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nThe car drove away from the airport. Snow weighed heavily on branches of the pine trees along the road. The branches occasionally rustled, and the snow fell to the ground before soon melting without a trace.

nFu Chen glanced at Fu Zhongli’s phone. It had already vibrated a few times. The caller ID was Sun Gongda. “You’re not answering?”

n“I don’t want to.” Fu Zhongli pinched the space between his eyebrows.

n“The Sun family is staying at your place now. You’ll still have to meet them when you go back.” Fu Chen’s fingertips were holding the Buddhist prayer bead bracelet. “When Sun Rui got into trouble, didn’t the Sun family look for you?”

n“They have the cheek to look for me?” Fu Zhongli reached out to take off his glasses, took out a handkerchief from his pocket, and casually brushed away the white mist on it.

n“I know Sun Rui’s personality very well. In this matter, she might have really gone too far while playing. Otherwise, she just wanted to set someone up but got herself involved instead.

n“If we’re talking about who called those reporters who rushed over in time, I’m not sure. But she usually incurs a lot of grudges, so it’s not surprising that someone returned the favor.”

nFu Chen raised his eyebrows. He had to admit that his second brother was still very clear about gauging things.

n“She likes to play in the first place. This isn’t the first time she’s gotten into trouble. In the past, it was her parents who cleaned up her mess in time. This time, the media exposed her in advance, so they couldn’t contain it.

n“I really can’t agree with the way the Sun family educates their children.”

nFu Chen raised his eyebrows and turned his head to look at him. “What about Yuxiu’s education?”

n“Your second sister-in-law and I have quarreled about this matter many times. She dotes on him too much, but there’s no need to pamper a boy. She feels that since the family has the means, she can’t let him suffer. She gives him the best of everything and chooses every step for him.”

nFu Zhongli chuckled lightly. “I’m also responsible for this. When I arrived in Yuncheng back then, I was busy with my career and neglected my child’s education. Once his personality developed, it was difficult to turn it around again.

n“Last time, he broke the engagement with the Song family without permission. I wanted to beat him up, but she refused and even threw a tantrum with me…”

nFu Chen pressed the tip of his tongue against his cheek. “What did you like about Second Sister-in-Law back then?”

n“Dating and getting married are different. You’ll understand these things when you get married.” Fu Zhongli put on his glasses and tilted his head to size him up. “Are you in a relationship?”

nFu Chen smiled without saying anything.

nHe had mentioned to his mother that he would bring someone back this year, so it was normal to have a target already. He didn’t hide this fact.

n“Nowadays, society is open. Before getting married, you two should spend more time with each other. You should go on vacations or try to cohabit for a period of time to work it out well. When you discover conflicts and differences, it’s best if you can resolve them before marriage.”

n“Okay.” Fu Chen nodded.

nShi Fang shook his head as he drove. Second Master is also worried for Third Master. How could he know that they already cohabited long ago?

nFu Chen put away his prayer bead bracelet and said seriously, “Second Brother, I want to tell you something…”

n“Every time you show this expression, something bad will definitely happen.”

nFu Chen smiled and briefly told him what had happened…

n“Our family is a little indebted to Wanwan in the first place. This isn’t a big deal. But why are you so concerned about another family’s matters?” His younger brother wasn’t a busybody.

n“She stayed at my house for a few months. We’re on relatively good terms,” Fu Chen said self-righteously.

n“This child has a good personality. She doesn’t fight for anything nor likes to be in the limelight. She’s very low-key. It’s a pity that Yuxiu can’t see her good side.” Fu Zhongli was very good at judging people indeed.

nFu Chen didn’t say anything…

nShi Fang was speechless. Third Master really dared to say that?

nYou two are just on good terms?

nYou’ve already climbed into the young lady’s bed. Are you still pretending? Continue pretending.

n***

nInside a hospital in Yuncheng…

nAfter dinner, Qian Jiang sent Song Fengwan back to school, while Qiao Aiyun, Yan Wangchuan, and Geng Ying went to the hospital to check on the situation.

nWhen they arrived at the inpatient department and reached the floor where the injured person was, they saw Geng Ying’s assistant, Little Liang, surrounded by a group of people. His clothes were torn, and his hair was messy. He was squashed in the middle and in great pain. There were also obvious red marks on his face and neck.

n“You can’t leave. You hit him with a car, yet you still want to run?”

n“Exactly. If you don’t give us an answer today, don’t even think about leaving.”

nLittle Liang couldn’t win against these unruly and unreasonable people at all. The buttons on his suit had already been ripped off. “I’m just going down to pick up someone. You all know my number, and the police haven’t dealt with it either. Where can I run to?”

