Chen Kezong snorted: "I suppose you wouldn't dare to go along with this. You can go out now. Continue to keep an eye on the movements of Chen Shuxian and her daughter, and pay close attention to Zhao Qiang's dealings with the northerners. If there's any trouble, notify me immediately."
Li Zhongyuan said, "It's Grandpa, I'm going out." Li Zhongyuan breathed a sigh of relief. His oil field in Africa had been attacked by rebels several times, and the amount of crude oil transported back to China had decreased sharply. He had been scolded by Chen Kezong several times for this. Fortunately, he managed to avoid Chen Kezong's attention this time by taking advantage of the incident involving Chen Shuxian and her daughter and Zhao Qiang.
The office quieted down. Chen Kezong stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the sky outside. It was gloomy. The weather had been abnormal for the past few years. It was snowing in the south. With the end of the year approaching, the atmosphere was filled with the spirit of the New Year. The company was distributing New Year's goods and bonuses, and there were more vendors on the street. It was bustling and peaceful.
"Zhao Qiang, you really can't stay still. You could have just stayed in the North, but you had to come to the South and cause me trouble. Should I suppress you or win you over?" Chen Kezong muttered to himself.
Turning around, Chen Kezong picked up another document from the corner of the table. It was an aerial photograph of the Tabtan oil field in Africa. Zhao Qiang's aircraft design had shocked the Americans. Now, no one dared to invade the area from Tabtan to the coastal port. Oil tankers from the Hu and Yang families in the north entered the port every day. Thinking about his own side, although Li Zhongyuan was talented, he was still far inferior to Zhao Qiang. He had sent so many soldiers to him, but due to the harassment of the rebels and local armed forces, the death toll was increasing, and the amount of crude oil transported back to China was decreasing, making it difficult to support the needs of the southern refineries.
"It seems I shouldn't dwell on old, trivial matters anymore. The world is changing, and it's hard to adapt if your mindset doesn't change," Chen Kezong told himself, then picked up the phone on the table: "Guangwei, come to my office."
Today, Zhao Qiang moved out. Chen Shuxian moved into the west-facing apartment by herself, while Zhao Qiang, Chen Xinxin, and Zhao Ling openly moved into the east-facing apartment. Chen Shuxian didn't say anything about it; her daughter's happiness was her greatest wish. Although she initially strongly opposed her daughter associating with Zhao Qiang, it has now been proven that Zhao Qiang is the most suitable person for her daughter because he can tolerate the willful Chen Xinxin and protect her from being bullied by anyone. This is extremely important for Chen Xinxin, who has never experienced fatherly love since childhood.
"Zhao Qiang, come help me figure out the best place to put the photos," Chen Xinxin called from her room. Zhao Qiang had no choice but to abandon tidying his own bedroom and go into Chen Xinxin's room.
“The table will do,” Zhao Qiang suggested.
Chen Xinxin said, "Why don't we put it on the bedside table? That way, I can see you as soon as I open my eyes at night." The photo was a picture of Zhao Qiang and Chen Xinxin taken when they went to have their driver's license photos taken. Zhao Ling also had a photo taken with Zhao Qiang.
Zhao Qiang chuckled: "You can just sleep at my place. Why bother with photos? Wouldn't it be better to see me in person when you open your eyes?"
Chen Xinxin kicked Zhao Qiang's butt: "Before, it was because we didn't have beds to sleep in. Now we each have a room. You're not allowed to sneak in at night, or I'll cut off your dick."
Zhao Qiang laughed as he left Chen Xinxin's bedroom. Girls can be incredibly open-minded and even rape men, but they can also be incredibly reserved. Even though she knew she might be doing "that kind of thing" tonight, she was still saying "no, no."
Zhao Qiang's laughter infuriated Chen Xinxin. She ran to the living room and said to Zhao Ling in another room, "Lingling, don't let Zhao Qiang into your room tonight. We'll suffocate him!"
Zhao Ling peeked out of the room and said, "Okay." But she was secretly flirting with Zhao Qiang. Chen Xinxin saw it all clearly and stamped her foot, saying, "Okay, you two are exchanging glances. You must be planning to do something dirty behind my back."
