Yesterday at the rice noodle shop, Zhuang Wenzhao had only heard Zhuang Yuhang's side of the story. Naturally, Zhuang Yuhang didn't mention that he was the one who started the trouble. Instead, he vilified Zhuang Zi'ang in every possible way, painting him as a monster whose crimes were unforgivable.

"Dad, no matter what, Zhuang Zi'ang hit Yuhang. That's a fact. He must apologize to Yuhang. You can't just blindly protect your own," Zhuang Wenzhao said to Zhuang Jianguo.

Zhuang Jianguo frowned, staring at his son with deep displeasure. The way he referred to them, Zhuang Zi'ang was "Zhuang Zi'ang," but Zhuang Yuhang was "Yuhang." This subtle difference alone revealed how stifling Zhuang Zi'ang's life in this family must be.

Qin Shulan, eager to defend her son, added fuel to the fire. "First he hits his brother, next he'll be hitting his parents, and then what, his grandfather? If he has such poor character, all his education will only make him a greater threat to society. We need to discipline him severely before he makes an even bigger mistake."

...

Seeing her spiteful look, Zhuang Jianguo didn't even bother to respond. Instead, he turned to Zhuang Zi'ang. "Zi'ang, tell Grandpa, why did you hit Yuhang?"

Zhuang Zi'ang glanced at Zhuang Yuhang. "Because he had it coming."

"What nonsense are you talking about?" Zhuang Yuhang yelled. Now that he had his parents' backing, he was emboldened. In his eyes, his grandfather Zhuang Jianguo, whom he saw only a few times a year, was just a senile old fool.

"Dad, look at Zhuang Zi'ang's attitude. Is there any hint of remorse?" Qin Shulan let out a heavy snort.

"You wretched boy, how dare you be so arrogant after doing something wrong? Do you have any respect for me at all?" Zhuang Wenzhao pointed at Zhuang Zi'ang's nose and cursed.

Zhuang Jianguo said angrily, "Why are you blaming Zi'ang before we even know the whole story?"

Qin Shulan said with a sneer, "Well, if you insist on siding with him, there's nothing I can do. My poor son and I, we're just unlucky to be bullied by the two of you."

Zhuang Wenzhao tried to reason with his father, though still respectfully, "Dad, many of the neighbors saw what happened yesterday. Zhuang Zi'ang skipped school to be with some disreputable girl. When Yuhang happened to see them, he flew into a rage out of humiliation and slapped Yuhang. It was completely uncalled for."

Zhuang Zi'ang's eyes widened, and his voice rose sharply, "Who are you calling a disreputable girl?"

"What?" Zhuang Wenzhao was taken aback. The phrase "disreputable girl" was Zhuang Yuhang's description of Su Yudiel. Zhuang Wenzhao had simply repeated it without thinking, but he didn't expect Zhuang Zi'ang to react so strongly.

"He's still young, but instead of focusing on his studies, he's fooling around with girls. Who knows what kind of shameful and dirty deeds he'll get into in the future," Qin Shulan continued to provoke.

This was an extremely offensive statement. The "shameful and dirty deeds" were left to the imagination, but everyone knew what she meant.

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Zhuang Zi'ang clenched his fists, wanting nothing more than to rush over and slap his stepmother across the face. At the same time, he felt deeply ashamed for involving Little Butterfly, causing her to be so wrongly accused.

Zhuang Jianguo finally understood why Zhuang Zi'ang had run away from home. If he had to live in such a family, he would also find it suffocating. How much disdain had Zhuang Zi'ang endured over the past decade? Thinking of this made his heart ache.

Zhuang Zi'ang glared at Zhuang Wenzhao. "Dad, did you really bother to find out what happened yesterday?"

Zhuang Wenzhao asserted confidently, "Of course, many people saw it. You slapped Yuhang in public."

