“Really? Zhou Heng got beaten up? By a woman?”
“Holy shit, that’s so embarrassing! The great Zhou Dashao got taken down by a girl.”
“I really want to know who that woman is. She’s fierce.”
“So that’s why Zhou Heng didn’t show up today—he’s lying in the hospital, huh.”
“Tsk, this generation of the Zhou family really made a name for themselves—all of it bad.”
“...”
Zhou Yun’s face turned ugly as she heard the sneers from the crowd around her.
She never imagined that Lin Yi, that bitch, would actually air her brother’s disgraceful secret in public!
Even worse, those rich kids from other families had started mocking the Zhou family outright.
“Lin Yi! How dare you slander my brother!”
Lin Yi: “Slander? If Miss Zhou doesn’t believe me, you’re welcome to go to the hospital right now and ask your brother how he broke those three ribs.”
“Also, didn’t I warn you before not to run your mouth? But you completely ignored me.”
“Now you’ve made a fool of yourself in public—you brought this on yourself. Don’t blame anyone else!”
Zhou Yun shook with rage: “Lin Yi, don’t get too cocky! You Lin family losers aren’t even fit to polish the Zhou family’s shoes!”
The more she spoke, the more agitated she became, her eyes darting around the room in search of a target.
Sure enough, on the VIP guest seating in the main hall, she spotted the figure in misty blue.
That girl so beautiful it made her jealous.
That was her!
She was the one who beat up her brother!
The fire in Zhou Yun’s heart instantly found an outlet. She raised her hand and pointed at Liu Yutong.
“And you, you bitch!”
“That bitch in the blue dress, flaunting herself! How dare you sit in the VIP seats!”
As soon as these words left her mouth, the entire side hall fell silent.
Everyone followed the direction of her finger and looked at the girl in misty blue, their minds a little stunned.
Seriously, was Zhou Yun losing her mind?
That girl was nowhere near you and hadn’t provoked you at all. To curse her out of nowhere—wasn’t that a bit much?
Of course, some speculated that this woman might be connected to Zhou Heng. Maybe she was the one who beat him up.
Soon, their guesses were confirmed.
Right then, the girl in the misty-blue dress—who had been smiling—wiped the smile off her face, stood up, and walked toward their direction.
Lin Feng saw her coming and seemed to already know what was about to happen.
Oh no, oh no. Zhou Yun was asking for death!
Why did she have to provoke this demon god?
Liu Yutong walked toward Zhou Yun one step at a time, the invisible pressure radiating from her growing stronger by the second.
Zhou Yun instinctively stepped back, about to say something.
She saw Liu Yutong raise her hand.
Smack!
A sharp, ringing slap landed squarely on Zhou Yun’s face, sending her crashing to the ground.
Dead silence fell over the entire hall.
Everyone stood there, mouths wide open, staring at the scene.
That girl who looked like a fairy just now—she actually struck someone without a second thought, right at Old Madam Jiang’s birthday banquet, in front of all those guests.
Zhou Yun sat on the ground, clutching her face, completely stunned.
In all her years, this was the first time someone had slapped her in public.
And it had to be at Old Madam Jiang’s birthday banquet, in front of so many elite families.
Soon, a wave of sharp pain and humiliation hit her.
“You… how dare you hit me!”
Liu Yutong looked down at her, her expression icy: “So what if I hit you? Got a problem with that?”
Zhou Yun whipped her head around and shouted at the Zhou family members behind her: “What are you all staring at? She hit me! Get her! Beat her to death!”
The young Zhou family members snapped out of their daze, fury rising in them as they rolled up their sleeves and prepared to charge.
“Stupid bitch, you’re asking for it!”
“How dare you lay a hand on my sister! You’ve got a death wish!”
“No more talk! Break her arms first!”
“...”
Liu Yutong casually flexed her wrists, eyeing them: “Didn’t Zhou Heng tell you? I know a little martial arts. Are you sure you want to fight me?”
Just then, Gao Min came up beside her, assumed a fighting stance: “Want a brawl? Come on, all of you at once. We can take you.”
Though they were just two very young women, the fierce aura they gave off made the burly Zhou men’s hair stand on end. They dared not step forward.
They remembered Zhou Heng, who was still in the hospital—wasn’t he beaten up by this girl in the blue dress?
Besides, if they beat up two girls, it would be shameful.
And if they lost, it would be even more embarrassing.
Seeing the Zhou family cowering, the onlookers could only think one thing: Holy crap.
Seriously, were girls nowadays so ferocious?
They actually managed to scare the Zhou family into backing down. That was rare.
And weirdly, the two girls looked somewhat alike.
Seeing that the Zhou family still didn’t dare make a move, Liu Yutong spat out two words: “Pathetic.”
That was the last straw. It utterly enraged the Zhou men.
Just as they were about to charge in regardless, several Zhou family elders rushed over upon hearing the commotion.
