Chapter 113: Who Is the Eunuch Dog?

Cheng Dingye spotted Li Zhenzhen and immediately stood up, scurrying over on his short legs. He reached out with his small hands, grabbed a clump of her hair, and simultaneously slapped her across the face with his other hand, twice in quick succession.

Though his palm was small, he possessed a surprising amount of strength. Ten distinct finger marks immediately bloomed on Li Zhenzhen’s cheeks. She looked up, glaring at him, unable to utter a single word.

"Damn it!" Cheng Dingye roared. "You bitch, you were supposed to return to your mother's house for one day, but you stayed away for three. Do you think you're some kind of wild woman? You are this young master’s woman, and you should be at home keeping your virtue. Hmph! It’s infuriating!"

His anger mounting, he raised his hand and struck her again.

At this moment, Madam Li, who had followed him out from the inner room, was stunned by the sight. Yet, being a woman of the world and feeling deep pain for her daughter, she offered a forced, sycophantic smile. "Son-in-law, please, calm your anger. I will certainly discipline my daughter properly; please, you must not keep beating her!"

"What? This bitch has long been mine. I hit her whenever I please; do I need you to tell me otherwise? Hmph! Don't forget, you’re just a widow, and it’s precisely because of a widow like you that such an ill-mannered brat was born." Cheng Dingye released Li Zhenzhen’s hair and turned to bark at Madam Li.

In truth, scenes like this had played out many times before. Ever since she married into the Cheng family, Li Zhenzhen would run back to her mother’s house every few days in tears, only to be dragged back by Cheng Dingye and his men. Madam Li had no retort.

"This bitch is a barren hen," Cheng Dingye continued. "She’s been in the Cheng household for seven or eight months, and not only is her belly flat, but she refuses to mind her husband. Listen well: if you don’t submit tonight and serve me properly, I’ll beat you to death in the Cheng house."

Li Zhenzhen finally spoke, her voice choked with tears yet filled with resolve. "I won't go back. Your Cheng family is a man-eating pit. Even if you beat me to death, I will not return!" She looked at her mother, eyes brimming with tears. "Mother, I am unfilial. I cannot go back. I truly cannot endure his endless torment any longer!" Her voice broke, and her pathetic appearance was enough to stir anyone's pity.

"You bitch!" With that, Cheng Dingye raised his foot and kicked her hard in the abdomen. Li Zhenzhen stumbled back several steps and collapsed to the ground.

"Zhenzhen! My child!" Madam Li hurried forward to hold her, tears streaming down her face.

Li Zhenzhen’s face turned deathly pale. With vacant eyes, she murmured, "Mother, I don't want to live anymore. I really don't. If you hadn't stopped me back then, I would have married Zhang Hugan from Baiyue Village. He would never have treated me like this!"

Madam Li, seemingly filled with late regret, choked back sobs. "My child... back then... it was Mother who was foolish!"

Hearing this, Cheng Dingye grew even more incensed. "A fine bitch you are, still thinking of that castrated dog even now! No wonder you can't serve me properly!" His ugly face twisted into a grotesque mask of rage, and he lunged forward.

Madam Li hurriedly threw her body in front of Li Zhenzhen, pleading, "Son-in-law, please spare her! Let her go this once, and I will make her go back with you!"

"Go back, my ass! And you—stop calling me 'son-in-law.' That castrated dog is your son-in-law!" Turning his head toward his three house servants, he barked, "What are you standing there for? Beat her! Beat that bitch until she’s dead! If the old one tries to stop you, beat her too!"

Li Zhenzhen was, after all, his wife. The three servants hesitated, but seeing the murderous rage in Cheng Dingye’s small eyes, they dared not disobey. They stepped forward, shoved Madam Li aside, and began to strike Li Zhenzhen indiscriminately. Though they were burly men, they held back slightly out of lingering fear, yet Li Zhenzhen still let out agonized, piercing screams.

Watching Li Zhenzhen roll on the ground in such a wretched state, Cheng Dingye clapped his hands and laughed wildly. He was a genuine sadist, shouting, "That’s what you get for thinking of that castrated dog! Go find him now! Hmph! How could a castrated dog ever compare to me? Hahaha!"

The commotion ruined the mood for Zhou Zhi and his companions, who watched in silence. It was a private family matter, and though they sympathized with Li Zhenzhen, they felt ill-equipped to intervene. After all, the husband was the master; if he demanded her death, she had little recourse.

However, Zhou Zhi’s eyes narrowed, his feelings complex. Madam Li was perhaps reaping what she had sown, and Li Zhenzhen was merely a sacrifice to feudal morality. Though she had once been the lover of Zhang Yong, she now belonged to the Cheng family.

Yet, as Zhou Zhi watched, his frustration grew. Cheng Dingye’s repeated slurs of "castrated dog" became unbearable, and a fire of rage ignited in his chest.

Finally, unable to endure it any longer, Zhou Zhi rose abruptly. He strode over to Cheng Dingye, raised his hand, and delivered a heavy slap. "Who is a castrated dog? Say that again!"

Cheng Dingye, lost in his cruel excitement, was stunned by the sudden blow. He shook his head, and upon seeing Zhou Zhi’s cold expression and sturdy frame, he felt a flicker of cowardice, realizing he was no match for him. He turned to his servants. "Stop what you're doing and beat him!"

The three servants needed no further urging. They abandoned Li Zhenzhen and lunged toward Zhou Zhi with bared teeth.

Zhou Zhi did not flinch. Before the servants reached him, five men surged from behind him. Bare-chested and reeking of alcohol, led by Zhang Dong, they stood as a wall. The three servants hesitated, looking back at Cheng Dingye.

"Are you all cowards?" Cheng Dingye cursed. "Beat him! Just a few hoodlums, that’s all they are!"

The three servants and the five men immediately descended into a brawl. Taking advantage of the chaos, Cheng Dingye turned his gaze toward Liu Hui, who remained seated, leisurely sipping his wine. "Liu Hui, do you intend to meddle in my affairs too? You had better think carefully—this is an insult to me!"