Chapter 36: He Was Never Anyone’s Darling

Chapter 36: Chapter 36: He Was Never Anyone’s Darling

Growing up, Nan Yi had suffered countless wrongs.

At home, he was beaten and berated by that woman, often left hungry and cold.

Outside his home, he was either pitied or bullied.

The malice of other children was especially direct and undisguised—

"That’s him! The fatherless bastard! HAHAHA!"

"What are you crying for? Idiot! You’re just a wimp who cries for his mommy!"

"Your mommy doesn’t want you! Your mommy doesn’t want you!"

"I heard your mom does dirty stuff for work!"

"..."

At that time, Nan Yi was probably two or three years old.

He was still naive and innocent, unable to distinguish good from evil.

He would often try to make friends with a sincere heart, only to be wounded all over by the other children’s malicious words.

He would run home crying to that woman, but she hardly cared.

When she was in a good mood, she would casually console him, "Big deal. Just don’t be friends with them."

When she was in a bad mood, she would berate him instead: "Why do they only bully you and not anyone else? You should take a good look at yourself and figure out why!"

Gradually, Nan Yi stopped telling that woman about his troubles.

He was like a lone wolf cub surviving in the jungle, teaching himself how to lie, to distinguish good from evil, and even how to fight.

One time, he got into a brawl with an older, bigger kid. Relying on his small, agile frame, he beat the other kid’s face to a pulp.

The other kid’s mother heard the commotion and rushed over, slapping him across the face.

"Where did you come from, you little mutt! How dare you hit my precious son?"

Nan Yi’s delicate cheek quickly swelled up, a bloody scratch from her nail left behind.

The woman panicked and finally backed off.

But when he got home and that woman saw him, her gaze lingered for only a second before she stopped caring.

This time, Nan Yi didn’t even shed a tear.

’Precious son?’

’He wasn’t envious at all.’

’Because he had never been anyone’s precious boy.’

He was just a weed on the roadside, a stray dog no one wanted, a burden whose death would go unnoticed.

...

’But... why?’

’Why is it that now, hearing Nan Zhi ask "Who bullied you," he still feels his stomach fill with grievance?’

Tears welled in his eyes. Even though he desperately tried to hold back the stinging sensation, large teardrops still rolled down his face.

Through a sleepy haze, he saw Nan Zhi’s anxious and worried expression.

It was exactly like that mother who had protected her child all those years ago.

Nan Yi’s lips trembled as he said, sobbing between words:

"A... a dog... chased... chased and bit me..."

Just hearing this, Nan Zhi’s heart nearly shattered!

She sharply seized on the key point:

"Whose dog?"

"A... a little chubby kid’s..."

Nan Yi answered, choking on his sobs.

The grilled sausage lady nearby, who had been listening with pricked ears, suddenly spoke up:

"Was it a black dog with no leash? A really ugly one?"

Nan Yi heard her and slowly nodded.

The grilled sausage lady said, "It’s definitely that couple! They brought their chubby son with them today, and a dog! It’s ugly and vicious! I told them to put a leash on it, but they just cursed me out for being nosy... Don’t tell me they’re secretly bullying your kid because they can’t compete with your fried rice stall?"

In an instant, everything became clear to Nan Zhi!

Her eyes darkened, and her expression turned cold and murderous.

Without another word, she grabbed the kitchen cleaver from the cutting board with one hand and took Nan Yi’s hand with the other.

"Let’s go. We’re going to have a word with them."

Fu Chao, who was standing to the side, had been both heartbroken and worried.

Seeing this sudden turn of events, he instinctively tried to stop her:

"Don’t! If there’s a problem, we can call the police! You’re holding a knife, don’t do anything rash!"

"I know my limits. I’ll try reasoning before resorting to force."

Nan Zhi’s tone was calm as she pushed Fu Chao out of her way without another word.

Fu Chao was stunned by the chilling gleam of the cleaver.

A few seconds later, he snapped out of it:

"What do you mean, ’reasoning before force’?! You call this reasoning?"

Muttering to himself, Fu Chao chased after them!

But Nan Zhi was faster, her presence menacing as she stormed ahead.

Other vendors they passed on the way wanted to greet her, but were intimidated by her demeanor.

They immediately realized something major was happening and quietly followed to watch.

So, by the time Nan Zhi found the couple’s fried rice stall, a crowd of onlookers had already gathered.

The couple wasn’t there; only their chubby son and the black dog were guarding the stall.

The chubby son was about six or seven years old.

He was dark and fat, his face fleshy despite his young age. He had upturned eyes, and his gaze was murky. He was most likely spoiled rotten by his elders and was clearly not someone to be trifled with.

Perhaps because he’d been in similar situations too many times, the chubby boy wasn’t scared at all when he saw Nan Yi show up with a parent. Instead, he laughed mockingly:

"You lost the fight, so you go crying to your parents! How pathetic!"

Nan Yi stubbornly bit his lip and said nothing.

Nan Zhi didn’t want to waste words on a child. She asked coldly:

"Where are your parents? Get them over here."

At first, the chubby boy saw that Nan Zhi was thin and frail, not at all intimidating.

But when her icy gaze swept over him, his calves trembled involuntarily, a fear seeping into his bones.

But he was used to being a little tyrant. He quickly recovered, his eyes darting around.

"Xiao Hei! Get ’em!"

Upon hearing the command, the aggressive black dog bared its sharp white teeth and leaped forward with a snarl!

Gasps erupted from the crowd!

They thought they were about to witness a bloodbath!

Fu Chao arrived at that exact moment.

His pupils contracted violently.

"Nan Zhi!"

Without a second thought, he started to rush forward!

Unafraid, Nan Zhi calmly watched the vicious dog and revealed the cleaver she had been hiding by her side.

’I’d brought it for self-defense, but I didn’t expect to actually need it!’

In the Otherworld, she had been an Imperial Chef Manager, preparing rare ingredients from every corner of the land.

The things the Emperor wanted to eat were not subject to any wildlife protection laws.

Taste was secondary; rarity was paramount!

Bear paws, deer tendons, leopard fetuses, tiger gallbladders...

Nan Zhi had even, at a banquet, deboned a wild mountain tiger with the effortless skill of a master butcher!

Having faced down a ferocious beast while it was still alive, why would Nan Zhi fear a mere black dog?

She held the cleaver, her gaze as precise as a ruler, scanning inch by inch over the dog’s flesh and joints as if she were sizing up an ingredient on her cutting board!

And animals of this kind are always perceptive.

With a single glance, the black dog scented danger and instinctively slowed down.

Its savage momentum was cut short, and rebuilding it would now be difficult.

The black dog’s fur stood on end under Nan Zhi’s stare. It suddenly screeched to a halt and whimpered twice.

Then it tucked its tail between its legs, turned around, and scurried behind its little master!

Its master, the chubby boy, was encountering this for the first time. He was so angry he started cursing:

"Useless mutt! You’re even scared of a woman!"

As he spoke, he delivered a vicious kick right to the dog’s stomach.

The dog let out a yelp and reflexively bit his ankle!

Now it was the chubby boy’s turn to scream in pain!

"AHH! Mom! Help me!!"

The chubby boy burst out crying with a WAIL, snot and tears flying everywhere.

Nan Yi watched as the chubby boy, who had just been swaggering so arrogantly before him, was suddenly reduced to such a pathetic state—

He suddenly laughed, sneering:

"Serves you right!"