novelraw Chapter 198 198: Eyes and Nose Gouged Out!
Chapter 198 198: Eyes and Nose Gouged Out!
Chen Xiao's unusual behavior made Song Ru follow him out as well.
"What's the matter, Mr. Chen?"
Chen Xiao thought for a moment and replied, "I ran into someone I know. Mr. Song, you wait here; I'll go over and say hello."
"Alright, go ahead."
Song Ru agreed readily.
Chen Xiao caught up and followed closely behind the father and daughter.
The man finally became aware, suddenly stopped, and turned around with a guarded expression.
But when he saw it was Chen Xiao, the man was stunned.
"Why is it you?"
Chen Xiao smiled and said, "I'm here to take care of some business; I didn't expect to run into you. President Zhao, it's been a long time!"
Zhao Hai also smiled and nodded repeatedly, "Feels like it's been a long time, but when you count, it hasn't been that long—a lifetime ago, it seems!"
Chen Xiao didn't respond to these words; he just walked closer and looked at Zhao Xiaoyu.
The latter stared at him with confusion, "Handsome uncle, why does it seem like I've never seen you before? Are you a friend of my dad?"
Chen Xiao nodded, "Yes, but uncle knows you're called Zhao Xiaoyu, right?"
"Wow... Handsome uncle, how are you so smart, you even know my name!"
Chen Xiao was amused.
He had actually seen Zhao Xiaoyu before, but Zhao Xiaoyu didn't know him.
And not only Zhao Hai, but Zhao Xiaoyu has changed a lot too.
Back then, Zhao Xiaoyu was a little girl like a porcelain doll, but now she seems a bit tanned, and her clothes are no longer as expensive and luxurious as before.
As for Zhao Hai, he seems to have completely changed into another person.
Chen Xiao knew well that Zhao Hai was in his forties, but the family upheaval has made him seem to age ten years in a very short time!
Chen Xiao felt emotional for a moment. When he saw there happened to be a late-night snack shop not far away, he asked:
"I just heard this girl say you just got off work, should be hungry, right? How's the flavor at that shop up ahead? Fellow townspeople meeting, shall we sit down and chat together?"
Saying that, Chen Xiao looked at Zhao Xiaoyu again, "Xiaoyu, do you like beef skewers, lamb skewers, crispy bones, eggplant, big squid?"
"Slurp!"
Zhao Xiaoyu slurped and earnestly looked at her father.
Zhao Hai did not hesitate, "Alright."
Chen Xiao nodded.
But on the way to the late-night snack shop, Chen Xiao felt very puzzled.
Although Zhao Hai had taken out 500,000 at the time, it shouldn't have been considered much to him.
But looking at him now, he seems to be living quite tight.
Chen Xiao didn't feel comfortable asking, so when they arrived at the shop and had ordered some things, he went next door and bought a lot of fruit and ice cream.
When Zhao Xiaoyu was licking the ice cream, her eyes seemed to sparkle like little stars.
Chen Xiao took the opportunity to ask, "President Zhao, did you make any choices afterward?"
Zhao Hai understood his meaning and smiled serenely, "After the incident, I thought a lot. I even hated Gu Yue, and even Xiao... "
The conversation stopped there, then Zhao Hai shifted the topic, "But later on, I came to realize, the real evil was caused by my own hands. And the reason I caused those evils is actually because of my arrogance."
"And honestly, the money I earned all those years wasn't that clean. I wanted to atone, so I gave all my assets to those who needed it. As for Xiaoyu, I'm determined to earn a clean income for her anew."
"Look at our Xiaoyu all clean, she can't be filthy!"
As he spoke, Zhao Hai stroked his daughter's little head.
Eating ice cream, Zhao Xiaoyu didn't forget to give her father a kiss, leaving cream on his face.
That smear of cream made Chen Xiao seem to see pure white, to see cleanliness.
Chen Xiao glanced at the ice-cold soda he was holding, he admitted to himself he was having thoughts of wanting a child for the first time.
But just as he was in a daze, Zhao Xiaoyu raised her ice cream high and said with a bright smile:
"Handsome uncle, let's toast together!"
Chen Xiao grinned, "Toast."
He raised the ice-cold soda in his hand and clinked it with Zhao Xiaoyu's.
Zhao Hai asked, "Tell us about yourself, how did you end up in Shencheng City?"
"Here to handle some affairs," Chen Xiao smiled.
Zhao Hai appeared slightly skeptical and said, "I happened to see you catching criminals on the news when I left. You suddenly coming over, weren't you invited to investigate a case?"
Chen Xiao shook his head, "My wife's sister wanted to start a business here but unexpectedly got robbed of several thousand dollars, so I came to check."
Zhao Hai was stunned, hurriedly asked, "She wasn't hurt, was she?"
"No, luckily not."
Zhao Hai nodded and couldn't help lamenting, "This place, in my view, is truly an easy place to make money, but the more lucrative the place, the more mixed elements you'll find of all sorts, wealth mustn't be displayed openly! Just like me, having roamed the world for so many years, coming here for a few days and even getting robbed once."
Chen Xiao said in shock, "Really? Didn't you say you mingled around Port City before? And with your demeanor, how could you be easily robbed?"
"That day I had Xiaoyu with me, just entered an alley and was blocked by several young people, said they wanted to 'borrow' some money from me. But this kind of talk, everyone knows, is borrowed but not returned."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Xiaoyu nodded repeatedly, "Yes, yes, those two yellow-haired uncles were really scary that day, they were twirling a knife in their hand!"
"Hmm, for Xiaoyu's safety I didn't resist. It's also because I've mixed around before, I fear those young folks the most, they're impulsive and dare to do anything," Zhao Hai smiled bitterly.
Chen Xiao very much agreed with these words.
Even television has portrayed, how many big shots fell at the hands of young people.
But just as Chen Xiao rose with the intention to toast again with Zhao Xiaoyu, Zhao Xiaoyu suddenly said, "There was a sister who was quite nice. Later she returned some money to Dad, said when she made money she would definitely repay him."
Chen Xiao was very surprised and looked at Zhao Hai, who replied, "There was indeed a girl, at the time there were four of them in total. Two men, two women, all around twenty years old. The two boys blocked me, while the two girls just stood aside."
"Among them, one girl was quite plainly dressed. I don't know how she managed to convince her companions, but anyway she returned a thousand dollars to me, and as she gave it back, she kept apologizing. Saying 'uncle, sorry, they really have no money to eat.' After apologizing, she said she'd soon get paid, and once paid, she'd wait for me in the alley to repay me again."
Chen Xiao instinctively asked, "Did she eventually repay it?"
Zhao Hai shook his head, "No."
Chen Xiao pursed his lips, but Zhao Hai suddenly sent Zhao Xiaoyu to another table.
Chen Xiao was curious, asked, "What's the matter?"
Zhao Hai sighed, "She passed away. Was found by the riverbank this morning. When I saw her, I can't describe my feelings. Especially when I saw her eyes and nose had been gouged out!"