CHAPTER 117: CHAPTER 14: DRUNKEN CONFESSIONS

Hang Yishao’s hand froze in place, staring in disbelief at the tear-streaked face of Chang Mei.

This time, even Chang Chi was stunned. She realized that this was her mother’s act. She dared not speak up and could only imitate her mother’s manner, biting her lip painfully and her tears starting to swirl in her eyes.

"Auntie, please get up first," Hang Yishao had never encountered such a scenario; he had never known that Chang’s mother and daughter were treated so badly in the Su Family. He had only heard that Su Qingzhang took great care of Chang’s mother and daughter. Unexpectedly, he encountered such a scene today, which was much at odds with the previous rumors.

"Ziceng... has made friends with a bunch of hooligans without our knowledge," Chang Mei said while trembling after Hang Yishao helped her up, "Previously, she gave those people a large sum of money behind our backs, saying she wanted to take revenge. It was only today when I overheard her phone call that I realized she had dealt a heavy blow, causing the death of several people, so tragic."

Reaching this point, Chang Mei convulsed again, speaking intermittently: "I dare not tell Qing Chang about it, and tried to persuade her to spare the lives of others, but who knew that she would curse and even become violent..." Chang Mei grimaced in pain as she touched her cheek, then lowered her head again.

Having received such a series of news, Hang Yishao felt as if worms were gnawing through his heart, feeling his internal organs were turned upside down. Su Ziceng turned out to be such a cruel person. He remembered the girl who had red eyes that day in the tea bar and who confessed her love to him. He couldn’t believe that Su Ziceng, who had grown up with him and always followed him around since childhood, could transform into such a horrifying figure today.

Indeed, he had started to develop feelings for her, but why did she have to be so cruel? The report of the Mountain Ring Road had already aroused his suspicion; he had originally thought it was someone from the Su Family who had taken action, but he never expected that the mastermind behind all this was Su Ziceng. Feeling as if he had plunged into an abyss, Hang Yishao’s brows knitted together in extreme heaviness and said, "Auntie, you should no longer worry about this matter. I’ll take you back to your room to rest first."

Chang Chi, standing by and listening, dared not make a sound. She followed Hang Yishao’s lead to take Mrs. Chang back to her room.

"The room is in that direction," Chang Mei sighed, pointing outside. Chang Chi was startled again, her eyes involuntarily glancing upstairs. Their room should have been upstairs, shouldn’t it? The glance she cast upstairs was met by a warning from Chang Mei, causing her to immediately retract her gaze.

The room that Chang Mei pointed to was a disused flat situated in a damp, shady spot in the garden. Inside it bore a damp, musty smell. As Hang Yishao entered, he turned his head away in displeasure. Looking inside the room, the conditions were very harsh; only two board beds and a bedside table that stood as the only piece of furniture, on which was placed a photo of Chang’s mother and daughter. In the winter, the room was cold and gloomy, simply uninhabitable.

"You live here?" Hang Yishao looked back at the Su Mansion bathed in sunshine, finding it difficult to believe that such a grand house could not accommodate Chang’s mother and daughter.

"Yes," Chang Chi nodded, glancing at the bedding, truly admiring Mrs. Chang for being so well prepared.

Chang Mei’s tearful assault launched again, "Now, I ask for nothing more, I just hope that Xiao Chi studies well, graduates soon, and marries into a good family, then I can rest peacefully."

Hearing Chang Mei’s "heartfelt words", Hang Yishao took another look at Chang Chi who was using a pitiful gaze to look at him and blurted out, "Auntie, rest assured, I... I will take good care of Xiao Chi, and will not allow Su Ziceng to bully her as before."

Unaware of the scene at the Su Family, Su Ziceng’s mood was quite good. As she approached "Admiration", the night wind blew through the car window, and Su Ziceng couldn’t help but shiver, regretting that she hadn’t put on enough clothes in her rush out the door. She felt the thin coat on her body, got out of the car, and entered the doorway of "Admiration."

Admiration was a two-story building, with a storefront on the first floor and Sister Mu’s living quarters on the second floor. When Su Ziceng worked as a salesperson in the store, she had never seen Sister Mu cook; meals were always takeouts. She had never seen Sister Mu "at the stove", and today, she was invited to eat at "Admiration", and even Zhou Dagen had been invited, indicating that Sister Mu wanted to help persuade him together.

Indeed, the second floor had a long rectangular European dining table set for six, with a hanging lamp above. As evening set in, the sun illuminated the room warmly, and Su Ziceng’s light clothing, which felt stuffy from covering up, prompted her to simply take off her coat.