Su Ci's sarcasm was thick.
How could Li Changwei not hear it?
He simply couldn't understand what had happened to the Su Ci who kept saying she was thinking of the children.
All for the sake of Lin Xiaoxiao, whom she had only met once.
Not only did Su Ci arrange a work internship, she even laid hands on a group of tiny brats right in front of Qin Shiyao without any scruples. Was she not afraid of incurring Qin Shiyao's disgust?
He didn't believe Su Ci couldn't distinguish between what was important and what wasn't.
Li Changwei glanced at Lin Xiaoxiao out of the corner of his eye.
Lin Xiaoxiao had been at the Orphanage for over ten years, and the annual demand for goods in all of Eastern Brightness was a huge number.
Yet, only Lin Xiaoxiao had no one bidding for her.
She had been sent to work in a bar where underground forces gathered, yet nothing bad had happened in four years.
Coupled with Su Ci's favoritism toward Lin Xiaoxiao today.
Every single detail revealed an air of strangeness.
If he didn't know for sure that this was a real world, he would have suspected Lin Xiaoxiao was a novel's female protagonist.
However, given how much Su Ci valued Lin Xiaoxiao, he had to re-evaluate Lin Xiaoxiao's value to him.
Perhaps Lin Xiaoxiao would become a favorite in Su Ci's eyes in the future; the value that would bring him wouldn't be something three or four Little Brats could measure.
Besides, it wasn't like anything major had happened to these kids, right?
It was just a slap; it hadn't killed anyone, and they could still be sold as normal merchandise.
A small investment that might yield massive returns in the future—this was a gamble with a thousandfold profit.
Having thought it through, Li Changwei's mind cleared, and his face wore a fawning smile:
"President Su is right. This is indeed a lapse in our education; we bear an inescapable responsibility."
"They are still young. I humbly ask President Su to give these children a chance. Please be the bigger person and don't lower yourself to their level."
"Give us a chance as well to discipline them strictly from now on and set them back on the right path."
Turning around, Li Changwei's expression changed instantly. He glared at the aggrieved Little Brats and scolded them loudly:
"How do I usually teach you? Do your own things yourselves. Don't always trouble your Sister Lin. Hurry up and apologize to her!"
The children didn't expect that Li Changwei, who usually favored them, would not only fail to comfort them but would instead scold them.
The shock on their faces became more apparent; they even forgot to cry, staring blankly at Li Changwei with tear-filled eyes.
Li Changwei, however, winked at them frantically, hoping to get past this matter as quickly as possible.
These four Little Brats were all quite shrewd themselves.
In this Orphanage, the most profound lesson they had learned was to act according to people's expressions.
For instance, toward those easygoing volunteers or outsiders.
They would usually go through a whole routine of acting spoiled, cute, and pitiful.
These foolish volunteers and outsiders would then show them sympathy, giving them gifts, toys, and snacks, making them feel the warmth of society.
They only dared to act arrogantly toward Lin Xiaoxiao in front of such people; sometimes, these outsiders would even help them scold the 'unreasonable' Lin Xiaoxiao.
Toward those who looked difficult to deal with, they would stay as far away as possible and minimize contact.
And today, they all knew that Su Ci had come with Qin Shiyao.
Qin Shiyao's identity was an Inspector.
In their impression, Inspectors were all fair and selfless good people, the type who gave the most gifts.
Could Su Ci, who came in with the Inspector, be a bad person?
She was also devastatingly beautiful, looking every bit like a kind-hearted and understanding big sister.
They had intended to seize this opportunity to once again harshly suppress Lin Xiaoxiao, who used to be at their beck and call.
They didn't expect to be met with Su Ci's resounding slaps.
Combined with Li Changwei's attitude, it was hard for them not to guess that Su Ci's identity was not simple.
After all, there had been cases where people opposed their behavior before.
Li Changwei would usually brush it off by saying it was the Orphanage's internal business and that outsiders shouldn't interfere.
This time, they had truly kicked a steel plate.
