Zhang Hou whispered to Su Ding, "Miss Su, she's here."
The door of the car opened, and a young woman dressed in luxurious attire stepped out. Her neck was adorned with dazzling jewelry, and her wrist wore a precious bracelet. She exuded an aura of opulence.
This person was Zhu Lan.
Zhu Lan, in her sky-high heels, swayed elegantly as she walked towards the hotel lobby.
Her face was filled with joy and hope, her beautiful eyes sparkling with anticipation. She hadn't been qualified to attend this socialite banquet, but her mother-in-law had a prior engagement and gave her the invitation.
"It would be wonderful if I could meet some influential ladies this time and secure an investment for my husband."
"I wonder if my brother's men have taught Shao Xu a lesson. If Shao Xu hadn't delayed me, I might have been able to refine my makeup even further."
Zhu Lan grumbled inwardly when suddenly, several burly men jumped out from behind a black car!
She was so startled that her face turned pale, and she let out a scream!
"Ah!"
Before she could finish, the leading thug covered her mouth, pressing a short dagger against her lower back.
Zhu Lan's voice abruptly ceased. Her eyes widened, and her body trembled uncontrollably.
"Be quiet, or I'll kill you!"
Zhang Hou warned in a low, menacing voice.
Zhu Lan nodded frantically, emitting muffled sounds from behind the hand, as if to say, I won't speak...
Slap!
Zhang Hou slapped her across the face. "Don't make a sound!"
Zhu Lan, her hair disheveled by the blow, fell heavily to the ground. The corner of her mouth throbbed with pain, and tears streamed down her face.
"Did you hire hooligans to beat people today?"
Zhang Hou interrogated her with a sinister tone.
Hearing this, Zhu Lan's mind went blank. How did they know?
Slap!
Another slap!
Zhu Lan's head reeled with pain, and her teeth felt loose.
Her fear deepened with each passing moment.
As she sobbed, a question arose in her mind: were these people Su Ding's people?
"Who… who exactly are you?"
Zhu Lan cried softly, her knees buckling as she knelt on the ground.
Zhang Hou and the others slowly surrounded her, their imposing figures casting a shadow over her, like a mountain.
"Who are we? We're your fathers!"
"Serves you right for bullying others! Go find more people if you dare!"
Thump!
One of the men kicked Zhu Lan, sending her sprawling onto the ground. She burst into a wail.
What was going on?
Why were they hitting her?
This hateful Shao Xu must have done this. Damn her!
After a round of kicks and punches, Zhu Lan lay on the ground, barely conscious, her face smeared with snot and tears, her clothes dirty, and her hair a mess.
However, she wasn't bleeding; Zhang Hou and his men had controlled their force.
"You slut, if you dare bully anyone again, it won't be this easy!"
Zhang Hou spat out fiercely. Then, a voice from behind her called out, "Zhu Lan."
Upon hearing the voice, Zhu Lan's head shot up.
"Shao… Shao Xu..." She gasped in pain, speaking indistinctly, "It really was you… You… you've gone too far…"
Tears flowed uncontrollably.
Su Ding looked at her disheveled state and sneered, "Too far? I'm just returning your favor, and that's too far? I haven't even ordered them to use knives!"
At the mention of knives, Zhang Hou and the others simultaneously revealed their daggers.
Zhu Lan's heart skipped a beat. She cried and begged, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, it was my fault. Please don't do anything rash, I was wrong, sob sob… Please don't be impulsive."
In the past, Su Ding had never retaliated much when she bullied her.
She never expected Su Ding to be so bold now, directly hiring people to beat her. Was Su Ding involved with the underworld? This was terrifying!
"Zhu Lan, let's call it even for this incident."
"If there's a next time, I won't let you off so easily."
Su Ding said coldly. Seeing Zhu Lan nod in fear, she then said with a chilling tone, "Scram."
Zhu Lan felt as if she had been granted a great pardon. She grabbed her skirt and ran towards the hotel, not daring to linger.
