Chapter 9: Suffer Tenfold

The next morning, Zhao Yingyue was awoken by banging on her door. As she slowly opened her eyes, Gu Yan burst through the door.

She was very irate as she started yelling.

"How could you not tell us that you had plans with Liu Haoyu today?! You're trying to set us up, aren't you Zhao Yingyue?! We've told him you're sick but he won't believe us!"

Gu Yan then took Zhao Yingyue's phone at her.

"Call him and tell him you're sick so that he'll go away. You know that I won't be the only one to suffer should he find out what happened last night!"

Zhao Yingyue listened but was still half asleep. She knew that if Liu Haoyu found out, he would be very angry and had the power to send the whole family under. However, there were still people she cared about. She even had precious memories with her parents—regardless of the abuse.

Could she let many suffer for the sins of two?

Zhao Yingyue slowly called Liu Haoyu and put him on speaker. Since she was sore and beaten up, her voice would sound raspy enough to pass as sick.

He picked up on the first ring.

"Yingyue?"

She didn't know why she felt bad thinking about lying to him, but she did.

"I'm so sorry. I think we have to cancel today. I'm feeling unwell."

It was silent for a second before he asked, "Did somebody bully you?"

Zhao Yingyue shook her head even though he couldn't see her.

"No! It's nothing like that. I'm just feeling a little under the weather is all."

The man's voice coldly replied, "Unless you say it to my face, I won't believe you!"

He then hung up.

Gu Yan gritted her teeth and directed her vicious glare toward Zhao Yingyue. Apparently a direct confrontation was unavoidable.

"You know what to do," she said as she stormed out of Zhao Yingyue's room.

Zhao Yingyue slowly got out of bed. Her body ached everywhere and she knew she had no time to treat the wounds she'd left alone the night before when she fell asleep.

When she looked in the mirror, she saw both of her cheeks were a dark purple. When she lifted her shirt, her stomach and right side matched the same color.

"It hurts."

Zhao Yingyue complained aloud to herself as she held back tears and applied her makeup. The makeup would likely infect the wound but there was nothing she could do about it.

As she slowly got ready, Liu Haoyu was impatiently waiting downstairs. The cold aura emanating from him scared not only the staff, but also the hosts away, too.

He knew that something had to have happened to his woman. Today, she was to meet his parents and now she suddenly "felt sick".

The woman had been fine when he dropped her home the day before. If anything, he could say she was truly glowing.

If these people harmed his woman, he swore he would end them.

Suddenly, Zhao Yingyue emerged.

With an awkward smile, she said, "I'm sorry, it seems that I woke up with some nervous jitters today. I guess I must be scared to meet your parents."

Liu Haoyu was critical as he looked her over from afar. She looked alright but something still felt off.

He asked, "Are you alright?"

"Other than a few nerves, I suppose I'll live," she replied.

She'd gotten used to faking a normal for the few occurrences that did require her to go out after a beating. All she had to do was keep up the act for a few hours and ignore the pain.

Liu Haoyu was still unsure but said, "Alright, let's get going then. My parents are extremely excited to meet you."

The two soon were off.

***

Meanwhile, Gu Yan and Gu Yanya were praying that all went well for the sake of themselves.

Gu Yan asked, "Auntie, there's no way she'll tell, right?"

"Definitely not. She cares about the rest of the family way too much. And I'm still her mother. Will she dare to give me away?"

Gu Yan was nervous but stopped asking. She could only trust in the words of this woman.

***

As Zhao Yingyue and Liu Haoyu pulled up to the front of the pavilion, Liu Haoyu looked over at Zhao Yingyue once more. He was still concerned. Something still didn't feel right and if gaming taught him one thing, it was to trust his gut.

However, she wouldn't open up to him the entire ride here. He couldn't act without knowing the whole truth.

"Are you ready to meet my parents?"

Zhao Yingyue forced a nervous smile, "I'm as ready as they'll ever be. I hope they'll like me."

