Yang Zhi and Chi Wu didn't leave, though Chi Wu drove the elders home. Yang Zhi watched her daughter, tears welling up, "Yingzi, you've been wronged." The old lady felt a chill; this was something even her daughter-in-law was kept in the dark about.

Chi Wu was certainly giving his granddaughter face. Chi Yong said, "Yingzi, if you're unwilling, tell Uncle.

I've failed you." Cheng Ying rubbed her hands; playing the role of the victim was harder than being the aggressor. This delicate, innocent act was difficult to perform.

Besides, her usual imposing aura didn't match the image of a pure, sweet girl at all. Cheng Ying said, "It's fine, we're all family, it's understandable." A statement made without feeling the consequences.

The old lady was furious, smoke almost rising from her head. No matter the circumstances, such a thing shouldn't be simply excused.

She let out two heavy snorts. Yang Zhi felt terrible.

Regardless, her daughter had clearly broken the rules of propriety. As for Chi Yong, his thoughts were different.

He knew exactly what kind of person the old lady was; how could he not understand? The current situation felt wrong.

If Cheng Ying had suffered such a significant loss, and the old lady treated her with this attitude, wouldn't she have skinned Chi Wu alive? Chi Yong, having his thoughts in order, understood this much.

But asking about it now was inappropriate, given the complex relationship: he was not only the girl's stepfather but also Chi Wu's own uncle. He would have to ask his own child later.

The old lady commanded, "What are you doing inside? Get out and work!" Cheng Ying glanced at the sky outside.

It was the middle of the night; being sent out to work felt like being sent for re-education through labor. Cheng Ying looked at her own mother, smiled faintly, and went out, guessing the old lady had things to discuss with her daughter-in-law that she shouldn't overhear.

The old lady closed the door and immediately decided she needed to make things clear with her daughter-in-law. Chi Wu had already been wronged; he shouldn't have to carry the blame within their own family any longer.

Moreover, concealing this matter could only last so long. She thought of this morning, when more people entered the room—there was no such thing as an impenetrable wall.

If this marriage went through, it might become a sweet story for the young couple, but if not, it would forever be the granddaughter's dark history. When Chi Yong heard the old lady's words, his mouth stayed open, unable to close, "Mom, could there be a mistake?

It seems more likely Chi Wu made the mistake. Yingzi isn't that kind of person." He reflected that people educated in culture truly had clearer insights.

They thought things through. The old lady retorted, "What looks good isn't always good.

It is what it is. I saw it myself; knowing it within the family is enough.

Speaking it out would be shameful. I'm telling you to treat Wu Zi well; he did nothing wrong.

He's helping our family save face. Don't look at him like he was the one taking advantage.

Your daughter is the one who took advantage of him!" These words were directed at Yang Zhi. The old lady's tone was harsh; this was her characteristic of displacing anger onto her daughter-in-law.

Yang Zhi felt more distressed hearing this than when she heard Chi Wu’s version of events. She truly found it hard to accept this time; her tears no longer pooled but streamed down her face.

Cheng Ying squatted outside, thinking to herself. How conflicted everyone was!

Her own daughter hadn't cried after being violated like that, yet now that her daughter was perceived as the aggressor, she burst into tears. Her resilience to setbacks needed improvement.

Chi Yong closed his mouth. "Mom, you don't understand.

We should ask about this again later; there might be a misunderstanding." The difficulty lay in his position. Chi Yong, as a man, genuinely understood how deeply complicated this matter was.

Furthermore, he had watched Cheng Ying grow up; he truly couldn't fathom her acting this way, especially with such simple motives. If she truly favored Chi Wu, she wouldn't need to go to such lengths.

In Chi Yong's view, if Cheng Ying had wanted his son, she could have secured him easily without any maneuvering. This still required asking the two young people themselves.

Cheng Ying realized that in a crucial moment, her own stepfather was surprisingly reliable and believed in her so strongly. She needed to think this through carefully.

The situation was indeed tricky. Chi Yong frowned in thought.

Cheng Ying couldn't bring herself to ask her daughter. After all, she was her own child.

A stepfather asking such a question was unheard of. That left only asking Chi Wu, and seeing the unlucky kid's demeanor, he certainly didn't look like the wronged party.

The old lady was just flustered and taking it out on Yingzi. It wouldn't take long for her to realize something was amiss here.

It was good that he had spoken up and made his stance clear. The old lady snapped, "Cry!

All you know is crying. Have you ever truly cared about your daughter?

You feel guilty because she's distant, so you do nothing and micromanage everything, and even raising your voice makes you feel inadequate, right? You think you've done the right thing?

And you dare to cry? Get inside and stay there!" Yang Zhi felt much better after being scolded, as every word hit the mark.

"Mom, I just feel I've let Yingzi down." The old lady retorted, "If you feel you've let her down, then manage her properly! What kind of mother are you?

Look at yourself, do you even look like a mother anymore?" Yang Zhi remained silent, not even daring to cry anymore. Chi Wu felt deep sympathy seeing his wife so subdued.

He had never seen his own mother behave so meekly. She had truly been trained by the old lady.

"Mom, this is just Zhizi’s temperament. Even Chi Ye can't manage her." Cheng Ying scoffed from outside.

Now he was defending his wife. Didn't he realize the timing?

The old lady continued, "Do you think you're in the right? I'm too lazy to bother with your family's messes, much less interfere.

It's only because this unlucky kid Yingzi caused this trouble that I tolerated it. Given your mother’s attitude, I’m telling you, no matter the reason the two children ended up together, if your mother-in-law dares to look down on Yingzi later, I won't be polite to her.

