Chapter 42: Even a Dog’s Beating Depends on Its Master

Xu Anan was hiding upstairs, watching the live broadcast she started with her backup phone. At first, no one paid much attention, but soon word spread, and now the online viewers were about to exceed one million.

A million people had witnessed this farce.

Some viewers even sent gifts and tips, which Xu Anan gladly accepted—after all, the more, the better.

Finally, the platform forcibly ended Xu Anan’s stream. The situation had become too sensational, bringing Bai Anhao back into the public eye.

Now the internet was in an uproar.

There were both good and bad outcomes.

On the positive side, Bai Anhao’s latest work had just been released and received unanimous praise. The bad news, however, was that Bai Anhao was criticized for failing to manage his fans properly.

Xu Anan could only sigh at this.

Just as she was about to leave, a black dog suddenly darted out in front of her, baring its teeth and growling menacingly.

Sensing trouble, Xu Anan turned and fled.

The black dog chased her relentlessly.

Luckily, a black Bentley stopped nearby. Without thinking, Xu Anan pulled open the car door and dove inside. She barely managed to close the door before the dog slammed into the car.

Seeing this, Xu Anan couldn’t help but laugh.

“Stupid dog, can’t tell right from wrong!”

She looked toward the driver’s seat—it was Assistant Wang.

Assistant Wang explained, “Just passing by.”

Actually, he had been sent by the Second Master.

The circumstances were indeed coincidental, but Xu Anan didn’t probe further. She took out a shell pendant from her bag. “Assistant Wang, could you please return this to the Second Master for me?”

“Sorry, I’m actually heading to the airport now,” Assistant Wang replied. “I’ll be away on a business trip for about a week.”

He dropped Xu Anan off at the apartment building under Jiang Li’s name and left.

Xu Anan had no choice but to go upstairs.

She entered the password with practiced ease.

Every time she keyed it in, she felt a strange sense of unease. Why would Jiang Li choose such a password? Did this date hold some special meaning for him?

It couldn’t be random, could it?

Afraid of running into Jiang Yu, Xu Anan didn’t linger—she opened the door and slipped inside.

Xu Anan knocked gently on the door.

“Come in.”

Jiang Li could only lie in his bed to recuperate these days, his eyes closed. “You certainly stirred things up today.”

Xu Anan was speechless.

She wanted to ask how Jiang Li knew, but given his resourcefulness, there was probably nothing he didn’t know. She didn’t bother to ask.

She picked up the tablet to check.

The situation was still escalating.

Some even speculated that Bai Anhao was orchestrating everything behind the scenes, trying to regain popularity, which infuriated Xu Anan.

Regardless, she needed to explain things to Bai Anhao first.

Xu Anan fished out her phone, only to find it dead.

“Second Master, may I borrow your phone to make a call?”

Jiang Li made a sound of assent.

Xu Anan took the phone, only to discover it was locked. She instinctively entered her own birthday—and to her surprise, it unlocked.

She looked at Jiang Li, hesitant to speak.

What did this date mean to him?

Xu Anan remembered Bai Anhao’s phone number—it was easy to recall. She dialed and felt a bit anxious.

Bai Anhao had moved to the outskirts to seek tranquility, precisely because he didn’t want too many interruptions.

Now, she seemed to have thrown his life into chaos.

“Miss Xu.”

Bai Anhao’s voice came from the other end.

For a moment, Xu Anan was stunned, then quickly explained the whole situation to him.

“Writer Bai, please believe me—I truly had no idea the editor would do such a thing.”

“When I return, I’ll give you a satisfactory explanation.”

Jiang Li finally opened his eyes, those narrow phoenix eyes flashing with displeasure. This vexing woman treated him and other men so differently.

He had just read Bai Anhao’s famous work.

It was nothing but melodramatic nonsense.

Only naïve young girls could be so easily bewitched.

“I understand,” Bai Anhao said with a gentle laugh. “You don’t need to blame yourself. Even though we haven’t spent much time together, I know you’re not that kind of person.”

Relieved by Bai Anhao’s understanding, Xu Anan felt the tension in her heart finally ease.

“But…”

“It’s alright, my brother will handle the aftermath.”

“Your brother?”

“Yes, he’s the deputy general manager of a PR company.”

Knowing Bai Anhao was fine, Xu Anan hung up, feeling exhausted. She lay down, only to be kicked through the blanket by a certain man.

Xu Anan struggled to sit up, grabbed her bag, and took out the shell pendant.

“Returning this to its rightful owner.”

Jiang Li didn’t take it. Instead, he repeated her words, his lips lightly parting, “Returning this to its rightful owner.”

He looked at Xu Anan and suddenly smiled.

The lightness in his eyes was dazzling beneath the bright sun, stirring something inexplicable in Xu Anan’s heart as she placed the pendant on the table.

“If there’s nothing else, I’ll be leaving now.”

“Go make me a bowl of noodles,” Jiang Li ordered unceremoniously.

He picked up his phone and pressed it casually.

Soon, Xu Anan received a bank notification—ten million had been deposited into her account. Her almond-shaped eyes widened in amazement. “As expected of the Second Master—so extravagant.”

“Don’t get the wrong idea. The information you provided was valuable,” Jiang Li said. He had dispatched people to investigate and confirmed the existence of natural hot springs, immediately sealing the news.

Once the bidding meeting ended in three days, the news could be released.

Even Xu Anan was surprised.

She would need to inform Old Gu.

“Alright, I’ll go make your noodles.”

With this ten million, Xu Anan could arrange for her mother to enter a better hospital, though admission wouldn’t be easy.

For now, she set these thoughts aside and obediently cooked a bowl of noodles for Jiang Li.

“Eat while it’s hot.”

“Help me sit up,” Jiang Li said. After lying all day, his bones felt almost atrophied.

Xu Anan moved closer, carefully helping Jiang Li sit up, placing a pillow behind him. “Is this alright?”

Receiving no reply, Xu Anan looked up, meeting Jiang Li’s gaze.

His eyes were calm as the sea.

Xu Anan’s heart skipped a beat, and she hurriedly looked away, only to have Jiang Li seize her chin, holding her still.

“What—what are you doing?”

“If you don’t want your wound to reopen, I suggest you stop thinking about nonsense.”

“What happened to your face?” Only then did Jiang Li notice her left cheek was swollen, his brows furrowing. “Was it those people just now?”

Xu Anan was genuinely surprised by Jiang Li’s concern.

She had checked in the mirror earlier—the swelling had gone down.

She shook her head awkwardly. “It’s nothing.”

“Who hit you?” Jiang Li’s voice was magnetic and commanding. “You’re mine. Bullying you is the same as disrespecting me.”

“Even a dog knows to look at its master before biting.”

The brief warmth Xu Anan felt evaporated instantly, and she wished she could take advantage of Jiang Li’s illness to end him.

Truly, nothing good comes out of a dog’s mouth.