Chapter 53
Finally, there's a response!
Zhang Xing felt he had won back a point, but Yu Xi only glanced at him before laughing, "What else can people like you do besides threaten others? Actually, I've never understood why no one has been able to figure out such simple information after all these years?"
Zhang Xing realized something and was about to try to get information out of her when the door was opened from the outside again. Unlike before, this time it brought light.
Yu Xi was suddenly exposed to a bright light and instinctively squinted.
The man walked in against the light, and for the first time, Yu Xi saw clearly the man who had robbed her of her freedom for over ten years.
Ning Xuzhi.
The absolute leader of Ming'an City.
She took a shortcut in life by following everything Yu Songjing did, then drove Yu Songjing completely insane, and finally controlled Yu Xi's entire life.
Similarly, Ning Xiangjian's uncle and Ning Ning's father.
Yu Xi thought he had hidden everything well, until that day when Zhou Mo cornered Ning Xiangjian in an alley. He heard everything she said. Ning Xiangjian approached him because she was instructed by someone else. Such things and such people were commonplace in his life and did not elicit any reaction from him at all.
But that day was different; someone warned the boring but annoying flies.
Rarely, his life has returned to a long-awaited period of peace.
"So many people didn't make you speak, I'm a little curious, is it your father's whereabouts or Zhou Mo's existence that made you change your mind?"
Yu Xi slowly opened his eyes. The bright light still made his eyes a little uncomfortable, and he blinked a few times before he felt a bit better. "You really have time to speculate about me. But do you really care about the information?"
"More than the data, you care about whether Yu Songjing is still alive, whether I am still under your control, and whether Ming'an can become your paradise for spending your old age in peace."
Ning Xuzhi was just over sixty years old, but he took good care of himself and looked only in his early fifties. Dressed in a proper Zhongshan suit, he looked respectable and like a good person.
“You know me better than your father does.”
Yu Xi scoffed, "He's stupid for believing you."
Ning Xuzhi raised her hand, and Zhang Xing immediately understood and left the room, leaving only Yu Xi and Ning Xuzhi in the room.
Just as Ning Xuzhi was about to speak, Yu Xi punched him to the ground. Zhang Xing had just reached the door when he heard the noise and immediately turned around, preparing to rush into the room. Yu Xi was even faster than him, kicking the door shut before Zhang Xing could enter.
The sound of the iron gate closing was particularly jarring in the empty room.
Ning Xuzhi was pinned down by Yu Xi, and even with his extensive experience, he was terrified by Yu Xi's beast-like behavior. "You, what do you want to do?"
"As I just said, I often see the scene before I die, with a person's blood covering my body. I always have to take someone down to hell with me so that my soul can find peace."
"You want to kill me?" Ning Xuzhi couldn't see Yu Xi's face and didn't know that Yu Xi's face was full of a playful smile, like someone teasing a dog.
Yu Xi bent down and precisely slapped Ning Xuzhi's mouth, knocking out one of Ning Xuzhi's teeth. The tooth almost went down Ning Xuzhi's throat, but Ning Xuzhi managed to spit it out.
"Don't you want your teeth?"
"Oh, right, you only want other people's achievements, and you don't want the useless ones, even if they are yours."
"Yu Xi! Murder is a crime!"
"Illegal detention and theft of others' achievements are also crimes."
Ning Xuzhi retorted, “Yu Songjing committed arson and murder. Once he appears in society, he will definitely be wanted. As long as you let me go, I can help you and your father get new identities.”
"What about your future?" Yu Xi was still in the mood to help Ning Xuzhi plan his future. "Retire at sixty-five. If you're lucky, you can live for another ten years or so and be the local tyrant of Ming'an for another ten years or so. How great would that be? If you let me go, you won't have such a good future."
Ning Xuzhi couldn't understand Yu Xi, her lips trembling, "What exactly do you want?! Tell me what you want, and I'll give you whatever I can."
"What do I want? What I want is always the opposite of what you want, so I won't believe any of your conditions."
Yu Xi's hand gripped Ning Xuzhi's neck, slowly tightening.
A banging sound came from outside the door. Yu Xi laughed, "Ning Xuzhi, listen, doesn't this sound like a death knell to tolling for you?"
"Yu Xi!" The instinct for survival made Ning Xuzhi, a man in his sixties, desperately try to pry Yu Xi's fingers off, but even though Yu Xi hadn't eaten or slept for several days, she was still stronger than this well-maintained old man.
Yu Xi: "Actually, I was at home that day and I saw you choking my father like that. At that time, I wondered why he couldn't break free."
"Because he is too young and doesn't understand that the kindness of his seniors comes with a price tag."
“Just like you are now, not understanding why I have to go to Zhengyang.” Yu Xi leaned close to Ning Xuzhi’s ear, “I deliberately let him see me, so he could see me and tell you.”
Ning Xuzhi's eyes widened.
The iron gate was finally forced open, and Yu Xi let go of the gate and sat back down on the edge of the bed.
