Chapter 1656
It"s already one-thirty in the afternoon.
Dong Xuebing and Fang Wenping argued fiercely for over an hour before Fang Shuiling and Xie Ran managed to separate them, though it wasn"t their doing. Dong Xuebing and Fang Wenping were exhausted from the verbal sparring, their voices hoa.r.s.e. Fang Shuiling and Xie Ran took advantage of the opportunity to pull them apart, but they didn"t dare let go even then. Fang Shuiling held onto Fang Wenping tightly while Xie Ran embraced Dong Xuebing from behind, afraid they might start fighting again.
That was the general scene.
Xie Jing couldn"t bear to watch, ashamed and wanting to hide her face. It was incredibly embarra.s.sing as if they had disgraced themselves in front of their grandparents.
Two core members of the two major families, lacking dignity and restraint, were now engaged in a heated verbal confrontation, leaving Xie Jing feeling red-faced.
How disgraceful.
Xie Jing could only be thankful that no outsiders were present. Otherwise, the Fang and Xie families would have been thoroughly embarra.s.sed.
Fang Wenping was panting heavily, not caring whose house it was. She plopped onto a chair and grabbed a teacup, gulping water.
Dong Xuebing wasn"t in much better shape. It was the first time he had encountered a woman who could match his verbal skills. Although he had never lost a battle of words before, he didn"t feel like he had won this time either. Exhausted, he grabbed a cup and drank water, preparing to recover and resume the argument with Fang Wenping. He didn"t care if she was a leader or not.
Both of them were catching their breath.
It seemed like there would be another round of arguing.
With a mournful expression, Fang Shuiling said, "Auntie, let"s go back. I"ll go back with you."
Xie Ran also told Dong Xuebing, "Brother-in-law, let"s return inside. Let"s not ruin the mood. It"s all my fault and Shuiling"s."
They both realized that the legendary woman from the Fang family and the legendary son-in-law from the Xie family were like fire and water, completely incompatible. Fang Shuiling and Xie Ran were planning to get married, so they naturally didn"t want their families to clash.
Fang Wenping coldly said, "It"s too late to think about leaving now. I"m not done with this brat yet."
Dong Xuebing retorted, "No one has ever been able to teach me a lesson, especially not an old hag like you."
Fang Wenping snapped, "I"m the one who"s going to teach you a lesson!"
Dong Xuebing said, "You don"t even know who"s teaching whom!"
After just a few minutes of rest, the two of them were at it again.
This time, they sat face to face at the stone table, even closer than before. It felt like spit could fly into each other"s faces.
Fang Shuiling was close to tears. "Xie Ran, what should we do?"
Xie Ran was at a loss. "Let"s separate them first. What a mess."
Fang Shuiling complained softly, "Your brother-in-law"s temper is just..."
"My brother-in-law has always been like this. Everyone knows," Xie Ran complained, too. "But it"s not just my brother-in-law. Your aunt"s temper isn"t better."
Fang Shuiling couldn"t even cry anymore. "How did these two people with such tempers end up together?"
It was like a collision between two planets. That was the only way they could describe the current situation.
No one had expected Fang Wenping and Dong Xuebing to clash so fiercely, as if they had some deep-seated feud from a previous life. As soon as they met, they started quarreling like this, and now Fang Wenping and Dong Xuebing didn"t even care about Xie Ran and Fang Shuiling"s relations.h.i.+p anymore. All they could see was each other.
It"s unclear whether anyone outside heard the commotion in the courtyard, but suddenly, the courtyard door creaked open. Someone had entered since they hadn"t had time to close it properly amidst the chaos. It was a man, probably in his thirties, tall and muscular, with a tough demeanor. He was dressed in a black suit and appeared to be accompanying Fang Wenping, though it wasn"t clear if he was a driver or a bodyguard.
Fang Shuiling asked, "Who"s this?"
"He"s my aunt"s bodyguard," Fang Shuiling replied in a low voice.
Among the younger generation of the Xie family, only Xie Huilan had a bodyguard specially authorized by Mr. Xie. As for the Fang family, it was even less surprising for Fang Wenping, a second-generation family member with a high rank, to have a bodyguard.
Seeing their person arrive, Fang Wenping raised her voice even louder. "Why did you take so long to come inside? Can"t you hear? What are you doing?"
The bodyguard remained silent, saying very little.
Fang Wenping pointed at Dong Xuebing and said, "This brat insulted me. Take him away!"
Alarmed, Fang Shuiling said, "Auntie, don"t do this. Brother Liu, you"re not allowed to use force."
But this bodyguard only listened to Fang Wenping. Even though Fang Shuiling was also from the Fang family, he would only follow Fang Wenping"s orders. So, he headed toward Dong Xuebing.
Fang Shuiling knew how formidable her aunt"s bodyguard was. He was an elite among elites, carefully selected, and ordinary people wouldn"t stand a chance against him. She exclaimed, "Be careful, Brother Dong!"
