Chapter 156: Auntie, Don

October in Beijing was still cool, and the air conditioner wasn't on in the living room.

Liu Xiaoli went to tend to the garden, leaving the two of them to talk it out and see how they'd resolve it themselves.

She didn't fully understand the details—if she had, she wouldn't have gone with her daughter to see Zeng Yike's concert.

Back then, she thought the girl seemed genuinely nice, and never suspected anything.

But now that things had reached this point, she felt her daughter might have been tricked—or become a casualty in someone's power struggle.

Fundamentally, Xiao Fang saw this more clearly! Liu Tianxian picked up a stack of documents and carefully flipped through them, which contained the entire timeline of her "meeting and falling in love" with Zeng Yike.

It also included Zeng Yike's background, her company, and the internal power struggles within MaTongTai, along with the rivalries over control.

At this time, MaTongTai was rife with factions, their interests tangled and complex.

There were alliances, and there were constraints.

"I see."

Fang Hong crouched down and explained: "According to Director Ouyang, someone wanted to pull you into Tianyu to achieve a full explosion across traffic, platform, Variety, and film/TV—all to seize power and climb up. But this company has many factions; some didn't want that, so they arranged for Zeng to pull you toward the top."

Liu Tianxian stared blankly: "Why would they do this?"

"Because Director Ouyang is retiring—who's going to sit in that seat?" Fang Hong countered.

Hearing this, Liu Tianxian finally understood the complexity of the situation—she was, fundamentally, just a pawn in their hands.

Some wanted to recruit her; others wanted to destroy her.

What else could it be? She was popular. She brought the platform enough profit in film/TV, Variety, and traffic.

She could become someone else's card to advance their own position.

The entertainment industry's interests are always tangled and complex; as a pawn, no one cares if you live or die.

"But it's not Zeng Yike's fault!" Liu Tianxian still defended her friend.

"Who blamed her? Did I say one bad word about her from start to finish? It's you who's been making malicious assumptions about me." Fang Hong pointed at himself.

Liu Tianxian had no reply—he really hadn't said a single bad thing about Zeng Yike, only warned her that there was a conspiracy behind it.

She realized how foolish she'd been back then, but this man's attitude had been terrible too.

"I understand you want to make friends and protect them—that proves you're sincere, and that's a good quality, which I admire. But you can't be used—that's not you anymore," Fang Hong said earnestly.

Liu Tianxian felt embarrassed—he'd struck a nerve. She'd always wanted to live as herself, break free from constraints, yet she kept jumping from one pit into another.

First it was the Hong Kong circle; now it's Tianyu.

"This matter is too high-level for me to handle. So, Miss Liu, you're on your own from now on!" Fang Hong patted her face, then stood up and walked away.

"Hey—"

Liu Tianxian called after him: "You're just going to abandon this?"

"It's not that I'm abandoning it—I can't handle it. What power do I have to fight Tianyu? Even if I bet my entire fortune, I couldn't win." Fang Hong's tone carried resentment.

Tianyu was backed by MaTongTai—he had absolutely no capacity to challenge it! "I'm not asking you to fight Tianyu, just see if you can soften this situation," Liu Tianxian said.

"Do you know this has already happened? All the evidence is out there online. They can trigger this at any moment to manipulate public opinion. When it explodes depends on their mood. Even if Tianyu doesn't act, do you think your rivals will let you off? It's inevitable—it's going to blow. You can't escape it. Even if I had more ability, how long could I suppress it? I can't sacrifice everyone in the entertainment industry!"

Fang Hong's emotions flared—he strode up to Liu Tianxian.

Hearing this, Liu Tianxian lowered her head, finally grasping the gravity of the situation—a sense of crisis stirred in her. She knew how seriously this country treated "sex" in public figures; any hint of impropriety, even if not an actual relationship, would be dealt with harshly.

If this exploded, she might have to quit the industry again—no one would dare risk using someone tainted by "sex."

If it exploded, everyone would turn on her—she was already the target.

"This situation isn't as bad as it seems yet. There's still room to fix it—we just need to find a way," Liu Tianxian's tone lost its earlier force.

"Not bad?!"

Fang Hong exploded at her words: "Do you know what happens if this blows? The entire film industry will abandon you—your endorsements, your events, all canceled. No one will invite you again because you'll be a problem artist."

If proven true, think about what happened to Tang Wei.

Wang Zhangtian told me to cut off all your resources behind your back—who else can you rely on? Those trash in the Hong Kong circle?"

Fang Hong was furious—his frustration boiled over. He lunged forward, ready to hit her.

