Li Qianfan on the other end of the phone suddenly went silent.
Anyone in Li Qianfan's position, talking on the phone with Sister Yaoyao and happily badmouthing Su Nanyin, would be stunned and at a loss for words when her voice suddenly cut in.
*Beep.*
Su Nanyin gave a cold smile and tapped her phone screen, ending the call.
She turned and walked towards the lounge, "Du Yaoyao, follow me."
"I'm not going!"
Yaoyao, her face filled with terror, blurted out her answer.
Even with her little toe, she could guess what Su Nanyin wanted her to do in the lounge.
No matter how many people saw Su Nanyin as the epitome of a perfect wife and mother,
Mao Maochong Yaoyao knew very well.
This woman was incredibly cunning, a prime example of having one face for the public and another for private.
She rarely got angry with Mao Maochong Yaoyao.
But once she got angry—
When had it not ended with them obediently pulling their pants down to their knees and bracing for the severe whipping of the belt on their behinds?
"Three, two."
Su Nanyin walked to the lounge door and began to count down.
Du Yaoyao shrieked, "This is the workplace! You have no right to use violence to punish a subordinate!"
"It's currently past five o'clock."
Su Nanyin's tone was light, "Now, I am not Vice General Manager Su. I am the mother of Su Zui, Shen Yun, and Du Junlin. Unless you, Du Junlin, exile yourself and sever your mother-daughter relationship with me. Three, two."
Just as she was about to utter the final "one," Du Yaoyao stood up, trembling.
Inside the lounge.
As Yaoyao, pale-faced and biting her lip, pulled her pants down to her knees and obediently lay on the bed, Su Nanyin, whom she now considered a "witch," took out a small belt.
Yaoyao closed her eyes.
They were all quite experienced with this kind of violent punishment, be it Su Mao Mao, Shen Chong Chong, or Du Yaoyao.
As long as they closed their eyes, gritted their teeth, and endured at most ten lashes, everything would be fine.
However, this time—
Su Nanyin's strikes were particularly fierce!
With every lash, she would sternly reprimand her.
"Who gave you permission to slander others behind their backs?"
"If I'm mentally unstable, why don't you ask for the reason?"
"Who gave you the guts to say you'd help that brat tie me up and whip me?"
*Pia—*
With a crisp sound, a clear bruise appeared on Yaoyao's buttocks.
Yaoyao cried.
If, one day, she truly fell into the hands of her enemies, let alone being whipped, even if she were branded with a hot iron or had her flesh cut with a knife!
She would be no hero if she so much as flinched.
But the one hitting her now was Su Nanyin.
She couldn't hold back her tears.
This was all Li Qianfan's fault for turning the originally cold and wooden Sister Yaoyao into a more normal girl.
How many normal girls didn't cry when their mothers whipped them severely with a belt?
"Crying, you have the nerve to cry?"
Su Nanyin had completely transformed into a wicked witch, a sinister grin on her face, and struck even harder.
Yaoyao dared not cry anymore, only trembling as she bit down on the bedsheet, desperately holding on.
But Su Nanyin became even more excessive.
She even made a video call to Li Qianfan—
She wanted to kill the chicken to scare the monkey!
The "monkey" on the other side of the video saw Yaoyao being severely whipped and shouted, "Su Nanyin, stop hitting her!"
*Pa!!*
Su Nanyin struck with almost full force, causing Yaoyao so much pain that she could no longer control herself and let out a sob. Only then did she coldly say to Li Qianfan on the phone, "She is my daughter. I can hit her however I want. What business is it of yours?"
Li Qianfan retorted, "She is your daughter, that's true, but she is also the wife of the village chief of Li Family Village! I have the right and qualification to stop anyone from harming her!"
Li Qianfan had a point.
But Su Nanyin ignored him, relentlessly swinging the belt.
Each strike was more brutal than the last.
"You shrew! Stop it, damn it!"
Li Qianfan, heartbroken to see Yaoyao being beaten, finally cursed.
Su Nanyin suddenly looked up at the phone on the cabinet, her eyes filled with ferocity.
Li Qianfan's insult of "shrew" pierced her heart like a knife.
Li Qianfan realized the gravity of the situation—
"Alas."
He sighed and said, "Su Nanyin, let's negotiate this online later tonight."
Concession.
Li Qianfan, who had intended to remain calm for a while longer, had no choice but to concede to rescue Sister Yaoyao from her predicament.
"Hmph."
The woman, full of resentment, immediately twitched her eyebrows, snorted, dropped the belt, and turned, her voluptuous hips swaying as she walked out of the lounge.
After the door closed, Yaoyao, who had been lying on the bed, dared to stand up, wiping her tears with one hand and pulling up her pants with the other.
