Chapter 28 - 1#
Phoenix Man (14)#
Wang’s father was startled by the voice, but once he recovered, he wailed even louder. The young man in the hoodie directly pulled him up from the ground, grabbing Wang’s father by the collar, his tone fierce: “What are you howling about? This is a courthouse. You don’t have a single scratch on you. If you keep howling, I’ll sue you for harassment and have you sent straight to the authorities!”
At the mention of “authorities,” Wang’s father faltered a bit. Before he could react further, this suddenly appearing young man twisted the hand he was trying to grab with, accompanied by Wang’s father letting out a cry of pain—the young man had actually dislocated his wrist.
He warned Wang’s father with extreme viciousness: “I’m someone who respects the elderly and loves the young, but an old scoundrel like you doesn’t fall into that category. Believe me, if you keep causing trouble, I don’t mind taking a trip to the station either. Breaking one of your legs would only cost me a few days of ’education’ and a bit of compensation.”
He gave Qiao Yi a look, signaling him to take the chance to leave while he held the man back. After all, these kinds of shameless ruffians were like sticky plasters—hard to shake off once they latched on.
When dealing with unreasonable people, reasoning with them is useless. You have to use force and overwhelm them with your presence, being even more fierce than they are.
This hoodie-wearing good Samaritan had most of his face covered by a mask, but those familiar with him could still recognize him at a glance.
Wang Cheng, who hadn’t reacted earlier, widened his eyes in disbelief, a name escaping his lips: “Yu Zhao?”
His voice carried a hint of hesitation, as if he couldn’t quite believe his own guess.
The young man paused, then swiftly pulled off his hood and mask, revealing a young, handsome face. He stopped lowering his voice: “Yes, it’s me.”
Thinking of the two-pronged preparations Qiao Yi had made, a terrifying thought surfaced in Wang Cheng’s mind. He clenched his fists, his eyes bloodshot as he stared at Yu Zhao’s face: “You two are playing me?”
No wonder Qiao Yi had been on guard against him from the start and had gathered evidence so easily—it had to be because these two had teamed up to set him up in a honeytrap!
Hearing this, Yu Zhao couldn’t help but roll his eyes. How could someone be so shameless? He was the one who hid his marital status first, and now he was trying to shift the blame.
Even if Yu Zhao had no intention of scheming, would Wang Cheng have fallen for it if he hadn’t harbored ulterior motives? A scumbag like him deserved whatever he got!
Wang’s father looked at the unmasked young man, then at his suddenly agitated son.
His mind didn’t work as fast as the younger generation’s, and he wasn’t quite sure what was happening, but one thing he could confirm: this young man was on Qiao Yi’s side and seemed to have teamed up with Qiao Yi to screw over his son.
Rage surged within him. With his hand still held, he mustered all his strength and charged at Yu Zhao. Unable to use his dislocated wrist, he bit down.
Caught off guard, Yu Zhao was bitten squarely. He instinctively let go, and Wang’s father, losing his support, tumbled to the ground, landing hard on his backside and letting out another cry of pain.
The young man frowned, about to act, but Qiao Yi gave him a meaningful look from across the way. He turned his head and noticed that the lawyer, who had been pushed to the ground by Wang’s father earlier, had disappeared from the scene. Now, he was returning with a uniformed person holding a stun baton.
Yu Zhao understood immediately and pulled Wang’s father back up from the ground.
With two crisp “cracks,” he nimbly popped Wang’s father’s dislocated arm back into place.
The pain made Wang’s father yell loudly, but when he shook his arm—hey, it had strength again! He was about to start clawing when a judicial police officer in a navy-blue uniform stood before them: “What’s going on here?”
The lawyer quickly pointed at Wang’s father and said, “It’s him. He used violence and coercion to threaten my client, severely disrupting the order of the People’s Court.”
Although they had left the courtroom, they were still on the courthouse premises, and it was during working hours. Wang’s father’s antics affected more than just them.
No matter how tough a ruffian might be, facing someone in a uniform always made them falter. Wang’s father stopped wailing and pointed at Qiao Yi and Yu Zhao instead: “It’s not my fault! They laid hands on an old man like me first. Those two are lovers, scheming together to screw over my son. If you’re going to arrest anyone, arrest them! In ancient times, people like them would’ve been drowned in a pig cage!”
He looked at Yu Zhao—dressed simply, but with a face and eyes that were way too alluring. Connecting that to what his son had said about “you two are playing me,” he concluded that this must be the fox spirit who had gotten together with Qiao Yi.
Back during the wedding, Qiao Yi had seemed so loving with his son, even putting up with his own harsh demands. But now, he was so heartless as to want a divorce. Men only turned so cruel if there was someone else outside.
He glared viciously at Yu Zhao. If not for the police officer being there, he would have spat right in that shameless little fox spirit’s face.
Yu Zhao had been quite angry before, but after hearing Wang’s father’s words, he laughed instead. Pointing at the latter’s nose and cursing him as the “other man”—how was he supposed to live his life or make a living after that?
