Chapter 79

Chapter 79

Upon seeing Ding Lie, Su Hua’s expression, already calm, became even more composed.

It was a level of serenity that didn’t seem to belong to someone her age.

In a voice that was cold and distant, she asked, “Mr. Ding, is there something you need?”

Ding Lie sneered. “Don’t play dumb. I made myself very clear back at the restaurant. If you don’t give me the money, I’ll tell everyone in your shop how selfish and cold-blooded you are! If you think that’s not enough, I’ll go to the television stations and expose you! I’ll take you to court and sue you for failing to support your father!”

Su Hua’s lips curled into a faint, shallow smile.

Her face wore an expression of quiet mockery, but her heart was heavy with grief.

He had truly shattered every fantasy she had ever held about her father over the years.

If he had been even a little softer, a little weaker, or tried to act pitiful-if he had squeezed out a few tears, played the sympathy card, or spoken of the bond between father and daughter-she might have relented.

Five million wasn’t an insurmountable sum for her.

But instead, he stood there with a hideous, shameless expression, ready to drag her down with him.

She truly didn’t want to give him a single cent.

She would rather donate the money than give it to him.

Su Hua said quietly, “I have the money, but I will only give it to my mother. She gave birth to me and raised me. As for you, you haven’t raised me for a single day, nor have you ever paid a cent in child support. Why should I give you anything? I’m truly curious where you get the courage to ask me for money.”

Ding Lie gave a sinister laugh. “So, you’re not giving it to me?”

Su Hua appeared gentle and soft on the outside, but she was incredibly stubborn deep down.

She was the type who could be persuaded by kindness but would never yield to force.

Straightening her back until she stood tall and poised, she said, “I don’t want to repeat myself. Leave.”

Ding Lie let out a cold snort and raised his voice, shouting at the shop assistants, “Everyone, come look! This Su Hua is cold-blooded and heartless! Her own father is at the end of his rope and came to beg her for help, but she’s leaving him to die!”

There were a few customers in the shop, and the assistants were busy attending to them.

Those who dealt in antiques were usually wealthy or influential people, accustomed to being treated with respect. As Ding Lie began his ruckus, the customers’ expressions immediately soured.

Su Hua picked up her phone to call her driver, Ah Hong, to have him come and drag Ding Lie away.

Before she could dial, Ding Lie snatched the phone from her hand and slammed it onto the ground.

As Su Hua bent down to pick it up, Ding Lie stomped his foot down.

He stepped right onto Su Hua’s fingers.

A sharp, piercing pain shot through her. Su Hua’s face paled, and her brow furrowed into a tight knot of agony.

The shop assistants were just about to rush over to help when the glass door creaked open from the outside.

Gu Jinyao walked in.

He witnessed the scene the moment he entered.

His face darkened instantly. Taking three steps in two, he lunged forward and delivered a flying kick directly into Ding Lie.

With a heavy thud, Ding Lie collapsed to the floor.

Two months ago, Gu Beixian had beaten him until his femoral head cracked, and he had only just recovered a few days prior.

With this blow, it cracked again.

He wailed in pain, clutching his backside and screaming. Even in his agony, he didn’t forget to size up Gu Jinyao.

He saw an unfamiliar face.

The man was wearing a black tactical jacket, not the expensive bespoke suits Gu Beixian wore, and there was no luxury watch on his wrist.

He had a buzz cut, tanned skin, and cold, hard features. There was a thin callus on his right index finger.

He didn’t look like a wealthy young master; he looked more like a plainclothes detective from a Hong Kong crime drama.

Ding Lie assumed he was just some retired soldier and nothing to fear.

He opened his mouth and cursed, “Where did this loser come from, daring to hit me? Pay up! You cracked my bone! Pay me five million, or I won’t let you get away with this!”

In all his years, very few people had dared to curse at Gu Jinyao. Even fewer had the audacity to extort or blackmail him.

His eyes turned freezing cold. He grabbed Ding Lie by the arm and began dragging him toward the door.

He didn’t even seem to be exerting much effort, yet in the blink of an eye, Ding Lie had been dragged outside.

Su Hua hurriedly followed them out.

Because of the injury to his hip, Ding Lie couldn’t stand. He was dragged a considerable distance by Gu Jinyao, his trousers wearing thin against the pavement.

Gu Jinyao said nothing as he hauled Ding Lie toward a deserted corner. His thin lips were pressed into a tight line, and his expression was as cold as ice.

Only one thought occupied his mind.

This old man had just stepped on Su Hua’s hand.

The hand she cherished as much as life itself!

In that case, his own hand could not be allowed to remain intact.

Ding Lie’s skin burned from the friction against the hard road, and the pain from his cracked bone was excruciating. All the while, he continued to hurl insults.

“Whose son of a bitch are you? I’m teaching my daughter a lesson, what business is it of yours?”

Hearing the word “daughter,” Gu Jinyao stopped in his tracks.

He looked down, his gaze lethal as he stared at Ding Lie. “Say that again.”

Ding Lie was stunned for a moment but quickly resumed his cursing. “I said, whose son of a bitch are you?”

Gu Jinyao’s eyes hardened, a flash of murderous intent crossing them. “No. The sentence after that.”

