Chapter 72: What are you glaring at?

For Fang Yuan, the thought of his son immediately being drawn back into trouble after just being released filled him with exhaustion and bittersweet relief… This was surely his own blood, beyond doubt.

On the other side, Song Qian and the others learned their daughter had been dragged into this mess and rushed over in an emergency.

First they found Qiao Yingzi to ask for details, then Song Qian launched into an immediate tirade: “Qiao Weidong, look at the kind of people you’ve always approved of! I told you he’d ruin Yingzi, and you still didn’t take it seriously!

Now look—he’s actually laid hands on her this time!”

“Mom!” Qiao Yingzi protested unhappily: “He Chen didn’t harm me—I got dragged into this because of Fang Hou!”

“You’re still defending him!” Song Qian’s eyes reddened, tears welling as she stared at her daughter: “If he hadn’t insisted on calling the police, how could this have spiraled into what it is now!

If this isn’t handled properly, or if Lin Lei gets hurt, your whole life is ruined!

And you still don’t take it seriously—are you possessed by demons?”

Saying this, she glared furiously at Qiao Weidong: “Say something, father. Do you still recognize this daughter of yours? If you do, then beat the bastard who hurt her, and make him disappear from her life forever!”

“Of course I recognize her! Yingzi is my daughter, my only child! How could I not recognize her!” Qiao Weidong hurriedly said: “But this isn’t entirely He Chen’s fault… Don’t get worked up—I’ll go find him, okay?”

Seeing his “but” couldn’t be finished, his ex-wife lunged at him in a rage, so Qiao Weidong dodged and pleaded, then slipped away to find He Chen as soon as his daughter held back his ex-wife.

When he called He Chen out, facing his ex-wife’s hostile glare and his daughter’s anxious, reluctant, yet silent gaze, he gave He Chen a meaningful look and frowned: “He Chen, you went too far. Even if Fang Yifan was wrong, you shouldn’t have dragged Yingzi into this!”

As he spoke, his expression darkened for real.

He knew He Chen’s actions were technically correct, but he could’ve handled it more gently, privately.

Yingzi was just an innocent bystander—unlike Fang Yifan, who actively provoked this.

Now the situation has blown up, and his daughter might actually be implicated. Song Qian is nearly out of her mind. If he gets dragged down, fine—but how can his daughter, constantly under his ex-wife’s control, endure a crazed ex-wife?

“Did I drag Qiao Yingzi into this?” He Chen ignored Song Qian’s red eyes and Qiao Weidong’s dark face, asking calmly.

“She was dragged in by Fang Yifan! And if we’re truly assigning blame, the ones who should bear the greatest responsibility aren’t me—it’s you, as Yingzi’s parents!”

“Us?” Qiao Weidong was stunned.

“Yes!” He Chen nodded firmly: “It’s you! I ask you—if I hadn’t pushed this to the surface, would you have taken it seriously even if you’d found out?

No!

You wouldn’t even think there was a problem!

But the reality is, the problems here are enormous…”

He Chen repeated the logic: Fang Yifan dared to drug Lin Lei today, he’d dare to drug Qiao Yingzi tomorrow. This made Qiao Weidong and Song Qian turn pale.

The details they’d heard from Tong Wenjie and Li Tiegun from Yingzi weren’t nearly as sharply critical.

He Chen wasn’t surprised.

Because Tong Wenjie certainly wouldn’t speak up, Li Tiegun might not, and Yingzi, due to childhood friendship, wouldn’t say anything.

Qiao Weidong grew more terrified and angrier the more he thought: “That little bastard raised by Tong Wenjie and Fang Yuan! How dare he drug someone!”

“What do you mean? Are you trying to twist the narrative and justify your old excuses now!” Song Qian exploded, lashing out at Qiao Weidong.

Though He Chen’s analysis had indeed frightened and enraged her, her stronger dislike for He Chen made her unwilling to believe that a child raised by her close friend could do such a thing to her daughter, so she refused to entertain the thought further.

Hearing her ex-husband curse her friend, she instantly found it unbearable—especially when he mentioned drugging, which struck a nerve.

After all, when Qiao Weidong cheated, his constant excuse was that he’d been drugged at a business dinner, lost control, and that’s why it happened.

But she never believed it.

It was clearly a scumbag’s excuse for cheating.

And a clumsy one at that!

In her eyes and mouth, this was a settled fact, unchangeable.

Now, with Fang Yifan’s drugging, Qiao Weidong was raging against drug users—clearly trying to rehabilitate himself.

That was outright treason!

And worse, at this critical moment, when their daughter Yingzi’s future was at stake, he still dared to nurse such petty thoughts—utterly heinous!

Qiao Weidong was verbally torn apart, utterly wronged.

He had indeed remembered, thanks to He Chen’s words, the painful experience of being drugged that led to his wife leaving and his family breaking apart.

But now, cursing drugging wasn’t about rehabilitating himself—it was genuine fear and dread for his daughter.

As an old father, a man who had personally endured half a lifetime of suffering from being drugged, he couldn’t bear to imagine the horror if his daughter were drugged.

Yet this terrifying possibility was right before his eyes, within reach.

Worse still, without He Chen’s insistence, they’d have found out later and likely just shrugged it off, never taking it seriously.

Thinking of that, his heart ached—he wanted to slap himself, how could he possibly have any thought of rehabilitating himself?

If his ex-wife scolded him for being a failed father on this point, he’d have no defense—and wouldn’t feel wronged.

He Chen was right: if blame was to be assigned, the parents were the ones most responsible.

But his ex-wife wasn’t even hitting the right target.

“Mom, stop yelling!” Qiao Yingzi couldn’t take it anymore, pulling and pleading, but couldn’t stop her mother, who was already worked up.

She knew “father’s affair causing family collapse” was her mother’s biggest trigger; she dared not push hard, hoping her mother would vent her anger soon.

She was willing to yield, Qiao Weidong was willing to listen—but He Chen couldn’t take it anymore and interrupted: “How dare you yell? If we’re assigning blame, you, as the mother, bear the greatest responsibility!

What are you glaring at?

Don’t believe me?

I ask you—how did Fang Yifan get so close to Qiao Yingzi?

Isn’t it because you and Tong Wenjie were cut from the same cloth?

I ask you again—where did Qiao Yingzi get her sleeping pills?

Isn’t it from the medication you, who’ve always had unstable mental health, got from the doctor?

You pride yourself as an elite teacher, constantly micromanaging Yingzi’s life and studies, wanting total control—yet how did you let a minor so easily get her hands on pills?

Don’t you know the danger here?”

Saying this, he glanced at Qiao Weidong’s pale face—as if to say: “She doesn’t know? After I warned you, don’t you still understand the danger here?”