The Afternoon Date Might Be Life-Threatening

"Dang Ning, you shouldn't speak to your mother like that," Liu Dabeng said, going to pull his daughter.

Liu's mother looked sorrowful, tears falling like rain. Her face was ashen, and her back was hunched. she hadn't expected that in her daughter's heart, everything she did was redundant, and that her daughter didn't appreciate or care at all.

All her hard work was in vain.

Liu Tangning brushed Liu Dabeng's hand away and cried out, "What right do you have to tell me? Other people's fathers aren't sexist like you, only thinking about having a son all day. Are daughters not human? You divorced just like that, and all my classmates laugh at me, saying I don't have a father's love. It's all your fault!"

"Tangning, it's my fault. I know I was wrong. I promise I won't try to have a son anymore. I'll only have you. I guarantee it!" Liu Dabeng was filled with shame and regret, making desperate promises.

Jiang Hanyan laughed inwardly. *Even if you wanted to, you couldn't.* He truly was a dishonest businessman, lying even to his own daughter.

Liu Tangning cried for a while before being coaxed by Liu Dabeng. But Liu's mother was still crying; she was too heartbroken. After sacrificing so much for her daughter, she didn't get a single good word in return. Her heart was made of flesh, too, and it couldn't take such tearing.

"Tangning, you can't talk to your mother like that. She suffered a hemorrhage when she gave birth to you and almost died. When you were little, your health was poor; you were in the hospital every other day and often had high fevers in the middle of the night. Back then, I was busy with the restaurant and couldn't look after the family. It was all your mother. She was the one busy at the hospital in the middle of the night; her whole heart was set on you."

Liu Dabeng spoke up for his ex-wife, his voice growing emotional until his eyes also turned red. He and his ex-wife had married for love; there was a foundation of affection. Sigh, he had brought this all on himself.

"There was one time your fever wouldn't go down even after days of IV drips. Your mother was so anxious her lips broke out in blisters. When you were sick, you didn't like lying in bed and insisted she hold you, so she held you all night. She even told the Bodhisattva that as long as you got better, she’d trade ten years of her life for it. Tangning, you are your mother's life. When you say things like that, do you know how much it hurts her?"

Liu Dabeng wiped his tears and sniffed hard. These past few days he had been reminiscing about their past life. Although they didn't have much money, he was busy outside while his wife took care of the home and looked after him and their daughter. The family of three had lived a busy but warm life.

When exactly did it change?

After the restaurant started making money and others began calling him "Boss Liu" instead of "Xiao Liu," his mentality changed. He began to look down on his ex-wife as an old woman, blamed her for not having a son, and found her nagging annoying. Added to that were the flirtatious girls outside who constantly threw themselves at him. He made a mistake once, then twice, then three times, until it happened countless times.

Liu Dabeng sighed deeply, wishing he could slap himself. A good life had been ruined by his own hands.

Liu's mother cried even harder, her hands covering her face as she sobbed. At least Liu Dabeng still had a bit of conscience and recognized her hard work and difficulties.

Liu Tangning was also crying, filled with self-reproach and regret. She shouldn't have spoken to her mother like that just now; those weren't her true feelings. Her mother's cooking was delicious, and being a high-level office worker was fine, but sometimes she just found the nagging annoying—always saying things revolved around her, as if her mother's life had nothing else but her.

She didn't like that. In her class, there was a girl who also had a single mother, but that mother was a high-level executive at a large company, incredibly capable, always busy with business trips or meetings. She really admired that classmate for having such a "girl boss" mother.

The family of three was all crying. The waiter bringing in the dishes was a bit embarrassed, caught in a dilemma. Jiang Hanyan waved for him to come in; they could cry all they wanted, but she had to eat.

Once the dishes were served, Jiang Hanyan said, "Eat after you're done crying. The food is getting cold."

The Liu family awkwardly wiped their tears. Liu Tangning even apologized to her mother, and the two reconciled and began to eat.

The restaurant's food was excellent, and Jiang Hanyan ate quite a bit. After the Liu family finished eating, she said to Liu Tangning, "For the sake of your life, it's best not to go to that date this afternoon. Otherwise, you might go but never return."

"Clang!"

Liu Dabeng, who was holding a teacup, was so startled the cup fell to the ground and shattered.

Liu's mother was also startled, her voice changing. "Master Jiang, are you saying my daughter is in danger? Is it that little punk? Does he want to harm my daughter?"

"Mom, don't just listen to rumors, okay? This is feudal superstition." Liu Tangning didn't know whether to laugh or cry; she didn't believe in such things. It was just going to Wei Qingfeng’s birthday party, and she wouldn't be alone; there would be others there. How could there be danger?

She was quite disappointed in Jiang Hanyan. She had thought she was different from the fortune-tellers on the street, but it turned out to be the same old trick—saying terrifying things to make people panic and then swindling them out of money. One of her classmates' mothers had been scammed out of several thousand yuan that way.

"Tangning, don't talk nonsense."

Liu Dabeng glared at his daughter, then smiled apologetically at Jiang Hanyan. "Miss Jiang, don't mind the child; she doesn't know how to speak."

Jiang Hanyan smiled slightly and said, "Sixteen isn't that young; it's the age of rebellion. That boy who was playing the flute earlier—he’s your boyfriend, isn't he? Arrogant and defiant, often clashing with teachers. You think he's very handsome, don't you?"

"No, I don't know him," Liu Tangning countered, but the blush on her face betrayed her. Even the blunt Liu Dabeng could see something was wrong.

"Tangning, you found a little punk as a boyfriend? Have you lost your mind? Punks are no good. You're only sixteen; your main task is to study. You need to get into a prestigious university, you know? Why are you dating at sixteen?"

Liu Dabeng was nearly dying of anger. His daughter was like a budding flower, yet she was being harmed by a punk. Even if she really wanted to date, she should find someone decent.

What did a punk count for?

"We're not dating. He and I are just good friends. Can you both stop overreacting?" Liu Tangning was both angry and helpless. She and Wei Qingfeng were just good friends who got along well.

It was because Wei Qingfeng had the freedom and defiance she admired. She was a little bird locked in a cage; Wei Qingfeng was an eagle soaring in the sky. She was attracted by his arrogance and gradually they became good friends. It wasn't the kind of relationship her parents were talking about.

"What 'good friends' can a boy and girl be? Tangning, you have to know, when a man approaches a woman, he definitely has a purpose; he's up to no good. You're so naive!" Liu Dabeng was frantic. He understood men too well—none of them were good. Just wait, he’d find two big bodyguards to watch his daughter from morning till night. If that punk dared to come near, he’d beat him to death.

"Your father is right about this. Just look at what kind of person your father is. Tangning, I'm not against you dating, I'm against you dating early. You should do what's appropriate for your age. At your age, you should study hard. Dating should wait until at least twenty-five..."

"Twenty-eight. Master Jiang said it—Tangning can only date after twenty-eight. It can't be too early." Liu Dabeng interrupted his ex-wife, speaking loudly.