“I’m teaching my daughter a lesson, what business is it of yours?”
Gu Jinyao raised an eyebrow. “Su Hua is your daughter?”

Ding Lie lifted his chin. “Yes. And who are you to her?”

Gu Jinyao didn’t answer. He looked at Su Hua, who had followed them over, and asked, “Is he really your father?”

Su Hua nodded. “But I haven’t seen him since I was a child. We only met recently, and this is only the second time.”

Gu Jinyao released Ding Lie’s arm and stood up straight. “How do you want to deal with him?”

Su Hua looked at Ding Lie and said in a calm tone, “Mr. Ding, you reap what you sow. You should understand this principle. You haven’t invested a single ounce of affection in me, yet now you want to reap rewards without effort? It’s harder than reaching the heavens. I only listen to my mother. If you want money, go ask for her forgiveness.”

Seeing how stubborn she was, Ding Lie realized she simply wouldn’t give him the money.

He curled his lip and said fiercely, “Just you wait!”

Su Hua gave a faint smile. “I advise you to be rational. Don’t try anything desperate like ‘the fish dying and the net breaking.’ You are no match for me.”

She said this with a smile.

She appeared elegant and quiet, yet she exuded a certain underlying ruthlessness.

Ding Lie was momentarily powerless against her. Gritting his teeth, he snarled, “You’re exactly like your cold-blooded, heartless mother. Neither of you would lift a finger to save a dying person!”

Su Hua laughed. “Setting aside how heartless you were to my mother back then, let’s talk about three years ago. When my grandmother was seriously ill and our family was selling our house to pay for her treatment, where were you? If you had lent us a hand back then, let alone five million-even if you asked for fifty million now, I wouldn’t blink an eye before handing it to you.”

Knowing he was in the wrong, Ding Lie fell silent.

But he was unwilling to leave like this without getting a single cent.

“Young Mistress! Young Mistress! Are you alright?” The driver, Ah Hong, ran over, panting.

He had just gone to the public restroom. As soon as he came out, he saw Su Hua, Ding Lie, and Gu Jinyao standing by the roadside.

Both Ding Lie and Gu Jinyao were dangerous figures in his eyes. He had panicked and rushed over immediately.

Su Hua shook her head at him. “I’m fine.”

Ah Hong’s heart finally settled back into his chest.

Ding Lie saw that more people were gathering. He definitely wouldn’t get any money today. If he stayed, he might even get beaten up again.

Not wanting to suffer any immediate losses, he took out his phone and called his son. “Chuangchuang, come pick me up quickly. Your old man was beaten and injured; I can’t walk.”

He hung up after speaking.

Gu Jinyao gave him a cold glance before looking at Su Hua. “Let’s go back to the shop.”

Su Hua hummed in agreement and walked toward the shop entrance with him.

Only then did she remember to ask, “Mr. Gu, do you have business at the shop today?”

Gu Jinyao replied in a flat tone, “Yes. Ancient ceramics are difficult to preserve; they often get chipped or bumped, so repairs are common. When it comes to repairing porcelain, I only trust Old Master Hua’s craftsmanship.”

Fearing she might overthink it, he added, “My father recommended him as well.”

Su Hua smiled. “Thank you for what happened today.”

“It was nothing. I would have helped anyone else in that situation. You don’t need to take it to heart, nor do you owe me a favor.”

Su Hua had been thinking about painting another piece to repay him. Hearing him say this, she swallowed the words she was about to say.

Ding Lie sat slumped on the ground, watching the two of them walk toward the shop, chatting and laughing.

His mind raced. He took out his phone, found Gu Beixian’s number, and dialed it.

He had obtained Gu Beixian’s number by having an acquaintance look up Su Peilan’s call records.

After the call connected, Ding Lie said sneakily, “Son-in-law, it’s Ding Lie, Xiao Hua’s father. I have something big to tell you, something about Xiao Hua.”

Gu Beixian frowned slightly. “What is it?”

Ding Lie tested the waters. “Transfer a hundred thousand to me first-no, a million-and then I’ll tell you.”

After speaking, he shamelessly recited his bank account number.

Gu Beixian didn’t speak, but he didn’t hang up either.

For a moment, Ding Lie couldn’t read his mind.

Two or three minutes passed.

Just as Ding Lie was starting to lose hope, his phone suddenly received a message. It was a real-time bank transfer notification, indicating that one million had been deposited.

Ding Lie’s eyes widened. He could hardly believe what he was seeing.

He hadn’t expected Gu Beixian to give the money so readily.

He stared at the text message, reading it over and over again.

Once he confirmed it was correct, he said mysteriously, “Xiao Hua just walked into the shop with a man in a black windbreaker, chatting and laughing.”

Gu Beixian’s voice was cold. “What does the man look like?”

Ding Lie said flatteringly, “He’s not as handsome as you. He has a buzz cut, is very tall, and looks like some retired soldier. That man even hit me for her sake. There’s definitely something going on between them…”

Before he could finish, Gu Beixian cut the call.

Ding Lie froze, listening to the busy tone from his phone.

Thinking the signal was bad, he dialed Gu Beixian’s number again. However, he couldn’t get through.

Gu Beixian had blocked him.