"Oh, oh."
Zhao Xiaolu got into the passenger seat, and her passing colleagues were extremely envious.
"Zhao Xiaolu is lucky; the new deputy director took a liking to her as soon as he arrived."
"If you got a bigger cosmetic surgery, you might have a chance!"
"Get lost!"
After adjusting the temperature, Su Yang asked, "Where do you live?"
"Ten miles outside the eastern suburbs of the city, Mutou Village."
"So far, how do you usually get to work?"
"I first cycle to the roadside, then take the bus to work..."
Zhao Xiaolu shyly clutched her bag worth tens of yuan, her face flushed red.
Su Yang sighed, "I'll take you home first then!"
From the Security Bureau to Mutou Village, the navigation showed thirty kilometers.
He didn't know how Zhao Xiaolu managed to persevere. She probably had to wake up early and work late every day.
If it were any other woman, she would have run away long ago.
The countryside at night was not completely dark.
As Songhai was an economically developed city, all townships had electricity, and the roads were paved with cement.
Lights on both sides of the road alternated, and pedestrians walked in twos and threes.
Upon seeing the Lamborghini, everyone stopped to watch.
Seeing Zhao Xiaolu in the car, people whispered.
"I didn't expect Zhao Xiaolu to have hooked up with a rich man; this car is not cheap!"
"Zhao Xiaolu is the village beauty with her looks and hot figure; it's not hard for her to find a rich man!"
"What's the point of being rich? Didn't Old Zhao and his wife squander it all!"
Hearing these words, Zhao Xiaolu felt even more pained.
She had clearly done nothing, yet these people were slandering her maliciously.
Su Yang patted her shoulder, "Jealousy is human instinct; you don't need to care too much!"
A few minutes later.
The car stopped in front of a dilapidated courtyard.
The red brick houses on both sides were already covered with moss, indicating they were built many years ago but had not been renovated.
Thinking of her family's situation, Zhao Xiaolu still advised, "Director, my home is very messy; why don't you just turn back!"
"It's fine; let's go up and take a look!"
Seeing that Su Yang wasn't leaving, Zhao Xiaolu had no choice.
The two fumbled for the light and walked up to the second floor. The stairwell was filled with bottles and jars, as well as contraceptives, cigarette butts, and so on.
Zhao Xiaolu said helplessly, "My dad often brings women home, and there's so much trash every day; I'm sorry to have made you see this!"
"Then why didn't you move out earlier?"
Zhao Xiaolu's face showed more bitterness, "As soon as I get my salary, it's taken away; where would I get the money to rent a place? Besides, even if I moved, they would still find me at the bureau."
Su Yang shook his head and sighed, stepping into the messy, foul-smelling room.
The living room was dimly lit, the leather sofa was tattered, and smelly clothes and socks were scattered everywhere.
On the table, the glass ashtray was terrifyingly black, and there were several buckets of instant noodles with maggots.
Except for Zhao Xiaolu's room, there was nowhere to sit.
It was too dirty and messy!
"Director, please sit on my bed. I'll get you a cup of hot water!"
Zhao Xiaolu's home didn't even have tea leaves because she was too poor.
Su Yang looked around Zhao Xiaolu's room; pink stickers were on the walls, and the floor was covered with plastic mats.
There was no dressing table, only a dilapidated stool holding a lipstick bought for 9.9 yuan.
There was no wardrobe, only wooden stakes and bamboo poles.
On the simple clothes rack hung shirts that were white and yellowed, faded jeans, and underwear with two holes.
It was too shabby!
Su Yang couldn't help but recall his past life, thinking that Zhao Xiaolu had worked even harder than him when he was a construction worker.
He wondered what force kept her going to reach this point.
At this moment, Zhao Xiaolu came in with hot water.
"Director, please have this."
"Okay, thank you."
Zhao Xiaolu sat next to Su Yang, watching him actually drink the hot water.
—This rich director actually drinks water from a slum; he's truly approachable!
The two of them, weighing over two hundred jin combined, made the old wooden bed creak and groan.
It felt as if it could collapse at any moment.
Zhao Xiaolu got up, pretending to tidy the room.
Just then, a smell of alcohol wafted in from outside the door.
A man with a beard and slovenly clothes, holding a bottle of white wine, entered with a woman around forty years old.
"Xiaolu, are you packing your things to go somewhere?"
"No."
"You say no? I'm not blind! Are you hooking up with some sugar daddy and planning to have fun outside with your lover?"
Zhao's father pointed at Su Yang, his eyes filled with rage.
Zhao Xiaolu shook her head, "Dad, don't talk nonsense. This is my superior, the newly appointed deputy director!"
"Oh, a deputy director! Xiaolu, you've gotten capable; quickly introduce me to the deputy director!"
As soon as Zhao's father heard that the deputy director was here, he sobered up instantly.
He didn't care who his daughter Zhao Xiaolu was with, as long as they were rich. If they had power, even better.
Zhao's father wiped his clothes, bent down, and extended his hands, "Hello, Deputy Director, welcome to my home!"
However, Su Yang didn't even look at him.
Since Zhao's father spoke so offensively, he decided to take Zhao Xiaolu away from this hellish place.
"Xiaolu, you don't need those old clothes; I'll buy you new ones. Your salary won't be deducted!"
Su Yang casually threw the tattered underwear aside, which happened to land on the face of the stunned Zhao's father.
Zhao's father recovered, threw away the clothes, spread his arms, and blocked the doorway.
"Without my permission, even the King of Heaven can't take my daughter away!"
To him, his daughter Zhao Xiaolu was a cash cow.
If his daughter left, where would he get money and women to enjoy himself in the future?
Work?
Impossible in this lifetime!
Zhao Xiaolu looked around the room. In reality, she no longer had any attachment to this home.
The red brick house was built by her grandfather; her parents only knew how to squander.
"Director, I don't have anything to take..."
"Good, come with me!"
Su Yang pulled Zhao Xiaolu and strode towards the door.
An invisible aura emanated, causing Zhao's father to swallow and step back a few paces.
But thinking of the money, he blocked them again.
—Bang, bang, bang!
Su Yang kicked Zhao's father away without hesitation.
"You piece of trash, how dare you block my way, Deputy Director?"
Zhao's father coughed up blood and shakily got up.
As for the woman he brought back, she had already fled.
"Even if you're the deputy director, would you dare to kill someone? Do you think you can find her if you take her away?"
Zhao's father wiped the blood from his lips, looking like a dead pig unafraid of boiling water.
At this moment, another woman walked down the stairs. She looked somewhat similar to Zhao Xiaolu.
Her hair was tied back, stiff, and sparse; the smell of smoke and alcohol emanating from her was nauseating.
This was Zhao Xiaolu's mother.
Zhao's mother had a cigarette in her mouth. Upon seeing her husband spitting blood, she merely sneered.
Seeing her daughter Zhao Xiaolu holding Su Yang's hand, and looking at Su Yang's expensive clothing.
Zhao's mother thought of the Lamborghini parked in front of the yard and immediately broke into a wide smile.
"Oh, who is this? Xiaolu, why don't you introduce him?"
Zhao Xiaolu said, "Mom, this is my superior, the newly appointed deputy director of the Security Bureau!"