Only when she reached a brightly lit area did her heart settle slightly, but she was still filled with dread.
"What's going on with my brother? He can't even deal with Shao Xu, what a wimp!"
She thought bitterly, and just as she was about to call her brother, his call came through.
"Xiao Lan, something's wrong. My men have been arrested by the police. Shao Xu is not a simple person. You should avoid provoking her!"
Zhu Lan was furious upon hearing this!
"Brother, why didn't you call before I almost died!"
He was only calling to warn her now, after she had nearly been beaten to death by Shao Xu's people!
The voice on the other end sounded confused by her outburst, "Xiao Lan, what's wrong? I sent people to deal with her, but it didn't work out. It's said that some mysterious individuals directly took down those men, even cutting off their ears. That's not something ordinary people can do."
Hearing this, Zhu Lan's anger instantly turned to terror.
Ears cut off?!
The mere thought of the scene sent shivers down her spine, and she instinctively covered her own ears.
Shao Xu was no longer the meek little girl she used to be.
She was too terrifying.
"I… I understand, Brother… How about you, you, you, send some people to protect me."
Zhu Lan stammered. Although Su Ding had just said she would let her go, she worried that Su Ding's fierce henchmen might have ill intentions towards her, putting her in danger.
The voice on the other end pondered for a moment. "Alright, I'll send people to protect you, but don't offend anyone else anymore, okay?"
"Und… understood."
Zhu Lan hung up the phone, tidied her hair, reapplied some makeup, took a deep breath, and was about to ascend the hotel steps when someone called her from above.
"Zhu Lan?"
Zhu Lan looked up and saw several socialites standing at the hotel entrance, all prominent figures from Jiangcheng.
Among them was Mrs. Zhao Qin, the wife of Jiangcheng's economic magnate, the Jin family.
The others were also esteemed ladies and daughters from Jiangcheng's upper class. The one who called out to Zhu Lan was Huang Guifang, who had previously gone to Qingfeng Temple with Zhao Qin to burn incense.
"Guifang, who is that?" Zhao Qin asked curiously.
"Oh, that's Hong Qin's daughter-in-law. Usually, Hong Qin comes, but why is it her daughter-in-law today?"
Huang Guifang explained.
Seeing familiar faces, Zhu Lan walked over and smiled politely, "Auntie Gui Fang, my mother-in-law had something to attend to, so she sent me."
As she approached, her face was revealed to everyone.
Bruised and swollen, even thick foundation couldn't conceal it. Her dress had a snag, and there were footprints on the back.
"Oh dear, what happened to you?" Huang Guifang exclaimed in surprise.
"I…"
Zhu Lan quickly lowered her head, her face filled with embarrassment and grievance. "I, I was just robbed by a group of thugs."
Huang Guifang was shocked. "What? That happened?"
"Jiangcheng's public order is deteriorating!" Zhao Qin frowned, her perfectly applied makeup showing a hint of displeasure.
Hearing Zhao Qin speak, Zhu Lan suddenly had an idea.
Shao Xu used to be the Jin family's daughter-in-law. However, due to that scandal, the marriage likely fell through. But Zhao Qin would definitely know Shao Xu.
Now, for some reason, Shao Xu had such terrifying thugs.
She dared not confront Shao Xu directly, but the Jin family's influence was different. The Jin family already had a grievance with Shao Xu, so if she could use Zhao Qin to deal with Shao Xu, wouldn't that be a chance for revenge?
With this thought, Zhu Lan's eyes welled up with tears. "Actually, it's not about public order. It's mainly because I offended someone, and that person has some influence."
"Who is it?" Huang Guifang asked curiously.
The other ladies also pricked up their ears with interest. These women had little to do with their lives, and gossip was their daily pastime, including Zhao Qin.
Zhu Lan glanced nervously at Zhao Qin, bit her lip, and said, "Auntie Zhao knows her too, it's Su Ding."