Mr. and Mrs. Yang exchanged an awkward glance. Mrs. Yang quickly grabbed Zhou Ziwei's hand and whispered, "Xiao Dong, please don't be angry with her. Xiao Ru is a good child. Ever since Hong Tao's accident three years ago... Xiao Ru has stayed with us, taking care of us two old folks like our own daughter... Sigh... At first, because of her sister, we were very prejudiced against her, even hitting and scolding her whenever we saw her. But this child just knelt on the ground crying, refusing to leave no matter what..."
Gradually, we realized that this child was too kind-hearted. Her sister had done something to wrong our Hongtao, and she was prepared to atone for her sister's sins by selling herself to our Yang family for life. She even went so far as to claim that she was our Yang family's daughter-in-law and that she had already been living with Hongtao. We knew that she was expressing her feelings and was prepared to stay in our Yang family to take care of us two old good-for-nothings for the rest of her life. But... how could we bear to ruin this child's life like this?
If Hongtao were still alive, we would definitely marry this virtuous daughter-in-law without hesitation, even if it meant death. But since Hongtao is gone, how can we ruin Xiaoru's life? However, Xiaoru is a very stubborn girl. No matter how we try to persuade her, she just won't budge. And if we arrange for her to meet a young man, she will be very sad and angry. It's been three years... In these three years, she has never had any intimate contact with any man.
We...we're really worried about her...but...just now we noticed she seemed...a little different towards you...Xiao Dong, your godmother begs you, if possible, you absolutely must seize this opportunity...As for our Hong Tao...you don't need to worry about anything. Actually, Xiao Ru is just the younger sister of Hong Tao's ex-girlfriend; she has absolutely no relation to Hong Tao. You're our godson, and she's practically our goddaughter. If you two could get together, that would be..."
Zhou Ziwei was deeply moved by his mother's words. He was touched by Xiaoru's selfless care for his parents over the past three years, and by his parents' heartfelt consideration for Xiaoru. He didn't say anything at the moment, but could only sigh softly, squeeze his mother's hand tightly, and then hurriedly followed her downstairs.
When he got downstairs, he saw Yu Xiaoru waiting for him outside. As soon as she saw him come out, her face darkened, and she said, "I don't care what Mom and Dad said to you just now, you'd better not take it seriously... I like Hong Tao, really... I've been staying in the Yang family for the past few years not to atone for my sister's sins, but only for Hong Tao... Even without my sister's involvement, I would have done the same. I know that because of my sister, Hong Tao won't have much affection for me, but if he knew in the afterlife, he would probably be most worried about his parents. That's why I plan to take his place in fulfilling my filial duties, staying by their side for the rest of my life, never leaving them. So... you understand..."
Zhou Ziwei stood there somewhat bewildered. He did understand... but the more he understood, the more uneasy he felt. He had always believed that his past life was a complete failure, utterly worthless.
His studies were mediocre, his career took a nosedive, and his love life was a tragedy. But he never imagined that his failed past life would result in the love of such a kind and affectionate girl… Even though he was already “dead,” this girl still watched over his family…
He truly found it hard to believe that such a kind and devoted girl could exist in this world. In his past life, he didn't seem to have done anything for her... At most, he had helped her with part of her college expenses, but that was only because she was his girlfriend's sister, not because of her personally. He believed she should understand that, but how could she...
Seeing that Zhou Ziwei seemed somewhat at a loss, but thankfully his expression didn't change, Yu Xiaoru felt relieved. She then smiled sweetly and said, "Alright, just remember that I'm your godbrother's wife. That way... we're relatives, aren't we? Hehe... Let's go! There's still time. I'll accompany you back to the hotel first to see your cousin, and then I have a social engagement... Could you come with me then?"
Zhou Ziwei was taken aback for a moment, then said in surprise, "You want me to go with you to a social event?"
“Yes…” Yu Xiaoru said with some distress, “It’s that man in the BMW we met on the roadside today. He’s already asked our department head to transfer me to be the translator for a party tonight. Humph… that guy is a scumbag. All that business talk is just a pretext. The banquet he’s attending tonight is actually a lewd party. I’ve already heard a bit about it before.”
