Chapter 206: Black-hearted Boss

Translator: Lonelytree

Zeng Yaozu touched his forehead and tried to explain, “Xiao Lingye, listen to me!”

“What else is there to say?” Xiao Lingyu said angrily, “A group of men bullying a girl, aren’t you ashamed?”

Zeng Yaozu and the others, “…”

They saw a girl hiding in the middle of the night. It was very dangerous, so they planned to take her to a safe place. Granted, they didn’t approach this the right way. They flirted with the girl, which scared her so much that she screamed.

Was that their fault? Well, a little bit.

Zeng Yaozu sighed and explained, “Calm down, brother. You don’t even know who I am. Ahem… you misunderstood. I… I Am…”

Xiao Lingye looked at the man and became even angrier, “I don’t care who you are. You’re bullying a girl in the middle of the night, and I’ve seen it with my own eyes.”

Zeng Yaozu, “…”

‘Didn’t little sister say Xiao Lingye has a good temper and treats everyone well? So who is this man roaring at them?’

Zeng Yaozu’s brothers said, “Boss, since the girl’s family is here, let’s go. We did things wrongly, so it’s understandable for him to misunderstand us.”

Zeng Yazu nodded. “Okay.” Before he left, he told Xiao Lingye, “My little sister is Zeng Hongmei. I’m your friend’s big brother!”

Xiao Lingye, “…”

‘Zeng Hongmei’s brother is so rebellious? He is part of a biker gang!’

After Zeng Yaozu and the others left, Xiao Lingye pulled Xiao Xinxin out from behind him and said, “Sister Xinxin, don’t be afraid. They have already left!”

Xiao Xinxin threw herself into Xiao Lingye’s arms and immediately broke down in tears. She cried as she said, “I was so scared earlier!” This night was the darkest for her. First, she worked in the supermarket until 11 or 12 o’clock. The madam boss instantly kicked her out after deducting her salary. She tried to argue with the boss, but it was pointless. The madam boss had more people. She was pushed out of the store, and the door slammed in her face. She was left outside alone. She banged on the door, and no one answered.

It was midnight, and all the stores were closed. There was not a single person on the street. She carried her luggage and tried to find a store with lights on, but she could not find it.

She put her luggage down at Xin Hua Bookstore. She was really afraid, so she called home.

Xiao Lingye patted her shoulder and said, “It’s alright. They’ve all left. Come, let’s hurry up and leave this place.”

One biker gang had left, but who could tell if there’d be another. It was better for them to leave first.

Xiao Xinxin was really frightened. She cried. “Lingye, you have no idea. Those people said they wanted me to be their woman, and they said they’d never disappoint me. They tried to grab me. I was so scared. If you didn’t come, I didn’t know what would have happened. There were so many of them. I couldn’t escape.”

Xiao Lingye was filled with anger again. “Did those people really say that?”

‘Damn it, Zeng Hongmei’s brother is really a scumbag. To think he’d call himself a good person. A good person wouldn’t have said and done the things he did!’

Xiao Lingye comforted Xiao Xinxin, “Sister Xinxin, everything is fine now. Didn’t those people say that they were just joking with you?”

But secretly, he thought, ‘When I see Zeng Hongmei next, I need to tell her about his brother! Zeng Hongwei is a righteous person. She’ll punish her brother!’

“The yellow hair is my classmate’s older brother. Now that we know his identity, we can take revenge on him in the future!”

Xiao Xinxin immediately stopped crying. She frowned and said, “Lingye, forget it. Those people are from the county town. Their families might be powerful. It’s better for us not to provoke them!” They were from the countryside, how could they win against the rich?

Xiao Lingye helped Xiao Xinxin move her luggage onto the tricycle. She and Xiao Lingye sat at the front.

Soon, Xiao Lingye brought Xiao Xinxin to the rental. When they went through the winding alleys, Xiao Xinxin’s heart shivered. She asked, “Lingye, why is your rental so remote?”

Xiao Lingye said, “Although it’s a little remote here, it’s very quiet. The environment here is very suitable for my sister, so she rented the house here.”

When they arrived, and Xiao Xinxin saw the large courtyard and a two-story-high house, she asked curiously, “Did your sister rent the whole house?”

“Yes!”

“This place is so big! How much is the rent?”