Li Qianfan asked with concern, "Yaoyao, does it hurt? Do you want me to get some medicine?"
"It's just a few lashes, what's the big deal?"
Yaoyao rubbed her buttocks and picked up her phone, her tears turning into a smile. "Let me tell you, even though she hits hard. It's just a flesh wound, I'll still sleep well tonight. After all, I'm not like Shen Chong Chong with her porcelain skin, who gets bruises for days after one lash. I'm tough and resilient, I've been beaten the most and I'm used to it."
Looking at Yaoyao's tear-streaked face, Li Qianfan didn't know what to say.
Yaoyao seemed a little embarrassed. "I cried to make her feel guilty and hit lighter, not because it hurt. You can't misunderstand."
Li Qianfan nodded.
Yaoyao added, "Alright, I'll come see you tomorrow."
Li Qianfan asked, "She's so angry with us, will she still give you leave?"
"Why wouldn't she?"
Yaoyao looked puzzled. "She's already hit me! If she hits me and doesn't let me go, what's the point?"
Li Qianfan was again speechless.
"Alright, that's it."
Yaoyao continued, "I need to go appease her first."
Li Qianfan was confused. "She hit you so hard, and you still need to appease her?"
"Who else is she if not my mother? Alas."
Yaoyao sighed softly.
Then she patiently explained to Li Qianfan, "She hit me because she cares about me. The pain on my body is the pain in her heart. I'm tough and will recover quickly, but her heart won't heal so fast. If I don't hurry and appease her, she'll be sad for a long time."
This was the third time Li Qianfan was speechless.
He could only secretly admire Empress Su's exemplary parenting!
Anyone who had such a mother was truly unlucky.
Night fell.
In Tiandong Province, at Liushui Pavilion!
Ever since Mr. Qianfan had reaped a substantial harvest from the Hat Association, Liushui Pavilion, which was already located on the outskirts and rarely visited, became even more deserted.
Even after Jiao Meibi left, and Jiao Yin brought in several more attractive and shapely "female housekeepers," Li Qianfan could clearly sense that the popularity of Liushui Pavilion had significantly declined.
*Whoosh, whoosh.*
Li Qianfan swam back and forth in the hot spring pool like a white strip in waves.
Jiao San, the CEO, clad in small black cloths the size of matchboxes, sat on a rattan chair by the edge, elegantly crossing her legs. With a glass of red wine in her left hand, she smiled charmingly and gracefully watched Li Qianfan swim.
After Jiao Meibi left, Jiao Yin had developed this place.
They no longer needed to trigger any mechanisms to enter.
Since this place had a natural hot spring pool,
A hot spring bath and swim before bed every night was very beneficial for sleep.
*Whoosh—*
After swimming for more than ten minutes, Li Qianfan emerged from the water like a lotus blossom and climbed ashore.
Jiao San immediately put down her wine glass, slipped on her high-heeled slippers designed for a nightclub queen, and with a swaying waist, walked over to him with a bath towel.
Li Qianfan, like a great king—
He spread his arms, allowing her to dry him before draping him in a white robe and reclining on the chaise lounge.
Jiao San placed a fruit platter in front of him and then lit a cigarette for him.
She then knelt behind him, waving her small pink fists, and gently massaged his legs.
This decadent lifestyle, tsk tsk!
The foolish son of a landlord couldn't possibly keep up!
After all, CEO Jiao San was no ordinary maid.
After finishing the cigarette,
Li Qianfan casually used his fingers to skillfully hook away the small cloth on Jiao San's chest that was in the way.
This made her look much more pleasing to the eye—
"I came to see you this time."
Li Qianfan played with it as he stated his intention, "I wanted to ask if you want to go to Modu with me."
Jiao San pursed her lips and asked with a hum, "Why would you want me to go to Modu?"
Li Qianfan thought seriously and truthfully replied, "If my guess is correct, someone will try to kill you after I leave Tiandong."
Jiao Yin's eyebrows shot up, and she asked, "Who?"
Li Qianfan shook his head, "I can't tell you. But I can responsibly say that no matter how capable you are. If that person makes a deadly move against you, your chances of escaping disaster will not exceed 5%."
Jiao Yin's beautiful face changed drastically.
She could tell that Li Qianfan was not bluffing.
She asked again, "Who exactly is that person?"
"I can't tell you."
Li Qianfan, appearing casual, looked at the camera in the corner of the room and said, "I just don't want anything to happen to you. Because you are of great use to me. Jiao Yin, if you don't want to die, then abandon all your business in Tiandong Province and leave this place."
Behind the camera—
Bai Ziyan watched the man and woman on the screen with cold eyes.
Listening to every word they spoke.