But I'm under pressure from my superiors, so I can't not go... Luckily you're here, I was thinking... you could come with me to deal with it, and then we can just find some excuse to leave. Otherwise, if I don't show up today, that scoundrel will definitely use it as an excuse to kick me out of Yunzhong International!"
Zhou Ziwei paused for a moment, then frowned slightly and said, "What kind of lousy company are you working for... How come the people there are such a mess? In that case, just let him kick you out. It's better to quit this kind of company. Otherwise, even if I can help you this time, what about next time? What can you do if that guy tries to take advantage of you again?"
Yu Xiaoru shook her head and said, "I can't leave the company for now. Um... you don't need to worry about anything else. Just help me get through today! I'm your sister-in-law, you can't just stand by and watch me die, can you?"
Zhou Ziwei scratched his head, then could only nod helplessly and say, "Well... alright then!"
The mentally impaired girl sat alone on the edge of the bed, staring blankly out the window at the tall buildings across the street. Her eyes didn't blink, as if the window wasn't a window at all, but a giant screen in a movie theater, showing the most exciting blockbuster, which she watched with great interest.
When Zhou Ziwei opened the door and saw the girl's appearance, and discovered that she was still in almost the exact same position as before he left, he felt a wave of helpless bitterness again.
If he could do it all over again that night, Zhou Ziwei believed he would never again be able to do such a cruel thing to this girl so easily. That's right... He was a little soft-hearted back then and didn't want to kill this young female assassin, so he chose to use his soul power to stimulate her brain.
But now he realized that this approach was truly cruel, even less drastic than simply killing her. He believed that if this girl had a choice, she would certainly not want to live like this, but would rather die…
"Wow... your cousin is so pretty and cute!" Yu Xiaoru, who was following behind, exclaimed in genuine amazement when she saw the girl with dementia.
Indeed, although this teenage assassin had completely turned into a fool, her pure beauty seemed to take on an ethereal quality under her dazed expression, causing Yu Xiaoru to lose herself in thought.
However, when she later learned that the girl's condition was so severe that she could not eat, drink, or take care of herself, Yu Xiaoru was stunned.
Everything else is fine, but if a person can't even eat or drink, how can that person survive? This... basically seems to be no different from a person in a vegetative state. A person in a vegetative state can't move, but this girl is a person in a vegetative state who can move... that's all.
"Oh my god... I peed again."
Just then, Zhou Ziwei heard a dripping sound from the ground. Looking down, he saw, sure enough... a puddle of water was flowing down the girl's thigh, forming a pool on the ground. Her new pants, worn for less than a day, were already...
Zhou Ziwei was somewhat amused and exasperated. Without hesitation, he stripped the mentally impaired girl naked right in front of Yu Xiaoru and led her to the bathroom to wash her. Yu Xiaoru initially felt a little awkward when she saw Zhou Ziwei undressing the girl, but after seeing that he showed no unusual expression throughout, she gradually adjusted. She then followed him into the bathroom, waved to Zhou Ziwei, and said, "Let me wash her. Women need to be thoroughly cleaned to avoid getting sick... How can you just slather on some shower gel and rinse her off like this? Forget it... you should wait outside!"
Zhou Ziwei nodded somewhat embarrassedly. Normally, it wouldn't have been a problem for him to face this mentally challenged girl alone and give her a bath, but with another woman watching, Zhou Ziwei really felt a little uncomfortable. He didn't even dare to reach out and rub the girl's sensitive areas, lest Yu Xiaoru mistakenly think he was taking the opportunity to molest her.
Now that Yu Xiaoru is helping him, he is naturally happy to have some free time.
Fortunately, Zhou Ziwei was already mentally prepared. When he took the mentally challenged girl shopping during the day, he bought her seven or eight sets of clothes in one go, so she didn't have to worry about not having any clothes to change into.
It took another ten minutes or so for Yu Xiaoru to finish bathing the girl with dementia, then change her into a clean set of pajamas and take her back to the bedroom.
"Can she stay in the hotel alone like this?" Yu Xiaoru checked the time; it was almost time for their appointment. But looking at the dazed girl, she found it hard to bring herself to drag Zhou Ziwei away like this.
This is a young girl who has no ability to take care of herself. If something happens to her because no one is taking care of her, Yu Xiaoru will definitely feel guilty for the rest of her life.