But they wouldn't stop there. Looking at Qin Shiyao with teary eyes, they pointed at Su Ci and wailed:
"Inspector Sister, look at her! She just hit us! Arrest her and throw her in jail!"
"Yeah, arrest her! Lock her up! No... locking her up is too light. My face still hurts! She should be shot!"
"Inspector Sister..."
"Inspector Sister..."
The group of children hiding in the corner couldn't stand it anymore and stepped forward one after another.
They didn't step forward to speak for Su Ci, but rather pointed their fingers at her.
"Inspector Sister, what did our brothers and sisters do wrong? They were just asking Sister Lin for help."
"Besides, Sister Lin didn't say no. This bad sister hit them for no reason. What if something serious happened to their bodies?!"
"You must arrest her! Don't let her get away!"
...The group of children chirped and chattered, denouncing Su Ci.
They even surrounded Su Ci and the others, as if afraid she would run away.
Hearing Su Ci being slandered by these pests, Lin Xiaoxiao couldn't care less and roared: "No... it's not like that! President Su didn't do anything wrong; it's all your fault!"
Her voice drowned out the noise of the Little Brats.
But in just a brief moment, it invited a storm of counterattacks from these vermin.
"Sister Lin, how can you side with an outsider? We're family..."
"Sister Lin..."
"Sister Lin..."
The children and Lin Xiaoxiao fell into a verbal dispute.
Although things were unexpected for Li Changwei, he had no intention of intervening.
He couldn't be the only one to suffer a setback today, right?
But things didn't go as planned.
The chaotic noise made Su Ci's eardrums ring.
As the person involved, she simply watched the farce quietly.
She marveled that in the Qingshan Welfare Institute, where snakes and rats shared a nest, a hamster like Lin Xiaoxiao had somehow ended up.
Su Ci held back Lin Xiaoxiao, this little hamster whose fur was standing on end from anger.
She shook her head at Lin Xiaoxiao and whispered in her ear, "Don't lower yourself to the level of a barking dog."
Feeling the warmth on her palm, Lin Xiaoxiao opened her mouth to say more but then fell silent.
But the cries of these pests and ungrateful wolves made her heaving chest feel stifled.
It was all because of her that Su Ci had suffered this undeserved calamity.
How could she allow others to criticize the light that belonged to her?
If she hadn't come back today, would she not have come into contact with Su Ci, and would Su Ci not have been drawn into this chaos that had nothing to do with her?
Lin Xiaoxiao couldn't help but take all the blame upon herself, falling into deep self-reproach and bowing her head in shame.
Qin Shiyao watched from the side, feeling quite helpless.
Had Su Ci done something wrong?
From an objective perspective, no.
As for this group of children, they hadn't broken any laws or regulations; it wasn't even a civil dispute.
What could she do?
Qin Shiyao could only be caught in the middle, her head spinning.
Fortunately, she had experienced far worse farces than this, so she could handle this small matter.
"Have you argued enough? Everyone, be quiet!"
It was unclear if Qin Shiyao's words had an effect.
Or if they had shouted themselves hoarse, but they stopped and began coughing violently.
Only then did Li Changwei jump out to play the peacemaker: "President Su, please calm down. These children just lack discipline; please don't take it to heart, lest you get upset."
After saying that, he pointed at a wall and said solemnly to the now-quiet Little Brats: "President Su is now an investor in our Qingshan Welfare Institute. If she disciplines you, you have to take it. Do you understand?"
"Go over there and stand facing the wall for an hour to reflect on your actions. No small movements are allowed without my permission."
Seeing Li Changwei's firm gaze, the children knew they couldn't win this fight.
At the same time, they inwardly cursed Qin Shiyao's 'inaction,' then resentfully made faces at Su Ci before reluctantly walking toward the wall Li Changwei had pointed out.
Su Ci wouldn't just ignore the barking from earlier. She wasn't a dog, and she couldn't engage in the foolish behavior of biting a dog back just because it bit her.
Closing the door to beat the dog and heating the oil—that is the proper procedure for a human.