Chapter 137: A Chance Encounter with a Snobbish Mother and Daughter

"I don't know if this suits your taste, I just whipped up something simple. Hope you don't mind!"

Liu Lele smiled like a blooming flower, her spatula gently flipping in the pan as a rich aroma filled the entire kitchen.

Li Chao rubbed his hands together, his eyes sparkling with anticipation:

"Dishes cooked by Sister Liu herself are not something just anyone gets to eat! I'd beg for the chance, how could I possibly mind?"

His words carried a hint of playfulness and flattery.

Liu Lele chuckled softly, feigning reproach:

"Such a smooth talker!"

Yet, the corners of her lips turned up slightly, clearly quite pleased with Li Chao's praise.

Li Chao grinned mischievously and replied:

"Whether my tongue is smooth or not, you'll have to try it yourself to find out!"

His words carried a teasing undertone, causing Liu Lele's cheeks to flush instantly.

"This guy is getting more and more daring!"

Liu Lele thought to herself, though a smile remained on her face, tinged with a bit of shyness and helplessness.

A delicious midnight snack ended amidst laughter and chatter, and the time quietly slipped past midnight.

Just as Li Chao was about to rest, he unexpectedly welcomed Liu Zhenhua's return.

"Mr. Liu, all done?"

Seeing him, Li Chao quickly stood up to greet him.

Liu Zhenhua gave a slight nod, sat down nearby, and took a weary sip of water:

"The body of the Sand-Breaking Wolf has been dealt with, and Yuan Yang has been sent to the nearest hospital for treatment. The rewards and treasures promised to Shi Wanli and Yuan Yang have also been settled. This heavy stone in my heart can finally be put down!"

However, Liu Lele interrupted with a face full of dissatisfaction:

"That Shi Wanli had the nerve to ask for a reward? He idled the entire time, almost hurt us while dodging, and at the end threatened to quit the fight, completely screwing everyone over!"

Hearing this, Liu Zhenhua gently shook his head:

"He is a cultivator. Even if he didn't contribute much, what is owed must still be paid. There's no need to invite hidden troubles upon ourselves over a small amount of money. Harmony brings wealth, after all."

Hearing this, Li Chao nodded thoughtfully.

He knew very well that someone like Shi Wanli held grudges and sought revenge for the slightest grievance, coupled with those bizarre and insidious methods, which made him truly a headache.

Paying him off to send him away was indeed the wisest choice.

However, Li Chao still had a question in his heart:

"What about the people from the Dragon Group? Did they participate in this incident? And did they receive their due compensation?"

Liu Zhenhua's voice sounded exceptionally steady in the night:

"Originally, I intended to invite them to a meal, seeing as they helped us out from behind the scenes this time. But they said that according to regulations, Dragon Group members cannot have excessive contact with ordinary people's lives, and they flatly refused. They've probably already left Huaxi City by now, right?"

Hearing this, Li Chao could not help but sigh:

"That's rather a pity! I originally wanted to thank them. We'll talk about it if there's a chance in the future!"

The few of them chatted for a little longer, then each returned to rest, and the night returned to peace once again.

However, in the dark night outside Huaxi City, another unknown operation was unfolding.

An off-road vehicle sped through the suburbs. Duan Tian sat inside, a toothpick in his mouth, looking leisurely and carefree.

In the passenger seat, Lao Guan, another team leader of the Dragon Group, was smoking. The sparks in the night flickered on and off like the eyes of a lone wolf.

"I say, Lao Guan, your smoking habit is way too heavy! The whole car reeks of smoke! It's choking!"

Duan Tian unhappily rolled down the window and complained.

Lao Guan was speechless:

"You don't smoke yourself, but you won't even let me? Besides, you're a man after all—you don't smoke, you don't drink, and you don't buy things. Are you saving up all that money to marry a wife?"

Duan Tian retorted ungraciously:

"I like it! Is it any of your business?"

Just as the two were bantering, the car door opened, and another team leader climbed in.

He placed his phone aside and spoke with a solemn expression:

"I've already reported the situation to Hall Master Cheng."

Hearing this, Duan Tian immediately straightened up and asked:

"What did the Hall Master say?"

The team leader in the driver's seat said in a deep voice:

"The Hall Master told us to follow the clues, find the Sand-Breaking Wolf's former hiding place, and handle the aftermath properly so we don't leave any trouble behind. Oh right, and what about that guy named Li Chao? Didn't you look up his background a while ago?"

The conversation inside the off-road vehicle felt exceptionally tense and mysterious in the night.

