Chapter 3: Defying the Heavens — How Dare She Hit My Son?

Li Yongge gave his son some money to go out and buy some tonics and mineral water. After staying in the hospital room for a bit, he saw that it was getting late and prepared to leave.

Yuan Huilan stayed behind to take care of her daughter.

Li Zhi asked them to see Fu Tingzhou off. “Commander Fu, I’m sorry you had to witness that mess. You can go now. My mom will stay and take care of me.”

Fu Tingzhou replied, “Alright, I’ll come by again tomorrow.”

Since it wasn’t appropriate for a man and woman to stay together alone, even though he was technically involved in the incident, it wasn’t proper for him to stick around and take care of her.

Her engagement with Lu Yanzhi had already been approved. If she wanted to break it off, she might still need Fu Tingzhou’s help with the withdrawal application and process. It wouldn’t hurt to owe him this favor.

“Okay, I understand. Thank you,” she said, trying hard to squeeze out a smile. Anyone with eyes could see how forced it was.

Her eyes were red, tears still clung to her face—like a gardenia battered by a storm, looking as if she could break at any moment. It stirred up a deep sense of pity in anyone who saw her.

Fu Tingzhou also felt that Lu Yanzhi had crossed the line.

That’s why earlier, while standing in the hospital room’s corner, he didn’t even bother to greet him.

Li Moli was acquainted with Lu Yanzhi’s younger sister, Lu Jiaxin.

She had seen pictures of Fu Tingzhou at the Lu family’s house and knew a bit about his background. He grew up in a prestigious military family in Beijing, with relatives holding high positions in the army. At only 28, he was already a regiment commander—a man with a bright future.

If Lu Jiaxin found out that Li Zhi was “seducing” Fu Tingzhou… well, there would be a good show to watch.

She had always acted like the obedient good girl in front of her brothers, making Li Zhi seem like the unruly, disobedient one. But she couldn’t be too obvious in targeting her.

So, she planned to stir Lu Jiaxin into action and then reap the benefits from the sidelines.

Downstairs, Su Xuewei, who had been guarding her daughter’s hospital bed, saw Lu Yanzhi walk in with a dark expression. She guessed that he’d been humiliated upstairs, and her eyes glinted with a flash of cold intent.

Wearing a face full of guilt, she muttered softly, “Yanzhi, I’m sorry. It’s all my fault for not taking good care of Huanhuan and causing such a scene at the wedding. I’ll go explain things to Li Zhi and ask her to forgive you.”

“Don’t go to her. She’s gone crazy and hit me with a water bottle.”

“Don’t say that. She’s a woman. She went through such a huge grievance at the wedding—it’s normal for her to be angry. It was all my and Huanhuan’s fault for ruining the ceremony. Let me go apologize. As long as she can forgive you and you two can still have a good life together, I’m willing to do anything.”

“Xuewei, you don’t have to blame yourself. It was my choice. Huanhuan was burning up all over. The doctor said if we’d brought her any later, she might’ve become brain-damaged. I don’t regret what I did. Huanhuan is Zhenxing’s only child. I’ll take care of her for life.”

He never liked Li Zhi. Marrying her was just a way to compensate for the guilt he felt after his mother injured her back, which caused Li Zhi to miss her college entrance exam.

He had grown up with Lin Xuewei. She was the only one in his heart, and he couldn’t bear to let her suffer.

…

That night, the two of them stayed at the bedside, waiting for the child to wake up. One night passed in a blur. Before dawn, gossip had already spread throughout the hospital.

Doctors, nurses, and patients’ families all knew what had happened, and were whispering among themselves.

During the wedding, the groom rushed off to save a child’s life, leaving the bride behind—that could be barely excused.

But now, with his fiancée lying in a hospital bed with a concussion after being hit by a car, he didn’t even visit her once. Instead, he stayed with his widowed sister-in-law and her child all night.

Who would believe there was nothing improper between them?

People weren’t idiots.

They claimed the child belonged to a war buddy, but anyone who didn’t know better would think the kid was theirs.

The doctors and nurses who had examined Li Zhi all looked at her with sympathy in their eyes.

But no one dared say anything in front of her—her situation was too pitiful.

Yuan Huilan went out to fetch water and breakfast, and while coming and going, she overheard plenty of gossip.

