Chapter 483 — Scared to the Bone

"Yes, we've brought five hundred thousand. I hope you'll let Xiaodan go from now on, Boss Zou!" Xiaowei nodded as he spoke. Though his heart ached a little to part with the money, if it could save Xiaodan, he was perfectly willing.

"Hmph, where's the five hundred thousand?" Zou Tiandi was furious, but since he had already agreed to the terms, it would be awkward to go back on his word. He could only ask coldly, hoping to pick out some fault so he could use it as an excuse to cause trouble.

"It's with my sister..." Xiaowei said. "Sis, show him."

The voice was strikingly familiar, and paired with what Xiaowei had said earlier -- that the man was called "Boss Zou" -- it struck Tang Zhi all at once. She knew this Boss Zou. He was Zou Ruoming's father, Zou Tiandi!

The moment she realized who it was, Tang Zhi's heart lurched. While she had still been with Wei Zhao, she naturally had nothing to fear from Zou Tiandi. But now that Wei Zhao had broken up with her, stripped of his protection, wouldn't she and her family be at the mercy of the Zou father and son? The thought made Tang Zhi regret coming here in the first place. She was afraid Zou Ruoming might do something outrageous all over again.

"Sis?" Seeing Tang Zhi sitting there motionless, Xiaowei found it odd and called out to her a second time.

Zou Tiandi caught sight of Tang Zhi's back -- dainty and exquisitely curved -- and his pulse quickened. Filthy thoughts began churning in his head, and with a leering grin plastered across his face, he said: "Oh? Your sister came too?"

Hearing Zou Tiandi's repulsive voice thick with lust, Tang Zhi grew even more afraid. But Xiaowei had already called her, and she had no choice. Steeling herself, she rose to her feet, turned around, opened the bag in her hand, and forced a calm expression: "Boss Zou, I've brought the money. I hope you'll keep your word and let my brother and Xiaodan go..."

"What?!" Zou Tiandi froze on the spot. He had never in his dreams imagined that Xiaowei's "sister" would be Tang Zhi! Good heavens -- how could he be this unlucky? The harder he tried to steer clear of Wei Zhao, the more he ended up tangling with people close to him. Was he possessed by some god of misfortune? Otherwise, who could possibly be as unlucky as he was?

Hearing Tang Zhi's words, Zou Tiandi thought she was deliberately being sarcastic -- mocking him to his face. He was scared out of his wits, his face draining white, and the words blurted out subconsciously: "I don't want it -- I don't want the money..."

But Tang Zhi frowned. She had seen Zou Tiandi's expression change -- was he going to renege? Xiaowei was startled too, and Xiaodan's face paled as well...

"Boss Zou, didn't you say that five hundred thousand would be enough to let Xiaodan go? Why are you going back on your word?" Xiaowei grew anxious.

"Mr. Zou, surely you're not going to break your promise?" Tang Zhi was startled too, but she could not afford to show weakness. She forced herself to look calm -- this was not the moment to go soft, or Zou Tiandi would surely push even harder.

"Oh, I mean, Miss Tang -- no, Sister Tang! I'm calling you Sister now, so please stop messing with me! I didn't do it on purpose -- I swear I didn't! How could I have known Xiaodan was your brother's girl? If I had known, even with ten times the guts I wouldn't have dared lift a finger!" Zou Tiandi was on the verge of tears. Hearing Tang Zhi's words, he assumed she was speaking in reverse -- deliberately saying one thing and meaning another. After all, big shots loved to speak ironically when putting on airs, and Zou Tiandi himself had bullied his fair share of helpless souls in just that manner, so by instinct he read Tang Zhi the same way.

Zou Tiandi's reaction caught everyone off guard. Xiaowei and Xiaodan were dumbfounded, and Mother Tang was too! They could not understand why his attitude had taken a complete one-hundred-and-eighty-degree turn the moment he laid eyes on Tang Zhi.

But Tang Zhi frowned slightly. After a brief flicker of confusion, the answer dawned on her at once. Zou Tiandi probably did not yet know that she and Wei Zhao had broken up -- that was why he was treating her with such deference. She could use this opportunity to simply walk away. But what worried her was that once Zou Tiandi found out about the breakup, he might come after Xiaowei again...

It seemed he had not been speaking ironically at all -- he genuinely did not want the money! This turn of events, though no one understood why, was still a welcome surprise to them all.

At that, Tang Zhi still said: "Mr. Zou, please take this five hundred thousand. This matter needs to be settled once and for all, doesn't it?" Zou Tiandi thought Tang Zhi was deliberately toying with him, twisting the knife -- and he felt a flash of indignation. But fear overwhelmed it. He had learned from his son Zou Ruoming that Wei Zhao doted on Tang Zhi beyond measure. Last time his son had tried to lay hands on her, Wei Zhao had torn him to shreds. How could he dare provoke Tang Zhi again?

Moreover, Tang Zhi's presence here tonight very likely bore Wei Zhao's imprint! A man's patience has its limits -- going again and again to make trouble for Wei Zhao and the people around him would sour anyone's mood, let alone a formidable man like Wei Zhao.

True, a formidable man generally did not bother squabbling with nobodies -- but if that nobody pushed his luck and got cocky, then the formidable man would have no qualms about swatting him dead like a fly.

It was like a dog. If it merely barked at you a couple of times, you might ignore it. If it bit you once, you might tolerate it. But if it bit you again and again, and then went after your family too, you would likely just slaughter it for meat.

Zou Tiandi now felt he was that very dog -- having provoked Wei Zhao time and again, the moment of being swatted flat was surely not far off...

So, after all these thoughts, Zou Tiandi was terrified to the bone. With a heavy thud, he dropped to his knees, tears streaming down his face: "Sister Tang, I'm begging you -- stop toying with me! I know I was wrong, I really do. Go back and put in a good word with Wei Zhao. I was blind, truly blind -- isn't it enough if I slap my own face? Just treat me like a fart and let me off!"

With that, Zou Tiandi squared his shoulders, wound up his arm, and began slapping himself across the face. The sharp cracks of "pow! pow!" rang out without end. Zou Tiandi beat himself with all his might, growing more and more fervent the harder he hit...

Zou Tiandi's words flushed Tang Zhi's cheeks red. What did he mean, "treat me like a fart"? She was a girl, after all -- how vulgar could he be? She could not help but spit disdainfully under her breath and shot Zou Tiandi a withering glare.

Zou Tiandi's miserable state gave Tang Zhi no small measure of courage. Since he no longer wanted the money, then let him put it in writing — with a documented record in hand, she would have no fear of him going back on his word later. With that thought, Tang Zhi decided to ride the situation as it came, donning borrowed authority like a fox wrapped in a tiger's skin.

Zou Tiandi's words left Mother Tang, Xiaowei, and Xiaodan all keenly aware of the truth: this Zou Tiandi feared not Tang Zhi, but Wei Zhao! They did not know why he feared Wei Zhao, but judging by the way he had dropped to his knees and slapped himself across the face, whatever terror Wei Zhao inspired had sunk deep into his very bones!