Zhao Ling chuckled: "Why don't you go to Zhao Qiang's room and keep an eye on him? Otherwise, if he really does something, I won't be able to resist."
Someone knocked on the door, forcing the two women to stop flirting with Zhao Qiang. Chen Shuxian came in and asked, "Is there anything I can help you tidy up?" The mother was still worried about her daughter.
Chen Xinxin said, "No, Mom, don't worry. We're only two meters apart in the corridor. I'll call you if anything happens."
Chen Shuxian took out four documents and said, "Please pack them up with Lingling. Make sure you don't lose them."
Zhao Ling took it. "What is it?"
Chen Xinxin glanced at them: "Property ownership certificate and vehicle registration certificate."
Seeing that two documents had her name on them and the other two had Chen Xinxin's name on them, Zhao Ling laughed and said, "Zhao Qiang, you're really going all out! Won't you be penniless now?"
Zhao Qiang calmly replied, "I myself am a great asset."
The two women chuckled and pretended to vomit. Zhao Qiang said, "Alright, stop fooling around. Let's go downstairs and buy some things. Aren't we going to Zhao Ling's hometown together tomorrow? Let's get ready early."
With the Lunar New Year approaching, Zhao Ling was also going home for the holiday. Considering that it was pointless for Zhao Qiang and Chen Shuxian to stay here, and that everyone now had a car and a house and could finally return home in glory, they decided to go to Zhao Ling's house together. However, before going, they naturally had to do some shopping. With Wu Zhiming's million yuan, they didn't have to worry about buying anything now.
(Thanks to 落雨oOo狂风 for the 588 coins donation, thanks to 利辛齐齐 and 我是有钱人——梦中 for the 100 coins donation, and thanks to 敬恒 and 小龙子 for the monthly ticket support.)
Volume 2 [461] An Unexpected Shopping Experience
[461] An unexpected shopping experience
Zhao Ling held Zhao Qiang's hand, the two of them carrying a large basket of local sausages. "Zhao Qiang, how should I introduce you when we get home?"
Zhao Qiang asked, "How do you want to introduce it?"
Zhao Ling said, "Of course it's my boyfriend, but I don't know if you'll agree."
Zhao Qiang laughed: "How could I object? You're such a beauty. It's so prestigious to go shopping with a girlfriend like you. Didn't you notice how many men envied me along the way?"
"Hehe, but what about Xin Xin? Will she be angry?" Zhao Ling hesitated. "Why don't you go and talk to her for me? When we go back to my hometown, you can just treat me as her boyfriend, okay? My parents aren't as open-minded as Xin Xin's mother."
Zhao Qiang also had a headache, but could he blame anyone else for this? It was all the result of his own infidelity. But he wasn't infidelity towards those two girls; they were willing to be with him.
"Okay, I'll discuss it with Xin Xin tonight." Zhao Qiang agreed, but he only maintained this relationship because he was going back to Zhao Ling's hometown, and he believed that Chen Xin Xin would understand.
The supermarket was bustling with people; Haiyun Shopping Mall had a large customer flow. Chen Shuxian was shopping for some famous wines with her daughter because Zhao Ling said that their local economy was relatively underdeveloped, and cigarettes and alcohol were cheap. Since they were going to celebrate the New Year, they couldn't lose face. However, Chen Shuxian preferred second-tier brands because they were more affordable.
Chen Xinxin said, "Mom, you don't need to be so frugal, always buying the most expensive things. You don't look like you used to live in a wealthy family at all."
Chen Shuxian glared at her daughter: "I've raised you through all these years of hardship, what does that have to do with my past relationships with wealthy families?"
Chen Xinxin hugged her mother's arm and said coquettishly, "Mom, it's because you've suffered so much for me all these years that I want to make you live a life of luxury now. We won't buy any wine under a thousand yuan; we'll buy only the expensive stuff."
Chen Shuxian said, "You know, this money isn't yours, don't spend it so extravagantly."
Chen Xinxin said, "Zhao Qiang loves me very much. He doesn't care about money. He'll only get angry if I don't spend it."