He was deceived, which just made him foolish, too trusting of past memories and a so-called acquaintance who professed to admire him. But Wang Cheng? Intentional marriage fraud—that was pure malice.
He originally had a stall set up near the school. If his mother hadn’t gotten into an accident, he’d planned to take over a clothing shop near the campus and turn it into a snack joint.
Although college was a microcosm of society, it was still purer than other places. If this “other man” business got out and spread around the university, his business would definitely suffer.
Wang’s father thought he was so tough just because he could make a scene? Back in the countryside, Yu Zhao had seen plenty of that. He wasn’t afraid of this old scoundrel.
“Go ahead, make a big scene! Bring everyone over. Then we’ll talk in front of everyone and see who really deserves to be drowned in a pig cage!”
When it came to volume, he had spent years shouting to attract customers. His trained vocal cords were definitely no worse than this old scoundrel’s.
Wang’s father was left stunned by his rapid-fire tirade. Meanwhile, the judicial police officer seemed to be on Qiao Yi’s side. He turned to look at his capable son, the one he had always been so proud of.
Wang Cheng, who had remained silent until now, finally stepped forward and pulled his old father up: “Enough. This isn’t the place to talk. Qiao Yi, I hope we can speak privately later. Leave some room, don’t push people too far.”
He cast a cold glance at Yu Zhao. Wang’s father was still going: “No, Wang Cheng, explain this to them! What’s with this little fox spirit?”
But his words were cut off by Wang Cheng’s impatient retort: “Enough! Stop causing trouble! Don’t make me lose any more face!”
None of Yu Zhao’s harsh words had hurt Wang’s father as much as Wang Cheng’s single statement. The old man obediently shut up and let his son drag him out of the courthouse.
They had arrived in Wang Cheng’s car, and they left in the same one. Qiao Yi watched the car disappear from his sight, then turned his attention to someone trying to slip away unnoticed: “Mr. Yu, wait a moment.”
Yu Zhao clearly didn’t register that “Mr. Yu” was him and kept walking toward the courthouse exit without looking back.
Qiao Yi had to correct himself: “Yu Zhao, wait a moment.”
This time, Yu Zhao stopped. He turned around and asked Qiao Yi, “Is there anything else?”
Qiao Yi had performed well in court and hadn’t needed Yu Zhao’s help. Now that everything was over, it was time for him to go.
Qiao Yi walked over and glanced at Yu Zhao’s hand: “How did you get here?”
Yu Zhao answered honestly, “By bus.”
He did have an electric scooter, but it was too far; no way he was riding that thing over.
Qiao Yi then said, “Then take my car. I’ll give you a ride?”
Yu Zhao looked at Qiao Yi’s lawyer: “No need, I don’t want to trouble you.”
Qiao Yi followed his gaze: “Lawyer Zhang has his own car. I have time. Get in my car.”
Yu Zhao didn’t refuse again: “Then thank you.”
He got into Qiao Yi’s car and gave his address—the same small house from their first meeting.
Qiao Yi started the engine. Although a lot had happened today, Yu Zhao felt a bit embarrassed about having charged in like that earlier. He looked out the window, but as they drove, something felt off. “Wait, this doesn’t seem like the way to my place.”
Qiao Yi replied, “You’re smart. It’s not.”
Yu Zhao immediately tensed up: “Then where are we going?”
“I’m taking you to get your hand treated.”
Qiao Yi glanced at Yu Zhao’s instinctively covered hand in the rearview mirror: “It got bitten. It needs to be disinfected.”
Yu Zhao let out a dry laugh: “It’s just a bite. I’m not that delicate.”
Qiao Yi said seriously, “Even a dog bite requires a rabies shot. Getting bitten by a mad dog is no different. It’s better to get it properly disinfected.”
Human teeth were very sharp, and Wang’s father had obviously used a lot of force. A deep tooth mark was visible, with broken skin and some bleeding.
He paused and added, “After all, you got bitten because you were helping me. Just to put my mind at ease, get the wound taken care of, okay?”
With Qiao Yi putting it that way, refusing would seem ungrateful. Yu Zhao had no choice but to say, “Then thank you.”
The car drove smoothly along the road. Although it wasn’t rush hour, the traffic was a bit heavy due to the upcoming holidays.
The car came to a brief stop. Several minutes passed with no sign of movement. Yu Zhao stared out the window, surrounded by cars in every direction. He had nearly bored a hole through the signs on the buildings outside, even counting the number of characters on one.
The awkward silence was unbearable, so he decided to pull out his phone and play a game.
The reason he hadn’t done so earlier was that he got carsick easily, and looking down at his phone while playing made it worse. Besides, sitting in the passenger seat and burying his head in his phone felt like treating the driver like a random taxi driver—a bit rude.
Just then, Qiao Yi spoke up: “I’m very grateful you came today.”
Yu Zhao scratched his hair a bit sheepishly: “Oh, it’s nothing. It’s what I should have done. Besides, I promised you before. If needed, I’d definitely testify.”
Perhaps the awkwardness of being alone together made him babble: “I tend to ramble a bit. Hope you don’t find it annoying.”
