Chen Dafu’s shout immediately drew everyone’s attention.

Lan Yixian also paused what she was doing and walked out of the store, looking in the direction Chen Dafu had been staring.

When she saw Liu Changqing and an unfamiliar older man standing together, she had no idea what was going on.

Gu Xiyu was also standing nearby, watching.

Liu Changqing looked away from the tense father-and-son standoff.

This is way too awkward…

Chen Jianguo didn’t care about the crowd watching them. Consumed by rage, he had completely lost his cool and started striding toward Chen Dafu.

Seeing his father coming, Chen Dafu was scared out of his mind.

He quickly clasped both hands in front of him, clearly trying to keep his father away. His face was full of disbelief.

"You… How did you get here? How did you find this place? Was it… Old Liu, did you sell me out?!"

Despair filled his voice. When he spotted Liu Changqing standing a short distance behind his father, everything suddenly clicked.

Once he realized the truth, he turned to run.

But it was too late.

Watching it all unfold, Liu Changqing finally understood that when Chen Dafu once told him his dad really knew how to beat his son, he hadn’t been exaggerating.

Right then, Chen Jianguo grabbed his son by the hair and yanked it back, while simultaneously launching vicious kicks at his rear.

Every time Chen Jianguo’s foot connected, Chen Dafu let out a howl.

After several kicks, Liu Changqing snapped out of it and rushed forward, wrapping his arms around Chen Jianguo from behind and trying to pull him away.

"Uncle, stop! Dafu’s not gonna make it!"

"I’m beating him to death today! This shameless brat! Left home saying he was starting a company, and now look—working as a waiter!?"

"Dad! Stop! I know I was wrong!"

Chen Dafu cried out for mercy, clutching his head with both hands.

It looked like Chen Jianguo was beating him severely, but in truth, no matter how disappointing his son was, he hadn’t used that much force. After all, he was still his son.

The reason Chen Dafu’s screams sounded so tragic was because… that was his go-to tactic for years.

He’d always yelled like this, and sooner or later, Chen Jianguo would feel guilty and stop.

Sure enough, in his fury, when Chen Jianguo heard his son’s cries, his heart softened.

After a few seconds of hesitation, he loosened his grip on his son’s hair.

Realizing he’d been released, Chen Dafu immediately bolted inside the store, leaving Liu Changqing still holding onto Chen Jianguo, and a dumbfounded Lan Yixian standing nearby—along with an anxious Gu Xiyu.

And of course… all the onlookers.

This kind of family drama was the perfect lunchtime gossip material for the diners who had just finished eating.

The moment Chen Jianguo started swinging, every customer had put down their chopsticks and turned to watch the show.

Chest heaving, Chen Jianguo finally calmed down a little. He shook off Liu Changqing’s grip and adjusted his clothes.

Then he glared at Chen Dafu, who was hiding inside the shop.

Standing beside him, Liu Changqing let out a quiet sigh of relief.

He instinctively glanced around. When he noticed the customers were all watching like it was a free show…

He paused, then turned to face the crowd and said:

"Sorry, sorry for disturbing your meal. It’s all good now… Please, enjoy your food."

With that, Liu Changqing grabbed Chen Jianguo by the arm and started dragging him into the store. As they passed Lan Yixian, he said:

"Sorry for the trouble."

Then he pulled Chen Jianguo inside.

Seeing Liu Changqing leading his father in, Chen Dafu looked utterly shocked.

"You!!"

"Uncle, I get that you want to discipline him, but can we pick a better place? So many people around—it’s humiliating for Dafu. Let him keep a little dignity..."

"Dignity? He still thinks he has dignity? Doing something like this, he’s brought shame to the whole Chen family!"

"I don’t think it’s shameful. Dafu’s never earned money on his own before. Now he’s out working, gaining some real-world experience. Back in the day, even emperors would travel in disguise to see how the common folk lived. This is a good learning opportunity for him."

"And the money? Has he actually earned anything?"

"…"

That question made Liu Changqing suddenly remember—when Chen Dafu started working for Lan Yixian, he wasn’t getting paid.

It was true—Chen Dafu hadn’t earned a single cent. But under the current circumstances, there was no way Liu Changqing could admit that.

His brain started spinning, and he secretly shot a glance at Chen Dafu.

Chen Dafu caught the look, paused for a moment, then quickly caught on. He nodded vigorously and blurted out:

"Yeah! I get paid! She gives me a salary every month!"

"How much a month?"

"Each month I get…"

He froze.

Instinctively, he looked at Liu Changqing—who subtly held up one finger.

Chen Dafu immediately had a stroke of brilliance.

"Ten thousand!"

"…"

Liu Changqing closed his eyes.

He couldn’t bear to watch anymore.

This d*** rich second-gen didn’t even know what a normal wage looked like. He really thought regular jobs paid that much? After all this time with Gu Xiyu, didn’t he even know what her monthly salary was?

Of course Chen Jianguo could tell his son was lying. And that instantly reignited all the anger he had just managed to suppress.

He wasn’t mad that Dafu lied.

He was mad that his son couldn’t even lie well!

What a useless brat!

At that moment, Chen Jianguo completely lost his ability to hold back. He lifted his leg and kicked Chen Dafu again.

It happened too fast—Liu Changqing didn’t even have time to react before Chen Jianguo had landed three or four more kicks.

Just as Liu Changqing opened his mouth to stop the assault…

Suddenly, a voice came from the door.

"Stop it!"

Chen Jianguo paused and turned toward the entrance. Chen Dafu, still crouched on the floor clutching his head, also looked over.

Liu Changqing turned to see—

Gu Xiyu, wearing an apron and a high ponytail that revealed her smooth forehead, her face stern.

Chen Dafu looked at her, eyes widening slightly.

He muttered like he was in a daze.

"Xiyu…"

Gu Xiyu stepped into the store, walking straight toward them.

She passed by Liu Changqing and stopped in front of Chen Dafu.

Then she reached out and pulled him to his feet, her face full of righteous anger as she looked at Chen Jianguo.

"Even if you're his father, you can't hit him like this!"

"What the h***, I’m his dad—I’ll discipline him how I want—"

"Everyone deserves respect. Even if he’s your son, you don’t have the right to hit him like that. That’s abuse!"

"…"

Chen Jianguo stared at Gu Xiyu.

His eyes focused on her face.