Return to the City: The Strongest King
Chapter 836 - 837: Su Qingmiao Was Hit

Chapter 836: Chapter 837: Su Qingmiao Was Hit

"Family Head, Su Qingmiao has come to see you," Song Xiaodong was informed while he was at the Su Family Courtyard that day.

"Let him in," Song Xiaodong replied indifferently. Su Qingmiao was one of the people from the Su Family whom Song Xiaodong rather liked. Although the young man’s personal ability was not very strong, he was very loyal in executing his duties and wasn’t like the other Su Family members who often had their own agendas.

Before long, Su Qingmiao entered the room, but upon seeing Su Qingmiao, Song Xiaodong frowned. The guy was bruised and swollen-faced, evidently beaten up by someone.

"What happened?" Song Xiaodong asked with a stern face.

As soon as Su Qingmiao opened his mouth, he winced in pain, indicating severe discomfort.

"Don’t talk now, let me take care of it first."

Song Xiaodong had Su Qingmiao sit down and began to examine him. Su Qingmiao had multiple bruises, particularly severe on his face which had swelled up, turning his eyes into panda-like rings. Even though there was no blood beneath his nose, the swollen bridge was enough to indicate that his nose had been broken.

Song Xiaodong treated the injuries on Su Qingmiao’s face with silver needles, but did not attend to those on his body, which could heal over time with some rest.

"Who did this to you?" Song Xiaodong asked with a cold face.

As a member of the Su Family, Su Qingmiao was normally accompanied by bodyguards when going out and wouldn’t be easily beaten up. To end up in such a state, he must have encountered either a martial arts expert or someone from another family’s elite.

If it was due to the former reason, it depended on the cause, but if it were the latter, it would be an affront to the Su Family’s honor. As the head of the Su Family, this was naturally intolerable.

With the pain on his face almost gone, Su Qingmiao was astonished and hurriedly said, "Thank you, Family Head. You truly have the Ability of Miraculous Recovery."

Song Xiaodong glared at him and said, "Cut the flattery, get to the point. Who hit you?"

Su Qingmiao’s mouth twitched, and his face immediately showed an angry expression as he said, "It was the Cao Family’s people who beat me."

"The Cao Family?" Song Xiaodong frowned.

The Cao Family was not a household of Minghe but a prominent family from the neighboring city of Hua City. Although they were somewhat inferior to the Su Family, the difference was not vast.

The Su Family and the Cao Family had some business dealings, albeit not extensively. Instead, they had a few unpleasant encounters. One of them was regarding a provincial appointment where both families eyed the same position, but it was ultimately the Su Family who prevailed.

The second incident involved a collaboration with a foreign consortium. Neither family managed to secure the deal due to their competition, intensifying the discord between them.

These were the main disputes, and there were other business conflicts. When the Old Master of the Su Family was around, he could suppress the Cao Family, so although there were deep-seated issues, both families generally coexisted without major trouble.

Song Xiaodong didn’t pay much attention to minor matters, but he studied the affairs with surrounding influential families closely since that was his primary goal for the future.

"What was the reason?" Song Xiaodong asked with a stern face.

Su Qingmiao, shaken by Song Xiaodong’s commanding gaze—finding him even more daunting than the old master—straightened his neck with indignation and declared, "Family Head, it was absolutely not my fault this time. Last night, I and a couple of friends were at a karaoke club singing, and we ordered a few Princesses to sing with us. We were having a good time when the manager came over and said someone wanted the Princesses we had booked."

At this point, Su Qingmiao appeared somewhat sheepish and sneaked a glance at Song Xiaodong.

Song Xiaodong said, "This is no big deal, go on." He understood matters of social engagement, especially for young people like Su Qingmiao, not allowing them to have their fun would be out of the question.

Reassured a bit, Su Qingmiao continued, "Naturally, we took offense to that. It was a slap in our face. But I have always remembered the Family Head’s words—we should not bully others because of our power. If it were an old client, we’d let it slide. But when we asked the Princess, she refused once she heard it was Cao Jun from the Cao Family, calling him too perverse and begging us to save her."

"Even though she is a princess, her plea softened my heart. Besides, if Cao Jun wants my princess, he should at least show some courtesy to me. This is also a matter of face for our Su Family."

Song Xiaodong nodded.

Feeling more confident, Su Qingmiao said, "So we didn’t agree at that moment, and Cao Jun brought people over. His attitude... was so arrogant. He completely disregarded me, and what’s more infuriating, he went on to say...say..."

"Just speak plainly," said Song Xiaodong.

Su Qingmiao bit his lip and said, "He actually said that our Su Family people have no backbone now, likening the Su Family to dogs. Our own Su Family’s property is now managed by outsiders; we might as well just join the Cao Family as their vassals, which would be better than changing the Su Family’s name."

Song Xiaodong’s eyes narrowed, "Then you started fighting with him?"

"Yes, those words were so offensive and an insult to our Su Family. I couldn’t stand it. I immediately clashed with him. However, I only brought one expert with me, while he had two by his side, and then we were at a disadvantage."

Song Xiaodong looked at Su Qingmiao and slowly said, "Is there any falsehood in your words?"

Su Qingmiao felt uneasy under Song Xiaodong’s sharp gaze, but since what he had said was all true, without any exaggeration, he responded without hesitation, "Absolutely not!"

"Good! This truly disregards the Su Family entirely. Even though I don’t bear the Su surname, both my wives are Su Family people, and as the Family Head of the Su Family, how could I allow others to slander and bully the Su Family."

Seeing this attitude from Song Xiaodong, Su Qingmiao got very excited and said, "Family Head, what do you intend to do?"

Song Xiaodong said coldly, "However they beat you, you beat them back the same way."

"Ah?" Su Qingmiao was taken aback.

Song Xiaodong’s expression darkened, "I will send two people over. You’ll beat him the same way he beat you. If you’re too lenient, don’t bother coming back to see me!"

Su Qingmiao was so excited that he almost jumped up. He had not expected that Song Xiaodong, the Family Head, would make such a decision. It was incredibly dominant.

"Go to the back and find Xu Hao and Shen Ning to help you vent your anger."

Su Qingmiao readily agreed and jubilantly ran toward the backyard.

Su Yuya had been nearby, and now with a frown, she said, "Isn’t this going too far?"

Song Xiaodong, with his hands behind his back, said, "If I don’t do this, how will the Su Family truly respect me? As the Family Head of the Su Family, if our people are in the right, then nobody should be allowed to bully them."

Su Yuya’s eyes lit up. She suddenly felt that under Song Xiaodong’s leadership, the Su Family might just reach new heights.