The Hall Master's intention was clear: Li Chao might be a piece of timber worth carving, and the Dragon Group was worth testing to see if he could be recruited into the team.

Duan Tian narrowed his eyes, the toothpick in his mouth rolling from side to side, clearly deep in thought.

"Li Chao's background really has no issues; it's completely clean."

He spoke slowly,

"But the crux is that his medical skills and cultivation came about rather suspiciously. Is it really fine to recruit him into the Dragon Group?"

Lao Cui, sitting in the passenger seat, blew a smoke ring, looking relaxed:

"Before joining the Dragon Group, who of us didn't have a few little secrets? The Hall Master cherishes talent; as long as his core character is good, that's enough. As for the rest, they are minor details."

The team leader in the driver's seat also chimed in, expressing agreement:

"Indeed, the Hall Master has his own considerations."

Duan Tian thought for a moment, then made the final decision:

"All right then! The two of you go handle the cleanup, and leave charming that kid to me. After all, I've had contact with him before."

Hearing this, Lao Guan's lips curled into a teasing smile:

"He might be young, but his strength might actually be above yours. Be dignified when you go; if you can't pull it off, you'll be laughed at."

With that, he casually tossed the finished cigarette butt out of the car window.

Duan Tian immediately retorted:

"Do you even need to teach me that? We're out in the wilderness, don't throw cigarette butts around randomly. If you start a forest fire, watch out for Hall Master Cheng dealing with you!"

Lao Guan's mouth twitched a few times, a reluctant expression on his face, but he obediently opened the car door, extinguished the cigarette butt, and then climbed back inside.

The team leader in the driver's seat smiled, clearly long accustomed to this scene.

He yawned and said:

"Let's rough it out in the car for the night, and split up tomorrow morning."

The atmosphere inside the off-road vehicle eased a little amid Lao Guan's mutterings, but quickly grew tense again due to Duan Tian's angry reprimand.

Lao Guan complained about insufficient funding, saying they couldn't even afford a hotel room, which severely impacted morale.

He also teased Duan Tian about his stinky feet, which had almost knocked him out the last time they went on a mission together.

Duan Tian firmly denied it, and the two argued endlessly.

However, these arguments did not affect their upcoming mission.

The next morning, Li Chao woke up from his sleep, his physical strength fully restored.

During breakfast, Liu Lele told him that the renovation of the hot springs was finished and invited him to go take a look together.

Li Chao thought for a moment and agreed with a nod.

After finishing breakfast, the two drove to the Nanshan Hotel.

Just as they parked the car and before entering the hotel, they heard someone shouting Li Chao's name from a distance.

Li Chao was stunned, looked up, and his expression turned somewhat surprised.

He saw two people walking towards them from afar, who turned out to be Liu Hongmei and her daughter Yali.

At this moment, Liu Hongmei was covered in gold and silver, walking with a brisk stride, completely different from the impoverished rural woman she used to be.

Li Chao couldn't help but feel a bit surprised in his heart, wondering why this mother and daughter duo had appeared here.

Seeing Li Chao, Liu Hongmei wore a smile on her face and walked over quickly.

She greeted him warmly, as if she were an old friend of Li Chao's.

Li Chao responded rather awkwardly, secretly guessing their intentions.

"Li Chao, what a coincidence, I didn't expect to run into you here."

Liu Hongmei said, "This is my daughter Xiao Yali, you remember her, right?"

Li Chao nodded to indicate that he remembered.

He looked at Xiao Yali and found that she looked prettier and more graceful than before.

Xiao Yali also smiled and greeted Li Chao, a trace of shyness in her eyes.

Xiao Yali was wearing makeup, and after dressing up, she indeed looked quite attractive, a far cry from her previous image.

The shout just now had indeed come from Liu Hongmei, who looked exceptionally excited and smug.

"Second Aunt, why are you guys here?"

Li Chao asked somewhat curiously.

He hadn't seen this mother and daughter pair in a very long time; ever since he drove Xiao Yali away at the Jiangnan Spring Restaurant last time, he had never seen them again.

Liu Hongmei reached out to fiddle with her hair, the expensive jade bracelet on her wrist flashing brightly in the sunlight.

She spoke smugly:

"Surprised? Didn't expect this, did you? Let me tell you, your Second Aunt is no longer the Second Aunt of the past! We've struck gold and risen in the world!"

Beside her, Xiao Yali also shook her LV shoulder bag, lifted her chin, and spoke:

"That's right! You used to ignore me! Now I'm someone you can't afford to reach!"

