Superstar Assistant [GL] - Chapter 46

Chapter 46

Han Ping had not come home all night, and her phone was turned off. She had several nightmares that night and woke up feeling extremely unsettled.

The next day, after Zhou Tiantian and Li Ziyu got up, they went to Han Ping’s room. As soon as the door opened, they saw Han Ping looking deathly pale. Zhou Tiantian asked concernedly, “Mom, what’s wrong?”

Han Ping’s fingertips trembled as she gripped the doorknob. “I had a dream last night… I dreamed that he found out I wanted a divorce and beat us to death.”

Zhou Tiantian stepped forward and hugged her. “It’s just a dream. He wouldn’t dare.”

However, Han Ping did not feel any better. She was still terrified, so much so that when their car arrived downstairs, she was almost too afraid to get out.

Zhou Tiantian and Li Ziyu stepped out of the car, letting Han Ping calm down inside for a moment.

Li Ziyu held Zhou Tiantian’s hand. “Do you think your mother will back down?”

Zhou Tiantian was also uneasy. “I don’t know.”

Li Ziyu said, “If she backs down, we’ll just kidnap her and take her away. For someone like your stepfather, you have to use rougher methods. Just leave it to me when the time comes.”

Zhou Tiantian replied, “Leave it to you for what? You’re a public figure now. Besides, I want my mother to be able to face this herself. Otherwise, what’s the point even if we take her away?”

As they were speaking, Han Ping opened the car door. Her fingertips were still trembling, but the look in her eyes was much firmer than before.

Zhou Tiantian smiled slightly. “Mom, let’s go.”

Han Ping looked at her daughter. “Mm.”

The two of them walked upstairs together. Along the way, they ran into some neighbors who smiled and asked Tiantian if she was back, though their eyes were full of curiosity regarding Li Ziyu and the bodyguards following behind them.

Han Ping used her key to unlock the door. As she pushed it open, a sudden roar of rage erupted from Zhao Zhonggang on the living room sofa: “So you finally know how to come back! Where the hell did you go last night? You must be tired of living! Watch me…” His voice trailed off as he met the cold gazes of Zhou Tiantian and Li Ziyu.

“Tiantian, why are you back?” The hostility remained on Zhao Zhonggang’s face. “How did your belly get so big? Who did you marry? Why didn’t you tell me? How much was the bride price?”

Seeing Zhao Zhonggang’s aggressive posture, Zhou Tiantian felt much more secure with Li Ziyu at her back. She steadied herself and said to him, “Whether I’m married or not has nothing to do with you. I didn’t come back today to talk about my marriage.”

Zhao Zhonggang immediately yelled, “What do you mean? If you’re not here to talk about your marriage, what are you here for? Oh, did you bring money back to pay the debts for me and your mother?”

Zhou Tiantian said, “That’s not my mother’s debt. It’s yours. Gambling debts are not protected by law.”

Zhao Zhonggang snarled, “What do you mean ‘not protected by law’? In this house, I am the law. If you’re not back to pay the debt, then why the hell are you here!”

Zhou Tiantian looked at Han Ping. Zhao Zhonggang also looked at Han Ping, suddenly getting a bad feeling. His voice grew even louder: “You bitch, what did your daughter just mean? And what were you doing out all last night!”

Han Ping’s body shook slightly. Zhou Tiantian moved to her side and took her hand. Only then did Han Ping speak: “I came back today to find you… to find you… to get a divorce.”

“What did you say!” Zhao Zhonggang could hardly believe his ears. “You want to divorce me! Say that again, you bitch, and see if I don’t beat you to death!”

As he spoke, Zhao Zhonggang raised his hand to strike Han Ping. Han Ping immediately turned to shield Zhou Tiantian. However, Zhou Tiantian saw Li Ziyu beside her lash out with a kick to Zhao Zhonggang’s chest. With a hollow thud, Zhao Zhonggang was sent flying backward onto the sofa, his expression one of pure shock.

Li Ziyu retracted her leg and stood in front of Zhou Tiantian and Han Ping. she raised a hand to stop the bodyguards who were about to step forward. “You guys protect Tiantian. I’ll handle this person.”

Han Ping turned back to look at Zhao Zhonggang slumped miserably on the sofa, her eyes burning. She never knew that seeing Zhao Zhonggang get hit would make her feel so happy!

Zhao Zhonggang finally snapped out of it and struggled to stand up. He glared at Li Ziyu. “Who the hell are you? You actually dared to hit me? Believe it or not, I’ll find someone to kill you.”

Li Ziyu gave a mocking laugh. “If you have the ability, go ahead and try.”

Zhao Zhonggang knew Li Ziyu was not someone to be trifled with, so he stopped talking to her. He looked at Han Ping and said, “You bitch, get over here! What nonsense were you just spouting? If you keep this up, I’m really going to beat you later!”

Han Ping gripped Zhou Tiantian’s hand tightly. “I’m not coming back. I want a divorce. You can pay back the money you owe yourself. I want a divorce!”

Zhao Zhonggang was venomous and sarcastic. “Divorce? Who’s going to support you if you divorce? Without a man in the house, you two would be bullied mercilessly out there! I might have a bad temper, but at least I’m a man you can rely on!”

