Chapter 25

Liu An was there and watched the whole thing.

Liu An left only after confirming that Fang Ping had safely entered Baihua Ranch.

Fang Ping didn't call an ambulance for Li Huaen, and Liu An naturally didn't make a fuss either. He simply reported the firsthand information to his boss as quickly as possible.

After he left, a group of people quickly approached from a distance of 100 meters.

"You're so useless. You can't even do something as simple as dragging a woman along."

The man in the lead spoke with disdain, nudging Li Huaen, who was squatting, with his toe.

Li Huaen's hands were covered in saliva. His jawbone had dislocated, and he couldn't explain himself. He could only make "woo woo woo" sounds and gesture with his hands and feet.

The man moved away slightly, looking disgusted.

"Stop waving your dirty hands around," he said impatiently, giving the person behind him a meaningful look. "Make the best use of it. It's worth hundreds of thousands of yuan. Even if it causes some impact on Baihua Milk, it's worth it."

"And this person?"

"It's no use. Let's send him back to where he was originally. We only paid half the ransom, so it's not too bad."

Li Huaen struggled, trying to assure the man that he would succeed next time; he wanted the man to give him another chance.

Unfortunately, no one was willing to listen to him, and no one cared about his feelings.

He was dragged like a dead dog by the man's two henchmen and locked in the back of the truck.

Li Huaen frantically pounded on the metal of the truck bed, but he still couldn't stop the truck from heading towards the place of his nightmare: the construction site of the loan sharks.

At this moment, Li Huaen even hoped that Fang Ping would sue him.

At least in prison, you have food and clothing and don't have to suffer like that.

No one would take him to the hospital. The foreman shoved him hard in the chin, and Li Huaen's vision went black from the pain, finally closing his mouth.

Such brutality comes at a price; the mouth is closed, but the range of its opening becomes very limited.

"I wish I could go to jail."

Li Huaen muttered something to comfort herself.

The foreman, who hadn't left yet, overheard this and scoffed, "Prison? You think it's some kind of nice place? We might not be able to get involved elsewhere, but we have plenty of good employees in prison."

His gaze was moist as he looked Li Huaen up and down.

"I hadn't looked at you closely before, but now that I see you, you're actually quite attractive."

These words made the hairs on the back of Li Huaen stand on end, and he instinctively crossed his arms over his chest.

The foreman chuckled, "Don't get me wrong, I like big breasts, I'm not interested in you, but the people in prison are indiscriminate, going in will just fulfill your wish, you won't have to work to pay back the money."

He lewdly thrust his hips forward, "Just sell yourself."

Despite it being summer, Li Huaen felt terribly cold.

He finally understood the feeling of regret Fang Ping had expressed: taking one step forward was hell, and taking one step back was also hell.

Li Huaen wanted to call Fang Ping to beg for mercy, but he didn't even have a cell phone on him.

A dark future looms ahead, and Li Huaen is like a moth drawn to a flame, unable to escape.

Only when he reached this point did he finally reflect on his past life.

"I was wrong, I was wrong."

The confession was finally uttered, but unfortunately, no one paid attention.

The only response to Li Huaen was the incessant chirping of insects in the summer night and the whistling of the wind blowing through the leaves.

*

Woshan Villa.

After Fang Ping left, Hu Zhenzhen became even more interested in the lottery.

She washed her hands, sprayed on a bottle of gold perfume, and touched the paw of the lucky cat figurine in her home.

[Congratulations, host!]

Xiao Jin pulled out a handful of colorful little slips of paper from somewhere and tossed them into the air.

[You've drawn a hidden reward: the City Beggars' Gang!]

"???"

Hu Zhenzhen suddenly realized that she could no longer understand Mandarin.

"The City Beggars' Gang? What's that?"

Hu Zhenzhen blurted it out without realizing it. Jiang Chen heard her speak, looked up, and asked, "Mom, what did you say?"

"Oh, it's nothing," Hu Zhenzhen changed the subject. "Does Xiaochen like the new building blocks? How about Mom takes you to buy a Lego set next time?"

"Okay," Jiang Chen glanced at Chen Kai, then hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but didn't.