Zhou Ziwei knew what she was worried about, so he took out a dozen adult diapers he had bought earlier and said, "We don't need to worry about her safety. As long as we let her sit on the bed, she will definitely be sitting in the same spot when we come back in a few hours. It's unlikely that she will even move during this time... As long as we solve her problem down there, there won't be any problems."
"Tch... What do you mean by 'trouble down below'? You're really something."
Yu Xiaoru glared at Zhou Ziwei angrily, but after thinking for a moment, she still put an adult diaper on the girl with dementia. Although she knew that wearing such a thing would be very uncomfortable and that it would be bad for her health if she used it for a long time.
But now the girl can't go to the bathroom by herself. If she urinates when no one is around, that would be even worse. So it's safer to wear this thing.
"Can we really leave her here alone?" Just as Zhou Ziwei was about to leave with Yu Xiaoru, Yu Xiaoru stopped again, looking at the dazed girl. After a long while, she gritted her teeth and said, "No... I really can't do that. Just thinking about her all alone here breaks my heart. Maybe... maybe we should just take her with us. We weren't planning on staying at that party for very long anyway, so taking her along wouldn't be a problem."
"Take her with you... to the social event your boss assigned you? This..." Zhou Ziwei was really a bit dizzy. How could he possibly say this? Yu Xiaoru was going to the social event assigned to her by her company leaders, and not only was she taking him, a burden, with her, but now she was also going to take a mentally challenged girl with her. This... wouldn't that just make things worse?
"What's with all this and that? Just settle it like this, hurry up... Let's help her change her clothes." Yu Xiaoru didn't give Zhou Ziwei any time to think, directly issuing orders to him in a commanding tone. Then she found several new clothes that Zhou Ziwei had bought during the day, rummaged through them for a while, and then glared at Zhou Ziwei with some annoyance, saying, "I said... what are all these things you bought... ah... is this for a little girl? I think it would be more suitable for our mother. She's a little girl, look at your taste... really, you're planning to give her these brown clothes? My god... these clothes cost several thousand yuan... you... even if your family owns a gold mine, you don't have to waste money like this!"
Zhou Ziwei was sweating profusely from Yu Xiaoru's scolding. He could only laugh awkwardly and nod repeatedly, humbly accepting the criticism. In fact, he really had no experience in buying clothes for women. When he took the mentally challenged girl to the street, Zhou Ziwei didn't pay attention to the style or color of the clothes at all. He just pointed to a few sets of women's clothing and asked the sales assistant to choose the size that suited the girl. Then he bought them all and paid for them. Even the sales assistant couldn't stand it anymore. However, seeing that Zhou Ziwei had already taken out cash to pay, she naturally wouldn't be foolish enough to turn away the business she had already secured.
It seems that in his past life, when Zhou Ziwei went shopping with Yu Xiaoru's older sister, Yu Xiaoya, he was criticized by Yu Xiaoya in this way more than once, and now... it's his sister's turn to criticize him again... What a fate...
Yu Xiaoru thoroughly searched through the seven or eight outfits Zhou Ziwei had bought for the girl with dementia, and finally managed to put together an outfit for her using her unique perspective... And you know what? Although the clothes weren't a set, the mix and match immediately had a magical effect, and when the girl wore them, it gave her a refreshing and eye-catching look.
"Alright... we're running out of time, let's hurry up and go!" After changing her clothes, Yu Xiaoru immediately dragged the girl out of the hotel. Fortunately, although the girl was severely mentally impaired, she could still walk on her own. As long as someone was holding her hand, she would naturally follow behind. Otherwise, if she couldn't even walk, she would probably become a vegetable.
Yunzhong Hotel... is one of the properties under Yunzhong International, and is also a five-star hotel in Zhongdu.
Generally speaking, employees of Yunzhong International usually dine here for any business entertainment. It's a matter of keeping the profits within the family. Zhou Ziwei was a mid-level employee at Yunzhong International in his previous life, and had been here a couple of times before, so he wasn't unfamiliar with the place. However, when he and Yu Xiaoru helped the mentally challenged girl out of the car in front of the Yunzhong Hotel, and suddenly saw a luxurious black Phantom sedan parked in front of the hotel, his eyes narrowed slightly, and his heart involuntarily jumped into his throat…
Huang Lianshu... He's here!
