Chapter 563: Don’t Bully My Daughter

Li Xiang led Chen Shi downstairs to another apartment in a different building. The apartment was overly clean and tidy, almost devoid of any signs of life. As someone who often cooks, Chen Shi could tell immediately that the owner of this apartment didn’t cook.

“Do you live here?”

“This is also my aunt’s apartment, technically my cousin’s. I work in Long’an, so my aunt rented it to me. When my cousin returns from studying abroad, I’ll move out… Do you smoke?”

“No, thanks! Did you arrange your aunt’s funeral?”

“Yes, she’s been laid to rest. It’s a real tragedy,” Li Xiang sighed and shook his head.

“Didn’t the police suggest an autopsy?”

“They said we could have it done at the medical university for over 20,000 yuan. My cousin and I discussed it, but since it wasn’t a criminal case, and it wouldn’t be right to have the body dissected, we decided against it.”

Chen Shi pointed to his own cheek and asked, “Is that when you got burned?”

“Yes, you can’t imagine how it was. The whole building was smoking. When I opened the door, the fire burst out. My face and half my body got burned… The only consolation is that the firefighters said my aunt didn’t suffer too much; she likely died from gas poisoning first.”

Chen Shi nodded, though he found Li Xiang’s calmness peculiar.

However, this alone wasn’t enough to suspect him. Real life isn’t like a drama where everyone is full of emotion; many people speak in a monotone.

Chen Shi looked around the apartment, with Li Xiang following him. When they entered the bedroom, Chen Shi noticed a smell and asked, “Has this place been cleaned recently?”

“Yes, my cousin plans to come back for the New Year, and my work contract is ending soon, so I’ll be moving. I took a few days off because of the fire and cleaned up.”

“What do you do for work?”

“Human resources management for a company.”

“Can I have your contact information?”

After noting down Li Xiang’s basic information, Li Xiang asked, “Are the police reopening the investigation? Was my aunt murdered? The police station said she didn’t have enemies.”

Chen Shi smiled, “That’s confidential for now. I’ll be going.”

“Take care.”

Chen Shi left the apartment and stood under a tree from a distance, watching. Li Xiang did nothing unusual, just sat down, drank water, and played on his phone.

Tao Yueyue finished checking a few buildings and waited at Chen Shi’s car. Suddenly, a stone hit her back. She turned to see a boy in a sports jacket, hands in his pockets, approaching disdainfully. “Haha, stinky Yueyue working a job. Your family must be poor. I’ll tell everyone at school tomorrow!”

Tao Yueyue frowned in disgust. The boy was Liang Zuoming, who had broken his leg a year ago because of her. Since recovering, he often caused trouble. Though she had managed to outsmart him a few times, he was relentless and extremely annoying.

Liang Zuoming walked up and pretended to examine Tao Yueyue’s uniform with interest. “What are you selling? How much have you sold? Enough for tomorrow’s meal? Want me to give you two bucks?”

“I don’t want to talk to you.”

“Ha, the class’s biggest fake. Don’t think I don’t know what you do in secret!” Liang Zuoming snatched the bag from Tao Yueyue and pulled out a box of toothpaste. “Haha, selling this junk? Looks like fake goods!”

Tao Yueyue gritted her teeth, heart pounding, and glanced at the stones on the roadside, considering whether to fight back.

He was a strong, tall boy. Fighting him would be tough, but she couldn’t swallow her anger.

She clenched her fists, struggling to control her violent impulses, and didn’t notice Chen Shi coming through the grass. He grabbed Liang Zuoming by the collar, snatched back the bag, and shouted, “Little bastard, why are you bullying my Yueyue?”

Liang Zuoming glared, intimidated by the adult, but still tried to argue, “Tao Yueyue working breaks school rules. I’ll tell the teacher tomorrow.”

“Go ahead, but get lost before I beat you!”

“Stupid old man, my dad’s coming. He’ll beat you up! Haha… Dad, someone’s bullying me!”

A black Mercedes suddenly stopped as it exited the community. A burly man got out, eyes wide with anger, and shouted, “Who dares bully my son? I’ll kill him!”

Seeing Chen Shi and Tao Yueyue, the man hesitated briefly. Liang Zuoming seized the chance to complain, “Dad, stinky Yueyue and her dad bullied me. I didn’t do anything, and he wanted to hit me.”

“Look at your kid. Lying is second nature. Yueyue, what did he do to you?” Chen Shi asked.

“He insulted me!”

“Damn, I know you two. Last year she broke my son’s leg. What are you planning now? Want another beating?” the man shouted.

Chen Shi recognized him as a crude person, understanding why his son turned out to be a school bully. Calmly, he said, “Let’s not dig up old issues. I paid a lot of money last year. Let’s focus on today.”

The man sneered and pointed at Chen Shi, “You’re just a taxi driver. I don’t care about your reasons. No one touches my son. Apologize!”

Liang Zuoming hid behind the man, saying, “Apologize, stinky Yueyue!”

“Yueyue, these people don’t understand reason. They’re like unevolved animals, recognizing only fists,” Chen Shi said.

“Huh, do you even know who I am?” the man boasted.

Chen Shi clenched his fists, “Take your son and leave now, or you’ll lose your last shred of dignity as a father.”

“Big talk for a small man! Do you want to die?”

“Stop pretending. Fight if you dare. I’m tired of talking.”

The man continued to posture, lecturing his son, “See, this kind of person doesn’t know his place. Dares to challenge me!”

Liang Zuoming urged, “Dad, hit him!”

“Hit him? I don’t want this fool to say I bullied him…”

“Enough!”

Chen Shi spun and delivered a lightning-fast kick that stopped just short of the man’s face. The man stared, wide-eyed, at the shoe’s tread pattern, swallowing hard.

Chen Shi lowered his foot, pointed a finger, and coldly warned, “If you keep this up, you’ll be bedridden for three months!”

The man stood in shock for a moment before regaining his senses. Grabbing his son, he fled, throwing back a clichéd threat, “Just you wait!”

After they left, Tao Yueyue excitedly hugged Chen Shi. KK emerged from behind a tree, applauding and giving a thumbs up, “Chen, that was awesome!”

“You watched the whole time?”

“I couldn’t help, so I enjoyed the show,” KK shamelessly replied.