“Call off the engagement! Call it off immediately!”

She muttered as she observed Li Zhi’s reaction.

Li Zhi replied calmly, “I’ll do whatever Mom says.” Yuan Huilan was stunned—she didn’t see any trace of sadness or resistance in her daughter’s expression.

It felt serious.

“Why are you looking at me like that, Mom? Don’t you believe me? I’ve never lied to you. Whatever Li Moli says, you all believe it, but when it’s me, no one does.” Li Zhi’s eyes turned red as she turned her head away, her hands clutching the blanket.

She had grown up in the countryside, suffering verbal and physical abuse that made her insecure. When she returned to the Li family, she threw her whole heart into Lu Yanzhi and the Lu family, which ended up disappointing her own family.

The Li family had always tried to be fair between her and Li Moli. It was she who was too obsessed with Lu Yanzhi, neglecting herself and those around her, eventually alienating her family to the point of no return.

She had once resented the Li family for not helping her, but it wasn’t until she gave birth to an ungrateful child that she finally understood what that bitterness felt like.

She was trying to mend her relationship with the Li family, but if she couldn’t, then so be it.

In this lifetime, she would only love herself. She had no more love to give anyone else.

“Zhizhi, don’t cry, don’t cry. Mom believes you now. I didn’t want to keep it from you—everyone in the hospital is saying that Lu Yanzhi spent the night downstairs with that Lin Xuewei and her child.

A man like that has no sense of boundaries, doesn’t even know how to avoid suspicion, and still won’t break off the engagement. If he hadn’t run so fast yesterday, your dad and your third brother would’ve given him a beating.”

Li Zhi shook her head. “No, don’t.”

Yuan Huilan shot up from her seat, so angry she wanted to hit someone. “You little fool! Are you still thinking about him? After everything he’s done to you?”

Li Zhi shrank her neck, pretending to be scared, and shook her head again. “I’m not. He’s a soldier, I’m just afraid Dad and Third Brother might get hurt. If only Big Brother and Second Brother were here.”

Li Yongge had served in the army, but now he was getting old.

Her eldest brother served at the southwestern border, the second was in the police force, and the third brother was in the province’s top engineering school, majoring in architecture—physically the weakest of the three.

Lu Yanzhi was a battalion commander—not someone ordinary people could beat.

Yuan Huilan patted her chest and let out a sigh of relief. “So that’s what it was. Mom misunderstood. Now I can relax. I was just afraid you’d be too stubborn and regret it later.”

She looked over and saw Li Zhi had pulled the blanket over her head.

“Zhizhi, what’s wrong?”

A muffled voice came from under the blanket. “You still don’t believe me. Whatever Li Moli says, you all believe.”

Yuan Huilan began to reflect. Thinking back to the hard life Li Zhi had lived in the countryside made her chest ache with sorrow.

Her daughter had suffered too much.

She quickly reassured her. “Zhizhi, I believe you. I’ll always believe you. I’ll make sure your dad and your three brothers all believe you too. Don’t cover yourself up—be careful not to suffocate.”

Li Zhi pulled the blanket down. “Thank you, Mom.”

Yuan Huilan gently smoothed her messy hair. “What are you thanking me for? No need to be so formal with your mother. Sigh… It’s my fault I lost you and didn’t give you a proper education. We won’t stop you from dating, but you can’t give up your studies or your career for it.

If you give your whole life to a family and let a man go out and succeed, once he does, he might look down on you for being useless, for aging, and for only ever asking him for money.

Even if you find someone who truly loves you, you can’t give up work. A couple who aren’t on the same frequency will face more and more problems the longer they’re together.”

Back then, while Li Yongge served in the military, she worked as a teacher in a government school.

Later, when her husband started a clothing factory, she became the factory’s manager.

Li Zhi thought what her mom said made a lot of sense and nodded in agreement. “Thank you, Mom. I understand now.”

…

Early the next morning—

The Lu family also came to the hospital, but went downstairs first to check on Cheng Huan.

While Lu Yanzhi had stepped out for some air, Lin Xuewei “accidentally” let it slip that Li Zhi had hit Lu Yanzhi with a water bottle and said she wanted to call off the engagement.

Madam Lu, Chen Guizhen, flew into a rage. “This is outrageous! She dares hit my son?! I’m going to confront her myself!”