Her tone was full of pride and smugness, as if she had really won the lottery.

Liu Lele listened from the side, her delicate brows arching, feeling somewhat scornful of these two self-important people.

She thought to herself: Just how much of a windfall did they hit to be able to act this cocky?

Li Chao looked at them with a half-smile, then asked:

"Second Aunt, what's going on here?"

Liu Hongmei tossed her hair and said:

"Speaking of which, I have to thank you! After you slapped Yali back then, Yali got angry and came straight to Huaxi City! And let me tell you, my Yali is destined for wealth; she hadn't been working for more than a few days before she met a big boss! Although that big boss is around my age and can't give Yali a formal title, he has money! Luxury cars, villas, gold, and jewels—whatever she wants, she gets! Hundreds of thousands in living expenses every month, impossible to spend! Absolutely impossible to spend!"

After saying that, she added:

"In the past, I thought you were quite somebody, but looking at it now, you're just so-so."

"From now on, we're settling down in Huaxi City. If you can't make it in this city, just tell your Second Aunt."

Liu Hongmei's words carried a trace of arrogance and showing off,

"Though I can't lend you money, getting you a job and paying for a few meals is still doable. How about it? Much better than you, right?"

In her words, she didn't even take Liu Lele seriously, obviously full of confidence in her current status.

However, she didn't know Liu Lele's background in Huaxi City, nor did she know the Liu family's standing in Huaxi City.

If she had known, perhaps she wouldn't have been so arrogant.

Listening to Liu Hongmei's words, Li Chao only chuckled lightly and didn't argue too much.

He knew that some things weren't worth arguing about, and everyone had their own lifestyle and choices.

However, Liu Hongmei didn't seem satisfied with Li Chao's bland reaction.

She looked at Li Chao and spoke again:

"Don't put on a front. I know you must be burning with jealousy inside. But I don't want to argue with you either. I'm in a good mood today, so I'll treat you to the hot springs. You certainly couldn't enjoy this kind of treatment back in Kaiyuan County, right? I'm returning kindness with kindness here, don't say I forgot my poor relatives just because I have money!"

Liu Lele listened from the side and shook her head continuously.

She knew very well that this hotel was entirely Li Chao's property, yet Liu Hongmei was still here spouting nonsense about treating Li Chao to hot springs.

This was the height of irony.

Li Chao looked at Liu Hongmei with great interest, then smiled and said:

"Wouldn't that be a bit inappropriate? We just met, how could I have the nerve to let you spend money on us?"

Liu Hongmei waved her hand indifferently, speaking with the air of a nouveau riche:

"What's a little money! Today I'll let you see what a wealthy person looks like."

Xiao Yali impatiently chimed in from the side:

"Why bring him along! We're wealthy now, and we probably won't have anything to do with him for the rest of our lives. What if he finds out our family is rich and clings to us?"

Hearing this, Liu Lele was utterly speechless, too lazy to even utter a retort.

Looking at Xiao Yali and Liu Hongmei, she felt they were like clowns on a stage, comical and ridiculous.

Li Chao genuinely hadn't wanted to entangle himself with them further, but hearing Xiao Yali say that, he laughed instead.

He pretended to look somewhat embarrassed and said:

"Is this really appropriate?"

Liu Hongmei turned her nose up and said arrogantly:

"Just follow along and let yourself rub off on some of our luck. Anyway, it's not like you'll cost us that much."

With that, she led Xiao Yali inside, looking as proud as a hen that had just laid an egg.

Li Chao put his hands in his pockets and followed along with a chuckle.

Liu Lele tugged at the corner of Li Chao's clothes and whispered:

"You're actually planning to let her treat?"

Li Chao smiled:

"Why not take advantage of someone with money?"

You see, Nanshan Hotel was now a property under Li Chao's name, so the revenue naturally went into his own pocket.

When Li Chao and Liu Lele entered the hotel, the staff bowed respectfully one after another.

Liu Hongmei mistakenly thought it was because of her own prestige and grew even more smug:

"See that? What do you call VIP treatment? If not for me, you wouldn't even be able to step through this front door."

Li Chao suppressed his laughter, nodded, and agreed:

"Right! Right!"

Seeing Liu Hongmei's smug look, Li Chao found it quite amusing.

Arriving at the front desk, Liu Hongmei directly booked a private hot spring courtyard.

Holding the room card, she showed off:

"Although this isn't the most luxurious private spring courtyard, a room still costs over six thousand yuan. Once you go in later, don't be clumsy and break anything, because you can't afford to pay for it."

