Chapter 319: Caught in the Act?
The next day, the trade fair proceeded as usual, and the auction was set to open at 2 p.m.
Anyone holding a summit invitation could attend and participate in the auction. However, items had to be inspected first to determine their base price before they could be put up for bidding in the afternoon.
Su Tao didn’t really have anything to auction.
She rummaged through Fang Zhi’s storage space.
Food and daily necessities weren’t suitable for auction. Other items, like the “Misfortune Puppet” crystal she obtained after killing the bandits last time, were rare and precious—she wasn’t willing to sell it.
The rest were all gifts from others: a ruby, a “Time-Stopping Hourglass” from Ding Heyu, the whip she wore on her wrist, and the red hat Alice gave her…
Red hat?
For some reason, she suddenly recalled the children’s doodle she had seen on Minister Xu’s communicator screen. It had a crude drawing of a red hat.
No wonder it had seemed familiar at the time!
A flash of inspiration struck Su Tao, and she quickly called Zhuang Wan.
“Hello? Wanwan, how’s Alice doing lately?”
Zhuang Wan was caught off guard by the question.
Because Alice had always lived at the small ranch, her presence was weak. She often ran around playing, and even when visiting the ranch, it wasn’t guaranteed she’d be there.
“Sorry, I’ll ask Tang Huan and her daughter at the ranch. I haven’t seen Alice for a while.”
A moment later, Zhuang Wan called back.
“Don’t worry, Alice is doing great. She’s been having a blast playing with the chicks and ducklings and has even gained a little weight. Tang Huan and her daughter are taking good care of her.”
Su Tao was relieved. “I need a favor. When you get a chance, ask Alice to draw a picture—something with a red hat, a rabbit, or playing cards.”
Zhuang Wan was puzzled. “Why?”
“Just coax her into drawing first, and I’ll explain later. Hurry up, hurry up.”
Zhuang Wan had no choice but to agree. “I’ll try. Alice sometimes doesn’t fully understand instructions, so she might not draw exactly what you ask for. But I’ll do my best.”
Su Tao acknowledged this and was about to hang up when Zhuang Wan quickly asked:
“How’s that brat Chen Yang? He’s having so much fun that he barely calls me anymore. That ungrateful kid.”
Su Tao replied, “He’s been sticking with Lei Xing the whole time. No idea where he’s running around today, but don’t worry—Lei Xing is reliable in this regard. He won’t let him go too wild.”
Zhuang Wan remained skeptical.
Lei Xing? The man who practically embodied an end-of-the-world thrill-seeker?
But just as Su Tao hung up, Chen Yang appeared—voluntarily seeking her out.
The young man hesitated, sneaking a quick glance at Su Tao before pulling out a gift box from behind his back and shoving it at her. Then he hurriedly blurted out:
“Sister Tao, listen to me first! Brother Lei said this was meant for you in the first place. If you don’t want it, just throw it away! Don’t return it! Every time he sees it, he gets more depressed! He’s already totally miserable! I have to help him!”
Su Tao was caught between accepting and discarding it.
Chen Yang, still championing Lei Xing’s cause, continued:
“Sister Tao, I think Brother Lei really cares about you. Won’t you at least consider him? He’s even gone to the Chu family to confront Chu Yue for you. Who knows if he’ll make it back alive?”
Su Tao cut him off.
“That’s an exaggeration. He survived the zombie hordes of Shou’an, but going to the Chu family is a life-threatening mission?”
Chen Yang pouted. “The Chu family is a den of wolves.”
Su Tao explained, “Lei Xing is great, truly great, very charismatic—but I don’t have feelings for him that way. Do you understand? Never mind, you’re just a kid—you wouldn’t get it.”
Chen Yang put himself in Lei Xing’s shoes, feeling a deep sense of injustice. His admiration for Lei Xing made him all the more upset. His eyes welled up with tears.
“Then why? If he’s so great and charismatic, why don’t you like him?”
Su Tao shook her head. “Tell Lei Xing to carve open my heart and take a look himself. Even I don’t understand it.”
Chen Yang was overwhelmed.
His attachment to Lei Xing was so strong that, at this moment, he felt all of Lei Xing’s pain.
Tears streamed down his face as he turned and ran, sobbing, leaving Su Tao standing there, completely at a loss.
Just then, Zuo Ercheng arrived with a group of people, only to witness Su Tao making a young boy cry.
For a moment, no one dared to speak.
Finally, Ma Dapao spotted them and cheerfully walked over to greet them.
Zuo Ercheng immediately got down to business. His charming peach blossom eyes held no real warmth as he signaled for his men to drag out two people who had been tied up like dumplings.
“I heard your generator was sabotaged yesterday. Well, we caught the culprits—they’re from Shou’an Base. Looks like they had some past grudges and were out for revenge. Manager Ma, how do you want to handle them?”
Ma Dapao was surprised. The service here was pretty good—they even helped settle disputes.
Since they had gotten a new generator in the morning, his anger had subsided a bit. He glanced at Su Tao, received her subtle signal, then coughed and threw out an outrageous demand:
“Just have them compensate us. The old generator is beyond repair, so Shou’an should pay 2 million in damages. Plus, they should pay another 3 million for a new one.”
In reality, the old generator had already been repaired and returned, but why not milk the opportunity?
The two bound men widened their eyes, unable to speak due to their gag, but their expressions clearly cursed Ma Dapao for extortion.
Zuo Ercheng just wanted to resolve the matter quickly. Fair price or not, he didn’t care. He smiled politely and nodded.
“Once Shou’an pays, Xindu will release them. Also, as an apology, we’ve arranged a VIP room for you at today’s auction. Satisfied?”
Getting 5 million for free, Ma Dapao was certainly pleased. But he was a bit puzzled—Xindu’s attitude seemed a little too accommodating.
Zuo Ercheng, too, was satisfied. At least this matter was settled.
He still wasn’t sure how Taoyang and Minister Xu were connected, but the fact that they intervened over a mere generator issue was interesting.
Suddenly, he recalled Jiao Qing’s disappearance and turned to Su Tao with a smile.
“Miss Su, may I have a word?”
Su Tao wasn’t surprised and pointed to a quieter area beside the store. “Let’s talk over there.”
Zuo Ercheng got straight to the point. “Do you know where Madam Jiao is?”
Su Tao replied, “You’re not really asking about Madam Jiao’s whereabouts, are you? What you really want to know is who was behind Old Man Kong’s humiliating streaking incident, right?”
Zuo Ercheng was taken aback by her directness. “So, you do know?”
Su Tao shrugged. “I suggest you ask your woman.”
Zuo Ercheng froze. Just as he was about to ask more, a sharp and familiar female voice rang out nearby.
“Su Tao?! It’s you!”
Jiang Jinwei rushed over, ready to yank Su Tao’s hair.
She had been feeling that Zuo Ercheng had been distant lately and suspected he had a new lover.
She had followed him today specifically to catch him in the act—only to see him sneaking off with Su Tao!
