Chapter 273 - 271: To Hell with ’Family Harmony Brings Prosperity

Zhao Linglong’s head snapped up, her voice thick with tears. "You can say whatever you want about me, but don’t insult Dr. Yang!"

"Oh! So defensive already." Zhao Lili clicked her tongue, an expression of condescending impatience written all over her face. "You’ve been like this since we were kids—crying at the drop of a hat, acting like the whole world is out to get you.

"If you want to be shameless, fine, but don’t drag me down with you. If word gets out that a daughter of the Zhao family has something wrong with her head, how am I supposed to get married?"

Yang Xun’s gaze turned cold. Zhao Linglong had a gentle temperament and had stayed silent while being berated just a moment ago. Yet, the second Zhao Lili insulted him, she had stepped up to defend him.

This girl was adorably foolish.

He shot Zhao Lili a look, his tone calm but laced with a clear, icy edge. "Miss Zhao, watch your words."

Zhao Lili rolled her eyes and sneered. "Am I wrong? She’s always been—"

"Enough!" a deep voice boomed from the top of the stairs.

Zhao Hongshan stood at the landing, a coat draped over his shoulders. It was obvious he had hurriedly gotten out of bed after hearing the commotion. His gaze swept over the people in the living room before finally settling on Zhao Linglong’s tear-stained face.

Seeing this, Madam Zhao immediately beat everyone else to the punch. "You’re just in time! Look at what your good daughter has done! Hugging and cuddling with this man in the middle of the night, and she still refuses to admit it even after I caught them red-handed!"

Zhao Hongshan’s gaze shifted to Yang Xun, his brows furrowing slightly. When he spoke, his tone was relatively even. "Dr. Yang, what’s going on here?"

Yang Xun replied just as calmly, "Linglong and I were discussing her condition. She was a little emotionally unstable, and I was merely comforting her. Madam Zhao happened to see us, and I’m afraid there’s been a misunderstanding."

"A misunderstanding?" Madam Zhao scoffed. "Do you think I’m blind?"

Zhao Hongshan fell silent for a few seconds. Finally, he turned to Zhao Linglong, his voice tinged with exhaustion. "Linglong, go back to your room for now."

Zhao Linglong looked up at her father, her tearful eyes filled with an unprecedented sense of disappointment. Biting her lip, she asked in a hoarse voice, "Dad, do you think I’m in the wrong here too?"

Zhao Hongshan froze for a moment. "That’s not what I meant—"

"Then why are you telling me to leave?" Tears slipped down Zhao Linglong’s cheeks, her voice trembling slightly. "She was the one yelling at me the whole time. Why am I always the one getting chased away?"

The living room fell silent for a moment. No one expected Zhao Linglong to actually talk back.

Madam Zhao was the first to recover. "What kind of attitude is that?" she snorted coldly. "Raising your voice at your father?"

"You shut up!" Zhao Linglong abruptly turned to glare at Madam Zhao, her voice spiking in pitch. "Every day, you call me indecent and shameless, but what have I actually done?

"All I do is paint and read in my room. I rarely even leave the house! What gives you the right to hurl those insults at me?"

She whipped her head back toward Zhao Hongshan, fresh tears finally spilling over. "Dad, ever since I was little, no matter what happened, you’ve always told me to endure it.

"She insults me, scolds me, bullies me, and all you ever say is, ’Linglong, a family should live in harmony.’

"But why should I have to take it? They’re the ones bullying me!"

Zhao Hongshan was left speechless by his daughter’s outburst. He truly had always taken an appeasing approach, believing that harmony at home brought prosperity in all things, but he had never realized just how much grievance Linglong had bottled up inside.

Seeing his silence, the light in Zhao Linglong’s eyes dimmed bit by bit. She lowered her head, her voice raw and exhausted. "Forget it. I’m going back to my room."

She turned and walked toward the stairs. Her footsteps were heavy, as if every step was taken on a path of invisible thorns.

Yang Xun watched her retreating back before suddenly speaking up. "Mr. Zhao."

Zhao Hongshan looked up at him.

Yang Xun’s gaze was calm but carried a sharp edge. "Let me ask you something. Do you truly dote on Linglong, or is it just lip service?"

Zhao Hongshan was taken aback. "What do you mean by that?"

"If you really love her, how can you tolerate your wife and stepdaughter bullying her like this?" Yang Xun’s voice wasn’t loud, but every word drove home with the clarity and force of a nail. "Every time something happens, you tell her to endure it, to take a step back. But have you ever stopped to think about how many steps she’s already taken? Where else can she retreat to?"

Zhao Hongshan was quiet for a moment, his expression turning ugly. "Dr. Yang, this is our family’s business—"

Yang Xun cut him off. "With a single phrase—’harmony at home brings prosperity’—you force down all her grievances. But ask yourself, is this family truly in harmony?

"To hell with your fake harmony! You only ever make Linglong swallow her pain. If she could actually stomach being in this house, why would she constantly go out to paint?"

Zhao Hongshan’s lips moved, but he couldn’t form a single word. He stood there, the overhead lights casting a long shadow behind him. For the first time, a look of near-pathetic defeat cracked his usually composed and steady facade.

Seeing her husband rendered speechless, Madam Zhao immediately lashed out. "Who the hell do you think you are? Do you think you’re worthy of lecturing our family?"

Yang Xun glanced at her, his tone lukewarm. "Even I, an outsider, know better than to bully a motherless child. Yet you continuously make her suffer. Aren’t you afraid that Linglong’s mother will come looking for payback in your midnight dreams?"

Madam Zhao’s face instantly turned livid.

Right then, Yang Xun’s phone rang. The shrill ringtone shattered the suffocating silence.

He glanced down at the caller ID—it was Xu Qian. He pressed the answer button, and Xu Qian’s frantic voice burst through the receiver. "Yang Xun! My sister is feeling sick again. She’s frighteningly pale—you have to come back quickly!"

Yang Xun’s brows knitted tightly. "Is it serious?"

"Very! She’s been breaking out in cold sweats."

"I’m heading back right now."

He hung up and turned back to Zhao Hongshan. "Mr. Zhao, there’s an emergency in Zhonghai. I must leave immediately.

"I’ve practically finished nursing Linglong’s health back to normal. From here on out, she just needs to take her medication on time. If you still see her as your daughter, then think long and hard about what I said today."

Zhao Hongshan nodded, forcing an awkward smile onto his face.

Yang Xun turned and headed toward the door. He had barely taken two steps when the hurried patter of footsteps echoed from behind.

He looked back to see that Zhao Linglong had somehow made her way back downstairs. She stood at the foot of the stairs, clutching a simple cloth bag. Her eyes were still red, but her voice rang out with uncharacteristic determination.

"Dr. Yang, I’m going with you."

Everyone in the living room froze.

Madam Zhao was the first to react, her voice shrill and piercing. "Are you insane? You’re a young girl, why are you running off with him? Do you even know what kind of man he is?"

"I do," Zhao Linglong said evenly. "Dr. Yang is a good person. He cured my illness and helped the Zhao family. He’s far more reliable than the people who spend all day pointing fingers behind my back."