Chapter 109 Reporting Xia Qianqian

"What?!" Mr. Xia's expression changed drastically.

He never expected that the Revolutionary Committee members would go to the countryside. With that, Lu Zheng's path was effectively cut off.

He stubbed out his cigarette fiercely, crushing the butt in the ashtray. He looked up at his daughter and said, "Wenwen, it seems we can't count on Lu Zheng. I'll send someone to the Qin family right away. Qin Yan is now favored by No. 8. If you marry him, the Xia family might have a chance to turn things around."

"No!" A frenzied flame ignited in Xia Wenwen's eyes. "Dad, I have a better idea!"

Mr. Xia frowned, his fingertips unconsciously tracing the edge of the cigarette box. Since the family's decline, his daughter's thoughts had become increasingly deep and unpredictable, and he couldn't quite figure out what she was up to.

Xia Wenwen suddenly said, "Didn't you say that Xia Qianqian met Number 8 in the provincial capital before?"

A cruel smile curled at the corner of her lips, and a chilling glint flashed in her eyes: "We can report her! We can say she's sided with the Revolutionary Committee!"

"If we can't have her, let's destroy her! Besides, reporting her is a good deed, and we might even get some favor with Number 8! Killing two birds with one stone, why not?"

Looking at the fierceness in his daughter's eyes, Mr. Xia felt a strange sense of unfamiliarity towards Xia Wenwen.

But hearing the faint chants coming from outside, he made up his mind: now that things have come to this, perhaps he really has no choice but to take a risk.

"Wenwen, since you've decided to take action, you must strike decisively and leave your opponent no chance to recover!" A sinister glint flashed in Mr. Xia's eyes. After all, he was a veteran who had been in the business world for many years. Once he made up his mind, he exuded a ruthless and decisive aura.

"Weren't those gold bars donated to the Revolutionary Committee by Xia Qianqian?" He paused, lowering his voice even further, "Number 8 might not know that Xia Qianqian was behind it—"

"Dad!" Xia Wenwen's eyes lit up instantly, her voice twisted with excitement, "Leave this to me! I'll make that bitch Xia Qianqian spit out everything she's eaten from our family, with interest, down to the last bone!"

Hearing this from the side, Xia's mother turned pale. Although Xia Qianqian was heartless, she had raised her for over ten years, so there was still some affection between them...

She hesitated before speaking, "Wenwen, she was your sister after all, you should... you should spare her life, shouldn't you?"

"Mom! You're still defending her?! When she stole the gold bars, did she ever think about leaving the Xia family a way out? Spare her life? Who will compensate for the Xia family's losses? Who will repay the humiliation we suffered?"

Mr. Xia put his arm around his wife's shoulder, his voice low but firm: "Wan, I know you're kind-hearted. But in this world, we can't afford to be sentimental. If we let her go today, what will happen to our family and Wenwen's future?"

He paused, a complex and unreadable emotion flashing in his eyes. "I promise you, if that day ever comes, I will let her be buried in the Xia family cemetery, which will be enough to settle our past relationship."

Xia's mother knew there was no turning back. She opened her mouth, but in the end, only a mournful cry escaped her lips.

Xia Wenwen, however, seemed to have been injected with a stimulant. Her previous despondency and despair vanished, and her eyes gleamed with the flames of revenge and the excitement of achieving her goal.

She spoke rapidly as she discussed the specific details with her father...

That afternoon, Mr. Xia took Xia Wenwen to the South City Command Center.

I heard that Xia Qianqian actually donated the gold bars to the Revolutionary Committee, and the Revolutionary Committee has occupied Xiangyang Village. The man was like a shark that smelled blood, and his triangular eyes shone with greedy and excited light—the opportunity to make a contribution has finally come!

He was considered a prominent figure around Number 8, but ever since Number 8 established his command headquarters in the provincial capital, people flocked to him like fish crossing a river, making him feel that his position was precarious. That's why he worked so hard in the south of the city, eager to achieve a great feat that would surpass the achievements of others.

