Chapter 158

This isn't something Liu Tianxian can just cut off on a whim; if you ignore her, she'll keep chasing you for interaction every day.

Recently, Zeng Yike even shaved her head and wrote an "F" on it, then posted it on Weibo—the implication couldn't be more obvious.

But public opinion has been diverted; online, people are still denouncing the Shoe Horn family.

The three sat together and began discussing how to respond.

Liu Xiaoli directly asked Fang Hong for his opinion: "Xiao Fang, I think you have more experience—what do you think we should do about this?"

"Auntie, I don't have much experience. My methods are all pretty crude, no finesse at all." Fang Hong said.

When it comes to something like this, asking him means dealing directly with the person involved—no need for all these roundabout tactics.

But we have to consider Liu Tianxian.

"Just tell me your idea first—we'll decide if it's feasible later." Liu Xiaoli wanted to resolve her daughter's problem; keeping this ticking time bomb around made her uneasy.

Fang Hong glanced at Liu Tianxian, then said: "My idea is to make Zeng Yike expose herself."

"How?" Liu Xiaoli asked, taking the opportunity.

Liu Tianxian also fixed her gaze on the man.

"Force her to confess she likes men, then get a few men to take intimate photos with her, and threaten to throw her into the Pacific Ocean if she doesn't—though I'm just scaring her."

Fang Hong was straightforward and brutal—no need for all these convoluted schemes and tricks.

This made the mother and daughter exchange silent shock—this was too crude and extreme, his approach too over-the-top to be acceptable.

Fang Hong added: "If anyone asks, Feifei just needs to respond: everyone has their own life—stay out of Zeng's love life, and that's about it."

That way, Zeng has her own man, Liu Tianxian doesn't interfere in Zeng's relationship, clearly showing they're just friends, then slowly fade and cut ties.

This tactic is almost identical to how Liu Tianxian herself once found men in her past life—now it's reversed onto Zeng.

The only difference is we have to force Zeng to do it!

"You shouldn't do this." Liu Tianxian was kind-hearted.

"Mm."

Fang Hong fell silent—he couldn't think of a better solution either.

Actually, this was the best method: the one causing the least harm to Liu Tianxian while protecting himself.

As for Zeng—let her die.

Liu Tianxian added: "It's not a problem right now. My idea is to slowly let it fade, ignore it—maybe people will forget soon, and after enough time passes, it'll die down."

Her imagination was still quite idealistic.

"You're putting your hopes on others—that's just naive," Liu Xiaoli told her daughter.

Liu Tianxian herself realized it wasn't realistic—she'd been insulted before; those people seized every chance to attack.

In truth, Liu Xiaoli thought Fang Hong's method wasn't entirely unreasonable—it wasn't as if they'd actually hurt Zeng.

Just scare Zeng, make her resolve the problem the same way she started it: if she can divert attention from Liu Tianxian, then get men to divert attention from her too.

Using her own method against her isn't impossible—just dishonorable.

Liu Xiaoli, with her vast experience, knew the world had no perfect solutions: if you want to avoid harm, someone else must suffer.

The discussion stalled, the air growing silent.

Each had their own thoughts: Fang Hong favored a brutal solution; Liu Xiaoli agreed inwardly but hesitated; Liu Tianxian outright opposed it, unwilling to hurt her friend.

"Let's think of a gentler method—put this one on hold for now," Liu Xiaoli said.

In her heart, this was the last resort.

"I don't have any ideas."

Fang Hong added: "But Feifei, I need to be clear with you—if we can't find a better solution, I'll still go with my way. I won't let you get hurt."

"Can you please stop being so brutal? Just now you scolded the Shoe Horn family to pieces, and now you want to force someone and threaten to throw them into the Pacific—you're too impulsive sometimes. Calm down." Liu Tianxian sighed.

She meant the Shoe Horn family—he hadn't been wronged by them, yet he vilified them all just to shift public attention away from her.

Of course, she didn't blame Fang Hong—he meant well.

And before, when she wanted to talk things out calmly, he'd just hung up without a word.

"I didn't want to either. Back then, I had no choice—I had to pull someone out to divert attention." Fang Hong explained.

"I know," Liu Tianxian understood.