Chen Shuxian understood that Zhao Qiang truly didn't care about money. "But Xin Xin, have you thought about the future? He can only choose one. What if you and Zhao Ling both go with him?" At night, Chen Shuxian could ignore the two women's antics, but who would marry Zhao Qiang in the future was a big problem. Judging from the current situation, Zhao Qiang's future looked bright.
Chen Xinxin said, "Mom, you're thinking too far ahead. Between Zhao Ling and me, one of us will definitely be the wife and the other will be the lover. If all else fails, we can just play rock-paper-scissors to decide. Whoever is lucky will stand in front of the stage, and whoever is unlucky will hide behind the scenes."
With a crash, Chen Xinxin was looking at the descriptions on the wine bottles when she accidentally knocked one over, which in turn knocked over several others. Crash! Several bottles fell off the shelf and shattered, immediately filling the air with the aroma of wine. If it were just the bottles that were broken, it wouldn't be a big deal; you could just buy whichever bottle was broken, it wasn't intentional. However, one of the bottles that fell to the ground hit a woman's foot, splashing wine all over her trouser leg.
"Ah!" The woman was initially startled by the loud crash of the bottle, but when she realized what was happening, she screamed, startling the surrounding customers who scattered to the side. The sales clerk, who had wanted to go over to check on the situation, could only retreat to the side after being yelled at. This woman was like a lion! She must be very fierce. It's best not to mess with her.
Hearing the cracking sound, Zhao Qiang rushed over with Zhao Ling. Seeing Chen Xinxin and Chen Shuxian looking panicked, he quickly stepped forward and grabbed Chen Xinxin's hand: "Are you alright? Are you hurt?"
Chen Xinxin shook her head: "I accidentally knocked over a few bottles of wine.
Zhao Qiang said, "It's alright, sales clerk, just count these bottles of wine and put them on our shopping list."
The salesperson smiled and said, "So what if the bottle is broken? Someone else will pay for it anyway."
Chen Xinxin was no longer panicked. She stepped forward to the woman who had screamed earlier and said, "I'm sorry, I scared you. And your pants, we're willing to compensate you." Her attitude and handling of the situation were impeccable.
A man ran over from somewhere, calling out urgently from afar, "Xiaofang, what's wrong?"
The screaming woman, Xiaofang, said, "Tianxiang, someone is bullying me." Compared to Chen Xinxin's attitude of admitting her mistake and apologizing, this woman was not very kind.
Zhao Qiang was taken aback and said, "Sister, we didn't do it on purpose. We're willing to pay for the clothes we dirtied. This isn't bullying you, is it?" The saleswoman also chimed in, not wanting a fight to break out there.
Zhao Ling kept backing away when she saw the man running towards her, because she recognized him. Not long ago, she had cheated him out of more than three thousand yuan. This man was willing to pay 20,000 yuan a month to keep Zhao Ling as his mistress. He was Boss Huang, Huang Tianxiang.
"What's going on? What's going on?" Huang Tianxiang came over and shoved the saleswoman a few times. He thought it was the saleswoman's fault, so he came up with an overbearing attitude, which frightened the female saleswoman into silence.
Xiao Fang pulled Huang Tianxiang back: "It has nothing to do with her. That little brat not only smashed the bottle on me, but also got it all over me." Xiao Fang pointed at Chen Xinxin, and Zhao Ling, who was standing behind Chen Xinxin with her head down, naturally came into Huang Tianxiang's view as well.
"Zhao Ling?" Huang Tianxiang called out. Zhao Ling knew she couldn't avoid it, so she could only chuckle and step forward, saying, "Boss Huang, are you accompanying your sister-in-law shopping?"
Huang Tianxiang said, "She's not my wife. Zhao Ling, you're really bold."
Zhao Ling said, "No, I'm a coward."
Huang Tianxiang snorted: "You took my money and disappeared without a trace, saying you'd consider the price I offered. I warned you before, didn't I? Don't take my words lightly. If I hadn't run into you, I would have let it go. But now that I have, you're not going to try to fool me today. Either give me back my money, or come and keep me company tonight."