Hu Zhenzhen was busy talking to Xiao Jin and didn't notice his expression for a moment.

What exactly is the Urban Beggars' Gang?

This name doesn't sound like it belongs to any building.

The City Beggars' Guild is a hidden reward in the prize pool! It's the only reward that isn't a building.

Xiao Jin pointed to the question mark pattern that Hu Zhenzhen had drawn.

After the hidden reward was revealed, the question mark icon gradually faded and was replaced by a street scene in the city.

In this picture, there is a violinist performing on the street, a homeless man sleeping on a deck chair, a beggar pretending to have a broken leg, and an elderly man and woman rummaging through a trash can.

A single photograph managed to fit over a hundred people inside.

"..."

The city's name is "Beggars' Gang," and it really is a beggars' gang.

Hu Zhenzhen rubbed her forehead. "What's the use of this reward? Does it mean I have to donate money to charity?"

Little Golden Egg patted his chest and assured Hu Zhenzhen.

This is a hidden reward, it's super awesome!

[The host now possesses their own power; isn't that powerful enough?!]

Hu Zhenzhen's eyes darted around, and she replied perfunctorily, "Amazing, I love it."

Her reaction clearly showed that she wasn't interested.

Xiao Jin scratched his head anxiously, trying hard to prove that the hidden reward was indeed worth it.

[The City Beggars' Guild now owns an entire neighborhood; all it takes is a small investment, and the City Beggars' Guild will operate on your behalf!]

That sounds interesting.

Hu Zhenzhen finally became interested and carefully looked at the description on the back of the photo.

So, does that mean I'm now the leader of the Beggars' Sect?

"That's right," seeing that she was finally showing some interest in the hidden reward, Xiao Jin seized the opportunity to promote it, "The City Beggars' Gang is full of hidden talents, many powerful figures. The host can train them and have them work for you."

Hu Zhenzhen finally confronted the urban beggar gang.

If used properly, this might actually become a helpful tool.

How should I train him?

Hu Zhenzhen became completely interested and flipped the picture over to examine it carefully.

"This is something the host will need to explore on their own," Xiao Jin added, fearing Hu Zhenzhen might be dissatisfied. "When you encounter any member of the Beggars' Guild in any city, the host can ask Xiao Jin to help you check their talents!"

Hu Zhenzhen has almost figured it out.

When she has time, she will personally take a walk around that area to put it into practice, and then she will understand it completely.

Since she had already used up her chances, Hu Zhenzhen decided to use up her remaining two chances as well.

However, one's luck won't always be this good.

In the next two draws, Hu Zhenzhen only won an unfinished building and a charity RV.

Before she could figure out what the RV could do, Jiang Chen tugged hard at the hem of her clothes.

Hu Zhenzhen looked down and noticed that Jiang Chen looked anxious.

"What's wrong, Xiao Chen?"

Jiang Chen is a child who is very focused when playing with toys. Usually, at times like this, the child's mind is on the toys, so Hu Zhenzhen didn't pay much attention to him and naturally didn't notice his unusual behavior today.

Jiang Chen had been secretly watching Chen Kai for quite a while.

It wasn't until Chen Kai went out to answer a phone call that he suddenly stood up and grabbed Hu Zhenzhen's clothes.

"Mom, Uncle Chen."

How should I put it?

Jiang Chen tried to organize his thoughts, but the more he thought about it, the less he knew what to say, and he broke out in a sweat.

When Jiang Chen was a child, Jiang Hua often left him at relatives' houses. No one was willing to talk to him, and since he was an introverted child, he had even fewer opportunities to speak.

This had a certain impact on Jiang Chen.

He is a man of few words, and his ability to organize his thoughts is somewhat lacking compared to other children.

The more anxious you are, the less you know what to say.

Hu Zhenzhen also noticed Jiang Chen's weakness in this area. However, children grow up naturally, and with practice, this small problem will disappear on its own. Deliberately trying to correct it might make Jiang Chen feel inferior.

Seeing that Jiang Chen was anxious, she patted him on the back, "Don't worry, Xiao Chen, what's wrong with Uncle Chen?"

Reassured by Hu Zhenzhen, Jiang Chen's thoughts suddenly cleared up.

