Chapter 17 War of Words

Chapter 17: Shutting Him Up

The butler’s face paled with panic as he hastily snatched up his walkie-talkie to summon security. But before he could utter a word, he watched Second Young Master Qi soar through the air—kicked from one table to the next.

Food and drink rained down upon him.

“We’re not related by blood—she has no right calling me ‘sister.’ What? You still want to protect her?!”

Su Mi bent low, seized Qi Xi by his short hair, and scanned him contemptuously from head to toe. “How, trash, do you think you can protect her—with that mouth full of filth?”

“What else can garbage like you do but spew nonsense all day? I didn’t knock the stupidity out of you last time—and now you’re back babbling nonsense again. I’ll make you shut that yapping mouth for good!”

Before Qi Xi could even throw a punch, a foot slammed into his abdomen. A searing pain exploded across his left cheek—immediately followed by a crushing blow to his right, as if his nose had shattered on impact. Blood gushed from his nostrils.

He shifted instantly from fighting back to shielding his head. Though fury burned within him, he couldn’t fathom where this opponent drew such terrifying strength—each strike felt like it was pulverizing his face.

The commotion drew every guest’s attention. All turned toward the spectacle—only to witness the Qi family’s Second Young Master being beaten senseless on the floor by the Su family’s eldest daughter. No one understood what had triggered this sudden eruption—but just the sheer disparity in their sizes made the scene utterly unbelievable.

Were young masters these days truly so feeble they couldn’t even fend off a girl?

“This… this…” Madam Qi stood frozen in shock—until, in the next instant, she was seized and dragged away.

“Dear in-law, you mustn’t go over there! She’s a madwoman!” A member of the Su family’s Third Branch rushed forward, gripping her tightly, eyes wide with terror as he glanced at Su Mi.

“Brother Qi…”

Seeing Qi Xi thrashed like this, Su Ruanruan immediately lifted her skirt to intervene—but Qi Yun pulled her back at once, firmly shielding her behind him while his gaze locked onto the approaching bodyguards.

Sensing movement behind her, Su Mi tilted her head sharply—instinctively driving her elbow sideways into the attacker’s abdomen, then sweeping her leg to send him crashing to the floor.

Instantly, a towering bodyguard lay sprawled motionless. Not only was he stunned—but the onlookers, too, doubted their own eyes. This… this defied all logic.

Qi Yun’s eyes narrowed dangerously. The burly, bearded man behind him stepped forward, attempting to restrain Su Mi.

“Mr. Qi—order them to stand down! This is a matter for our family alone. Outsiders have no place interfering!” Su Min’s glare burned fiercely as he fixed Qi Yun with a searing look.

Qi Yun glanced coolly at his brother. “She struck Xiao Xi. That makes it more than just the Su family’s affair.”

“Big Sister acted on impulse—Brother Qi Xi’s words were simply too harsh. This has nothing to do with Big Sister. You’ll hurt her!” Su Ruanruan anxiously gripped his arm.

Their eyes met. Qi Yun looked meaningfully at the girl. “But *she* will hurt *you*.”

“I won’t let anyone hurt you.”

His voice was so soft only Su Ruanruan heard it. Her face drained of color instantly—and she couldn’t help but glance anxiously toward Su Mi.

But the next moment, a body flew toward them—the bearded man from earlier.

He clutched his abdomen, staring incredulously at the girl across from him. Clearly, he’d never imagined she possessed such explosive power. It was beyond belief.

Instantly, Qi Yun’s bodyguards surged forward. The surrounding crowd scrambled backward, desperate to avoid the crossfire.

As a hand suddenly lunged for her, Su Mi blocked with her forearm—then spun into a devastating side kick that sent the attacker stumbling back several paces.

She had long mastered how to generate force for maximum pain and impact. Her kicks could snap a wrist-thick tree branch—that was the secret of Muay Thai. A top-tier Muay Thai fighter could even shatter a thigh-thick trunk.

If she failed to silence that arrogant bastard today, she’d feel she’d betrayed every ounce of her grueling training.

Seeing her movements so fluid and precise, the other bodyguards dared not underestimate her. After exchanging a glance with Qi Yun—and receiving silent confirmation to hold nothing back—they clenched their fists and advanced.

Su Mi leaned back sharply to evade. Instantly, another assailant launched a hook aimed at her midsection. She raised her leg to intercept—then unleashed a blistering combination of left and right jabs.

