Chapter 293: Show Some Respect to Taoyang
Su Tao let out a short laugh, then turned to Shi Zijin. “Can I?”
Can I afford to offend them?
Shi Zijin understood immediately.
She was really asking: If I beat them up today, will you cover for me?
After all, this was Xindu, not her home turf in Dongyang or Taoyang.
Shi Zijin was briefly stunned.
How could she be both timid and fearless at the same time?
Holding back his laughter, he nodded. Then, he even handed her his gun and said calmly, “I have some connections with Captain Ling in Xindu. Killing a few insignificant people won’t matter.”
Fang Yan scoffed. “Who are you trying to fool? I could just as easily say I’m Zhuo Ercheng’s mother-in-law.”
Deng Zixuan didn’t believe him either—though her main focus was on how cool he looked while handing over the gun.
But Deng Zilu felt a chill run down her spine, her face paling slightly.
Others might not know, but as the woman who had been by Zhuo Ercheng’s side the longest—his chosen companion at public events—she was extremely cautious and intelligent.
Not only did she understand Zhuo Ercheng, but she had also gone out of her way to research everyone in his circle. As Zhou Ercheng’s direct superior, Ling Tianji was naturally one of the people Deng Zilu had to study carefully.
Although Ling Tianji was now the top leader in Xindu, years ago, he had merely been a mercenary team captain.
Few people knew about this part of his history, but those who did—and who dared to call him “Captain Ling”—were definitely people familiar with him.
This man in front of her might really know Ling Tianji.
Deng Zilu was not only intelligent but also knew when to yield and when to stand firm. Before Su Tao could react, she immediately softened her stance:
“I’m truly sorry, both of you. My father just passed away, and my mother and younger sister are emotionally unstable, which led to some inappropriate remarks. I sincerely apologize on their behalf.”
She lowered herself humbly, even giving off the illusion of being open and forthright.
Su Tao was amazed. This woman changed faces so quickly!
Just moments ago, she had been arrogantly asking the repairman, “Do you know who I am?” and acting like she could smash as many cars in the parking lot as she pleased.
And now, in the blink of an eye, she had transformed into someone who knew when to advance and retreat, apologizing with sincerity.
Su Tao reflected for three seconds and realized her own shamelessness still had room for improvement compared to this woman.
Fang Yan was about to lose her temper, but Deng Zilu forcefully restrained her, even dragging her and Deng Zixuan into apologizing.
Deng Zixuan didn’t dare defy her elder sister. Her sister was their only support now. Even though she was unwilling, she still forced herself to apologize to Su Tao and the repairmen.
Fang Yan gritted her teeth and reluctantly apologized as well.
Su Tao barely accepted it and said to Deng Zilu:
“I need to clarify something. Your mother blocked our car, nearly causing us to flip over and crash. If our driver hadn’t reacted quickly, we could have lost more than ten lives. How was she planning to make up for that?”
“That’s not even the worst part. She demanded we save Mr. Deng but did so with such a commanding and sarcastic attitude. Is that how you ask someone for help? We’re all strangers—who wants to bring trouble upon themselves? Miss Deng, you’re a smart person. I don’t think I need to explain further.”
Deng Zilu understood.
Su Tao was telling her to keep her mother and sister in check so that incidents like this wouldn’t happen again.
She was furious that her mother had concealed the truth from her but also found Su Tao’s words difficult to swallow—they made her lose face.
But Su Tao had no intention of making it easy for her. Without waiting for a response, she simply took out a few bottles of mineral water from her bag and generously handed them to the repairmen.
“Thank you for your hard work. Have some water—don’t be shy. I have things to do, so I’ll come back later to check on the car.”
Even in Xindu, while water wasn’t in extreme shortage, it wasn’t cheap either.
The repairmen were a little flattered by her generosity.
Deng Zixuan, watching with envy, suddenly remembered that Tang Le had accepted a package of supplies from them earlier—one that included both water and food.
What exactly was Taoyang? A no-name place, yet why did it seem so wealthy?
Deng Zilu remained silent and pulled her mother and sister away.
“Mom, tell me the truth—who are they?”
Fang Yan was confused. “Who could they be? That Wei Xiang already said it—they just run a motel in the mountains.”
After this incident, Deng Zilu didn’t believe a single word of it. She sneered coldly.
“Wei Xiang is a scheming man. Find a chance to shake him off. You two should stay away from him. As for Taoyang, I’ll look into it myself. From now on, if you see those two, take a detour!”
Deng Zixuan muttered, “But brother-in-law is such a high-ranking official…”
Deng Zilu glared at her. “He has power and status, but that belongs to him—not me! If he stops favoring me, then to him, our entire family is nothing but trash. You’d better behave yourself and stop causing trouble for me!”
If that man really was an old acquaintance of Ling Tianji, even Zhou Ercheng would have to show him some respect.
She was merely one of Zhou Ercheng’s many women. Why would he offend his superior’s old acquaintance for her sake?
Fang Yan suddenly felt uneasy. She grabbed her eldest daughter’s hand and asked,
“Zilu, when are you and Ercheng getting married? I just can’t put my mind at ease…”
Deng Zilu’s eyes darkened slightly, but there was also a flicker of ambition.
“At the latest, this year.”
Meanwhile, Jiang Jinwei, who also dreamed of marrying Zhou Ercheng, was still sulking after seeing Su Tao.
Whenever she was in a bad mood, she wanted to call Zhou Ercheng.
At some point, this man had become like a rib in her body—without him, she couldn’t uphold her dignified lifestyle or her carefree existence.
Without him, she was nothing but a pathetic mess, struggling to survive in the apocalyptic mud.
She never wanted to return to the cramped house of the Su family again!
She never wanted to worry about food, clothing, or shelter!
She never wanted to hear that maddening “Mama!” from Tang Dou again!
This life she had now—it was supposed to be hers.
Zhou Ercheng saw her call and looked a little exasperated.
“My dear, what’s wrong? Are you short on money, or do you want something to eat? You can just tell Secretary Song to handle it.”
The implication was—don’t bother me!
With the upcoming Alliance Summit, he was so busy that he barely had time to breathe.
Unfortunately, Jiang Jinwei didn’t pick up on his underlying meaning. She whined,
“I don’t need anything. I just miss you and want to talk to you. I’ve been back in Xindu for several days now, but you haven’t even thought about seeing me?”
Zhou Ercheng frowned. “I’ve been extremely busy lately.”
He suddenly realized that Deng Zilu was much more considerate.
She had been with him for so long but never disturbed him when he was busy or talked about unnecessary things.
Jiang Jinwei finally sensed his displeasure and felt even more wronged.
“So if you’re busy, you just won’t come see me? I’ve been waiting anxiously for you—do you even care?”
Zhou Ercheng lost the last bit of his patience.
“I have a meeting to attend. I’ll see you when I have time.”
Then he hung up.
Ling Tianji, who rarely saw him this frustrated, teased,
“What’s wrong? Your beauty made you unhappy?”
Zhou Ercheng rubbed his temples. “She was intriguing at first, but now she’s exhausting.”
Ling Tianji raised an eyebrow. So he wanted to break up with her.
He didn’t press further, instead changing the subject to matters of the city.
“Minister Xu has been here for a couple of days now. Find a time to arrange a welcome banquet for him—we need to treat him like a god. Whether Xindu can level up this year depends on him.”
Zhou Ercheng nodded.
“Oh, by the way, have the people from Taoyang arrived in the city? They’re also a key group to monitor. Find a time to meet with their leader—and be respectful to them.”