Having worked for Huang Lianshu for several years, Zhou Ziwei naturally recognized the car. Huang Lianshu owned more than one car, but his favorite was this black Phantom. At this moment, the car was parked blatantly at the hotel entrance, instead of being parked in the designated parking lot. No one but Huang Lianshu would dare to be so arrogant here. After all, this was his territory, and no matter how arrogant he was, no one dared to say a word against him.
Hmph... Let's see how many more days you can keep jumping around.
Zhou Ziwei stared at the black sedan, a cold glint flashing in his eyes...
Volume 1, Rebirth of a Prodigy, Chapter 242: Little Eyebrows
Just as Zhou Ziwei was staring blankly at the black Phantom, Yu Xiaoru beside him showed almost the same expression. However, her expression only changed slightly before she recovered. Seeing that Zhou Ziwei was still staring at the car thoughtfully, she couldn't help but smile and say, "What... do you recognize this car?"
Zhou Ziwei knew that in Yu Xiaoru's eyes he was probably just a country bumpkin who had never seen the world, but that was the image he deliberately created. He wasn't angry when Yu Xiaoru asked him this, he just chuckled and said, "I don't recognize it, but it looks like a pretty luxurious car, probably worth five or six hundred thousand!"
Upon hearing this, Yu Xiaoru chuckled and said, "Five or six hundred thousand, haha... It would be more like that if you added another zero. Well... No matter how good that car is, it belongs to someone else. We can only look on with envy... Let's go! It seems we're already too late."
Zhou Ziwei nodded and immediately took the mentally challenged girl's hand and walked towards the main entrance of the Cloud Hotel.
Yu Xiaoru naturally took the arm of the girl with dementia from the other side, then turned to Zhou Ziwei and asked, "By the way... I haven't asked you yet... what's your cousin's name?"
"Her..." This question really caught Zhou Ziwei off guard. He wasn't familiar with this mentally challenged girl at all, so how would he know her name? But since Yu Xiaoru had asked, he couldn't very well say he didn't know, could he? It seemed he could only give her a random name, but what should he call her...?
Zhou Ziwei's mind raced, but naming someone was truly a skill. Zhou Ziwei had never had any experience in this area, but he didn't dare to take too long, otherwise Yu Xiaoru would definitely become suspicious.
What should I call her?
Zhou Ziwei couldn't help but turn his head to glance at the demented girl. Instantly, he couldn't help but recall the night before last, in front of the parking garage of the Workers' Stadium in Tonghai, where this girl killer stood alone, holding an eyebrow pencil, looking lost and helpless...
"Her...her name is Xiaomei, the 'mei' in 'eyebrow'."
Zhou Ziwei casually gave the mentally challenged girl such an odd name, but to his surprise, Yu Xiaoru exclaimed in admiration, "Xiao Mei? This name is so beautiful and it really suits her appearance... Look... the most beautiful thing about her face is her eyebrows, so thin and curved, just like a crescent moon... Hmm... I guess her parents named her this because her eyebrows are so beautiful?"
"Uh... I guess so!" Zhou Ziwei was surprised that someone actually liked the name he made up. Could it be that he had a talent for naming things?
"So what disease does she have, and how did she become like this?" Women are naturally gossipy, and Yu Xiaoru seemed to be no exception. She hadn't dared to ask in front of Xiaomei in the hotel room earlier, for fear of upsetting Xiaomei. But now that she was completely certain that Xiaomei had almost no cognitive abilities other than walking, sitting, and lying down normally, she no longer needed to worry about it. So she finally couldn't help but ask.
Zhou Ziwei had anticipated this question, so he naturally prepared a lie beforehand. Without even blinking, he sighed and said, "She... wasn't always like this. A while ago, she went on a picnic with her classmates and accidentally slipped and tumbled down a hillside. She wasn't physically injured, but her head hit a big tree. Since then, she's been like this... My grandfather is the best doctor in the area, but he's not good at treating brain or mental illnesses. I had no choice but to bring her to the big city to see if she can be cured..."
