Chapter 344: The Chaotic Su Family
Su Tao was stunned.
Su Jianming had once tried to introduce her to a senior leader’s son? Was he trying to use her to curry favor with his superiors?
And a few years ago, she hadn’t even been an adult, yet Su Jianming had already dared to scheme like that.
A surge of anger rose in Su Tao’s chest, accompanied by a deep sense of sadness.
Alice’s father had never abandoned her, even though she had been a “little fool.” He had spent four years searching for her.
And yet her own biological father… only saw her as a tool for personal gain.
District Chief Xie was an old hand at reading people. Seeing Su Tao’s grim expression, he immediately knew what to do next.
After their discussion, he called his assistant and instructed:
“Contact the head of the Engineering Department and have Su Jianming’s house reclaimed. He’s no longer contributing to Dongyang’s development—what’s the point of letting him occupy a property for free?”
The assistant nodded eagerly and echoed his sentiment:
“Yes, sir! The Engineering Department only let him keep the place because of his status as a senior engineer. But now that he’s given up on self-improvement and spends his days loafing around, keeping the house for him is just a waste of our resources.”
Satisfied, District Chief Xie nodded. As the assistant left, Xie thought to himself that being the “bad guy” in this situation was worth it to earn Su Tao’s favor.
Once everything was settled, he planned to cash in on this favor—maybe he could persuade her to approve renovations for their aging government building. After all, the peeling paint in the hallways had been an eyesore for years.
The news that Xisan District would soon be incorporated into Taoyang spread like wildfire, reaching every corner of the community.
Even Li Ronglian, who was at home taking care of her child, heard the rumors.
Holding her daughter, Tangdou, she excitedly told Su Jianming, who was enjoying his wine with a flushed face:
“Jianming, I heard our district is about to become part of Taoyang! And they say they’ll tear down the old, unsafe buildings and give us new housing!”
Su Jianming perked up. “Really?”
Li Ronglian, brimming with hope for the future, continued:
“It’s all over the neighborhood—it must be true. Once we’re Taoyang residents, Tangdou can even get priority enrollment in their childcare center! Everything’s finally falling into place.”
“Oh, and I’ll call Jinjin to tell her. Xindu is probably not as comfortable as Taoyang. She and Xiao Zhuo should move here. It’ll be easier when they have kids—they can enjoy the same benefits as Tangdou.”
Su Jianming smirked. “See? I told you—there’s always a way out. You wanted me to pull strings with my old colleagues to get us into Taoyang, but here we are, becoming Taoyang residents without lifting a finger—and we’re the first batch!”
He took a satisfied sip of his drink and added, “We should also get Zhenglan to come back. There’s no future for him in Xindu compared to the opportunities in Taoyang.”
Li Ronglian beamed. “Yes! Once Zhenglan and Jinjin both have jobs and homes, I’ll finally have peace of mind.”
She put Tangdou down and eagerly called Jiang Jinwei.
At that moment, Jiang Jinwei was dead drunk. It took her a while to find her communicator and answer the call with a weak, irritated “Hello?”
Li Ronglian, still excited, said, “Jinjin! How are you and Xiao Zhuo? I’ve got great news—Xisan District is about to be incorporated into Taoyang! We’ll soon be under their jurisdiction, and they’ll even give us new housing!”
As soon as Jiang Jinwei heard the word “Taoyang,” her bloodshot eyes widened in fury.
“Taoyang! Taoyang! Taoyang! Everyone keeps talking about Taoyang—I’m so sick of it!”
Shocked, Li Ronglian asked, “Jinjin, what’s wrong? Did you have a fight with Xiao Zhuo?”
Tears streamed down Jiang Jinwei’s face. “Mom! Xiao Zhuo doesn’t want me anymore—he’s having an affair with Su Tao! He left me for her! Why is Su Tao always against me? When we were kids, she took my home and my room, and now she’s stealing my man!”
Li Ronglian was speechless with disbelief. It took her a moment to regain her voice. “…Jinjin, are you sure? How would Su Tao even know Xiao Zhuo?”
“She came to Xindu recently—on behalf of Taoyang! For some reason, Xiao Zhuo is obsessed with Taoyang. He kept pushing me to get closer to her. I tried, Mom—I really tried—but she kept giving me the cold shoulder. And now… I caught them together, but they still won’t admit it. Mom, I can’t go on like this—I just wanted a better life! Why won’t she let me have it?”
Hearing her daughter sobbing so bitterly, Li Ronglian’s heart ached.
“Jinjin, I’m sorry… It’s my fault—I didn’t raise Su Tao properly. She’s always been jealous of you, always trying to hold you back. If Xiao Zhuo doesn’t appreciate you, come home to Dongyang. This will always be your safe place.”
In the background, Su Zhenglan’s voice chimed in:
“Sis, let’s sell the house in Xindu and go back. We’ll make a name for ourselves in Taoyang and show Su Tao who’s really better. And if nothing else—why not report her to her boyfriend? No man would tolerate being cheated on. She deserves to suffer like you are!”
Jiang Jinwei’s crying suddenly stopped.
Report her?
She had been drowning in sorrow, feeling like her life was over without Zhuo Ercheng. It hadn’t occurred to her to take revenge on the person who caused all her misery—Su Tao.
Maybe it would work. No powerful man would stand for being humiliated.
After much persuasion, Li Ronglian finally convinced Jiang Jinwei to return to Dongyang.
When the call ended, Su Jianming’s face darkened.
“Useless—can’t even keep her man in line.”
Outraged, Li Ronglian snapped back:
“It’s Su Tao who seduced her sister’s fiancé! And you’re blaming Jinjin? What did she do wrong? Let me tell you, Su Jianming—Su Tao turned out this way because of you! You never cared about her—you always favored your two sons. That’s why she’s grown so twisted!”
Su Jianming’s nose flared with anger.
“Oh, you want to talk about favoritism? Was it me who starved Su Tao until she was skin and bones? She was three years old before she could even speak properly! And you—you took the powdered milk that kind-hearted people gave her and fed it to your already-grown daughter, Jiang Jinwei! Who really neglected her?”
The two of them argued fiercely, almost coming to blows.
In the corner, little Tangdou huddled in fear, wide-eyed and trembling.
She didn’t understand what had happened, but ever since her aunt left, her family had become chaotic.
Her mother was always angry, her grandfather was always drinking, and her grandmother would explode at the mere mention of Su Tao.
Tangdou didn’t like her aunt at all. According to her mother, Aunt Su Tao was a bad woman—and she had ruined everything.