The pair exited the car and walked up to the front door. The second they stepped foot through the door, a middle-aged woman pulled Liu Haoyu into a tight hug and a middle-aged man stood back with a smile.

Liu Haoyu smiled as he held his mother.

She quickly pushed off him to pull Zhao Yingyue in for one, too. As she was not prepared for it, she flinched away a little but politely hugged back.

Liu Haoyu laughed a little but was concerned when he saw Zhao Yingyue flinch.

"Mom, you're monster hugs are hurting her."

His mom pulled away but complained, "I wasn't even hugging her that tight!"

"Yeah, right mom."

"I'm serious!"

Liu Haoyu then looked over to his dad and the two shares a warm smile and nod.

Zhao Yingyue looked at the family dynamic and felt kind of jealous. She had never had this and never would with how cold her family was toward each other.

Zhao Yingyue took the chance to bow—flinching as she went down. For a second, she'd forgotten about her injuries and bowed down too fast.

"Uncle, Auntie, it's nice to meet you. I'm Zhao Yingyue."

Liu Haoyu's mom, Hua Mengyao, waved her off.

"Don't be so formal. We'll be family soon. Don't stand in the doorway like a stranger!"

His father, Liu Ting, also quietly nodded in agreeance with his wife. The group all then followed her to the dining room.

After being seated, Hua Mengyao started conversation once again.

"Yingyue, you're so gorgeous. I don't mean to be rude, but why so much makeup?"

Zhao Yingyue had layered on her makeup to hide the bruises but she couldn't say that.

"I think maybe I got so nervous to meet Auntie and Uncle today so I put too many layers on by accident," she said with a lie.

Liu Haoyu didn't believe her though and neither did Hua Mengyao.

In fact, Hua Mengyao went red in the face at the sight. She knew Zhao Yingyue was lying to her and she had a pretty good idea why.

Liu Haoyu was concerned as he noticed.

"Mom, are you alright?"

She shook her head in silence. She was too angry to speak. Instead she stood up and motioned for her son to follow her out the room.

Zhao Yingyue felt bad. Had she done something wrong? She hoped Huo Mengyao wouldn't scold Liu Haoyu too bad. She'd apologize immediately when they came back in. She didn't want a strained relationship with her in-laws.

Meanwhile, Hua Mengyao was with her son in the living room, trying to cool off, but failing.

Instead, she couldn't help but raise her voice, "Liu Haoyu, I've nurtured you growing up for your entire life and I've taught you how you should treat your wife! Do you really think you deserve a sweetheart like her if you can't even protect her now?!"

Liu Haoyu was shocked. He knew something was off and had suspected but his mother had caught on so fast.

"Mom, I know. But if she won't tell me, how can I be certain?"

"Then try harder. A wife should trust her husband enough to tell him anything! Haoyu, she's suffered! In the future, if you let her suffer anymore, it will be me that you have to fear!"

Liu Haoyu looked at the floor after being scolded by his mother. How could he be stupid enough to leave that house without demanding an explanation.

Seeing that he was thinking about what he did wrong, Hua Mengyao was satisfied. He deserved to be down in the dumps while he thinks of how to never make the same mistake again.

Hua Mengyao opened the door the room and called over the nearest housekeeper.

"Please bring my Yingyue here and grab the first aid kit on your way."

The housekeeper went off to fulfill her tasks then Hua Mengyao sat on the couch. She was so angry that she had no idea what to do with it. How could that Zhao family treat such a precious child this way? They had to pay.

"Haoyu, that Zhao family is unbelievable. Yingyue is my daughter now so we can't let them hurt her. We need to teach them a lesson they won't forget."

Liu Haoyu stayed silent but he agreed with his mother. The day before, Zhao Yingyue had sworn his name would protect her but obviously, it had done nothing of the sort. If anything, he had a feeling that his actions that morning had led to whatever suffering she endured.

When the housekeeper returned with the first aid kit and Zhao Yingyue, Zhao Yingyue bowed deeply.

