Yu Xiuxiu and Wen Zhong'en exchanged a look, softening their attitudes simultaneously.
Their daughter had suffered for years, so it was normal for her to be accustomed to handling things herself.
They couldn't blame her; they could only teach her slowly, letting her know she wasn't alone.
She had her parents behind her. Even if they couldn't help directly, they could share her emotional burden.
"Yi Yi."
Wen Zhong'en tenderly rubbed his daughter's wrist, "It's my fault for being too busy and finding out too late. If I had known earlier, I would never have let you be bullied."
The man in his forties, with reddened eyes, stared at the fading scars on his daughter's palm.
He felt immense pain.
Wen Tingxue reached out and hugged his neck, softly comforting him, "Dad, don't think like that. I wasn't really bullied, and besides, I'm doing fine now, aren't I?"
And they had stood by her side at school today without question.
That sense of security was enough.
Yu Xiuxiu smiled through tears, "Then, if anything happens in the future, you can't hide it from Mom and Dad. You made us worry so much. If something were to happen, how could Mom and Dad live?"
Wen Tingxue suddenly looked up, her gaze fixed on her mother.
She hadn't thought that far ahead; she just didn't want to trouble them.
But she had forgotten that her actions were a sign of distrust in her parents.
What she thought was helping was actually hurting.
"I'm sorry..."
The young girl realized her mistake and apologized sincerely, "I shouldn't have kept it from you. I'll tell you from now on. I..."
Before the young girl could finish reflecting, both parents embraced their daughter, crying and laughing, "That's all we need to hear. No need to apologize. Your mom and dad will never blame you."
After applying medicine to their daughter, Yu Xiuxiu returned to the bedroom absentmindedly.
Wen Zhong'en looked up from his laptop, "What's wrong? Still worried about Yi Yi?"
Yu Xiuxiu sat on the edge of the bed and shook her head.
Then, she stopped speaking.
Wen Zhong'en put down his laptop and sat next to his wife, hugging and kissing her.
"What is it? If you don't talk, I won't be able to sleep."
Yu Xiuxiu chuckled, then after a moment of silence, said truthfully, "I... I want to resign and stay home to focus on Yi Yi."
Wen Zhong'en froze.
No one knew Yu Xiuxiu's ambition better than he did.
She was known in the law firm for her dedication.
She could memorize an entire case file for a single case, just to prove that female lawyers were not inferior to male lawyers in terms of reaction time.
Later, her tenacity earned her recognition from the law firm's senior partners, and she was promoted to partner within a few years.
She was currently in her prime career, and missing this opportunity would be hard to recover.
Yet, she wanted to give it up?
Wen Zhong'en held her hand and asked softly, "Are you worried this will happen again?"
"Yes."
Yu Xiuxiu nodded, her face filled with lingering fear.
"You don't know, her personality is very much like ours. Unless pushed to the brink, she wouldn't say much. Even if she was ostracized at school, she could act as if nothing happened in front of us. This time, Little Wen was there. If they aren't in the same school later, will Yi Yi..."
Yu Xiuxiu didn't dare to think about it.
Yi Yi's personality was too gentle; she couldn't help but worry. Especially after this incident, she had been fearful.
Wen Zhong'en found her reasoning valid but regretted his wife's sacrifice.
"If you've made up your mind, I support you. However..."
Wen Zhong'en said rationally, "I think you should still discuss this with our daughter. If she doesn't want you to leave your career, then you don't need to sacrifice yourself. Otherwise, what will she think when she finds out? Her mother gave up her job for her. Are you sure that's what she wants?"
Yu Xiuxiu was enlightened, "You're right. I'll consider it."
Saturday night, the sky was dark with sparse stars.
Que You stood by the flowerbed, watching the two rows of streetlights winding into the distance.
He couldn't resist lighting a cigarette and asking, "The plan is set. When are you going?"
Yu Wenli took off his Bluetooth earbud after confirming that Wen Tingxue's oral assignment was satisfactory.
He turned his head, his gaze falling on the small villa not far away.
There was no emotion in his eyes.
Enhanced by the night, he appeared even colder.
Que You's hand, flicking ash, trembled. He felt that Yu Yahe would not have an easy night.
Three minutes later, Yu Wenli and Que You appeared at the Yu residence.
Both dressed in black, their arrival under the moonlight gave a mistaken impression of Satan's descent.
The lively party instantly fell silent, and the DJ, too afraid to breathe, stared at the two.
Que You casually found a seat, directly opposite Yu Yahe.
He swept his gaze playfully over her still healing right leg and chuckled, "Having fun? The party I arranged for you should be pretty good, right?"
Yu Yahe's face darkened as she pursed her lips, "Hasn't everything been resolved? What are you trying to do? Trespass?"
"We wouldn't do anything illegal."
Que You quickly waved his hand and said with a smile, "We were invited by a friend, and we're here to settle the score."
The words "settle the score" were emphasized, and Yu Yahe's hand gripping her cane turned pale.
"I don't understand what you mean. My feud with Wen Tingxue was settled yesterday, and I'll read the apology letter..."
Yu Wenli, too impatient to listen to her nonsense, directly asked, "The video?"
He stood tall under the lights in a black trench coat, radiant and mysterious.
With each step, the hem of his coat cut through the air, releasing a surge of pressure.
Yu Yahe swallowed nervously and stubbornly said, "What... what video?"
She truly hadn't expected Wen Tingxue to dare to tell Yu Wenli about this.
That timid girl actually knew how to tattle now!
Yu Yahe clutched her hands, her heart pounding, praying that Yu Wenli would leave quickly.
She didn't know what he would do if the video was found.
Yu Wenli stood before her expressionlessly, his eyes coldly scanning her neckline.
"If you don't want to go through what she went through, you'd better hand it over quickly. Otherwise, the more than ten male guests here weren't invited for nothing."
His gentle tone didn't betray any threat, but every word was like a knife, accurately piercing Yu Yahe's heart.
He knew everything?!
He was even aware of what she had done to Wen Tingxue?!
Yu Yahe looked at the radiant, pure-looking youth before her in terror.
It was hard to imagine the ruthlessness of his methods.
Her best friend had suddenly suggested a gathering tonight, saying it was to ward off bad luck.
She had felt something was wrong then but hadn't thought too deeply about it. Moreover, she had been lying in bed recovering from her injury.
She was bored.
Since her best friend wanted some excitement, she let her have it.
She hadn't expected such a grand setup, nor that this was all Yu Wenli's plan.
And now she was trapped, unable to escape without losing some skin.
"She... is that important to you?"
Yu Yahe heard herself ask, almost in despair.
Her voice was tearing.
After all, she was the moonlight that had amazed her youth and whom she wanted to possess.
Now, for another girl, he stood before her, uttering threats...
Yu Wenli let out a light laugh, uncharacteristically gentle, "Yes, so do you want to test the consequences?"