At this moment, she realized that she had accidentally walked to the edge of the swimming pool. She simply decided to stand there while talking on the phone with Xie Yizhao.
When the topic of having a daughter came up, Lu Xi suddenly thought of something.
Had it been an hour since she last saw Xie Heng?
Could he still be playing with those little friends of his?
She was focused on her call and didn’t notice someone approaching from behind.
“What a coincidence, we meet again.”
The sudden voice startled Lu Xi. She turned around and saw Xiao Feiyuan’s face, instinctively glaring at him.
Why did he always appear so sneakily out of nowhere?
Lu Xi originally had no particular opinion of Xiao Feiyuan. She neither liked nor disliked him. But now, she was beginning to feel a sense of aversion, sensing something off about him.
His utterly unremarkable, forgettable face had only been ordinary when he was younger. Now, with age catching up to him, he was overweight, his hairline receding, his whole demeanor greasy… Time had not been kind to him. Not only did he look older, but there was also something downright sleazy about him.
Lu Xi instinctively wanted to move away.
But Xiao Feiyuan suddenly leaned in and grabbed her arm, his eyes flashing with an unsettling fervor. “You’re Lu Xi, aren’t you? I know you are. You have a mole on your eye and your earlobe…”
Lu Xi felt a wave of nausea hit her, disgust rising sharply in her chest.
Was this guy out of his mind?
Even if he recognized her, he should have known who she was. Xie Yizhao was still at the banquet—how dare he harass her at a time like this?
Xiao Feiyuan stared at her, his expression bizarre. “Weren’t you dead? How are you alive again?”
Lu Xi : “…”
He was acting downright crazy, like he had been drinking.
“What the hell are you doing?!”
“Let go of her! Let go of my Mom!”
Two voices rang out almost simultaneously.
Lu Xi froze for a second. She shifted her gaze, first spotting a bodyguard rushing toward her, and then lifting her head, looking around. She finally saw Xie Heng standing at a window on the first floor of the villa, his face dark with fury as he stared in their direction.
She frowned.
Xiao Feiyuan’s face was truly revolting.
It was broad daylight, and her bodyguard was right there, so she wasn’t in any real danger. But having his hand on her arm made her feel filthy and disgusted.
“Get lost.” Lu Xi lowered her phone, struggled a little, and then swung her arm forcefully, trying to shake him off. At the same time, she lifted her foot, her high heel’s thin stiletto slamming down hard onto his shoe.
Xiao Feiyuan’s face instantly twisted in pain. A sharp agony shot through his foot, and he involuntarily released her.
Lu Xi still wasn’t satisfied and shoved him.
She swore she didn’t use much strength—how strong could she even be?
Yet, Xiao Feiyuan staggered left, then right, wobbling like a drunken man who had lost his balance, before toppling headfirst into the swimming pool with a loud splash.
Lu Xi : ?
The bodyguard who had just rushed over to protect Lu Xi : ?
And Xie Heng, who had just flipped out of the window and was preparing to beat the man to a pulp : ?
Xie Heng’s footsteps faltered, his eyes filled with disbelief as he looked at Lu Xi.
No way.
When did his Mom become this powerful? Her slender arms and legs had just sent a man three times her size flying into the swimming pool?
The bodyguard stood by the pool, looking a bit conflicted.
The man had fallen in… Should he rescue him? But the madam hadn’t given the order, so he didn’t dare move.
Lu Xi merely glanced at Xiao Feiyuan. Whether he was drunk or just couldn’t swim, he was currently flailing around in the water.
Her voice was cold. “No rush. Let him soak for a bit, clear his head. Pull him out when he’s about to drown.”
“…Understood, Madam.”
Only then did she remember she had been on the phone with Xie Yizhao. She glanced down at her phone. At some point, the call had been disconnected.
Lu Xi frowned, thinking back. It must have been when Xiao Feiyuan suddenly grabbed her that she accidentally ended the call.
“…”
Xie Yizhao hadn’t called back immediately.
Which meant…
He was coming in person.
Sure enough, as if sensing something, Lu Xi immediately turned toward the side entrance of the villa, only to see Xie Yizhao striding toward her. His expression was darker than she had ever seen before.
In no time, Xie Yizhao was standing by her side.
“Are you okay?” His voice was tense.
Lu Xi looked at Xie Yizhao’s handsome face, and the mere sight of him helped ease the disgust she had felt earlier from looking at something so ugly. She greedily stared at him for a few seconds before finally smiling and saying, “I’m fine. He didn’t do anything to me. I even pushed him into the pool.”
But her response was interpreted quite differently in Xie Yizhao’s mind.
Just now, Lu Xi had looked up at him and stared blankly for a long time.
Her eyes had been dazed and unfocused, as if she were in shock, like her soul had been drawn away.
She must have been frightened…
Xie Yizhao wrapped his arms around her shoulders, gently stroking her in comfort. He lowered his head and softly kissed her forehead, his eyes full of tenderness.
But in the next instant, when he glanced at the man still struggling in the pool, his gaze turned ice-cold.
Meanwhile, Xie Heng had also run over.
“Are you okay?” he asked, looking at Lu Xi with concern.
Lu Xi also looked at him and couldn’t help but ask, “It’s been over an hour. Where did you go? Don’t tell me you were still babysitting?”
Xie Heng swallowed hard and clenched his fists.
Is this really the time to be asking that?
It’s over. Ms. Lu was so scared that she was talking nonsense!
And it was all because of that bastard!
Xie Heng’s face darkened, his eyes turned red, and he rolled up his sleeves, ready to jump into the water and beat the guy up.