As one bodyguard staggered back, Su Mi caught movement from the corner of her eye. In one swift motion, she stepped onto a chair—and launched herself at Qi Yun with a flying elbow strike. He barely managed to raise his arms to block—one hand still tightly shielding Su Ruanruan behind him.

Then—a blur shot toward his face. As it expanded, the scent of earth preceded a thunderous kick that landed squarely on his mouth. The force hurled him backward several steps.

“President!”

The bodyguards froze in horror—glaring furiously at Su Mi, who had just kicked their boss square in the face. For a heartbeat, they forgot everything else—yanking wooden batons from their belts, ready to escalate in earnest.

“Brother Qi!” Su Ruanruan gasped, breath catching—especially seeing the distinct shoe print blooming across Qi Yun’s mouth. She held her breath, too terrified to utter another sound.

Qi Yun’s brow furrowed deeply, his gaze glacial as he stared at Su Mi. He had never been struck in his life—least of all by a woman. Logically, it should have been impossible. Yet, he truly hadn’t reacted in time to that final move.

Fine. A woman like this was unquestionably dangerous—especially around Ruan Ruan.

“Stop! Everyone—stop!” Su Zhen’an slammed his cane hard against the floor.

At Qi Yun’s curt wave, the bodyguards—clutching bruised faces and throbbing stomachs—retreated in unison. At that moment, each knew his job hung by a thread. Letting their boss get kicked in the face in public—wasn’t that proof they were utterly useless?

Yet who could have imagined the Su family’s eldest daughter possessed such skill? It was simply inconceivable.

The guests stood dumbfounded, even forgetting why Su Mi had struck Qi Xi in the first place. Their minds were now consumed solely by one fact: Su Mi—surrounded by so many elite, professional bodyguards—had just kicked Qi Yun in the mouth.

This Su family eldest daughter didn’t seem like some provincial rustic. She seemed forged on a battlefield—so terrifyingly strong it made people break out in cold sweat.

“Mimi, are you alright? Are you hurt?” Madam Su rushed over, anxiously scanning her daughter head to toe.

“I’m fine.” Su Mi offered a faint smile—then turned her gaze to the battered, bruised Qi Xi. “He provoked me first. I treated Second Young Master Qi as an honored guest—yet he repeatedly accused me of bullying my sister and hurled vile insults. Since the Qi family clearly failed to teach him proper speech, I naturally had to correct his conduct.”

With that, she stepped forward again—and, under the crowd’s watchful eyes, delivered a brutal kick. “Kid, remember this: keep your mouth shut whenever you see me from now on. If I catch you spewing filth again, this young lady will smash your jaw in.”

The already broken Qi Xi collapsed completely—only propped upright with Madam Qi’s careful support, glaring at Su Mi with burning hatred.

Su Mi then glanced coolly at Qi Yun. “I thought President Qi was mute. Turns out you *can* speak. You see this young lady—and don’t even know how to greet her? Who do you think you are? I assumed you were special—but you’re just as worthless as your good-for-nothing brother. Next time you pretend to be mute when you see me—I’ll smash *your* mouth in, too!”

Having spoken her piece—and ignoring Qi Yun’s darkening expression—she strode confidently out of the banquet hall. The crowd parted instinctively to let her pass.

Only the rest of the Su family wore expressions of shock and dismay. *She’s insane—completely unhinged!* That uncouth girl had truly lost her mind!

Even Huo Xuan’s elegant, ethereal face flickered with astonishment—but spotting Qi Yun, she hurried over. “Are you alright? Do you need to go to the hospital?”

“Yes, Brother Qi… your mouth looks swollen,” Su Ruanruan timidly released his hand.

She’d warned Brother Qi Xi not to speak that way. Big Sister had psychological barriers—she absolutely couldn’t handle such *stimulation*. Who knew it would end like this? It was all her fault. Otherwise, things wouldn’t have escalated like this.

And she’d even caused Brother Qi Yun to get kicked. But she remembered—he trained in martial arts, too. How… how could he not even stop Big Sister?

“I’m so sorry—so terribly sorry. Dear in-law, please don’t be angry. It’s all that uncouth girl’s fault. She’s a madwoman. In the future, if you see her—steer clear! She goes berserk at the sight of people—a complete lunatic!” The Su family’s Third Branch rushed to explain.

A perfectly arranged engagement banquet—ruined like this—all because of that uncouth girl! From now on, their Su family would become the laughingstock of the entire social elite!

