Gu Heng strode forward quickly and caught Su Rou as her body swayed unsteadily. His brows knitted together as he shot Tang Xiaoman a displeased look.

Under the lights, Tang Xiaoman’s delicate features seemed coated in frost. Her almond-shaped eyes glinted sharply—beautiful as blooming peach blossoms, yet cold as winter ice.

For a moment, Gu Heng felt something about her was different from before.

He couldn’t quite say what.

Suppressing the strange feeling in his chest, he spoke in a cold, reprimanding tone.

“No matter how dissatisfied or resentful you feel, you shouldn’t bring it into work. Skipping a company meeting without notice is bad enough—but now you’re even taking your anger out on Su Rou. You know her health is poor, and she’s your younger sister. Shouldn’t you be more accommodating toward her?”

Here we go again.

Tang Xiaoman couldn’t help but laugh in disbelief.

Su Rou’s watery eyes filled with tears, her expression pitiful and fragile.

“Big Sister, please let Su Ke go. And let Shu Jia go too. As long as you’re willing to show mercy… you can hit me or scold me if you want!”

As she spoke, she rushed forward, grabbing Tang Xiaoman’s hand and pretending to slap herself with it.

*Smack!*

Tang Xiaoman seized the opportunity and slapped her hard across the face.

Su Rou froze.

Five bright red finger marks instantly appeared on her pale cheek. Her teeth loosened slightly, her head snapping to the side as her body swayed violently.

Fortunately, Gu Heng reacted quickly and caught her.

“Rou’er! Are you alright?!”

Su Rou was completely stunned. She even forgot her usual sweet, manipulative lines.

Gu Heng turned and glared at Tang Xiaoman, fury blazing in his eyes.

“You actually dared to hit Rou’er!”

Tang Xiaoman raised an eyebrow and looked at Su Rou with innocent surprise.

“My goodness, I’ve never seen someone like you before—grabbing my hand and making me hit you. What’s wrong with you? Are you addicted to getting slapped? Does it feel good when I hit you?”

Su Rou’s face flushed bright red.

She was utterly speechless.

Her mouth opened as if to accuse Tang Xiaoman—but it was true that she had pulled Tang Xiaoman’s hand herself.

Still, who would have expected Tang Xiaoman to actually slap her?

And that hard.

Su Rou swallowed the bitter humiliation, tears falling like rain.

Gu Heng pulled her protectively behind him, his eyes practically breathing fire.

Through clenched teeth, he spat out her name like shards of ice.

“Tang… Xiao… Man. Don’t push it!”

Su Rou’s stunned mind finally caught up. Ignoring the burning pain on her cheek, she resumed her pitiful act.

“Brother Heng, please don’t blame my sister. If it helps her calm down—if it makes her willing to let Su Ke and Shu Jia go—then a slap is nothing…”

Before she could finish speaking, Gu Heng’s temper snapped. He stepped forward and shoved Tang Xiaoman hard.

Tang Xiaoman quickly stepped back. It looked as though she had been pushed to the ground, though she had barely taken any force.

Taking advantage of the moment, she collapsed dramatically and shouted at the top of her lungs:

“Help! A man is hitting a woman! A man is beating a woman right in front of the police station!”

—

The police station entrance was covered with surveillance cameras, capturing the entire confrontation in crystal-clear detail.

Su Rou and Gu Heng had blocked Tang Xiaoman first.

Su Rou approached her first, pulling at her and even grabbing Tang Xiaoman’s hand to hit herself.

Then Gu Heng shoved Tang Xiaoman, causing her to fall.

Tang Xiaoman slapping Su Rou had technically been done under Su Rou’s own coercion.

But Gu Heng pushing Tang Xiaoman was intentional assault.

A man hitting a woman was already morally indefensible—and he had struck first.

With the evidence undeniable, Gu Heng was detained at the police station as well.

Su Rou cried like a rain-soaked flower, blocking Tang Xiaoman from leaving.

“Big Sister, please let Gu Heng go! There’s nothing between him and me. Please don’t misunderstand—don’t take your anger out on him…”

“What? You want me to hit you again?” Tang Xiaoman dug at her ear as if she couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “My goodness. So that’s your thing?”

Su Rou could no longer maintain her act.

Grinding her teeth, she hissed, “Tang Xiaoman! Since when did you learn to play dumb like this?”

Tang Xiaoman gave her a smile so infuriating it could kill.

“If we’re talking about acting, I’m nowhere near your level.”

She waved casually.

