Su Mu pushed open the glass door of the Fanyue Yoga Studio and strode towards the private training area.
The high-end club was carpeted with thick, sound-absorbing material.
The store manager was pointing at Su Banxia's nose, spitting as she spoke.
Hearing the commotion, the store manager turned around, ready to scold this intruder as well.
But before she could speak, she was stunned by Su Mu's attire.
Their eyes were sharp, but upon closer inspection, the newcomer looked just like a young student, and any apprehension vanished instantly.
The store manager shrieked in a sharp voice, "Non-members are not allowed in the private training area. Who are you?"
Su Mu couldn't be bothered with this clown.
He walked straight to the center of the room, glancing mockingly at Jiang Lifen who was seated there.
His tone was full of ridicule.
"Ma'am, if you're going through menopause, go to the hospital and register with the Endocrinology Department. Don't make things difficult for a part-time girl here."
"This scene is quite disgusting to watch."
Hearing the words "ma'am" and "menopause," Jiang Lifen's neck fat trembled violently in anger.
Her chest, full of excess flesh, heaved dramatically, and the diamond ring on her hand shook.
She was used to flaunting her husband's modest wealth from his engineering work, being treated like royalty wherever she went.
Today, she was being called disgusting by a young punk in front of so many people.
Jiang Lifen pointed her exaggeratedly adorned fingernail at Su Mu's nose and began to curse.
"You poor loser trying to play the hero, who do you think you are?"
"Little brat, do you think wearing some fancy clothes lets you show off in high-end places?"
"Young people today must be delusional from reading too many novels, thinking they're some kind of domineering CEO who can do whatever they want."
The store manager chimed in with her own sarcastic remarks, trying to curry favor with the top client.
Su Mu didn't waste words.
He took out his phone and dialed the Franchise Supervision VIP Hotline posted on the wall.
"Contact your big boss. I'm buying out the property rights of this store in Shanghai at a premium, full payment."
"I'll give you ten minutes to discuss."
After speaking, Su Mu hung up the phone.
The store manager was completely stunned by his words, but her eyes still showed disbelief.
Jiang Lifen quieted down a bit, but her face was still flushed red.
She continued to shout stubbornly, "Buying it out with full payment, who are you trying to fool?"
Su Mu didn't bother explaining, casually pulled up a chair, and sat down to watch the show.
In less than ten minutes, the franchise owner of this Fanyue store personally called back.
The voice on the other end was slightly ingratiating.
In those few minutes, the owner had already verified through internal channels the terrifying cash flow in Su Mu's account.
The owner cautiously inquired if Su Mu was interested in taking over the entire store, including the staff.
He even wanted to invite Su Mu for a detailed discussion.
After all, having two billion in cash was a big deal, even in Shanghai.
Su Mu wasn't interested in pleasantries and directly bought the store at double the price.
The store manager, standing half a meter away, heard the entire conversation clearly.
Her expression changed every second, from arrogance to hesitation, and now to complete terror.
Jiang Lifen's ears perked up, and this time she didn't dare to utter a word.
The few members watching began to whisper among themselves, looking at Su Mu with different eyes.
The store manager's phone clattered to the floor.
Her legs went weak as she looked at the nonchalant young man sitting in the chair.
Her mind buzzed.
Her once-proud ability to read people had now shattered her career.
This young man, who casually insulted a woman, turned out to be a living cash machine capable of throwing around tens of millions.
She felt her career collapse in that instant.
It wasn't just about losing her job; offending such a big shot meant she couldn't survive in Shanghai anymore.
Su Mu put his phone back in his pocket and slowly stood up, walking over to the trembling store manager.
His tone was full of superior mockery.
"Now do you know who calls the shots in this store?"
The store manager forced out a smile uglier than crying.
Her waist bent almost to breaking point as she stammered out, "President Su."
The entire room fell silent at those two words.
The wealthy women who had been watching and laughing earlier collectively gasped.
These middle-aged women turned pale with fright.
They could only secretly thank their lucky stars that they hadn't joined Jiang Lifen in her foul-mouthed tirade. New chapters come out on g.com first.
Otherwise, if their husbands found out they had offended such a big shot, they'd surely get an earful.
The first thing Su Mu did with his new boss privileges was point at the store manager's pale face.
"You're fired."
"As for the class fees and attendance bonus you said you'd deduct from her, deduct double from your salary and commission to compensate her."
"Now pack your things and get out."
To deal with such a snob, you had to use the cleanest and most decisive means.
Su Mu didn't even think it was worth his time to look at her again.
Then he turned to the completely dumbfounded Jiang Lifen and directly issued an eviction order.
"And as for you, ma'am, your membership is canceled."
Su Mu waved to the security guard at the door.
"Security, throw her out."
"From now on, neither she nor dogs are allowed in this store."
These words were a complete blow to the heart.
Equating someone with a dog wasn't physically harmful but was extremely insulting.
The rich are arrogant, but only in front of the poor.
Jiang Lifen, realizing the situation, didn't dare to say a word and hurriedly ran off with her designer bag.
Afterward, Su Mu announced that the store would be closed for the day, and everyone gradually left.
Once the place was completely cleared, only Su Mu and Su Banxia remained.
He looked again at Su Banxia's swollen ankle and gently pressed his finger on the soft flesh.
"Is it a sprain or a fracture?"
Su Banxia winced as her ankle moved, drawing a sharp breath from the pain.
The girl instinctively shrank away.
Her eyes were still red, but in front of Su Mu, she stubbornly held back her tears.
Seeing her stubbornly pitiful appearance, Su Mu's voice softened a bit.
