Chapter 141
Liu Woxing walked briskly along the mountain path, catching glimpses of clustered figures in the distance, which made her quicken her pace.
If that host had really been bribed by someone to deliberately orchestrate all of this, she could easily use even more money to make him reveal the mastermind.
What was that person’s purpose in doing this? Was it really aimed at her? She needed to find out the truth.
“…”
Focused entirely on moving forward, Liu Woxing didn’t notice the figure lurking in the shadows not far behind her.
Xu Shuangrong stared at Liu Woxing’s back with an expressionless face, a faint light flickering in her eyes.
Although she had bribed the host using an anonymous account, as long as the host provided the account to Liu Woxing, Liu Woxing’s influence could easily trace it back to her.
She had to stop this from happening.
…
The park festival staff, finishing their work, crowded at the bus platform, ready to take buses down the mountain.
The host was laughing and chatting with his friends when his phone suddenly vibrated in his pocket.
He took it out, glanced at the screen, his face changing slightly, and quickly turned off the screen.
“How long until the bus arrives? I should have time to use the restroom, right?”
“Ten minutes. You’d better hurry.”
“Okay.”
The host hurried to the restroom with his phone and then opened the message carefully.
[Anonymous number]: The rest of the money, cash on delivery. Come to the side gate of Shuiyuan.
[This device]: Now? The last bus is about to leave.
[Anonymous number]: Now. No waiting.
The host stomped his feet in frustration and ran quickly toward Shuiyuan’s side gate.
Liu Woxing, who had just arrived in the area, saw the host running wildly out of the restroom. Though puzzled, she gave chase.
At Shuiyuan’s side gate:
After nine o’clock, only the main gate of Shuiyuan had its lights on. The side gate was extremely dim, and tonight there was no moon, making everything hard to see.
The host stood in front of the side gate, the dim glow of his phone casting light on his anxious face as he typed rapidly.
[This device]: I’m here. Where are you?
[This device]: Can you hurry? I need to catch the last bus down the mountain. I can’t afford to stay overnight up here.
[This device]: Where are you?
Too focused on the phone, he didn’t notice the faint figure in the shadows.
[Anonymous number]: Buried under the statue. Go dig.
There were two stone lion statues in front of the side gate.
The host, seeing this, ignored caution and rushed forward to dig. To free his hands, he placed his phone beside him.
Suddenly, footsteps sounded from behind.
Before he could turn around, he was kicked in the back, face-first into the mud.
A hand grabbed the phone he had left beside him and ran off.
“Hey, my phone! Someone’s stealing my phone—”
Before he could see who it was, Liu Woxing was already running toward him.
“…”
His voice cut off abruptly, panic rising. He wiped the mud from his face and tried to run.
But Liu Woxing blocked him.
“Don’t run.”
She stood in front of him, brows furrowed.
“Who instructed you to change the evening show’s interaction project? I’ve already confirmed with the organizers—the original interaction wasn’t like this. You changed it on your own.”
In truth, she hadn’t had time to confirm with the organizers, but she could bluff him.
The host immediately looked guilty and forced a laugh:
“A host has to adapt on the spot. The atmosphere was good, so I changed the game temporarily. It’s common, and see—the response wasn’t bad, right?”
“Response… wasn’t bad?”
Liu Woxing pressed her lips tightly, restraining her anger.
“Using a game to humiliate a woman in front of everyone—is that what you call a good response?”
“Ah, ah, ah, that’s too harsh! It was just a game. And if you mean the part where I had her cross the fire pit, that’s an ancient custom! How does that concern me…”
“You knew it was a backward custom, yet you deliberately made me do it?” Liu Woxing immediately seized on the flaw in his words.
The host went silent, tightly shutting his mouth.
If his phone hadn’t been taken, he could have produced evidence proving he was bribed. Now, without proof, no one would believe him.
The Liu family was not to be trifled with; if they targeted him, the rest of his life would be ruined.
Wait…
I heard Miss Liu is gentle and soft-hearted—she should be easy to sway.
“Miss Liu, I really didn’t do it on purpose!”
The host slapped his thigh, lamenting, “I only changed it because the atmosphere was good. I was even trying to help match you with Mr. Qiu!”
“You like Mr. Qiu too, right? You should thank me. His family is wealthy, and though your Liu family is also rich, as a woman you can’t inherit the family property and have no career of your own. Surely you want to marry Mr. Qiu for a secure life, right?”
“Look at how happy Mr. Qiu was during the game—it was fun for him, and beneficial to you too!”
“I helped you, and yet you blame me! Ahhh!”
The host wailed, acting utterly aggrieved.
Liu Woxing stared at his absurd display, her body trembling.
Why can’t women inherit property?
Why can’t women have careers?
Why must women depend on men?
She had sought answers for years, but the shackles imposed on her since childhood had left her helpless.
Slap!
A loud smack rang out across the quiet night.
“Hit him! Don’t just stand there!”
Lai Bingxuan glared impatiently. Without waiting for a reply, she raised her hand again and struck the host.
Pa pa pa pa pa—
Switching hands, delivering a lethal eighteen slaps in total!
The skilled Miss Lai demonstrated her formidable power, instantly turning the host into a “pig’s head.”
Liu Woxing watched in shock, then a glimmer of admiration flashed in her eyes.
She had thought Teacher Xie’s freedom came from not being constantly constrained by family. In wealthy families, rules are many—you gain some things but lose others. She had always comforted herself with this.
But Lai Bingxuan showed her the reality:
It was never about wealthy families.
It was about people.
…
Elsewhere, Xu Shuangrong took out the stolen phone from her pocket.
She formatted it, smashed it with a rock, and threw it into the rushing stream.
Watching it vanish completely in the water, she finally removed her mask and hat, sneering.
The matter was handled.
She turned to leave, but faint footsteps suddenly sounded behind her.
Xu Shuangrong tensed and spun around.
Xiao Jingxi stood beneath a tree, looking at her with a complex expression.
“Xu Shuangrong, what exactly have you done?”
