Going home for Chinese New Year, I squeezed onto a bus with three energetic young women.

At that moment, a series of hurried footsteps came from Villa No. 2.

Li Fugui, dressed in his pajamas and carrying a golf club, rushed over.

"Who dares to bully my Mengmeng and my little brother?!"

That shout was so powerful that it stunned everyone present.

Jiang's father was at the height of his rage, preparing to turn around and confront this newly emerged ally.

After he saw the person's face clearly, his hand, which was raised in mid-air, froze.

"Brother Li...?" Jiang's father's face, which had been flushed red, faded and turned into confusion.

Jiang's father had many social engagements within the system, so it was impossible for him not to know this big spender from Ping County.

Back when Lao Li was handling the approval of major projects, he even treated Jiang's father to a meal.

Li Fugui leaned on his golf club, panting heavily.

He leaned closer to examine Jiang's father, his brows furrowed deeply.

"Old Jiang? What are you doing here in the middle of the night, trying to show off your power?"

"What's going on here?" Li Fugui tapped the ground tiles with his golf club and asked, pointing at the people filling the yard.

Li Mengmeng is always a master at tattletales.

"Old Deng! It's him! He just called me a primary school student and called the police, saying that Brother Bai Li kidnapped his daughter, and that he kidnapped me too!"

Jiang's father was sweating profusely. Looking at Li Mengmeng, who was huddled behind him, he stammered:

"Brother Li, this...this is your daughter?"

Li Fugui slammed his golf club into the ground, making a loud clanging sound.

"Nonsense! My own precious daughter, no doubt about it!"

The flood washed away the Dragon King Temple, a situation that put Jiang's father in an awkward position.

Bai Li then walked down the steps and recounted the events of the evening.

After listening, Li Fugui immediately realized that Jiang's father must have misunderstood Bai Li.

He patted Bai Li on the shoulder and assured him:

"Old Jiang, I can vouch for this with my own integrity, Li Fugui!"

"My younger brother Bai Li is an absolutely upright person with a clean record."

With this endorsement, Jiang's father finally felt relieved, and his expression improved considerably.

But he could never swallow the anger of his daughter talking back to him; his authority as a parent was still at play.

He pointed at Jiang Ruyue, who was hiding behind Bai Li, and questioned her sternly:

"Since you're going to a friend's house, can't you explain things properly to your family?"

"You brat, why did you just say something about... sugar daddy!"

"Do you even know what that word means before spouting nonsense!"

Jiang Ruyue shrank back when her father yelled at her.

This girl is just a simpleton; she's been suppressed for too long, which is why she's developed a rebellious streak.

She learned those words haphazardly, and if you really asked her to explain them, she wouldn't really understand.

Li Mengmeng couldn't stand it anymore.

The little girl rolled her eyes at Jiang's father and resolutely stood up for her best friend.

"You're quite the funny dad. Yueyue rarely even leaves the house; she learned all these words from randomly browsing the internet."

Li Mengmeng put her hands on her hips and switched to her sarcastic mode:

"What does she know? In her mind, anyone who treats her to meals, buys her delicious food, and protects her from your scolding is her sugar daddy!"

Li Mengmeng pouted, her tone full of disdain:

"You old fogey, always thinking about those risqué things. Your mind is so unhealthy! I'm ashamed for you!"

Jiang's father was drenched in sweat, rendered speechless by the scolding of the little girl.

He looked at the aggrieved Jiang Ruyue and realized for the first time that many things weren't as he had imagined...

Perhaps I really need to listen to other people's opinions...

His resolve began to waver, but the authority he had long held in the family still prevented him from offering an apology.

Just then, the sound of police sirens came from afar.

Ul ul ul ul.

A blue-black Santana was parked outside the large iron gate of Villa No. 1.

Because the case involved a major abduction, the police responded with extraordinary speed.

Five uniformed police officers strode into the courtyard.

The team leader, holding a recorder, surveyed the entire area with a serious expression:

"Who reported the incident just now?"

Jiang's father raised his hand, looking very uncomfortable, and said, "Comrade, it's me..."

Before he could finish speaking, Li Fugui waved his hand impatiently and stepped forward to negotiate.

"Alright, alright, it's nothing serious. Thank you all for making this trip in the middle of the night."

Li Fugui spoke casually, adopting the air of a host:

"It's just a misunderstanding. Old Jiang has a short temper and made calls without understanding the situation. You can go back now; we'll handle this ourselves."

The captain stared at Li Fugui for two seconds.

The social circle in Ping County is only so big, and the captain is very familiar with this face.

