From Sister Hua's description of those people, Xu Keke had a rough idea of who was looking for her. She just hadn't expected them to find her so quickly. It seemed she had underestimated the situation yesterday; there must have been another group watching her from the shadows, following her without her noticing.
The old woman, who had been hunched over, straightened up a bit. She looked nervously at Xu Keke; though she couldn't speak, the worry and fear in her eyes were palpable.
Hua Jie's attention was entirely on Xu Keke. Seeing her get up to go outside, she hurriedly stood in front of her to stop her. "Young Master instructed yesterday that things are chaotic outside these days, and you shouldn't go out casually. Besides, these people outside don't look like good people. What if you get hurt if you go out and suffer a loss?"
"Sister Hua, it's not right for them to keep ringing the doorbell! I'll go out and see what's wrong, then I'll ask them to leave. Don't worry."
"no!"
Even without the young master's orders, she couldn't let her mistress take such a risk. Sister Hua stretched out her arms to block her way, refusing to budge no matter what.
The maid returned with the little guy, dressed in stylish overalls and a well-fitting little jacket. No wonder the child didn't want to wear it; compared to the tattered jacket he'd worn before, this outfit was indeed far too formal.
The little guy was handsome, especially his captivating eyes, which made him exceptionally endearing. The maid probably thought he was good-looking too, and got interested, so she styled his hair into a side-parted slicked-back style, just like the young masters of today.
Seeing Xu Keke staring at him, the little boy lowered his head shyly. Yesterday, Xu Keke went to that small hotel to check on the news. She admitted that it was the child's quiet demeanor, his obediently nestled beside the old woman with his hands tied behind his back, that stirred her pity.
Half of what she told Zhou Xiangnan was true. If she had seen the two of them were alright, she would have left immediately. It was the scarred man's attitude that made her wary, and that led to him taking action. That's why she brought them back.
Looking at the little guy's adorable appearance, she didn't feel any regret even when people came to her door.
Walking over to the little guy, Xu Keke pinched his cheek. She sighed softly and said to Sister Hua, "I'll go ask what happened. Maybe it's a misunderstanding. I'll talk to them and clear things up. We can't let them keep making a scene outside. If Madam and the others come back, my aunt's temper will probably cause even more trouble."
Sister Hua knew she was right; Zhou Xiangnan's temper would lead him to fight them directly. No matter how loyal Sister Hua was to her master, she was still just a servant who obeyed his orders, and she was used to thinking along the lines of what her masters said.
Seeing that she had taken her words to heart, Xu Keke pushed her away and strode to the front door.
Sure enough, when the door opened, standing in the middle was the scarred man with a bandage wrapped around his head. His two henchmen weren't there, but five or six burly men stood behind him. Xu Keke smiled; he seemed to think highly of her, having brought so many men.
When the scarred man saw her come out, he wasn't as arrogant as he had been yesterday. He clasped his hands in a respectful manner and said, "Miss Zhou, I was blind to your greatness yesterday and offended you. Please don't hold it against me. The two people you took away yesterday were looked after by us brothers, someone asked us to. We've lost face, and it's hard for us to explain to our master. Could you please return them to us?"
He's quite the flexible one. The street in front of the Zhou residence is lined with sycamore trees, some quite old, their lush foliage resembling green umbrellas. The sun is shining brightly now. And his position is rather advantageous. The dappled shadows of the sycamore leaves fall perfectly on his face.
Xu Keke looked at him with a faint smile, "If I were to give the person to you, I wouldn't have brought them back yesterday."
The little girl was pretty and wore a light blue shirt, a style popular among students these days. Her blue skirt covered her calves, revealing white socks and a pair of comfortable black cloth shoes.
Her attire was so ordinary, no different from the female students they usually saw. The scarred man glanced at his buddies; from the moment this girl stepped forward, he'd heard someone sneer behind him. He knew they all looked down on him now.
It's not their fault. If someone had told him before yesterday that such a frail female student could beat the three of them, he wouldn't have believed it.
However, after living in Shanghai for so many years since leaving his rural hometown, he had learned a lesson: if you can't win, admitting defeat isn't shameful; at least you'll still be alive. He had misjudged the situation yesterday, but now he dared not be careless at all. Ignoring what the people behind him thought, he continued to bow slightly and discuss things with Xu Keke.
"Look, I'm really in a difficult position. If you really want to protect those two people, I can't say anything else. I can't just let them go like that; there has to be an explanation. How about this: could you come with us and help me explain to the master?"
Before Xu Keke could reply, she sensed someone standing behind her. Turning around, she saw it was Sister Hua's man, Old Sun. He was still wearing his kitchen apron and arm protectors. He was holding a cleaver, glaring angrily at the group, as if to say, "Try laying a hand on me, and I'll chop you all up."
Even though she knew he was protecting the original Zhou Shaoqiu, Xu Keke was still moved. She gave him a bright smile.
Then he turned back to the scarred man and smiled, "What if I don't go?"
The smile on her face hadn't faded yet, and her casual remark made everyone's teeth itch with rage. The men behind the scarred man were already itching to make their move.
"It seems Madam Zhou has gone out on some business..." The scarred man's words were brief, but the meaning was crystal clear: the whereabouts of the Zhou family were all under their control.
He then pointed to the people behind him, "These are the host's family members. They didn't mean anything by it; they were just worried that I didn't have enough influence to persuade you."
The men beside the scarred man had unfriendly smiles. One of them looked at Xu Keke with disdain and said, "Miss Zhou, please come with us. We'll bring you back after we've finished talking."
Xu Keke smiled. She wasn't stupid. If she really went with them and brought her back, the Zhou family would have a hard time finding her again. Old Sun behind Xu Keke had the same idea. He took half a step forward, wanting to protect her behind him. Xu Keke quickly shook her head reassuringly at him, signaling him not to rush.
The person opposite her misunderstood her meaning, thinking she had agreed, and pointed to the car parked across the street, "Miss Zhou, please!"
"This is the concession, do you still dare to rob us?" Xu Keke said, but she knew in her heart that if these people tried to force their way in, she would be at a disadvantage by the time the police arrived.
Seeing that the man's expression had changed, Xu Keke beckoned to the scarred man with her finger. "I'll trade you a message: pass on a message to the person behind you."
"What did you say?" The scarred man not only didn't step forward, but instead took a half step back, looking at Xu Keke cautiously.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
