Chapter 115: Confrontation, Misunderstanding Escalates

When the name "Master Liang" thundered in his ears, Director Chen’s face turned deathly pale in an instant. He stared in disbelief at the seemingly ordinary young man before him, a tempest of shock raging within his heart. To be personally awaited by Master Liang and greeted by President Xiao himself—what kind of formidable figure was this youth? Could he really be a wealthy second-generation scion from the provincial capital, possessing a background and strength not to be underestimated?

Li Chao nodded slightly, a profound smile playing on his lips. He turned to look at the heavily made-up woman nearby, whose mouth was agape—wide enough to fit a banana—clearly stunned by the scene. Li Chao said indifferently, "Do you still think I can't afford a meal here?" His words carried an indescribable sense of confidence and dominance.

He then cast his gaze toward Director Chen, his tone laced with amusement: "I know she’s your 'dry sister,' but as a doctor, I feel compelled to warn you: this woman is nothing but technology and ruthless work."

The woman’s face turned ashen; she wanted to retort but found herself speechless. Li Chao did not give her a chance, adding, "Moreover, I see her complexion is flushed, and she still bears the scent of another man. I’d guess that only a few dozen minutes ago, she was having a tryst with someone else. Director Chen, you’ve been wearing a green hat!"

At these words, Director Chen was consumed by rage. He whipped his head around to face the woman, demanding, "Half an hour ago, when I called you, you were panting and claimed you were climbing stairs! So, you were actually cheating with another man!"

The air in the room seemed to freeze. Director Chen’s fury, the woman’s terror, Li Chao’s indifference, and the suffocating tension and awkwardness coalesced into a complex and subtle tableau.

"You shameless wretch!" With a roar, a resounding slap struck the woman across the face. Despite being humiliated in public, she acted as if she had nothing left to lose, retorting sharply, "You’re useless yourself, so what if I stepped out? Can you compare to him? He lasts an hour!"

The surrounding crowd burst into laughter, and Director Chen’s reputation was thoroughly ruined. His face turned the color of pig liver as he rolled up his sleeves in anger, ready to strike again. The woman didn’t back down, clawing and scratching, and the two descended into a chaotic brawl.

Li Chao, uninterested in the farce, walked into the hotel accompanied by President Xiao. The interior was incredibly luxurious; upon asking, he learned the Liu family held shares here—a true testament to their standing as a wealthy dynasty. As they walked, Li Chao suddenly asked, "What is the background of that Director Chen outside?"

President Xiao replied, "He is a director at the Old City Education Park. He holds a bit of power, but in our eyes, he’s nothing." He then tentatively inquired, "Does Mr. Li intend to deal with him?"

Li Chao waved a hand. He was not the type to hold grudges over trifles, and it wasn't worth the effort. They arrived at the private room where Liang Meng was waiting and quickly stood to greet them. Once seated, fine wine and delicacies arrived, accompanied by the entertainment of singing and dancing beauties. These women, with their ample busts and long legs, offered glimpses of forbidden sights that stoked the fire in one's heart.

President Xiao raised his glass, smiling broadly, "Mr. Li, if there is anyone you fancy, you are welcome to take her with you after the meal for a private performance in your room!"

Li Chao was stunned, thinking to himself, "City people really know how to play!" However, he showed little surprise; in this circle, such things were not uncommon. President Xiao was a master of socializing, and Liang Meng was equally enthusiastic. The meal concluded on a high note. Of course, Li Chao did not accept President Xiao’s offer—he felt he hadn't yet reached the point of being desperate—and left on his own.

It was past ten o'clock when he finished. Li Chao hired a designated driver to take him back to the Jinxiu Shanhe residential complex. The security was indeed tight; the driver wasn't even allowed through the gate, and a security guard took over. After verifying his identity, the guard drove Li Chao to the parking lot in front of the Liu family villa.

Stepping out, Li Chao looked toward the villa; a faint light still shone on the first floor. He rang the doorbell, and after a dozen seconds, the door opened to reveal Liu Jingjing. At the sight of her, Li Chao’s breath hitched. She was wearing a camisole that highlighted her prominent, well-developed silhouette, and her extremely short hot pants left her long, fair legs dazzling under the dim light, making it hard not to look twice.