Han Ping’s hands wouldn’t stop shaking. “I don’t rely on you! Why should I rely on you!”

Her voice trembled with agitation. “I have Tiantian. Tiantian can earn money as a cleaner, and I can earn money too. I don’t need to rely on you. Relying on my daughter is the same!” After saying this, she turned to look at Zhou Tiantian.

Zhou Tiantian smiled at her, then looked at Zhao Zhonggang. “Uncle Zhao, my mother and I have both made up our minds. We hope you can divorce her peacefully. From now on, we’ll mind our own business and live our separate lives.”

Zhao Zhonggang immediately began to curse, a string of profanities pouring from his mouth. His eyes were full of fury as if he were about to rush forward and strike them.

Li Ziyu couldn’t stand listening to this. She stepped forward and landed a punch on Zhao Zhonggang’s face. He stumbled and fell to the ground, his lip split open.

He looked up at Li Ziyu with a murderous glare. Li Ziyu was completely unfazed. She stepped on Zhao Zhonggang’s shoulder, her aura exploding with anger. She looked like a grim reaper—wicked and powerful. “Keep your mouth clean. I never asked about Zhou Tiantian’s life before and didn’t know she had a stepfather like you. If I had known, I would have sent someone to beat you up back in high school; why would I have waited until now? If you divorce peacefully today, nothing else will happen. If you don’t, you’ll be the one begging me for a divorce later!”

Zhao Zhonggang had thought she was just a young girl, but he hadn’t expected such an overwhelming presence. Having spent years in the shadier parts of society, he was instantly frightened. He knew this was someone he couldn’t afford to provoke.

Li Ziyu stepped hard on his shoulder. Amidst his cries of pain, she asked, “I’ll ask you one more time. Are you divorcing or not?”

Zhao Zhonggang opened his mouth, but suddenly said, “It’s not that I don’t want to. You know I owe loan sharks. They definitely won’t let me divorce. They’ve approached my wife too, telling her these are household debts and she needs to help pay them back. Otherwise, whether it’s me, my wife, or even Tiantian, we’ll all be affected!”

At this point, he seemed to have found a source of support. He looked at Zhou Tiantian and said, “Tiantian, it’s not that I won’t divorce, those people really won’t let your mother leave! If you don’t bring money back, your mother and I might just disappear one day! You know how scary those people are; I wouldn’t dare fight them! You’re pregnant now; take the bride price and the money your in-laws gave you for the birth and bring it back for the emergency. Once the debt is clear, I’ll go work and pay you back!”

To him, saying he would “pay back” was already a rare concession.

However, Zhou Tiantian laughed. It was a smile that looked innocent but held no emotion. “Uncle Zhao, are you still fantasizing that I’ll give you money to pay your debts? I think you might not know—my salary isn’t just eight or nine thousand anymore. With bonuses, I make forty to fifty thousand a month.”

“You!” Zhao Zhonggang’s eyes widened instantly, filled with greed. “You dared to lie to me and only brought back that little bit of money every month!”

Zhou Tiantian said, “Not only did I lie to you, but do you know why I gave you so much pocket money every month? Did you really think I was afraid of you? I knew you liked playing cards and gambling. If I gave you less, you wouldn’t dare bet big. I also knew you were skimming off the money I gave my mother. The more money you had, the deeper you fell. This result is exactly what I planned from the start. Did you think I gave you money to let you fall into debt with loan sharks just so I could help you pay it back? Uncle Zhao, my mother and I can’t beat you, but there are plenty of people in this world who can deal with you.”

“You! You actually set me up!” Zhao Zhonggang exploded in rage, but was once again pinned to the floor by Li Ziyu. Li Ziyu’s stiletto heel pressed into his shoulder through his thin spring clothes; the pain was so sharp he didn’t dare move. At the thought of Zhou Tiantian making forty or fifty thousand a month, his eyes turned bloodshot. He said viciously, “Do you think your scheme was successful? Those loan sharks don’t care who incurred the debt. As long as they get their money back, they won’t let you go, regardless of whether you’re my biological daughter or not.”

A flash of mockery appeared in Zhou Tiantian’s eyes. “Oh, is that so? Then you’re quite impressive, Uncle.”

Zhao Zhonggang thought he had the upper hand. “So, hand over the money you’ve saved these past few months obediently. Maybe that way, you and your mother can suffer a bit less.”

Zhou Tiantian replied, “That’s not necessarily true.”

Despite the intense pain, Zhao Zhonggang laughed maniacally. “I know the boss who lent me the money. As long as I insist I have no money while you do, see if he comes for me or you. They only care about money; they’ll do anything for it!”

He seemed to have found the solution to his problems and a vision of a better future; he was becoming a bit deranged.

Just as he was speaking, there was a knock on the door. The bodyguard opened it, and Li Muqiang walked in.

“Boss Li!” Zhao Zhonggang’s eyes lit up as he looked at Li Muqiang. “Boss Li, my daughter is back! She makes forty to fifty thousand a month; she’s very rich! She can pay the debt for me!”