Chapter 145: Do You Know How to Write the Word "Death"? (Part 1)

Along the way, I urged Baldy anxiously to step on the gas. The car was already speeding at nearly seventy miles per hour, significantly exceeding the legal limit. Su Xin and Chu Qitong sat on my left and right, their small hands tightly gripping my palms as if trying to offer me reassurance. I stared irritably at the trees flashing backward outside the window, while in my heart, I pondered over and over again what could possibly have happened to my dad.

For as long as I could remember, my father had been an ordinary working-class citizen, as typical as they come. Although he was usually strict with me, he was always kind to others and often praised as a good-natured man. I couldn't fathom how someone with such great popularity could run into trouble. Judging by my mother's tone, it had to be a serious issue; otherwise, knowing I was staying at school today, she wouldn't have been in such a rush to call me back. Thinking of this, my face grew increasingly stern. Daring to touch my father—let's see who has the guts!

"Xiao Qiang, don't worry. Maybe things aren't as serious as your mother thinks. We're almost at your house, so let's hear what your mom has to say first," Su Xin said, looking at my expression with some concern. "Should I call my father and have him come over too?"

"No need. We don't even know what's going on yet. It would be too rash to call your father right now. I wouldn't want people saying his son-in-law is a useless piece of trash." I shook my head coldly, affectionately stroked her dark, silky hair, and looked at her beautiful face, feeling my mood improve slightly. I smiled faintly and said, "Xinxin, this seems to be your first time visiting my home, right? I'm so sorry it has to be under these circumstances..."

"It's fine, it's really fine..." Su Xin's face flushed slightly. After all, it was her first time meeting my parents, which naturally made her nervous—though my parents would undoubtedly be her parents in the future, too. For a pretty bride-to-be entering the home for the first time to encounter trouble was somewhat awkward, to say the least. "Don't just talk about me. Isn't Qitong the same?"

"Heh, her? She's been to my house long ago. My mom even keeps bringing her up, asking why she hasn't come over to play. This girl is much craftier than you." I intentionally glanced at Chu Qitong, who was sitting on the right, wanting to tease her a little.

Upon hearing my words, Chu Qitong wouldn't let it rest. She quickly covered my mouth with her small hand and anxiously explained, "No, don't listen to Xiao Qiang's nonsense! Xinxin, last time I went there to apologize to his sister—that's Siya, you know about the bet I made with Xiao Qiang."

"Oh, I remember now. Hehe, I bet Xiao Qiang's mother never expected your apology to end with you offering your hand in marriage, did she?" Su Xin laughed and gently tapped Chu Qitong's shoulder, making the latter even more embarrassed.

"Stop it, Xinxin, you only know how to make fun of me. You're so mean!" Chu Qitong looked at me and Su Xin with a blushing, dissatisfied expression. "Hmph, the two of you are just bullying me! Xinxin, let me tell you, your future mother-in-law has a great impression of me. Don't beg me later to help you win her over!"

"Ah..." Su Xin hadn't expected this counterattack and quickly grabbed Chu Qitong's small hand, pleading, "Good Qitong, I was wrong, okay? Later, later you have to help me more. I'm already so nervous right now, I'm afraid I won't be able to speak when we get to his house."

"Alright, alright, I know. As long as you don't team up with Xiao Qiang to tease me anymore, hehe." Chu Qitong flashed a mischievous smile, clearly showing the expression of someone whose conspiracy had succeeded. I couldn't help but sigh that this little demoness's true nature really hadn't changed at all...

Just as the two girls were whispering to each other, Baldy suddenly turned his head to look at me in the back seat and said, "Boss, we're driving too many cars, and this whole convoy is way too obvious. We aren't afraid of traffic cameras, but what if the traffic police chase us down later?"

"Right, that's a problem. Don't panic, let me handle it." I nodded. What Baldy said was indeed a valid concern. Although we weren't afraid of traffic police, if they really gave chase and forced us to stop, it would waste time and cause unnecessary trouble to explain everything on the spot. After pondering for a moment, I took out my phone and called Huang Da.

This Director of the C City Police Department had been enjoying immense prestige and popularity lately. Ever since I had him officially join the Judicature Organization and deliberately arranged for people from the Hua Zhu family to give him special attention, several delegations of senior officials from the national police department had visited C City under the guise of investigating local security, but in reality, to pad old Huang's political record so he could be promoted later. Of course, old Huang wasn't a fool; the special envoys from the national police department had nothing better to do than to come down and investigate time and time again, and every single time they came to C City, he naturally knew it was all thanks to me. Because of this, not only was he even more loyal to the Judicature Organization, but he also held even greater awe and reverence for me, an inscrutable high school student. Thus, the moment I called, he answered immediately.