Sigh, actually, let's just take a soak and relax simply, no need to be too stiff, alright?

Yet as soon as these words left her mouth, why did it feel like they carried a hint of impatience and condescension?

The waiter standing nearby was completely dumbfounded, looking as if they were listening to a heavenly script.

It was quite funny, really—was this lady a comedy clown who had slipped out of some circus?

Li Chao glanced at the price list on the wall, shook his head, and a trace of mocking sarcasm curled the corners of his lips:

"I thought you'd pick a top-tier imperial hot spring, but it turns out..."

"I'm actually a bit disappointed!"

As soon as these words were uttered, Liu Hongmei's fiery temper flared up instantly. Her finger almost poked Li Chao's nose as she shrieked:

"Are you out of your mind? I'm treating you to a hot spring, and you still want to fly onto a branch to become a phoenix and enjoy imperial treatment? Look in the mirror and see what you're worth!"

Li Chao shrugged, a faint smile hanging on his lips:

"I thought you had leaped over the dragon gate and your net worth had skyrocketed. Looks like it's just so-so after all!"

With that, he turned to the waiter and instructed:

"Get me an imperial hot spring suite."

What?

Hearing this, Liu Hongmei's eyes nearly popped out of her sockets:

"You ungrateful wretch, you actually want to take advantage of me—"

Before she could finish her sentence, the waiter had already bowed deeply and replied respectfully:

"Yes! Chairman!"

At that single shout, the entire area instantly fell so quiet you could hear a pin drop!

Chairman?

What is going on here?

Liu Hongmei and Xiao Yali both wore blank expressions, looking at each other, their minds racing:

"Him? The chairman?"

Liu Hongmei widened her eyes, her face full of disbelief:

"Are you sure you didn't get it wrong?"

The waiter respectfully replied:

"He is truly our hotel's Chairman!"

Li Chao turned to look at Liu Hongmei, a look of utter smugness on his face:

"Surprised? Unexpected?"

Liu Hongmei and Xiao Yali were left speechless like mutes eating coptis, swallowing their bitterness with nowhere to turn, only able to widen their eyes and freeze in place.

Li Chao spoke again, his tone dripping with mockery...

"Thank you so much for Second Aunt's generous support!"

Li Chao said with a broad smile,

"Later I'll have someone send over a lavish fruit platter for you two to enjoy to your heart's content!"

With those words, he took Bai Weiwei's hand, and the two of them walked happily inside.

This made Liu Hongmei stomp her feet in anger as she muttered:

"That hateful fellow! He actually opened such a big hotel in Huaxi City! Exactly when did he become so wealthy?"

She had wanted to show off, but it had backfired instead, leaving Liu Hongmei burning with rage inside.

Xiao Yali was equally filled with indignation:

"He's already the chairman, yet he still made us pay out of our own pockets! That's going way too far!"

Then, she gritted her teeth and said:

"When A-jiang comes to pick us up, we must have him teach Chen Shan a harsh lesson! Let Li Chao see the consequences of toying with us!"

Mentioning A-jiang brought a proud expression back to Liu Hongmei's face:

"That's right! So what if he opened a hotel? A-jiang is much wealthier than him! When the time comes, we'll have A-jiang step in and put him firmly in his place!"

The A-jiang they kept mentioning, whose full name was Tang Tianjiang, was a prominent and powerful figure in Huaxi City.

In their eyes, no matter how capable Li Chao was, he couldn't compare to A-jiang.

Thinking of this, the mother and daughter felt their moods improve considerably.

...

On the other side, Li Chao and Liu Lele strolled leisurely toward the hot spring area.

Following Li Chao's concept, Liu Lele had remodeled the hotel, and now it focused primarily on hot spring wellness.

Because of the presence of the spiritual veins, guests poured in endlessly.

Liu Lele also planned to introduce medicinal cuisine in the future, hoping it would turn into a newly emerging leisure and wellness resort in Huaxi City by then.

The two walked around a circle and finally arrived beside the Supreme Imperial Hot Spring courtyard.

"Sister Liu, since we're here, why don't we go in and soak for a while? Soaking here is immensely beneficial to the body!"

Li Chao suggested.

He wasn't just talking nonsense.

After discovering the spiritual veins here, Li Chao had meticulously designed the layout of the hot spring area based on the flow of spiritual energy, and the Supreme Imperial Hot Spring suite happened to be located right where the spiritual energy was most concentrated, making the effects naturally exceptional!

Hearing this, a shy flush crept across Liu Lele's face:

"Are the two of us going to soak together?"