143: The Liu family visited

Liu Tianbao jogged all the way back to his Residential Complex, took the stairs two at a time, quickly pulled out his key, gave it a practiced twist, and pushed the door open.

Mr. Liu and Mrs. Liu, who were in the living room, were startled by the commotion. They saw their son gripping the doorframe, gasping for air as he shouted:

"Dad! Mom! I found Nansheng!"

He took a deep breath and, under his parents' astonished gazes, continued: "She's with that Chen Li, living in that high-end Residential Complex in the west of the city, in a big Villa!"

Once he finished speaking in one breath.

Mrs. Liu suddenly stood up from the sofa, her voice trembling with excitement: "Tianbao, are you telling the truth?"

"Absolutely true." Liu Tianbao patted his chest to guarantee it.

He then recounted the entire process of how he had bumped into them at the supermarket today, how he followed them, and how he obtained the address from the security guard, leaving out no details—not even the part where Chen Li and Liu Nansheng were picking out a Lobster in the seafood section.

After hearing their son's account, Mr. Liu and Mrs. Liu looked at each other, seeing shock and disbelief in each other's eyes.

They never imagined that Chen Li, who had only been willing to offer a bride price of 200,000, would be so wealthy.

"Living in a Villa..."

Mr. Liu muttered to himself, his fingers tapping unconsciously on the coffee table. "That Villa must be worth at least several million, right?"

"Exactly. He pretended to be poor back then and only wanted to give a 200,000 bride price. With his family's wealth, offering one million to marry our daughter would be considered cheap."

Mrs. Liu immediately chimed in, her tone filled with obvious dissatisfaction.

For a moment, the couple felt that the 520,000 from Wu Li was no longer appealing.

Compared to Chen Li, who could afford to live in a Villa, Wu Li's meager family assets were not even worth mentioning.

Since their daughter was already cohabiting with Chen Li, the matter was as good as set in stone.

They decided to go confront Chen Li tomorrow—the bride price must be at least one million; not a cent less!

"Also, once they get married, Chen Li has to pay us a monthly living allowance, otherwise, this marriage is off the table!"

If Chen Li knew of this couple's foolish thoughts, he would likely only shake his head and sigh—this couple was truly hopeless.

What did they take their own daughter for? A commodity that could be bargained over?

Didn't they understand that as long as they treated their daughter well, Liu Nansheng would naturally be filial to them? Why did they have to fixate on this bride price money?

Unfortunately, this preference for sons over daughters was already deep in their marrow.

In their deep-rooted mindset, a daughter was ultimately someone else's person, just like water poured out.

Since she had to marry, she had to marry someone rich. While she was still young and beautiful, it was only right to earn more bride price for her maiden family.

"How much do you think is appropriate to ask for the bride price when we go talk tomorrow?" Mrs. Liu lowered her voice, already beginning to discuss the arrangements for the bride price.

"At the very least, it should be this much." Mr. Liu held up two fingers.

"Two million. Since his family can afford a Villa, what is this little bit of money?"

"Right, and the ten pieces of gold jewelry, the wedding banquet—nothing can be left out."

Mrs. Liu became more excited as she spoke, "Once we get this money, we'll first buy a three-bedroom apartment in the city center for Tianbao..."

The next morning, the sunlight was just right.

Liu Nansheng was busy in the kitchen wearing an apron, the sizzling sound of frying eggs and the fragrance of porridge wafting through the air.

She skillfully flipped the eggs in the pan, looking up from time to time at the window—Chen Li was practicing martial arts in the yard.

During this time, Chen Li would wake up early every day to practice the martial arts routines he had learned from Lu Jun.

Since the system rewarded him with martial arts power, he discovered that his ability to learn during actual combat far exceeded that of an ordinary person.

With every move and every stance, he could quickly grasp the essentials and master them thoroughly.

Just yesterday, after dealing with the White-Faced Butcher's gang, the sudden notification from the system left him pleasantly surprised:

【Congratulations to the host, martial arts power has increased to 1100】

This discovery made Chen Li exceptionally invigorated.

It turned out that what the system bestowed upon him was not just martial arts power, but also an ability to constantly learn and improve during combat.

With every exchange and every lesson, his strength was steadily improving.

"If I continue to improve like this..."

Chen Li couldn't help but imagine as he threw punches, "Will there be a day when I can truly scale walls and vault over roofs like in the movies?"

This thought made him practice even more vigorously.

Every punch carried the sound of the wind, and every step was steady and powerful.

"Chen Li, time to eat." Liu Nansheng pushed open the window and shouted toward the yard.

"Oh, alright." Chen Li slowly withdrew his stance and let out a long breath.

Fine beads of sweat had already seeped onto his forehead, but he felt refreshed and invigorated throughout his whole body.

He walked into the house, and a simple breakfast was already laid out on the dining table: golden fried eggs, steaming white porridge, and a few small side dishes.

Just as they finished breakfast and were about to clear the dishes, the doorbell suddenly rang.

Chen Li and Liu Nansheng exchanged glances, both feeling somewhat surprised.

At this time of day, who could it be?

Their parents both had keys, and if it were Liu Zhao and the others coming over, they would definitely have called in advance.

Besides, it was only a little past eight in the morning; logically, no one would visit this early.

Liu Nansheng was rinsing bowls and chopsticks at the kitchen sink, the sound of running water gushing loudly.

Chen Li walked to the security monitor in the foyer. When he saw who was standing outside, he froze—it was actually Liu Nansheng's parents and her younger brother, Liu Tianbao.

How did they find their way here? This question flashed through Chen Li's mind instantly, and then the corners of his mouth lifted slightly.

It seems this family really has some capability, being able to find out even which Residential Complex they lived in.

He wanted to see what kind of act they wanted to put on today.

"Nansheng, it's your parents and brother here." He turned his head and shouted toward the kitchen.

The sound of the faucet came to an abrupt stop.

Liu Nansheng's movements paused noticeably, her fingers gripping the plate tightening slightly.

A trace of annoyance and displeasure flashed quickly through her eyes, but she soon regained her composure and continued placing the washed bowls into the drying rack.

She didn't need to ask to guess the purpose of their visit.

It was nothing more than seeing them living in a Villa with good conditions and wanting to come and demand benefits.

But the current her was no longer the Liu Nansheng of the past who would hold out hope for them.

Ever since they treated her as a commodity to be traded for a bride price time and time again, she had completely given up on this family.

If they still expected to control and use her like before, they were gravely mistaken.

She had Chen Li now; he was her foundation and gave her the courage to face everything. If they dared to harass her life, she would call the police without hesitation.

"Let them in. I want to see what they want."

"Alright." Chen Li nodded, turned, and pressed the door-opening button.