Also, since I consider you family, I’m telling you this in confidence—don't let this get out." Cheng Ying truly couldn't stop smiling this time. Thinking back to how her grandmother had scolded her all day, hitting her whenever she was in a bad mood—but when it truly mattered, her heart was still on her side.

This was what family meant: unconditional protection, even against the whole world. The three of them chatted inside late into the night.

When Chi Wu escorted the elderly couple back, he saw Cheng Ying squatting under the eaves, looking utterly dejected. It was such a stark contrast to her usual posture, sitting in the rocking chair with her legs crossed.

This was the first time in so many years he had seen Shadow look like this. Chi Wu felt a pang of unease.

Was his involvement that devastating for her to accept so poorly? Chi Wu walked over and adopted the same posture and angle as Cheng Ying, squatting beneath the eaves beside her.

They listened to the muffled sounds of conversation from inside. Neither of them spoke.

It wasn't until Yang Zhi said, "Mom, I will treat Wu Zi well, even better than now. Wu Zi is a sensible child; we are the ones who owe him.

From now on, I will manage Yingzi properly, talk to her seriously, and watch over her." The old lady sounded impatient. Listen to her, talking about just 'watching the child.' What authority did a mother have?

Chi Wu flushed. All this had been calculated.

"Should I get you a stool? Your legs must be aching from staying like that." Cheng Ying recalled the miraculous function of her spatial realm and desperately wanted to test if, while squatting like this, her legs wouldn't feel sore at all.

"No need, I have divine power protecting me." Chi Wu said, "You aren't practicing martial arts here, are you, staying out this long?" Cheng Ying replied, "Haven't I been forced out here by the old lady? I'm just squatting here, look, not a single problem." Chi Wu quickly pulled her up.

"Move around a bit, are you stupid? The blood circulation will stop.

Your legs will go numb!" Cheng Ying stood up, baring her teeth slightly. "This divine power hasn't fully manifested yet; my legs still got sore!" Chi Wu’s forehead developed a network of dark lines.

She had been stimulated enough; she shouldn't be acting this foolish now. "Why must you make such a fuss over such a small thing?" Chi Wu squatted down to rub her calves.

Cheng Ying looked down at the top of Chi Wu's head. After trying several times to reach it, she couldn't quite manage to hit him.

Her spatial realm didn't have that function. A chill went through her heart.

The kid made it sound so easy—just a small matter. Did he understand?

How immense this was for a woman? She closed her eyes.

"Yes, just a small matter. You, the one who suffered the loss, didn't make a fuss.

Why should I, the one who benefited, make such a scene? Right?" Chi Wu pursed his lips, saying nothing, but the hand rubbing her calf never stopped.

Cheng Ying opened her eyes. "Enough.

Don't say later that I bullied you." Chi Wu responded, "You won't. You never bully me.

Even when you scolded me growing up, it was for my own good. You never truly got angry with me; you were just teasing." Cheng Ying felt intensely annoyed.

The brat! He saw right through her good nature.

He was being deliberately provocative. But it was too late to say anything now.

Things had progressed to this point; regardless of the reason, they had to follow this path. There was no way out except the engagement.

Unless she disowned the old lady. The unlucky kid didn't know what was running through his mind.

She wouldn't argue with him now; she couldn't afford to. Cheng Ying simply couldn't grasp the exact sequence of events.

Even if she had been truly drunk, she knew it would be difficult for her, as the dominant party, to take charge. Besides, she knew her own body.

If she squatted for too long, her legs still ached. For him to claim some kind of heaven-defying ability—if such a function truly existed, she could only say she had chosen the wrong profession.

Cheng Ying finally understood: even if she bore some fault, it was a shared mistake; it couldn't be solely hers. What role did Chi Wu truly play inside?

She needed to observe more. In any case, she had never seen such a young person go through something so major and remain so calm.

It was too unusual. She didn't believe Chi Wu had the nerve to assault her—she had genuine confidence in that regard.

Therefore, she couldn't lose her temper with Chi Wu. Cheng Ying was convinced she must share some of the blame.

She had truly misjudged this situation. She turned her head.

"Your Grandma and Grandpa, are they settled in?" Chi Wu replied, "Yes, they are settled. Don't worry, it's fine.

I will definitely come to our house; I've known about being taken in as a son-in-law for a long time." Listen to him; he didn't seem to have any doubt about the engagement, jumping straight to the issue of him moving in. Cheng Ying carefully considered her words.

"Your father only has you as his lineage. Your grandmother has already agreed.

Are you truly willing to leave them?" Chi Wu replied, "I'm reluctant, but our children will be my bloodline too. The surname doesn't matter." He said it so readily.

Cheng Ying shook her head. He was still just an inexperienced child; he couldn't think that simply.

Chi Wu asserted, "It will definitely happen. Just wait for the engagement announcement." Cheng Ying said, "Alright, stop rubbing now; it’s better already.

Let's go inside. Mom and Dad must be heading home, and Chi Ye is home alone." Chi Wu stared at Cheng Ying, his mouth agape.

She had just called him 'Dad'—the first time Cheng Ying had ever addressed him that way. Cheng Ying said, "What are you looking at?

I’ll have to call him Dad in the future, though my own father will certainly not be happy about this marriage." Chi Wu pursed his lips and broke into a smile. Cheng Ying thought to herself: it was just a slip of the tongue, and the unlucky kid was ecstatic about it.

It was impossible not to overthink things now. P.S.: Second update for today.

The third update is coming soon, vote quickly! (.)RU