90: Chapter 90 A fit of rage

Mi Fan was amused by the scene and teased Liu Chang with a look of schadenfreude, "Xiao Chang, you really are a character! You can carry this umbrella from now on, rain or shine! Hahaha!"

Liu Chang finally snapped out of it, thinking to herself that she had been too quick to judge. However, she blamed her stinky older cousin for not explaining things beforehand. Suddenly gifting someone an umbrella had made her worry about him for nothing. She looked at Cao Xiao reproachfully and said, "Why didn't you say so earlier? You're a grown man gifting someone an umbrella out of the blue; can you blame me for overthinking it?"

"I'm not going to talk nonsense with you. I've found that wherever you are, trouble follows," Cao Xiao said, no longer wanting to deal with Liu Chang. He turned to Mi Fan and said, "Xiao Fan, the material for this umbrella is a new material I developed. I want to use it to design and produce some clothing. This material looks like translucent fabric, but it's actually a new type of alloy. It's very light and soft, yet incredibly tough, capable of resisting attacks from cold weapons and firearms. In other words, clothes made from this new material would be a thin, light bulletproof vest, completely different from traditional ones. So, I want you to help me design some clothing: first, bulletproof suits for my bodyguards; second, uniforms for my company's senior management; and third, everyday clothes for our family."

Mi Fan didn't answer Cao Xiao immediately. She closed the umbrella, kneaded the canopy with her hand, and pressed it against her face to feel it for a moment. Frowning, she said to Cao Xiao, "Brother, this metal is amazing. It's clearly metal, yet it has the characteristics of fabric. Could it be Goat-Milk Spider-Silk Steel? The softness and heat conductivity are perfect for making clothes, but the texture is so tough that cutting and sewing will be major problems. Plus, it doesn't take dye. Making clothes out of this will be very difficult."

"You don't need to worry about those issues; we have ways to process it rapidly. You just need to help me design the styles." As Cao Xiao was speaking with Mi Fan, he suddenly noticed Liu Chang sneaking toward the door with the umbrella. He immediately realized she was going to show it off. This new material was of great importance and could not be leaked. He shouted at Liu Chang, "Xiao Chang, get back here!"

"Brother, you guys go ahead and stay busy. I'm not interested in this. I'm going down to play by myself; I won't disturb you," Liu Chang said, stopping in her tracks but only turning her head back after being called out.

Seeing Liu Chang like this, Cao Xiao's anger flared up. He also felt some regret; he shouldn't have taken the umbrella out in front of her just now. Liu Chang was simply too thoughtless, carelessly wanting to show off a treasure in the eyes of others without considering how severe the consequences could be. If word got out, countless wolves and tigers would be drawn by the scent, and even if he were made of iron, he wouldn't be able to withstand them. Even Old Chen and Hongdu together wouldn't be able to protect him. The thought made him shudder. Moreover, even if he caught her this time, there was no guarantee she wouldn't do it again. With the industrial mother machine, he could go anywhere in the world, but what about his family? This girl would be the first to suffer! She was endangering both herself and others. He immediately stood up, walked over to Liu Chang, snatched the umbrella back, and roared at her in a rage, "Do you have any idea what you're doing? Huh? What are you trying to show off? What do you have that's worth showing off? Do you think because life is carefree now, you can just ignore everything and chase after vanity? Are you an idiot? Taking things out without a second thought or even asking! Do you know how valuable this material is? Huh? It's unique in the entire world! Do you know what that means? Huh? If you want to seek death, then go die by yourself, don't drag us down with you!"

Liu Chang's mind went completely blank. The ferocity on Cao Xiao's face was something she had never seen before. His merciless words caused her brain to stall. She stood there with her mouth agape, her expression frozen, motionless.

Mi Fan was also stunned. Cao Xiao's sudden outburst left her unable to react for a moment. Only after Cao Xiao stopped roaring did she snap out of it. She anxiously hurried over and grabbed Cao Xiao's arm, saying, "Brother, don't be angry. Xiao Chang didn't know how important this new material is. Just talk to her properly, okay?"

"Xiao Fan, stay out of this. Her personality must change. If I don't let her know the gravity of the situation and give her a profound lesson this time, I can't imagine what she'll become in the future," Cao Xiao said to Mi Fan, steadying his emotions.