"Actually, when I made that decision, I struggled inside. Afterward, seeing all those insults, I felt guilty." Fang Hong pressed his hand to his chest.

"Really?" Liu Tianxian doubted—could this man really feel remorse?

"I've always remembered your teachings: be upright in character, act with integrity—but there's one condition: you mustn't get hurt. If you're hurt, I'd rather turn my back on the world."

Fang Hong's romantic declaration and pledge of loyalty came out effortlessly. The mother and daughter exchanged glances—turning his back on the world? Too obvious, too childish.

Still, Liu Tianxian was touched, smiling sweetly: "You don't need to. Just be yourself."

"This won't be solved in a day or two—watch the situation. If nothing else works, find a man for Xixi," Liu Xiaoli said, then walked away.

The two had been talking fine, then suddenly got all mushy—she couldn't stand it.

She meant finding a man to publicly date Liu Tianxian and "correct" the "sexuality" narrative.

"Mom, what are you talking about?" Liu Tianxian called after her—but no one answered.

Then she turned to Fang Hong: "My mom's joking—ignore her."

"Mm, I know," Fang Hong nodded.

Joking? If they found a man, it'd be him—how could it be anyone else?

"I'm warning you—you can't do anything stupid. Zeng Yike is still my good friend, and I don't want her hurt." Liu Tianxian sounded serious.

"Alright," Fang Hong nodded.

After her mother walked far away, Liu Tianxian suddenly hit Fang Hong again.

"Why'd you hit me?" Fang Hong rubbed his arm.

Liu Tianxian leaned close, staring at him: "Do you know why I hit your ass?"

"I don't know." Fang Hong was baffled.

For the thrill, what else? "When I hit your ass, you didn't fight back, because you thought there was something wrong with you—you were too self-centered. But do you think you had no problem? Why didn't you talk to me properly? Why did you suddenly hang up on me?"

Liu Tianxian's expression turned serious; she intended to communicate properly with this man.

Now that they had fought and yelled, their emotions were spent—they could be calm.

"That time you said you wanted to be yourself?"

Fang Hong thought back—it was right after he finished talking with Wang Zhangtian, when Liu Tianxian called him.

"Yes."

Liu Tianxian nodded: "That time your tone was harsh, you suddenly hung up on me, and you canceled my Propaganda Department assignment—you really made me cry. Do you know how much it hurt me?"

She spoke plainly, never hiding or bottling things up.

To maintain their relationship, they needed honesty and Tandang—speak openly to each other what was in their hearts.

That meant more communication.

"That time..."

Fang Hong found it hard to explain.

He had been angry then because Liu Tianxian disrupted his development rhythm.

In his memory, that matter should have come later.

But he couldn't explain, because he was acting from memory—and when the memory was off, it made him feel unsafe.

He had grown anxious, lost control of his temper, and lashed out at Liu Tianxian.

"We could've talked this through properly. When I called you, I wanted to talk calmly."

"But you're so self-righteous—you think you can handle everything alone, say nothing, and just demand I do this or that. I know you mean well, but this makes me deeply uncomfortable. Do you understand?"

Liu Tianxian's tone wasn't loud, only serious.

She didn't want to fight—she just wanted this man to reflect on himself.

Fang Hong thought over the whole incident—he did have faults. He started with a harsh tone, canceled her Propaganda Department assignment without saying a word, and tried to hide her away.

He thought he could fix everything himself, demanded Liu Tianxian follow his rhythm, and ignored her feelings entirely.

Liu Tianxian moved closer, cradling his thoughtful face: "Fang Hong, I'm saying this not to blame you for controlling me, but so you'll communicate more with me in the future—don't fly off the handle so easily. Do you understand?"

"I understand!"

Fang Hong nodded: "From now on, I'll definitely talk to you properly—I won't hang up on you, and I won't lose my temper with you."

"Good. Say it again." Liu Tianxian smiled.

"From now on, I'll definitely talk to you properly—I won't hang up on you, and I won't lose my temper with you."

Fang Hong felt like a parrot, but he did have faults—he added: "Actually, that time..."

Liu Tianxian suddenly kissed his lips, then pulled away: "The past is past. No need to mention it again."

(End of Chapter)