Even he found it strange. He used to be most annoyed when won put on airs in front of him or played hard to get. Not to ntion throwing tantrums; even if they missed two consecutive phone calls, they would generally be imdiately blacklisted, and he would never contact them again. But no matter how difficult or lodramatic this woman was, he had surprisingly grown accustod to it.
Is it pity? Pity for her being all alone, looking so utterly helpless? Pity that she has no one to turn to when she’s wronged? The re thought of her alone at ho today, burning up with such a high fever, sent a shiver of fear down his spine. If I hadn’t gone to find her, would she have truly just sat there waiting for the worst? How pitiful.
After a long silence, he muttered to himself, "Little trickster, get well soon so you can go back to your usual scheming. I’m really not used to seeing you this pitiful."
Accompanying Xu Xiaoya back to her hotown were Yang Yong and Liu Bing, the sa n who had previously beaten up Yang Wei. Throughout the journey, Xu Xiaoya remained rather apprehensive. When their SUV stopped in her small hotown, it didn’t attract any attention.
Xu Xiaoya went straight to the temporary office of the demolition team. Having been away working for many years, she benefited from having previously gifted the head of the demolition office a carton of good cigarettes and so quality wine. The director was quite friendly when he saw her return, "Xiaoxu, you’re finally back."
She handed over a carton of cigarettes, "Thanks."
The director readily accepted the cigarettes, "Xiaoxu, I’ve been very worried about your case. Your brother and your father have co here raising a ruckus countless tis, insisting we give them the money. If we withhold it, they keep making a fuss. If we give it, it’s against the law. We have to do things by the book: we need to see the person’s ID card and household registration, and they must sign for it in person..."
Xu Xiaoya quickly thanked him, "Thank you, Director. You’ve really gone to a lot of trouble for over this."
"I really have. This demolition work is no job for a human being. Though there’s a lot of money involved, there are even more conflicts. In the past six months alone, I’ve seen at least a dozen couples turn against each other. Brothers have co to blows, and fathers and sons have severed ties... All for money. This town hasn’t had a mont’s peace..."
When profit is the priority, all false pretenses are imdiately torn away.
She signed the docunt. The director, having received his cigarettes and wine, was quite pleased. "Xiaoxu, let’s do it this way so you don’t have to keep running back and forth. You’re short on ti as it is. I’ll have finance transfer the funds to you imdiately."
"Thank you."
Everything went smoothly. An hour later, Xu Xiaoya received a text ssage: the money had been transferred. A wave of relief washed over her.
Before returning, she hadn’t called anyone in her family. She just wanted to get this matter settled quietly, avoid any trouble, and leave unnoticed. As she walked out of the temporary office, she glanced around. Seeing no familiar faces, she breathed a sigh of relief.
She walked towards the SUV. Just as she was about to get in, she suddenly heard soone panting heavily behind her, "Xu Xiaoya, stop right there!"
She whirled around. Her father was rushing towards her, gasping for breath, followed by her brother, sister-in-law, and a large group of unfamiliar faces. She inwardly despaired. It’s all over, it’s all over. It looks like my sister-in-law’s family has arrived in force.
Seeing the situation was about to turn ugly, the director whispered to her, "You should leave quickly. There’s no ti to lose."
Xu Xiaoya was about to get into the car, but she was a step too late. Her father grabbed her arm. "You wretched girl, stop right there!"
Her father yanked Xu Xiaoya back. She stumbled a few steps and found herself standing in the middle of the commotion. Yang Yong and Liu Bing started to move forward, but her father bellowed, "I’m her father! Who the hell do you think you are?"
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