He dared not show his hostility toward the child, only revealing his true nature when alone with him, his words a constant stream of complaints.
Once, in a fit of madness, he attempted to extract Long Cangjiu's genes for testing, hoping to find a vaccine within him.
Unexpectedly, he was attacked by Long Cangjiu's fire ability. Though not seriously injured, he was rushed to the hospital. Upon waking, he began to slander Long Cangjiu.
"Yi'er, that child Cangjiu has a problem. He attacked me for no reason. It must be because he's too young and can't control his abilities."
"Calm down a bit and focus on healing."
"How can I calm down? I've given birth to a monster. I'm sending him to the research institute. He's not my son."
"Long Aotian, shut your mouth. Cangjiu isn't your son alone. He is the next heir of our Long family. You'd better keep your mouth shut. If I hear any unfavorable gossip about Cangjiu outside, I won't spare you."
The original host's gaze, like that of a dead man, greatly frightened Long Aotian. For years, no matter how much he fussed, the original host had remained indifferent. This was the first time he had seen the original host angry, and he immediately wilted like a frostbitten eggplant.
After handling affairs at the hospital, the original host rushed back to the old residence. As soon as trouble erupted in their family, Father Long had sent someone to pick up Long Cangjiu.
The four-year-old toddler, wringing his hands, kept looking towards the door. Upon seeing the original host return, he immediately rushed over, anxiously asking.
"Mom, is Dad okay? Jiu-jiu didn't mean to." His little eyes were red, like those of a harmless rabbit. The original host's heart instantly softened.
She crouched down to his level and stroked his little head. "Your dad is fine, just a minor injury. He fainted from shock. He'll be discharged soon."
"That's great! I'll apologize to Dad when he gets back."
"That's a good boy. Can Jiu-jiu tell Mom why you hurt Dad?"
"Well, Dad asked me to extend my hand for him to give me a shot. But I felt so much pain, like something important was draining away. I felt extremely uncomfortable, and before I knew it, I hurt Dad. I really didn't mean to, Mom, you have to believe me."
"Of course, Mom believes you. Go play with Grandpa and Grandma. Mom has some things to handle."
"Okay."
Children are forgetful. With the original host's assurance, he was completely relieved and immersed himself in games that interested him.
Meanwhile, the original host began investigating all of Long Aotian's transaction records and his movements over the past few days. She soon found a clue.
Long Aotian had asked his maternal family to hire someone from the black market to purchase a special extractor for draining abilities.
This device, if used to extract too much energy, could cause an ability user to lose their powers, or even their life in severe cases.
The original host was furious. In this world where strength reigned supreme, there was no excuse for a child being young. The original host explained the seriousness of the matter to Long Cangjiu in detail.
Though shocked and hurt, Long Cangjiu accepted the truth. His father-son relationship with Long Aotian ended there.
Long Aotian's parents' villa was confiscated, and their allowances were stopped. After their family became wealthy, they had sold their original old house.
Having received financial support from the original host every month, they had long since developed extravagant spending habits and had no savings. They were forced to live on the streets.
After returning from the hospital, Long Aotian was subjected to a whipping for the crime of attempting to harm the next heir of the Long family. His body was torn and bloody, and he lay in a semi-conscious state.
His parents came looking for him and knew something had happened when they saw their son in that state. The Long family was not a place they dared to act presumptuously. The two collected some money from Long Aotian and left.
After Long Aotian was punished, the original host initiated divorce proceedings. Long Aotian refused outright. The weaker party was protected by marital law, making it impossible for the original host to force a divorce, and she was still required to pay him living expenses.
The original host then moved back to the old residence with her son, leaving Long Aotian alone in the original host's villa. She restricted Long Aotian's outings and suspended his secondary card.
She provided for his daily meals and normal expenses, allowing him to live as a pampered idler at home. The original host found it difficult to like such a person and avoided seeing him whenever possible.
Long Aotian's parents couldn't see their son, and the original host had no obligation to them. The couple returned to their former impoverished life.
They had offended many people previously, and everyone knew the Long family's stance. Consequently, their lives became quite difficult.
Long Aotian, whose life had instantly plummeted from heaven to hell, had no regrets about his past foolish actions.
He only felt that the original host had not been honest with him and was not a qualified wife. Now, she was also keeping him confined, and he harbored deep hatred for everyone in the Long family.
He felt that restricting his freedom was an insult and looked down upon him. However, he was unwilling to give up his gilded cage of a life and divorce.
After all, without the Long family, life would only be more difficult than it was now. Freedom was insignificant in the face of money. He could at least maintain a facade of prosperity.
Six years passed in this disgusting manner. One ordinary day, Long Aotian woke up from a dream to the sound of a strange electronic voice.
"Found a suitable host for binding. Long Aotian, are you willing to bind with the Face-Slapping and Check-In Counterattack System?"
"I am willing." Long Aotian agreed immediately before his brain could even process.
"Beep, beep, binding successful."
Following that, the system elaborated on its benefits. The more Long Aotian listened, the more fortunate he felt for agreeing so quickly. This was a godsend.
An opportunity to turn his fortunes had arrived. He would make the Long family pay. His first task was to check in at the main hall of the Long family's old residence, which would earn him 100 points.
He checked the system and saw that purchasing a gene-altering serum cost only 80 points, so he immediately took action.
He called the original host, saying that he had come to understand things over the years and no longer wished to drag out their unhappy marriage. He feared their child would resent him, and he wanted a divorce, asking the original host to pick him up to discuss it at the old residence.
The original host, unaware of what had happened, agreed without hesitation. She didn't even ask why he insisted on meeting at the old residence.
This man had clung to her like a parasitic snake all these years. Now that there was an opportunity to send him away, she decided to let him have his way, lest he change his mind at the last minute.
Yes, you heard correctly, "again." It was due to the protection of marital law that they couldn't be separated for too long. Long Aotian had the right to make the original host return to him. Over the years, the original host had developed a severe aversion to men because of him.
A man who made you nauseous, constantly posturing in front of you, clingy and impossible to shake off. This had gone on for six years, and any normal person would want to get rid of him quickly.
They divorced. Long Aotian refused all compensation that the original host offered. He delivered a grand speech and then left the Long family with a flourish.
Following that, he began undertaking various missions, his strength constantly improving. He started challenging figures on the H Country Heroic Ranking, eventually becoming the undisputed strongest in H Country.
He had also challenged the original host, and as expected, he crushed her underfoot. In front of everyone, he recounted the grievances he suffered as a live-in son-in-law, speaking of the Long family's hypocrisy.
This garnered him the sympathy of a large number of people, who regretted not offering their support during his downfall. A throng of fangirls began attacking the Long family. However, these minor disturbances did not shake the Long family; their true trials were yet to come.