“It’s… it’s alright.” Madam Qi quickly dispatched someone to take her son to the hospital—then turned to Madam Su with an apologetic look. “It’s my failure as a mother. Xiao Xi has been spoiled rotten. To say such things on such an occasion… no wonder Mimi lost her temper. I’ll give him a stern lecture the moment we return!”

“Grandfather!”

Su Ruanruan’s voice rang out sharply from behind. Everyone turned—and saw Su Zhen’an collapse rigidly onto the floor. Instantly, chaos erupted once more throughout the banquet hall.

*Ding! Host’s Luck Points +100*

After leaving the hotel, Su Mi noticed it had started raining outside. For some reason, her attendant hadn’t followed her.

Watching the pouring rain, she felt incredibly refreshed. The only thing that annoyed her was not slapping that pretentious show-off a few more times. Acting all high and mighty in front of everyone, thinking he was so badass and untouchable—turns out he was nothing special.

She knew he wouldn’t be able to block that aerial triple kick. Even her coach, a world champion, couldn’t stop it, let alone the male lead. But she couldn’t defeat all the professional bodyguards, so she had to seize the chance to kick him in the mouth first.

So, she still needed to train hard. Next time, the male lead would definitely be more guarded, and it wouldn’t be so easy to cause a scene.

Still, after building up for so long, gaining a hundred luck points wasn’t bad. There were still a few key plot points ahead. As long as she seized the opportunities firmly, a few more times and she should surpass the female lead without any issues.

“Miss Su, do you need to go to the hospital?”

Suddenly, someone held an umbrella over her head. Su Mi slowly turned to see a tall man standing beside her, dressed in a bespoke black suit, wearing a gentle and warm smile.

A line of text suddenly flashed in her mind: “His appearance was like a ray of light, making Su Mi feel that someone cared about her too.”

She hadn’t expected that even after disrupting the plot’s development, the villain would still rush to offer warmth. It seemed that as long as her luck points hadn’t surpassed the female lead’s, the plot would stubbornly follow its original trajectory no matter what.

Su Mi maintained her smile. “Why would I need to go to the hospital?”

That’s right. This was when the villain took advantage of the situation to worm his way into the original host’s heart. For someone starved of love, having someone willing to care and get close amidst everyone’s disdain was enough to touch the original host's heart.

Later, the original host, under the villain’s manipulation, leaked company secrets, nearly causing the company to go bankrupt. Yet the villain ignored her completely, because from start to finish, he had only been using her.

So, the men in this story were more disgusting than the last.

“Your hand is injured.” Pei Yun looked down at her left hand, where the skin was broken.

Su Mi turned around and slapped him hard across the face with a crisp “smack.” “Get lost!”

Taking the umbrella handed to her by a hotel staff member, she strode into the rain, effortlessly got into her car, and the vehicle quickly drove away from the hotel.

Feeling the lingering pain on his left cheek, Pei Yun suddenly smiled, his gaze fixed intently on the direction where the car had disappeared.

“Are you alright, President? This Su Mi really is a lunatic, utterly ungrateful. Should I teach her a lesson?” The assistant leaned in with a sinister whisper.

Pei Yun glanced at him sideways. “How would you teach her a lesson?”

“Of course, by sending people to…” The assistant suddenly choked on his words, as if recalling the scenes from the banquet hall earlier. His expression instantly turned colorful. “I could hire professional hitmen. No matter how good that brat is at fighting, a dose of anesthetic and she’ll be at our mercy.”

Pei Yun narrowed his eyes slightly. “And then?”

He reached out and patted the assistant’s head, his tone filled with disgust. “How did I end up with such an idiot by my side?”

“Go to the finance department tomorrow to collect your final pay. Don’t let me see you again.”

Hearing this, the assistant’s face flushed with panic. He wanted to argue, but seeing his boss had already gotten into the car, he could only stand there helplessly, not understanding what he had said wrong.

After returning home, Su Mi wasn’t in a hurry to go back to the film set. She still had to go through the necessary procedures. As expected, the psychiatrist would come looking for her soon.

Sure enough, within two hours, the psychiatrist arrived at the villa in the rain. This time, he brought another doctor along, clearly intending to conduct a multi-faceted psychological evaluation on her.

After filling out another pile of psychological test forms, the doctor adjusted his glasses, his expression inscrutable. “Miss Su, you still can’t control your emotions. Haven’t you been taking the medication I prescribed?”