However, Liu Jingjing’s tone was accusatory: "Reeking of alcohol—out fooling around at a nightclub?"

Li Chao was speechless. They weren't even that close! Even if they were, did she really need to ask? He felt a sense of awkwardness and misunderstanding. Not knowing how to explain, he stood silently as she scanned him. Realizing he had to answer, he shook his head and said, "I wasn't at a bar; it was just a business dinner." He then walked into the villa and went to the bathroom to splash his face, trying to wash away the fatigue and the smell of alcohol.

Unexpectedly, Liu Jingjing didn't return to her room or go about her business. Instead, she leaned against the bathroom door frame, continuing to question him with a scowl: "Tell the truth, are you cheating on my sister?"

Li Chao was struck dumb. He wiped his face with a towel and shook his head. "That's absurd. Why would you think that?" He tried to return to his room, but Liu Jingjing blocked his path.

She pulled out her phone and opened a video titled "Driving the Most Ladylike Car, Delivering the Most Ruthless Blows." It was the footage of Li Chao beating President Xiao’s son on the road. It had high view counts and was clearly attracting significant attention. She paused on a frame, pointed to Liu Dan sitting in the car, and asked, "Driving my sister's car to go on dates with other women—could you be any more shameless?"

Li Chao was nearing a breakdown. "Please, your sister and I have a professional relationship. It’s not what you think!"

But Liu Jingjing didn't believe him. She scoffed, "Save it! Men are all the same, eating from the bowl while looking at the pot! My sister has both beauty and wealth; even if she were to cheat, she’d be the one finding a pretty boy. What right do you have to step out?"

It wasn't entirely Liu Jingjing’s fault; in her eyes, the relationship between Li Chao and her sister was complicated, and she had seen him with another woman. Combined with the viral video, she was forced to suspect his motives. However, she was unaware of the truth. Having grown up with her sister, she understood her well and had sensed her sister's budding feelings for Li Chao. As a younger sister, she shouldn't have interfered, but seeing him drive her sister's car and live in their house while seeing other women was more than she could stomach.

Li Chao was caught between laughter and tears. He pushed past her, saying, "It’s not what you think! Enough! Let your sister explain later! Don't meddle in adult affairs! Go to sleep!"

Infuriated, Liu Jingjing grabbed his arm, puffed out her chest, and demanded, "Make it clear! Where am I a child?"

Exhausted from the day, Li Chao was already irritable. Recalling the latent ailment he had sensed in her the previous night, he snapped, "Move!" As he spoke, he pulled his arm away and gave her a slap.

*Smack!*

The sound was sharp and loud. Liu Jingjing was stunned! She hadn't expected him to actually hit her. "You jerk! My innocence!" she screamed. Suddenly remembering the night before, when he had pinned her down, her anger boiled over. She bit her lip and kicked out at him. Unlike her sister, she was athletic and had taken Taekwondo lessons. To her, it was a strike, but to Li Chao, it was clumsy and pathetic.

Li Chao easily dodged, pulled her toward him, and pressed her onto the sofa, delivering another slap. Liu Jingjing was dazed; no one had ever dared treat her like this! "You jerk, I..." She tried to curse, but Li Chao slapped her again. He continued with a raw, violent rhythm, showing no sign of gentleness.

Strangely, despite her skin turning red, she didn't retreat; instead, she kept cursing him. *Hiss!* What was this? Was she really that tough? Li Chao hesitated, surprised by her resilience. His anger subsided. He let go, but Liu Jingjing shouted, "Hit harder! Keep going! I thought you had some real ability, but you only last a few minutes!"

This infuriated him. How could a man be insulted like this? He decided he would teach her a lesson. He struck her again, this time with much more force. However, just as he thought he had brought her to heel, his gaze froze. He was shocked to find that Liu Jingjing was actually...

Li Chao’s throat bobbed, and he felt immensely awkward. "Um... I didn't mean to hit you like that! I was treating your illness! I... I'm going back to my room!" He fled the scene.

