Chapter 576 — Disfigured

The excavator driver and the bulldozer driver were also somewhat stunned, and for the moment did not dare to keep working. After all, they had only been hired by Zhong Fabai. When it came to a forced demolition, Zhong Fabai and Young Master Bing were there to bear the brunt of it, but if someone's life were lost, they would not be able to escape involvement either.

Zhong Fabai was dumbfounded as well. He had not expected Tang Zhi to be so reckless as to charge into the house. Was the girl out of her mind?

Zhao Qibing, Jin Gubang and the bodyguard had come to watch the fun, but they had only just arrived when they heard Mother Tang cry out "Someone's been killed!" — and got quite a fright themselves. When Zhao Qibing saw Tang Zhi, her face smashed and disfigured, lying in a pool of blood, he frowned and cursed inwardly. Such a pretty young girl, and it was all over? Even if she lived, she would not be beautiful anymore. What a pity.

"Let's go! We'll come back in a few days!" Seeing that someone had been injured, Zhao Qibing knew there was no point in talking further today. Still, the goal of making an example of one to warn the rest had been achieved. After today's scene, the next time they came to discuss the demolition, these stubborn tenants of the shantytown would not dare to demand the moon and the stars again.

"Don't you go! Somebody help me stop them! Who knows how Yun'er is doing — they can't leave, they're murderers!" Seeing that Zhao Qibing and his men were about to flee, Mother Tang panicked and began to scream.

But Zhao Qibing and the others climbed onto the bulldozer and simply drove it forward. The residents of the shantytown wanted to block them, but not one dared step up. After all, these people dared to force a demolition and smash people — they would not shrink from running over one or two of them.

Seeing someone itching to make a move, Zhao Qibing shouted, "Whoever isn't afraid to die, come on up! Never mind these stubborn dogs — anyone who comes at us gets run over!"

Zhao Qibing's show of force made even those who had been spoiling for a fight think better of it. Everyone fears death, after all, and with a man like Zhao Qibing, who did not care how many lives he took, who would dare provoke him?

And so Zhao Qibing and his party quickly left the shantytown, leaving only Mother Tang clutching Tang Zhi and weeping. The house had been smashed flat; there was no getting inside, and she had no idea whether her old Tang was all right.

Someone had already called the police and an ambulance, but the fire engine arrived first. The firefighters broke open the half-demolished Tang house and rescued Tang Jucheng.

Seeing that Tang Jucheng had only had both legs crushed, Mother Tang breathed a sigh of relief. When Tang Jucheng was carried out he could still speak, though his face was contorted with pain and cold sweat poured from him. Mother Tang had no time to comfort him; she held her daughter and waited for the ambulance.

Presently the ambulance and police cars arrived. Mother Tang hurriedly carried her daughter into an ambulance, and Tang Jucheng was lifted into another. The two ambulances sped wailing toward the hospital.

After Zhao Qibing and his men had departed, Zhao Qibing gave the bulldozer driver and the excavator driver a sum of money and told them to get out of town. The two were frightened too; they took the money and ran. Zhao Qibing was not afraid — whatever happened, he could pin it all on the two drivers.

"Uncle Zhu, follow those two, arrange an accident, and do away with them." After the two drivers had gone, Zhao Qibing said quietly to the middle-aged bodyguard beside him.

"Yes, Young Master Bing." The middle-aged man called Uncle Zhu said no more, turned, and set off in the direction the two drivers had gone.

Someone might have died — naturally Zhao Qibing would not allow the evidence to point at himself, so the only way was to cut the weeds and pull them up by the roots. After all, he did not even know for certain whether anyone had died.

Zhao Qibing had already had Uncle Zhu eliminate many people, so he felt not the slightest twinge of guilt. Laughing and chatting, he returned with Li Erlan, Zhong Fabai and Jin Gubang to the Qibing Building.

The Qibing Building was the corporate headquarters of Qibing Real Estate, which Jin Gubang and Li Cihua had built together not long ago; today it was officially completed. And tonight Zhao Qibing held a completion ceremony for the Qibing Building, feasting a number of the distinguished young scions of Songshan City in the banquet hall in front of the building.

Once the Qibing Building was completed, this banquet hall would open to the public as a restaurant, and would also serve as the staff canteen for the building.

Tang Zhi and Tang Jucheng were taken to the hospital. By the time they arrived, Tang Zhi had regained consciousness, and Mother Tang breathed a sigh of relief. The medical staff examined her and found that she had only cut her forehead; there was nothing else wrong. But the wound on her forehead needed stitches and would inevitably leave a scar. She could not possibly be as pretty as before; it would be good enough if she did not frighten people.

Tang Jucheng, meanwhile, had broken both legs. After he was admitted, his legs were put in plaster, and there was nothing else seriously wrong. It was just that Tang Jucheng, who had only just been able to stand, now had to lie in bed again.

In truth, it was a blessing in misfortune that neither Tang Zhi nor Tang Jucheng was seriously hurt. But after Mother Tang breathed her sigh of relief, she began to worry again. Their house had been forcibly demolished; they had no home left. What were they to do?

Now her daughter was disfigured as well, and had not even the leverage left to haggle with Zhao Qibing. Would anyone still take a fancy to her? Mother Tang was sick with worry. She had been counting on her daughter's pretty face to land a rich man, and now there was nothing left at all.

Yet it never once occurred to Mother Tang to go and demand medical expenses from Zhao Qibing. The hardship of getting him to pay for Tang Jucheng's treatment before was still too fresh in her memory; she had no expectation at all that Zhao Qibing would compensate them.

Tang Zhi's head was wrapped all over in gauze, and she stared somewhat blankly at the hospital ceiling. Would she never be pretty again? Was she going to turn into an ugly freak? True, when she had run into those villains leering at her beauty in the past, she had sometimes been annoyed at her own looks and wished she could be uglier so as not to be harassed. But women are born to love beauty, and she did not want to become an ugly freak either.

Wei Zhao... would he still like her? At the thought that Wei Zhao no longer wanted her, Tang Zhi's tears began to flow despite herself. Once, she had at least possessed some ground to compete with Feng Xiaoxiao. But now? Her face was ruined; Wei Zhao probably would not want her at all anymore, would he?

"Yun'er, don't be sad. The doctor said that if it heals well, it won't leave too great a scar." Mother Tang had slipped into the sickroom at some point without Tang Zhi noticing. Seeing her daughter weeping in silence, Mother Tang's heart shattered.

"Mom..." At the sight of her mother, Tang Zhi could no longer hold back her feelings and burst into loud sobs. "Mom, why is our family so unlucky? Why? What right do they have to tear down our house — what right?"

"Ah!" Mother Tang took her daughter's hand and gave a long, mournful sigh. "Yun'er, it's your mother who has ruined you!"