Chapter 800 — Is There or Isn't There?

"Same as ever — stuck at the early Mystic Rank with no sign of advancing. I've pinned all my hopes on little Kun, and who could have imagined such a calamity would come flying out of the blue!" Yu Bide shook his head in sorrow.

"It seems that in our generation of the Yu family — yours and mine — the only one capable of entering that place is Eldest Brother..." Yu Bifu sighed as well. "I reckon that within my lifetime I'll find it very hard to break through to the Earth Rank..."

"Second Brother, then, as you see it, little Kun's business..." Yu Bide trailed off, hesitated a moment, and raised his eyes to Yu Bifu.

"Rest easy on that count. Little Kun is my nephew too. I've already sent men to Songshan City to investigate quietly; the moment there's any news, it will be reported back at once!" said Yu Bifu.

"Then that's all we can do!" Yu Bide nodded.

Yu Bifu left Yu Bide's room with Yu Feng. Only after they had put some distance behind them did Yu Feng speak. "Father, I said it before, didn't I? Yu Kun was no good — you should have let me go instead. And now look. Someone's ruined him! Though it's just as well. From now on, nobody in this generation of the Yu family will be able to surpass me!"

"What nonsense are you talking? He's your own cousin — how is it 'just as well'?" Yu Bifu flared up at once. "Aren't the Yu family's fine hands better the more of them we have?"

"Sorry..." There was no trace of contrition in Yu Feng's voice. "The plain truth is that he's pitifully weak. If I had gone in person, things would never have come to this! Whoever could wound Yu Kun without killing him is at most an expert at the peak of the late Yellow Rank. I'm already at the peak of the early Mystic Rank — strength like that lets a man walk sideways through the whole mundane world!"

"There's a saying you'd do well to remember: there is always a man beyond a man, and a sky beyond the sky!" Yu Bifu glared at his son.

"I know, I know. But those formidable people never show themselves in the mundane world anymore!" Yu Feng took not the slightest notice of his father's words. He was the outstanding one of the Yu family's younger generation, and out in the world he too was a figure who rode roughshod over all; even the heads of other great clans were no match for him in strength. How could he possibly be anything but young, arrogant and reckless?

* * *

Wei Zhao had no wish to interfere in the demolition of the shantytown, but his very presence had still pushed Li Cihua to raise the compensation. Li Cihua hadn't wanted to either, but he was afraid Wei Zhao would stir up trouble.

Xiaofen's family received their demolition compensation of one hundred and eighty thousand yuan without a hitch — a fairly generous sum by local standards. As for the smashed appliances and furniture, they weren't worth even a thousand yuan; there was no point in bothering about them.

The moment she had the money in hand, Xiaofen's mother was wreathed in smiles. All told, the family now had six hundred and eighty thousand yuan — more than enough to buy a big apartment. Her mind began to stir, and she set her heart on buying a house.

"Zhaoming, could you have a word with Wei Zhao and get him to take us to look at some apartments?" Xiaofen's mother said quietly to Kang Zhaoming, whom she now regarded as her son-in-law. "I hear he knows the developer, and can get a discount?"

"Then I'll ask him..." Kang Zhaoming knew it would put Wei Zhao out, but Xiaofen's mother had made a request of him; he could hardly ignore it.

So Kang Zhaoming went to Wei Zhao and passed on Xiaofen's mother's request. Wei Zhao agreed without a second thought — he had promised Tang Yun as much long ago.

Wei Zhao telephoned Mother Tang, and then telephoned Tang Yun. Mother Tang's new apartment had only just come into her hands and still had all the charm of novelty; she had been meaning to go and inspect the renovation work today, and when she heard that Wei Zhao was going too, she was naturally happy to tag along.

And with Mother Tang there, and no Tang Yun to serve as a link between them, Wei Zhao did feel rather awkward. Not that he disliked the woman — but Mother Tang was a touch too mercenary for his taste.

Still, Wei Zhao understood her. Father Tang's leg was broken, and Mother Tang had held the family together all these years on her own; a deep-rooted conviction that money came before all else had long since set hard in her heart. Changing her was hardly realistic, and Wei Zhao had no intention of trying.

It was Tang Yun Wei Zhao loved, not Mother Tang. If Mother Tang liked money, then give her a little money — to Wei Zhao it was no more than a hair off nine oxen's back.

Gu Mengyao's Audi S5 clearly couldn't seat so many people, so Wei Zhao had Fatty Lai send a car over to pick up Mother Tang and Tang Yun. What he hadn't expected was that Fatty Lai would drive over himself to fetch Tang Yun, and then Mother Tang.

Wei Zhao smiled wryly. Fatty Lai was being far too solicitous — it would be a wonder if shrewd Mother Tang didn't spot something amiss.

Seeing that Fatty Lai was a company boss, Xiaofen's mother grew a little stiff and constrained. Kang Zhaoming and Xiaofen, however, had met Fatty Lai before, and had even seen him groveling and weeping at Wei Zhao's feet, so they felt no particular awe of him.

"What kind of apartment are you after?" Fatty Lai greeted Kang Zhaoming and Xiaofen warmly, then put the question to Xiaofen's mother.

"I... well, is there anything a bit cheaper? Leftover units, a bad location — that would do..." Xiaofen's mother said, rather stiffly. She had assumed that once she arrived she would have to plead and pull every string she had before she could buy a bargain apartment like this. She had never expected the man sent out to receive her to be so courteous and generous.

"This... is there?" Fatty Lai turned his head to look at Wei Zhao.

Wei Zhao was so exasperated he nearly kicked him. "Whether there is or not, why are you looking at me?"

"Uh... so there can be?" Wei Zhao had never made himself quite clear, and Fatty Lai wasn't sure whether Wei Zhao actually wanted to help Xiaofen's mother. In Fatty Lai's view, one apartment was a trifle — but if it ended up souring Wei Zhao's mood, everything would be ruined.

Fatty Lai knew Wei Zhao was not a man who cared much for helping others. That was why, back then, even when he had wept and begged, Wei Zhao had never lifted a finger. If not for his own persistence, how could he ever have become Wei Zhao's underling?

So now, over Xiaofen's mother's apartment, Fatty Lai had to sound out Wei Zhao's opinion first.

Xiaofen's mother, meanwhile, was left staring blankly at Fatty Lai. "Ah? Mr. Lai, is there or isn't there..."

"There is, isn't there?" Seeing Fatty Lai's whipped-dog look, Tang Yun couldn't help covering her mouth and giggling.

"There is, of course there is!" Since even Tang Yun said there was, then there certainly was; Fatty Lai gave a laughing cough. "I was only trying to think whether there was, that's all. I've too much on my plate these days to keep it all straight."

"That's wonderful!" The instant Xiaofen's mother heard there were still bargain units, she was overjoyed, and hurriedly asked, "Where is it? Could you take me to have a look?"

"Of course. Let's go — we'll head over right now!" Fatty Lai nodded in agreement.

Mother Tang looked thoughtfully at Fatty Lai, then at Wei Zhao and her daughter. Something's off here! There's definitely something off! She had already sensed something off back when her own apartment was being bought, and today she felt it even more strongly.

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