Su Mi leaned back on the sofa, sipping her tea. “I don’t think the problem lies with me. Why do you always assume I can’t control my emotions instead of tracing the issue back to its source?”

“Even a fool would know what day it was today and what’s appropriate to say on such an occasion. Yet Qi Xi kept insisting I wasn’t worthy of being Su Ruanruan’s sister and accused me of bullying Su Ruanruan. Is that something a normal person would say? Clearly, the problem is with him, yet you say I’m the one who’s sick? Why is it that when others say inappropriate things, it’s called being straightforward, but when I defend my rights, I’m labeled mentally ill? What is wrong with this world?!”

Seeing her getting agitated, the two doctors coughed a few times. They had to admit Su Mi had a point, but the two things couldn’t be conflated. The scene Su Mi made was too much. A normal person wouldn’t start a fight over a verbal argument.

Although it wasn’t unheard of, that’s precisely why they needed to determine whether it was due to emotional agitation or an actual psychological disorder.

“I can understand how you feel, but you still need to control your emotions. We live in a society and should try our best not to cause trouble for others or create negative social impacts.” The doctor spoke earnestly.

“Then why don’t others hold back? Why must I be the one to endure?”

Su Mi frowned. “Knowing full well I have a bad temper, they deliberately provoke me. Isn’t that malicious? You should go advise them to shut up instead of sitting here telling me I’m sick. If I were really sick, I would have beaten them into the ICU already. Would I have let them spout nonsense there?”

“Besides, I only hit two people. A lunatic would attack everyone indiscriminately. If they hadn’t disrespected me, would I have hit them? They should be the ones reflecting on their actions. Otherwise, why didn’t I hit anyone else, only those two? Shouldn’t they reflect seriously?”

The two doctors exchanged a glance. Sometimes, they also felt this Miss Su wasn’t ill, because her logic was so clear it didn’t seem like someone with a psychological disorder.

But that didn’t necessarily mean she didn’t have manic episodes. Some illnesses were intermittent, and during normal periods, the person could be more rational than anyone.

“But you ruined your sister’s engagement banquet. Of course, perhaps she isn’t your sister. But you must love your parents very much. Your actions must have put them in a difficult position. Didn’t you consider the consequences when you hit people?” The doctor guided patiently.

Su Mi looked at him unhappily. “If my parents loved me, they would only feel heartache that I was wronged, not expect me to bottle up all my emotions. What they think is good for me isn’t necessarily what I want to see. So why should I hold back? I’m doing this for my parents’ sake too. What if I develop depression from suppressing myself and commit suicide? They’d be crying too late then.”

In just a few minutes of conversation, both doctors broke out in a cold sweat. Miss Su’s formidable logic almost led them astray.

“But your grandfather has high blood pressure. He’s still in the hospital receiving treatment. Aren’t you afraid you might cause him to have a serious health crisis?” The doctor asked seriously.

Hearing this, Su Mi slightly furrowed her brows. “He isn’t afraid of driving me to depression and suicide with his anger, so why should I be afraid of him dying from high blood pressure?”

Relationships are reciprocal. If the old man hadn’t said those belittling words, she could still have politely called him ‘Grandpa.’ But he was clearly trying to suppress her, repeatedly saying she wasn’t as good as the female lead. Someone with weaker mental fortitude might have been driven to jump off a building by him.

So what if he has high blood pressure? If he truly cared for his granddaughter, he should feel heartache for the injustice she suffered, not get so angry his blood pressure spikes and he faints. Ultimately, it’s the old man’s own problem.

Otherwise, her father also has high blood pressure, and he’s perfectly fine. It’s just the old man who makes a fuss.

The doctor took a deep breath and quickly changed the subject. “Did you take the medication I prescribed last time?”

Su Mi’s expression remained unchanged. “I’m an artist. I need to fully immerse myself emotionally into my roles. Your medication would interfere with my normal work. Besides, I’m not sick, and I don’t think there’s any need for me to take medication.”

Sensing her resistance was much stronger this time, and the scores on the assessment forms showed an upward trend—clearly indicating a worsening condition—the doctor didn’t say much more. He just had her try another set of music therapy, with similar results.

After leaving the room, Mrs. Su immediately approached, asking nervously, “How is she? Is my daughter alright?”

The doctor was silent for a moment. “Miss Su currently exhibits strong external aggression, so it’s best not to easily trigger her emotions. Also, as I’ve said many times before, try not to stimulate her. If she continues living in such an environment long-term, her condition may worsen further.”

