“Liuliu? Why are you sitting on the ground?!”
A finely dressed woman carrying shopping bags rushed over from across the street.
“Mama—!” The girl threw herself into the woman’s arms, wailing.
“There, there… first get up.”
“Mm.”
Fang Liuliu stood up, roughly wiping her tears with a tissue, ruining her makeup.
“What happened?” The woman’s gaze turned sharp. “Who dared bully you?”
“It was some girl from out of town! She got my coat dirty and even tried to hit me! I was the one she pushed to the ground!”
“An outsider acting so arrogantly? Where is she now?”
“She ran off… Mama, I’ve never been so humiliated before—you have to get justice for me!”
“Don’t worry.” The woman patted her hand, eyes narrowing. “Whoever bullies my daughter… pays for it.”
“But…” Fang Liuliu hesitated.
“What is it?”
“That outsider girl talked real tough. What if… she has some kind of background?”
The woman paused, then asked, “Are you sure she’s not local?”
“Judging by her accent and how she dressed, she clearly wasn’t from around here. I even called her an outsider, and she didn’t deny it.”
“Then there’s nothing to worry about. Once you step outside the Four-Square City, ‘background’ counts for nothing. Besides, your dad is still here. You think anyone can override him?”
As she spoke, her chin lifted slightly, her gaze cold and condescending—superiority oozing from every pore.
“You’re right, I still have Daddy! He’d never let me get bullied!” Fang Liuliu finally relaxed.
In the capital, no one dared cross her. So what right did some broke outsider have?
“Oh right, where’s Daddy? Didn’t he say he’d drive me to report in at CMO today?”
“There was an urgent matter at the company, he had to go handle it. Should be done soon. Let’s find a place to sit and wait for him.”
“But…” Fang Liuliu glanced toward the direction Jiang Fuyue left, anxious. “We still don’t know who that girl is…”
The woman shook her head. “What have I always taught you? Don’t show emotions on your face. Winning and losing isn’t decided in a single moment—have some patience.”
“It’s not my fault! She already ran off. If we don’t chase now, how are we supposed to find her later? Needle in a haystack?”
“Silly child.” The woman tapped her forehead. “Use your brain. What’s the use of chasing her now? Beat her up in the street? What if she calls the cops? What about all the bystanders filming the scene? Want to end up on trending topics?”
Fang Liuliu shook her head furiously.
“You want to deal with someone? There are plenty of ways. Only idiots get their hands dirty. Smart people don’t let a single drop of blood touch themselves.”
Fang Liuliu’s eyes lit up. “Mom, do you already have a plan?”
The woman smirked, pulled out her phone, and made a call.
“Wang Hao, it’s me. I need you to pull traffic cam footage from the third intersection on Zhongsi Road. Someone bullied Liuliu there—track the person down and teach her a lesson. Make sure she knows who she messed with.”
On the other end, a respectful “Yes, ma’am.”
Only then did she hang up and pocket the phone.
Fang Liuliu beamed. “Mom, you’re amazing! I can’t believe you thought of asking Uncle Wang Hao!”
“Wang Hao is from your grandfather’s side. He handles messy business—no one better for this.”
“Should we tell Dad?”
“This kind of trivial thing? No need to bother him. Besides, the new president at Lou Corporation just took office—he’s already been in a foul mood for days.”
“Huh? Lou Corporation has a new president? I thought Dad was supposed to take over?”
The woman sighed. “No matter how capable your dad is, he’s still not a Lou. After all his years of hard work, he still ends up beneath others… Forget it. No need to upset you with this. Your top priority now is to win first prize at the CMO competition. That’ll lock in your direct university admission—and make your dad and me proud.”
“I know! You’ve said it a million times already.”
She chuckled and cleared her throat. “Can’t help worrying, in case you don’t perform well.”
“Relax! My teacher says my score is more than enough for first prize. And if I really shine, I might even make the national training team. I could go abroad for the IMO and bring home a gold medal!”
