Chapter 25: A Shrew’s Rampage
Shanshan wasn’t about to be left out, cheering loudly for Yang Dapeng.
"Uncle Yang! Go! You’re the best!"
The two girls tried to outdo each other with their cheers.
The two men in the ring were completely unfazed.
For Cao Daqiang, this wasn’t just a match—it was his chance for a comeback.
The pressure from Yang Dapeng was immense, and he didn’t dare let his guard down for a moment.
As for Yang Dapeng, while confident he would win, he didn’t want to make Cao Daqiang’s defeat too humiliating.
It was an incredibly difficult balance to strike.
After all, his past experience was in dealing with enemies, where he always fought ruthlessly.
Cao Daqiang went on the offensive immediately, each strike aimed at a vital point.
Yang Dapeng dodged effortlessly.
The leaders watching from below the stage nodded in approval.
"It looks like Dapeng has recovered very well. This is great! The compound’s ace is finally back."
"Mm, at this rate, it looks like the original candidate will have to be replaced."
Unaware that his worst fear was already coming true, Cao Daqiang desperately searched for an opening in Yang Dapeng’s defense.
He gritted his teeth, charging forward again and again.
Punches, leg sweeps, feints—all were useless.
His opponent’s defense was impenetrable; he couldn’t find a single opportunity.
On the surface, the two seemed evenly matched.
But anyone with a trained eye could see that Yang Dapeng wasn’t even fully warmed up.
As his assault continued to fail, Cao Daqiang grew increasingly frantic.
As he turned, his footing became unsteady, and his movements suddenly left an opening.
Yang Dapeng’s eyes flashed. He lunged forward, landing a straight punch right below Cao Daqiang’s ribs!
Cao Daqiang stumbled back three steps before staggering off the edge of the ring.
The match was over. Yang Dapeng was the victor.
"Wow! That was so cool! Uncle Yang is amazing! He won! He won!"
Shanshan danced around with joy.
The entire crowd immediately erupted into thunderous applause.
Liu Yingzi’s face turned livid. She grabbed her child’s wrist and started to push her way out of the crowd.
Zhang Yunhua had been waiting for this moment. There was no way she would let her just slip away.
"Oh my, what’s wrong with Mr. Liu?"
Zhang Yunhua planted her hands on her hips, her voice loud and sharp.
"Running away just because you lost? Aren’t you going to comfort your man? Or are you just a sore loser who can’t stand the embarrassment?"
"Don’t be so arrogant, Zhang Yunhua."
Liu Yingzi said through gritted teeth, her voice dangerously low.
"You should know when to let someone save face, not push them to the brink."
"What’s that supposed to mean?"
Zhang Yunhua’s eyes widened, her eyebrows shooting up.
"Don’t think you’re so high and mighty just because you can read a few words! Looking down on us common folk!"
She hadn’t even finished elementary school, so she had no idea what Liu Yingzi meant by "letting someone save face."
But she understood one thing: ’This woman is insulting me!’
"Auntie, she’s asking you to be merciful and let her off the hook," Shanshan explained in a low voice.
"Otherwise, it means you’re being unreasonable."
Hearing this, Liu Yingzi’s face instantly flushed crimson.
She instinctively glanced around, afraid someone might have overheard. She was so embarrassed she didn’t know what to do with herself.
"Let *her* off the hook?"
When Zhang Yunhua heard that, her anger flared up in an instant.
"The fact that I’m not cursing her out right now is me being more than generous!"
She planted her hands on her hips, the rims of her eyes turning red.
"When my Dapeng was seriously injured on his last mission, all our neighbors came to visit with eggs and brown sugar. But not her! Not Liu Yingzi! She hid behind the crowd and muttered things. She said, ’Dapeng was just careless. He only got hurt because he wasn’t skilled enough.’ And, ’The unit is paying for his treatment. They’ve done more than enough, so don’t expect any other compensation!’ Tell me, everyone, are those the words of a human being?!"
The crowd of onlookers instantly burst into an uproar.
A clamor of discussion, gasps, and mockery filled the air.