“However, it’s fortunate that Miss Su currently shows no signs of depression. It’s likely intermittent manic episodes. When you have time, you could take Miss Su for a brain examination to check for any organic lesions. Ruling out another possibility is always good.”

Hearing this, Mrs. Su took a deep breath and then had a servant see the doctors out.

How could she not know not to provoke her daughter? But who could have expected that Qi family boy to be so tactless? She suspected Qi Xi’s brain might have problems too; otherwise, how could he say such rude things?

The old one acts all high and mighty due to seniority, the older one is a shameless rogue, the younger one pretends to be filial piety incarnate every day… This Su family is becoming more and more unreasonable. If things continue like this, she might have to take her daughter back to her maiden home to recuperate.

After seeing off the doctors, Su Mi went to take a bath and rest in the tub. Honestly, those bodyguards today were quite skilled. If the fight had continued, she definitely would have been at a disadvantage. After all, talent points are just talent points; practical combat experience is still necessary.

Remembering she still had a day off tomorrow, she decided to go to the training studio to practice with her coach again. Otherwise, the money would have been wasted.

Awkward?

Since he failed to seduce her, the one who should feel awkward is him.

But she wasn’t that petty. It was a straightforward transaction; what’s there to be awkward about?

Next time she’s in a good mood, she might patronize his services again. It’s just that the fees are too expensive. Just a touch costing five hundred thousand—however you look at it, it’s outrageous.

Tomorrow was originally scheduled for regular class time, but because she was filming, it was all video lessons, so the personal trainer has it too easy.

However, when she asked, the trainer only said they had time tomorrow and wasn’t pulling that slacking-off routine.

By the time she woke up at eight in the evening, it was already dark outside, so she just threw on a jacket and went downstairs to find something to eat.

But as soon as she opened her bedroom door, she heard intense arguing coming from downstairs.

"I don’t care—you might not care about face, but I do! Keeping a mentally ill person in the Su family is just asking to be laughed at!"

"That’s right, she has to be sent away—either to a mental hospital or abroad for treatment. She can’t stay in the Su family anymore!"

"And the shares have to be taken back too. How can a madwoman hold company shares? Look at how she’s angered the old master, even hitting people at the engagement banquet! Does she really think she’s some kind of Iron Man?! Who knows how much we're being laughed at outside! Our faces have been completely disgraced!"

Seeing the pack of accusers in the living room, Su Mi frowned slightly, casually tying up her hair as she walked downstairs.

"Mimi is my daughter. I know better than anyone whether she’s ill or not, and I don’t need any of you pointing fingers. As elders, you have no virtue to speak of—what right do you have to lecture my daughter?" Su’s mother swept a cold gaze over everyone.

Fourth Aunt sighed. "Second sister-in-law, you’re not thinking straight. Even if you’ve finally reunited with your daughter, you still need to understand what’s at stake. Sending her abroad for treatment is for her own good, so her condition can improve faster. What’s the point of letting it drag on like this? If it gets worse and worse, what if she hurts someone someday? You’ll regret it then!"

"That’s right. If you can’t bear to part with your daughter, at least send her to an assessment center first, or to the nearest mental hospital. That way, you can still visit her often. It’s better than watching her go crazy at home every day. If she really ends up angering the old master to death, you and Second Brother will be the guilty parties."

As soon as the words were spoken, someone noticed Su Mi approaching. Instantly, their face betrayed a flicker of panic, and they quickly stood up. "I… I have something to attend to, so I’ll be leaving first."

The others also noticed the person approaching and hurriedly stood up one after another. "We… we should go too. Second sister-in-law, think long and hard about it."

Su Mi didn’t head to the living room. Instead, she walked step by step to the villa’s main entrance and slammed the door shut with a loud "bang."

Everyone was startled and froze in their tracks, putting on strained smiles as they turned to face her. "We… we’re only doing this for your own good, niece. You really must focus on recovering. Only when you’re well can you make a good match."

Su Mi strode forward, grabbed her fourth aunt by the hair, and patted her terrified face. "Oh, right—I just remembered. Mentally ill people aren’t held legally responsible if they kill someone during an episode, are they?"

Having witnessed her madness before, the woman’s legs gave way in fear. Her face turned deathly pale as she dropped to her knees. "It’s all my fault! I deserve a slap for my big mouth! Mimi is such a well-behaved and sensible child—how could she possibly be ill? It’s all that brat from the Qi family’s fault! We’ll make sure he comes to apologize in person tomorrow!"