In fact, Zhao Qiang recognized Huang Tianxiang. He had met this man when Zhao Ling took him out to swindle money that day. At that time, Zhao Qiang's living standards were extremely low, and he and Zhao Ling were not as close as they are now, so he couldn't say much. But now Zhao Ling has long since given up her life of swindling, and Zhao Qiang can't ignore the disputes that have arisen in the past.
Xiao Fang disregarded her own affairs and yelled at Huang Tianxiang, "What? Huang Tianxiang, you're seeing other women behind my back?" This Xiao Fang wasn't very attractive, but she looked quite flirtatious, with a large bust, a thick waist, and a big butt. She was probably very promiscuous in bed, which was what made men linger.
Huang Tianxiang glared at Xiao Fang fiercely: "Shut up and stand aside, you're making a fool of yourself!"
Xiao Fang immediately wilted. She was Huang Tianxiang's kept woman, and even if Huang Tianxiang was really angry, she didn't dare to throw a tantrum. Turning around, Huang Tianxiang changed his expression to a smile again, "Zhao Ling, as long as you're willing to be with me, I'll kick this woman to the curb right away."
Zhao Ling snorted: "You're not worthy."
The security guards ran over with walkie-talkies. What started as a simple accident involving knocked-over goods had escalated into a "two women fighting over a man," and they couldn't ignore it any longer.
Huang Tianxiang blocked Zhao Ling's way: "Since that's the case, you'd better return the money you swindled from me today, or you're not leaving."
The security guard pushed aside the crowd of onlookers: "Everyone disperse, disperse! This is a supermarket, not a street performance. Come on, leave the scene immediately. If there's anything, go to the security department."
The sales clerk nervously reminded him, "You can't leave yet; the broken bottles haven't been paid for."
Huang Tianxiang pulled out his wallet and threw out a wad of RMB. The sales clerk immediately beamed, "I've already calculated the bill, I'll settle the payment for you right away." He didn't care who paid, as long as someone paid, he wasn't afraid of losing money on the broken wine, and he'd even get a commission after settling the bill.
The security guards recognized Huang Tianxiang as the person in the center and prepared to take him to the security department. They knew that this would interfere with customers' shopping and could cause chaos if a fight broke out. With so many people, the consequences of such chaos would be unimaginable.
Huang Tianxiang raised his hand to the sky: "Who dares to touch me? My brother is Huang Tianyi!"
The security guards immediately withdrew their hands. Who was Huang Tianyi? There were many people in Yihai who didn't know him, because he was the secretary of the Yihai Municipal Party Committee. Even if his brother was incompetent, he still had to consider the master's feelings. Therefore, these security guards dared not do anything to Huang Tianxiang.
Since Huang Tianxiang wasn't leaving, Zhao Ling pulled Zhao Qiang up, saying, "Let's go. There's no point in talking to a mad dog."
Huang Tianxiang quickly took two steps and blocked Zhao Ling's way again: "Go? Hmph, Zhao Ling, you've been lying to me for so long, and you've been hooking up with another man behind my back. You're ruthless. Is he your brother? He's your lover, isn't he? A man who has fallen so low as to sell himself to a woman to make money, aren't you ashamed? If I were you, I would just kill myself."
Veins bulged on Zhao Qiang's forehead. He didn't want to hear these words. At that time, his brain had just restarted, and he didn't understand many things in the outside world. He had no intention of earning money to support himself and his woman. So during that period, he relied on Zhao Ling and Chen Xinxin. These two women, especially Zhao Ling, were simply liars. How could she live without swindling money from men? At that time, Zhao Qiang had no ability to survive, so how could he eat without relying on her?
This humiliation enraged Zhao Ling, who raised her hand and slapped Huang Tianxiang across the face: "You're talking nonsense!"
Huang Tianxiang retaliated immediately after being slapped, shouting, "You dare hit me? You bitch, I'll cripple you!" He lunged at Zhao Ling, ready to pin her to the ground and give her a good beating.