"Oh, I see... She's so pitiful... What a beautiful young girl!" Yu Xiaoru sighed, then said, "By the way... I have an old classmate who works as a nurse at the Zhongdu Mental Hospital. If there's nothing important tomorrow, I'll go with you and take her there! The Zhongdu Mental Hospital is quite famous in China, and Director Zuo there is said to be an internationally renowned expert in psychiatry. If he can personally examine Xiaomei, he can definitely cure her."
Zhou Ziwei nodded and said, "Then thank you very much."
Although Zhou Ziwei knew perfectly well that even if all the psychiatrists in the world came together to treat Xiao Mei, it would probably be of no use, he still had to go through this formality since he was there to treat Xiao Mei.
As they spoke, the two of them led Xiaomei into the hotel lobby. A waitress in a red cheongsam immediately greeted them with a sweet smile and personally led the three of them to private room 302.
The waitress politely knocked on the door first, then opened the door to the private room, gestured for us to come in, and then with a sweet smile, stepped back.
As soon as the door opened, a burst of noisy laughter came from inside. In the center of the large room was a rotating dining table, where four men and four women were eating. Two of them were foreigners, but they were speaking fluent Chinese and joking with the women sitting in their laps.
The other two men, including Zhao Zhongsheng, were no exception. Each of them was holding a woman in their arms, groping her inside her clothes while laughing and making lewd remarks to the two foreigners.
Upon seeing this lewd scene, Yu Xiaoru's pretty face flushed red. She hesitated for a moment, about to turn and leave, when Zhao Zhongsheng saw her. He immediately pushed aside the woman in his arms, who was clearly a prostitute, then stood up and said with a smile, "Oh dear... isn't this Miss Yu? Why are you so late... come in, come in and sit down... hehe... and... who are these two with you...?"
Seeing that Zhao Zhongsheng was being very polite, Yu Xiaoru couldn't just leave without saying a word. She could only frown helplessly and say, "They are my relatives. They just came from out of town to see me... Minister Zhao, our Minister Hu said that you are receiving two foreign guests today and need me to translate for you. However... I think these two foreign guests speak Chinese more fluently than I do. It seems that... we don't need me here anymore, do we?"
"How can that be?" Zhao Zhongsheng immediately straightened his face upon hearing this and said, "It's a matter of etiquette to have our own translators when receiving foreign guests. Whether foreign guests can speak Chinese or not is their business, but whether or not we have translators is a matter of our attitude. Miss Yu isn't new to being a translator, surely you understand this?"
Yu Xiaoru's expression froze. Although Zhao Zhongsheng's words were somewhat far-fetched, they weren't entirely without merit. This would certainly be true in formal settings, such as when engaging in formal exchanges or negotiations with foreign businessmen. However, Minister Zhao was clearly out drinking and having fun with some foreign businessmen. Did they really need a translator for drinking and having fun? Did they really need Yu Xiaoru to translate all those vulgar and obscene things they just said?
However, Zhao Zhongsheng's words sounded very respectable, and since he had transferred Yu Xiaoru through the company's proper procedures, Yu Xiaoru couldn't refuse.
After all, whether or not a translator is needed is not up to Yu Xiaoru, and it's impossible to determine whether Zhao Zhongsheng is drinking with prostitutes. If Zhao Zhongsheng insists that this is a normal conversation with foreign guests, and the foreign guests then suggest bringing in some escorts to keep them company, that's perfectly normal. Although it sounds disgusting, it's already a tacitly accepted social practice within the industry. Even if Yu Xiaoru finds it disgusting, what can she do? She's just a lowly translator; what can she possibly control?
Left with no other choice, Yu Xiaoru bit her lip and decided to stay and deal with it. Then she turned around and whispered a few words to Zhou Ziwei, asking him to take Xiaomei to the coffee shop on the third floor to sit for a while, and that she would go find them after she finished her work.
After all, this trip was part of Yu Xiaoru's work, and she couldn't bring her family and friends to the company's internal exchanges with clients without permission.
The reason she insisted on having Zhou Ziwei accompany her was simply to give him courage in case of any unexpected events.
I believe that as long as Zhao Zhongsheng sees that someone has come with her, then no matter how audacious Zhao Zhongsheng is, he probably won't do anything to her.
