Chapter 192: My Name is Zheng Xing!
Su Tao smiled and said, “If you wanted to go out for a walk, you should’ve told me earlier. No need for the performance. Come on, I’ll take you. Sister Pan, you should come too.”
Liu Panpan was stunned. She touched the small photo frame in her pocket, feeling a pang of sadness in her eyes. “Thank you, Boss Su.”
By the time they reached Panliu Mountain, it was already past 9 a.m., and a long queue had formed outside. The foot of the mountain was bustling with people, and the garage, gas station, and charging stations were constantly in use, with vehicles coming and going.
Su Tao pointed toward the garage and said to Liu Panpan, “Sister Pan, I found him in the garage, but it looks completely different now. Do you want to go in and take a look?”
Liu Panpan nodded vigorously.
Su Tao called over Ma Dapao, asking him to take Old Master Mei on a tour, while she led Liu Panpan into the garage.
The 800-square-meter underground garage was completely packed—every parking spot was occupied, and even the non-parking areas were crowded with all kinds of people. The atmosphere was incredibly lively.
Liu Panpan carefully examined every corner, her mind constantly flashing back to the scene of Yanyan being abandoned here alone. The thought made her hands and feet go cold.
Without all these people and vehicles, such a large place must have been terrifying for him back then.
By the time they walked out, Liu Panpan’s face was already covered in tears.
Su Tao sighed inwardly, unable to find the right words to comfort her.
“Boss Su… can I ask you something? When you had people clean up the bodies, did you see a child’s… body? Wearing a blue shirt…?”
Su Tao shook her head. “It’s hard to say. There were children’s bodies, but most were unrecognizable, and their clothes were soaked in blood, making it impossible to tell the original colors.”
Liu Panpan closed her eyes as two streams of tears rolled down her face. Her lips trembled uncontrollably.
Su Tao patted her back and said, “Sister Pan, you’re still young. You can remarry and have another child just as adorable as Yanyan.”
Liu Panpan shook her head. “I’m not grieving his death. Ever since he got sick, I was prepared for this. What I can’t forgive myself for is not being there with him in his final moments. Every time I think about that, I can’t sleep at night because of the pain.”
“If heaven gave me another chance, I’d rather die myself than leave his side.”
Su Tao wrapped her arm around Liu Panpan’s shoulders, letting her release her emotions.
Liu Panpan was strong-willed and quickly composed herself. She wiped her tears away and forced a fragile smile. “I’m fine now. Let’s go find Old Master Mei.”
They took the elevator to the mountain lodge entrance, but before they could enter, they heard a sharp woman’s voice yelling:
“Who told you to take that away?! Did I say you could?! Are you deaf, dumb, and stupid? You think you can eat my leftovers? Do you even deserve it?! I’d rather waste it than let you touch it! Disgusting!”
Nearby, Master Qin’s wife, Yu Fang, stood frozen in place, looking at the woman with confusion and fear.
She couldn’t hear what was being said, but she could feel the hostility in the woman’s tone.
What happened?
She had simply seen the woman stub out a cigarette in an unfinished meal, assumed she wasn’t eating it anymore, and went to clear the plate.
Did she do something wrong?
In the kitchen, Zheng Xing had been covering for Master Qin, who was on a bathroom break. When he heard the commotion, he rushed out, standing protectively in front of Yu Fang, his brows furrowed in anger.
The woman was dressed stylishly, in revealing clothing with full makeup, clearly someone who had access to luxury even in the apocalypse.
She glanced at Zheng Xing, a scrawny boy around ten years old, with disgust.
“I thought Panliu Mountain was supposed to be a high-class place. But aside from the food and lodging being decent, the service is absolutely terrible. The staff here are either deaf and mute or filthy little beggars. What a disappointment.”
Zheng Xing was fearless. He straightened his neck and snapped coldly:
“You were the one who threw your cigarette into the food first. If you wanted to eat, you should’ve finished it properly! Wasting food and still acting superior? Pfft! Apologize to Aunt Yu!”
The woman immediately became furious. “You little brat, do you even know who I am?”
Zheng Xing refused to back down. “I don’t care who you are! If you come to Panliu Mountain, you follow Panliu Mountain’s rules and respect its workers. If you don’t like it, then don’t stay here! Take your ‘superior’ food and go back to wherever you came from!”
The woman sneered. “And who do you think you are? I won’t leave! I paid to stay here, and I’ll do whatever I want! I’ll waste as much food as I please, and I’ll insult you beggars however I want! Filthy people like you should have been wiped out in the apocalypse.”
Zheng Xing’s rage boiled over, his fists clenched tightly.
“Why hold back? Do whatever you want. I’ll back you up.”
Zheng Xing froze for a moment. “Boss Su? What are you doing here?”
Su Tao casually pulled out a chair and sat down, her expression blank. She gestured with her chin toward the plate of leftover food with the cigarette stub in it.
“Go ahead. Do what you want to do.”
With Su Tao’s support, Zheng Xing leaped up, grabbed the woman’s hair, and shoved her face into the leftover food.
“No wasting food! Eat it all! Do you even know how many people outside are starving to death?”
“That’s for insulting Aunt Yu!”
“And one more thing—I am NOT trash! My name is Zheng Xing!”
The woman choked on the food, her nose stuffed with rice, her mouth full of her own cigarette stub.
Zheng Xing let go just in time, watching her gasp and gag, then looked anxiously at Su Tao.
Su Tao smiled at him and casually called for Lao Qi and another worker to drag the half-unconscious woman away to clean up.
“Boss Su… I didn’t cause you any trouble, did I?” Zheng Xing suddenly felt a little regretful. The woman seemed like someone important.
Su Tao chuckled. “You weren’t afraid of offending her when you were yelling at her, but now you’re scared?”
Zheng Xing answered seriously, “If I just yelled at her, she’d only think I was a little beggar and at worst, send someone to beat me up. But since I actually hit her, she’ll definitely take it out on Panliu Mountain. I don’t want to bring trouble to you all.”
Su Tao ruffled his hair. “I’m not afraid of trouble. The only thing I’m afraid of is my people being mistreated. You did well—Aunt Yu didn’t deserve that humiliation, even if she couldn’t hear it.”
Yu Fang stood to the side, grinning foolishly. She didn’t know what they were talking about, but she could see what had happened—Boss Su had stood up for them.
Zheng Xing beamed. “Brother Ma always says you treat them well. I didn’t realize just how well until now.”
Just then, Master Qin came out of the restroom, looking confused. “What’s going on? Boss Su is here? Have you eaten yet? I’ll whip up a couple of quick dishes for you!”
Zheng Xing immediately ran off to wash his hands, eager to help, bustling around like a little worker bee.
Su Tao couldn’t help but laugh. “Hold on a second.”
Then she turned her head and called out behind her.
“Old Master Mei, have you seen enough? Are you hungry?”
An elderly man in a wheelchair, Old Master Mei, chuckled as he rolled himself forward. “I am getting a bit hungry, actually.”
Then, to everyone’s surprise, he slowly stood up, steadied himself against the wall, and walked into the kitchen. His eyes softened as he watched Zheng Xing skillfully squatting down, peeling vegetables.
With a warm smile, he asked, “How old are you?”
Zheng Xing had never seen him before, so he answered honestly, “Thirteen.”
Old Master Mei immediately looked troubled. “Thirteen? I thought you were at least sixteen. The way you talk and act… you seem so much older.”
