Intervention at the Back Gate

Li Yanze, his face pale, rushed forward, intending to intervene.

However, the man backhanded him with a brutal slap, sending him stumbling back several steps before he could regain his balance.

Clear finger marks rapidly bloomed across his face.

“Dad, don’t! Mom did nothing wrong, it’s me, it’s all my fault…”

“I told you to shut up!” The man stepped forward and delivered another slap.

Li Yanze’s entire cheek immediately swelled.

“You spineless wretch! Always cowering like a woman, you’ve completely shamed me, Li Jianguo!”

“Stop hitting him!” The woman finally broke down, crying out.

She lunged forward, trying to shield her son with her frail body, but the man roughly shoved her away.

Her foot twisted, and she fell heavily to the ground.

The plastic bag she was carrying tore open, sending rosy apples scattering across the asphalt.

Li Yanze frantically bent down to help her.

Instead, he was met with a kick from his father to his shoulder.

The kick wasn’t forceful, yet it was deeply humiliating.

“Get lost! Useless trash!”

The woman slumped on the ground, trembling as she tried to push herself up.

However, a furious roar from the man terrified her, making her collapse back down.

“You dare protect him again, just try it! Today, I’ll make sure you both know who truly runs this household!”

The man’s bloodshot eyes suddenly glared around.

“What are you staring at?! All of you, get the hell away!”

The students and pedestrians who had stopped to watch instantly averted their gazes.

They pretended to make calls, check their phones, or simply walk away.

No one spoke.

No one intervened.

The air hung heavy with the stench of smoke and alcohol, laced with an unsettling, nauseating aggression.

Zhou Yi felt a sudden surge of blood rush to his head.

The self-esteem he had painstakingly helped Li Yanze build in the simulated world was now being utterly crushed by this man, who was supposed to be his father, in the most humiliating way imaginable.

In that moment, Zhou Yi suddenly understood everything.

An abusive, alcoholic father.

A meek, tolerant mother.

In such a twisted family, what other way could a child possibly survive besides constantly placating and apologizing to gain a moment of peace?

The ingrained subservience, the people-pleasing personality woven into his very being—none of it was innate.

It had been cursed into him, frightened into him, beaten into him, over and over again.

His former anger and disappointment, the feeling of ‘hating to see iron turn to rust’ regarding Li Yanze, quietly transformed into profound pity in this instant.

He desperately wanted to intervene, yet he knew that stepping in now, while it might temporarily halt the conflict, could also make the man feel his authority was challenged.

Before such an individual, outside interference would only be seen as a provocation, spurring him to escalate his actions to assert his dominance even further.

Reasoning with someone completely out of control was akin to pouring oil on a fire.

Once the onlookers dispersed, Li Yanze would likely face not just verbal abuse, but even more direct physical violence.

‘Damn it…’

He glanced down at his own slender arms and legs, then let out a silent sigh.

Call the police? The process would be too slow; distant water couldn’t quench a nearby fire.

His gaze rapidly swept the surroundings before suddenly fixing on the lights in the distance: the campus security office.

It was the closest patrol point to the back gate, manned twenty-four hours a day, with a response time faster than external police.

He immediately pulled out his phone and dialed the security office number.

“Hello? Campus Security?”

He turned his back, lowering his voice. “Next to the Wooden Bridge Grilled Fish restaurant, near the East University back gate, there’s a black car illegally parked. The owner is assaulting a student and a woman. Their emotions are very agitated, and the situation might get out of control. Please send someone immediately!”

After hanging up, he grabbed Jiang Chen, who had already rolled up his sleeves and was about to step forward.

“Let’s move to the side. Campus Security will be here any second.”

Jiang Chen paused, startled, then a flicker of approval crossed his eyes.

He took half a step back, leveraging Zhou Yi’s pull, and murmured, “…Clever.”

Not far away, Li Jianguo continued to roar, his finger aggressively jabbing at Li Yanze’s forehead.