Just then, Xie Yizhao spoke in a calm voice, “Get him out of the water first.”
The bodyguard immediately understood the command, took off his jacket, and jumped into the water to fish the man out.
Xie Heng stared at his Dad in disbelief, feeling a little angry.
He wanted to question his Dad, but when he saw his Dad’s indifferent profile, he held back the words.
His Dad was not someone to be messed with. There was no way he’d let anyone bully Ms. Lu without consequences.
This guy must come from a family that owns a company, but his Dad was powerful enough to destroy him—business tactics, financial warfare, whatever it took to bankrupt him and leave him drowning in debt.
Yes, that had to be it!
Thinking this, Xie Heng felt a little better.
Xiao Feiyuan had only choked on a few mouthfuls of water and hadn’t passed out, so the bodyguard quickly dragged him ashore.
“Step back a little,” Xie Yizhao said gently to Lu Xi.
Lu Xi was a bit confused but still nodded and took a step to the side.
The bodyguard, having witnessed everything earlier, found the man utterly disgusting. Even after rescuing him, he showed no concern and simply dumped him onto the shore.
Xiao Feiyuan collapsed onto the ground like a dead dog, coughing violently.
Xie Yizhao walked up to him.
His gaze lowered slightly, but as if he saw nothing, he casually stepped on Xiao Feiyuan’s right hand.
“F*ck! It hurts!!” Xiao Feiyuan screamed like a slaughtered pig as his hand felt like it was being crushed.
Xie Yizhao raised an eyebrow and said calmly, “Oh, sorry, I didn’t see your hand there.”
After a pause, he looked at the bodyguard. “Help him up.”
Lu Xi and Xie Heng both stared at him in shock.
Did he really not see it?
The bodyguard also had his doubts, but he was a professional, so he showed no reaction. He simply stepped forward and pulled Xiao Feiyuan up.
At this moment, Xie Yizhao slowly took off his tie, wrapped it around his right hand, and clenched his fist.
Even now, his face remained emotionless, his gaze so cold that no emotions could be read from it.
Even Lu Xi was fooled by his usual calm and rational demeanor.
Xiao Feiyuan had just been helped to his feet, still unsteady, when Xie Yizhao grabbed his collar and landed a heavy punch on his left cheek.
The punch was brutal.
Xiao Feiyuan’s head snapped to the side, and blood mixed with spit flew out of his mouth.
Thankfully, Xie Heng reacted quickly, pulling Lu Xi a bit farther away in disgust.
Xiao Feiyuan staggered and nearly fell, but Xie Yizhao caught him and delivered another vicious punch.
Finally feeling a bit satisfied, Xie Yizhao looked at the swollen, wretched face in front of him with disgust. He shook out his arm before raising his leg and kicking Xiao Feiyuan back into the pool.
Lu Xi was stunned.
Was… was Xie Yizhao drunk?
Xie Heng was even more shocked. He had watched the whole thing without even blinking.
His Dad… hit someone?
And from his stance and movements, he seemed way too skilled at it.
There was no way he hadn’t been in at least a hundred fights before!
Xie Yizhao glanced at the pool and instructed the bodyguard, “Keep an eye on him. If he looks like he’s drowning, fish him out again.”
Then he walked over to Lu Xi.
Seeing her staring at him, opening her mouth as if to say something but then closing it, he couldn’t help but reach out and smooth her hair, his voice low and hoarse. “Sorry if I scared you.”
Lu Xi pursed her lips and nodded reservedly.
Her actual thoughts: Ahhh! He’s so hot! I want to marry him! Wait—I already did! Ahhh!
Xie Heng finally snapped out of his daze.
Watching his Dad beat someone up and then turn to comfort Ms. Lu in a low voice, he felt a bit conflicted.
Of course, he was happy about it, but for some reason, he also felt a little jealous.
His dad was so sneaky—showing off in front of Ms. Lu, and worst of all, it actually worked. Even he was kind of impressed.
Meanwhile, the ladies in the garden had heard the commotion and had all come out to see what was going on.
They didn’t know the full story and had missed the part where Lu Xi was being harassed. All they saw was Xiao Feiyuan flailing in the pool like a half-dead fish.
Then, right after he was pulled out, they watched as Xie Yizhao suddenly started beating him up.
The wealthy, pampered ladies were completely dumbfounded.
Mr. Xie was hitting someone?
Mr. Xie even knew how to hit someone?
Mrs. Yin muttered in a daze, “My God, what did he do to make Xie Yizhao beat him so badly?”
Zheng Suxin, who was now on good terms with Lu Xi, reacted quickly and said, “Who cares? Mr. Xie is a rational man. If he’s hitting someone, that guy must’ve deserved it. Probably a scumbag.”
Some of the ladies felt that something about her statement wasn’t quite right.
But they still found themselves nodding in agreement.
Xie Yizhao really didn’t seem like the type to hit someone without reason.
“Hurry, help me fish him out,” Xie Heng suddenly sneered as a thought crossed his mind.
The bodyguards saw the young master’s expression turn ruthless and couldn’t help but shiver on behalf of the man in the water.
Was the young master planning to imitate his Dad and give the guy another beating?
Not that it would be undeserved. The guy really had it coming.
Xie Yizhao noticed as well. He shot his son a glance. “That’s enough, don’t mess around.”
Xie Heng choked on his words, frustration lodging in his chest.
Why?
You got to show off, and now you’re taking away my chance to look cool?
Feeling unconvinced, Xie Heng looked at his Dad, a sudden thought popping into his head—
If he and his Dad fought, who would win?