Chapter 70: A Lifetime of Waiting
Although her mother had episodes where she would harshly criticize her, she rarely resorted to such direct verbal humiliation.
In that instant, Su Yuqing, who was already on the verge of a breakdown, completely snapped. She felt as if her mother had utterly trampled and shattered her last shred of dignity.
But that wasn’t even the worst of it. As she spoke, Su Yuqing’s mother suddenly smashed the phone on the ground, then grabbed a fruit knife from the table and lunged, intending to slash Su Yuqing’s face.
"I’ll ruin this slutty face of yours! Let’s see you go out and seduce people then! Once I’ve ruined it, you won’t have any more whorish thoughts! I’ll teach you to cheat on me! I’ll teach you to have an affair!"
At this moment, Li Fengzhi was completely consumed by madness.
In her eyes, the image of Su Yuqing had superimposed itself over Su Chengfeng. She was no longer scolding Su Yuqing; she was taking revenge on Su Chengfeng.
Her mother’s appearance terrified Su Yuqing, who quickly retreated into her room. From under her pillow, she took out the fruit knife that symbolized her sense of security and clutched it tightly.
Seeing the frenzied Li Fengzhi charge toward Su Yuqing’s room with the knife, her stepfather, Li Gang, rushed over to try and wrestle it away.
Li Gang’s calloused hand clamped down on Li Fengzhi’s wrist. The blade glinted coldly between their trembling knuckles.
"Let go of me! Let me go!" Li Fengzhi shrieked, her eyes bloodshot as she stared at the man before her.
"Fengzhi, snap out of it! This is Yuqing! It’s your daughter, not Su Chengfeng! Wake up!" Li Gang’s roar echoed off the walls, making the chandelier sway.
In the struggle, the knife suddenly changed direction. Pulled forward by her husband’s strength, Li Fengzhi stumbled, and the dull thud of metal sinking into flesh sounded like a punctured tire.
Beads of blood trickled down the web of Li Fengzhi’s hand. Her pupils contracted violently as she watched a dark red flower bloom on the abdomen of her husband’s shirt.
The strong color and smell of blood suddenly snapped her back to her senses.
"Gang?" The knife CLATTERED to the floor. Li Fengzhi staggered forward to cover her husband’s wound, but snatched her hand back as if burned by the warm liquid flowing out.
The blood spread across her palm and dripped onto the tile, blooming into a crimson pattern. Her eyes instantly filled with tears. "I’m sorry, I didn’t... I..."
Su Yuqing was huddled behind her door, her knuckles white from gripping her own knife too tightly.
Hearing the commotion outside, which had just been so violent, suddenly quiet down, she mustered her courage and slowly opened the door a crack.
Through the gap, she saw her mother slumped in a pool of blood. Her hair, matted with cold sweat, was stuck to her temples. Her usually tense face was now twisted into a look of childlike terror.
In that moment, she suddenly realized the wrinkles at the corners of her mother’s eyes were much deeper than she remembered.
"I’m fine... As long as you’re okay..." Li Gang’s gasps were laced with the smell of blood, but he had a smile on his face. His body was still blocking the way to his stepdaughter’s room.
Su Yuqing was not his biological daughter, and he usually didn’t pay much attention to this stepdaughter he had acquired.
Or rather, with such a pretty stepdaughter, if he made any move to get close to her, who knew what kinds of rumors would spread. He was afraid, so he didn’t dare to get close.
Firstly, he didn’t want to; secondly, he didn’t dare. So his day-to-day attitude toward his stepdaughter was rather indifferent.
The reason he was so protective today wasn’t to shield Su Yuqing, but to protect Li Fengzhi.
They were from the same village, both with the surname Li, and had known each other since they were children.
Li Gang had harbored a crush on Li Fengzhi since childhood. But he lacked charm and was clumsy at expressing his feelings, so he kept this love hidden in his heart, never daring to speak of it.
He never dared to confess to Li Fengzhi.
He just kept it hidden... and hidden... Li Fengzhi fell in love, got married, and even had a child.
Still, he couldn’t let go of this woman in his heart. Relatives and friends introduced him to all sorts of potential partners, but he wasn’t interested in any of them. Only one woman lingered in his mind, refusing to leave.
Even knowing she was married with a child, he never gave up waiting.
Until one day, he heard that Li Fengzhi had gotten divorced.
He suddenly felt this was a chance given to him by heaven.
He mustered the greatest courage of his life and went to confess, pouring out all the love he had felt for her since they were children.
There was no technique, only pure emotion.
Li Fengzhi wasn’t a fool; she had naturally noticed all of this as they were growing up.
As Li Gang confessed with his own lips, she couldn’t help but recall those times as well.
Just as she had been betrayed by her husband and was at her most emotionally vulnerable, a man who loved her so deeply suddenly appeared.
Li Fengzhi’s heart melted in that moment. Back then, she needed a man who could guarantee he would never be unfaithful, who would love her for a lifetime. She had been completely heartbroken by that scumbag.
This man had waited for her from her girlhood until now, when she was a divorced, single woman. She was willing to believe that this man wouldn’t be a cheating scumbag.
At the same time, during that phase of extreme mental fragility, she also needed someone like him to comfort her and care for her vulnerable heart.
And so, the two of them got together.
After they got together, Su Yuqing was also brought into this new home.
At first, Li Gang, out of his love for the mother, treated Su Yuqing very well.
But as Li Fengzhi’s episodes of harshly criticizing Su Yuqing became more frequent, and she showed her disgust for her daughter, Li Gang, who always prioritized Li Fengzhi’s emotions, gradually grew cold toward Su Yuqing as well.
When today’s incident occurred, Li Gang stepped in immediately not because he was worried about how Li Fengzhi might hurt Su Yuqing, but because he feared the terrible consequences Li Fengzhi would face after hurting her daughter.
Even if Li Fengzhi had pre-existing mental health issues and might be acquitted because of them, being sent to a psychiatric hospital was hardly a good outcome.
On a daily basis, he did his best to hide the fact that Li Fengzhi would periodically have fits of madness, treating Su Yuqing as if she were Su Chengfeng and berating her.
He didn’t want others to see Li Fengzhi as a lunatic.
Of course, even if Li Fengzhi truly went insane, he would still care for her for the rest of his life.
This was also why, when Chen Mo had investigated in the previous timeline, Li Gang had remained by Li Fengzhi’s side without ever abandoning her, even after she had completely lost her mind.
Because Li Fengzhi was his dream. No matter what she became, Li Gang would never give up on her.
You could say Li Gang was foolish, obsessive, or a simp. But he stayed true to his heart. Even if she completely lost her mind and couldn’t take care of herself, he was willing to devote all his energy to caring for her. At least when it came to his lover, Li Gang was a real man.
As for his other aspects, it’s best not to comment.
And because Li Gang gave his true heart, he naturally received a true heart in return.
At first, Li Fengzhi had only used him as a tool to heal her emotional wounds. But gradually, she was moved by Li Gang’s sincere devotion and came to have feelings for him too, truly becoming husband and wife.