14,014

Several thugs guarded the exits of the ancient Qinghe Town. When they finally saw Luo Fu Xu emerge, they became excited, but upon noticing the adult accompanying her, they quickly withdrew their aggressive stance.

The driver, Mr. Niu, named Lipeng Niu, was found by Assistant Xu when they were in City Z. He looked fierce, with a scar on his face, but was actually honest and good-natured. A retired soldier, tall and muscular, he clearly looked formidable and not someone to be trifled with. Just standing there, he was intimidating enough.

Because of this, the thugs dared not cause trouble and were forced to watch as Luo Fu Xu got into the Rolls-Royce and left.

At the Yu family residence, Yu Mingwan, furious that they had missed intercepting Luo Fu Xu, kicked the table wildly. The three people beside her, including Zhang Wenli, dared not speak.

Despite Yu Mingwan's tantrums over the past few days, Yu Zhenghui had warned her repeatedly not to provoke Luo Fu Xu—they were simply out of their depth.

But having bullied others for years, Yu Mingwan had never met such resistance before. Her pride was wounded, especially since two of her teeth had been knocked out. The doctor said she would have to wait three months before getting dental work done. Fortunately, they weren't front teeth; otherwise, she wouldn’t have been able to face anyone for three months—a humiliating disgrace.

Since her father forbade her from confronting Luo Fu Xu directly, she decided to hire some street thugs to deal with her.

However, Luo Fu Xu lived in a high-end residential complex with strict security. The thugs couldn’t get inside and ended up waiting outside for the Rolls-Royce. Not knowing the license plate, they mistakenly followed the wrong car.

Luckily, one of them went to meet his girlfriend in Qinghe Town and spotted Luo Fu Xu. He quickly contacted the others, and they succeeded in ambushing her there.

They hadn’t expected Luo Fu Xu to be rescued so soon, which infuriated Yu Mingwan. “If I find out who meddled, I’ll make sure they learn what happens to those who play hero!”

Zhang Wenli tried to console her, “Wanwan, don’t be so upset. That lowlife took a few hits too—probably got hurt badly.”

Jiang Fangfang added, “Yeah, hit with a baseball bat. She must have had a fracture. She hid until her parents came to pick her up. That’s pretty embarrassing for her.”

Luo Xiaojie chimed in, “A gentleman’s revenge is never too late. She suffers in the open; we’ll work in the shadows. Sooner or later, she’ll be finished.”

Their words comforted Yu Mingwan somewhat.

When Luo Xiaojie suggested having the thugs come around regularly, Yu Mingwan rolled her eyes. “What do you know? Do you think they do this for free? Every time they come around, you pay?”

Before she finished speaking, her phone rang—it was the thug leader she had contacted.

“Brother Zhang, I’ve transferred the money. Thanks for your hard work today. I’ll treat you to dinner next time.”

On the other end, a rough, hoarse middle-aged man’s voice came lazily, “Wanwan, no need to be so polite. It’s just a small favor. But one of the brothers got his head cut pretty bad today…”

Yu Mingwan understood the hint and bit her lip, promising an even bigger red envelope for that brother. That nearly drained all her pocket money.

The man was satisfied and added, “Tonight, the brothers are going out for drinks and karaoke. Why don’t you bring your girlfriends along to join us?”

In the past, Yu Mingwan would have gone, but now, missing teeth, with a fractured wrist and bruised face, filled with anger and resentment, she refused.

The man didn’t push it but chuckled, “Well, if you don’t want to come, maybe you have some girlfriends to bring along? A bunch of men alone isn’t much fun. You know what I mean—help a brother out.”

After that, the phone was filled with lewd, excited laughter and creepy comments about “high school girls” and “so young.”

Even a fool could guess the meaning. After some thought, Yu Mingwan felt that Brother Zhang had helped her, and refusing now would be ungrateful, so she agreed, “Alright, send me the address. I’ll have someone come over.”

“Hehe, we’ll be waiting. Thanks, Wanwan. Let me know if you need anything else.”

After hanging up, Yu Mingwan searched her contacts for a number saved as “Puppy.”

Zhang Wenli and the others exchanged glances, their smiles malicious.

...

“Pack of Soft White Sand, please.”

“Sure.”

In a dilapidated residential district, Zou Yuting’s home was always dim and gloomy. Even with the lights on, there was a persistent haze, as if a veil of mist never lifted.

They rented a first-floor apartment, divided front and back. The front housed a small convenience store, while the back was home to a family of four, separated by wooden boards.

Zou Yuting sat behind the counter doing homework but had barely started before she had to put down her pen to serve customers—fetching cigarettes, alcohol, or whatever else was needed. If someone bought instant noodles, she even boiled water to help prepare them.

On weekends, her mother, stepfather, and their son would go out to play, leaving the store in her care.

She had grown used to it. Ever since her mother remarried when she was seven, every day without school meant waking at six and opening the store by seven. Once, she received a counterfeit 100-yuan note and was slapped so hard by her stepfather that her ear rang. From then on, she learned to distinguish real bills from fakes and never accepted another counterfeit again.

She resumed her homework until her phone suddenly rang, startling her so much she nearly jumped. Before even looking at the caller ID, her face drained of color.

Seeing who it was, she paled further.

She dared not ignore the call, biting her lip as she answered.

“Puppy, what took you so long to pick up? Are you avoiding me?” came the sweet yet demonic voice of Yu Mingwan. To an outsider, it might sound like a friendly nickname—“Puppy” was just a casual name among friends.

“N-no, I’m at the store. Customers are here,” Zou Yuting stammered.

“Oh~ write down the address. Be here by seven tonight.”