“I heard from my sister that it’s 300 RMB per month. The landlady is really nice to my sister.”

“It’s that cheap?!” Xiao Xinxin was clearly a little surprised. She had been in the county town for some time already, so she knew the rental prices. Even though the place was remote, the environment was good. The courtyard and the house were huge, so the rent had to be high. Normally, it would be at least 600 RMB.

Renting it for 300 here was really worth it.

Xiao Lingye helped Xiao Xinxin move her luggage to the living room. Then, he poured Xiao Xinxin a glass of water. She drank the water to calm down.

Xiao Lingye asked, “Sister Xinxin, are you hungry? Can I make you a bowl of noodles?”

Xiao Xinxin shook her head and said, “I’m not hungry!”

“Then, are you tired? Why don’t you go to my sister’s room to rest for a while?” Xiao Lingye asked again.

Xiao Xinxin shook her head and said, “There’s no need. I can’t sleep now!”

Xiao Lingye comforted her, “It’s alright. Your Dad and mom will be here soon.”

Just as he said that, the phone in his pocket rang.

“Mom, yes. Sister Xinxin is with me. Yes, tell Auntie Zhou that Xinxin is fine. Sure!” Xiao Lingye handed the phone to Xiao Xinxin and said, “Sister Xinxin, it’s Auntie Zhou!”

Xiao Xinxin took the phone, and Aunt Zhou’s worried voice immediately came out of the phone, “Xinxin, are you okay?”

Now that she was safe with good company, Xiao Xinxin stopped crying. She said, “Mom, I’m fine now. I’m with Brother Lingye.”

Then, the mother and daughter spoke some more and hung up the phone.

Then, Xiao Lingye sat down and asked in puzzlement, “Sister Xinxin, what happened? Why did your boss suddenly kick you out of the dormitory in the middle of the night? Don’t they know how dangerous it is?”

Xiao Xinxin was furious when she was asked about this. She asked, “Do you know De Wang Supermarket?”

“De Wang?” Xiao Lingye nodded. “It’s the one on Sunshine Road, right?”

“That’s the one!” Xiao Xinxin nodded and said, “I worked there. It’s a huge supermarket, but the boss and his wife are so stingy that they only hire two employees. We’re ordered around like slaves. Obviously, we can’t possibly do everything, and when mistakes happen, they’ll deduct our wages!”

“What? How can they be so horrible?” Xiao Lingye echoed.

“That’s not all!” Xiao Xinxin huffed, “When we first started to work, they told us our monthly wages were 1000 RMB. However, we’d only receive 600 to 700 RMB every time.”

“Why?” Xiao Lingye was confused. That was almost half of what was promised.

Xiao Xinxin gritted her teeth and said, “The boss told us 1000 RMB was supposed to include food and accommodation. However, when it’s time for salary payment, he’d deduct the other expenses like accommodation, utilities, and other expenses. They will always have a way to deduct our pay!”

“Then, you should quit!” Xiao Lingye blurted out, “What’s the point of working for such a strict and stingy boss? You work so hard, and there’s not even that much money.”

Xiao Xinxin nodded. “After the first month, I already wanted to quit, but the Madam Boss told me that as long as I continued to work hard, I would get my money back through an increase in wages.”

“And you believed her?” Xiao Lingye asked in surprise, “Obviously, she was lying!”

Xiao Xinxin was ashamed. She bit her lower lip and continued, “But I did believe her. Brother Lingye, aren’t I stupid? I even worked there for half a year.”

Xiao Lingye didn’t know how to comfort her. He just said, “Sister Xinxin, you were too young and trusted people too easily.” Then, he changed the subject, “What happened tonight?”

Xiao Xinxin said, “After working in that supermarket for half a year, I really couldn’t stand it anymore. They treated us like slaves, so I resigned in a fit of anger.

“The Madam Boss took it in stride. But she told me I had to work another full month before she could give me my salary.

“I thought she meant two months of salary. I didn’t even think I’d get back the salary that was deducted in the past.

“So today was my last day of work. She had me work until 11.30 pm. She only gave me my salary when the shop was about to close. But she only gave me 550 RMB and told me that was all my salary!”

“Wait, didn’t you work for two months? How can it be 550 RMB?” Xiao Lingye was confused.