Xie Ran was also shocked, but his tone differed from Fang Shuiling"s. "Brother-in-law, please show mercy to him."
One asked Dong Xuebing to be merciful, while the other pleaded with Fang Wenping not to be too harsh. Fang Shuiling and Fang Wenping both heard Xie Ran"s words. Fang Shuiling looked at Xie Ran in astonishment, not understanding what he meant. After all, this was their family"s bodyguard, an extraordinary person. How could he not remind her brother-in-law to be careful and instead ask him to be merciful?
The answer came the next moment.
The bodyguard approached swiftly, a.s.suming an attacking posture. He probably didn"t intend to escalate the situation, aiming to grab Dong Xuebing"s arm to control him without causing harm. He understood that ordinary people wouldn"t be able to withstand his punch. However, when the bodyguard"s hand reached out, Dong Xuebing lifted his hand with a flick, almost leaving an afterimage. The bodyguard was then sent flying backward, landing on the ground and clutching his face in pain.
Fang Wenping and Fang Shuiling were stunned.
"What are you doing, Xiao Liu?" Fang Wenping scolded.
"Brother Liu, are you okay?" Fang Shuiling felt a pang of heartache. After all, he was their family"s bodyguard, and she had regular contact with him, so she had developed some affection for him.
The bodyguard climbed to his feet incredulously, rubbing his forehead, which was already swollen and red from the impact. He had barely seen Dong Xuebing"s fist and couldn"t understand how he had been sent flying. He was stunned momentarily, then erupted in anger, feeling that he had underestimated his opponent. Seeing that Fang Wenping hadn"t changed her command, he strode forward again in determination.
Xie Ran shouted, "Brother-in-law, please hold back!"
"Fang Shuiling, hurry and call back your family"s bodyguard," Xie Ran urged anxiously, genuinely not wanting any more trouble between the Fang and Xie families. "Why are you fighting with my brother-in-law?"
Xie Hao echoed, "Beat him up! Beat him up!"
Xie Jing was also surprised but said, "Brother-in-law, please don"t hurt anyone."
Even Fang Shuiling couldn"t understand why Xie Jing would say such a thing. Instead of asking the bodyguard not to intervene, she asked her brother-in-law to let the bodyguard off. This was truly incomprehensible to her. After all, Dong Xuebing"s status was too significant. He was a member of the Xie family, and although he had an average appearance and demeanor compared to Dong Xuebing, their family"s bodyguard was still too formidable.
The shouts continued.
But Fang Wenping didn"t speak. Since the bodyguard did not stop, she didn"t stop him either. In a faction of a second, he had already rushed to Dong Xuebing"s side.
Dong Xuebing didn"t even bother to look at him. He didn"t even stand up from his chair, just sitting there calmly. Taking a sip of tea in between, he repeated his earlier move with a flick of his wrist, and with a swift motion, the bodyguard was once again sent flying with just one hand, landing on the ground in disbelief.
The security guard felt a sharp pain in his chest, and then a look of horror crossed his face as, under everyone"s gaze, he was once again sent flying backward, landing with a thud on the ground.
Rus.h.i.+ng over, Xie Ran exclaimed, "Stop! Stop!"
Fang Shuiling was dumbfounded, finally understanding why Xie Ran and Xie Jing had urged her brother-in-law to show mercy. It turned out that their family"s security guard was no match for him at all.
Fang Wenping"s expression darkened.
The security guard wasn"t injured but got up again, this time with slightly dulled steps. He looked at Dong Xuebing, his gaze now filled with bewilderment. He hadn"t even stood up, hadn"t even put down his teacup, and hadn"t even glanced at him, yet he had managed to knock him down twice with just one hand. The security guard realized he was facing a true master, completely out of his league.
Dong Xuebing said, disdainfully looking at the security guard, "Are you still trying to fight me? Don"t you even bother to find out who I am?"
The security guard dared not make a move.
Dong Xuebing continued, "Not to mention just you alone, even if there were ten of you, it wouldn"t matter. I"ve never lost a fight in my life."
Fang Wenping didn"t mince words, scolding the security guard bluntly, "Useless."
The security guard remained silent. He knew he was no match for Dong Xuebing. Even if he tried again, it would only disgrace him. But as for Dong Xuebing"s claim that even ten of him would be useless, he didn"t believe it.
But Xie Ran believed it.
So did Xie Jing and Xie Hao.
They all knew that Dong Xuebing wasn"t boasting. He was understating it. Not to mention ten, even fifty guards wouldn"t stand a chance against their brother-in-law. They knew about his feat of rescuing Zhong Lizhen in the US, where he had single-handedly killed over fifty soldiers amid a hail of bullets. For an unarmed security guard to think he could challenge their brother-in-law was simply a joke.
Even if their brother-in-law fought with closed eyes, it would be like child"s play.