But who knew that Zhao Zhongsheng's eyes would light up when he saw Xiao Mei hiding behind Yu Xiaoru. This guy had been very successful following Huang Lianshu for the past few years, and he had used his position to sleep with almost every kind of woman. His favorite was a young, pretty, and innocent little girl like Xiao Mei.
Moreover, Xiaomei was already exceptionally beautiful, and with the meticulous dressing-up Yu Xiaoru had just given her, coupled with her dazed and hazy expression, she appeared even more pitiful, making any man's heartstrings tremble at the sight of her.
Zhao Zhongsheng, on the other hand, was even more perverted. The more pitiful a little girl he saw, the more he felt an urge to hold her in his arms, pin her down, and bully her mercilessly.
So when Zhao Zhongsheng saw that Zhou Ziwei wanted to take Xiaomei away, he immediately became anxious. He rushed over and stopped the two of them with a hand, saying with a smile, "Miss Yu, you are too polite. Since your two relatives are here, how can we eat and drink well here while they sit on the sidelines outside? Hehe... Everyone, don't be shy. I, Zhao, love making friends more than anything. It's fate that you are here today. Come, come... come in, let's have a meal together and strengthen our relationship."
Yu Xiaoru already knew Zhao Zhongsheng very well. Seeing his lecherous eyes constantly lingering on Xiaomei, and him swallowing hard as if he wanted to devour her whole, she immediately knew what he was up to. Startled, she regretted bringing Xiaomei along. If she suffered any harm here, how could she ever face her parents again?
Thinking of this, Yu Xiaoru quickly stepped forward to stop him, saying, "No need, Minister Zhao, this is an internal matter of our company. It's not appropriate to let outsiders get involved, is it? Otherwise... if people in the company start gossiping and say that I'm taking advantage of the company, I won't be able to defend myself."
"It's alright, it's alright..." Zhao Zhongsheng waved his hand generously and said, "At most, this meal won't go through the government's bill. I'll pay for it myself, okay? Come on... it's settled then. Miss Yu, I'm giving you face by treating your relative as my friend. You wouldn't refuse even this small favor, would you?"
Just as Yu Xiaoru was about to say something more, Zhou Ziwei chuckled and said, "Since Mr. Zhao is so hospitable, then we won't stand on ceremony. Xiaomei... let's go inside."
After saying that, Zhou Ziwei ignored Yu Xiaoru's constant winks and immediately pulled Xiaomei into the private room in a grand manner.
Yu Xiaoru was dumbfounded. Although she knew that this Xiao Dong was from the countryside in Northeast China and seemed to be cute in his simplicity, she did not expect him to be so ignorant of the dangers of people's hearts. Wasn't Zhao Zhongsheng's sly expression enough to reveal his intentions?
No matter how unwilling Yu Xiaoru was, Zhou Ziwei had already pulled Xiaomei inside, and she couldn't very well drag her out as well. Helpless, she had no choice but to bite the bullet and follow behind the two of them inside, intending to take it one step at a time. As long as she kept a close eye on her and prevented Xiaomei from being bullied, that would be fine.
"Hehe... Little sister, sit over here! Come on... big brother will peel a big crab for you to eat... This is a genuine Huangpu River hairy crab, it tastes incredibly fresh..."
As soon as Zhao Zhongsheng saw the three of them finally enter the private room, he immediately shooed the escort girl next to him aside, made room for Xiao Guo, and pulled her to sit down.
"Excuse me, my sister is shy, so please let her sit over there with me!" Zhou Ziwei said, subtly brushing away Zhao Zhongsheng's groping hand, and then pulled Xiaomei to sit down in the empty seat opposite Zhao Zhongsheng.
This rotating dining table is huge; even if seventeen or eighteen people sit there, it won't feel crowded. Zhou Ziwei naturally wouldn't let Xiaomei stay next to that lecherous man.
"Hehe... This is good... This is good too..." Zhao Zhongsheng was tricked by Zhou Ziwei, and his anger was burning. However, now was not the time to vent. He could only continue to let out a fake laugh and then beckon Yu Xiaoru to sit next to him. However, Yu Xiaoru ignored him completely and went to sit down next to Xiaomei.