Me! A high-ranking official!

"Zhao Jianguo..."

Cao Wenting screamed and reached out with both hands to grab Zhao Jianguo's face.

Xu Qingqing followed closely behind, cursing incessantly: "Bastard! Ungrateful wretch! I'll kill you!"

Before they could rush over, Zhao Jianguo raised his hand and slapped them both.

"Snapped!"

A slap landed on Cao Wenting's face, causing her to stagger to the left. Her high heels slipped on the floor, her knee hit the paving stones, and her skirt tore open.

"Snapped!"

The second slap landed on Xu Qingqing's face. She screamed, fell to the right, hit her head on the sofa, bounced back, and sat down on the floor with a thud, covering her face and staring wide-eyed like saucers.

The mother and daughter sat on the ground, their faces marked with red and purple handprints, blood seeping from the corners of their mouths. They looked up at Zhao Jianguo, their eyes filled with shock. How could Zhao Jianguo, who used to be so meek and never retaliated when insulted or hit, dare to lay a hand on them?

Qi Xiongwen got up from the ground, and seeing this scene, the fat on his face twitched. He roared, "You dare to hit someone? Wait till I get my hands on you!"

As he spoke, he swung his fist and punched straight at Zhao Jianguo's face.

Zhao Jianguo saw it clearly. Qi Xiongwen's movements were like a video recording in slow motion, every inch of his movement was crystal clear. He suddenly grabbed Qi Xiongwen's wrist, pressed it down, and kicked Qi Xiongwen in the stomach.

Qi Xiongwen screamed in agony, as if he had been hit by a runaway calf. He fell backward, his head hitting the floor tiles with a dull thud. He clutched his stomach and rolled on the ground, letting out a pig-like howl.

Zhao Jianguo was stunned. He looked down at his hands, then at Qi Xiongwen rolling on the ground. That kick just now must have had at least four or five hundred pounds of force, leaving Qi Xiongwen no chance to fight back. He was both surprised and delighted. What was going on? When did he become so strong? Qi Xiongwen had trained. Before, he couldn't even bend a finger of someone, but now he could kick someone over with one kick.

Before he could think it through, Qi Xiongwen recovered and got up from the ground. His face was flushed red, and his eyes glared at Zhao Jianguo as if they were about to spit fire.

Cao Wenting screamed at Qi Xiongwen, "Xiao Qi, stop him! Don't let him get away!"

Qi Xiongwen roared and charged forward again, this time with an even more ferocious punch aimed straight for Zhao Jianguo's chest, cursing, "You brat, you dare fight back? If I let you leave today, I'm not Qi anymore!"

Zhao Jianguo reacted quickly, dodging Qi Xiongwen's fist as it grazed his chest, followed by a slap that landed squarely on Qi Xiongwen's left cheek.

"Snapped!"

A crisp sound rang out in the living room. Qi Xiongwen covered his face and took two steps back, bumping into the wall. He was completely stunned, staring blankly at Zhao Jianguo with disbelief in his eyes. The good-for-nothing who had just been kicked over and beaten by him was now able to beat him up one after another.

Zhao Jianguo looked at his hands with surprise. He had seen Qi Xiongwen's movements clearly. Every punch and every step was slowed down in his eyes. His body was faster and more powerful than before, and his reaction was also faster. Qi Xiongwen, who was once invincible and no match for him, now seemed to be just so-so and no match for him at all.

He raised his head and stared at Qi Xiongwen, a slow grin spreading across his face, revealing a hint of mockery and ferocity.

Startled by his smile, Qi Xiongwen took a half-step back, his back pressed against the wall, and cried out in panic, "What...what are you going to do?"

He chuckled coldly, "What am I supposed to do? You thought you were so tough? Weren't you all high and mighty just now? You looked down on me, didn't you? Now I'll show you what I'm made of!"

He strode over and raised his hand to hit Qi Xiongwen in the face.