"Uncle Chen has a secret."

"A secret?" Hu Zhenzhen chuckled. "You've discovered Uncle Chen's secret? Xiao Chen is really amazing."

This clearly shows that they didn't take Jiang Chen's secret seriously.

After all, there are many things in a child's world that can be called secrets.

Jiang Chen put on a serious face and said earnestly, "It's true, Uncle Chen is very sad, and Uncle Liu is also unhappy."

His seriousness made Hu Zhenzhen serious as well.

"Xiao Chen, adults also have sad and upset times. Next time you see Uncle Chen sad, Xiao Chen will pick a flower from the garden and give it to him, okay? Uncle Chen will be much happier if he receives Xiao Chen's care."

Jiang Chen nodded, remembering Hu Zhenzhen's words.

"Can I pick the little white flowers that Mom planted?"

He was referring to the white camellias that Hu Zhenzhen had just transplanted. When they bloomed, their fragrance was rich but not cloying, which Jiang Chen liked very much.

“Okay,” Hu Zhenzhen said, finding a blunt pair of children’s scissors from the storage area. “But you can’t pick all of Mom’s flowers, and be careful not to get hurt.”

Jiang Chen smiled and looked at her, "Yes! I want to pick the biggest one for Uncle Chen and the most fragrant one for Uncle Liu!"

"Okay, how about Mom chooses with you?"

Jiang Chen was even happier and pulled her hand, running into the garden.

The villa's yard is 100 square meters, half of which is planted with flowers, while the other half is paved into a flat sports field for Jiang Chen to play in.

Although they were supposed to pick them together, the sun was so strong that Hu Zhenzhen simply stood next to Jiang Chen with an umbrella.

Chen Kai returned not long after, and as always, he stayed by Hu Zhenzhen's side, waiting for her instructions.

Hu Zhenzhen doesn't usually pay special attention to him.

Jiang Chen mentioned that Chen Kai was very sad today, which made Hu Zhenzhen take notice.

Hu Zhenzhen was shocked when she saw it.

Chen Kai had obvious dark circles under his eyes, and his expression was depressed. Even his usually neatly styled hair was disheveled today, with a clump sticking out. He didn't look like he was alright at all.

Has something really happened?

Hu Zhenzhen wanted to ask.

Jiang Chen ran ahead of her, holding a blooming camellia, and quickly ran to Chen Kai.

"Uncle Chen, here are some flowers for you."

Chen Kai habitually bent down, took the flowers, and smiled, "Thank you, Young Master Chen. Won't you give one to your mother?"

Jiang Chen shook his head, "I'll give it to Mom when she's sad."

The flowers in Chen Kai's hand suddenly felt heavy, and he finally understood why Jiang Chen had given them to him.

Emotions are difficult to control; even adults who are good at hiding them will have moments when they lose their composure.

Chen Kai covered his eyes with his hand and said, "I'm sorry, my emotions affected my work."

“There’s nothing to apologize for,” Hu Zhenzhen interrupted him. “What you should be saying now is, what exactly happened?”

She stepped into the shadows of the entrance hall and looked intently at Chen Kai. "Perhaps you need my help?"

Chen Kai remained bent over, only able to see his boss by looking up.

This was enough for Hu Zhenzhen to see his red-rimmed eyes clearly.

However, Chen Kai refused, saying, "I'm sorry to have worried you and the young master. I will adjust my state as soon as possible."

After saying just this one sentence, Chen Kai turned around somewhat awkwardly, "Please allow me to take half a day off, I'm really sorry."

"……good."

After Hu Zhenzhen agreed, Chen Kai strode forward, heading straight for the gate, practically running away.

She lowered her head and met Jiang Chen's gaze.

"Xiao Chen, it seems Uncle Chen is really heartbroken."

Influenced by Chen Kai's emotions, Jiang Chen's small face also showed a worried expression.

"Uncle Chen is sad, and Uncle Liu is sad too."

He was still holding a flower in his hand, which he hadn't yet given out; it was for Liu An.

"Mom, should we give this flower to Uncle Liu?"

Jiang Chen was afraid that Uncle Liu would leave crying like Uncle Chen did.