Several major projects in Ping County were invested in by this Mr. Li. Even the head of their county bureau had a lot of help from Li Fugui's connections.

The captain, with remarkable tact, lowered the recorder slightly, a polite smile plastered on his face:

"Oh, it's Mr. Li. Since it was a misunderstanding, it's good that everything is alright."

He turned and waved to the team members behind him: "It was a misunderstanding, let's call it a day and go home!"

At the very back of the line stood a young man who had just graduated from police academy and looked rather naive.

His face was full of reluctance as he muttered:

"Captain, you're leaving already?"

"This is a major kidnapping case! How can we just close it so easily?"

The young man pointed at Bai Li and Jiang Ruyue on the steps, his voice booming:

"Now that we're here, we're going to investigate thoroughly! Show us your ID cards, verify them, and take a statement before you leave!"

Li Fugui stopped and lifted his eyelids slightly.

Having lived in Ping County for so many years, he was usually treated with respect wherever he went. Today, however, he was humiliated in front of a mere young upstart, which made him somewhat displeased.

"Young man," Li Fugui's voice deepened, carrying the authority cultivated by someone in a long-term position of power:

"I'm telling the truth, it's all a family misunderstanding. Do you think I, Li Fugui, would lie to you about something like this?"

"No way!" The young man was stubborn and wouldn't budge an inch.

"I don't care if you're Li Fugui or Wang Fugui, we'll follow the rules! This matter can't be glossed over like this!"

The captain was sweating profusely with anxiety. How could this greenhorn have no sense of propriety at all!

He grabbed the young man's arm, pulled him to the edge of the flower bed, and scolded him repeatedly in a low voice:

"Don't you have a brain?!"

The captain pointed at Li Fugui:

"The person standing there is a top figure in Ping County! The owner of Villa No. 2, someone even the county magistrate has to greet with utmost respect!"

He then pointed to Bai Li beside him:

"That young man who didn't even glance at you is probably even more extraordinary; he might be the legendary owner of Villa Number One!"

"Even someone as powerful as President Li can only live next door to him. Can you or I even imagine this young man's background?"

The captain, exasperated, slapped the young man on the back of the head and said through gritted teeth:

"Let me tell you, even if you bumped into him walking against traffic on the street, it's because the road was built the wrong way! Why are you making such a fuss!"

The young man was even more resentful after being slapped.

He was young and fearless, his mind filled with rules and regulations.

"So what!" the young man raised his voice an octave, forcefully shaking off the captain's hand. "Everyone is equal before the law; we just follow the rules!"

After saying that, he took out his work phone from his pocket and dialed the director's number.

The young man strode up to Li Fugui, shoved his phone, its screen still lit, forward, and said in a very aggressive tone:

"Don't you know a lot of people? Why don't you go talk to our director?"

The captain stood behind, covered his face, and completely gave up on the rescue.

Ha ha.

They answered a phone call, but you probably received a resignation letter.

It's likely that this young man's future career path will always consist of what his superiors say: "You're very hardworking, but you still need more experience. Let's wait and see..."

Li Fugui was not angered by the young man's unreasonable behavior.

At his level, dealing with a hothead like him doesn't require getting angry at all.

He curled his lip, exuding an aura of pressure from his high position, radiating an imposing presence without anger.

"Young man, you're quite energetic." Li Fugui reached out and took the phone.

"Thanks to you, your director is finally able to speak to me today."

The four energetic young women standing nearby seemed to enjoy the spectacle.

Chen Tingting and Li Jiaxin exchanged a glance, their perfect understanding allowing them to act as background voiceovers.

"I accidentally...trespassed into the Heavenly Palace~~" The voice was melodious and undulating, which made Lin Xiaoshuang and Zhang Qian next to her cover their mouths and laugh.

Two dial tones came through the phone before it was answered.

"Hey? Xiao Zhang, what's up in the middle of the night?" The station chief's sleepy voice came through the receiver.

Li Fugui cleared his throat and slowly introduced himself: "Director Liu, you're sleeping soundly. I'm Li Fugui."

There was a full five-second pause on the other end of the phone.

Then, a series of loud thuds and the sound of someone rolling over and getting out of bed could be clearly heard, accompanied by the sound of slippers kicking over a washbasin.

"Oh! Mr. Li! Hello, Mr. Li!"

The director was wide awake, his voice frighteningly loud. This guy is a money god, doesn't he know how to donate schools and roads?

"I'm so sorry it's so late! Did one of my subordinates do something inappropriate and offend you? Please don't take offense, I'll reprimand them right away!"

