The three got on very awkwardly. As Qu Xuan tried to find another topic, the sound of a car came from outside the door.
Soon, Chi Caishen, Lin Mu, and Chi Yun entered the door one after another.
Seeing Chi Caishen, Qu Xuan burst into a bright smile. Then she walked over gracefully with a cup of water to offer Chi Caishen. However, when she saw Chi Yun, her expression froze. Who is this woman?
She noticed how stormy Chi Caishen's face was, and she asked in concern, "Ah, Shen, what's wrong? And who is she?"
Chi Yun glanced at the girl indifferently and walked past her to the elders. "Grandpa, Grandma!"
Noting how friendly the two elders were towards Chi Yun, Qu Xuan immediately felt the threat to her position.
"Wait, are you..." Lin Mu stared at Qu Xuan and suddenly spoke. Qu Xuan turned to the young man and stretched out her hand elegantly, ready to shake Lin Mu's hand. She was ready to say, "Yes, I am her."
Lin Mu interrupted her by saying, "Yes, I've seen you on TV before. Weren't you in those dumb dramas when you were a child?" Qui Xuan was stunned. She was indeed a child actor, but she had never heard her career described in that manner before. "Right, you're also on that lingerie and contact lens commercial. They're not bad; your future is huge!"
Qu Xuan's expression froze. It sure sounded like this young man was giving her backhanded compliments. Is he one of my haters? Qu Xuan turned to Chi Caishen with a pout, hoping that he would come to her rescue.
Chi Caishen, though, only said with annoyance, "Grandpa, Grandma! This is Chi Family Estate; how can you just let any outsider wander their way in?" Chi Caishen was already in a bad mood, and Qu Xuan's presence only gave Lin Mu more ammunition to mock him. He kicked his shoes to the side, ignoring the glass of water proffered by Qu Xuan, and strode into the room.
Qu Xuan's expression turned rigid. She tried to recall if she had done anything to offend Chi Caishen recently. She couldn't think of anything. Normally, she only stayed by his side quietly; she never even spoke a word, so how could she offend him?
"Ah, Shen, I'm here today to..."
"The two of you, come upstairs with me." Chi Yun cut Qu Xuan off.
Lin Mu shrugged and stepped into Elder Chi's house. Then he followed Chi Yun upstairs. Of all the girls he met, there was none like Chi Yun. Furthermore, he had heard about this Miss Chi before, but she was completely unlike the rumors! Now he was just curious what she was up to. Was she going to take revenge on Chi Caishen's behalf? Or apologize to him on Chi Caishen's behalf? Either way, it was going to be interesting!
Chi Caishen was worried that Chi Yun might really apologize on his behalf, so he quickly hurried after her and Lin Mu up the stairs. His apology was his own to give, not through anyone else!
Everyone in the house was stunned. What is happening? Did Chi Yun drug Chi Caishen? How come the two, who are normally like cats and dogs, are so cooperative with each other? Chi Caishen did everything Chi Yun had told him to; that is so unlike him!
Lin Mu walked at the forefront and was the first to reach the second floor. Before Lin Mu could have a look around, Chi Yun whipped the cane against the door frame. It made Lin Mu jump. Even though he was prepared, he was startled and staggered a step back. Instantly, his face paled. This is not good; she has led me here to take revenge for Chi Caishen! I have fallen into a trap!
"Since the Lin family doesn't seem to care about the education of their children, then I will take up the task and help them today. I will help you learn the meaning of manners!" Chi Yun accompanied that with a whip to Lin Mu's leg. It instantly caused the young man to wail in pain. To be fair, Chi Yun didn't really use much force. It was merely to scare the young man.
"Fuck, you damn bitch! Are you crazy? Do you dare to hit me?"
Chi Caishen was confounded as well. What is she doing?
However, he didn't forget that he too was one of the culprits. It was because he fought with Lin Mu that they got sent into detention. He quickly retreated to avoid Chi Yun's whips.
Then it struck Chi Caishen that the reason Chi Yun bailed them out of the station was because she wanted to teach them a lesson personally!
However, Chi Yun was acting too recklessly. Lin Mu came from a military family. He was the sole heir of the Lin family; he had never been treated like this before!
Lin Mu's mind was blank. He was the only son of the Lin family. His family treated him like a treasure. His elders cherished him dearly, and so they very rarely disciplined him. Due to his family's background, he learned some martial arts when he was young. Among his social circles, Lin Mu was unbeatable. So this was the first time Lin Mu had lost so fully and completely.
It was also the first time Lin Mu felt pain. The room was small; he wanted to evade the whips, but there was only so much space for him to maneuver. Therefore, he turned on the offensive.
Lin Mu gritted his teeth. Today will be the first day I'll hit a woman. Fucking God! That stings!
Chi Yun's force might be small, but her speed was fast. There was no chance for Lin Mu to fight back. Moreover, Lin Mu wasn't really Chi Yun's match anyway. Lin Mu did learn martial arts when he was small, but like everything else, he abandoned it soon after. Chi Yun was not a fighting machine, but the skills she did know were enough to deal with an unruly brat.
Chi Caishen's heart skipped wildly. He looked with widened eyes at how Lin Mu yelled and skipped all over the small room as Chi Yu chased after him. Lin Mu couldn't find the chance to counter. And as the whips fell on Lin Mu's skin, Chi Caishen felt the pain as well. He had no idea that Chi Yun was such a good fighter.
"Fine! You crazy bitch, stop it now! Damn you! It's really painful. You're going to get me hospitalized! Fuck!"
"Sister Yun! Can you please stop now?"
"Stop hitting me! If you do, I will... I will..."
"Tell your parents?" Chi Yun helped him finish the sentence. Chi Yun called Lin Mu's bluff, so the man had no choice but to swallow his fake threat. If he really went back to his family to complain that he was beaten around by a girl, where was he going to put his face in the future?
"Fine, fine, fine! What is it that you want from me?" Lin Mu said through gritted teeth.
"Apologize," Chi Yun announced coldly.
Lin Mu had already been beaten into submission. There was only one thought in his mind.
A man knows how to bend and stretch! I am not going to let a little girl beat me to death!
Chi Yun was extremely familiar with human anatomy and knew where the weak points were. So she purposely aimed for those spots that would deliver the stingiest blows. Her whips were precise, but they were light, so they would not leave behind any traces. The pain, coupled with the inability to fight back, finally wore down the stubborn Lin Mu.
"Fine, I will apologize!" Hearing that, Chi Yun stopped her assault.
Lin Mu was hugging his head and cowering in the corner. His face was covered in sweat.
Chi Caishen's mouth twitched; he had never seen Lin Mu so cowed before.
"Well, apologize then." Chi Yun looked at him and tapped the cane against her palm. The cane was black, and her hands were fair. This would be an SM[1] addict's greatest dream.
Lin Mu raised his eyes to look at her. Chi Yun was one year younger than he was, but she had a much more imposing presence. He took a deep breath, and then Lin Mu finally looked more like his usual self.
"Why... should I apologize?" As Chi Yun started to frown, Lin Mu quickly explained. Lin Mu always spoke without a filter. But with this memorable lesson from Chi Yun, the Young Master Lin would have to think twice before he said anything in the future. The burning sensation on his limbs would be a permanent lesson in that. "No, no, no. I mean, I don't know what I did wrong. It's not that I don't want to apologize. It's just that I have no idea what to apologize for."
"Well, go through what you have done and said today and see if there's anything you have to apologize for."
NOTES..
1. SM- sadomasochism