Hu Zhenzhen hadn't expected Chen Kai to be so emotional. She frowned and pondered for a while.

Judging from Chen Kai's appearance, the trouble he's facing is likely to be serious.

According to the unspoken rules of adult interpersonal communication, when encountering something that others don't want to talk about, it's always good to considerately give them space.

But Hu Zhenzhen always felt that if she didn't help Chen Kai, she might not be able to keep her thoughtful and useful housekeeper.

Having spent so much time with this group of people, Hu Zhenzhen had gotten used to both Chen Kai and Liu An.

They're the ones who usually take care of her; now it might be her turn to take care of them, since she's the boss.

Hu Zhenzhen squatted down and asked Jiang Chen.

"Xiao Chen, do you want to know why Uncle Chen is sad?"

Jiang Chen nodded.

Hu Zhenzhen smiled slightly and opened her palm. "Then my son and I will play detective and help Uncle Chen and Uncle Liu get over their heartbreak!"

Jiang Chen's eyes lit up, and he placed his little hand in Hu Zhenzhen's palm.

"good!"

Online.

The video of Baihua Milk is still trending, and the matter continues to escalate.

The wealthy naturally attract the attention of netizens.

Regardless of the reason, they always like to browse around when they come across a related trending topic.

The recent kidnapping incident and the scandal involving San Niu Milk are both related to Hu Zhenzhen. Even without making a special effort to remember her, everyone is familiar with this name.

As a wealthy woman, Hu Zhenzhen is truly mysterious.

Her Weibo account only has one piece of information that came with it when she registered, and there is not much information about it on search engines.

The internet is constantly evolving, and logically speaking, Hu Zhenzhen's popularity should have faded long ago.

But then, a few screenshots suddenly appeared, making Hu Zhenzhen's background seem very mysterious.

It's human nature to love gossip.

When gossip is told vividly yet veiledly, its appeal reaches its peak.

When the images were censored, netizens started storing them on cloud storage, which eventually led to some people taking advantage of the situation to sell the resources for a fee.

Have you heard? Hu Zhenzhen is actually from a reclusive powerful family!

When someone told Wu An about this, he just thought it was absurd.

What era are we living in? There's still this idea of ​​reclusive noble families.

[Where did you get this fake news from? What era are we living in? There are no hermits left.]

The person on the other end was also a parent. Seeing that he didn't believe it, they immediately sent him a few pictures.

Just because we don't know something doesn't mean it doesn't exist. Didn't some ancient families have lineages that lasted for over a thousand years?

The parent opposite him said something unpleasantly and then ignored Wu An.

Wu An wasn't in the mood to reply to him; his attention was entirely on those pictures.

"The Hu family of F City has been passed down for five generations, and the only descendant has recently moved to S City."

Wu An initially didn't believe it, but the pictures looked so real, even including when Hu Zhenzhen bought the Woshan Villa, that he couldn't help but believe it.

He recalled what happened that day and felt a pang of regret.

How could you offend such a rich person for such a small amount of money!

Fortunately, that parent wasn't one to hold grudges, and even had her subordinate add him on WeChat. Among the parents present, he was probably the only one who got the contact information of Hu Zhenzhen's subordinate.

This can be considered a blessing in disguise.

Wu An cheered up again, turned to see his daughter, and said, "Sweetie, didn't you not like playing with Brother Tong? From now on, Daddy won't force you to play with him."

Wu Qiao wasn't particularly happy when she heard this.

It wasn't that she disliked Tong Shuai; compared to other boys her age, she disliked her father, who always interfered in everything.

She pouted, already anticipating Wu An's next words, "Tell me, who am I going to hang out with this time?"

Wu An's smile widened. "You're such a sweetheart, you even know that."

Wu Qiao was too lazy to listen to his words and simply didn't respond.

“It’s Hu, the student in the next grade…” Wu An paused. Wait a minute, Hu Zhenzhen’s surname is Hu, but her child doesn’t seem to have the surname Hu.

Not knowing Jiang Chen's name, Wu An simply said, "He's a little boy in Class 3 of Grade 2. His mother's name is Hu Zhenzhen. If you meet him at school, play with him more."

