Hua Qirou was struck so hard she nearly passed out from the pain.

Instinctively covering her nose, her mind went blank.

She never expected the seemingly gentle and easy-to-bully Su Hua to lash out so fiercely.

Looking down, her fingers were drenched in bright red.

Anguish and annoyance turned to fury, and with a shrill scream, she lunged at Su Hua.

Sister Liu hurriedly stepped forward to restrain her by the waist.

Hearing the commotion, bodyguards burst through the door and pulled Hua Qirou away.

Gu Beixian entered with his assistant, his expression dark and stormy. He cast a cold glance at Hua Qirou before turning to Su Hua.

Seeing that she was unharmed, his expression softened slightly.

With her nose bleeding profusely, Hua Qirou complained to Gu Beixian, "Look! This is your so-called good woman, gentle and virtuous, yet she strikes with such cruelty! She flung a cup at me, nearly taking my life!"

Gu Beixian's voice was calm and steady, "Su Hua has always been gentle and composed, indifferent to conflict. If she struck you, you must have provoked her."

He turned to Su Hua and asked gently, "What did she do to you?"

Su Hua was taken aback.

She hadn't expected Gu Beixian to take her side, especially since Hua Qirou was the mother of his beloved.

Pressing her lips together, she glanced at Sister Liu, signaling her to speak.

Sister Liu quickly explained, "Madam was just sitting on the bed reading when Mrs. Chu barged in, hurling insults and attempting to hit her. I stopped her, but she kept cursing Madam with the vilest words. Even I, an outsider, couldn't bear to listen. Madam has a good temper and listened quietly. After enduring it for a long while, she finally couldn't take it anymore and fought back."

Gu Beixian's gaze turned icy as he addressed Hua Qirou, "Apologize to Su Hua."

Hua Qirou was stunned, thinking she had misheard, "Beixian, I'm the one who's hurt. If anyone should apologize, it should be her to me. Look how viciously she attacked me. Suosuo's hand must have been smashed by her doing as well."

Gu Beixian's expression was stern, "You're upset about Suosuo's injury, and I understand your emotional distress. But without evidence, you can't slander Su Hua. Physical harm is harm, but so is emotional harm. You insulted Su Hua first; you must apologize."

His voice was not loud, and he showed little emotion, yet it carried an oppressive weight.

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Hua Qirou felt intimidated, but apologizing would mean losing face.

She stiffened her neck and said defiantly, "Beixian, the Gu and Chu families have been business partners for many years. I hope you'll reconsider who should really be apologizing here."

Her words carried an implicit threat.

Gu Beixian looked at her for a second, his lips curving into a mocking smile. He picked up his phone and dialed a number, "Mochen, your stepmother is causing a scene in Su Hua's hospital room. Please send someone to handle this."

Chu Mochen paused before responding, "I'm at Suosuo's room. I'll be right there."

Gu Beixian hummed in acknowledgment and ended the call.

Hua Qirou, clutching her bleeding nose and shaking with rage, accused, "Beixian, you're not supposed to be so biased. This is abetting evil!"

Gu Beixian couldn't be bothered to look at her, walking over to sit by Su Hua's bed. He smoothed out her wrinkled collar and asked softly, "Are you hurt?"

Su Hua shook her head.

He touched her hand, "Does it still hurt?"

"It's okay."

He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, gazing into her eyes, and asked in a low voice, "Are you still angry?"

"Mhm."

"You did the right thing today. Fight back against anyone who bullies you."

Su Hua lifted her gaze, her eyes watery as she silently stared at him, wanting to say: You've bullied me too, how should I retaliate?

But with others present, she held back, knowing this was the time to present a united front.

Watching the two exchange tender glances, Hua Qirou couldn't stand it any longer and wanted to storm off.

But leaving like that was unsatisfying, yet staying was infuriating.

Soon, Chu Mochen arrived with his people.

After greeting Gu Beixian, he glanced at the bloodied Hua Qirou and then at Su Hua, his gaze lingering on her face for a moment before he politely said, "Mrs. Gu, my stepmother is distraught over Suosuo's injury and lost control of her emotions. If she has offended you, I apologize on her behalf."

He bowed slightly, his apology sincere, "I'm sorry."

Su Hua, being reasonable, accepted Chu Mochen's heartfelt apology with a simple, "It's fine."

Hua Qirou fumed, "You might let it go, but I won't! My nose is in agony, I'm going for a disability assessment! And Suosuo's hand, it was probably you who had it smashed, I'm going to sue you for intentional harm!"

Chu Mochen frowned and waved his men over impatiently, "Take her to get her wound treated."

The bodyguards quickly escorted Hua Qirou away.

Chu Mochen courteously said to Su Hua, "Once you're discharged, I'd like to invite you and Beixian to dinner as an apology from my stepmother."

Su Hua gave him a second look, replying, "That's very kind of you."

She resented Chu Suosuo, but for some reason, she couldn't bring herself to dislike Chu Mochen, sensing that he was a man of clear distinction and good breeding.

Gu Beixian asked Chu Mochen, "Have they caught the person who hurt Suosuo?"

Chu Mochen's expression darkened slightly, "No. The perpetrator is highly skilled at evading surveillance, avoiding all cameras along the way, and left no fingerprints at the scene. The parking garage had too many footprints, making it difficult for the police to collect evidence. The only clue is a blurry photo captured by a camera that matches the time of the incident."

Gu Beixian raised an eyebrow, "Do you have the photo? Let me see it."

Chu Mochen pulled an envelope from his coat pocket and handed over a seven-inch photo.

Gu Beixian took it and examined it closely.

The photo was indeed blurry.

In the dim light, one could barely make out the silhouette of a man's back.

The man was tall and leggy, dressed in a black windbreaker, wearing a black baseball cap, black gloves on his hands, and carrying a hammer. His figure was agile, and his stride was long.

Even with just a blurry silhouette, it was clear that this person was no ordinary individual; he exuded an aura that most people lacked.

Gu Beixian thought of someone, his grip on the photo tightening.

He said to Chu Mochen, "Keep the photo. I'll have someone help look into it."

"Thank you."

"It's the least I can do."

After Chu Mochen left, Gu Beixian asked Sister Liu to step out.

The door closed, and the room fell silent.

Gu Beixian said to Su Hua, "Remember the bald man who took you away to restore the ancient painting?"

Su Hua nodded, "I remember."

"The one who broke your fingers was his sister. She hated you for sending her brother to jail and waited for a chance to retaliate. I've avenged you; her left hand is now useless."

Su Hua listened, her heart racing with fear.

She looked down at her bandaged left hand, feeling very upset.

What good was revenge?

Her fingers were broken, and the future was uncertain.

Gu Beixian's words were cryptic, "This matter has nothing to do with Suosuo; you've taken revenge on the wrong person."

Su Hua's heart skipped a beat.

She suddenly looked up at Gu Beixian, her voice trembling, "You suspect that I had someone smash Suosuo's hand?"

Gu Beixian's gaze deepened as he held her shoulders, "Don't be angry, I believe it wasn't you. What I mean is, someone has been avenging you in the shadows, but they targeted the wrong person. Suosuo is innocent; she's not the one who hurt you."

Su Hua managed to control her emotions, "Then who do you think is avenging me?"

Gu Beixian handed her the photo, "This person."

Su Hua took the photo and scrutinized the shadowy figure.

But it was hard to identify anyone from just a silhouette.

Gu Beixian watched her intently, "Is the person in the photo Ah-Yao?"

Su Hua's nose tingled, her eyes suddenly reddened, and she clutched the photo tightly, her emotions intense, "It's not him! It couldn't possibly be him!"