Chapter 386: Chapter 386: Hit Me Hard
“Cheating on the gaokao?” Even the usually composed Patriarch Duan took a start upon hearing these words.
The fourth child was a reserved man; he wouldn’t fabricate slander against others unless this matter… was true.
In an instant, Patriarch Duan’s face sunk to the depths of gloom.
On the spot, the old man lashed out, “Cheating on the gaokao? You’ve got some nerve!”
Patriarch Duan would rather have one of his grandchildren score a zero than to hear that someone had engaged in fraud, even contemplating cheating on the gaokao.
“Ridiculous! Absolutely ridiculous!”
Patriarch Duan was so angry that his neck turned red, his fury uncontrollable.
Xu Xingchen’s face turned pale, and he was visibly restless.
Duan Xiuhao almost cried, hastily explaining, “Dad, listen to me, I’m to blame for this, it’s because I…”
Patriarch Duan roared in anger, cutting him off, “Don’t you dare make excuses for yourself. Eighteen years old is an adult. Doesn’t he know what he is doing?”
“Cheating on the gaokao? And this is the kind of moral character that seeks to return to my Duan Family? To bring disgrace upon us?!” In his rage, Patriarch Duan picked up his cane and swung it viciously at Duan Xiuhao, panting with fury, “You sired an illegitimate child who commits such unlawful and undisciplined acts…”
“And you have the audacity to ask me to let him through our door?”
Patriarch Duan, having served in the military in his younger years, landed a solid hit on Duan Xiuhao with one swift blow. Duan Xiuhao yelped in pain and dragged Xu Xingchen as they scurried away covering their heads.
“Embarrassing trash! I’ll beat you to death today!”
In the blink of an eye, Duan Xiuhao and his son Xu Xingchen were beaten black and blue by the cane, wailing in agony.
Duan Feihan watched the two coldly, then turned and walked to his study with his briefcase in hand.
Yang Jingya snickered continuously, watching the scene with great satisfaction.
Duan Xingye looked at Patriarch Duan with some concern: “Grandpa, are you alright?”
Patriarch Duan was so angered by the father and son that his chest heaved violently, his face slightly pale, and his white mustache quivered with each breath he took.
The old man, having grown tired, handed the cane directly to Duan Xingye and said coldly, “Xingye, you do it for me.”
Duan Xingye was taken aback. Although he had lost all hope in his estranged father, he still couldn’t bring himself to beat his own father.
“Xingye, if you can’t beat your own father, then beat that illegitimate son who wants to tarnish the Duan Family’s reputable name! Beat him! Beat him hard!” Patriarch Duan, with the words ‘cheating on the gaokao’ searing in his mind, felt a surge of blood rushing to his head and bellowed at Xu Xingchen.
Xu Xingchen knelt on the ground, not daring to run, looking pale as he faced Duan Xingye.
They were brothers, was Duan Xingye really going to beat him?
Yang Jingya reminded from the side, her voice dripping with derision, “Xingye, you are doing this for your grandfather, to teach some bastard what he should and should not do, lest today he wants to cheat on the gaokao, tomorrow he’ll want to take to the streets and kill, tarnishing our Duan Family’s reputation!”
Duan Xingye inwardly cursed the hassle and brought down the cane on Xu Xingchen.
Xu Xingchen clenched his fists tightly, holding them in front of his legs, his eyes brimming with tears.
The humiliation he faced at the Duan Family today, he would remember!
Patriarch Duan, Duan Feihan, Duan Xingye, Yang Jingya…
Xu Xingchen, enduring the pain in his body, shakily stood up, his eyes bloodshot as he looked at all those present, and suddenly spoke, “Thirty years in Hedong, thirty years in Hexi, don’t bully the poor because of their youth!”
After dropping these words, Xu Xingchen strained to straighten his chest, staggering as he walked towards the exit of the Duan home.
From this moment on, Xu Xingchen no longer expected to return to the Duan Family.