Xia Hou was merely putting on a show for his daughter.
Although he intended to use this incident to push Chen Nan away, he knew his daughter's nature.
She would undoubtedly stand by him, come what may.
It was precisely for this reason that he proposed beating Chen Nan.
He wanted to give his daughter an outlet for her pent-up grievances.
Since it was just a pretense, he naturally held back.
However.
Upon hearing his daughter say, "He just made a mistake that all men in the world make," Xia Hou lost his temper.
Your mother doesn't even have this level of understanding.
Why are you so enlightened?
He was furious!
He wanted to beat Chen Nan severely.
But his daughter stood in front of him.
He couldn't bring himself to do it!
Taking a deep breath, he said helplessly, "Alright, alright, get up. I won't hit him anymore, okay?"
"Thank you, Father!" Xia Youwei quickly thanked him and then stood up.
At that very instant.
Xia Hou exploded.
"I'll beat you to death, you scoundrel!"
He roared and brought the wooden stick in his hand down on Chen Nan's back.
Crack!
The wooden stick shattered upon impact.
This caused Xia Youwei to protest indignantly. She bit her lip hard, tears welling up in her eyes, "Father, you're a liar. You promised to let Brother Nan go, so why did you still hit him?"
Chen Nan also grimaced in pain.
The wooden stick broke.
That's how much it hurt!
Xia Hou snorted, "I had anger in my heart and wanted to vent it. So what?"
Xia Youwei said indignantly, "You're simply unreasonable."
Xia Hou dropped the half-broken wooden stick and stormed into the house, disgruntled.
"Brother Nan, hurry and take off your clothes. Let me see if you're injured." Xia Youwei looked at Chen Nan with deep concern, not mentioning Ning Yinqiu's matter.
Brother Nan had already suffered his father's beating.
How could she bear to blame him?
As she had said before.
He had merely made a mistake that all men in the world make.
There was no need to make a big deal out of it.
"Youwei, my skin is thick and tough. I'm fine," Chen Nan forced a smile, feeling truly unworthy of Xia Youwei.
"No, you must take off your clothes." Xia Youwei unceremoniously pulled off Chen Nan's upper garment. Seeing the red and swollen stick marks on him.
Tears streamed down her face again.
She looked at him with heartache and sobbed softly, "It's such a small matter. He just found another woman outside. I haven't said anything, so why did he beat you like this?"
The moment these words were spoken.
Chen Nan felt a suffocating sensation.
He wished Xia Youwei would scold him, or even hit him, and he would feel a bit better.
But her words made him, a great scumbag, feel ashamed.
For the first time, he felt like he was worthless.
His scumbag behavior had become something he despised.
"I have a bottle of medicated oil here. Take it and apply it," Xia Hou said expressionlessly, walking out with a bottle of medicated oil.
Xia Youwei snatched the medicated oil from her father's hand, linked her arm through Chen Nan's, and said, "Brother Nan, come back to my room with me. I'll help you apply the medicated oil."
Xia Hou put on a stern face, "You two aren't married yet. Is this appropriate?"
"Mind your own business?"
Xia Youwei said indignantly and then led Chen Nan towards the bedroom.
They were in there for over an hour.
Because applying medicated oil by hand was painful.
Xia Youwei did not use her hands to help Chen Nan apply it.
Instead, she used something softer.
Of course.
It was an inseparable part of her.
After they finished applying the medicated oil, the sun was about to set.
Xia Youwei stayed in her room to rest.
After all.
Applying medicated oil was quite tiring.
"Uncle Xia, I have official business to attend to, so I'll take my leave now!" Although Xia Youwei had invited him to stay for dinner, Chen Nan saw Xia Hou's fiery gaze and gave up on the idea.
Xia Hou suddenly said, "You mentioned before that you wrote a book?"
"What's the name of the book you wrote?"
Chen Nan's old face turned red, finding it difficult to speak.
Xia Hou saw his hesitation and said, "Making money is nothing to be ashamed of."
Hearing this.
Chen Nan no longer hid it, "My book is called [Bai Yu]."
"What?" Xia Hou suddenly stood up, his eyes filled with disbelief. "So, you're Si Shu Wu Jing? An idol, an idol!"
"I finally get to meet the real you!"
Chen Nan was suddenly at a loss.
Good heavens.
His future father-in-law was a fan of his book?
Xia Hou was excited, "So, I heard that Bai Yu has six volumes, right?"
"Can you, for our sake, let me get an early look at the subsequent stories?"
"Can you give me a sig—"
At this point.
Xia Hou suddenly paused.
He is my future son-in-law.
Even if I like, no, admire his work.
Do I need to be so humble?
How will I, as his father-in-law, command respect in the future?
With this thought, he cleared his throat and resumed his usual stern demeanor, "I've casually glanced at the novels you've written. Overall, they are passable."
"But there are also many flaws. How about this."
"Bring me the unpublished manuscripts, and I'll help you review them."
"Good... Shameless," Chen Nan's eyes were filled with astonishment.
To be fair.
When it came to shamelessness, most people couldn't compete with him.
But now, he discovered.
Xia Hou was someone he looked up to.
Without overthinking, he quickly said, "Alright, I'll bring the next three volumes of the story tomorrow for you to review."
Xia Hou showed a pleased look. "That's more like it."
"Then I'll take my leave now!"
Chen Nan quickly left the Xia family.
He couldn't help it.
He felt out of place with someone as shameless as Xia Hou.
"Why are you all here?"
As soon as Chen Nan left the Xia residence, he saw Song Yunfei and the others waiting there, and he couldn't help but be startled.
Song Yunfei shrugged. "We figured you might be in some trouble, so we've been waiting here. Boss, regarding Hu Ning'an's case, how should we proceed now?"
As the sky gradually darkened.
Chen Nan took out some broken silver and gave it to Song Yunfei. "Later, you guys change your clothes and get a room at the inn opposite Ruyi Tower. Keep a close watch on everything Ruyi Tower does."
"Remember, you must constantly monitor Ruyi Tower's movements."
"Even if a mouse runs out, it must be within your sight."
"If you see anyone suspicious, you must follow them."
Before, when he went to Ruyi Tower, he had noticed an inn opposite it.
It was six stories high.
From there, one could clearly see the people entering and leaving the casino.
Song Yunfei took the silver and, with the other four, headed towards Ruyi Tower.
Chen Nan, meanwhile, wandered the streets.
Finally.
He discovered someone selling whips.
He immediately bought one.
Leng Qingmei had told the Xia family about him and Ning Yinqiu.
Making Xia Youwei so sad and heartbroken.
He had to teach Leng Qingmei a harsh lesson.
The whip was his tool!