Chapter Fifty-Two: The Supermarket Smashed
“They left?” Zhao Fan’s tone rose slightly, almost amused. Had the Yangs abandoned their own daughter? The surgery was done, but she hadn’t even woken up, and they’d already disappeared.
Zhao Haitian’s expression was grim. “I didn’t expect them to act like this. Now that they’re gone, I have no choice but to stay here.”
Zhao Fan nodded in understanding. “I’ll go pay her fees. If you can’t look after her, ask Mom to come and help.”
“Alright.”
Meanwhile, Mrs. Yang was clearly reluctant, struggling several times to break free from Mr. Yang’s grasp. “What are you doing? Our daughter just had surgery and hasn’t woken up yet. Why are we leaving?”
“Precisely because she hasn’t woken up yet, we can’t stay. The Zhao family is determined to divorce us—how can we accept that?”
“If they want a divorce, let them. It’s not a big deal. I couldn’t care less.”
“It’s not about caring or not. Zhao Fan is so capable. Just think, how could he raise that much money in such a short time? The Zhao family will be prosperous in the future.”
“So what?”
“So what? Zhao Haitian married into our family, but we haven’t gotten a single penny from the Zhaos. Now they want to divorce us just like that? Why should we agree? The Zhao family must compensate us for our losses.”
Mr. Yang stroked his chin with a cold sneer. The Zhao family wanted to shake off the Yangs as they rose to glory—he’d never let them.
Mrs. Yang’s eyes glinted with calculation. “You mean—?”
“Leave Qingqing there. Zhao Haitian listens to her most. If the two of them care for each other, feelings will develop. Even if the Zhao family wants a divorce, they’ll have to see what Zhao Haitian thinks.”
“Yes, yes, you’re right. Let’s go home, let’s go home.”
While Mr. and Mrs. Yang plotted their scheme, Zhao Fan returned to the hospital room and explained Yang Qingqing’s condition.
Mrs. Zhao snorted. “They’re scheming, as always. The Yangs never let themselves suffer. They probably see our family doing well and want to drag out the divorce.”
Zhao Fan was silent, thinking the Yangs’ logic was truly baffling.
“What makes them think they’ll succeed by playing dirty?” Mr. Zhao said. “Don’t use normal reasoning to guess what abnormal people will do. You’ll never figure it out.”
Mrs. Zhao nodded in strong agreement. “Exactly.”
“Enough about that. Dad, when can we move into our new house?”
“You mean the one we just renovated?” Mr. Zhao lowered his voice. “We can’t move in yet. We need to wait a bit longer.”
“Didn’t you use good materials for the renovation?”
Mr. Zhao coughed, his eyes betraying his guilt.
Seeing this, Zhao Fan understood—his father hadn’t used quality materials.
He sighed helplessly. “How could you skimp on materials for our own home?”
“It’s already done; forget the good materials.”
Zhao Fan sighed again. What else could he say? He could only accept it.
This meant that once Zhao Yun’er was discharged, the house would be too cramped. They’d have to buy another place, and it would need renovating, too.
“Dad, after Yun’er leaves the hospital, what are your thoughts on where she and my eldest brother should live?”
“We can squeeze into our home.”
Zhao Fan shook his head. “It’s better not to crowd. I’ll check if there are rentals nearby and lease a place for now. When the new house is ready, we’ll move in.”
Mr. Zhao thought this was a good solution and let Zhao Fan handle it. His child was grown now, capable of making decisions, and as a father, he could relax a bit.
“Go ahead.”
“Alright.”
Zhao Fan left the hospital just as the afternoon sun blazed fiercely overhead. He glanced at the sky and yawned. Now that family matters were settled, he could finally focus on his business.
His phone vibrated in his pocket. Zhao Fan took it out and saw that it was a call from Chen Da, the supermarket manager. Why was he calling at this time?
Puzzled, Zhao Fan answered, “What’s up?”
“The supermarket’s been smashed.”
“What did you say?”
“I said the supermarket’s been smashed. The supermarket—someone wrecked it.”
Chen Da repeated himself, and Zhao Fan’s face changed instantly. “How could it be smashed just like that?”
“I don’t know yet, but I’ve already called the police. Some employees got hurt.”
“I’m coming right now. Take the staff to the hospital first, we’ll talk when I get there.”
“Okay.”
After hanging up, Zhao Fan hailed a taxi to the supermarket and was once again tempted to buy a car. Taking taxis back and forth was too expensive—no matter how much money he had, it wasn’t meant to be wasted.
He arrived an hour later. Chen Da had already taken the injured employees to the hospital, made arrangements, and rushed back.
The supermarket was a mess. Shelves lay toppled everywhere, snacks and goods scattered and broken.
Zhao Fan began tidying up, surveying the chaos. His gaze darkened. The store had been open for so long without incident—why now, and who could have done it?
Chen Da spoke cautiously, “Boss.”
Zhao Fan snapped back. “Have the police been here?”
“Not yet.”
“Not after an hour?”
Chen Da nodded. “That’s right.”
Zhao Fan found it odd. Were the police always this slow to respond?
Just then, a few people walked in from outside.
“Oh dear, what happened here?”
“Goodness, the supermarket’s been smashed?”
Zhao Fan cleared his throat and greeted them. Once they learned what had happened, they simply expressed their regret and left.
“Close up. We’ll shut down for a few days.”
“Yes.”
The uninjured employees were gathered together. Zhao Fan glanced around. “These next few days, please work hard to restore the supermarket. At the end of the month, everyone gets a five-hundred bonus.”
A five-hundred bonus!
“Boss, don’t worry, we’ll get everything back in order.”
“Yes, yes, no problem at all.”
Seeing their enthusiasm, Zhao Fan smiled and let them get to work.
“Chen Da, come with me.”
He led Chen Da to a corner. “Start recruiting. Hire some capable people as security guards and pay them fifteen hundred to two thousand more than the regular staff.”
“Alright, I’ll draft the listing immediately.”
“Contact all suppliers and ask for urgent deliveries. I want the supermarket reopened in three days.”
Chen Da hesitated. “Should we hire extra hands to help clean up?”
“We can. Adjust the pay as you see fit.”
“Understood.”
After making arrangements, Zhao Fan scanned the scene once more, coldness flashing in his eyes. Whoever had done this—he wouldn’t let them get away with it.
“Zhao Fan, what happened?”
A familiar female voice called out. Zhao Fan looked over—it was Yang Yuqing. He spread his hands. “It got smashed.”
Behind her, another head popped out. Zhao Fan recognized the girl in the pink dress from the crossroads before—innocent and naive.
She said, “How could anyone smash your supermarket?”
“Exactly. I’m baffled myself.”
The girl in pink clapped her hands. “You must have offended someone.”