"I'm sorry Auntie if I have angered you. Please don't blame Liu Haoyu. He's done nothing wrong. I'd been feeling nervous since this morning but it's no excuse."

Hua Mengyao's anger levels started rising again. The girl still dared to lie to her?

"I have every right to be mad at Haoyu and you, too. Child, you've suffered but you continue to lie to all of us and Haoyu should've been able to protect you. As his woman, there's not a single reason that you should have suffered."

Zhao Yingyue stuttered, "A-auntie, you misunderstand..."

Hua Mengyao cut her off.

"I understand perfectly well that my daughter is never stepping foot back in that Zhao house alone. Do you understand me?"

Zhao Yingyue was shocked. This woman in front of her had seen through her so easily. On top of that, she's the first person to actually treat her like a daughter.

"Auntie..."

Hua Mengyao shook her head.

"Sit."

Zhao Yingyue obediently sat down.

Hua Mengyao started tinkering with the first aid kit, preparing to properly take care of Zhao Yingyue's wounds.

"You even wore so much makeup! You know how badly infected this can get if you do that."

As Hua Mengyao lifted the cotton ball to her face, Zhao Yingyue flinched away.

Liu Haoyu couldn't bear seeing her face scrunch up in pain. It reminded him of how he'd failed her before they even got the chance to say their vows. Feeling helpless, he walked over and leaned down in front of her. He gently grabbed her hand and brought it to his lips, kissing it.

He whispered, "I'm so sorry."

Zhao Yingyue wanted to tell him that it wasn't his fault but she was interrupted by the sting of the cotton ball again and squeezed her hand.

Hua Mengyao decided to distract her with a personal story.

"Let me tell you Yingyue. Haoyu's dad isn't my first marriage, he's my second. He's the man that taught me what love really is. Someone who loves you won't hurt you in any way for any reason."

"My first husband was a sad excuse for a human. He would hurt me for the smallest of things—even those that weren't my fault. I was a punching bag for him. Because of the good times and good things he'd done, I couldn't bear to part from him."

"It didn't help that I knew he had the ability to destroy my family. It was only when I met my current husband that I was able to break free. He helped me escape and be who I truly desire. Now, I know how to properly love other people and myself."

"If you need help, look no further. My son has told me the circumstances of your marriage, but I believe the two of you can find love. And no matter what, he will always have your back."

"And so will I. That's the reason I refused anyone who wanted to arrange a marriage with my son. I told them that they'd have to earn his heart themselves. Even if you guys aren't in love yet, something has led you two together."

Zhao Yingyue felt strange in her heart as tears started streaming down her face.

"If I'm honest, I had always thought this was life for me. If this was how the women in my life treated me, what would happen if a man did? Wouldn't that be ten times worse?"

"That's... that's why I settled with staying home with them. Because at least, at least I was used to them but a man could do so much more! Why would I marry to surrender control to someone who could finish what they started?"

Liu Haoyu pulled Zhao Yingyue into his arms before even he could register. This woman had suffered greatly at the hands of her family. He wouldn't let anyone off.

"The Zhao family must pay."

Zhao Yingyue dug her head into the crook of his shoulder, "Please don't hurt them. I mean... my extended family did nothing wrong. They treated me well and were ignorant to my home situation. They don't deserve to needlessly suffer."

Liu Haoyu nodded.

"Anyone who makes you suffer will suffer tenfold. Those who treat you well will live in peace. Is this fear why you didn't tell me?"

He felt her slowly nod against him.

"Yingyue, please understand. We are to be husband and wife soon. If you have concerns, you can speak to them and if you suffer, you can tell me. Don't let either keep you away."

She slowly nodded once again.

Liu Haoyu's heart ached for her. This poor woman didn't know what it was to be loved yet had such a big heart that her first concern while she was suffering was everyone else.

When she stopped crying, he released her and said, "Now let mom keep cleaning your wounds. I have to go talk to my father."

With that, Liu Haoyu left the room.