"A debt must be repaid, it's only natural. Your father owes me money, and now his whereabouts are unknown. Naturally, you'll have to pay it back. Don't worry, I'll take good care of you!" Brother Chang's eyes were filled with intense desire. He had long harbored intentions towards Fang Xiuxiu, and it was for her that he had lent money to Fang Tiancheng.
"Take her away!"
With Brother Chang's command, his subordinates, smirking sinisterly, advanced toward Fang Xiuxiu.
"What are you doing?"
A young man stepped forward, his voice cold and commanding.
"Oh ho, trying to play the hero and save the damsel?" Brother Chang sneered, walking up to the youth and viciously kicking him to the ground.
The youth cried out in pain, scrambled to his feet, and fled in a panic. Though many people were around, only this youth dared to act heroically. The rest merely harbored silent indignation, unwilling or afraid to intervene.
"Let go of me... you let go of me... Help me... Li Se, save me..." Fang Xiuxiu cried out in terror.
Li Se, who had just parked his car, heard Fang Xiuxiu's desperate pleas. His expression darkened, and he quickly rushed over. Seeing a group of thugs attempting to drag Fang Xiuxiu away, he lunged forward, sending the thug holding her flying with a single punch.
Bang! Bang!
With a few more punches, the other thugs were also sent flying.
"Li Se... *sob sob*..." Fang Xiuxiu threw herself into Li Se's arms, weeping.
"Who the hell do you think you are?" Brother Chang was furious that his plans had been thwarted.
Li Se didn't bother with any pleasantries. He unleashed an internal energy strike onto Brother Chang's body. As the force entered his system, Brother Chang felt nothing; in fact, the palm strike felt rather light.
"You wait for me, I won't let this go!" Brother Chang spat out threats before turning and fleeing.
Li Se paid no further attention to Brother Chang. After the internal energy entered his body, Brother Chang would soon be paralyzed from the waist down, destined to spend the rest of his life in bed.
As expected, not long after Brother Chang left, he collapsed to the ground, his limbs suddenly unresponsive. He tried to struggle, to cry out, but not even a sound escaped his lips. His eyes were filled with terror, unable to comprehend what had happened. He had been fine moments ago, how could he suddenly lose all control of his body?
For a lifetime, he would likely never imagine that Li Se's seemingly gentle palm strike had rendered him a cripple.
Li Se and Fang Xiuxiu returned to the barbecue stall, ordered some food, and it was only after much comforting that Fang Xiuxiu finally calmed down.
"With me here from now on, no one will bully you again," Li Se said in a deep voice.
"Mmm," Fang Xiuxiu was still shaken.
"Xiuxiu, you shouldn't stay at your old place anymore. Your father's creditors might show up at any time. I'll arrange a place for you to stay," Li Se said, worried that what had just happened might occur again.
Fang Xiuxiu shook her head. "No need. I'm used to living there. My dad is nowhere to be found now, and actually, there are only a few creditors. Besides Brother Chang, and the ones before him, there shouldn't be anyone else."
Li Se didn't press the matter further. He had initially intended to offer Fang Xiuxiu the villa in Qingshui Bay, but he knew she would likely refuse.
A week passed quickly. Li Se drove to Yunmeng Company. Since Xia Bingyun had already informed the front desk, he could go directly to her office. Upon entering, he saw how exhausted Xia Bingyun looked. He walked behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders.
"Who?" Xia Bingyun, engrossed in her work, hadn't noticed anyone approaching from behind and was startled. Seeing that it was Li Se, she finally relaxed, chiding him, "Why didn't you say you were coming?"
"I wanted to give you a massage. You looked so tired," Li Se said with a light smile.
"You actually know I'm tired?" Xia Bingyun rolled her eyes, a hint of complaint in her tone. "Ever since you gave me the formula, you've completely washed your hands of it. Is this how a boss should be?"
Li Se continued massaging Xia Bingyun, chuckling, "I'm clueless about these things. Alright, what do you need me to do today? Just name it, as long as I can do it."
"Accompany me to see a factory. We need to have tight control over our formula, so we have to buy a factory. I've already found one. It used to be a pharmaceutical plant, but it's now defunct, and the owner is eager to sell." Xia Bingyun said.
After Li Se's massage, much of her fatigue had dissipated. She had been working very hard these past few days. Developing a new product involved so many things to handle, and her partner, the shareholder, was truly unreliable. It had been a week, and he hadn't shown up once. She had even begun to suspect that Li Se had forgotten about this acne cream.
"Okay, I'll go with you," Li Se replied with a smile.
They soon left the company. Li Se drove them to the pharmaceutical plant, located in the suburbs. The overall condition was decent, and some equipment was still usable. Acquiring this factory would save Yunmeng Company a significant amount of time, as they wouldn't have to purchase new equipment.
"Who are you looking for?"
Two security guards at the entrance stopped Li Se and Xia Bingyun.
"I'm looking for your boss. Isn't he looking to sell this pharmaceutical plant?" Xia Bingyun asked.
"Please wait a moment." The guard immediately called the factory manager.
Shortly after, a somewhat portly man hurried out. He smiled amiably, "You must be Ms. Xia from Yunmeng, right? I'm Yang Guangzheng, the factory manager. I've heard our boss mention you. He has some matters to attend to today, so I'm here to host you. Please, come inside."
Soon, they entered the factory's conference room. Yang Guangzheng's gaze lingered on Xia Bingyun, his eyes betraying a clear desire. He said with a chuckle, "Ms. Xia, although our boss wants to sell, there's no rush. The price certainly can't be low, as our boss isn't exactly short on money. Besides, there are quite a few interested parties looking to acquire our plant. One of them is coming today, perhaps you've done business with them before."
"Manager Yang, we are very sincere," Xia Bingyun said.
"That depends on how Ms. Xia presents herself," Yang Guangzheng said with a smile.
"How do you want me to present myself?" Xia Bingyun frowned slightly. She felt intensely uncomfortable, even disgusted, by Yang Guangzheng's gaze. She had a nagging feeling that this manager had ill intentions.
Yang Guangzheng reached out as if to touch Xia Bingyun's hand and said, "Ms. Xia, our boss instructed me to handle this matter, so, you see..."
Xia Bingyun quickly pulled her hand away and said coldly, "Manager Yang, please show some respect!"
Yang Guangzheng dropped the pretense and laid his cards on the table. "Let me be direct, Ms. Xia. I'm interested in you. If you'll spend a night with me, I'll decide to sell you this pharmaceutical plant, and the price will be one you can accept. After all, I have this authority, because the boss is my uncle!"