Chapter 160: A Motherless Child is Like a Blade of Grass

What is wrong with the Lu family? Can the Lu family just bully people by throwing their weight around?

Ling Xuan still wore an unyielding expression, skillfully turning the tables with her words.

Lu Ye asked in a deep, cold voice, "If we were merely ordinary people without any martial arts training, I ask you, wouldn't we be kneeling on the ground right now begging for our lives?"

"Bullying people by throwing your weight around—you really have the nerve to say that! Just who do you think you are, a mere Miss Ling, to be so arrogant and overbearing?"

Ling Tianqiong delivered a swift kick to his daughter's lower leg, and Ling Xuan dropped straight to her knees with a thud.

Ling Jian clenched his teeth and knelt side-by-side with his younger sister.

With a bitter and distressed expression on his face, Ling Tianqiong turned to Cheng Qimeng and said, "Great-aunt, I am truly sorry!"

"It was my ignorant children who lacked manners and offended you. I hope that, with your great magnanimity, you won't hold it against them."

Cheng Qimeng smiled faintly, her lips curling into a mocking smirk as she scoffed, "Of course I wouldn't hold it against children, but as a parent, you're standing here trying to gloss things over and play peacemaker. Isn't that a bit inappropriate?"

Ling Tianqiong instantly shivered all over!

More than a decade ago, back when this great beauty was still young, she had already beaten the various martial arts aristocratic families into collective silence.

And now, more than ten years later, not only had her youthful looks not faded, but her temper remained just as domineering and tyrannical, unwilling to show even the slightest bit of grace or leniency.

Ling Tianqiong let out a miserable sigh. "Great-aunt, I have personally come to offer my apologies and make amends. What else would you have me do?"

Cheng Qimeng smiled gently and said, "Sing 'Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf' to Great-aunt, and keep singing until I am satisfied."

A few dark lines instantly dropped down Ling Tianqiong's forehead. "This..."

This was simply too humiliating!

Putting aside the fact that he was the dignified head of the Ling family, which of any middle-aged men in their fifties would be willing to sing a children's cartoon theme song in public?

"Great-aunt, could you perhaps change to another condition?"

Stubbornly, Cheng Qimeng shook her head. "No changes. I want to hear Pleasant Goat."

Ling Tianqiong looked deeply embarrassed. "This is too shameful..."

Cheng Qimeng blinked and said with a soft smile, "If you don't sing, you'll be even more humiliated. Trust me."

"On that, I have no doubt..."

Ling Tianqiong glanced around and was relieved to find that there weren't many people in the restaurant.

So, clearing his throat awkwardly, he began to sing, "Ahem, 'Don't look down on me just because I'm a little sheep, the sheep are...'"

Cheng Qimeng interrupted him, "You're out of tune. Start over."

"Don't look down on me just because..."

"You started the pitch too high. Start over!"

Forcing back the overwhelming grievance churning in his gut, Ling Tianqiong had no choice but to sing it over and over again: "Don't look down on me just because I'm a little sheep..."

Until the crowd inside the Red Forest Restaurant gradually began to thicken.

This was a high-end restaurant; although it could not rival Tianxiang Yipin, its selling point was its serene and elegant environment. Every mealtime, quite a few dignitaries and prominent figures would come here to dine. Among them, quite a few people recognized Liu Jia, who was crouching aside and trembling all over.

"Isn't this Young Master Liu? What are you doing crouching down here?"

A middle-aged man with a receding hairline walked over and asked, looking down at Liu Jia.

This man was named Wang Jun. He and Liu Jia's father, Liu Jinxiong, had business dealings with each other, so he was fairly familiar with Liu Jia.

Liu Jia kept his head down, not daring to utter a single sound.

Wang Jun cast a glance at the few people nearby, particularly focusing on the middle-aged man of the same age who was currently singing "Don't look down on me just because I'm a little sheep"...

Although he did not recognize Ling Tianqiong, he could tell that they had definitely gotten themselves into deep trouble.

Therefore, making a hasty excuse, he practically fled out of the Red Forest Restaurant and called Liu Jinxiong.

When Liu Jinxiong heard that his son was being bullied and humiliated inside the Red Forest Restaurant, how could he possibly swallow this insult?

"Where are they? Have they left?"

"No, they haven't left. They're still inside the Red Forest Restaurant."

"Alright, Old Wang, help me keep an eye on my good-for-nothing son for a moment. I'm bringing people over right now!"

"Alright, you got it!"

...

The song about Pleasant Goat was sung for over half an hour. Ling Tianqiong's throat was completely hoarse, and aggrieved tears swirled in the corners of his eyes.

As the dignified head of a martial arts family, he was bullied by Cheng Qimeng to the point where he didn't dare to show even a shred of temper.

If word of this got out, who would ever believe it?

"Don't look down on me just because I'm a little sheep..."

Disgusted, Cheng Qimeng gave a cold snort and said, "Alright, alright, shut your mouth now."

It sounded like a royal pardon to Ling Tianqiong. "Thank you, Great-aunt!"

"Take these two unruly brats of yours back and properly discipline them. Stop wandering around acting like big shots when you have nothing to back it up. Just what is there for you to be so arrogant about?"

"Yes, yes, yes! I will definitely discipline them properly once we get back!"