Li Fugui ignored the small talk and handed the phone back to the young man with a smile.

"Take it." Li Fugui patted the young man on the shoulder, his tone eerily gentle:

"I think your Director Liu has something to say to you."

The young man took the phone with a look of suspicion and held it to his ear: "Chief..."

"Xiao Zhang! Tomorrow morning, write me a 5,000-word self-criticism and put it on my desk!"

The station chief, panting heavily, gave the order:

"Starting tomorrow, you'll go with the auxiliary police officer to issue parking tickets! Go and temper your bad temper!"

clack.

The young man's phone fell to the ground.

He stared blankly ahead, his previous surge of righteous indignation shattered by the phone call.

Did I really do something wrong?

The captain quickly stepped forward, bowing and scraping as he apologized to Bai Li and Li Fugui.

"Mr. Bai, Mr. Li, I'm so sorry. The new employee is inexperienced and has disturbed your rest."

The captain then turned to Jiang's father, smoothly trying to smooth things over:

"Director Jiang, the child is safe at your friend's house. You should go home and get some rest too. It's getting chilly late at night."

After saying that, the captain grabbed the bewildered young man and quickly left the scene.

The police car drove away, and the yard returned to silence.

Jiang's father maintained the posture of holding the phone, which was still in a screen-off state.

But he had his head down, and it was unclear what he was looking at.

This is utterly embarrassing.

Jiang's mother stepped forward and grabbed Jiang's father's sleeve.

"Old Jiang, this is a real blunder." She lowered her voice:

"We came here to pick up our daughter and take her home. Let's not make things worse."

Jiang's mother glanced at Bai Li, who stood calmly on the steps, out of the corner of her eye.

She wouldn't dare offend someone who could live in Villa No. 1 and whom even Li Fugui called a brother.

As long as my daughter is safe, nothing else matters.

Seeing that the time was right, Li Fugui stepped forward with a slick smile on his face:

"Old Jiang," Li Fugui patted Jiang's father on the shoulder, "look at the mess this has made."

"Brother Li, today I..." Jiang's father stammered, unable to find a way to back down.

Li Fugui waved his hand: "We're all fathers now."

"Educating children is an art. If you're always a leader at work and used to people being subservient to you, you can't bring that home."

Jiang's father's lips moved, but he didn't make a sound.

"A balance of relaxation and tension." Li Fugui held up two fingers. "You should understand this term. If you stretch a rubber band to its limit every day, it will break sooner or later."

He turned around and pointed at Jiang Ruyue, who was hiding behind Bai Li.

"Look at Ruyue, she's beautiful and smart. Everyone in Pingxian County praises the Jiang family for raising their daughter so well!"

Li Fugui sighed, "But look at today, he ran out in the middle of the night without even bringing a warm coat. What kind of desperate situation did he have to be in?"

Jiang's father looked in the direction Li Fugui was pointing.

Jiang Ruyue gripped the hem of Bai Li's trench coat with both hands, hiding most of her body behind the man.

Noticing her father's gaze, the girl shrank further behind Bai Li, revealing only her clear, doe-like eyes, extremely wary.

This defensive posture stung Jiang's father.

The daughter he raised with such care for over a decade now treats him like a monster.

She would rather rely on a young man she'd only known for a few days than give her biological father a second glance.

They kept calling him their sugar daddy.

This word caused Jiang's father's blood pressure to rise.

But it was precisely these two words that brought him to his senses.

He protected his daughter too well and disciplined her too strictly, which directly raised her into a naive and ignorant girl who lacked common sense.

I don't even want to think about the consequences if she had gone to someone else today.

Seeing that Jiang's father was bowing his head and not speaking, Li Fugui continued to apply eye drops.

"Old Jiang, think about this carefully. Aren't you being too stubborn? When things happen, you don't listen to other people's explanations and just act according to your own temper."

Jiang's father stood in the cold wind, without saying a word.

He reflected on the events of the evening.

Upon learning that his daughter had run away from home, he did not go looking for her, concluding that she would not even last a day before returning to apologize.

Upon arriving at the Heavenly Palace on the Cloud Top, he concluded that his daughter was being kept by a sugar daddy and began to curse loudly in front of everyone.

To save face, they called the police, which alerted the local police station, only to find it was a false alarm.

Is this something a rational father would do?

Jiang's father's shoulders slumped, and his once straight back bent with fatigue.

He let out a long sigh.

A while later.

Jiang's father spoke up:

"My approach to raising Kisaragi was wrong..."