Chapter 7: I Am Jiang Youyou’s Father

Han Yang had witnessed the scene that just unfolded. It was clearly a case of Jiang Youyou getting into a fight at school. The teacher, Xu Li, had summoned a guardian, and since Jiang Ruoxi was unavailable, she had sent this woman instead—likely a nanny or assistant from the Jiang household. The reason for the altercation was that classmates were mocking Youyou for not having a father, calling him a bastard. That was why he had secretly called Han Yang to come.

Deep in thought, Han Yang walked toward them. Xu Li had noticed him the moment he stepped out of his ride-sharing car. He was a complete stranger to her, which made her immediately wary; she suspected he might be a child trafficker.

"Who are you?" Xu Li demanded, sizing him up.

"My name is Han Yang. I am Jiang Youyou’s guardian," Han Yang replied.

Song Lingling’s eyes widened in shock. She had never seen this man before. How could he possibly be Youyou’s guardian?

Xu Li pressed further, "You’re his guardian? What exactly are you to him?"

"I am his father. Youyou called me because he was being bullied at school. His classmates called him a bastard, so he asked me to come."

At this, Song Lingling had a sudden realization. "I know who you are. My mistress mentioned you. You were the one who..."

"Yes, I met with Jiang Ruoxi yesterday. Are you her nanny?"

Song Lingling nodded without another word. She was unaware of the true history between Han Yang and Jiang Ruoxi, as Ruoxi had never spoken of it to anyone. However, after returning home yesterday, Ruoxi had told her that a man named Han Yang had cured Youyou’s illness.

Meanwhile, Xu Li looked at Han Yang with a mocking smirk. The idea that such a loser was Youyou’s father was laughable. Jiang Ruoxi was truly a self-deprecating slut to be tangled up with a man like this. It was no wonder the Jiang family looked down on her and wanted to cut ties.

"Since you’re his father, come with me," Xu Li said.

Han Yang and Song Lingling followed her into the kindergarten and arrived at Youyou’s classroom. Han Yang saw the other children gathered around a chubby boy, doting on him. The boy had visible scratch marks on his face, while Youyou stood awkwardly to the side, fiddling with his fingers. Seeing Han Yang, Youyou immediately rushed over.

"Daddy, you’re finally here!"

Han Yang picked him up. "Tell me exactly what happened."

"Fang Kai said I was a bastard without a father," Youyou said, his voice small and tearful. "He kept insulting me, so I fought him. He couldn't beat me, so I scratched his face, and then he started crying."

Song Lingling was astonished by the closeness between them; as far as she knew, they had only met once.

Han Yang sneered after hearing this. "You did the right thing. Brats like that deserve to be taught a lesson. If he insults you again, hit him again."

Youyou nodded firmly.

Xu Li exploded in anger. "Hey! Is that how you raise a child? It was clearly Youyou’s fault, yet you’re indulging him. You’re both cut from the same cloth!"

"Are you deaf? Youyou just said the fat kid started it. If he hadn't insulted him, would Youyou have fought back?"

Xu Li retorted, "Regardless, violence is wrong. You must apologize."

"Apologize, my foot. Get lost."

Xu Li’s face turned livid. She had never encountered someone so unreasonable. They were all trash. "Why won't you apologize? Fang Kai is right—Jiang Youyou is a bastard without a father. And as for you, you loser, I don't know where you crawled out from. Jiang Ruoxi must be blind to have picked a bum like you. You don't even have a car; you take ride-shares to an elite school. It’s hilarious!"

Han Yang set Youyou down, strode forward, and slapped Xu Li across the face. She staggered back. The teachers surrounding Fang Kai rushed over to shield her.

"How dare you hit me!" Xu Li shrieked.

"I hit you because you deserve it. You’re a snob who judges people by their appearance. A teacher saying such things? Who else would hit you?"

"You... you just wait. I won't let you get away with this!" Xu Li screamed.

Song Lingling was stunned. She hadn't expected Han Yang to be so aggressive. With the situation escalating, she wondered if she should call Jiang Ruoxi. She was torn.

Just then, a voice rang out: "The principal is here."

A middle-aged woman in her forties walked over. It was Li Liping, the principal of the kindergarten.

"Principal, you must seek justice for me! He hit me!" Xu Li wailed, recounting the event with exaggerations.

Li Liping glared at Han Yang. "Sir, you must provide an explanation, or our school and Fang Kai’s parents will not let this go."

