The couple spoke in turns, their words viciously cruel and heart-piercing.
They didn't dare tangle with Su Wan too much, so they redirected all their fury onto their own daughter, doubling the venom. It was as if by hurling abuse at Liu Xin, they could prove their own filial piety and distance themselves from this sudden crisis.
Liu Xin held Lele, doing nothing but trembling and weeping. She seemed to have lost all strength to resist. Years of being submissive and yielding within the Liu family had made her habitually choose silence and endurance.
Just then, Lele, who had been clinging tightly to his mother’s neck, suddenly looked up!
The boy’s small face was flushed red, and his large eyes were filled with a fire of rage and tears. He glared at his hideous-looking grandparents and let out a tearful roar:
“Bad people! You’re bad people! Don’t you dare bully my mommy!!!”
Where he found the courage, no one knew, but he broke free from Liu Xin’s arms and charged like a small cannonball toward Liu Chengren, who was closest.
He used his tiny, tender hands to pound on Liu Chengren’s legs, crying out as he struck: “Grandpa is bad! You’re not allowed to yell at my mommy!”
Lele’s sudden resistance and attack caught the fuming Liu Chengren completely off guard.
Though the pounding on his legs was barely a tickle, he felt his authority had been greatly challenged and insulted.
Even this little brat dared to lay a hand on him?!
Without a second thought, he raised his foot and kicked toward Lele’s small body!
“Get lost! You little brat!”
“Lele—!!!” Liu Xin’s scream tore through the air!
Seeing that the kick was about to land on Lele, the maternal instinct within Liu Xin exploded the moment her son faced direct harm!
She forgot her fear; she forgot her years of obedience to her parents. In her eyes, there was only that tiny figure about to be struck!
Like a lioness protecting her cub, she lunged forward and pulled Lele into a tight embrace, meeting Liu Chengren’s kick with her own thin back!
At the same time, she looked up, and for the first time, she stared directly at her father with eyes full of rage. “Dad! How could you kick Lele?! He’s your own grandson!”
“You can scold me, drive me away, or disown me—I can endure all of that! But you cannot hurt my child!!!”
Those words seemed to consume every ounce of courage she had accumulated over the past twenty years.
Since childhood, Liu Xin had been the most well-behaved and obedient daughter in the Third Branch. Her personality was gentle and kind, even bordering on cowardly.
She studied whatever her parents told her to, and did whatever they asked, never once showing a hint of defiance.
She had always endured in silence, working hard to do everything perfectly in hopes of gaining even a shred of recognition and affection from them.
Even after being heartlessly abandoned when the Su family fell, she still harbored a faint, humble hope and longing for her parents deep within her heart.
But now, to protect her child, that submissive shell cracked for the first time.
Liu Chengren and Zhao Yufen were both stunned.
They could hardly believe their eyes and ears!
This daughter, who had never dared to raise her voice and had always been at their beck and call, actually dared to look at them with such eyes and talk back in such a tone?
Shock was quickly followed by a more intense, humiliated rage!
In front of everyone, their daughter’s “rebellion” made them feel they had lost all face!
“This is mutiny! Pure mutiny!” Liu Chengren trembled with rage, pointing at Liu Xin.
“You... you unfilial daughter! You dare talk back?! For the sake of this little bastard, you’d even turn your back on your parents?! Today, I’m going to teach you a lesson, you ungrateful wretch!”
As he spoke, he actually raised his hand, intending to slap Liu Xin across the face!
However, before his hand could descend, his wrist was seized by a slender hand.
It was Su Wan.
She appeared at Liu Chengren’s side, her gaze as cold as eternal ice, and she applied a slight pressure with her hand.
“Third Master Liu,” Su Wan’s voice wasn't loud, but it carried a bone-chilling coldness. “Laying hands on your own daughter and grandson—you certainly are putting on quite a display of authority.”
Before her voice even faded, she flicked her wrist, sending out a surge of clever force.
Liu Chengren felt an irresistible power surge toward him. He involuntarily stumbled back several steps, tripped over his own feet, and nearly fell flat on his rear.
The look he gave Su Wan was full of horror and malice.
He wanted to say more, but he was interrupted by a servant rushing over with medicinal tea.
Liu Chengren hurriedly stepped out of the way.
The medicinal tea was brought to the Old Master. Liu Zonghan managed a few sips, but the violent coughing fit didn't ease; instead, it seemed to worsen.
His face began to turn from a flushed red to an ominous bluish-purple. The veins on his forehead bulged, and cold sweat poured down.
“This won't do... Quick! Call Doctor Li! No, call an ambulance immediately!” Liu Chengye made a split-second decision, his voice trembling slightly.
Liu Zonghan’s chronic lung condition had plagued him for years. Usually, it was barely kept under control with expensive imported drugs and top-tier supplements, but once an acute episode occurred, it was life-threatening every time.
In recent years, his health had been deteriorating steadily. Liu Zonghan himself had become increasingly afraid of death, and his concern for his health had long since surpassed his interest in certain business dealings.
Just as Liu Zonghan coughed so hard it looked like he might stop breathing at any moment, Su Wan leisurely paced over to the area where everyone was crowding around him.
Liu Chengye immediately looked up, alert.
Seeing it was Su Wan, a sharp, defensive look flashed in his eyes. “Su Wan! My father is unwell right now. Please stay back!”
He instinctively stood in front of Liu Zonghan, fearing Su Wan might take advantage of the chaos to harm the Old Master.
Su Wan stopped. She didn't try to force her way closer. Instead, she pulled a small, thumb-sized, milky-white bottle from the inner pocket of her tracksuit. It looked like jade, yet wasn't quite jade.
The bottle was ancient in style and had no label.
Su Wan had known about the Old Master’s condition from Liu Xin long ago. Now, she could produce the medicine to treat it.
This was Su Wan’s bargaining chip.
Earlier, when the System Mall updated, it didn't just include the Basic Ability Strengthening serums; it also featured Basic Medical supplies.
This medicine was the “Basic Life Repair Serum” from the Basic Medical category. She had spent three hundred Points to exchange for just 10ml of it from the system.
This medicine had a targeted tissue repair effect, providing a gentle restorative and regenerative boost to damaged, aging, or failing organs and tissues.
It could effectively alleviate organic lesions caused by chronic illness, aging, or toxin accumulation, and it could rapidly replenish the body’s depleted vitality, stimulating the cells’ own vigor.
“What’s the panic?” Su Wan’s voice sounded exceptionally clear and calm amidst the chaos.
“I can cure the Old Master’s illness.”
Rate on N.U.
