Chapter 331: In Taoyang
“I’m planning to live there myself. Once the house is built, I’ll move out from home.”
Second Miss Xiao thought she was joking:
“You’re paying to suffer? I heard Taoyang is just a small… place next to Dongyang, not even a proper settlement. Can a place like that guarantee safety? Don’t forget how many bases have been wiped out in the past six months. For all you know, the zombies could overrun Taoyang before your house is even finished.”
“Think whatever you want. Just don’t come mooching off me when my house is done. I’m hanging up.”
Hearing the dial tone, Second Miss Xiao was so angry she nearly choked.
Mooch off her?!
Who would want to live in that remote dump?
Third Sister must be crazy.
*
As soon as Xiao Wenyu left, Su Tao contacted Minister Xu’s assistant.
The assistant thought they were about to set off and quickly said:
“Minister Xu is still tied up with some matters. He probably won’t be able to join you until 8 PM. Miss Su, please let Manager Ma know if he can wait for him.”
“No rush. I have something else important to discuss with Minister Xu. He’ll understand as soon as he sees these two photos.”
She sent a daily photo of Alice.
In the picture, Alice, who looked as delicate as a porcelain doll, sat on a treehouse, swinging her legs and gazing at the blue sky.
The second photo was Alice’s drawing of the red hat.
Minister Xu’s assistant was so shaken that his hands trembled, nearly dropping the communicator. He stammered:
“Th-this—”
Su Tao reassured him, “She’s in Taoyang, safe and well-fed.”
The assistant was so overwhelmed that he could barely speak:
“G-good… I’ll—I’ll inform Minister Xu immediately.”
He didn’t even bother hanging up the call before rushing toward the private room.
At that moment, Ling Tianji and his associates were hosting a farewell banquet for Minister Xu.
They had exhausted all their flattery and even hinted at offering favors, but Minister Xu pretended not to understand. He showed no intention of covering up the Xindu’s repeated failures during this year’s Alliance Summit.
In previous years, Xindu had performed reasonably well, and Ling Tianji had found Minister Xu approachable.
But this year, he realized just how rigid and unyielding the man was!
It was clear that within two weeks, Changjing would mark a big red cross on Xindu’s evaluation, eliminating their chances of being recognized as a “Triple Excellence Base.”
Ling Tianji took a deep breath and exchanged a glance with Zhuo Ercheng.
Receiving the cue, Zhuo Ercheng immediately adopted a serious expression:
“Minister Xu, we know you’ve been searching for your missing daughter for years—”
Before he could finish, Minister Xu cut him off:
“President Zhuo, that is my personal matter. I will continue searching on my own and will not involve others.”
Zhuo Ercheng was stunned.
Ling Tianji, thick-skinned, pressed on:
“Minister Xu, we heard there were sightings of your daughter in the south. Although Xindu has underperformed this year, we still hold some influence there. With our help, you could greatly shorten the time needed to find her.”
Zhuo Ercheng quickly added fuel to the fire:
“Zombies are rampant now, and crawlers are everywhere. In such dangerous times, every moment counts…”
Minister Xu’s face remained impassive, but under the table, his fingers trembled uncontrollably.
Throughout his life—both before and after the apocalypse—he had remained fair and impartial, delivering honest reports to the highest authorities without bias.
For that cause, he had endured hardships and faced mortal danger.
Yet he was still a man of flesh and blood. His only family—his beloved daughter—had been abducted by those who wanted to silence him, leaving her lost and alone in the world.
The thought of her suffering haunted his nights with tears and guilt.
Ling Tianji cleared his throat:
“Minister Xu, as Zhuo Ercheng said, time is of the essence. If we start searching sooner, we can—”
Suddenly, the assistant burst through the door, shouting in a cracked voice, “Minister Xu!”
The people from Xindu all frowned.
How could someone be so careless and rude?
But since he was Minister Xu’s subordinate, none of them dared to scold him.
Minister Xu exhaled deeply—only he knew how much his breath trembled.
To be honest, if the assistant hadn’t interrupted his train of thought, he might have actually…
The assistant had been with him for several years and naturally knew how anxious he was about his daughter. Even as he spoke, his own voice choked with emotion:
“Minister! Miss Hehe has—has been found!”
Minister Xu froze on the spot, and for a moment, he thought he was hallucinating.
Had his longing for his daughter driven him to a mental breakdown?
Ling Tianji’s face darkened like the bottom of a scorched pot.
Was this some kind of performance?!
They had just tried to use the missing daughter to pressure Minister Xu, and the very next moment, she was found?!
What kind of ridiculous coincidence was that?!
Zhuo Ercheng shared the same thought—Minister Xu must have staged this by bringing in his assistant to reject them on the spot.
Seeing that Minister Xu still hadn’t reacted, the assistant repeated urgently:
“Minister, she’s been found! It’s real this time! She’s in Taoyang—Taoyang is taking excellent care of her, and she’s living comfortably. As soon as Miss Su recognized her identity, she contacted me immediately. Minister, please get ready to leave with Miss Su and Manager Ma!”
Ling Tianji’s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.
She’s in Taoyang?!
If this wasn’t an act, then Taoyang’s luck was downright miraculous. Minister Xu already had a good impression of Su Tao, and with this development, Taoyang gaining official recognition from Changjing was practically a done deal.
The whole situation was just too coincidental.
Ling Tianji was more inclined to believe it was a premeditated conspiracy.
The assistant didn’t care what they thought—he rushed over and showed Minister Xu the photos on the communicator.
When Minister Xu saw his daughter—carefree, well-fed, and even looking a little plump—his world spun.
He had imagined countless tragic scenarios about her situation but had never dared to hope that she could live so well without him.
His vision blurred with tears as he steadied himself against the table, his fingers gently brushing over the image of the girl.
Four years…
His little Hehe had grown into a young woman.
The assistant was already crying for him: “Minister, let’s go! The people from Taoyang are all ready—once you arrive, we can set off immediately.”
“Let’s go.”
Without another word, Minister Xu strode out in long steps and disappeared within five seconds, leaving the people from Xindu staring at each other in disbelief.
“He just left?! Without even saying goodbye?” someone from Xindu blurted out.
Zhuo Ercheng, seeing the situation was hopeless, slumped back into his chair:
“He’s eager to see his daughter—he doesn’t have time for you.”
Ling Tianji shot him a cold glance: “If we can’t get the ‘Triple Excellence’ award this year, Taoyang won’t be easy to pressure. With Minister Xu backing them, I’d say only Dongyang has a chance to benefit now.”
Zhuo Ercheng had already given up on getting a piece of Taoyang’s pie:
“Mr. Ling, let it go. Taoyang hasn’t blacklisted us—we should be grateful we can still buy supplies from them.”
Even though Ling Tianji was filled with resentment, he had to admit that given the current situation, Taoyang was no longer a force they could easily provoke.
