Chapter 575 — The Tang Family Tragedy

"Um... Young Master Bing, you see, we were hoping for a storefront — could you possibly..." Mother Tang eyed Zhao Qibing uneasily. This Zhao Qibing was plainly the man in charge, and there was something sinister about him that made her reluctant to get too close.

"A storefront!" Young Master Bing did not look at Mother Tang; his eyes went straight to Tang Yun. "A storefront I can give you. I'll even give it to you free of charge. It all depends on what you're willing to do."

"What... what should we do?" Mother Tang was taken aback. She had not expected him to say such a thing — not only a storefront, but free of charge. What kind of logic was that? Who was ever this generous? Clearly such a man could not exist.

"This is your daughter, isn't she?" Zhao Qibing looked at Tang Yun, his eyes brimming with a wicked, lecherous gleam. "I happen to be short a secretary around here. Let her come with me — never mind one storefront, I'll give you two."

Mother Tang was struck dumb for a moment, then understood: he had his eye on her daughter. But to trade her own daughter for a storefront — was that a bargain? Wei Zhao wanted nothing to do with her anymore; if the girl threw in with this Zhao Qibing, that would not be the worst thing either — only, who knew whether the man would keep his word?

Tang Yun shot her mother an indignant look. Clearly Zhao Qibing's offer had moved her. But how could Tang Yun ever think him worthy? How could she ever agree to his terms? Seizing her mother's hand, she said urgently, "Mom, let's go home. We don't want the storefront."

"But..." Mother Tang knew her daughter's temper. Anyone she disliked could never, not in a thousand beatings, make her submit — she was stubborn as an ox, and pressure from her mother would be useless. With Wei Zhao, it had been because she herself liked the man. But this Zhao Qibing was obviously only out to play. If he truly wanted Tang Yun as his girlfriend, he would not be asking her to be his secretary.

"Let's go!" Tang Yun turned away. The very sight of Zhao Qibing disgusted her.

"Go? You come when you please and leave when you please?" Li Erlan suddenly sprang out and blocked the way of mother and daughter. With an ominous sneer he threatened, "Listen here, Tang Yun, Young Master Bing taking a fancy to you is your good fortune. Don't refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit. Keep this up and you'll end up with nothing at all."

"Li Erlan, you traitor — get out of the way!" Tang Yun lifted her chin. She would never yield. This Zhao Qibing clearly meant no good, so how could she go on negotiating with them? Wei Zhao might not want her, but that was no reason to debase herself. To be someone's plaything? Better to be Wei Zhao's mistress.

"Tang Yun, is it? I don't mind telling you: I, Zhao Qibing, have never met a woman I set my sights on that I couldn't have! If you're sensible and come with me, you'll live high on the hog — your family will have storefronts if they want storefronts, houses if they want houses. But if you refuse me, you'll bear the consequences!" Zhao Qibing laughed coldly and made his boast. To be turned down like that by Tang Yun in front of so many people made him lose face.

In the provincial capital, Young Master Bing had only to crook a finger and beauties came flocking. He had assumed that with a few promises of profit this Tang Yun would docilely submit. Who would have thought she had so much spirit?

"We don't want the storefront, and we won't be demolished either. We'll just stay in our old house — that should be fine, shouldn't it? What more can you do to us?" That was Tang Yun's nature: she would rather go without a house than let anyone bully her.

"Not demolished? That won't be up to you!" Zhao Qibing had been wanting to kill one to warn a hundred, and here he had been unable to find a target — now he would make an example of Tang Yun's family. He glanced at Zhong Fabai. Zhong Fabai nodded, stood up, and walked out of the plaza with Li Erlan.

Mother Tang looked at her daughter helplessly. With that outburst of hers, the talks had deadlocked; there could be no turning back now. The storefront — they might as well forget it. She took her daughter's hand and turned to leave.

"Who said you could go?" Jin Gubang snapped coldly. Zhong Fabai and Li Erlan had both left, so it was his turn to speak.

"We're not demolishing anymore — can't we leave?" Tang Yun glared at Jin Gubang.

"Let them go. They'll change their minds soon enough," Zhao Qibing said mildly, though his tone was full of certainty. For he had already heard the roar of the bulldozers and excavators.

Mother and daughter were baffled. How could they change their minds in a moment? But since they were allowed to leave, they had no wish to linger. Mother Tang pulled Tang Yun homeward — she needed to sit down with her and think of a plan. They couldn't just let it go, could they? If they gave up the storefront, what would become of them? And her dream of opening a barbecue restaurant was shattered too.

They had barely reached the neighborhood when they saw an excavator lunge out its arm and swing it down on their house. Behind it the bulldozer roared into the Tang family's little yard and flattened the fence in front of the gate.

"Dad!" "Old Tang!"

Mother and daughter screamed in almost the same instant and ran for home. Never in their wildest dreams had they imagined that Zhao Qibing would send men to demolish the place by force. But Tang Jucheng was still inside the house — what were they to do?

Tang Yun charged toward the house without a thought for danger, while Mother Tang tried to stop the excavator from tearing down any more of the building. By now the roof beams had caved in, and no one knew whether Tang Jucheng was hurt. With no one to help him, he could never get out on his own.

"What are you doing? My father's still inside! Stop, please!" Tang Yun shouted at the excavator operator as she ran.

But Li Erlan, sitting beside the operator, had a savage glint in his eye. "Keep going," he told the operator. "She's lying. Young Master Bing says if anything happens, he'll take responsibility."

The operator nodded and kept working the excavator, tearing the house apart. Seeing that they would not listen, Tang Yun could only rush inside — but was there still a way in? The bulldozer sat squarely in front of the house, roaring as it pushed forward, plainly intending to work with the excavator and bring the whole building down.

Though bricks and tiles came clattering down from the rafters, Tang Yun was frantic about her father's safety and threw all caution aside. Gritting her teeth, she scrambled up the bulldozer's blade and charged into the house, gashing her calf wide open so that blood poured out, but she paid it no mind, intent only on getting inside. Yet just as she was about to enter, the excavator swung its arm down again, shattering the beam above her head in an instant. A huge tile came whistling down and struck her squarely on the head, opening a gash seven or eight centimeters long across her forehead. Blood instantly poured down her face, and Tang Yun was knocked senseless, falling straight to the ground...

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