"I heard everything from outside. People with filial piety won't have bad luck."
This was their first real face-to-face interaction.
Su Banxia still didn't know what level of rich young master Su Mu was.
She just thought this guy's actions were too domineering.
It was completely beyond her understanding of a good Samaritan, even making her a little apprehensive.
"Go pack your things. I'll call a car to take you to the hospital for an X-ray."
Su Mu stood up and took out his phone to call a car.
Su Banxia's first reaction was to refuse repeatedly, but seeing Su Mu's unyielding expression,
And since the store was indeed cleared out, she had no choice but to obediently keep quiet and limp to the corner to get her canvas bag.
Because yoga clothes are extremely tight-fitting, to avoid awkward underwear lines during practice,
Most girls would strip down completely when changing in the locker room.
Earlier, she was so upset by the store manager's scolding, and her ankle hurt so much she was sweating cold,
She just haphazardly bundled her intimate clothes and stuffed them into her bag.
When she was ready to leave with her bag, a sharp pain caused her to stumble.
Su Mu quickly stepped forward and steadied her arm.
But at that moment, Su Banxia's loosely zipped canvas bag tilted, opening wide.
Su Mu's gaze inadvertently swept over,
Catching sight of a small piece of pure white intimate fabric lying quietly among the pile of dark clothes.
The fabric was scant, even showing some signs of wear,
Exuding a sense of youthful privacy.
The air fell into a subtle silence for that brief second.
Following Su Mu's gaze, Su Banxia looked down, and upon realizing what was exposed,
Her entire face flushed, including her petite ears, turning red as if they were about to drip blood.
She clutched the canvas bag as if electrocuted, hurriedly zipping it up completely.
The tears she had been holding back were now on the verge of spilling out from embarrassment, and she retreated repeatedly.
The girl's mind was a tangled mess, not daring to meet Su Mu's eyes.
But what troubled her most, aside from the embarrassment, was the issue of her salary.
Now that the yoga studio belonged to Su Mu, and he had just stood up for her, he was a great benefactor.
Her mother had always taught her to repay kindness.
She felt that at this critical moment, bringing up the issue of her salary with her benefactor was really difficult.
But the hospital account's pre-deposited fees were running low, and she was genuinely anxious.
Su Mu didn't listen to her refusals, bending down to scoop her up.
Su Banxia hadn't expected him to take action so directly.
She instinctively grabbed Su Mu's strong arm.
The distance between them closed in that moment, even their breaths were palpable.
The fresh scent of a man wafted into Su Banxia's nose.
Her face turned beet red, and she quickly released her grip as if shocked.
After settling her in the back seat, Su Mu closed the car door.
The car interior was very quiet, and the chauffeur didn't engage in any greasy small talk, focusing solely on driving.
Aside from the slight noise from the air conditioning vents, there was only the dull noise of tires on the road.
Su Banxia kept her face turned towards the window the entire time.
Her delicate earlobes remained a conspicuous shade of red.
The car drove a distance towards the hospital.
Finally, Su Banxia mustered the courage to turn her head, her voice as soft as a mosquito's hum.
"My name is Su Banxia, what's... what's your name?"
Her meek, accommodating demeanor was fully evident in that one short sentence.
"What a coincidence, your surname is Su too? I'm Su Mu."
Su Mu leaned back against the leather seat, watching her cautious demeanor.
It was like seeing his ten-year-old niece, and he couldn't resist teasing her.
"If you don't mind, you can call me—Uncle."
Su Banxia was dumbfounded.
She had thought he might want her to call him brother or something, and she was worried it might be too intimate.
But then he asked her to call him uncle.
The girl widened her bright eyes at Su Mu, her mouth agape, unable to utter a word.
Su Mu watched her adorable and silly expression, laughing mischievously.
"You're Su, I'm Su, together that makes 'Uncle.'"
"......"
The car came to a smooth stop outside the outpatient building of City Central Hospital.
The hospital's waiting hall was filled with patients and families wearing worried expressions.
While waiting for the X-ray results, Su Banxia's old phone vibrated in her hand.
The screen lit up with the name of the Nurses' Station on the second floor.
She quickly answered, her face falling as she listened.
Nodding repeatedly, she uttered a few words about quickly gathering money before hanging up.
Su Mu sat on the adjacent blue plastic chair.
He didn't ask what was going on, but he had already observed all these details clearly.
The orthopedic doctor confirmed it was just a severe sprain.
The two of them took the prescribed ointment and prepared to leave the outpatient building.
Su Banxia stopped and spoke even more softly than she had in the car.
"Could you help me to the second floor?"
She stared at the reflective floor tiles, her hands twisting together tightly.
"My mom is staying here, I want to visit her."
The girl kept it simple, showing no intention of pouring out her troubles.
Su Mu readily agreed, turning to follow her to the second-floor inpatient ward.
The corridor was filled with the smell of disinfectant.
They stopped outside Ward 203.
Su Banxia steadied herself against the door frame, turning to the young man behind her.
"Wait for me outside for a few minutes, it's crowded inside, no need to come in."
Su Mu didn't insist, simply standing with his hands in his pockets against the white wall of the corridor.
He peered through the long strip of glass on the wooden door into the room.
Inside was a cheap, crowded ward with six beds.
The environment was noisy and shabby, with family members crammed together.
He stood outside, quietly observing the busy, slender figure.
He could have left long ago.
But the girl's fragile, red-eyed, yet stubbornly defiant demeanor,
Made him stay on a whim.
After all, he was out looking for fun.
Teasing this little girl was quite amusing, like a little pushover.
But... she had suffered too much.