Liu Chang was still in a daze, her eyes vacant. Mi Fan was frightened by her state and rushed over to shake her body vigorously, shouting anxiously, "Xiao Chang, what's wrong? Wake up! Brother, come quickly and look, Xiao Chang... she..."

"Give her a hard pinch on the hand." Cao Xiao was also a bit worried that he had scared Liu Chang into a stupor, but today he had to play the villain to the end. He sat down in a chair and spoke to Mi Fan with feigned indifference.

"Oh, I'll try!" Mi Fan responded and used her hand to give Liu Chang's arm a forceful pinch.

"Ah!" The dazed Liu Chang suddenly let out a piercing scream.

Seeing Liu Chang regain consciousness, Mi Fan comforted her happily, "Xiao Chang, are you okay? Don't blame your cousin; he's doing this for your own good, fearing you'll cause trouble. Just go admit your mistake and apologize to him, and everything will be fine."

"I don't want your help! He actually yelled at me, called me an idiot, and told me to go die! Waaaah! I'm moving out, I never want to see him again! It's just a stupid umbrella, what's the big deal? If he doesn't want me to have it, then fine! He's never even raised his voice at me since we were kids, and today he was so mean! Waaaah!" Liu Chang wailed, loudly accusing Cao Xiao of being in the wrong.

"Even now, you still haven't realized what a stupid thing you did! You want to move out? Until you understand this clearly today, you aren't going anywhere. Come on! I'll find a quiet place for you to reflect properly." Hearing Liu Chang's words, the anger that had just subsided flared up again. He went over, grabbed Liu Chang's hand, and dragged her out of the study.

"Cao Xiao! Let go of me! I don't even want it anymore, what more do you want! Waaaah! Let go!" Only then did Liu Chang feel afraid, struggling backward with all her might, but she was no match for Cao Xiao's strength. She was dragged out of the study and toward the floor below.

"Brother, don't be like this. Let me talk to Xiao Chang; she'll realize her mistake." Mi Fan followed behind, constantly trying to dissuade Cao Xiao.

Cao Xiao was determined to make Liu Chang reflect thoroughly today. Ignoring Mi Fan's pleas, he dragged Liu Chang straight toward the basement.

As she was dragged downstairs, Liu Chang cried and screamed for help, "Uncle, Auntie, save me! Cao Xiao has gone crazy!"

The shouting alerted everyone in the house. Hearing the noise, Cao Jingde hurried over to grab Cao Xiao and said, "Xiao Xiao, let go of Xiao Chang first. Whatever it is, let's talk it over properly."

Li Fengmei also said worriedly, "What on earth happened? You're making such a life-and-death scene. What did Xiao Chang do? She's still young and immature; don't take it to heart with her."

"Dad, Mom, stay out of this. She didn't just make a mistake; she's courting death and trying to take us with her, and she still refuses to admit it. Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. You should call Second Aunt and her husband. I've bought the surrounding villas; have them move in. I'll arrange jobs for them. From now on, let them keep a closer eye on Xiao Chang, or else something will go wrong sooner or later." Cao Xiao said through gritted teeth while looking at Liu Chang.

After speaking, Cao Xiao ignored Liu Chang's cries and struggles and dragged her toward the basement. His parents were sensible people and did not try to stop him further. Although Cao Xiao hadn't explained, Liu Chang must have made a fatal error this time; otherwise, Cao Xiao, who had spoiled her since they were children and never minded small issues, wouldn't be treating her so ruthlessly now.

When they reached the basement and Liu Chang saw that no one was coming to help, she fell into despair. She stopped struggling and simply cried even more sorrowfully. Cao Xiao went to the wall of the wine cellar, pressed a spot on the surface, and then gently pushed the wall to the side with one hand. Suddenly, the wall slid away, revealing a dark passage.

Dragging Liu Chang into the passage, he flipped the light switch on the wall. A space of about a hundred square meters appeared, decorated just like a residence, complete with furniture, appliances, and living facilities. This was naturally another of Cao Xiao's masterpieces. He had used his spare time at home to configure this emergency shelter for the villa. In case of an emergency, he could bring his family here to hide from danger. The outer wall was merely a disguise; the entire space was encased in half-meter-thick X1 Super Alloy, which conventional weapons couldn't damage in the slightest.