Zhang Xing had someone hold Yu Xi down, and the room was lit again. This time, Ning Xuzhi could see Yu Xi's expression clearly.
He was smiling.
Why is he laughing?
Ning Xuzhi was still reeling from the near-death experience when Yu Xi's smile left her completely bewildered.
Yu Xi was pinned to the ground, his cheek pressed tightly against the cement floor. Even though he didn't struggle, the person on top of him continued to rub his head against the ground, and blood quickly appeared at the corner of his mouth.
Yu Xi still had the energy to stick out her tongue and lick the wound on the corner of her mouth.
Ning Xuzhi left the room surrounded by the crowd.
Zhang Xing instructed his men to keep a close watch on Yu Xi, and then left with Ning Xuzhi.
The car was unusually quiet. The driver was focused on driving, his eyes fixed straight ahead, as if he were blind, deaf, and mute.
Ning Xuzhi remained silent. Zhang Xing knew what had happened today and he was partly to blame. He had been tricked by a mere kid several times, and he was angry, furious, and embarrassed.
"Boss, this was my oversight."
"Ha, I wish he were my son."
Ning Xuzhi's words startled Zhang Xing. He was suddenly met with Ning Xuzhi's crazed gaze, and immediately lowered his head.
"So what should we do about Yu Xi now?"
Before Ning Xuzhi could finish speaking, a police car brushed past their vehicle. Zhang Xing sensed something was wrong, but Ning Xuzhi reacted even faster, "Tell those people there to shut up."
"I see."
Zhou Mo followed He Ru's people to Huyang District of Ming'an City, commonly known as the suburbs, which is actually an undeveloped area.
Huyang District was once a bustling area, close to the city center. However, the urban planning and renovation of Ming'an District re-divided the urban area, and a large number of businesses and developers moved to other areas. As a result, Huyang District declined and became a suburb.
Zhou Mo knew about this place because of her mother, Hua Rong. Hua Rong was an independent designer whose clothes were ingenious, combining fashion with comfort. Moreover, she not only designed formal dresses but also some inexpensive and easy-to-wear clothes.
When she was in elementary school, her teacher assigned an essay about her ideals. She couldn't write it, so she asked her mother for help. Her mother asked her what her ideals were.
Zhou Mo was too young to understand the word "ideal," so she asked her mother, "Mom, what is your ideal?"
"I want everyone to be able to wear the clothes I design, regardless of gender, age, or wealth. I don't want to define the clothes by the brand. People are sometimes hard to change, but I'm quite easy to change."
Zhou Mo still didn't understand, and Zhou Qinian chimed in, "The child is still so young, she doesn't understand."
Hua Rong smiled and tapped Zhou Mo's nose, "You'll understand later."
"But Mom, isn't fickle a bad word?"
"Words are a matter of personal preference and context. Momo, you may feel confused about many things now, but once you have learned a lot and seen many different things, you will no longer feel confused. As you grow, you will become more adaptable, integrate into society and the community, and then change will not be a bad thing."
“If the change is in moral principles, then it’s a different story.”
Hua Rong held little Zhou Mo in her arms. "You still don't understand, do you?"
"Hmm, I don't understand, Mom. I just asked about my ideals, why are you saying so many things that I don't understand?"
Zhou Qinian put his arm around his wife's shoulder, "Because Mom's ideal was slowly found from these words that you don't understand."
"You don't understand because you haven't started your journey to your ideals yet."
"Dad, if you say that, my essay will get a zero."
"Shall I show you an advertisement?" Zhou Qinian searched for an advertisement for Xizhilang jelly on the computer. After watching it for a while, Zhou Qinian asked, "What do you want to be? Wanting to be is also a kind of ideal, you know."
"I want to be a lawyer."
Hua Rong and Zhou Qinian exchanged a glance. Hua Rong rubbed Zhou Mo's chubby little face and said, "Okay, from now on, Mo Mo will be in charge of protecting Mom and Dad's lifelong rights."
Zhou Mo still didn't understand what an ideal was, but in order to understand what her mother was saying, she often went out with her mother to collect folk songs.
Hua Rong often came here, but never brought Zhou Mo with him, which only fueled Zhou Mo's curiosity. Later, during a conversation with her classmates, she learned that Huyang District was a very chaotic place, and almost every event that could be seen in the news had happened here.
Zhou Mo was even more confused as to why Hua Rong had come here.
Later, she found out after looking at her mother's household registration book.
Huarong, that's where I came from.
"Ms. Zhou, watch your step. This area is currently undergoing demolition, and there are nails, planks, and other debris scattered on the ground. Please don't step on them."
"OK, thanks."
"Boss He instructed us to take good care of you, and that's our duty."
"Is it true that Yu Songjing is here?"
"The letter writer only said it was suspected, but Boss He said that even if it was suspected, you would definitely come and see."
Zhou Mo didn't ask any more questions, nodded, and followed the others into this chaotic area.
Before she even arrived at her destination, Zhou Mo spotted a familiar face.
It should be said that he was a familiar child.
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