Qin Shanshan was at her side, supposedly trying to reason with her, but the subtext of her words was clear.
The reason Tang Yuanxiao was unwilling to marry was Su Li; it was all because he couldn’t forget her.
Mrs. Tang didn’t doubt it for a second. As his mother, she knew better than anyone how much Tang Yuanxiao valued Su Li, and in the end, she directed all her fury toward Su Li.
"It’s all that slut Su Li’s fault! The reason Tangyuan won’t marry is because she has him hooked. I’m going to beat her to death!"
Mrs. Tang ordered Qin Shanshan to help her find Su Li and settle the score. She was so furious, hating Su Li to her very core, that she pushed aside the fear she secretly held for the woman. Filled with rage, she set off for the Imperial City.
Su Li never expected that just one day after seeing Qin Shanshan, Mrs. Tang would show up at her doorstep, ready for a fight.
Not only did Mrs. Tang have the nerve and the gall to show up, but she started attacking the moment she arrived.
The security guard wouldn’t let them wait at the entrance to the complex, so Qin Shanshan and Mrs. Tang moved about a hundred meters away to lie in wait.
"You bitch! You’ve already been divorced, and you’re still seducing my son! You’re so shameless! I’ll beat you to death, you slut, you bitch!"
The moment she saw Su Li, Mrs. Tang took the stones she’d had Qin Shanshan pick up along the way and, with her one good hand, hurled them all at her.
She screamed curses as she threw.
"Everyone, come look at this shameless slut! My son divorced her, but she’s still desperately clinging to him! Utterly shameless!"
The thought of Tang Yuanxiao throwing away his future for a woman like Su Li made Mrs. Tang’s face twist in fury.
The stones were of all sizes, and they stung badly when they hit.
In the first volley, a stone hit Su Li’s head with a sickening THUD. More stones pelted her body, and for a moment, she was too stunned to dodge.
Watching Su Li scramble to dodge, a flash of cruel satisfaction crossed Qin Shanshan’s eyes.
’How dare Su Li bully me? I have plenty of ways to use other people to take care of her!’
"Tang Guihua, have you lost your mind?! How dare you come here! Get out of here, now..."
Su Li’s face had changed the moment she saw Mrs. Tang. Dodging the stones, all she wanted was for the older woman to leave immediately.
But it was too late. Just as she spoke, she saw Little Tang Mo catching up to her.
She had picked up Little Tang Mo after work, and they were walking home together. They passed a drink shop, and Little Tang Mo had wanted a sour plum drink, so he went inside to buy one.
Su Li wanted to buy some grass jelly from a stall about ten meters further down, so she had walked on ahead, telling Little Tang Mo to catch up once he got his drink.
But just as she was about to enter the stall, Mrs. Tang had appeared out of nowhere.
To this day, Little Tang Mo had never once mentioned Mrs. Tang. But even though he never spoke of her, Su Li could see that his deep-seated fear of his grandmother hadn’t lessened in the slightest. That was why she was always so careful to keep Mrs. Tang away from him.
After Mrs. Tang was released on medical parole, she had stayed quiet and hadn’t shown up, which had greatly eased Su Li’s mind.
But now, here she was, appearing so suddenly and without any warning.
The sour plum drink in Little Tang Mo’s hand fell to the ground with a SPLAT. Staring at Mrs. Tang in the distance, his face instantly turned deathly pale.
Su Li’s expression changed. Forgetting about the stones, she scooped up Little Tang Mo and held him tightly in her arms, shielding him with her body.
"Don’t be afraid, Little Mo. Don’t be afraid. Mama’s here."
Due to her partial paralysis, one of Mrs. Tang’s eyes was blurry, which severely impaired her vision. In fact, it was Qin Shanshan who had pointed out Su Li’s arrival earlier.
To her, Su Li was just a blurry silhouette. Between screaming curses and throwing stones, she hadn’t noticed Little Tang Mo at all.
Or rather, she hadn’t seen the small child trailing behind Su Li at all.
Qin Shanshan saw him, but she said nothing. Not that she ever would have. Instead, she just handed stones to Mrs. Tang even faster.
