C14 Apologize
Shortly after, five black Mercedes-Benz arrived and parked in front of the kindergarten.
Numerous men in black suits and sunglasses rushed out of the vehicles, escorting a silver-haired man inside the campus.
“Who dared to hit my son?” the old man asked once they reached the center of the crowd. Although his voice wasn’t particularly loud, it was heavy with authority.
Gao Tian’s mother wasted no time and yelled in a sobbing voice. “Dad! You’re finally here. Look, look! My poor Kang Cheng was beaten up by some bastards!”
The old man stepped forward and studied his son’s broken arm. “Who the hell did this? I’m going to make you pay!”
The woman immediately pointed at Lu Yuan and his family. “It’s them, Dad! They hurt my husband and my son!”
“Is that true?” the old man demanded, his eyes burning with fury.
Lu Yuan deposited his daughter into Su Lianyi’s arms and stepped forward, shielding them from the enemy. “What do you want?” he asked lightly, completely undaunted.
“What do I want?” the old man scoffed and squared his shoulders.
“I want you and your worthless family to get on your knees and kowtow a hundred times in front of my son and daughter-in-law. After that, my men shall see to it that one of your arms is broken as well. An eye for an eye, as they say. Do this, and I will spare your lives!”
“Are you sure about that?” Lu Yuan asked, his expression turning significantly cold.
The old man clasped his hands behind his back and lifted his chin in arrogance.
“Of course, I’m sure! But feel free to refuse, in which case, I will personally break every single bone in your body. Your wife and daughter will suffer the same treatment, and you shall live the rest of your lives begging out in the streets!”
“See?!” Gao Tian’s mother chimed in, her voice smug. “Since you dared to go against our Gao family, you will now receive a fate worse than death!”
The crowd shuddered as the full weight of what was happening dawned on them.
This Old Master Gao was simply too ruthless.
“Mr. Gao, there’s no need for violence,” the director tried to interfere. “It’s just a disagreement between kids, and it was your grandchild who bullied the little girl first.”
“What the hell are you saying?!” Old Master Gao barked. “Of course, I need to do this, or the Gao family will lose face! I’m sure you know how powerful we are in the whole of Yun State!
I am already being merciful by asking them to kowtow and break this bastard’s arm. If this happened a few decades ago, I would have broken his legs, too!”
The director hung his head and blended back into the crowd.
Lu Yuan’s eye twitched ever so slightly, while Su Lianyi grew pale with fear. She pulled at his clothes again.
And just like before, Lu Yuan took her hand firmly in his grasp. He looked Old Master Gao dead in the eye and said, “You may leave once you’ve apologized to my wife and daughter. Otherwise, I’m not letting you leave this place.”
“Ha! You still have the nerve to bluff? Very well! You’ve made your bed, so don’t blame me for what happens next. Men, seize his wife and beat him to death!”
Old Master Gao waved his hand at his men, and they all rushed toward Lu Yuan.
They had only taken a couple of steps when a burly man appeared before them, blocking their way. A fierce combat ensued, and one by one, Old Master Gao’s goons fell.
It hadn’t even been five minutes, and all of his men were lying on the ground, either unconscious or groaning in pain.
Lee Yao dusted his hands and straightened his shirt. “I didn’t come too late, did I, Mr. Lu?”
Lu Yuan said nothing, his eyes still trained on the old man. “Are you going to apologize or not?”
Old Master Gao was still in shock.
As one of the most prominent families in Yun State, the security team hired by the Gao family were all trained experts. And yet, they were defeated by a single man in just a matter of minutes.
The terror he felt at that moment was beyond comprehension.
“Hey, old man!” Lee Yao called out. “My boss asked you a question.”
That startled Old Master Gao to his senses.
“We—We apologize,” he stammered, his voice shaking. “We are deeply sorry for offending you and your family. Please forgive our foolishness.”
Old Master Gao had broken out in a cold sweat at this point. He was worried that Lu Yuan would demand much harsher punishment and kill him right there and then.
But Lu Yuan merely turned to Gao Tian’s mother and waited.
The woman trembled where she stood and hurriedly apologized as well. “S—sorry!”
She had been relying on her father-in-law all this time. Seeing that the old man had humbled himself, she was at a loss on what to do, and could only follow his example.
Lu Yuan felt another tug at the hem of his shirt. “Since they’ve apologized, let’s just forget this matter. We should bring Xiaoxiao home.”
“Hmm, whatever you say,” Lu Yuan replied, his expression softening. He turned to his daughter and smiled. “We’re going home now, Xiaoxiao.”
Xiaoxiao squirmed in her mother’s arms and reached for Lu Yuan’s face, pressing a loud kiss on his cheek. “Daddy is the best!”
After spending five years fighting in the rough terrain of the North Territory, Lu Yuan was as tough as they came. Yet this simple gesture from his daughter was more than enough to melt his heart.
“Lee Yao, clean up the scene. Make sure the kindergarten doesn’t have any further trouble.”
“Understood, Mr. Lu. Leave this matter to me. Drive home safely with Sister-in-Law.”
Once the family of three had departed, Lee Yao glanced at the fallen men and looked at Old Master Gao. “What should I do with these people.”
“I will send someone to take them away later,” Old Master Gao answered, his voice still shaking slightly. “Please don’t worry about it.”
“You guys are so lucky, you know,” Lee Yao quipped. “My boss never raises a hand against women and the elderly. If you had been any younger, you would be in a much worse state than your men here.”
Throughout the ride back home, Xiaoxiao stayed in Lu Yuan’s lap and clung to his neck. She was afraid that he would leave again.
Before long, the car cruised through the front of the gates of the Su residence.
“Lu Yuan,” Su Lianyi spoke, her voice somewhat cold and distant. “Despite everything else, thank you for helping me today.”
“It’s not necessary for you to thank me. I’m only doing my duty as a father and a husband.”
“Be that as it may, don’t think that I’m forgiving you because of this. It can’t even begin to make up for the pain I’ve suffered in the last five years.” With that, Su Lianyi got out of the car and strode into the house without a backward glance.
Lu Yuan heaved a helpless sigh. He picked up Su Xiaoxiao and got out of the car as well, carrying the little girl into the house.
Suen Xiulian was just coming to the foyer to greet them. But when she saw her granddaughter in Lu Yuan’s arms, she instantly flew into a rage. She raised the broom she had been holding and brandished it like a weapon, intending to chase Lu Yuan out of the property.
“You bastard! How dare you step foot in my house?!”
Su Lianyi quickly intercepted her mother. “Mom, what are you doing? He is Xiaoxiao’s father.”
As if on cue, Su Xiaoxiao burst into tears. “No, don’t make Daddy leave! Xiaoxiao doesn’t want to be a fatherless child!”
The noise caught Su Yecheng’s attention. “What happened now? Why are you arguing again?”
Su Lianyi recounted the incident back at the kindergarten, ending it with, “From today onward, I want Lu Yuan to live here.” Everyone was surprised to hear this, even Lu Yuan himself.
Naturally, Suen Xiulian was far from pleased. “Are you out of your mind, Su Lianyi?! What’s the point of having this piece of trash here? What will the neighbors think? No one is going to court you once they learn that this bastard is living with you!”
“Mom, I’ve already made up my mind.,” Su Lianyi said in a stern voice. “If you insist on chasing him away, then I will take Xiaoxiao and leave with him.”
It had been five long years, and she finally saw her daughter smile with genuine happiness. Although she still wasn’t sure whether to forgive Lu Yuan or not, Su Lianyi didn’t want Su Xiaoxiao to lose her joyous smile.
