Chapter Eight: He Must Love You Deeply

The Bear lumbered forward, emerging from the crowd and stepping up to the door of the building that Su Xiaoxiao had chosen. He pushed against it with a massive paw—nothing happened.

"Sturdy, huh! Heh," he muttered to himself, grinning foolishly. He bent his knees, steadied his breath in his core, and shouted, "Open!"

Of course, the Bear knew nothing of the Lion's Roar technique, nor did he think he could break the door with sound waves alone. As he called out, his arms, gnarled and thick as ancient tree roots, veins bulging, swung straight ahead and smashed into the door.

A thunderous crash echoed, sending shards of iron flying through the air. The crowd gasped in terror. Though being hit wasn't likely to cause serious harm, no one wished to be struck by sharp debris.

"They're all lunatics," Su Xiaoxiao muttered under her breath, letting her protective energy dissipate as she strode around the Bear and entered the building.

Zhang Shufang cast a meaningful glance at the Bear, who was still grinning foolishly, then wasted no time and hurried in after Su Xiaoxiao.

Chen Hongxu understood well the purpose behind the Bear's display—after Fan the Fool had already proven his strength, the Bear had to show off as well, intimidating onlookers and reassuring his own people that he was more than just a hulking brute.

The three followed the two women into the house.

The interior decorations were nothing remarkable, though the bold colors and sharp lines on the walls were tiring to look at for long.

They wandered the first floor but saw no sign of the women, so their attention shifted to the staircase.

The stairs were grand, spiraling upward in a distinctly Western style.

As the three ascended, Su Xiaoxiao's voice drifted from a brightly lit room ahead: "Who said so? I did, of course. Don't give me that 'one and only in heaven and earth' nonsense about your master. If anyone dares to stop me from taking a hot shower, not even the king of heaven could save them—I’ll kill whoever stands in my way."

The three men swallowed, exchanging glances, each seeing shock in the others’ eyes. Who would dare threaten Su Xiaoxiao? Argue with her?

They stepped into the room where Su Xiaoxiao stood. Several men in taekwondo uniforms sprawled helplessly on the floor, faces flushed with shame and anger. Presumably, these were the original owners of the house.

"You bunch of bandits, taking advantage of others—what kind of heroes are you?" shouted a particularly handsome young man as they entered.

"Taking advantage?" Chen Hongxu eyed Su Xiaoxiao curiously.

"They opened the door and these idiots were hiding behind it, hoping to ambush me. But they were stunned by my beauty, and I took care of them easily," Su Xiaoxiao snapped at Chen Hongxu, her impatience growing. She sneered, "If you don’t leave now, you won’t leave at all."

The handsome man hesitated, but stood his ground. "Your country is known for its etiquette—you wouldn’t stoop so low. Even if you did, I’m not afraid. Worst comes to worst—"

He never finished. Su Xiaoxiao, brows furrowed with annoyance, cut him off: "Enough jabbering. Fan the Fool, kill him. Let’s see if they’re really so tough."

"Alright!" Fan the Fool replied in a sycophantic tone, grinning wickedly as he strode toward the handsome man.

The young man's expression changed as Fan approached, from indifference to terror. He glared at Fan, whose own face was equally handsome, and spat, "If you dare lay a finger on me—"

"Idiot!" Fan the Fool cursed, swiftly dropping to seize the man’s neck in a firm grip, twisting it violently.

With a sickening crack, the handsome man’s head lolled, tongue protruding.

Fan let go and hurried over to Su Xiaoxiao, waiting eagerly for her next command.

"Get out!" she ordered with a smile.

Fan scurried back to Chen Hongxu, only for Su Xiaoxiao to glare at him again: "Are you still here?"

Fan pouted, feeling wronged. "Sister Su, where exactly do you want me to go?"

Su Xiaoxiao tapped her forehead, muttered "idiot," and was about to speak again when the remaining men, terrified, scrambled to their feet and fled the room.

"So she wasn’t talking about me!" Fan patted his chest, feigning relief.

"You too, get out!" Su Xiaoxiao commanded, arching her brows. "Bear, go downstairs and guard the door. Those Koreans may gather reinforcements and come back for revenge."

"Understood!" The Bear grinned, cracking his knuckles as he strode downstairs.

"Fan the Fool, go check on Ice Queen. With her temperament, there’s probably a river of blood by now," Su Xiaoxiao smacked her lips.

Fan blinked, nodded, and turned to leave, but paused at the door, asking, "What about Brother Chen?"

"He’ll be joining me for a bath," Su Xiaoxiao replied airily.

Fan gripped the doorframe, lost in thought, oblivious to his fingers sinking into the wood. After a moment, his gaze hardened and he declared without turning, "No."

Su Xiaoxiao was surprised. This man, always submissive and never resisting her, actually refused in such an irrelevant situation. "Why not?"

"I said no, and that’s final." Fan the Fool glanced at Chen Hongxu with complex emotion, then strode out without another word. In that moment, his mind was filled with thoughts of Xue Xi. He knew Su Xiaoxiao’s nature—anyone who dared to compete with her for anything ended up dead.

"Is he crazy? What business is it of his?" Su Xiaoxiao grumbled, winking at Chen Hongxu.

"I think he must really love you," Chen Hongxu mused, recalling how Fan the Fool never fought back or talked back to Su Xiaoxiao. He quickly slipped out with a swish.

No way—he wasn’t about to shower with this unpredictable woman, even if he wasn’t involved with Xue Xi. Still, her figure was quite nice. Damn it… how could Fan the Fool be attracted to someone like her? Chen Hongxu shook his head, bewildered.

He descended the stairs and found Fan and the Bear slumped on the floor, both looking listless.

Chen Hongxu walked over and patted Fan’s shoulder. "Loving someone takes courage. Don’t worry, I’m not interested in Su Xiaoxiao. Go fight for your happiness."

Fan stared at him, bewildered by his words.

Chen Hongxu nodded, gave Fan’s shoulder another firm pat, and sent him a knowing look.

Meanwhile, the Koreans who had been chased out made their way to a shop in the southern district. They knelt on the floor, faces twisted with malice, recounting their ordeal to a young man seated in a chair.