Han Yang laughed coldly. "This elite school doesn't even have common sense, yet you demand an explanation from me? That’s rich."

"You street-level peasant, get on your knees and apologize right now!"

"Apologize? Are you joking? That teacher insulted me with her snobbery. She deserved that slap."

Li Liping snapped, "If you refuse, I will call Fang Kai’s father here to settle the score."

"Go ahead, call him. Who’s afraid of whom?"

"Listen well: Fang Kai’s father is Fang Juyi, the President of Gu’s Pharmaceuticals. Do you think people like you can afford to offend him?"

Han Yang let out a scoff. So the chubby kid was Fang Juyi’s son. The CEO of Gu’s Pharmaceuticals was Gu Shuyao, and Fang Juyi was the president. Han Yang had met Fang Juyi a few times, and he had always looked at him with disdain. He had long wanted to teach him a lesson.

"Fine, call Fang Juyi over. I’ll talk to him."

"Wait right there. I’m calling him now to have him deal with you."

Li Liping pulled out her phone. Upon hearing his son had been hit, Fang Juyi flew into a rage, claiming he would be there immediately with his men.

Seeing the situation spiral out of control, Song Lingling frantically messaged Jiang Ruoxi. She had no choice now. When Jiang Ruoxi learned that Han Yang had gone to the kindergarten, she was furious. What right did he have to show up as Youyou’s father? Now the problem was worse than ever. He was truly a deadbeat. No wonder Gu Shuyao had divorced him. Jiang Ruoxi set aside her work and rushed to the school.

About twenty minutes later, Fang Juyi arrived with five or six burly men. They stormed into the classroom. Seeing his father, Fang Kai rushed over to complain. Li Liping and Xu Li added fuel to the fire.

Fang Juyi was incensed. "Damn it! That little bastard dared to hit my son? I’m going to kill him today!"

"Fang Juyi, watch your mouth, or I’ll slap you myself."

Fang Juyi looked toward the voice and froze. *What? Han Yang?* What was this loser doing here? "Han Yang, why are you here?" he demanded.

"I am Jiang Youyou’s father!"

Fang Juyi’s eyes went wide. "Didn't you have a wife?"

The crowd looked at Han Yang in shock. So he was married? And yet he claimed to be the father of another woman’s child and was here to pick a fight? Had Jiang Ruoxi hooked up with a married man?

Han Yang crossed his arms. "Gu Shuyao and I are divorced. I am Youyou’s father now."

"You move fast, don't you? Faster than a rocket! Divorced one day and hooked up with Jiang Ruoxi the next? Are you being kept by her?" Fang Juyi laughed loudly.

The onlookers stared at Han Yang with contempt.

Han Yang said, "I don't need to explain my life to you. Since you're here, let’s discuss how to settle this."

"Settle this? Get on your knees and kowtow to my son. Call Jiang Ruoxi here, have all three of you kneel, and pay five million in medical expenses. Otherwise, I’ll kill you all!" Fang Juyi boasted. Although Jiang Ruoxi was from the Jiang family, she had been ostracized, so Fang Juyi had no fear of her.

"Keep dreaming. You won't get an apology or a cent. On the contrary, you owe us an apology."

"Fuck you! Men, teach this loser a lesson!" Fang Juyi roared.

Just as the men were about to move, a sharp voice echoed from the doorway.

"Stop."

Everyone turned. It was Jiang Ruoxi. Seeing her, Fang Juyi’s eyes lit up. She truly was the most beautiful young woman in Pengcheng. Her figure and beauty were breathtaking.

Jiang Ruoxi walked straight up to Han Yang. "Who gave you the right to come here?"

"Youyou called me. He said he was being bullied and called a bastard, and he wanted me to stand up for him."

Youyou added, "Mom, don't blame Daddy. I asked him to come."

"You are not allowed to call him 'Daddy'," Jiang Ruoxi scolded, then turned back to Han Yang. "You believe everything a child says? He asks you to come, and you just come? How can you be so childish?"

Han Yang’s temper flared. "The one being childish is you. To be precise, you are pathetic. Have you ever wondered why, when Youyou was bullied, the person he thought of was me, not you? Why didn't he ask you to come and defend him? It shows just how much of a failure you are as a parent."

Jiang Ruoxi stood frozen. His words struck a nerve. She felt a mix of anger and resentment. What right did he have to lecture her? If he hadn't left her pregnant and unmarried all those years ago, she wouldn't have ended up in this situation. How dare he act so righteous? What gave him the right?