Chapter 53
Chapter 53
Chapter 53
It was getting late, and the family was preparing to go to bed.
Xu Shiqing pulled Xu Hao aside.
“Dad, wait here for a moment…”
Blushing furiously, she ran off without explaining further.
Xu Hao raised an eyebrow, intrigued.
He knew the two sisters had made a bet.
And he was somehow involved.
Interesting.
She didn’t keep him waiting for long.
Xu Shiqing soon returned, carrying a basin of warm water.
She placed it in front of him, crouched down, and spoke hesitantly.
“Dad, let me wash your feet…”
Xu Hao’s heart skipped a beat.
Such an obedient daughter—who could resist?
Now he understood their bet.
The loser had to wash his feet.
As for this—
Xu Hao had no complaints. The more, the better.
In fact, he welcomed more bets like this.
Preferably with even bolder punishments.
He could definitely handle it.
[Ding… Xu Shiqing is overwhelmed with embarrassment! Emotion Value +666…]
Seeing Xu Hao remain silent, Xu Shiqing turned even redder.
Hesitantly, she reached out, lifted his foot, and placed it into the warm water.
She focused intently on washing, keeping her head down, too embarrassed to meet his gaze.
Her face was flushed all the way to her neck.
Feeling his daughter’s devoted care, Xu Hao sighed in satisfaction.
Hmm?
His ears twitched slightly.
He heard the faint sound of careful footsteps.
He didn’t even need to look—he knew it was Xu Huayi sneaking over with Su Wanqiu and Xu Hongzhuang to spy on them.
But he had no intention of warning Xu Shiqing.
In fact, he was already thinking about how to use this little rivalry to his advantage.
This was a perfect opportunity.
If Xu Shiqing’s embarrassing act was witnessed by her mother and sister, they would never let her live it down.
That meant more bets in the future, right?
And possibly… even more daring punishments.
Wouldn’t he be the ultimate beneficiary in the end?
Plus, watching Xu Shiqing die of embarrassment in front of everyone would earn him another wave of emotion points.
Not bad. Not bad at all.
Pushing these thoughts aside, Xu Hao closed his eyes and enjoyed his daughter’s service.
Just as Xu Shiqing was getting used to the act of washing his feet…
“Click!”
The door suddenly burst open.
“Sis, we were looking for you to go to bed. Where did you—”
“Sis! What are you doing?! Washing Dad’s feet in secret?!”
Xu Huayi entered with Su Wanqiu and Xu Hongzhuang in tow.
She dramatically scanned the room as if searching for her sister, but her suppressed laughter and exaggerated tone gave her away.
She had definitely done this on purpose.
Hearing the door creak open, Xu Shiqing turned around in confusion.
She didn’t react at first, even as the three approached.
It wasn’t until she noticed her mother’s and sister’s amused expressions that she finally realized what had happened.
A deep red flush exploded across her cheeks.
This time, it didn’t stop at her neck—her entire body turned crimson, as if she might burst into flames.
In utter humiliation, she shot to her feet, her face burning.
Unable to bear it any longer, she bolted out of the room.
“Sis! Where are you going?”
“You haven’t finished washing Dad’s feet yet! Your punishment isn’t over!”
Xu Huayi burst into laughter, calling after her fleeing sister.
Xu Shiqing was too flustered to respond.
Her mind was in chaos, her teeth clenched in frustration.
If there was a hole in the ground, she would have gladly jumped in.
That wicked little sister!
She actually brought their mom and third sister to witness her embarrassment!
“Just you wait! I won’t let you get away with this!”
[Ding… Xu Shiqing is consumed with shame and fury! Emotion Value +888…]
“Sis is overreacting. It’s just washing Dad’s feet. What’s there to be embarrassed about?”
Xu Huayi muttered.
Seeing that Xu Hao’s foot was still soaking in the water, she stepped forward, crouched down, and smoothly took over where her sister left off.
Under the stunned gazes of Su Wanqiu and Xu Hongzhuang, Xu Huayi finished washing his feet, carefully dried them, and looked up with a bright smile.
“Dad, how did I do?”
After finishing everything, Xu Huayi lifted her chin, wearing a “Hurry up and praise me” expression.
Having enjoyed a foot-washing service from both daughters, Xu Hao felt completely relaxed.
He reached out and ruffled her hair.
“You… always bullying your sister.”
Xu Huayi shook her head.
“How did I bully her? She agreed to the bet herself. A bet is a bet.”
Su Wanqiu watched the warm scene unfold before her, unable to suppress a smile.
This was starting to feel more and more like a real family.
Xu Hongzhuang, however, had a complicated expression.
It felt like they were a family, while she was just an outsider—completely out of place…
But just half a month ago, their mother and two younger sisters were on her side.
