I painted an aircraft carrier on the courtyard house for Dongda University.

Upon hearing this, Xu Wude and his wife in the crowd turned deathly pale and began to tremble uncontrollably.

Xu Wude suppressed his fear and pulled his wife forward to stop him. He couldn't let this madman kill his son.

But as soon as the two appeared from the crowd, Liu Haizhong's eyes instantly turned bloodshot. Without thinking twice, he grabbed a brick and charged at the two like a wild beast ready to fight to the death.

"Xu Wude, your little beast ruined me, I'll kill you first!"

Fortunately, Xu Wude reacted quickly. In his panic, he grabbed a broom leaning against the wall and lashed it hard at Liu Haizhong.

With a sharp "smack," the broom handle struck Liu Haizhong's arm solidly, causing his hand to go numb. The blue brick he was carrying fell to the ground with a "clatter."

Before Xu Wude could catch his breath, Liu Haizhong pounced on him, and the two instantly started wrestling and rolled to the ground.

At this moment, Liu Haizhong was already blinded by rage and despair, his mind filled with thoughts of mutual destruction. His attacks were ruthless, targeting Xu Wude's vital points.

Seeing this, Xu Wude's wife disregarded her fear and began punching and kicking Liu Haizhong's back and arms while screeching curses.

But Liu Haizhong seemed oblivious to the pain, focusing solely on suppressing Xu Wude, his fists raining down on Xu Wude's face and chest, causing Xu Wude to scream in agony.

The people in the courtyard were so frightened by Liu Haizhong's madness that they retreated one after another. No one dared to step forward to help. No one wanted to provoke a madman who was determined to fight to the death, for fear that he would turn around and vent his anger on them.

Yan Fugui stood there with a frown, wanting to go forward but not daring to, and could only stomp his feet in frustration.

Tao Ling was playing with great enthusiasm when she stumbled and accidentally kicked the blood-stained blue brick that had just fallen.

With a few "gurgling" sounds, the blue brick rolled down the ground to Liu Haizhong's side.

Xu Wude caught a glimpse of this scene out of the corner of his eye, and then saw Liu Haizhong reach out to grab the blue brick. His pupils contracted sharply, and a sense of despair rose in his heart. He couldn't help but wail in his mind: My teammate is a jerk!

Looking at Liu Haizhong's gritted teeth and fierce eyes, he knew clearly that if he threw that brick, he would probably really lose his life.

At this critical moment, a voice suddenly rang out: "Liu Haizhong! Stop!"

Liu Haizhong's hand, gripping the blue brick, suddenly stopped, his movements frozen in place. He was startled at first, then slowly raised his head, looking in the direction from which the sound came. When he saw the figure standing at the Jia family's door, he was completely stunned. The person was none other than Zhang Cuilan, an older woman.

The moment Liu Haizhong saw Zhang Cuilan, his eyes glazed over, and the scene at the deaf old woman's house flashed uncontrollably through his mind, reminding him of the absurd things that had happened between him and Yang Ruihua.

His hand holding the blue brick trembled slightly, and the fierce look on his face faded a bit, replaced by a complex sense of bewilderment.

But as Xu Wude struggled beneath him, a fierce glint reappeared in his eyes. Just as he was about to smash down with all his might, his gaze inadvertently swept across the room and caught sight of a little one in Yang Ruihua's arms. It was Yang Ruihua's child, who was looking at them with innocent, wide-eyed eyes.

This glance sent a jolt through Liu Haizhong's body. The chaos in his mind surged instantly, and he fell into a deeper daze. His hand, which was gripping the blue brick, stopped completely, and he stood frozen in place like a fool.

Upon seeing this, everyone in the courtyard breathed a sigh of relief. Those who reacted quickly rushed forward, and together they pulled Xu Wu, who was pinned down and had a bruised and swollen face, out of the way.

Xu Wude slumped to the ground, panting heavily. His eyes were filled with lingering fear as he looked at Liu Haizhong. The sharp pain in his chest and the wounds on his face paled in comparison to the terror of facing death just now.

Zhang Cuilan looked at Liu Haizhong, who was frozen in place with a dazed look in his eyes. Her face remained expressionless. She neither reprimanded him nor took a step forward.

She turned around without a word, carefully holding the child in her arms, and walked steadily towards her home.

With a loud "smack," the door slammed shut, shattering the deathly silence of the courtyard.

Liu Haizhong remained frozen in place, completely bewildered, still in the same position.

He slowly loosened his grip on the blue brick, which fell to the ground with a dull thud, but he was completely unaware of it. His mind was racing at an unprecedented pace, with countless thoughts intertwined in a chaotic mess, driving him to the brink of despair.

That child…whose child is that? His gaze unconsciously drifted towards Zhang Cuilan’s house, and his heart began to pound uncontrollably.

An absurd yet chilling thought popped into his head: Could it be my child?

He shook his head violently, trying to dispel the thought, his mind racing: No...it can't be...just that one time, how could it be such a coincidence...

But the more I resisted it, the clearer the idea became.

He subconsciously began to consider another possibility: Could it be Lao Yi's? No... so many years have passed, if he could have children, he would have had several by now, it's impossible for him to have waited until now.

He frowned, trying hard to recall the day he spent at the deaf old woman's house, and silently estimating the size of the child in his arms. The timing also matched perfectly.

Thinking about it this way, a thought that chilled him to the bone and shocked him completely took root in his heart: Could this child really be his?

The idea struck him like a thunderbolt, leaving him dizzy and his breathing rapid. His previous anger and despair were completely replaced by this sudden confusion and fear.

Everyone in the courtyard was stunned, looking at each other with bewilderment and confusion in their eyes.

Someone tried to break up the fight, but was punched several times by Liu Haizhong, who was in a rage. Despite everyone shouting at him, they couldn't stop him.

But when the middle-aged woman Zhang Cuilan simply said "Stop," the crazed Liu Haizhong instantly froze and obediently stopped, which was extremely unusual.

"Something's not right... Old Liu was acting like he was going to fight to the death just now, how come he's all quiet as soon as this old lady opens her mouth?"

Someone broke the silence first, muttering under their breath, their tone full of bewilderment. "Yeah, there's definitely something fishy going on here! Otherwise, how could things be so strange?"

Another person quickly chimed in, their eyes filled with inquiry, "Do you think there's some hidden story between that old lady and Old Liu that we don't know about?"

The murmurs gradually spread, and the crowd whispered among themselves, their eyes glancing from time to time toward Zhang Cuilan's door and then back onto the distraught Liu Haizhong, finding the situation increasingly suspicious.

Various speculations arose among the crowd. Some people imagined countless possibilities, their faces full of gossip. The danger of the fight just now was gradually overshadowed by this sudden suspense.

Yan Fugui stood to the side, stroking his chin, his eyes full of thought, muttering to himself, "Strange, very strange... Cuilan and Lao Liu didn't have much of a relationship before, how could she silence him with just a few words? Could it be that these two have something to hide...?"

P.S.: Please urge me to update more and give me good reviews. Thank you!