Qi Xiongwen was startled and hurriedly raised his arm to shield his face. Before the slap could land, Qi Xiongwen suddenly changed his move and kicked him in the stomach.

Qi Xiongwen screamed and sat down on the ground with a thud, clutching his stomach. He curled up like a shrimp, groaning and moaning, his face covered in tears and snot.

Zhao Jianguo gave him no chance to fight back, pounced on him, straddled Qi Xiongwen, and punched him in the forehead.

"Bang!"

Qi Xiongwen's head hit the ground, his vision went black for a moment, and he flailed his hands wildly in the air, trying to push Zhao Jianguo away.

Zhao Jianguo straddled him, his legs seemingly rooted to the spot, and swung his hands left and right in a slapping motion.

"Slap! Slap! Slap! Slap!"

Slap after slap, fast and hard, the blows sent Qi Xiongwen's face slapping back and forth, making him scream in agony. He twisted his body desperately, trying to protect his head with his hands, struggling incessantly, but Zhao Jianguo pressed down on him like a mountain, unmoving. Each slap was harder than the last, making Qi Xiongwen cry out in pain.

Cao Wenting and Xu Qingqing stood behind, watching Qi Xiongwen being brutally beaten by Zhao Jianguo while he was on top of her. They were terrified and turned pale. Qi Xiongwen was trained and used to be able to take on three or four people by himself, but now he was being beaten to the ground by Zhao Jianguo and didn't even have the strength to fight back.

The two exchanged a glance, slowly got up from the ground, and quietly moved towards the door.

Just as the two were about to leave the second bedroom, Zhao Jianguo suddenly turned around and roared, "No one who doesn't want to die is allowed to leave!"

Cao Wenting and Xu Qingqing were so frightened that they froze on the spot, their legs feeling like lead, and dared not move an inch.

Xu Qingqing stared in horror at Qi Xiongwen, who lay on the ground, his face bruised and swollen, barely recognizable. Her lips trembled as she cried out, "Zhao Jianguo, what...what do you want to do? Qi Xiongwen is the son of Qi Songxian, the CEO of the Construction Group! If you dare hit his son, be careful his father won't let you off!"

Zhao Jianguo sneered, stood up from Qi Xiongwen, and slowly walked towards Cao Wenting and Xu Qingqing: "Now that things have come to this, what do I have to be afraid of?"

Cao Wenting watched him approach step by step, the slap mark on her face still burning, her ears ringing. But being the deputy secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission, she mustered her courage, straightened her chest, and said loudly, "Zhao Jianguo, what do you want? I'm the deputy secretary of the county Discipline Inspection Commission! If you dare touch me, I guarantee you'll regret it!"

Zhao Jianguo walked up to her, looked down at her, suddenly smiled, and abruptly raised his hand to slap her.

"Snapped!"

Cao Wenting was sent flying and crashed to the ground, her head hitting the leg of the coffee table. Her ears rang, her vision went black, and she could hear nothing but a buzzing sound in her left ear. She covered her face, looked up, and her eyes were filled with terror.

Zhao Jianguo stood before her, sneering, "I've already reported you to the Discipline Inspection Commission. If the county commission doesn't care, I'll go to the city commission, then the provincial commission. I want to see if you, Cao Wenting, can cover up everything! I want to see if there's any justice left in this world. If no one can give me justice, then I'll find it myself!"

Xu Qingqing watched from the side, trembling with fear. She stammered "Mom" and tried to go over to help Cao Wenting, but as soon as she took a step, she met Zhao Jianguo's fierce gaze, her legs went weak, and she shrank back.

Zhao Jianguo stared at Xu Qingqing and slapped her across the face.

"Snapped!"

Xu Qingqing was knocked to the ground, her mouth split open, blood flowing down her chin. Before she could react, Zhao Jianguo bent down, grabbed her collar, dragged her up from the ground, and slapped her repeatedly, left and right.

"Slap! Slap! Slap!"