After I briefly explained the situation to him, he readily agreed to restrict the traffic police from tracking us, and knowing something had happened at my home, he promised to send Zhang Baoqiang directly to my house to await my orders. I was extremely satisfied with old Huang's efficiency and precision. Honestly, if this man weren't somewhat greedy for power, he truly would be a good friend to cultivate. But then again, looking across the entire Huaxia Nation, how many officials holding real power were truly uncorrupted and free of greed?

I hung up the phone and looked out the window. We had already passed the urban area and reached the east side of the city. At this speed, as long as there were no traffic jams, we would be home very soon. The closer I got to home, the more worried I became about what my mother had said. As long as my father's health was fine and he hadn't suffered any accidents, everything else was manageable. If it was man-made trouble, it would be even easier to handle. Now, not even mentioning that I knew Su Guohui, the party secretary and top official of C City, just my relationship with old Huang was enough to sort everything out.

Seeing that I had stopped talking, the two girls also fell silent. I glanced at Su Xin on my left, who was wearing a V-neck woolen sweater that slightly revealed the fair, tender skin of her chest, and then at Chu Qitong on my right, dressed in a blue woolen coat over a sexy purple evening gown. I truly felt as though I had been plunged into a world of beauty. Coupled with Zhang Jing, the office lady back at the Tianyin Group headquarters, my blessed and fortunate life seemed like it was truly beginning. Thinking of this, I hurriedly brushed these thoughts from my mind—women really were a distraction; my father's matter hadn't even been resolved yet, and here I was thinking about such messy things.

After a few more minutes of anxious waiting, the BMW quickly turned into a dilapidated residential area, and rounding a corner, I spotted the dilapidated six-story residential building built in the 1970s that was my home. With a sudden screech of the brakes, I practically leaped out of the car, grabbed the two girls as they stepped out, and rushed into the building where I had grown up for over a decade, dilapidated though it was.

As we climbed the stairs, Su Xin looked around curiously. She must have been somewhat surprised that a man as wealthy as me lived in such a poor place. Nowadays, any random apartment I bought could be dozens of times better than this; why would I still let my parents live here? To dispel her doubts, I strode up the stairs and said, "Xinxin, don't think this place is dirty or old. It's where my parents have lived for decades, and they have deep emotional attachments to it. Besides, the redevelopment project for the old urban area has already started, and this place will be demolished soon. My parents will be allocated a very nice new home. Actually, my parents don't really know how much money I make. For one thing, I'm afraid that telling them all at once would be too much for their hearts to bear. You don't know this, but my mother has a heart condition and cannot handle severe emotional shocks. Alas, now that something major has happened to my father, I just hope she's alright. Secondly, I didn't want to reveal things too early; after all, very few people know my true identity, and the more people who know, the more disadvantageous it is for me."

"Xiao Qiang, you don't need to explain this to me. No matter what, I believe you are a dutiful son," Su Xin shook her head with a smile, signaling me to stop talking, and urged anxiously, "Let's hurry up and see how your mother is doing."

I nodded heavily and, followed closely by Su Xin, Chu Qitong, and Baldy, quickly reached the front door of my home. When I pressed the doorbell firmly, the door flew open immediately. The very first things I saw were my mother's tear-reddened eyes and her panicked, unsettled expression. The moment she saw it was me, she threw herself into my arms and broke down in uncontrollable sobs, crying out, "Xiao Qiang... your father... your father..."

"Mom, don't panic, please don't panic! What on earth happened to Dad? Come on, let's go inside and talk, okay? Stop crying, your heart isn't strong and you can't take this kind of shock!" I panicked as I hugged my mother tightly and stepped across the threshold into our home. But when my peripheral vision swept across the living room, my entire body instantly froze in place.

An earthquake? That was the first thought that popped into my mind, though I dismissed it almost within a second. Staring at the complete devastation of my home—broken shards of glass scattered everywhere, smashed doors and windows, and a mess of ruined debris covering the floor—my heart plummeted straight to the bottom. When I left yesterday, the house had been clean and tidy; how had it turned into this state after just one day away? My fists clenched so tightly they cracked, and rage surged violently from the depths of my soul! Damn it, which bastard dared to ransack my home!

My mother seemed to have finally calmed down a fraction. Seeing Su Xin and the others behind me, she hastily pushed me away, wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, forced a trace of a smile, and scolded me, "Qiangqiang, why... why did you bring guests home without telling me? Look at this... how embarrassing!"

By this time, Su Xin, Chu Qitong, and Baldy had all taken in the ruined state of my home. Their faces were filled with complete shock and bewilderment. It was too ruthless—for an entire home to be reduced to this state, any fool could tell that someone had come to cause trouble.

"Mom, who did this?" My voice was icy cold, terrifyingly cold. Staring at the half-hanging, broken door of my bedroom, my face had turned utterly livid. This was the first time I had ever been this angry, and the first time I felt that such hateful people truly existed in this world! Destroying someone else's home was the ultimate unforgivable enmity!