Liu Jingjing lay on the sofa, watching his back, her face flushed. Her heart was different from other women's. Most craved gentleness, but she possessed a stubborn, rebellious streak. She refused to yield even when struck. They were both left in an awkward silence. Their misunderstandings seemed only to deepen. Liu Jingjing had a secret craving for this sensation—a bizarre quirk she had buried deep within. As the second daughter of the Liu family, everyone fawned over her; no one dared lay a finger on her. Li Chao was the first man to treat her with such violence.

Though they had only just met, and her sister seemed interested in him, she found herself harboring a complex mix of shame and longing for his aggression. Fortunately, her father and sister were out for a dinner party; otherwise, the scene would have been impossible to explain.

As she prepared to return to her room, she recalled his words. "Treating my illness?" Was he referring to her irregular menstrual cycles and the occasional abdominal pain? She felt her body and noticed she did indeed feel much lighter. Her opinion of him became even more nuanced.

Back in his room, Li Chao broke into a cold sweat. He was grateful his rash actions hadn't caused a disaster, while simultaneously stunned by her peculiar fetish. Recalling her gaze from the previous night, he finally understood. "So this girl is a masochist!" he marveled, marveling at the weirdness of the world.

Meanwhile, in a private room at a villa in Huaxi City, a figure wearing a hat and mask left mysteriously with a briefcase. In the room, Liu Zhenhua and Liu Lele were discussing recent events. Liu Zhenhua sipped his tea and said, "I arranged for five people to investigate yesterday. I am now certain that Howard was the one who moved against me. And there was an unexpected bonus: Wang Lan had contact with him, too. Perhaps the incident where she targeted you was also his doing. What a smiling tiger."

From the moment the tainted jade on his bedside table was discovered, he had suspected Howard. The investigation had left him drenched in a cold sweat; Howard had been pulling so many strings behind the scenes.

"Why would he do this?" Liu Lele asked, puzzled.

Liu Zhenhua looked into the distance, his eyes profound. "Nothing more than profit. Someone wants to intervene in the Huaxi market and is trying to snatch a piece of the pie from us, so they pushed Howard out as a scapegoat."

Liu Lele realized the depth of the conspiracy. "What should we do now?"

Liu Zhenhua finished his tea, his eyes filled with resolve. "Some cakes aren't meant to be eaten by just anyone! Since they want to reach out, I will chop that hand off! Let them know that the Huaxi Liu family is not to be trifled with!" With a flick of his wrist, he sent his teapot flying out the window, where it shattered against a stone pillar—a declaration of his intent.

The next morning, Liu Zhenhua and Liu Lele left early. Li Chao didn't ask questions; no news meant no immediate trouble. Liu Jingjing hadn't woken up yet, and just as Chen Shan finished breakfast, Sun Xinglin arrived, looking like a man desperate for wisdom. To expedite the secrets of the three-story ancient pagoda, Li Chao didn't hold back, imparting several lost medical prescriptions from the *Xuantian Medical Canon*. He occasionally wondered if the pagoda in his mind was intentionally letting him find loopholes to help him revive lost traditional medicine, but he didn't dwell on it.

Shortly after Sun Xinglin left, Li Chao received a call from Liu Dan. Her voice was frantic and anxious—she was in trouble at school.

In the office of the Director of the Huaxi Adult Finance and Education School, a woman sat haughtily. Beside her, Liu Dan looked disheveled, her clothes stained, a bloody scratch on her arm, her eyes full of anxiety. The bald Director held a teacup and looked at her coldly. "It’s your first day, and you're already causing conflicts and ignoring school rules! The school has decided to expel you! Due to your personal actions, your tuition will not be refunded."

Liu Dan was desperate. "Peng Xue was the one who started it! Why am I the one being expelled? And what right do you have to withhold my tuition?"

The woman beside her, Peng Xue, crossed her arms and sneered, "Because I am the principal's daughter! Is that reason enough?" She wasn't particularly attractive, but she was powerful in school because her family owned it. Liu Dan, unfamiliar with the rules, had bumped into Peng Xue on the way to class, and Peng Xue had attacked her. Having been bullied and then denied a refund, Liu Dan was furious.

"This is a place of education. How can you justify this?"

The Director set his teacup down and chuckled dismissively. "The state of this school is not for you to criticize!"

Peng Xue stood up, pointing at Liu Dan’s nose. "My father is the principal! I do what I want! Who do you think you are to challenge me?"