Although weapons have arrived from the capital on the 8th, the financial and manpower shortage persists. Money, no matter how much, can never fill a hole. This box of gold bars is like a timely rain from heaven!

What secretly pleased him even more was that Number 8 seemed intent on promoting Lu Zheng to the core team. But now, with the "stain" of Xia Qianqian offering him gold bars, what could Lu Zheng possibly use to compete with him?

Thinking of this, he felt a surge of satisfaction and turned to Mr. Xia, saying, "Comrade Xia, from now on you will follow me! We are all revolutionary comrades, and I will never mistreat my own people!"

After saying that, he excitedly went to report to Number 8.

On the other side, Lu Zheng and Xia Qianqian had just stepped into the southern city territory when they were stopped by people who suddenly rushed out of the alley.

"Comrade Lu, please come with us."

Lu Zheng gripped Xia Qianqian's slightly cool hand tightly, telling her not to be afraid. Then, his gaze calmly swept over the pistol at the other person's waist, and he said, "I received a notice from Comrade No. 8 to come to Nancheng to report on my work. What are you doing here?"

He originally planned to use the Revolutionary Committee's blockade of the village as a pretext to delay his meeting with Number 8 for a few days. But who would have thought that Number 8 would have such means, directly bypassing the Revolutionary Committee's checkpoint and setting up an ambush at the city gate.

"What are you doing?" The man gave a forced smile and reached out to grab Lu Zheng's arm. "Comrade Lu, you should come back to headquarters with us first and think carefully about what you've been doing lately! If you don't want others to know, then don't do it in the first place."

Xia Qianqian's heart sank suddenly.

She was worried about Lu Zheng coming to Nancheng alone, and since there had been no news from Lao Hei, she planned to take this opportunity to go out and purchase supplies. However, she never expected to run into this situation as soon as she entered the city.

Lu Zheng was afraid that Xia Qianqian would be accidentally hurt, so he didn't dare to struggle. He looked at the group of people with a cold face and said, "Lead the way."

The South City Command Post was originally an abandoned textile factory, but it has now been transformed into a bright and impressive place. Light streamed through the high windows, slanting across the cement floor and reflecting the scarlet slogan on the wall that read "Grasp Revolution, Promote Production." The air still carried the mixed smell of rust and machine oil.

Number 8 sat behind a makeshift desk, a cigarette between his fingers, pointing at the map. Hearing the noise, he didn't even look up, only letting out a cold snort from his nose.

Only when Lu Zheng and Xia Qianqian were brought to the table did he slowly raise his eyes. His sharp gaze swept over the two of them like a hawk's, and he stubbed out his cigarette in the enamel mug: "Lu Zheng, how dare you come to see me?"

Xia Qianqian's heart tightened, thinking they were being blamed for arriving late. She quickly took half a step forward: "Commander, please listen to me! We planned to go to the provincial capital to report immediately after our marriage, but before we even set off, the Revolutionary Committee sealed off the village. Many people can testify to this—"

"Smack!"

Suddenly, Number 8 slammed his hand on the table, causing the enamel mug on the table to bounce and spill a few drops of tea.

He suddenly stood up, pointed at Xia Qianqian's nose, and shouted sternly, "Do you have any right to speak here?"

Xia Qianqian was startled by the roar and took a half step back. Lu Zheng took a step forward without making a sound, and slightly turned his body to shield Xia Qianqian behind him.

"She's just a woman, she's never seen anything like this before, so her words might have been inappropriate. Please don't take it to heart. If you have any issues, come at me." His voice wasn't loud, but it carried an air of authority without being angry.

Number 8 sneered, walked around to the front of the table, first looked Lu Zheng up and down, then his gaze fell on Xia Qianqian's face, a sinister smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

"Where are the gold bars?"