Zhao Qiang stood in front of Zhao Ling, and Huang Tianxiang lunged at him. In Zhao Qiang's eyes, Huang Tianxiang's movements were like slow motion. Zhao Qiang raised his fist and punched Huang Tianxiang in the face. His ring immediately extended to protect his fist, and the metal struck Huang Tianxiang's nose, breaking it on the spot. Blood gushed out of his nostrils. Huang Tianxiang was too stunned to lunge forward after being hit in the head. He staggered back two steps and fell to the ground. Xiao Fang ran over crying and shouting, "Tianxiang, are you alright?"
Huang Tianxiang took out his phone: "Find someone for me right now!"
Zhao Ling grabbed Zhao Qiang's arm and shouted to Chen Xinxin and her daughter, "Let's go, let's go quickly!"
At this moment, the security guards who were standing to the side appeared. They stopped Zhao Ling and her three companions and said, "We're sorry, you've caused such a big commotion here. You can't just leave now, otherwise our mall won't be able to explain to Secretary Huang. Please come with us to the security department to deal with this matter."
Zhao Qiang growled in a low voice, "Get out of the way!"
The security guard trembled in fright, after all, Zhao Qiang's punch that knocked down Huang Tianxiang had proven that he was not a weak scholar who could not even kill a chicken.
Zhao Qiang dismissed the security guards and leisurely walked towards the checkout counter with the selected goods. Huang Tianxiang had already stood up and yelled at the security guards, "Stop him or I'll make you regret it!"
A young, tall, and strong security guard thought this was a good opportunity to curry favor with Huang Tianxiang. If he could make friends with someone like Huang, would he still need to be a security guard? Hearing Huang Tianxiang's call, he immediately ran out, chased after Zhao Qiang, and grabbed him around the waist.
Volume 2 [462] Dialogue
[462] Dialogue
With a back kick from Zhao Qiang, the tall, muscular security guard, whose running shoes were at half power, was sent flying into the air, landing on a shelf a few meters away and smashing a pile of goods along with the shelf.
This was like stirring up a hornet's nest. The remaining security guards had no choice but to move in. Huang Tianxiang, covering his nose, directed the operation, and the six men surrounded Zhao Qiang from different directions. Zhao Qiang quickly took two steps to avoid Chen Xinxin and Zhao Ling, then calmly met the enemy while carrying his sausage.
The first to come up were two security guards, one fat and one thin. Zhao Qiang jumped up and kicked the thin man in the head, almost knocking his head off. The thin man fell to the ground unconscious. The fat man was more sensible and suddenly turned around while rushing forward. However, the floor was a bit slippery, and he lost his balance and fell face down. His head hit the floor with a thud, and he lay on the ground holding his head, unable to get up.
Next to rush forward was a security guard in his thirties. By then, Zhao Qiang had already landed and punched him in the chest, causing the man to stagger back five or six steps before falling to the ground. Of the six men, three had fallen in a short time. The remaining men wisely chose to stop attacking, though they still surrounded Zhao Qiang. Since they were just ordinary mall security guards, they were unarmed. However, more security personnel arrived shortly afterward, fully equipped with stun batons.
Zhao Qiang took the screwdriver from his waist and transformed it into a baseball bat. The security guards rushed at him, and Zhao Qiang swung the bat left and right. He always managed to find a safe spot to hide in the crowd. None of the dozen or so security guards could even touch the hem of his clothes. In the end, each of them took a hit with the bat and obediently lay on the ground. Zhao Qiang's body had been greatly enhanced after the reboot. Both his speed and strength had increased significantly. With the precise control of the super biochip, no matter how many people there were, they were no match for him.
Zhao Qiang deftly transformed his baseball bat into a screwdriver, then hung it back on his waist. This magical contraption alone intimidated the other security guards. Their opponent was no match for them, and possessed a strange weapon. Continuing to fight would only lead to trouble. Security guards weren't selling themselves to the mall; seeing no benefit, why would they foolishly push forward? So they let Zhao Qiang lead the three women, pushing the shopping cart, towards the checkout counter.
The girl at the cashier seemed a little stunned. Zhao Qiang knocked on the counter and said, "Check out."
The girl exclaimed, "Oh, okay, please show me your membership card."