“But it’s Saturday... I have to watch the store…”

“Worthless mutt, am I asking you or telling you?” The tone turned harsh. “That lousy store means nothing to me. Close it, or do you want me to come shut it down myself?”

“No, but—” Zou Yuting trembled. If her stepfather found out she’d closed the store, he’d be furious. Besides, she had no desire to seek out Yu Mingwan. What else could Yu Mingwan want except to bully her?

Suddenly, Yu Mingwan’s voice darkened, “Do you want me to come get you myself?”

Zou Yuting felt as though she’d fallen into an icy pit. “N-no! No need…”

After giving the address, Yu Mingwan hung up, leaving Zou Yuting’s head buzzing.

A factory address…

But if she didn’t go, she’d be doomed. Yu Mingwan wouldn’t let her off…

...

Luo Fu Xu went to the hospital with Lipeng Niu to get an X-ray. As Li Chongjing had predicted, she had a slight scapular fracture—not serious. The doctor said rest and medication were sufficient.

“She’s got some skill after all,” Luo Fu Xu muttered.

Hating to take medicine, she refused the pills and only used topical patches.

Though her left shoulder ached with every movement, perhaps because she finally cried it out, some of the pent-up sorrow lifted. For the first time in over two months, she felt her chest loosened from the weight.

“I forgot to warn him!” she suddenly remembered. “Hmph, but I doubt he dares to gossip at school.”

Once home, she said nothing, but Song Wen immediately noticed her injury by the smell of medicine.

Before bed, as Luo Fu Xu bathed, Song Wen gently wiped the dark patches of ointment off her bruised scapula. Seeing the terrifying dark purple mark, her hands trembled.

After coaxing Luo Fu Xu to sleep while she lay on her side, Song Wen returned to her room and, trembling, called Xu Hanrui.

...

In the capital city, at the Xu family mansion.

Xu Hanrui finally received Song Wen’s call. Excited, he shifted in his study several times to clear his throat, then answered with a cold, restrained voice, “Hello?”

“Husband, do you know that Fufu was…”

“Daddy, Mommy made soup for you. Come downstairs and have some,” interrupted Xu Mengrui, who opened the study door, her voice crisp and sweet, lively and adorable.

Song Wen’s voice cut off abruptly.

Xu Hanrui’s sharp, cold gaze snapped toward Mengrui. His eyes were like an eagle’s; Mengrui’s grip on the door handle tightened nervously. She weakly repeated herself and hurried out.

But it was too late.

Song Wen’s tear-filled, reddened eyes brimmed with rage, shaking uncontrollably, fully awake.

While her beloved Fufu suffered abuse outside, what was Xu Hanrui doing? He let that mother and daughter waltz into the mansion, enjoying everything that should have belonged to her daughter. No, Xu Hanrui was the culprit. Because of him, Fufu ended up in such a place, tormented by those senseless people!

He even slapped Fufu for that mother and daughter’s sake!

From childhood, no matter how mischievous Luo Fu Xu was, Song Wen never dared to hit her. This was the first time she had been struck—and for something like this.

So even though if she had swallowed her pride and coaxed Xu Hanrui, the situation could have been reversed, and the intruders driven away, she didn’t. Because Xu Hanrui had already broken Luo Fu Xu’s heart. How long would that take to heal? How could it heal? Even she didn’t know. She only hated herself for not realizing sooner that Xu Hanrui was a scoundrel.

She couldn’t bear it—not even a little.

Yet, she was so helpless now that seeing Luo Fu Xu bullied, she instinctively wanted to rely on this man.

“Xu Hanrui, you disgust me! You’re despicable! Scoundrel!”

Xu Hanrui, expecting her to apologize, was stunned. “What did you say?”

“I never want to see you again in my life! You make me sick!”

Song Wen hung up abruptly.

Xu Hanrui was dumbfounded. When he registered what just happened, his face flushed with anger, and he smashed his phone. “Fine, fine. Looks like you haven’t suffered enough yet!”

Didn’t he know their parents were supporting them financially? He just couldn’t bear to let them truly suffer, so he turned a blind eye. But now it seemed he had spoiled them instead.

Just a few soft words could have persuaded him to send Xu Mengrui and her mother away, restoring everything to how it should be. Yet, she insisted on defying him. Did she think he truly couldn’t live without them?

He hated being controlled the most. That was why he had been so decisive about divorcing Song Wen and agreed to send Jiang Xiang and Xu Mengrui to City Z. After the conflict erupted, the whole family sided with Song Wen and Luo Fu Xu.

Especially their parents, who scolded him and threatened to cut ties unless he sent Jiang Xiang and Xu Mengrui away. It brought him back to his youth when he had no power and was controlled by them. His rebellious spirit surged.

When young, he was powerless and manipulated; now, as head of the Xu family and chairman of the Xu Group, even his own parents couldn’t touch him.

The Xu family’s bank accounts and conglomerate were deeply intertwined. Wealthy people didn’t let money sit idle in banks earning interest—that was wasteful. Earnings were immediately reinvested to maximize returns.

As head of the family and chairman, it was easy for Xu Hanrui to withhold his parents’ income unless they shamelessly sued him. He knew they wouldn’t go that far for the sake of Song Wen and Luo Fu Xu.

He only wanted Song Wen and her daughter to experience some hardship—to understand how much he sacrificed and shielded them for the family. How could they treat him so poorly for a single mistake?

Song Wen cried hard in her bedroom after hanging up. Only when dawn approached did she wash her face, apply eye masks, make breakfast for Luo Fu Xu, and then arrange to meet Liao Jieqiong to discuss investments.

She could no longer rely on Tang Yun. Fufu only had her now, and she must earn money to support her daughter.