“Bye-bye.”

Then she turned and walked away.

Of course, Su Rou wasn’t about to let her go so easily and hurried after her.

But Tang Xiaoman had survived four brutal years in the apocalypse. How could someone like Su Rou possibly catch her?

*Thud!*

Su Rou tripped and fell flat on the ground.

Tang Xiaoman didn’t even glance back.

She hadn’t touched her anyway. If the woman broke something, it was her own fault.

—

The events of tonight taught Tang Xiaoman an important lesson.

She couldn’t go back to her old apartment anymore.

Instead, she checked into a hotel and moved up her plan to hire bodyguards to the very next day.

The Su family and Gu Heng would only grow more desperate and vicious. She needed to guarantee her own safety first.

Despite the exhausting day, the results were impressive.

Not only had she stockpiled a huge amount of supplies, she had also conveniently sent Su Ke, Shu Jia, and Gu Heng all into the police station.

They would probably be busy arranging bail and clearing their names for a while.

Which meant they wouldn’t have the time to bother her anytime soon.

After taking a hot shower, Tang Xiaoman lay down in bed. It was already late into the night.

She had planned to review tomorrow’s schedule, but she was so exhausted that the moment her head touched the pillow, she fell asleep.

—

The next morning, Tang Xiaoman woke up refreshed and ready for a new day.

She drove to **Blazing Shield Security**, the largest bodyguard company in Lin City, and immediately tipped one hundred thousand yuan.

Manager Zhang, the company’s director, instantly realized she was a major client and personally came out to receive her.

Tang Xiaoman got straight to the point.

“I want to hire sixteen bodyguards.”

Manager Zhang’s eyes lit up at the sound of such a big deal.

“Miss Tang, do you have any specific requirements?”

“Besides being good fighters,” Tang Xiaoman said calmly, “the most important requirement is that they must be unmarried. No direct relatives. And absolutely no girlfriends.”

Manager Zhang nearly choked.

“Ah… what?”

Tang Xiaoman repeated herself calmly.

“I want people who are completely alone in the world. You understand, Manager Zhang?”

The experienced manager quickly closed his gaping mouth and nodded.

“Understood.”

Some wealthy clients feared enemies might threaten a bodyguard’s family to force betrayal. Bodyguards without family ties were considered safer and more loyal.

Tang Xiaoman didn’t waste time and immediately laid out her offer.

“Each bodyguard gets a monthly salary of two hundred thousand yuan. There will be one elimination round every month. Those who pass the first month will receive three hundred thousand in the second. Those who pass the second round will earn five hundred thousand in the third.”

Manager Zhang’s eyes nearly popped out.

“M-Miss Tang… are you serious?”

Lin City had plenty of wealthy people, but few spent money this extravagantly.

Bodyguards earning over one hundred thousand a month were already rare.

But this salary would double month after month.

If this offer got out, bodyguards would break down the door to apply.

Even married ones would probably rush to divorce. Those with girlfriends would dump them instantly. Some might even disown their families.

Tang Xiaoman smiled faintly.

“If someone hides family relationships to get the job and it’s discovered later, they must pay five times the compensation—and your company will cover the breach penalty. Please make sure that clause is written into the contract.”

Manager Zhang’s bright expression dimmed slightly. He rubbed his nose awkwardly.

“Ah… yes, of course.”

This woman was cunning.

She didn’t demand compensation from the bodyguards themselves—she demanded it from the security company.

That meant all the risk fell squarely on the company.

Their only option was to screen candidates extremely carefully.

Seeing his hesitation, Tang Xiaoman blinked and offered a suggestion.

“If your company can’t find sixteen people who meet the criteria, you can always recruit from other security firms.”

Security companies often cooperated with one another. Their connections in the industry far exceeded hers.

Tang Xiaoman had no intention of wasting time searching for bodyguards herself.

She would rather spend more money and let **Blazing Shield Security** handle everything.

After all, once the disasters arrived, money would rapidly lose value—and eventually become worthless.

Her space was limited anyway. Even if she had more money, she wouldn’t have room to store more supplies.

So while money still had value, she intended to use it fully.

Manager Zhang gave an awkward smile.

“Miss Tang is very clever.”

It was exactly what he had planned.

He just hated the idea of sharing such a large commission.

At that moment, an assistant walked in and whispered something into Manager Zhang’s ear.

Tang Xiaoman faintly overheard the words:

“Zhou Yichen was fired by his employer. He’s returned to the company and is waiting for a new assignment.”