Chen Xiao couldn't help but see Qiao Jingjing's miniskirt riding up, his gaze flickered slightly, and the fists he had prepared for a fierce counterattack turned into palms, grabbing Qiao Jingjing's kicked leg:
"Ms. Qiao, please calm down. I've been framed. Your mother suddenly fainted, and I was taking her pulse to diagnose her."
Qiao Jingjing, who had been kicking out in anger, found her flying leg easily caught by Chen Xiao. She finally realized that her miniskirt today was highly unsuitable for high kicks. Her pretty face flushed instantly, and in her panic, she quickly tried to retract her leg, but her mouth was still sharp:
"Is this photo fake? If you truly want to prove your innocence, you should report it to the police yourself..."
Before she could finish, Qiao Jingjing was stunned because she couldn't retract the leg Chen Xiao was holding.
Straining to keep her balance on her tiptoes, she grew increasingly embarrassed and angry. Her eyes widened as she yelled:
"You pervert! Let go of me!"
Chen Xiao tried hard to avoid looking under Qiao Jingjing's skirt:
"First, tell me who gave you this photo."
"You..."
Qiao Jingjing was so embarrassed she wanted to disappear into a crack in the earth, but she still put up a tough front, gritting her teeth and saying hatefully:
"Do you want to silence me? Hmph! I advise you to give up that idea. Even if you kill me..."
Chen Xiao didn't say anything. He suddenly lifted Qiao Jingjing's leg high, like a professional coach in a gym helping a student practice the splits.
"Ah—"
Qiao Jingjing was both ashamed and scared, letting out a scream:
"You pervert! You're hurting me! Let go! Let go quickly! I'll tell you! I'll tell you, okay? My mother was sent to the hospital by Uncle Xin's arrangement, and Uncle Xin sent me the photo. I specifically printed it out to make it easier to report to the police. Ah..."
"Li Xin?"
Chen Xiao recalled Li Xin's sudden appearance at the Zhelu Tian with a group of reporters, barging into the private room to take pictures. His face instantly darkened. He no longer bothered with tenderness and respect, casually pushed Qiao Jingjing away, and quickly sent a voice message to Zidan:
"I have a lead. Even if Li Xin isn't the mastermind behind this, he's definitely involved in the malicious online exposé..."
Qiao Jingjing's body suddenly lost its balance, and she stumbled back several steps, almost bumping into Su Shan on the hospital bed behind her. Even more enraged, before Chen Xiao finished speaking, she lunged at him again.
This time, she had learned her lesson. She no longer dared to use her proud high kicks but resorted to punches. Judging by her moves, it was clearly authentic Western boxing.
"You bastard! You're too arrogant! How dare you make a phone call to deal with Uncle Xin, who kindly sent my mother to the hospital for rescue, right in front of me? Do you really think my inch-force, which I've practiced for years, is just for show? I'll fight you!"
Chen Xiao was already seething with anger from the anonymous online posts. Learning that this might be related to Li Bingxue's uncle, Li Xin, made him even more furious. He was already looking for an outlet for his rage.
"I don't even take masters of dark energy seriously, let alone mere inch-force?"
Seeing Qiao Jingjing lunging at him with her fists, he became furious. Without even putting his phone back in his pocket, he slapped her hard. The Great Dream Vajra Divine Skill instantly erupted, unleashing his attack speed to the extreme.
"Slap—"
With a crisp sound, Qiao Jingjing felt a burning pain on her cheek, and her whole body went numb.
She simply couldn't understand how Chen Xiao, who had no discernible martial aura and whose movements lacked any martial arts principles, could completely overwhelm her, who was proficient in Western boxing.
Maintaining her posture of punching Chen Xiao, she stood frozen as if petrified, motionless. Gradually, crystal tears rolled down her flushed cheeks, and she sobbed, accusing him:
"You bastard! You pervert! You're bullying me too much! Not only do you refuse to admit you knocked out my mother, but you also chased me to the hospital to rough me up, and even made a phone call to deal with the kind Uncle Xin... and... and you even saw my private parts, sob..."
Chen Xiao's anger had not subsided, and he remained unmoved, saying coldly:
"Hmph! Since you don't believe I've been framed, then get out of the way. When I wake your mother up, she will naturally clear up the misunderstanding!"
With that, he strode towards the hospital bed.
"Beast! I won't let you touch my mother!"
Qiao Jingjing was both shocked and furious. She could no longer afford to cry and instinctively spread her arms to protect the hospital bed behind her.
"Hmm?"
Chen Xiao's eyes were sharp. He inadvertently noticed Su Shan's ashen face and realized the seriousness of the situation. He quickly said:
"Get out of the way immediately! Your mother's condition has suddenly worsened. If she's not rescued quickly, she might die!"
Qiao Jingjing stood her ground, scoffing:
"You scoundrel, who are you trying to scare? Dr. Feng, who was treating my mother earlier, already said she would wake up soon!"
Chen Xiao sneered:
"Soon is how soon?"
"This..."
Qiao Jingjing subconsciously glanced at the wall clock and suddenly panicked. It had been more than ten minutes past Dr. Feng Daxiong's estimated wake-up time, yet Su Shan showed no signs of waking up.
At that moment, the cardiac monitor suddenly let out a piercing alarm:
"Beep—Beep Beep—"