Chapter 369 — What Is She Doing Here?

True, Kang Zhaoming's branch of the family had moved from Songshan City to Donghai City, but the two cities were hardly far apart. Had he felt the slightest inclination, he would have come back to see Xiaofen long ago — how could he have left her in silence, neither asking after her nor caring whether she lived or died?

And the reason Xiaofen had summoned such resolve to face Kang Zhaoming one more time was that she wanted to make it plain even to her own subconscious: Kang Zhaoming was a scoundrel, and no lover of hers at all.

Wei Zhao parked the car and stepped out. Kang Xiaokai, Tang Yun, and Xiaofen climbed out after him.

"You lot — what are you here for?" the first guard demanded, jabbing a finger at Wei Zhao and his companions with an air of swaggering insolence.

"We have come for the birthday banquet," said Kang Xiaokai, holding his temper in check as he glanced at the three guards. Wei Zhao had warned him, so he knew perfectly well that these three wretches had been sent by Kang Zhaoming.

Xiaofen, though, clutched Kang Xiaokai's hand in her nervousness, gripping it so hard she did not dare let go, and did not dare let her eyes stray toward where Kang Zhaoming stood...

"The birthday banquet? Then where is your invitation? Hand it over and let us have a look," the second guard said, extending a hand.

"I am attending my own second grandfather's birthday banquet — what need have I for an invitation?" Kang Xiaokai frowned.

"Your second grandfather? And who might that be? I say you are all swindlers." The security squad leader spoke up now, eyeing them sidelong, his demand brash and bullying.

"My second grandfather is Divine Doctor Kang," Kang Xiaokai said, his patience fraying. "Do not let anyone set you up to this."

"Set us up? What sort of talk is that?" The squad leader, stung because the words had struck home, flew into a rage. "Just look at the lot of you, dressed like that — rags worth a few dozen yuan at most. Who would believe Divine Doctor Kang is your second grandfather? And you claim you have come for the birthday banquet? I say you are all swindlers, here to cadge a free meal and free drink!"

"Who are you calling a swindler?" Kang Xiaokai flared.

Wei Zhao, however, gave Kang Xiaokai's sleeve a tug, signaling him not to get worked up, then turned his eyes on the squad leader and said mildly, "What is your name?"

"What fucking business is it of yours what my name is? I am telling you now, you swindlers had better clear off while you still can, or I will call the police!" The squad leader gave a cold sneer and did not answer Wei Zhao's question.

"It seems I shall have to give Brother Li Yixun a call. How is it that the guards under him are so poorly bred that they drive guests away?" Wei Zhao shook his head in contempt and reached into his pocket. "Where did I put that card... ah, here it is..."

When the squad leader heard Wei Zhao name Li Yixun, and saw him truly pull out Li Yixun's card to make the call, he was struck dumb. He knew well enough what manner of man Li Yixun was — the trusted right hand of the big boss, President Tian. Here at the resort, whenever President Tian was absent, Li Yixun spoke in his stead. Never mind a petty squad leader like himself; even the chief of security or the head of the security department counted for nothing in Li Yixun's presence.

When he had helped Kang Zhaoming come and make trouble for Wei Zhao earlier, the squad leader had done it purely for the money's sake. But where Wei Zhao was concerned, it was no longer a simple matter of money.

Offend Kang Zhaoming and the worst he lost was a bit of cash; offend Wei Zhao and he lost his job.

"Sir... no, please, don't make the call. This humble one failed to recognize your eminence. Please, I beg you, do not stoop to quarrel with the likes of me..." The squad leader was on the verge of tears. So the man driving that battered old van was the true great one — he knew Li Yixun. Even if they were the merest casual acquaintances, there was no chance Li Yixun would offend Wei Zhao over a paltry squad leader.

In Li Yixun's eyes he was a nobody of no consequence whatsoever. Dismiss him, and there would be no end of men eager to take his place...

Over on the other side, Kang Zhaoming and his companions had noticed nothing of the exchange between Wei Zhao and the squad leader. The one who held their gaze was the woman at Kang Xiaokai's side — Xiaofen.

"Second Young Master Kang, isn't that woman beside your idiot brother the worn-out shoe you used to play with?" Zhu Xiaozhang pointed at Xiaofen, looking rather startled.

"Hey — now that you mention it, it does look like that little slut Lan Fen!" Kang Zhaoming's eyes went wide with disbelief. "Wasn't she killed when a car hit her? How is she still alive?"

"I have no idea. I gave that driver five hundred thousand to run her down — how did she not die?" Zhu Xiaozhang found it uncanny as well. "Five hundred thousand, wasted!"

"Xiaozhang, do not bring that up again!" Kang Zhaoming shot him a glare. How could one casually speak of hiring a killer? At least the three of them had done their dirty deeds together — none of them could give the others away.

In the business with Xiaofen back then, both Zhu Xiaozhang and Wang Shubin had had a hand.

"Heh heh, it is just the three of us here, isn't it..." Zhu Xiaozhang knew he had let his tongue slip. This was indeed nothing to be spoken of carelessly; let it out, and it meant prison.

Still, Xiaofen's family had no influence to speak of and was poor as a church mouse. Even if they heard rumors of the sort, there was no way they could do anything to them.

"What has Xiaofen come here for? Doesn't she know I am Kang Xiaokai's elder brother?" Kang Zhaoming found her purpose baffling. By rights, if Xiaofen knew he was Kang Xiaokai's brother, she would never come here to humiliate herself.

It never crossed his mind that Xiaofen had come to extort them. If she dared come here to squeeze some advantage out of them, that was out of the question; he would not give her a thing. Surely she was not so foolish as to come and beg for humiliation?

"I have been racking my brains for a reason to humiliate them. Come on, let us go over and give them a proper dressing-down!" Zhu Xiaozhang grinned and made the suggestion.

"Let us go, then. Let us see what the slut wants." Kang Zhaoming was curious too — what on earth had Xiaofen come here for?

"You three, step aside for now." Zhu Xiaozhang waved a hand at the squad leader, signaling that they were no longer needed. His attention had been fixed on Xiaofen, and he had missed all that had passed between Wei Zhao and the squad leader; he still assumed the man had been thoroughly put in his place.

"Yes... yes..." The squad leader had been casting about for a way to extricate himself, and now Zhu Xiaozhang had come along and handed him the chance. If not now, when?

The squad leader hurriedly led the first and second guards away. An internal family squabble like this was truly no place for outsiders. Though Kang Xiaokai's side had seemed the weaker, they actually knew Li Yixun; the squad leader's guts twisted with regret — had he only known, he would never have meddled for the sake of a few hundred yuan.

"Xiaofen, you slut, do you even remember who Second Young Master Kang is? What are you doing here?" Zhu Xiaozhang strode over in arrogant triumph and jabbed a finger at Xiaofen, snarling his abuse.

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