"No, you didn't," Zhuang Zi'ang shook his head sadly. "Deep down, you've already decided that Zhuang Yuhang is your precious son, and I'm always in the wrong, no matter what I do."

"Nonsense, I've always treated both of you the same," Zhuang Wenzhao insisted stubbornly, though his voice lacked conviction.

"Do you really believe that yourself when you say it?" Zhuang Zi'ang laughed coldly.

Faced with Zhuang Zi'ang's icy stare, Zhuang Wenzhao felt a pang of guilt. No matter how he tried to twist the facts or use clever arguments, he couldn't hide the fact that he treated his two sons differently.

"If you really wanted to know the truth, you would have found out that the rice noodle shop has security cameras," Zhuang Zi'ang said, his tone suddenly calm.

Hearing this, Zhuang Wenzhao's expression froze. Zhuang Yuhang's eyes gradually filled with unease.

Zhuang Zi'ang's gaze landed on Qin Shulan's face. "Auntie Qin, would you like to admire my 'heroic' act of hitting your son?"

As he spoke, he took out his phone and played a video. It turned out that when Zhuang Zi'ang went to pay the bill yesterday, he had spent a long time because he was asking the owner for the surveillance footage. Zhuang Zi'ang knew Zhuang Yuhang's character well. Without solid evidence, he would never admit his wrongdoing.

"Hanging out with him, all shady and unclear, you must not be a decent girl either." Zhuang Yuhang's arrogant and provocative words came from the phone's speaker. The entire confrontation was captured by the surveillance camera. Zhuang Zi'ang had endured until he couldn't anymore, and only then did he slap him.

Zhuang Jianguo said indignantly, "He deserved it. What kind of man would he be if he hadn't hit him?"

Zhuang Wenzhao was speechless. Even with his bias, he could see that Zhuang Yuhang had repeatedly provoked Zhuang Zi'ang and was essentially asking for a beating.

Qin Shulan opened her mouth, but couldn't find a good excuse and could only remain silent for the time being. She thought to herself, Zhuang Zi'ang is quite scheming, even saving the surveillance video. If they ever fight over the family property in the future, Zhuang Yuhang might not be his match.

"Zhuang Wenzhao, do you see now which of your two sons needs more discipline?" Zhuang Jianguo said sternly.

"Dad, I was preoccupied with work and didn't look into it thoroughly. Yuhang is still young. He didn't mean it," Zhuang Wenzhao said, trying to make excuses.

"He wanted to drive his own brother out of the house forever, and you say he didn't mean it?" Zhuang Jianguo was furious.

Seeing the situation, Zhuang Wenzhao realized that he couldn't defend Zhuang Yuhang any further. He beckoned, "Yuhang, come over here and apologize to Zhuang Zi'ang. Then this matter will be over."

"He hit me. Why should I apologize?" Zhuang Yuhang remained obstinate and unrepentant.

"It's fine, I don't need an apology from anyone," Zhuang Zi'ang said, shaking his head. What's the use of an apology? It's not like it's something you can eat or wear.

In front of Zhuang Jianguo, Zhuang Zi'ang didn't want to dwell on it, not wanting to upset his grandfather.

"Grandpa, I don't want to stay here anymore. Let's go!"

Zhuang Jianguo nodded resolutely. "Alright, let's go. It's just as well that we leave this house." After saying that, he glared at Zhuang Wenzhao.

Zhuang Zi'ang helped Zhuang Jianguo up and left without a backward glance.

"Dad, should I take you back to the countryside?" Zhuang Wenzhao asked, looking ashamed.

"No need. If you have so much free time, use it to discipline your son," Zhuang Jianguo said, walking away stubbornly.

The grandfather and grandson left, leaving the family of three staring at each other. The atmosphere was extremely heavy.

"Dad, I just can't stand Zhuang Zi'ang!" Zhuang Yuhang still grumbled.

Zhuang Wenzhao slapped him. "Shut up! He's your brother!"