Acting as though fleeing for his lives, Ling Tianqiong grabbed his two children by the collars and bolted out of the Red Forest Restaurant, leaving only Liu Jia standing there in a daze!

Lu Ye smiled faintly and asked, "Young Master Liu, what about you? What do you have to say?"

Gritting his teeth, Liu Jia dropped to his knees and admitted defeat, saying, "I'm sorry. I was blind and failed to recognize a true master. I will never bother Young Master Ye again. Please spare me."

"I can spare you, but we follow the old rules."

"Eat your own shoes, and I'll pretend today's incident never happened."

Putting on a brave face, Liu Jia nodded.

Even Ling Tianqiong couldn't act arrogant here, so what else could he possibly do?

Right on the spot, he took off that pair of expensive leather shoes and, closing his eyes, shoved them straight into his mouth.

Frowning, Lu Ye barked, "Get outside to eat those! Can't you see we're in the middle of a meal?"

"Yes, yes, yes!"

Humiliated to the extreme, Liu Jia clutched his shoes and stumbled toward the restaurant entrance.

Wang Jun blocked his path and said, "Young Master Liu, you don't need to be afraid of them! Your dad is bringing people over right now!"

Liu Jia's eyes widened in horror. "What did you say? Who asked you to bring my dad here?"

"I—didn't I see that you were being bullied?"

"I just wanted to do you a good turn and let your dad know!"

Wang Jun was also bewildered. How could Liu Jia be so unappreciative of good intentions? He was doing him a favor by tipping him off, only to be blamed instead?

Taking a deep breath, Liu Jia said, "Uncle Wang, those people are not people we can afford to offend!"

With that, he hurriedly reached into his pocket to pull out his phone and tell Liu Jinxiong not to get involved.

However, before the call could even be placed, more than ten black Mercedes-Benz limousines roared in a majestic convoy into the parking lot of the Red Forest Restaurant. Liu Jinxiong had brought no fewer than a hundred security guards from the Liu Group with him!

Seeing Liu Jia standing disheveled at the restaurant entrance, barefoot and clutching his shoes, with a bright red palm print still visible across his cheek, Liu Jinxiong flew into a towering rage.

"Who did this?" he roared furiously.

Panic-stricken, Liu Jia opened his mouth to explain...

Inside the restaurant, Lu Ye smiled brightly and answered first, "It was me."

Without asking any further questions, Liu Jinxiong grabbed Liu Jia and surged straight inside, followed by the horde of over a hundred security guards. He hadn't expected to see Ye Liancheng and Ye Qiu sitting there as well, leading him to mistakenly assume that the father-and-son Ye duo were behind the entire mess.

"Ye Liancheng, don't you plan to give me an explanation for this?"

"Although my Liu family has fallen on hard times recently, we haven't sunk so low that anyone can ride roughshod over our heads and bully us at will!"

Ye Liancheng replied in a resonant, uncompromising voice, "Liu Jinxiong, I suggest you figure out the situation first. Ask your son to tell you what good deeds he's been up to."

"Explain my ass!" Liu Jinxiong roared self-righteously. "He's still just a child! What kind of coward bullies a child?"

Great, another giant infant!

From behind, Liu Jinxiong's arm was tugged as Liu Jia tried to advise, "Dad, I was in the wrong this time. Just let it go!"

"No way! My son has been bullied like this, and if I don't stand up for you, how is the Liu family supposed to hold their heads high in Beijing from now on?"

"Ye Liancheng, you must give me an explanation for what happened today!"

Lu Ye sneered. "You want an explanation, do you? Fine!"

"Just now, Ling Tianqiong sang 'Pleasant Goat' for half an hour, and we're all sick of hearing it. Why don't you sing 'Only Mother is Good in the World' for us?"

Liu Jinxiong froze. "Who did you say sang 'Pleasant Goat' for half an hour?"

Weakly, Liu Jia muttered, "It was Ling Tianqiong, the head of the Ling martial arts family."

"How is that possible?"

"Dad, it's the absolute truth. That person is the young master of the Lu martial arts family, and the woman sitting next to him is his mother!"

Liu Jinxiong's eyeballs nearly popped out of his skull!

"What the hell! You jinxing little bastard, why didn't you say so earlier?!"

Aggrieved, Liu Jia retorted, "I wanted to say something, but did you give me a chance to speak?"

"Dad, I advise you to sing that song for them. Otherwise, the consequences will be unimaginable."

Liu Jinxiong's face instantly turned the color of a bruised plum!

*You damned little beast!* Of all people to provoke, why did you have to go and provoke a behemoth like the Lu family?

Not only had they offended the Lu family now, but the Ling family would undoubtedly count the humiliation they had suffered against Liu Jia as well. In a single instant, they had managed to offend two major martial arts aristocratic families!

Tears welling up in his eyes, Liu Jinxiong cracked a forced smile and began to sing, "Only mother is good in the world, a child with a mother is like a treasure..."

Nearby, Lu Ye and Cheng Qimeng adopted the poses of professional singing judges, offering up very earnest critiques. "Liu Jinxiong has a pretty decent timbre, and his breath control is surprisingly steady."

"Mmm, he sings much better than Ling Tianqiong did earlier."

"From his singing, I can genuinely hear the inner cry of a motherless child, which makes it impossible not to feel a shred of sympathy for him."

"You are completely right. Perhaps he really is a motherless child, which is why he can sing with such soul!"