Qiao Yi looked at the young man with the slightly flushed face: “I don’t find it annoying. You’re very cute.”
Yu Zhao’s face turned even redder. He knew the other probably meant it as a polite compliment, but it still caught him off guard with shyness.
He cleared his throat: “Actually, I should thank you too. Like you said before, if you hadn’t warned me, I might have really become the ‘other man’ that everyone wants to chase out of town. I wouldn’t have been able to explain myself.”
He felt that even without him, Qiao Yi could have easily divorced Wang Cheng. He was just a minor part of the other’s plan.
The car finally started moving again. Qiao Yi slowly turned the steering wheel left and right as he spoke: “No, you are very important. You were the catalyst. Without you, things might not have gone so smoothly. And when Wang Cheng’s father was harassing me, you stepped up to help. Don’t sell yourself short.”
As if to show he really didn’t mind Yu Zhao’s chatter, he deliberately said a bit more.
“By the way, the way you twisted Wang Cheng’s father’s arm earlier was very crisp. Have you practiced martial arts?”
Qiao Yi himself wasn’t frail, but he hadn’t acted earlier mainly because Wang’s father was, after all, his ex-husband’s biological father.
Constrained by reputation, fighting back would have brought its own concerns.
“No, all my elective P.E. courses in freshman year were billiards. Besides, I didn’t have the money or time to learn martial arts.” Talking about his past, Yu Zhao showed no shame; in fact, he seemed cheerful: “Honestly, I don’t have any skills. I just do a lot of physical work and have some strength.”
As a small business owner, he was used to moving stoves and goods around. After doing it for a year or so, he naturally built up his strength.
As for fighting skills, he’d had quite a few brawls. When his business was doing well, thugs and troublemakers would come looking for trouble, and he’d personally dealt with them until they were subdued.
But talking about such things in front of a refined person like Qiao Yi felt like it might turn him off.
Remembering the look Wang Cheng had given him before leaving and the harsh words he’d thrown, Yu Zhao grew a bit worried. He asked Qiao Yi with concern: “You’ve seen what the Wang family is like. I don’t like Wang Cheng, but there is some truth to the saying that even a cornered rabbit will bite. Someone like him, if you push him too hard, who knows what he’ll do? And his father has no shame at all.”
In most cases, shameless people had an easier time in life because they had thick skin and no qualms about any means necessary.
The car finally started picking up speed. Qiao Yi passed through a traffic light and said, “There’s no need to worry too much about that. The court will freeze the assets, and after redistribution, I’ll find another place to live and change jobs.”
It wasn’t impossible that Wang’s father would show up at his company to cause trouble and affect his work, but after he switched jobs, could the old man really track him down everywhere he went?
Besides, Qiao Yi planned to start his own company—be his own boss in venture capital. That way, he wouldn’t have to worry about anyone firing him.
“That sounds good. As long as you’re capable, you can make it anywhere.” Yu Zhao said with a hint of emotion: “With a father like Wang’s, I don’t know what kind of person would be stupid enough to go for his son. Even if they were blind, they’d eventually be driven apart by all his meddling.”
As soon as he said that, he felt Qiao Yi staring at him with a strange look.
He stopped mid-sentence: “Why are you looking at me like that? Did I say something wrong?”
He quickly replayed his words in his head. Ah, he had said something that could be easily misunderstood. He quickly explained: “I didn’t mean you! I just think Wang’s father is way too good at stirring up trouble.”
Qiao Yi shook his head and calmly reminded him: “You just insulted yourself.”
Yu Zhao was right. He also thought that the original Qiao Yi had indeed had water in his brain. That was a fact, so of course he wouldn’t get angry about it.
Realizing this belatedly, Yu Zhao’s dry laugh appeared again in the rearview mirror.
“Right, I really was blind. I couldn’t even spot a scumbag.”
Qiao Yi thought about the original timeline, where Yu Zhao had ended up with Wang Cheng and even had a child with him. Perhaps back then, Yu Zhao’s business had started to thrive, making him financially independent, and coupled with his willingness to undergo that transformation surgery for Wang Cheng’s sake…
Given his grandson, Wang’s father probably would have been able to get along with Yu Zhao somewhat peacefully. At least based on his performance at the courthouse earlier, Yu Zhao wasn’t someone who would just let himself be pushed around.
Qiao Yi spoke up to defend the current Yu Zhao: “Not necessarily. Being a scumbag is sometimes relative. A person can be a scumbag to one while being deeply devoted to another. Besides, Wang Cheng’s appearance isn’t bad.”
Although they also came from a rural background, with both fathers working the land, Wang Cheng had been pampered by his parents. Even in school, he rarely did any farm work. He was fair-skinned, refined-looking, and knew how to take care of himself.
Setting aside his inner character, in terms of looks, he could indeed be considered outstanding.
Hearing Qiao Yi’s explanation, Yu Zhao felt a bit better. The car drove through a dimly lit tunnel, and a few minutes later, it stopped in front of a pharmacy.