“See that? This is what happens when you protect her!” The man panted heavily, spittle nearly spraying onto Li Yanze’s face. “Worthless trash!”

The woman huddled on the ground, her elbow scraped raw and bleeding.

She fought back tears, attempting to push herself up, only to collapse back down from pain and fear.

A fire ignited in Li Yanze’s eyes.

He scrambled to his feet, carefully helped his mother to sit aside, and then turned, poised to rush forward.

“What? Think you’ve grown wings?” Li Jianguo seized his hair, a thick stench of alcohol and stale smoke blasting into his face. “Do you really believe I wouldn’t dare touch you out here? Go on, hit me if you’ve got the guts!”

Li Yanze’s chest heaved violently.

His hands gripped his father’s wrist ineffectually, yet he dared not struggle free with any force.

“Still resisting?” Li Jianguo released his hair, then abruptly pulled the belt from his waist and swung it down with brutal force!

Crack!

The belt landed squarely on flesh, producing a sickening thud that sent shivers down the spine.

“Don’t hit him!” his mother cried out, rushing forward to shield her son with her body.

“Get away!” Li Jianguo roughly pushed her aside. “Don’t think I won’t hit a woman!”

The belt in his hand rose high once more.

“Enough.” Jiang Chen could no longer restrain himself.

He darted forward, and just before the belt could descend, he precisely seized Li Jianguo’s wrist.

Even if he disliked Li Yanze, and even felt irritated by his submissive demeanor, Jiang Chen simply could not tolerate someone publicly trampling on another’s dignity like this.

Li Jianguo froze, completely unprepared for someone to suddenly intervene.

“You punk, are you looking for death?” Li Jianguo’s face darkened, his breath reeking of alcohol.

“If you want to throw a drunken tantrum, do it at home.” Jiang Chen’s voice was as cold as ice. “This is your son, not your punching bag.”

“What the hell are you to tell me what to do?! I’m dealing with my own wife and child, who are you to interfere?!” Li Jianguo struggled, his eyes bloodshot, only to find his wrist clamped immovably.

Infuriated, he lifted his foot, aiming a kick at Jiang Chen.

In that critical moment, two figures in dark blue uniforms swiftly intervened.

Campus security personnel had arrived just in time.

“Stop!”

The leading security officer barked out a sharp command.

Li Jianguo was stunned by the reprimand.

His raised foot froze in mid-air, the belt still clutched in his hand.

The younger security officer stepped forward directly and snatched the belt from his hand.

The older officer positioned himself in front of Li Yanze, creating a protective barrier.

“You are suspected of assault in a public place. Please cooperate with our investigation.”

“What business is it of yours?! I’m dealing with my own wife and child, who are you to interfere?!”

“Acts of violence in public places are illegal.”

The officer replied coldly, “Furthermore, committing violence in a public area surrounding the campus makes the offense more serious.”

Li Jianguo tried to roar again, but his wrist was deftly seized by the security officer and pinned against the car door.

The cold touch and professional restraint instantly sobered him slightly.

“Please cooperate.”

Li Yanze’s mother quickly wiped away her tears and stepped forward, bowing repeatedly as she apologized.

“I’m so sorry, truly sorry… He just had too much to drink, and his temper flared… It’s our fault, we’ve caused trouble for the school…”

Tears streamed down her face, and her calloused hands still trembled slightly.

Standing nearby, Li Yanze watched his mother’s meek apologies.

He then glimpsed his father, who had instantly deflated before the uniformed officers.

It was as if all the strength had drained from him; his eyes red-rimmed, he turned his head away.

Zhou Yi quietly observed the end of the spectacle, understanding that outside intervention could only go so far.

He stepped forward and tugged on Jiang Chen’s sleeve. “Let’s go.”

Jiang Chen took one last look back.

Li Yanze was bowing his head, helping his mother up, the boy’s slender shoulders appearing exceptionally fragile in the night.

He averted his gaze, letting out a heavy sigh.

“Let’s go.”