n“You just want to run! You hit someone with a car and don’t want to pay, huh?”

n“I’m really not running away!” No matter how Little Liang explained, these people refused to listen. He had received a call from Geng Ying and only wanted to pick them up, but these people had stopped him.

n“Little Liang.” Geng Ying hurriedly ran over and reached out to save him from the crowd.

n“Sister Geng, you’re finally here.” Little Liang had just graduated for more than a year and had not come into contact with many lawsuits. He had never met these kinds of people before, so he had no idea how to deal with them.

nQiao Aiyun and Yan Wangchuan also rushed over. “I’m the person involved. Talk to me if you have anything to say.”

n“You’re the one who ran into my husband?” A married woman jumped out. Her face was flushed red from agitation, and she bared her fangs and brandished her claws as if she wanted to swallow Qiao Aiyun alive.

n“Hey, Sister-in-Law, don’t be agitated.” The person beside her pulled her back.

n“How can I not be agitated?! Look at what has become of your big brother after she ran into him!” The woman’s emotions were at a high.

nQiao Aiyun was speechless. She observed her surroundings. He sure is precious for staying in the VIP ward after getting some scratches. “If you want to discuss, we’ll go in and talk. If you want to fight, I’ll go examine the injuries later. We’ll waste each other’s time, and I’m afraid you won’t get a single cent!”

nWhen the woman heard the mention of money, she immediately stopped acting up.

nThe group finally entered the ward.

n…

nAfter all, it was a VIP room. The ward was spacious, and there were many people sitting in it. Cheng Hu, the leader of the troublemakers, was also here. A group of people was gathered around playing cards and smoking. They clearly didn’t treat this place as a hospital.

nThe man lying on the bed, who had just been eating with his legs crossed, restrained himself at this moment and started groaning.

nYan Wangchuan’s fingers tightened slightly.

nEncountering such a scoundrel, he really wanted to go up and punch him.

n“This is the current medical expenses. Take a look…” The woman handed a receipt to Qiao Aiyun. “There’s also some nutritional costs and compensation for emotional damage. I’ll slowly calculate it with you later.”

n“What else do you want to calculate?” Qiao Aiyun glanced at the receipt. They had only been in the hospital for half a day, but they had already spent more than ten thousand yuan. This was daylight robbery.

n“There’s also the cost of lost labor. My husband won’t be able to go to work for some time, and his brothers didn’t go to work today either because of him. We have to include everything.”

nQiao Aiyun nodded. “What else?” This is really shameless.

n“Don’t think that he looks normal now. If there’s anything wrong with him later, you people have to take responsibility too! It’s hard to guarantee that there won’t be any aftereffects. You have to pay for all of this!”

nQiao Aiyun could tell that these people were planning to cling to her for the rest of their lives. Could it be that they wanted her to support him in his retirement?

n“Roughly how much do you need?”

nThe woman looked at Cheng Hu and coughed twice. “Just give us three million first.”

n“This is blackmail!” Geng Ying couldn’t stand it anymore. What kind of people are these? They’re simply shameless.

n“Little girl, don’t spout nonsense. After hitting someone with a car, shouldn’t you give him some money?” The woman sneered coldly.

n“That’s right! Pay up! Or is it that the richer you are, the stingier you are?”

n“It’s only right and proper to pay when you run into someone. We are in the right wherever we go.”

n…

nThese people started raising a hue and a cry.

nQiao Aiyun gritted her teeth. They knew that they wouldn’t be able to get the debt back, so they came up with such an idea and wanted to eat her up bit by bit. They were extremely shameless.

nShe took a deep breath and suppressed her fury.

nBut Yan Wangchuan really couldn’t restrain himself anymore.

nHis fingers tightened. Just as he moved, Qiao Aiyun stopped him. “Calm down.”

nYan Wangchuan’s expression was ugly. Perhaps to deal with these kinds of local ruffians, one had to use violence to curb violence.

n“What? You still want to fight?” The few people playing cards threw away the poker cards and crowded around them. They even started to pull and push them.

nOne of them reached out to grab Qiao Aiyun’s arm.

nHow could Yan Wangchuan tolerate this? He clenched his fists tightly, raised his arm, and punched him immediately. “Try touching her again.”

n“F*ck, there are so many of us! How can we still let you bully us? Brothers, go!”

nThe entire ward instantly became chaotic. The nurse on duty had been observing the situation outside the whole time. When she saw this situation, she immediately prepared to call the police and security guards. As soon as she turned her, she saw four or five people walking over quickly.

nEveryone in Yuncheng recognized the man in the lead.

