strictlysupreme Chapter 1415 Yunrui's Sincere Heart: Yang Xiaotang's Venting Outlet
Chapter 1415 Yunrui's Sincere Heart: Yang Xiaotang's Venting Outlet
Qi Ruixiang's cowering completely ignited Yang Bin's anger. Looking at this younger man he had watched grow up, seeing him now lack even the courage to look his daughter in the eye, the rage that had been building up in his chest for eight months exploded with a "bang."
—The earnest advice he had given him, the sight of his daughter weeping during her postpartum period, and the grievances of his granddaughter crying for her father all night long—all of these transformed into the strength in his steps at this moment.
Yang Bin's cheeks were taut, his jawline sharp as a knife, his usually gentle eyebrows were now furrowed, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes exuded ferocity, and even his breath carried a scorching heat.
Yang Bin raised his foot and kicked Qi Ruixiang hard in the lower back. The kick was delivered with full force, filled with a sense of disappointment and frustration. Qi Ruixiang, already aching from the arduous journey through the Golden Triangle, lost his balance and stumbled into the house like a broken sack. His knees slammed heavily against the solid wood floor with a dull thud, causing him to gasp in pain and almost burst into tears.
He forcibly dragged Qi Ruixiang in front of Yang Xiaotang, then suddenly let go and pressed down on his shoulders, forcing him to bend over and stand in front of his daughter.
"Look at her!" Yang Bin roared, grabbing Qi Ruixiang's chin and digging his fingertips into his flesh, forcing him to lift his head. His eyes were bloodshot, as if spitting fire, and spittle flew onto Qi Ruixiang's face.
"Weren't you so capable? Didn't you dare run away right after she gave birth? Why are you afraid to even look at her now? Look at her! Look what you've done to her!"
Qi Ruixiang was forced to meet Yang Xiaotang's eyes. His heart felt like it was being gripped tightly by an icy hand, and he instantly fell into an ice cellar, his breath even stopping for half a second.
Those were not the smiling, gentle eyes he remembered. Now, their pupils were empty, as if shrouded in a thick fog, devoid of anger, resentment, or even a ripple of emotion, only a desolate, lifeless emptiness.
His eye sockets were sunken due to long-term insomnia, and there were heavy dark circles under his eyes. His once moist whites were now covered with bloodshot veins, like the cracks in a dried-up riverbed.
Just like after he left, those long, tear-soaked nights, those cold nights when she ran to the hospital alone with her child, had completely dried up the light in her eyes.
Qi Ruixiang's cheeks twitched uncontrollably, and his chin, which Yang Bin was holding, was numb with pain, but he didn't even have the strength to struggle.
His gaze darted around nervously, then fell on Yang Xiaotang's gaunt face—her cheekbones were prominent, and she looked a whole size thinner than when he left.
"Xiao Tang..." Qi Ruixiang's voice trembled so badly that it was like a broken string trembling in the wind. His chin was being pinched painfully by Yang Bin, and he couldn't even finish his sentence.
He wanted to apologize and explain, but all the words were stuck in his throat, and he couldn't say them.
He didn't even dare to look Yang Xiaotang in the eye anymore, and just wanted to find a crack in the ground to crawl into and hide himself away from this suffocating silence and guilt.
Yang Xiaotang stood there, and Niannian in her arms seemed to be startled by the commotion. She stopped playing with her toys, pouted, and shrank into her mother's arms, clutching Yang Xiaotang's clothes tightly with her little hands, her soft cheek pressed against her chest.
This action was like a needle, unexpectedly piercing the emptiness in Yang Xiaotang's eyes.
Her pupils contracted slightly, as if rusty gears were finally turning, and her gaze finally focused, locked on Qi Ruixiang's face without blinking.
Yang Xiaotang blinked, her long eyelashes trembling violently like the wings of a startled butterfly, causing her shoulders to sway slightly.
She subconsciously raised her hand to rub her eyes, her fingertips tracing the dry corners of her eyes, leaving a faint red mark, as if she couldn't believe what she was seeing—was this unshaven, disheveled man with unhealed wounds on his face really her husband who wore a sharp suit and had gentle eyes at their wedding?
Is it Qi Ruixiang, who held her hand tightly during her labor pains and said, "I will never let you suffer again"?
She remained silent for a full half minute. The living room was eerily quiet, with only Nian Nian's soft humming, Qi Ruixiang's heavy breathing, and the ticking of the wall clock, each tick like a blow to a taut nerve.
Yang Bin gradually released Qi Ruixiang's chin. Looking at his daughter's reaction, his anger subsided slightly, replaced by a deep, overwhelming heartache.
He knew that his daughter hadn't recovered from the shock yet, and those suppressed emotions were churning wildly inside her.
The next second, Yang Xiaotang's eyes suddenly changed.
The emptiness dissipated, the confusion vanished, and in its place came utter disbelief.
Her lips parted slightly, as if she wanted to say something, but no sound came out. Only a hoarse, hissing sound could be heard from her throat, like a broken bellows struggling to operate.
Her body began to tremble uncontrollably, from her fingertips to her shoulders, and then to her entire body, shaking more and more violently. Niannian, whom she was holding too tightly, couldn't help but burst into tears.
"It's you...it really is you..." She finally managed to squeeze out a sentence, her voice hoarse like sandpaper rubbing against wood, each word carrying a tearing pain, "Qi Ruixiang...you still know how to come back?"
These words were like a switch, completely unleashing the floodgates of her emotions.
The grievances, fear, anger, and despair—all the silent weeping under the covers in the dead of night, the embarrassment of being pointed at and gossiped about by others, the helplessness of falling in the snow while holding a feverish daughter—all erupted at this moment.
She suddenly raised her hand, and with a whooshing sound, slapped Qi Ruixiang hard across the face.
The sharp "slap" was particularly jarring in the quiet living room, and even the air seemed to shake from the impact.
Qi Ruixiang's face instantly turned red, and a clear five-finger mark quickly appeared. He didn't dodge or even blink, but simply let the force pull his head to one side, even tasting a hint of rust on his lips.
"You bastard! You liar!" Yang Xiaotang's voice suddenly rose, trembling with sobs, yet unusually sharp, like a razor-sharp knife piercing into Qi Ruixiang's heart!
As she cried, she pounded her fists hard against Qi Ruixiang's chest. The force wasn't great, but it was filled with heart-wrenching despair. Each punch seemed to be venting the suffering she had endured alone.
Qi Ruixiang finally couldn't hold back his tears, the scalding tears hitting Yang Xiaotang's hand and sliding down his cheeks, dripping onto his shirt and leaving a small dark stain. He let Yang Xiaotang hit and scold him, his hands stiff at his sides, not daring to touch her or defend himself.
Niannian, nestled in her mother's arms, was completely affected by her mother's emotions and cried even harder. Her little face turned bright red, her voice became hoarse from crying, and her little hands waved helplessly, as if searching for a sense of security.
Yang Xiaotang then realized she had frightened her child. She abruptly stopped screaming, hugged Niannian tightly in her arms, lowered her head, buried her face in her daughter's soft neck, and burst into tears. "Niannian, my Niannian... Mommy is sorry... I made you suffer... It's Mommy's fault..." Her cries were suppressed and desperate, her shoulders heaving violently, as if she wanted to cry out all the suffering of the past eight months.