Leading them was an old man with a dignified square face, thick eyebrows, and big eyes, dressed in a traditional Tang suit, carrying a commanding presence from long years in power.
It was Zhou Liren, the current head of the Zhou family.
“What’s going on?”
When Zhou Liren saw the bright red handprint on his granddaughter’s face, his expression instantly darkened.
“Yun’er, who hit you?”
Seeing her grandfather, Zhou Yun finally felt a backbone. She pointed at Liu Yutong, sobbing: “Grandfather, it was her! This bitch! She hit me! You must get justice for me!”
Zhou Liren’s gaze snapped to Liu Yutong, his eyes sharp as knives.
“Whose child are you? How dare you strike my granddaughter at the Jiang family’s banquet? Who gave you the nerve?”
Liu Yutong looked straight at the Zhou family leader, unflinching.
“Old Master Zhou, right? Your granddaughter just now publicly insulted my sister, insulted the Lin family, and called me a flaunting street girl. I was simply teaching her a lesson on how to mind her tongue. Do you have a problem with that?”
“Or is this how it is—when the little one loses, the old one steps in to settle the score?”
Zhou Liren’s face stiffened. He turned to Zhou Yun: “Is what she says true?”
Zhou Yun looked a little guilty: “I—I just said it casually...”
But halfway through, she suddenly regained her confidence and pointed at Liu Yutong: “Grandfather, she beat my brother! I was only trying to get justice for him, and then she hit me!”
Zhou Liren turned back to Liu Yutong: “So you’re the one who injured my grandson Zhou Heng.”
Liu Yutong nodded: “Old Master Zhou, I do have to take some responsibility for your grandson’s condition—I was too lenient. I should have crippled him instead.”
“You!”
Zhou Liren’s face went livid with rage, his beard quivering.
This girl was way too arrogant!
The young Zhou family members behind him glared with murderous fury, as if they wanted to tear Liu Yutong apart.
“Grandfather, did you hear what she said? She beat my brother and now she’s this cocky! Today, she has to answer to the Zhou family! Otherwise, where do we put our face?”
Liu Yutong looked at Zhou Yun again. “What kind of explanation do you want? How about I let you experience what it’s like to have three ribs broken, just like your brother? Then you’ll know exactly how useless he really is.”
“You!” Zhou Yun was speechless with rage.
Zhou Liren, being the old hand he was, still managed to keep his composure even now. “Little girl, I don’t care whose daughter you are, but in the capital, no one dares speak to the Zhou family like this. Today, you must apologize to my family in front of everyone, or face the consequences!”
“Face the consequences?”
Liu Yutong laughed. “Well then, old sir, you’d better be careful. I don’t know my own strength, and if I accidentally rough you up too, the Zhou family’s reputation might just go down with you.”
“How dare you!”
Zhou Liren was furious. “Arrogant! Absolutely arrogant!”
Just as the situation was about to spiral out of control, Jiang Yuan stepped forward to play the peacemaker.
“Old Master Zhou, calm down, calm down. Today is my cousin’s eightieth birthday celebration, a joyous occasion. Let’s talk things out and not ruin the harmony.”
Jiang Yuan, eager to boost his own status and curry favor with the Jiang family, shamelessly claimed that Old Madam Jiang was his distant cousin.
He positioned himself between the Lin and Zhou families, who were at each other’s throats, and first cupped his hands to Zhou Liren. “Old Master Zhou, I understand how you feel. Having your grandchildren humiliated one after another would upset anyone. It’s true that Director Liu was a bit impulsive and shouldn’t have struck her.”
Then he turned to Liu Yutong. “Director Liu, although we’ve only just met, I must advise you not to be too rash. That slap may have put you in the wrong. For my sake, let’s just drop the matter.”
Liu Yutong looked at his sanctimonious demeanor and sneered inwardly.
This old fox is trying to play both sides.
“Mr. Jiang is right. I was indeed impulsive,” Liu Yutong said.
But then her tone shifted. “However, I have a bad habit: I can’t stand being cursed at. The moment someone cusses me out, my hands get itchy. That slap was just a reflex—I couldn’t hold back.”
Jiang Yuan paused for a moment, then gave a dry chuckle. “Regardless, for my sake today, let’s put this aside for now, shall we? After all, this is my cousin’s birthday banquet. Making too big a scene would be a slap in the Jiang family’s face.”
Zhou Liren snorted coldly, unconvinced. “Brother Jiang, that’s easy for you to say. What about the slap my granddaughter took? Are we just supposed to let it slide?”
Jiang Yuan sighed, leaned in close to Zhou Liren’s ear, and whispered a few quick words.
After hearing them, Zhou Liren’s face flickered with uncertainty as he glanced at Liu Yutong. Finally, he gave a heavy huff. “Fine, for Brother Jiang’s sake and for the old lady’s, I’ll let it go for now. But girl, you remember this—this isn’t over!”
With that, he led the Zhou family away in a huff.