“That’s right! I was really mad, so I argued with her. She insisted that was all she owed me. I could take the money or leave it with her.

“Then, she had people toss my luggage outside. She said, since I am no longer her employee, I have no right to stay in her dorm anymore.”

“This is too much!” Xiao Lingye’s heart was also filled with anger. He said, “Sister Xinxin, I’ll go and seek justice for you tomorrow! Black-hearted people like that should be punished!”

Xiao Xinxin shook her head and said, “It’s useless. When I started working, we didn’t sign any contracts. Moreover, Madam Boss has connections in both the Labor Bureau and Commerce Bureau. She welcomed me to sue her, but…”

Xiao Xinxin bit her lips again. “If I failed to bring her to court, she would make sure I won’t be able to find another job in the county town. She said she had connections in the underworld too. If I make a big deal out of this, I’d be punished!”

“What?” Xiao Lingye found it unbelievable. He said, “Do they still have the law in their eyes?” Xiao Lingye was at an age where he was rebellious, impulsive, and chivalrous.

Xiao Lingye said, “Sister Xinxin, we will go to her place tomorrow. I can’t believe they’d so openly bullying their employees!”

“But…” Xiao Xinxin’s eyes were still filled with fear, “But they have strong backers, like people from the Commerce Bureau and Labor Bureau. What if they take revenge on us? Sister Lingyu has a shop here. We shouldn’t drag her down with us.”

“Don’t worry. They don’t have the ability to take revenge on my sister,” Xiao Lingyu said confidently. Even though he had no idea what kind of backing the black-hearted boss had, her sister also had some backing.

Xiao Xinxin felt relieved after confiding in someone. However, she was worried when Xiao Lingye said they’d go and reason with her former boss.

At that moment, they heard the sound of the iron gate opening. Their hearts jumped. They shared a look, and Xiao Lingye said, “Sister Xinxin, don’t worry. It should be my mom and Auntie Zhou.”

Just as he said that, there was the sound of hurried footsteps running in.

Auntie Zhou rushed in front, followed by Xiao Chengbang, Mother Xiao, Xiao Lingyu, and fourth uncle Xiao.

“Xinxin, my daughter, are you alright?”As soon as Auntie Zhou entered, she hugged her daughter and looked at her, her eyes filled with worry. When she saw that her daughter was unharmed, she immediately heaved a sigh of relief and said loudly, “Do you know how worried I am? It’s the middle of the night. If anything were to happen to you, what am I supposed to do?”

Xiao Chengbang looked at his daughter and let out a long sigh of relief. Then, he looked at Xiao Lingye and said gratefully, “Lingye, thank you so much!”

They took one hour to travel from Taoyuan Village to Xing Yin County. Who knew what could have happened in that one hour. Thankfully, Xiao Lingye was staying in the county town. Even though he was young, he was already over eighteen and thus a man. It was safer to know their daughter was with a familiar man.

Xiao Xinxin immediately said, “Dad, Mom, if Brother Lingye didn’t arrive in time, I… I might have really been in trouble.”

“Ah?” Xiao Chengbang and his wife asked anxiously, “Xinxin, what happened?”

Xiao Xinxin said, “After hanging up, I waited for Brother Lingye at the bookstore. However, not long after, a group of bikers came. They discovered me and wanted me to follow them. Fortunately, Brother Lingye arrived in time, and those people left!”

“What? A biker gang?” When Xiao Chengbang and his wife heard this, their hearts skipped a beat. They had not seen the bikers, but they knew them from the television. They had scary tattoos.

“Lingye, thank you so much!” Auntie Zhou was indescribably grateful. “If it weren’t for you, we wouldn’t know what would have happened to Xinxin.”

Xiao Lingye said, “Auntie Zhou, Uncle Chengbang, Sister Xinxin, and I grew up together. Of course, I’d help her. Oh right, you should look after Sister Xinxin. She must be tired already. She only had a glass of water to drink. Why don’t you go make something for her to eat?”

“I’ll go!” Mother Xiao said.

Xiao Lingyu asked, “Xinxin, what’s going on?”

“Sis, Sister Xinxin has told me everything.” Xiao Lingye told her about Xiao Xinxin’s encounter with the black-hearted boss.

After that, he said, “Sis, tomorrow I will go and get justice for Sister Xinxin!”