Lin Xiaoxiao carefully chewed over Su Ci's words, syllable by syllable.
What she felt from them wasn't disdain, disgust, or blame, but genuine affirmation and recognition.
It was a solid bastion against external erosion, the radiance of a rising sun dispersing the gloom of her life.
Lin Xiaoxiao felt an inexplicable warmth in her heart.
Su Ci's tall figure didn't block the light before her eyes.
Because in her heart, Su Ci was her light.
Her lips trembled as she struggled to find words, her eyes growing moist.
For some reason, she had a sudden urge to throw herself into Su Ci's arms and wail.
But she restrained herself; such a thought felt somewhat rude and intrusive.
Su Ci looked down at the hamster-like girl with tears welling in her eyes.
She didn't know exactly what had happened to Lin Xiaoxiao.
Based solely on what she had seen and heard today, she was certain Lin Xiaoxiao had suffered a great deal of humiliation and injustice.
She knew that the current Lin Xiaoxiao needed someone to lean on and a way to vent so she could truly step out of the dark corners of her past.
Pressing her advantage, Su Ci placed her hands on Lin Xiaoxiao's shoulders.
She pulled Lin Xiaoxiao into her embrace and rested her chin gently on the girl's head. "If you want to cry, just cry. I'm here."
The sudden hug caused Lin Xiaoxiao's mind to go blank for a moment. The cold fragrance filling her lungs and the warmth radiating from Su Ci brought a sliver of clarity back to her.
The feeling of being safely enveloped caused all the negative emotions Lin Xiaoxiao had suppressed for so long to turn into a flood of tears.
Lin Xiaoxiao buried her head in Su Ci's chest, letting out low sobs from her throat.
Su Ci could feel the girl trembling in her arms and the heat of her tears. She patted Lin Xiaoxiao's back soothingly.
She looked at Li Changwei and the other man as they helped each other up from the ground.
At this moment, the resentment in their eyes was almost tangible as they glared fixedly at Lin Xiaoxiao's back.
They never expected that Lin Xiaoxiao would not only beat the children they viewed as precious commodities but would also dare to strike them.
She was truly acting with reckless courage, forgetting who was really in charge here.
Gou Dongxi gritted his teeth, about to rush forward to teach Lin Xiaoxiao a lesson.
But his arm was held back firmly by Li Changwei's hand.
Gou Dongxi still didn't understand why Li Changwei could still endure this even after being hit.
When he met Li Changwei's resolute gaze, he could only resentfully suppress the fire in his heart.
All their little movements were caught by Su Ci's eyes.
A dark glint flickered in her eyes.
Making these few pieces of scum disappear from the world would be very simple for her.
But she had to consider the consequences of such an action.
For instance, the favorability ratings of Qin Shiyao and Lin Xiaoxiao.
Qin Shiyao was a law enforcement officer.
Having just allowed Lin Xiaoxiao to give them a 'lesson' with a stick right in front of her might have already pushed the limits of her bottom line.
Lin Xiaoxiao was raised in the Orphanage.
She had spent over a decade with these people. Although their relationship wasn't friendly, there was no guarantee she didn't still harbor a sliver of pity for them.
If she were to simply 'erase' them, the two girls might develop a grudge against her. If their favorability got stuck at 89 points, who would she turn to for justice?
[Speaking Out for Justice] only made her words more convincing; it didn't say her actions would also be calmly accepted.
However, that didn't mean this matter would end here.
Su Ci's intuition told her that as long as the fate of the Orphanage staff was handled properly, it might become the key to boosting her favorability with Qin Shiyao and Lin Xiaoxiao.
The atmosphere in the room fell into a strange silence, broken only by the whimpering of the Little Brats from their pain and the sobbing of the girl in her arms.
Li Changwei and his companion smiled awkwardly, not daring to disturb the mood between Su Ci and Lin Xiaoxiao.
Qin Shiyao was off to the side, seriously scrolling through her phone as if she had important business to handle.
After a long time, the sobbing and whimpering finally subsided.
Lin Xiaoxiao looked up and met Su Ci's gaze. Her face immediately flushed bright red as she whispered, "Thank you, President Su."
Then, she hurriedly broke free from Su Ci's embrace.
Su Ci smiled faintly. In this conquest game, the emotional feedback from the girls seemed more worth cherishing than escaping the cage of her fatal destiny.
Only then did Li Changwei step forward, rubbing his hands together. "President Su, Xiaoxiao's punishment has made us profoundly realize our mistakes. We will do our best to correct them in the future..."
He turned to the group of Little Brats, who had cried themselves hoarse. "Isn't that right?"
Su Ci also looked at the wicked Little Brats. The crying and the pain had long since drained them of all their energy.
The Little Brats barely met Su Ci's gaze. They knew she was the real culprit behind everything that had happened and that no one would save them from this misery.
They could only nod repeatedly and obediently admit their faults.
As for how much of it was sincere and how much was fake, only they knew.
"You see..." Li Changwei continued.
Su Ci looked at Lin Xiaoxiao in front of her. "What do you think?"
She looked as if she would continue the 'education' if Lin Xiaoxiao wasn't satisfied.
Li Changwei and the others also focused their attention on Lin Xiaoxiao.
Being watched by so many people, Lin Xiaoxiao lowered her head shyly. "Everything is up to President Su."
Seeing this, Su Ci struck a thoughtful pose, making the hearts of Li Changwei and his group leap into their throats.
"Let's leave it at that, then!"
With those words, they felt as if they had been granted a grand amnesty, having already forgotten whose territory this actually was.
"However, make sure there isn't a next time."
Li Changwei quickly agreed, then spoke hesitantly: "Then, about the investment..."
Su Ci didn't know where Li Changwei got the nerve to still talk about the investment.
But this suited her perfectly. She was only afraid Li Changwei *wouldn't* jump into the pit.
So she said earnestly, "Building charitable causes is our duty. Director Li, you must also put in more effort."
Li Changwei nodded repeatedly. "President Su is right. I guarantee on my character that such things will never happen again."
"Alright, if there's nothing else, I'll be going."
Su Ci turned, intending to leave.
Hearing this, Lin Xiaoxiao's mood couldn't help but drop. She followed behind Su Ci and forced a smile. "President Su, I'll see you out."
After walking a few steps, Su Ci seemed to remember something and stopped.
Lin Xiaoxiao, caught off guard, bumped into Su Ci's back.
She heard Su Ci say, "Oh! Right, there's one more thing..."
Upon hearing this, Li Changwei's heart skipped a beat again. Was she going to pull some other trick?!
His whole body was aching; he couldn't take any more tossing around.
He saw Su Ci ask Lin Xiaoxiao, "Are you working right now?"
Lin Xiaoxiao was a bit dazed. "I do a part-time job at Rose Winery every night."
Su Ci nodded. Knowing the plot, she naturally knew this. She continued to ask, "Did you find it yourself or..."
Lin Xiaoxiao answered instinctively, "The Director introduced me."
Su Ci gave a meaningful "Oh!" and her gaze swept over Li Changwei as if by chance. "Director Li's connections are quite extensive."
"I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare..."
Li Changwei gave a fake smile.
"Why wouldn't you? I think you're very daring. You don't seem worried at all about Lin Xiaoxiao running into trouble in such a den of iniquity!"
Li Changwei finally realized Su Ci was being sarcastic. Cold sweat poured down his forehead, and he tried to make an excuse: "President Su, listen to me..."
Su Ci immediately raised her hand to stop him. "I can't be bothered to listen to that."
Then her gaze returned to Lin Xiaoxiao. "I have an extra job here. Do you want to give it a try?"