Chapter 135: You're Done For!

With just one loud shout from Jing Shu, both Jing An and Grandpa, covered in cement, rushed over from the backyard.

Wang Zhong stood there, dumbfounded, unable to process the sight of this woman. Before he could react, a fist the size of a sandbag landed squarely on his face.

Two of his teeth flew out, and whether it was the wind blowing them away or the stubbornness of his roots letting go, Wang Zhong had no time to contemplate. His thoughts were interrupted by another fist, this time harder and faster.

While Wang Zhong's mind was still reeling, his body had already responded in the most honest way possible—he let out a blood-curdling scream from the sheer pain.

After being pummeled for what felt like an eternity, Jing An finally realized something was off. This person looked oddly familiar. He shined a flashlight on the man, who was now sprawled on the ground, desperately trying to crawl away.

"Stop, stop!" Wang Zhong begged.

“Wang Zhong?!” Jing An exclaimed, recognizing the battered man and immediately switching from surprise to rage. “What did you do to my daughter?”

Through his swollen, bloodied face, Wang Zhong could barely see Jing An clearly. He began to wail, explaining how he came with the best of intentions, just to bring gifts and rekindle their old friendship, but Jing Shu had refused to admit who she was, and he certainly hadn’t done anything to her.

Jing An turned to his daughter with a confused expression.

Jing Shu blinked innocently. “He asked me if I was Jing Zhu, and I told him no.”

"Jing Zhu? Your daughter’s name is Jing Zhu, and you’re just pretending she’s not!" Wang Zhong insisted through his now toothless grin.

Jing An furrowed his brow. “My daughter’s name is Jing Shu.”

“Ah...” Wang Zhong stammered, realizing his mistake. He awkwardly chuckled. “My bad... such a stupid misunderstanding. Look, old buddy, I’ve brought you some treats! Here’s a pack of noodles and some walnuts. These are rare finds, you know. Let’s not stand outside, come on, let me in. And wow, is that the tempered glass dome from the old factory? Good stuff! You sure made good use of it!”

Jing Shu narrowed her eyes, waiting for her father’s reaction.

“Whatever you need to say, just say it here. The house is not convenient right now,” Jing An said, blocking Wang Zhong’s path.

“You’re still mad at me? Look, we’ve been brothers for over twenty years! I’ll admit I was wrong back then, but I had no choice when I asked you to leave the company. I felt bad, but you made a fortune from the buyout, didn’t you? I mean, you must’ve put that money to good use! I came to apologize, old friend,” Wang Zhong whined, nursing his injuries.

“What do you want?” Jing An asked, handing the shovel to Grandpa. “Dad, you go ahead. I’ll talk to him.”

"Alright," Grandpa said as he walked off.

Seeing Jing An wasn’t budging, Wang Zhong resorted to his next tactic. “Jing An, my brother, I’m desperate! I wouldn’t be here if I wasn’t. I need you to recommend me for a job at the animal farm! I’ll do anything—clean, feed the animals—whatever it takes. I know there’s a cost to be someone’s recommender, and I’ll give you whatever you need.”

Jing An glanced at the items Wang Zhong had brought. “Those things would be enough to get you a basic job at the supermarket or one of the recycling centers.”

“I know, but those jobs have no future! The animal farms and agriculture departments are the only places with real prospects. Meat and vegetables are scarce, and soon they’ll be priceless. At the farm, you can even get eggs, which are worth their weight in gold these days. That’s why I’m begging you—please, old friend, help me out! I’ll give you anything you ask for.”

“I don’t have any more recommendations left,” Jing An said firmly. “You should find someone else.”

Wang Zhong grew frantic. “Jing An, if it’s not enough, I’ll get more food! Please, just get me in. I’ll do anything.”

Shaking his head, Jing An replied, “I’m sorry, I can’t help you.” He added, with a hint of finality, “From the moment I left the company, I cut ties with everyone.”

Jing Shu could barely contain her grin. Her father had truly come a long way. All her constant nagging and pushing had finally paid off; the once spineless man was standing his ground!

Wang Zhong’s face twisted with anger. “You ungrateful traitor! I gave you a share of the company, let you sit at the table, and this is how you repay me? You were lucky I didn’t kick you out years ago! All you ever had was some technical skill. I had to make up for the money you wasted by not cutting corners!”

Now it was Jing An’s turn to get angry. “For twenty years, I slaved away, working day and night, supervising and ensuring we delivered quality. My dedication built the company’s reputation, with over half of our clients coming back because of me! Do you have any idea how much I contributed? And yet, I watched as you chipped away at my shares until I was left with just 2%. And then you kicked me out entirely!”

Jing An’s anger boiled over. Without another word, he rolled up his sleeves and gave Wang Zhong another round of beatings. More teeth flew, and with every punch, Jing An felt a weight lifting from his chest.

“Feels good,” he muttered, taking a deep breath.

Wang Zhong had never imagined that his first use of the new emergency function on the big data system would be in this kind of situation.

“You’re done for!” he growled, blood dripping from his gums. He smirked as he activated the emergency alert, certain that the authorities would come to his aid.

The automated system began to process: *Connecting to the visitation officer for this neighborhood, Wu Youai... video call connecting...*

“Help! I’m in the villa area, getting beaten to death by the family of Jing An!” Wang Zhong cried into the camera, throwing a smug glance at Jing An and Jing Shu.

Jing An blinked, a little unsure of what to do.

“Oh? Could you pass the phone over to them? I’d like to hear their side of the story,” came a calm voice from the other end—a young woman, sounding surprisingly casual.

Wang Zhong was confused. Wasn’t the first step supposed to be comforting the victim? Shouldn’t they be sending help by now?

“When did they start asking for the other side’s story before making an arrest?” Wang Zhong muttered to himself.

Author’s Note:

Big thanks to Liuli AMY for the tip! Mwah!