Chapter 16: The Sins of the Zhou Family

 “Second son! You know the saying, ‘Family scandals should not be aired in public.’ How much more shame do you want to bring to our Zhou family before you’re satisfied? I and your mother raised you for so long, it was all in vain!”

Zhou Youlu’s voice was deep and heavy. His cloudy eyes were bloodshot, staring fiercely at Zhou Yu. It wasn’t the look of a father towards his son, but rather the look of an enemy he wished dead.

Wen Yaowu shouted at Zhou Youlu, “What the hell are you yelling about? Brother Yu never intended to expose these rotten things about your Zhou family! If it wasn’t…”

Wen Yaowu’s voice choked up. He glared at the Zhou family, “If it wasn’t for Brother Yu saving me, taking the hit for me, his leg wouldn’t have been injured. My Brother Yu… he thought… he thought he might not survive, so he was delirious when he told me about the outrageous things this bunch of scumbags did.”

Wen Yaowu’s words chilled the atmosphere in the Zhou family courtyard, making it colder than the depths of winter.

The Zhou family members hung their heads, their mouths shut tight. They had been chattering away just moments ago, but now they couldn’t utter a single word.

Wen Yaowu wished he could strangle these scumbags. “What do you mean ‘bad character,’ ‘bad company,’ and ‘ex-convicts are no good?’”

Wen Yaowu glared at each member of the Zhou family, one by one, and roared back, “What the hell gives you Zhou family members the right to say such things? Look at yourselves, you’re not even worthy to say such things.”

“The one who should be in jail is Zhou Hongguang, damn it! If it wasn’t for the change in national policy this year, which revoked Brother Yu’s charge of speculation and profiteering, my brother would have been locked up for ten years before he could come out. Now you’re all blaming him, one after another. If you had a shred of shame, a bit of guilt, you wouldn’t be this sickeningly disgusting family.”

Wen Yaowu’s words not only shattered the Zhou family’s attempt to bury their sins in oblivion, exposing their ugly faces for all to see, but also struck Xu An like a heavy hammer, shattering her skull and ringing in her ears, clearing away all the previous fog.

No wonder the Zhou family disliked Zhou Yu but couldn’t do anything about him.

No wonder the Zhou family fell silent whenever Zhou Yu mentioned prison or his leg.

No wonder the Zhou family could casually pull anyone off the street and force them to marry Zhou Yu, while all the housing and money were skewed against him.

This despicable family, in order to cover for Zhou Hongguang, pushed Zhou Yu out as a scapegoat, without any burden or remorse.

Xu An’s gaze fell upon the man beside her, and everything made sense.

Zhou Yu’s bitter words, his sharp tongue, were all sharp knives erected in his chest. These knives were thrust into his heart by the Zhou family, leaving wounds that bled profusely, then healed and scarred, becoming his own sharp blades to strike back at his enemies.

The head of this family, every single one of them, were all upright gentlemen, presentable and well-mannered, putting on a facade. Only Zhou Yu was disfigured.

“Second son, this matter, it’s true that your parents are wrong to you.”

Zhou Youlu sighed, looking at Zhou Yu, the deep wrinkles on his face filled with helplessness.

“But, at that time, under those circumstances, you should understand our choice. It was all for the good of the entire Zhou family.”

He looked at Zhou Hongguang and explained the reasons for their actions back then, the same excuse he used three years ago. “At that time, only Hongguang had a job in our family. If he went to jail, our entire family would be ruined, we would never be able to recover.”

Then he looked at Zhou Shuwen, who was hanging his head. “Back then, Shuwen had just finished high school, he was about to become a college student, his future was bright.”

“And our only daughter, Dandan, she’s just a little girl, if she went to jail, she would be eaten alive.”

“You weren’t studying back then, you didn’t know what you were messing around with. But for this family, someone has to make sacrifices.”

Zhou Youlu’s words were all rational, all for the sake of the Zhou family. Zhou Yu was just a powerless sacrifice.

“Finished?” Zhou Yu asked casually.

No one dared to answer him. Zhou Yu didn’t care. He took a large step towards Zhou Youlu, sneered, “You’re my father, you asked your son to take the blame, how could your son refuse?”

“But I still remember the day I came back, you stared at my crippled leg, like you were looking at a piece of trash, afraid that I would disgrace you in this alley. Remember? Hmm?”

His tone was flat, Zhou Youlu’s chest heaved violently. He wanted to retort but was speechless. He knew that his second son was speaking the truth. Having a son who had been in jail and was now crippled was enough to shame him.

All the guilt he had felt for Zhou Yu’s three years in prison vanished, replaced by disgust, provoked by his son’s return, his limping gait, and his carefree, hooligan-like demeanor.

Zhou Yu ignored him, his mocking gaze falling on his mother. “You went through a lot of trouble to get rid of this nuisance, didn’t you?”

He then glanced at Xu An, seeing the redness in her eyes, he paused, shifted his gaze, and said nonchalantly, “But the wife you found for me, I’m quite satisfied. I don’t know if you’re satisfied.”

Pan Hehua, of course, was not satisfied. She knew that her son was taunting her for her failed attempt to steal something. She clutched her chest, too angry to speak.

Next, Zhou Yu limped over to Zhou Shuwen, chuckling as he praised him, “Third brother has always been the smartest in this family, knowing how to benefit and avoid harm. You’re a beneficiary, but you pretend to be innocent. You know everyone wanted me to take the blame, hoping that the eldest brother would be able to support you in college, so you kept quiet and received all the benefits.”

