After finishing her run and practicing with her blade, Tangxi Li worked up a sweat and headed upstairs to shower.
By the time she finished her shower, her two stylists, Xiao Tao and Xiao Jiang, had already laid out her outfit for the day: a black half-sleeved mandarin-collar blouse paired with a black horse-face skirt woven with gold and featuring traditional Chinese painting motifs.
With her excellent proportions—her wrists reaching past her hips and her knees aligning above her shoulders—her bare height of 170 cm gave the visual impression of 178 cm. Thus, her high heels were generally modest, around six centimeters in height.
Once Tangxi Li changed into her outfit, Xiao Tao and Xiao Jiang divided the tasks, one styling her hair while the other handled her makeup.
By the time she came downstairs, the family chef had already set breakfast on the table: crab meat rice, fried dough sticks, shrimp scrambled eggs, pan-fried buns, soy milk, hawthorn cake, pumpkin congee…
Tangxi Li didn’t have a big appetite. She ate a small portion of crab meat rice and drank a small bowl of soy milk before feeling full. The rest was left for others.
After the meal, feeling a bit bored, she got into the Rolls-Royce, planning to “visit” the An Family at the hospital.
In the car, Bella reported on her progress: “Madam, evidence of tax evasion by An Corporation has been submitted to the relevant authorities. The investigation process will begin shortly.”
Tangxi Li listened distractedly. These were all trusted aides she had trained herself, and she had no doubt about their competence and efficiency.
What occupied her mind now was: What should I bring to the hospital?
Just then, the car passed by a flower shop. A sparkle lit up Tangxi Li’s beautiful eyes, and a smile curled her lips. “Stop. Let’s buy some flowers.”
Half an hour later, the car pulled up at the entrance of the largest private hospital in the capital.
Tangxi Li picked up the red spotted bamboo folding fan she had casually tossed onto the back seat when she got in the car, then stepped out holding a bouquet of flowers.
The rest of the bodyguards followed, each also carrying a bouquet.
The An Family was staying in VIP rooms on the thirteenth floor.
Since An Qian, who had been injured earlier, was on this floor, Gu Yuqing had arranged for the other An Family members to be placed on the same floor for convenience.
This time, four were hospitalized: Old Master An, Old Madam An, An Minghe, and An Minghui.
Among them, An Minghe and An Minghui were the most severely injured—one with a moderate concussion, the other with two broken ribs.
Old Madam An had suffered a surge of anger that brought on signs of a stroke, but thanks to timely treatment, she avoided paralysis.
The younger members of the An Family who had accompanied them all wanted to report the incident to the police, but Gu Yuqing stopped them—it was Old Master An’s decision.
Keeping the family’s shame private was only one reason; the main goal was to retrieve that batch of goods. Involving the police would only provoke Tangxi Li and make recovery even less likely.
After cautioning the younger An Family members, Gu Yuqing wearily returned to An Qian’s room.
“How are Grandpa and Grandma? And Dad and Uncle?” An Qian asked anxiously.
“Your grandfather has woken up. Your grandmother and your father are both out of danger. Your uncle just finished bone-setting surgery.”
Hearing that everyone was no longer in critical condition, An Qian breathed a sigh of relief.
But the next moment, her expression darkened, and she gritted her teeth. “That bitch! Once I recover, I’ll make sure she lives a life worse than death!”
Sitting on the sofa, Gu Yuqing rubbed her temples irritably. “Even when you’re better, there might not be much we can do to her!”
In truth, she should have warned Minghe and the others to be cautious back when Tangxi Li first returned home and severely injured An Qian. But she had been too overconfident, thinking she alone could handle a mere young girl.Reality had slapped her hard in the face—she hadn’t just severely underestimated the situation; she had been like a frog at the bottom of a well, seeing only a tiny patch of sky.
No, she couldn’t remain passive any longer. She had to do something!
Kill her—eliminate the threat once and for all. Yes, kill her!
In just a few seconds, Gu Yuqing made her decision and contacted Biao Ge, the man who had brought Tangxi Li home the previous night, asking him to find a mercenary organization on her behalf.
Half an hour after the call was made, Biao Ge called back, saying he had connected her with the top mercenary organization in Country M, but they demanded 10 billion.
“Pfft—” An Qian, who had been drinking water, sprayed it all over the bed, her eyes wide with disbelief. “10 billion? Why don’t they just rob us? How is that bitch Tangxi Li’s life worth 10 billion?”
Gu Yuqing also thought the price was exorbitant, so she asked Biao Ge to look for another organization.
Soon, Biao Ge reported back.
This time, he had contacted one from Europe, but their demand was even higher—20 billion to kill Tangxi Li.
An Qian, who was eating breakfast, cursed loudly, “What kind of scam is this? They must be frauds! Mom, don’t fall for it. Let’s find someone domestic.”
“Find someone domestic for what?”
As she spoke, a familiar, cold female voice came from outside.
Both An Qian and Gu Yuqing’s faces paled instantly, and they whipped their heads toward the hospital room door.
The snow-white door was pushed open from the outside, and in walked a strikingly beautiful woman in a black dress, carrying a bouquet of flowers.
Her fair and delicate face wore a faint, detached smile that didn’t reach her eyes. Behind her stood several female bodyguards.
“An Qian, I’ve come to see you. Are you happy?” Ignoring the icy expressions on the mother and daughter’s faces, Tangxi Li calmly placed the bouquet on An Qian’s bedside.
“I bought these flowers for you. Do you like them?”
“I like your sister!” An Qian’s face darkened as she turned her gaze to the bouquet.
She hadn’t paid much attention at first, but a closer look made her jump in shock.
Damn it, the flowers Tangxi Li had brought were white chrysanthemums—the kind used to pay respects to the dead.
To make it even more ominous, the bouquet was adorned with two small funeral scrolls that read: “Dear An Qian, may you rest in peace and ascend to paradise soon. With ‘heartfelt’ condolences from your ‘family’.”
The word “family” was enclosed in single quotation marks, a particularly vicious touch.
Damn it!
An Qian trembled with rage, her face alternating between red and black. She swatted the bouquet to the floor, shouting, “Who the hell are you cursing?”
“You, of course.” Tangxi Li looked surprised, as if she were staring at an idiot. “Isn’t it written clearly in black and white? Why ask such a pointless question? Are you going blind at such a young age?”
“You… bitch! Ah—” An Qian was so furious that she clawed at her hair, screaming hysterically.
But before she could scream for more than a few seconds, Tangxi Li slapped her twice across the face—smack, smack.
“What are you screaming for? This is a hospital. No loud noises allowed. And you call yourself a wealthy socialite? Is this the extent of your manners?”
An Qian’s face burned with pain from the slaps.
As her parents’ cherished pearl, she had been pampered and spoiled since childhood and had never experienced such humiliation.
Her face twisted with rage, and she shrieked, “Ah—you bitch, I’ll fight you to the death!”
Blinded by fury, An Qian forgot the pain from her broken ribs. She threw off the covers and, barefoot, lunged at Tangxi Li.
Gu Yuqing, who had been itching to intervene but was blocked by the bodyguards, saw that her daughter had lost all reason. She shoved the bodyguards aside and, just as An Qian was about to pounce on Tangxi Li, grabbed her in time to stop her.”An Qian, calm down!” Gu Yuqing held her daughter tightly, pleading in her ear, “You’re no match for her. Do you want to break two more ribs?”