The woman smiled, eyes crescenting. “If you really win a gold medal, I’ll get you anything you want.”
“Really?!” Fang Liuliu’s eyes sparkled.
“Of course.”
Just then, her phone rang.
“It’s Dad!”
“Give it to me—I’ll answer!”
The woman smiled helplessly and handed over the phone. Fang Liuliu quickly picked up: “Daddy—!”
There was a pause, then laughter: “Liuliu, where are you? I’m already on the overpass.”
“Right next to Chunfeng Hotel. You’ll see us when you pass.”
“Got it.”
Ten minutes later, a Porsche pulled up by the curb.
“Daddy’s here!”
The mother and daughter got in.
Fang Yao asked his wife, “What do you want to eat?”
Liu Kaiyan buckled her seatbelt. “Anything. Let our daughter choose.”
“Liuliu?” Fang Yao looked at the back seat through the mirror.
“Western food, Yuelai Hotel.”
“Alright. What were you wiping at just now? What happened to your coat?”
Fang Liuliu pouted. “Some woman on the street didn’t watch where she was going and got it dirty…”
“Just buy a new one.”
“But Dad, you don’t know how awful she was, I—”
She was halfway through when her eyes met her mother’s disapproving gaze in the mirror. She immediately clammed up.
“I mean… it’s not a big deal… I just really liked that coat…”
Fang Yao chuckled and turned to his wife. “Kaiyan, take her to buy a new one when you get the chance. No need to sulk over something so small—you’re still a child at heart.”
Liu Kaiyan: “There are plenty of nice coats. We’ll get you a better one. Let’s go before the place gets crowded and noisy.”
“Thanks, Daddy! Thanks, Mommy! Love you both to death!”
…
After dinner, the three left the hotel.
Fang Liuliu insisted on getting bubble tea, so Fang Yao and Liu Kaiyan waited outside.
“You don’t look so good,” she said. “Company troubles?”
Fang Yao rubbed his brow. “Since Lou Mingshen took over, it’s been nonstop meetings and audits. The whole company’s a mess—you think I’d be in a good mood?”
“What about the board? Didn’t they stop him?”
“Heh… Those old geezers are useless. When Lou Mingxin was in charge, they strutted around like peacocks. But with Lou Mingshen’s iron grip? Not a single peep.”
“So you’re saying Lou Mingshen is even sharper than his sister?”
Fang Yao’s brows knitted. Her comment hit a sore spot.
“Lou Mingxin was all show, relying on legacy plans for the last twenty years. But Lou Mingshen? He’s different.”
He’d left the Lou family two decades ago, carving his own path from scratch. Every move he made was calculated and refined.
The moment he took office, he launched a full audit of the finance department. A ruthless move.
Liu Kaiyan: “Then… should I ask my father to step in?”
Fang Yao raised a hand to stop her. “Absolutely not. We don’t even know the guy’s full hand yet—we can’t act rashly.”
“What, you think my father can’t handle him?” She crossed her arms, lips curling coldly. “I don’t know your business world, but I do know—since ancient times, whoever has the harder fist calls the shots.”
Fang Yao sighed. “It’s not about your father lacking ability. He’s a legend in his own right. Taking down Lou Mingshen wouldn’t be hard. But these days, violence alone doesn’t solve everything. And the authorities are cracking down hard right now—he’s laying low. We can’t drag him into risk because of me.”
Only then did her expression ease.
“Fine, up to you. But my dad values you most of all. If it ever came to it, he wouldn’t hesitate.”
“I know. If push comes to shove, I’ll ask him myself.”
Just then, her phone rang.
She glanced at the caller ID and raised an eyebrow. “Hello?”
Wang Hao: “Miss, I found the girl you asked me to investigate.”
Seeing her husband watching, Liu Kaiyan knew he disapproved of using family power for dirty work.
So she replied vaguely: “Give her a warm welcome—don’t be too polite.”
Implication: Beat her down, no mercy.