He stared intently at Zhou Shuwen, “Dad said you were taking the college entrance exam back then. If I had been studying, I would have been in college by then. No one knows this better than you, right, third brother?”

Zhou Yu’s grades were better than Zhou Shuwen’s. Back then, the family was struggling financially, so he stepped aside, giving Zhou Shuwen the opportunity, which now became a sharp blade to mock him, cutting him to the bone.

Zhou Yu moved from Zhou Shuwen to Zhou Dandan, who was hiding behind him. His expression was calm. Before he went to jail, he had been the kindest to his only sister. He never imagined that when his mother suggested he take the blame, it was this sister who was the first to push him out.

He still remembered how his most beloved sister, with the most innocent words, pierced his heart, leaving it bleeding.

“Big brother has a job, he can’t go to jail. Third brother is taking the college entrance exam. Second brother, you’re the most useless. What’s the big deal if you go to jail for a few years?”

A few years in jail? Ten years, dismissed by his sister with a casual sentence.

Zhou Yu stared at Zhou Dandan, who was burying her head. “The eldest brother has a job, he can give you a little bit of living expenses. The third brother can go to college, you can brag about it.

“When I came back, I wished I had died in jail and never returned.”

Zhou Yu’s face contorted, his gaze sweeping across the Zhou family, tearing open the wounds of three years ago, squeezing out pus and blood, offering a sacrifice to the naive him of three years ago.

Finally, he walked step by step towards Zhou Hongguang, a malicious smile spreading across his face. He bent down slowly, meeting Zhou Hongguang’s eyes.

“Big brother, do you remember how you knelt down and begged me three years ago?”

Zhou Hongguang’s face darkened. That was a memory he couldn’t bear to recall, his dignity trampled underfoot, how could he forget.

Zhou Yu didn’t need him to answer. He stared at Zhou Hongguang with a mocking look, “I’ll remember it for the rest of my life. You kneeling on the ground, begging desperately and crying your eyes out. That was much more pleasing to the eye than your current, nauseating, hypocritical act.”

“Second son, what happened three years ago, I was wrong to you. You don’t need to mock the whole family one by one. It was all my fault. If I had gone to jail back then, you wouldn’t be like this now.”

He stared at Zhou Yu, sighing.

Zhou Yu’s lips curled slightly, he squinted at Zhou Hongguang, “What do you mean ‘like this’? I couldn’t be more satisfied.”

“You’re just saying that out of anger. I know you’re angry with us. Back then, Mom and Dad just made the most correct decision for the whole family. It was wrong of us to you. After you came back, everyone in the family has been giving in to you, letting you hit and smash things. You should have calmed down by now.”

Zhou Hongguang’s voice was steady, he spoke calmly and reasonably.

Zhou Yu stared at Zhou Hongguang, as if trying to tear through his pupils and shred the hypocrisy hidden in his eyes. Laughter welled up in his chest, bubbling up from his throat.

“Big brother, the day I came back, you stared at my crippled leg, and in those eyes, so well-disguised, there was clearly a flicker of delight.”

“You hated me for kneeling three years ago, didn’t you?”

“Did you particularly hate me? Did you think I was a fool three years ago, that I didn’t understand the situation and didn’t step forward to take the blame, and you had to kneel down and beg me?”

Zhou Yu’s voice was chilling, piercing straight into Zhou Hongguang’s heart. The glossy surface was scratched, revealing the dirty ugliness beneath.

Zhou Hongguang’s expression remained unchanged. He clenched his jaw, his hands clenched into fists at his sides, his tongue pressed against his teeth as he spoke in a low voice.

“Second son, Big brother never meant that. What happened three years ago can’t be changed now. It’s over. Even if you’ve vented your anger today, if you need Big brother’s help in the future, I will help you. As for the rest, do as you please.”

“Who said I’m done venting my anger today? Didn’t I say, don’t provoke me? Since Big brother has a clear conscience, I happen to have nothing better to do. I’ll just spread the word around the alley tomorrow. Your factory isn’t far away, right? Do you need me to go over and pay you a visit?”

“Second son! Don’t push your luck. The family has given you everything you deserve. What good will it do you to destroy this family?”

Zhou Hongguang shouted angrily, but a flicker of fear flashed in his eyes.

Zhou Yu clicked his tongue, clapping his hands in satisfaction. “It’s truly comforting to see your ugly face, flushed with anger, matching your filthy heart. Don’t pretend to be a human for too long and forget that you’re a beast. If you keep pretending to be human, you’ll never be able to change your beastly habits.”

“You!”

The composure on Zhou Hongguang’s face vanished completely. He glared at Zhou Yu, his eyes filled with anger and hatred.

Zhou Yu had successfully provoked everyone in the Zhou family, and he returned to his position opposite them, nonchalant.

Xu An tilted her head slightly, looking at Zhou Yu beside her. In all his twisted words, she only knew one thing: this man was shattered and broken, scarred all over, by his so-called family after he returned from three years in prison.

Zhou Yu noticed the woman’s gaze, he glanced at her lazily, then shifted his gaze back to the Zhou family, who were now silent as crickets. His voice, laced with warning, pierced through the entire courtyard.

“If you still want to save face, keep your tails between your legs in front of me. I won’t do what I didn’t do three years ago, go ahead and try me again.”

Three years ago, Zhou Yu was forced by his parents, begged by his brother, ignored by his younger brother, and stabbed in the heart by his sister.

The eyes of the whole family were fixed on Zhou Yu, who was nineteen years old at the time. In the end, the young man was taken away silently.

Never again.