

"Father!!"

It was a hysterical shout of a man. I could only see a blur when I shifted my head and as soon as I turned around, I saw Huang Qian kneeling on one knee while his hand grabbing tightly at the wooden stick.

Was my little brother action surprised me?

Absolutely. To the point that all the trembling in my body disappeared. My head cleared out.

"What are you doing?!" Huang Lijie scolded him. "Move!" At the same time, he held the stick with his other hand too and imbued more force to swing it down.

Huang Qian didn't back down either, he held down the stick with his other hand as well. "Dad, don't hit her!"

"You're protecting this trash?!"

"No, dad. You don't understand."

"I will say this for the last time," Huang Lijie stared grimly at his son, "Move."

His expression was dark and it was as if a thunderstorm would ensue in the next second if Huang Qian didn't get out of his way.

"No, I wont," Huang Qian stubbornly rejected.

In that moment, I saw Huang Lijie smiling and I had to say it was a hair-raising smile. "You're challenging me, boy?"

I knitted my eyebrows at this father's tone. I disliked it. I absolutely abhorred it. I found it distasteful to the point that the fear that I had felt previously turned into contempt. And the more I looked at this father, the more I found his presence disgusting. A stain to the society.

"Dad, I didn't me-"

"Move." I interjected.

Huang Qian was a little stunned as he turned slightly to look at me. "Sis-"

"Move," I commanded once again without looking at him. My voice was steady, but it was obvious how impatient and angry I was as my eyes locked on the degraded lowlife standing in front of me.

Perhaps Huang Qian understood or he just gave up after seeing how determined I was as he got out of the way after that.

Huang Lijie scoffed. "See how I punish you later, boy."

While the man was glaring at his son, slowly I stood up on my own two feet. With a straightened back and my chin up, I stared straight at the lowly being in front of me. Even if the sight of him revolted me, I stood unyieldingly facing him.

"Now you," Huang Lijie stared back at me. "Do you know your mistake?"

I smiled derisively. "Do enlighten me."

He scoffed. Pointing back at Han Rui Yuan, he asked sternly, "What did you call my wife?"

"I didn't call her anything," I replied apathetically.

"You called her a mistress!"

I folded my arms across my chest and my lips couldn't help but curled upwards at this imbecile. I wondered why I was so caught off-guard before. I glanced at Huang Qian who was standing closely to us. His expression was clearly warning me not to provoke the beast further.

However, I ignored that. The only thing in my head when I snuck a glance at him was, 'Like father like son. Both didn't use their brains.'

But, I had also been a fool just now and I couldn't help but laughed at myself. How could I be intimidated by this lowlife in front of me. I shouldn't be scared.

He wasn't my father.

And I was Airi, not Li Fei.

So, I shouldn't be immersing myself in Li Fei's trauma. I was who I was despite the shell I was currently wearing.

"I asked you 'what is she?'. I didn't call her a mistress. You assumed it." I smirked. "So, based on your assumption, you did consider this woman as a mistress."

"What-" He was about to lash at me again as he got his stick ready in his grip. But, I stopped him halfway.

"If you denied that, then how come you were able to guess what I was implying in my question?"

He scoffed, looking at me like I was nothing compared to him. "Don't get smart with me, kid. From your words just now, you did think of her as a mistress. The pot calling the kettle black."

I chuckled as I repeated his phrase, "The pot calling the kettle black."

I asked him then, "Well, is she not a mistress? It's not like our mother is dead. You divorced her, Huang Lijie."

"Shut up!" He shouted, "Do you have no respect?! You unfilial bastard! Calling me, your father by name? How dare you! And she isn't a mistress, I legally married her after divorcing your mother! Do you even know what a 'mistress' is?"

He laughed in ridicule as he said, "A mistress is someone like you."

I chuckled more loudly this time and I took a step forward, challenging him. "First of all, yes, I have zero respect for you. You should be grateful that I still call you Huang Lijie rather some animal names because the fact is, it is more suitable for a creature like you."

"You!" Huang Lijie raised his free hand and was about to slap me once again, but unfortunately for him, I saw it coming from the corner of my eyes. Thus, I successfully evaded it by retreating two steps back. He stumbled from missing his target.

I laughed sneeringly at him. "Now, now, old man. Don't get too excited first. I'm not finished yet. So, stop swinging your hand randomly like some retards."

"You better stop now or-"

"Let me get the other issue out of the way first before you start yapping again." Afterwards, I turned to everybody. I could see how dreadful and dumbstruck their faces were as their eyes watched me. I smiled, bearing all their gazes upon me because this was the effect that I wanted. They should think twice now before they came at me.

"I'd like to clarify things now. Since the mass has called me the mistress even though I was the one who legally married to Lu Tianfeng, I won't deny it then since the biggest vote always wins." I turned back to the old man afterwards and asked him, "So, Huang Lijie, if I am the well-known mistress, how the hell did I not know what a mistress is?"

It was silence for a while after that until all of the sudden, Huang Lijie broke out in laughter. But when he lifted his head again, it was pure rage and contempt.

"I'm done playing this game," he said grimly before he raised the stick at me for the second time.

I narrowed my eyes and was about to grab it when suddenly, Huang Qian interfered again. He blocked the stick with his hand. "Stop it, Dad!"

"You son of a bitch!" Huang Lijie growled.

I saw him moving his leg then and out of reflex, I pushed Huang Qian out of the way. A straight kick landed on my waist. It sent me groveling on the floor again. I felt the electrifying pain burning my side and a groan escaped from my lips.