Wu Qiao lowered her head and hummed in response.

Seeing her like this, Wu An knew that she was only paying lip service and didn't take the matter to heart.

"Daddy would never harm you, Qiaoqiao. You must listen to me on this matter. The Hu family is incredibly wealthy. If you can become good friends with their son, your future will be bright..."

Wu Qiao let it go in one ear and out the other; she didn't listen at all.

She couldn't help but complain inwardly, "Damn it, if I had known I would have to listen to this at home, I would have preferred to go to the market with my mother."

*

Today is Sunday, a favorite day for office workers.

But Director Zhou was clearly not in the mood to enjoy the holiday.

A few days ago, Wang Changyou was arrested as the main culprit in the kidnapping.

The case has not yet gone to trial, but the police report has already attracted a great deal of attention and discussion online.

Director Zhou hasn't been able to concentrate at work these past two days.

His colleagues were also discussing the matter, which tormented his already sensitive nerves, causing him to be unable to sleep night after night.

What if Wang Changyou exposes him?

Director Zhou often thinks about this issue.

He's more afraid of going to jail than losing his job.

After all, you can find another job if you lose one, but if you go to jail and have your teaching certificate revoked, your future will be completely ruined.

He felt that Wang Changyou would definitely betray him, and he was so anxious that he was losing clumps of hair, but for some reason, no one came to find him.

Could it be that Wang Changyou really didn't say anything?

Occasionally, Director Zhou would have such thoughts, but soon, the cold reality would bring him back to reality.

The phone rang, startling the sensitive Director Zhou before he reached out to pick it up.

The number on the screen was an unfamiliar number.

"Hello?" Director Zhou's heart pounded.

"Hey, you're Old Zhou, the one who sold me thirty cases of Sanniu milk last time, right?"

Not a police officer.

Director Zhou breathed a sigh of relief. "Yes, it's me."

"You son of a bitch, you're a wholesaler to San Niu, aren't you? You knew San Niu was going to have trouble beforehand, so you sold us the goods, right? You're really ruthless, son of a bitch. Aren't you afraid of shortening your lifespan by doing business like this?"

Director Zhou secretly sold all the San Niu milk in the school warehouse. With the money in his pocket, he naturally didn't care about being scolded.

"Look at what you're saying. I didn't report this. I'm just a nobody. How could I have known in advance that San Niu would be in trouble?"

Normally, these retailers might have been fooled by him.

However, a mysterious person had previously pulled these retailers into a group chat, where everyone was muted except for a single audio recording.

"Brother Zhou, where did you get so much stock to sell?"

"The school is changing its milk, so we don't need the old milk anymore. Leave it to me. Don't worry, it's all fresh milk with a good date, so there won't be any problems."

"Then I'm relieved. You know the dairy industry is a murky business, and I really wouldn't dare promote milk of unknown origin for you. Oh! Just one more thing, why did the school switch milk?"

Director Zhou remained silent for a moment during the recording.

"Alright, to tell you the truth, you need to sell this batch of goods as quickly as possible. San Niu Milk has been reported, and this news could break at any time."

The recording ends here; what I wanted to tell them is already very clear.

After listening to the recording, the retailers simply did not believe Director Zhou's explanation.

"Don't fucking fool me," the man cursed, "I knew you knew all along. Now give us a refund and we'll let you off the hook. Otherwise, if we take this to the school, you'll be sorry!"

School.

Director Zhou's heart skipped a beat.

How did these people know he worked at the school?

The feeling that things were not going as expected made him uneasy, as if a tiger lurking in the shadows was watching him with predatory eyes.

If the police have already discovered that he was the one who leaked the student information, Director Zhou certainly won't be threatened by the retailers. He's already lost his reputation, so why would he be willing to give back the money?

But the police station didn't contact him for a long time, which made Director Zhou start to have some wishful thinking.

What if... what if no one notices?

He can continue to work as the director with peace of mind, still hold onto his secure job, and maintain his good reputation.

If the police don't find out that he was the one who leaked the student information to Wang Changyou, then Director Zhou will have to return the money.

After all, he still needs to maintain his image at school.

After hesitating for a while, amidst the impatient cursing on the other end of the phone, Director Zhou asked, "How much money do you want?"