Xu Qingqing's head was slapped wildly from side to side, her hair disheveled and smeared on her face, blood splattering everywhere from the corner of her mouth. She spat out two teeth, which fell to the ground stained with blood, and mumbled a plea for mercy: "Stop hitting me...stop hitting me...it hurts too much...please stop hitting me..."

He released his grip, and Xu Qingqing collapsed to the ground like a lump of mud, clutching her head, trembling all over, her cries intermittent, completely terrified.

Zhao Jianguo straightened up, his chest heaving as he gasped for breath. He never imagined that beating someone could be so tiring, even more so than being beaten! He looked down at his hands; his palms were red, and there were a few drops of blood on his knuckles, making it impossible to tell whose they were.

Raising his head, he glanced at the three people and saw Qi Xiongwen huddled in the corner, his face bruised and swollen, a blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, his eyes swollen shut, staring at him in terror through those slits, all his previous arrogance gone.

Xu Qingqing lay sprawled on the ground, her hair disheveled, her face covered in handprints, a gash at the corner of her mouth, blood dripping from her chin onto her clothes, her whole body trembling like a leaf, not even daring to cry out loud. Cao Wenting leaned against the coffee table leg, her left cheek swollen high, five bright red handprints clearly visible, her hair, which had been piled up, hanging down in a mess, her whole appearance disheveled.

Three people, three pairs of eyes, all stared at him, their eyes filled with panic and fear.

But a feeling of exhilaration he had never experienced before welled up inside him; he was all too familiar with that feeling of caution and fear.

For the past two years, he has looked at Cao Wenting with this kind of gaze. Every time Cao Wenting scolds him with a stern face, he gives her this look.

Two years! A full two years!

During the day, he works like a slave at his workplace, working overtime. He has to run over to his boss whenever he gets a call. He writes reports until three or four in the morning, and still clocks in at eight the next day. He is careful, cautious, and takes the blame.

What about when you get home?

Even more pathetic!

He would cook whatever Xu Qingqing wanted to eat. Too salty, too bland, too much oil, or too little oil were all unacceptable. He would spend an hour or two in the kitchen, and when the food was served, Xu Qingqing would take a couple of bites and put down her chopsticks, saying she had no appetite. He would then have to smile and reflect on his actions.

Cao Wenting would come over every few days to inspect the work. As soon as she entered the door, she would act like a leader inspecting the work, finding fault with everything, such as whether the floor was clean, the windows were not shiny, and the clothes were not folded neatly. He would stand by her side, bowing and scraping, not daring to say a word in response.

What was he like back then? Like a newlywed bride in ancient times, cautious and fearful, suffering humiliation every day, and not daring to tell anyone.

Everyone in his workplace knew he was Cao Wenting's son-in-law. Behind his back, they said he climbed the social ladder by relying on women and that he was a gigolo. He had heard all of this, but he could only pretend not to hear it. He was determined to work hard, achieve results, and shut those people up.

Looking back now, it's fucking ridiculous.

He cursed himself in his mind, "Zhao Jianguo, Zhao Jianguo, how could you have lived such a pathetic life before? What are you afraid of? You came from the countryside, you passed the civil service exam on your own merit, you got into the government office on your own merit, did you ever spend a single penny of Cao Wenting's money? You live in her house because you married her daughter, you hand over your salary card, you do all the housework, what do you owe them? You owe them nothing!"

On the contrary, they owe you! They've been playing you for a fool for two years, ruined your life, destroyed your future, and now they want you to leave with nothing?

Dream on! They ruined you, so you'll ruin them all! What they owe you, they'll pay back a hundredfold, a thousandfold!

He took a deep breath, exhaled the stale air from his chest, and felt a sense of relief he had never experienced before.

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

"Knock knock knock."

Hearing the knock, Cao Wenting trembled violently. She looked up at Zhao Jianguo with terror, her lips quivering, and pleaded in a low voice, "Jianguo...don't open the door...please...don't open the door..."

Her voice was choked with sobs, and her eyes were red.