Courtyard House: Drunk and tipsy, the whole courtyard exposed at the start.

The moment Mu Wanqing uttered the words "foreign porridge subscription code," all the color drained from her face, leaving her as pale as a sheet of paper. Her body swayed uncontrollably, as if she might collapse at any moment.

This is the deepest, most painful scar in her heart, a nightmare she dares not touch. Now, however, it has been torn open in public, in the most cruel and contemptuous way, and exposed to the sunlight in a bloody manner.

She bit her lower lip hard, drawing blood, tears welling in her eyes, but stubbornly refusing to let them fall. The humiliation and pain that penetrated to the bone made it almost impossible for her to breathe.

The entire courtyard was deathly silent.

The wind rustled through the grapevines, making a clear, distinct sound as the leaves whispered.

The slight laziness and ease on Zhang Dabiao's face had long since vanished without a trace.

He stared blankly at Yang Yibai, then slowly and forcefully slammed the large enamel bowl containing half a bowl of braised pork onto the bluestone slab beneath his feet.

"Clang—crash—"

The sound of the porcelain bowl shattering was sharp and piercing.

Dark brown chunks of meat and broth were splattered everywhere, creating a mess.

The air in the entire courtyard seemed to freeze completely at that moment.

The shards of the enamel bowl still trembled slightly on the ground, reflecting the afterglow of the setting sun and gleaming with a cold light.

The courtyard was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Yang Yibai was startled by this sudden turn of events and instinctively took a half-step back, a sudden panic rising in her heart.

Zhang Dabiao slowly stood up.

He was already tall, and now that he stood up straight, his shadow instantly enveloped Yang Yibai. His face was expressionless, neither angry nor ferocious, as calm as a bottomless, icy pool.

But it is precisely this tranquility that is most suffocating.

He finally spoke, his voice not loud, but like a boulder, it struck everyone's heart heavily.

"What is her identity?"

Zhang Dabiao didn't even glance at Yang Yibai. He grabbed the swaying Mu Wanqing and pulled her behind him, shielding her completely with his body. This action was filled with an undeniable sense of possession and protection.

Then, he slowly turned his head. His eyes were devoid of any warmth, filled only with the icy sharpness of the coldest winter, piercing straight at Yang Yishou.

"She is my fiancée, Zhang Dabiao!"

"What's mine is hers!"

"I wrote the song! I signed the contract! I can give it to whomever I want!"

With each sentence Zhang Dabiao spoke, he took a step closer. His imposing aura was like a volcano about to erupt, layer upon layer, making it hard for anyone to breathe.

"Who the hell do you think you are, to dare question me?"

He practically roared out the last sentence, with an unreasonable arrogance and primal wildness.

Outside the courtyard wall, Yan Bugui gasped, dropping the chess pieces in his hand. He leaned close to Liu Haizhong's ear, his voice low but trembling with excitement: "Damn it, damn it! This little brat has stirred up a hornet's nest! Look at how protective Zhang Dabiao is of his own; this is no small matter!"

Liu Haizhong didn't say anything. He knew that Zhang Dabiao, this lion that had been provoked, was about to bite.

Yang Yibai was completely stunned by Zhang Dabiao's overbearing aura. From childhood to adulthood, everyone around her had always treated her with respect. When had she ever seen such a scene? Her proud family background, talent, and beauty seemed so pale and ridiculous in the face of his simple and brutal declaration of "what's mine is hers".

She opened her mouth, wanting to say something in rebuttal, but found that her throat felt like it was blocked with cotton, and she couldn't utter a single word.

They were engaged, so it was only natural for Zhang Dabiao to give it to them.

Seeing that things were going wrong, Zhao Weiguo forced himself to rush forward, forcing a smile that looked more like a grimace: "Comrade Zhang Dabiao, don't be angry. Yi Bai... she didn't mean it that way. She was just confused for a moment. You..."

Zhang Dabiao's gaze swept across his face, and he suddenly asked a completely unrelated question.

"From your compound?"

Zhao Weiguo was taken aback, then nodded subconsciously.

Liu Yuanchao and Zhu Hongqi behind him nodded in agreement, as if they had found some kind of support in their identities.

Yang Yibai raised her head and snorted through her nose, her arrogant demeanor as if the words "child of a high-ranking official" were her strongest armor.

But she never expected that these four words would become the last match to ignite the explosive barrel.

Zhang Dabiao laughed.

That smile held no warmth whatsoever, only an overwhelming sense of mockery and disgust.

He glanced around at Zhao Weiguo and the others, who were pale with fright, and his voice suddenly rose, like a booming bell, making everyone's eardrums buzz.

"Oh, a child of a high-ranking official?"

"I acknowledge that your elders and fathers shed blood and exerted their efforts for this country; they are meritorious citizens and heroes of the people!"

"but!"

His tone suddenly shifted, becoming incredibly sharp, like a drawn sword piercing straight to the heart!

"Does this give you juniors the right to seize by trickery, bully others, and seek special treatment?!"

"What's the difference between this and those local tyrants and bullies before liberation who dared to forcibly abduct women and seize their property on the streets just because they were county magistrates or regimental commanders? And those white dogs who rode on the backs of the people and acted like tyrants?!"

"I ask you,"

"What's the difference?!"

The word "difference" struck Yang Yibai, Zhao Weiguo, and others like two heavy hammer blows.

In this era, what are "local tyrants and evil gentry" and "white dogs"?

They are the enemy of the people! They are to be overthrown, purged, and trampled underfoot for eternity!

Zhang Dabiao wasn't just insulting people; he was defining them! He was digging into their very roots!

"Thump!"

Zhao Weiguo's legs went weak, and if Liu Yuanchao hadn't caught him in time, he would have knelt down on the spot. He looked at Zhang Dabiao in terror, as if he were looking at a judge who held the power of life and death, his whole body trembling.

Yang Yibai, on the other hand, was ashen-faced and her mind was completely blank.

She suddenly realized that her proud identity had become, in the other person's words, the most deadly and vicious original sin.

She was stunned.

How can this be refuted?

"What's wrong? Can't you speak?"

Zhang Dabiao coldly stared at the group of pale-faced young people in front of him, his sarcasm deepening.

"The three great mountains have just been overthrown, and you already want to erect a new one over the people, is that it?"

"My things, my work, I need your permission to use them, even if they're for my fiancée?"

"Who do you think you are?!"

"what!"