How did they suddenly switch over?
What kind of magic had Xu Hao used on them?
[Ding… Xu Hongzhuang is annoyed. Emotion Value +453…]
Xu Huayi had her fun, but as soon as she got back to her room, she was ambushed by her sister.
The two identical-looking girls wrestled with each other.
If the schoolboys who worshiped them as goddesses saw this, their jaws would hit the floor.
“You little brat! How dare you bring Mom and Third Sister to laugh at me?! I’ll beat you to death!”
Xu Shiqing sounded fierce, but she only hit the fleshy parts—her attacks were completely harmless.
Xu Huayi, of course, wasn’t one to be bullied without a fight. Her eyes flickered with mischief as she launched her “Dragon Claw Technique,” aiming directly for her sister’s weak spots.
Xu Shiqing froze.
She had always known her little sister was cunning, but she never expected her to be this shameless.
She was grabbing everywhere!
Her fury exploded.
If she didn’t teach this brat a lesson today, she’d become completely unruly!
In the end, the older sister had the upper hand.
She pinned Xu Huayi down with one hand while tickling her mercilessly with the other.
“Do you surrender?”
“I surrender! Sis, I surrender!”
Xu Huayi laughed uncontrollably, begging for mercy.
But deep inside, she was plotting her revenge.
“Just you wait, Xu Shiqing. I’ll get back at you for this.”
Xu Huayi knew when to endure and when to strike.
But Xu Shiqing knew her sister too well.
There was no way she would let her off so easily.
After all, she had been utterly humiliated in front of their parents and Third Sister.
She had to get back at her.
“I’ll let you go on one condition—tomorrow, you have to wash Dad’s feet.”
“That’s it? Washing Dad’s feet is no big deal, Sis. You’re overreacting.”
“You ran off halfway through, didn’t you? I was the one who finished it for you. Even Mom and Third Sister saw it.”
Despite being at a disadvantage, Xu Huayi refused to admit defeat.
She never missed a chance to prove she was better than her sister.
“Really?”
Xu Shiqing was momentarily stunned.
She hadn’t expected her little sister to do something so bold after she ran off…
But after thinking it over, it made sense.
Their dad treated them so well, teaching them to read and draw every day.
What was the big deal about washing his feet?
With that realization, her embarrassment disappeared.
Even if Mom and Third Sister were watching, she could confidently finish washing Dad’s feet now.
She wasn’t any worse than her sister.
But since Xu Huayi clearly wanted to mess with her, she couldn’t let her off so easily…
An idea flashed in her mind.
“Then tomorrow, you have to give Dad a massage. He works hard—he teaches us and takes care of everything.”
Xu Huayi instantly protested.
“Why me?! You washing Dad’s feet was our bet. You lost, so you had to accept your punishment.”
“I don’t mind giving Dad a massage, but you need to give me a reason.”
“A reason? You want a reason? How about this—”
Xu Shiqing suddenly lunged and started tickling her again.
“Hahaha! I’m not doing it! This is unfair!”
Xu Huayi laughed until tears streamed down her face, but she still refused to submit.
Her eyes burned with defiance.
“Fine, you want to bully me? Let’s see who wins in the end.”
She deliberately provoked,
“If you want me to give Dad a massage, no problem. Let’s make another bet. If you win, I’ll do it.”
“What’s the bet?”
“Last time, we weren’t at the same level, so it wasn’t fair. Now that we’ve both improved, let’s see who makes the most progress!”
Xu Shiqing fell into deep thought.
It was true—before, her drawing skills were behind, while her sister’s calligraphy was better.
And yet, even when she had the advantage, she still lost.
Could she really beat her sister this time?
Her eyes flickered with hesitation, unsure of what to do.
Sensing her doubt, Xu Huayi taunted her on purpose.
“What’s wrong? Are you scared? You don’t dare?”
Xu Shiqing refused to back down in front of her little sister.
She agreed immediately.
Her status as the older sister must not be shaken.
Now that they were on equal footing, what was there to be afraid of?
This time, she had to keep a close eye on her little sister.
That cunning sixth sibling loved to work hard in secret and then amaze everyone.
She couldn’t let her succeed.
She had to work even harder than her sister.
While the two sisters wrestled and bickered, another bedroom was far from peaceful.
“Hao-ge… why haven’t you made a move on Hongzhuang?”
Su Wanqiu took a deep breath and voiced her curiosity.
She clearly remembered how Xu Hao had actively approached Shiqing and Huayi before—giving them pocket money, sending them to school, even taking them to amusement parks.
But now, even though the third daughter, Xu Hongzhuang, had been home for a whole day, Xu Hao hadn’t taken any action.
