Because I Cannot Hurt You

As Zizi entered the villa and saw the scene in front of her, her shock knew no bounds. Han Huizhong was mercilessly beating Zhiyuan out of pure rage.

"Grandpa!" She came rushing to Zhiyuan's side and looked at her grandfather in disbelief. "What are you doing!? Why are you hitting bro?"

Han Huizhong menacingly said, "Out of my way, Zizi."

He grabbed her arm and pushed her away. Han Mingli immediately caught her. "Zizi. Are you alright?"

"Uncle, Aunt," her eyes teared up. "Bro...what is happening here?"

Han Guang looked troubled. "It's all because of Xinyi. She has bewitched Zhiyuan so much that he refuses to divorce her. He is disrespecting Uncle's wish to leave her and so…"

Zizi gnashed her teeth in hatred.

That Xinyi again!

Before she could ask further, she heard another strike as Han Huizhong hit Zhiyuan.

"Bro!"

Zhiyuan was badly hurt all over his body and red bruises began to appear. But he didn't back off which only pissed Han Huizhong even further.

He grabbed his collar. His gaze was angry and furious as he clenched his fist. "After letting your wife get sick and not even giving her the liberty to fucking rest when she had to save your ass out of that misunderstanding and clean up that mess you made, you say you won't divorce her? You failed to protect your wife, yet you have the audacity to stand against me?"

Zhiyuan said, "I told you, Grandpa. I am ready to face your punishment for putting Xinyi in danger, but I will not divorce her and break my family."

Han Huizhong stared at him and hard and burst into laughter. "Family? You don't have any family, Zhiyuan. You are just a namesake husband for Xinyi and a namesake father for Siying."

Namesake?

Somehow, that struck him hard and he turned cold. "Grandpa-"

"After all, it was a forced marriage that I made you two go through. Since day one, your whole marriage was just a namesake. For the first time, I was wrong in my decision. Since it was a forced marriage, you shouldn't be so salty about this divorce."

He froze.

Zizi was stunned. "Grandpa, how can you say such hurtful things to bro for that Xinyi! Who is she that you always go against your own family for her!"

Han Huizhong slowly released his collar. There was a beat of absolute silence in the air.

The memory of the distant past when he had first met Xinyi began to surface in his mind.

"Xinyi is a weak and timid woman. She fears the crowd. She doesn't like the attention on her. She gets intimidated when speaking in front of people. Absolutely pathetic."

Han Mingli and Han Guang sneered.

"So why!?" Zizi asked. "Don't you hate such people?"

"Because my stupid granddaughter, that same woman is extremely strong and determined as hell. She hates standing in a crowd, but she led the whole company by herself when her pathetic husband was moping in depression. She hates confrontations, but she had the tenacity to argue and refuse me, Han Huizhong."

Zhiyuan's eyelashes slightly trembled.

It was the same for him. Sometimes, Xinyi seemed so unsure and fearful of handling something herself. But sometimes, she stood her ground so fiercely as if she was a completely different person.

Han Huizhong was in a daze. He didn't mention the other reason why he thought of Xinyi as a strong woman.

That reason alone superseded everything else.

And that was a thorn in his heart.

Han Huizhong said, "Xinyi is a strong woman," then his gaze turned cold and threatening as he looked at Zhiyuan. His hands trembled as he clenched his fist on his stick. "And you have done nothing but to pull that strong woman down every single time!"

*Crash*

He hit him hard again. Zhiyuan slightly furrowed his brows, but he didn't utter even a small welp of pain.

"G-grandpa!" Zizi was terrified. She wanted to help Zhiyuan, but Han Huizhong stood so fierce and dangerous that her legs refused to move.

Han Huizhong roared. "You and your uselessness have only hurt Xinyi and nothing else!"

Zhiyuan shut his eyes for his next strike.

The moment he raised his stick and struck him again, Xinyi suddenly stood in front of Zhiyuan and stretched her arms. "Don't hit Zhiyuan-"

But Han Huizhong was unable to take back the momentum of that strike he had launched after her sudden appearance and his stick harshly struck upon Xinyi's temple.

Zizi jolted and gasped while Han Guang and Han Mingli were stunned too.

Han Huizhong widened his eyes and froze.

Zhiyuan opened his eyes, hearing Xinyi's voice. He stiffened. He didn't even realize when Xinyi suddenly came in between them to block it.

"Xinyi…"

His black irises bore hard into her thin figure that was stumbling as she was about to fall. That image was vividly burned into his memory.

"Xinyi!!!"

Zhiyuan quickly caught her in his arms. He stood rooted to see a thin line of blood trickling from her temple. Her eyes looked unfocused and dizzy.

"Zh-Zhiyuan... don't hit... Zhiyuan…Grandpa…please..." she mumbled.

Zhiyuan was aghast to see her still defending him even when she was hurt herself. He patted her cheek. "Xinyi! Xinyi! Can you hear me? Xinyi!"

A dull pain shot in her forehead, and she was losing her consciousness. She looked at Zhiyuan and felt that he was calling out to her, but she didn't have the strength to respond.

Zhiyuan trembled upon seeing her eyes shutting down. He rubbed her palms and patted her cheek again and again, but she had already fainted.

"Xi-Xinyi…"

He panicked and picked her in his arms. "Hospital...I need to take her to the hospital...Zizi!"

She jolted. "B-bro…"

"Call Liang right now and ask him to arrange the best doctor for Xinyi."

She bit her lip. "But-"

His one glare at her cut her off. "Right. Now!"

She stiffened. It was the first time she saw Zhiyuan in such disarray and talking to her in that tone. She fumbled with her phone and dialed Liang's number.

Han Huizhong gritted his teeth as he stared at the unconscious Xinyi. "Such a fool!"