"You’re spouting vicious lies, Zhang Yunhua! I never said a word!"
Liu Yingzi’s voice was shrill, and her fingers tightened on the child in her arms.
"You didn’t say it? Then who did?"
Zhang Yunhua sneered, her voice growing even louder.
"If you’ve got the guts, swear on it in front of your daughter! Let’s see if you can still deny it then!"
"I was too busy taking care of Dapeng before to deal with you. Do you really think I’m some kind of pushover?"
"You! You lunatic!"
Liu Yingzi was so furious her lips trembled.
"You crude country woman! I can’t be bothered to argue with you!"
Seeing she couldn’t win the argument, she picked up her child and tried to flee.
But Zhang Yunhua had been waiting for this opportunity for a long time.
"Trying to run? Not a chance!"
She lunged forward and grabbed Liu Yingzi’s arm in a death grip.
"Ever since Dapeng got injured, your family has been constantly scheming behind our backs."
"Spreading rumors, messing with his medicine, even secretly swapping out the Amulet by his bed—I know everything! Dapeng is good-natured and doesn’t want to make a fuss, but I’m not like him! I don’t tolerate deceit! Now that Dapeng’s recovered, we’re going to settle every single score!"
"That’s right. We’re not blind or deaf," an old accountant with glasses spoke up.
"Xiao Liu, you’re always making snide remarks about Dapeng and Yun Hua. Did you really think we couldn’t hear you?"
Of course, plenty of others were just enjoying the drama and didn’t mind fanning the flames.
"Come on, Yun Hua just said a few words. She didn’t hit anyone. That’s a lot less than what you’ve done in the past."
"That’s right, Xiao Liu. Weren’t you the one telling Zhang Yunhua not to make a big deal out of it, saying it was all just a joke? How come you’re so sensitive when it happens to you? Can’t take what you dish out?"
Everyone chattered at once, their words making Liu Yingzi’s face go pale and then flush red.
She wished the ground would open up and swallow her whole.
"Fine," she said through clenched teeth, her voice low.
"I admit I wasn’t on my best behavior before, but that was ages ago! Why bring it up now? The important thing is the match. Yang Dapeng only won because my husband wasn’t at his best! We haven’t even accused him of playing dirty, and now he gets to act like he’s the victim?"
Another wave of clamor went through the crowd.
Suddenly, someone pushed through the crowd from the outside and came to a firm stop behind Zhang Yunhua.
"What’s going on? Who’s arguing?"
"Dapeng, you’re just in time..."
A woman nearby immediately jumped in, explaining the whole situation from beginning to end.
Yang Dapeng’s heart clenched, and he pulled his wife into his arms.
"Yun Hua, are you okay? I’m sorry. This is my fault for not being strong enough to give you and our daughter peace of mind."
After saying this, he slowly raised his head to look at the furious Liu Yingzi across from them.
"Your husband voluntarily challenged me to this one-on-one match. Everyone here saw it clearly. He lost because his skills weren’t up to snuff. A loss is a loss. On what grounds are you blaming me?"
"How is this none of your business?"
Liu Yingzi’s voice rose, her face flushing red.
But before she could say another word in her defense, a powerful force yanked her from behind.
Cao Daqiang’s face was beet red. He grabbed her arm and dragged her out of the crowd.
"Daqiang! Have you lost your mind?"
Liu Yingzi stumbled a few steps from being dragged and stomped her foot in anger.
"We’re clearly in the right! Why are you backing down now? What are you hiding from? You think hiding will make this go away?"
"In the right?"
Cao Daqiang stopped dead in his tracks, his jaw clenched so tight it audibly ground.
"Weren’t you embarrassing enough back there? The entire residential compound is laughing at us! Did you think they were there to listen to your reasoning? No, they were watching a shrew make a scene!"
Liu Yingzi froze.
The child in her arms, startled, burst into tears, but she was too stunned to even comfort him.
In all their years of marriage, she had never seen Cao Daqiang look like this.
It wasn’t explosive rage, but...
A kind of bone-deep disappointment.