"all."

"How much?" Director Zhou asked again in disbelief.

“I said I want them all. The retailers you cheated are all around me now. Everyone is waiting. If you don’t return the money today, we’ll all sit in protest at the school gate tomorrow.”

"...Okay, refund it, I'll refund you."

Director Zhou gritted his teeth and agreed, trying to comfort himself.

Fortunately, he kept his job. He could just let go of the money and stay in his position as director, where there would be plenty of opportunities to make money in the future.

Thinking about it this way made him feel much better.

The retailers were pressing him for payment, so Director Zhou had to go out and transfer the money to the bank card he mentioned.

Director Zhou was initially worried that this person might be deceiving him or embezzling money from other retailers, but after the money was transferred and no further calls came, he gradually felt relieved.

However, the comfortable days didn't last long.

Two hours later, the school issued a notice announcing that it would be distributing welfare benefits, and that teachers were required to go to the school on Sunday to collect them.

As the director of the logistics department, Director Zhou also had to go to the school warehouse in advance to check the goods and watch each teacher sign in.

"Why did you have to post this today of all times?"

Director Zhou cursed a few times, quickly changed his shoes, and went out.

"Principal, it's not a holiday, what kind of benefits are we giving out today?"

Director Zhou pushed open the door to the principal's office and immediately asked a question.

He had a smile on his face when he came in, and his haggard appearance was not yet obvious.

"Oh, it's Baihua Milk. Ms. Hu said she was grateful for the teachers' hard work and that she would give them a free carton of milk on the 15th of every month from now on."

When the principal answered him, his face was not as kind as usual.

"Xiao Zhou, if you've done something wrong, just admit it."

Upon hearing this, Director Zhou's smile vanished instantly.

"Principal, what are you saying?"

The principal didn't answer him; it was the police officer standing behind him who did.

"Zhou Yongsheng, you are suspected of a case. Please come with us to cooperate with the investigation."

Director Zhou didn't turn around, but his heart sank to the bottom.

The day has finally come.

It was as if someone had planned it; he was only taken away by the police right after he spat out the money.

As the police officers led him out of the school, Zhou Yongsheng brushed past many of his colleagues who had come to collect their welfare benefits.

They walked into the school, turned around and whispered to each other as they watched him and the policeman's backs as they walked away.

But Director Zhou could never enter that school again.

"Why was the director taken away?"

Before getting into the police car, Zhou Yongsheng heard someone ask him this question.

"Didn't you see the group chat? He was the inside man at the school in that kidnapping case a couple of days ago. I heard he'd been in cahoots with the kidnapper for a long time and was taking a lot of kickbacks."

"Oh? Is that true? I didn't realize he was that kind of person."

"Hey, you can know a person's face but not their heart. Besides, the head of the logistics department usually hides in his office. You can't even see his face. Alright, stop looking and go get your milk."

Another teacher then changed the subject, "This parent is too generous. What's their name again? There are scalpers selling Baihua milk now, and even they can't buy it. Such an expensive product, are they going to give it to us for free every month from now on?"

"Hu Zhenzhen, they're rich, just drink and that's enough, why make such a fuss?"

"Too."

After the car drove away, Zhou Yongsheng could no longer hear what they were saying behind it.

Even his departure wasn't as appealing to his colleagues as the milk Hu Zhenzhen gave them.

Director Zhou covered his face, feeling waves of regret.

If he had known this would happen, why did he do it in the first place...?

Woshan Villa.

Hu Zhenzhen, who was getting ready to go out, was startled by the sound of Xiao Jin's fireworks.

[Congratulations, host, on completing the second stage of the main quest: Become the richest mom in school! Your lifespan will increase by six months!]

Hu Zhenzhen wasn't surprised that the task was completed, but—

[Xiao Jin, next time you congratulate me, could you please not set off fireworks?]

Hu Zhenzhen couldn't contain her吐槽 (tu cao, a Chinese internet slang term for sarcastic or critical comments), saying, "[It's scary enough, but what kind of nice family would use octopus-shaped fireworks for celebrations?!]"

The little golden egg checked its fingers. "But octopuses are really cute!"