n“Se-Second Master.” The young nurse hurriedly retreated to the side.

nFu Zhongli had followed the tides of reformation and opened up to the outside world. He had been the first batch of people to go to sea and establish a company in Yuncheng, which was a leading enterprise even in the entire country. Every year, the government would commend him for paying his taxes as a member of a rich and influential family. Who didn’t know him?

nHe was wearing an extremely simple and capable-looking suit. The white lights of the hospital cast a shadow on his face. He was aloof while walking, bearing a cold expression and styled hair. Because he was wearing glasses, he looked calm and easy-going, but his charisma was irresistible.

nHe exuded a veneer of refinement, but because he had been in the business world for a long time, he had forged a sharp and fierce aura.

n…

nJust as they were arguing endlessly in the ward, the door was kicked open and slammed against the back wall.

nThe sound was deafening.

nOnly then did everyone stop fighting.

nFu Chen raised his eyebrows slightly and didn’t say anything. Shi Fang, on the other hand, was stunned. My god. Second Master is usually refined and scholarly. I’ve never seen him be so aggressive.

nShi Fang couldn’t be blamed for this either. Fu Zhongli was overseas all year round, so he could only see him at the old residence. In front of the two elders of the Fu family, everyone would restrain their temperament.

nWhen Fu Chen heard the commotion inside, he knew that he was a little late. He had even thought that Qiao Aiyun would be at a disadvantage. He was completely wrong. With Yan Wangchuan around, these hooligans were almost beaten black and blue.

nWhen these people saw that Yan Wangchuan was dressed neatly in a suit, they had thought that he was simply for show. But they hadn’t expected him to be so fast and ruthless when he fought. They weren’t his match at all. Anyone who rushed forward was knocked down one by one.

nHe had the considerable valiance of ‘a single man holding back ten thousand enemies’.

n“Second Master?” Cheng Hu, who had been watching the show, hurriedly threw away his cigarette and ran over fawningly.

n“Why aren’t you continuing?” Fu Zhongli glanced at him. “In the past, I didn’t realize that you had such authority to act like a tyrant in Yuncheng.”

n“Second Master, you must be joking. Isn’t this because my brother was hit? There was a small conflict.” Fu Zhongli was the local snake1 in Yuncheng. Lowly thugs like Cheng Hu couldn’t afford to offend him at all.

nNormally, he wouldn’t even be worthy of serving him tea.

n“Small conflict?” Fu Zhongli looked around the room. “I am in charge of this matter now. How badly injured is he? How much money do I have to pay? Come and calculate it with me.”

n“Aren’t you making things difficult for us?” Everyone knew very well that this wasn’t a scam or car accident at all. They were here to collect a debt.

n“Why didn’t you say that when you made things difficult for the mother and child? I heard that you blocked them at the gates of their community and didn’t let them leave. Wasn’t there a child in the car too? I think you people didn’t even want to let the child go.”

nFu Zhongli spoke slowly, neither fast nor slow, but his words were arrogant and overbearing.

nHow could Cheng Hu withstand such a powerful sense of oppression?

n“This is all an accident.” He gave a hollow laugh, feeling a little flustered inside. Where did this master come from?

n“Whether it’s an accident or a deliberate act, we know very well in our hearts. Ms. Qiao and I used to be in-laws. If you touch her now, doesn’t that mean you are dissatisfied with me too? Or…” Fu Zhongli chuckled. “You want to slap my face?”

n“I wouldn’t dare!” Cheng Hu smiled fawningly.

n“I think you’re very courageous. There’s nothing you don’t dare to do. I heard that it’s Song Jingren who owes you money. You also know very well that it’s not their place to repay this debt. If you insist on finding trouble with her, you’re deliberately going against me then.”

n“Second Master, this matter…” Cheng Hu scratched his head and leaned over slightly.

nCarefully and obsequiously, he walked over to Fu Zhongli’s side and said in a low voice, “It wasn’t of my own volition that I did this matter. It’s… I’m also working for others. Besides, with your relationship, I only did this for your sake…”

nFu Zhongli’s face instantly turned frosty.

n“I’ll take responsibility for this. Go back and tell him that if he’s dissatisfied, come find me directly! No one can use my name to do evil! How arrogant.”

nFu Chen was standing right beside Fu Zhongli. When Cheng Hu said that there was someone behind him, Fu Chen also raised his eyebrows.

nThis family is really damned persistent with their evil intentions.

nThey used Second Brother’s power and status in Yuncheng to do evil. This time, they probably pissed Second Brother off completely…

n1 地頭蛇 is a Chinese term for an influential bigwig

/gangster in a place.

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