Xu Hao: “…”
What was with that wording? Did she really see him as the kind of person Hongzhuang accused him of being?
What did she mean by “make a move”?
The reason was simple—Hongzhuang wasn’t easy to deal with.
The two younger daughters were still in school, innocent and inexperienced. Winning them over had been easy.
But Xu Hongzhuang was different.
She had been through society, seen the ugliness of human nature.
The same approach wouldn’t work on her.
Seeing Su Wanqiu’s curious expression, Xu Hao’s mind shifted. He smiled and said,
“Didn’t you notice how wary Hongzhuang is of me?”
“She’s successful now, doesn’t need my help. Making her feel a sense of belonging to this family won’t be easy.”
He sighed, showing a hint of “disappointment,” then continued,
“So… if I want her to accept me, I’ll need your help.”
“Me?”
Su Wanqiu looked confused.
“Think about it. She’s still mad at me, but she respects you as her stepmother. If you put in a few good words for me…”
“Huh?”
Su Wanqiu hesitated.
If Xu Hao had asked this of her before, she would have refused outright.
But now…
Xu Hao had changed.
He truly wanted to make this family whole.
“Why? Don’t you want all the daughters to come home, so we can live happily together as a family?”
Xu Hao grabbed her twin ponytails.
That was her look for tonight.
Ever since she tried on the bunny girl outfit, it was like she had unlocked a whole new world.
Now she changed her style every night.
With such a beautiful wife willing to play along, he had to explore every possibility.
Tonight’s outfit—
A school uniform with twin ponytails, creating a striking contrast with her mature, alluring charm.
This contrast was exactly what made her so irresistible.
Under Xu Hao’s intense gaze, Su Wanqiu finally nodded in agreement…
A smile spread across Xu Hao’s face.
Letting Su Wanqiu and the twin daughters influence Hongzhuang was just one step.
He already had a plan to win Hongzhuang over, and tomorrow, he would put it into action.
But for now…
His eyes fell on his seductive wife.
“You wicked creature, I can tell at a glance you’re not human! Watch me unleash my Great Dragon Technique—”
As Xu Hao indulged in his moment of bliss—
At the headquarters of the Brotherhood—
The usually rowdy hall was eerily silent.
A heavy atmosphere loomed over the room.
Five men stood there, all silent, their gazes locked onto the lifeless body before them.
“Fuck this! I’m going to kill those bastards!”
The hot-tempered Fourth Brother cursed loudly and stormed toward the exit.
Third Brother stepped forward and blocked his path.
“Fourth, calm down.”
“Calm down? How the fuck am I supposed to calm down? Sixth is dead!”
Fourth Brother shoved him aside, his eyes brimming with rage and grief.
The six of them were like real brothers, trusting each other with their lives.
They had been through countless battles together.
Now, one of them was gone. Their fury was unimaginable.
“We’ll get revenge, but we need to plan carefully. Do you even know who killed Sixth?”
“Who else could it be? That gang of lowlifes who teamed up against us! A bunch of weaklings—I could wipe them out myself!”
“You admit they’re weak? Then how the hell did they kill Sixth? We need to get to the bottom of this first.”
Among the five remaining men, Chen Mo stood there as well, his expression dark as night.
The Brotherhood’s five core members were all sworn brothers of his mentor—men he regarded as uncles.
Over time, they had treated him like one of their own, their camaraderie genuine.
But now, the unthinkable had happened.
Just that afternoon, they had been laughing together.
Now, one of them was gone forever.
The rage inside him threatened to consume him.
Before long, a subordinate burst into the hall, shattering the tense silence.
After hearing the report, everyone in the room erupted in fury.
“What did you say? The Liu family hired an assassin?!”
“Those fucking cowards! Can’t beat us in a fair fight, so they resort to dirty tricks? I’m going to slaughter their entire family!”
“Enough!”
The hall was in chaos until Second Brother, the most authoritative member aside from the leader, spoke up.
The Liu family had put out a bounty on the dark web—a despicable move.
But the Brotherhood itself wasn’t exactly on the right side of the law.
What could they do?
Swallow their anger and move on?
If they killed off the Liu family in retaliation, they’d be signing their own death warrants.
This was Kyushu. Murder was illegal.
Unlike them, the Liu family was a legitimate business.
Killing them would only bring disaster upon the Brotherhood.
They needed revenge—but violence wasn’t the answer this time.
“Liu family…”
Chen Mo clenched his fists, his eyes filled with hatred and self-blame.
The Brotherhood had no real grudge against the Lius.
This feud had started because of him.
Sixth Brother had died because of him.
“I, Chen Mo, swear—until the Liu family is destroyed, I will not rest!”