Liu Tianxian screamed "Ah!" and jumped up to run—but she wasn't wearing shoes. Fang Hong stepped directly onto the rug, not caring if it got dirty, shoved her down onto the rug, and raised his hand to strike.

"Are you trying to kill me? Can't you talk properly?!" Liu Tianxian shouted. "I'm going to hit you today—I won't feel better until I do," Fang Hong's head was hot with rage.

He flipped her onto her stomach, pinned her back with one hand, and brought the other down hard with a loud "slap!"—her ass was nicely plump.

"Ow! Be gentle!" Liu Tianxian cried out in pain.

Her pants were thin—almost like she wasn't wearing any—so the impact hurt badly.

"I haven't slept these past days—I've been running around begging everyone, throwing up from drinking over ten times, gathering evidence, hunting down the black hands—all for you! Who am I doing this for? Don't you have a brain, or are you just all ass?"

Fang Hong grew more agitated, striking her ass again—"slap, slap!"—the flesh rippled, thick and ample.

Liu Tianxian was used to luxury—she ate, slept, and exercised regularly; her ass was firm and elastic.

"I didn't know it was like that! Why are you yelling at me?" Liu Tianxian pushed against him.

"You didn't know? Didn't I warn you? Did you ever take time to investigate? You rushed into constant interaction with them, thinking friends were good—do you think I'm not looking out for you? Every time I think of this, I cry from heartache."

Fang Hong grew even more worked up, "slap, slap!"—two more strikes on her ass.

"You think I haven't cried? I cried too! You wouldn't let me go for propaganda, told me to rest—I thought you were abandoning me!" Liu Tianxian, in pain, instinctively reached for her ass.

Fang Hong slapped her hand away, forbidding her to touch it.

This man hit too hard—Liu Tianxian screamed and cried, but she knew he was furious: "Calm down first. Can't we talk properly?"

"I'm making you remember today," Fang Hong roared.

The noise inside was loud. Outside, Liu Xiaoli listened carefully, sensed something was wrong, dropped her tools, and walked toward the room.

"I'm not letting you run because I'm protecting you, cooling you down—why can't you appreciate it?"

Fang Hong spoke, then delivered three more "slap, slap, slap!"

"You're hurting me!" Liu Tianxian screamed.

My heart hurts more.

Fang Hong struck again, over and over—pat pat pat pat—her buttocks rippling continuously, though hidden beneath clothing.

He felt he was in the right; Liu Tianxian deserved to be beaten! Liu Tianxian screamed "Wah wah!" in pain, tears streaming down, hurting badly.

Liu Xiaoli entered the room and saw this scene; she was displeased and heartbroken, shouting: "Xiao Fang, let her go right now!"

"Auntie, don't interfere!" Fang Hong said.

How could Liu Xiaoli not interfere? This Xiao Fang had gone too far—was there ever a mother who let her daughter be beaten like this?

She stepped forward and yanked Fang Hong away: "Stop acting up—get out of the way right now."

Fang Hong saw Liu Xiaoli was angry, and he grew slightly calmer and more subdued; his earlier behavior had indeed been irrational, too impulsive.

Mostly, he had a fire inside him—he couldn't rest until it was spent! Liu Tianxian got up, glaring at Fang Hong, rubbing her buttocks, wondering if they were red.

He made her cry—too cruel.

But she wasn't truly angry; she knew this man acted for her good. Though his words carried "hate," every sentence dripped with "love."

The living room fell silent for a moment. Fang Hong stood, breathing heavily, locking eyes with Liu Tianxian—though her eyes were filled with tears.

They just stared at each other, refusing to speak, like a young couple in a petty quarrel.

"Xiao Fang, talk about the issue—why hit her? I called you here to solve the problem, not to beat people!" Liu Xiaoli was deeply dissatisfied with Fang Hong's actions, her voice much sharper.

"Look at her attitude—is that how someone who wants to solve the problem behaves?" Fang Hong was still furious.

"Point at me again, and I'll break your hand," Liu Tianxian snarled.

"See? See how she acts!" Fang Hong said.

"Xixi, you too—say less," Liu Xiaoli glared.

Liu Tianxian wiped her tears, her face streaked with rainlike sorrow, looking heartbreakingly pitiful, muttering: "I've been beaten to tears."

"Do you think I've never cried? When you didn't understand me, how much pain did I feel? Who could I tell?" Fang Hong heard.

Liu Tianxian said nothing. At the time, she truly hadn't understood this man—she had sided with Zeng Yike—but this man hadn't spoken to her properly either.

She, too, hadn't been understood; her heart had ached terribly, and she had desperately wanted to cry.

Being misunderstood by the one you love is unbearable! (End of chapter)