Now that Su Li was shielding Little Tang Mo, she could no longer dodge, which brought a malicious gleam to Mrs. Tang’s cloudy eyes.
"Can’t dodge anymore, can you? I’ll beat you to death, you bitch!"
If she’d had any shred of reason left before, it was quickly consumed by the resentment in her heart as the assault continued.
She hated Su Li so much. As long as she didn’t see her, she could control it. But now, face-to-face and in the middle of her attack, she had lost all control.
She threw the stones with increasing force, one after another.
The stones struck Su Li, causing sharp pangs of pain, but she couldn’t spare it a thought.
She held Little Tang Mo close, and hearing Mrs. Tang’s vile curses, she quickly covered her son’s ears.
"Don’t be afraid, Little Mo, Mama’s here. Hold on tight to Mama, I’ll get you out of here..."
She only had two hands. Little Tang Mo was taller and heavier now; carrying him wasn’t as easy as it used to be, let alone trying to shield him from the stones and cover his ears at the same time.
Trying to run was not so easy.
With a dull THUD, a fist-sized rock struck Su Li in the back.
Seeing it land, Mrs. Tang’s eyes lit up with a frightening intensity. "I’ll stone you to death, you bitch! That’ll teach you to ruin Tangyuan’s future!"
As she screamed, she forcefully hurled a bowl-sized rock at Su Li, aiming straight for her head.
If a rock that size hit her, it could easily draw blood or even knock her unconscious.
At the last second, in the blink of an eye, a figure rushed forward and pulled Su Li and Little Tang Mo into an embrace.
The newcomer shielded them, taking the full impact of the rock.
The rock smashed hard against his head with a sickening THUD.
"Ah!" Qin Shanshan’s pupils contracted, and she let out a sharp gasp.
"What is it?" Mrs. Tang strained to see, making out only a familiar silhouette. She stared in disbelief.
"Tangyuan?!"
Feeling the warmth at her back and the arms protecting her, Su Li was momentarily stunned, not reacting until she heard the gasp from behind them.
She looked down at the hand on her arm, then slowly turned her head. It was Tang Yuanxiao.
"Are you okay?" Tang Yuanxiao asked, his voice low and hoarse.
His eyes were bloodshot.
He never imagined that after confronting him, his mother would immediately turn around and go after Su Li.
He had warned his mother countless times not to come to the Imperial City, and especially not to appear before Little Tang Mo. But she had ignored him.
When Tang Yuanxiao heard from the kids in the family compound that his mother and Qin Shanshan had boarded a car to the Imperial City, he knew it was bad.
He had rushed here as fast as he could, but he was still a step too late.
He saw his mother and Qin Shanshan screaming curses, pelting Su Li with stones as if they were trying to kill her.
And the sight of Su Li shielding Little Tang Mo, taking every blow without defending herself, made Tang Yuanxiao’s vision go red with fury.
Su Li clutched Little Tang Mo tightly, meeting Tang Yuanxiao’s gaze. She wanted to speak but couldn’t find the words, unsure of what she could possibly say.
Tang Yuanxiao looked into Su Li’s eyes, then down at the pale, trembling Little Tang Mo in her arms, and was overcome with anguish.
"I’m sorry..."
Other than those two words, he could say nothing else.
Tang Yuanxiao slowly straightened up and turned to face his mother and Qin Shanshan in the distance.
"Tangyuan, why are you here? Are you alright?"
Mrs. Tang was furious that Tang Yuanxiao was shielding Su Li, but she was too concerned to start yelling, so she quickly asked after him.
It was only when the rock hit Tang Yuanxiao’s head that Mrs. Tang realized how big it was, and how much force she had put into the throw.
Tang Yuanxiao didn’t answer. His gaze fell to the blood-stained rock lying at his feet.
"Are you okay, Tangyuan? Say something!"
Qin Shanshan hurried over, urging Mrs. Tang forward. "Brother Tangyuan, are you alright? I’m so sorry, I couldn’t stop Auntie..."
She hadn’t expected Tang Yuanxiao to suddenly appear. Her heart was pounding, and her first instinct was to distance herself from the situation.
Tang Yuanxiao’s gaze, filled with a sinister, murderous intent, snapped to Qin Shanshan’s face.