1The woman was clad in a dark green knee-length dress with a brown belt, which made her look fashionable and attractive.
She was also very pretty, the only flaw being the slight upward tilt at the corners of her eyes, which gave her a somewhat mean appearance.
Of course, the murderous intent Xiao Ming felt had nothing to do with her looks, and not even with her as a person.
After graduating from college, his good brother from their dorm invited him to start a business together; the ambitious Xiao Ming agreed without a second thought.
For this, he did not hesitate to go into debt, even keeping daily living expenses with Jiang Xue under thirty, toiling and struggling for over a year. Finally, the company stabilized with regular supplies and customers and got onto the right track.
Just when it seemed that the hardships were about to yield to sweet outcomes, just when he was about to fulfill the happy promises made to his wife, his good brother suddenly planned to go abroad and proposed to withdraw his investment.
Although Xiao Ming was very dissatisfied that the other party had applied for a visa without telling him and only brought it up when he was almost leaving, Xiao Ming still gave all the company's funds to him and held a farewell banquet.
What he didn't know was that this was just the beginning of a nightmare.
The supplies had long been shipped out, with suppliers constantly urging payment, but the customers' payments kept being delayed. Xiao Ming found it strange and went to the customer's location himself, only to be dumbfounded.
It was a shell company that had rented a space in a residential area and the boss had long absconded.
With no other recourse, Xiao Ming had to file for bankruptcy, selling off his wife's dowry jewelry and his parents' relics just to barely clear the debts.
During that time, he faced rejections in every job search and lived off his wife Jiang Xue's salary, facing immense mental pressure every day.
During a chance online chat with an old classmate, he was told that the good brother's ID card had been altered and that his actual birthplace was Shen City.
And Shen City happened to be where that shell company was located.
Xiao Ming was struck as if by lightning, recalling how it was his good brother who had convinced him to abandon their reliable old clients for the new client that offered a higher price, even vouching for them to send the goods first and receive payment later.
He immediately dialed his good brother's overseas number.
Unsurprisingly, it was no longer in service.
The so-called entrepreneurship was just a scam.
The so-called good brother had simply used him as a tool to gather funds to go abroad.
Yet, he had no evidence to support his suspicions, and going to the police was useless.
From then on, his pride shattered completely, and he became reckless, gradually turning into a hopeless gambler.
It can be said that Xiao Ming's wife's tragic death, his imprisonment, and all his fate in his previous life were gifts from that good brother.
In this life, although his fate had changed, the hatred in his heart had not diminished in the slightest.
And the woman in front of him was his former university classmate, as well as the wife of that good brother.
"What are you looking at? Can't you understand human speech? I want to make a complaint..."
The woman suddenly paused, stepped forward for a closer look, and her eyes gradually widened, "You... you're Xiao Ming?"
Xiao Ming had an expressionless face, "Long time no see, Hu Xiaotong."
"Yeah! It's been three or four years, hasn't it?"
Hu Xiaotong's expression initially showed some excitement, but then she sized him up and asked suspiciously, "You're not really working here, are you?"
"All my assets were taken abroad by you two to enjoy yourselves; is it strange for me to work here?"
"I warn you not to talk nonsense!" Hu Xiaotong's face changed instantly, "The company's bankruptcy was due to your incompetence. When my husband was there, everything was on the up and up."
"Indeed," Xiao Ming sneered, "If it wasn't on the up and up, he surely wouldn't have left with five hundred thousand after investing only fifty thousand."
"That's because my husband is capable. The moment he left, the company went under. Instead of looking for faults in yourself, you're here slinging mud around. As expected of a Han Nation Person with inherent deficiencies, a complete loser and loser.
Xiao Ming, you're destined to be a waste in this life."
Hu Xiaotong spat contemptuously, and then her eyes lit up as she waved toward someone behind Xiao Ming.
"Husband, husband come here quick, guess who I've bumped into?"
Xiao Ming turned around and saw a man in a smoky-grey suit striding towards him. It was his "good brother" Wan Xingping, whom he had dismembered countless times in his dreams in his previous life.
Seeing him, Wan Xingping's steps momentarily paused, and then his expression turned playful. As he brushed past Xiao Ming, he put his arm around his wife's shoulders and then, with a condescending laugh, said, "What a coincidence."
"Xiao Ming, I've heard you've taken to gambling in your spare time these past two years. So what, did you get lucky and strike it rich, so now you're here to buy a luxury car?"
"Bullshit buying a car," Hu Xiaotong snorted disdainfully, "Didn't you see what he's wearing? He looks exactly like the salespeople here."
It was as if Wan Xingping had only just noticed, and he exclaimed dramatically, "Oh! My apologies! I just couldn't imagine that the once self-important campus celebrity would be here selling cars.
No question about it, given our relationship, I must give you my support.
How much commission do you make for selling one car? Forget about the previous salesperson, we will count this sale as yours."
"Oh, honey! You're too kind."
Hu Xiaotong looked aggrieved and resentful, "You remember your old classmate and take the initiative to help him increase his business, but he just pinned the blame for his company bankruptcy on you!"
"Is that so!" Wan Xingping frowned, "Xiao Ming, that was wrong of you. Back when we were in business together, we never had any trouble and even parted on good terms.
I know you care about face, and it doesn't matter what you say to others; I don't mind, but to say such things to my wife, isn't that going too far?"
Xiao Ming couldn't help but laugh.
The words "shameless" might as well have been written on the other's forehead, and trying to reason with him was just a waste of time.
Back when Wan Xingping was overseas, Xiao Ming couldn't reach him, but now that he was back, there would be plenty of opportunities to settle scores.
Reasons are always best given after you've knocked your opponent to the ground.
Shaking his head, Xiao Ming turned to walk away, but Wan Xingping clearly had no intention of letting him go just like that.
"Stop right there!"
Wan Xingping's tone became serious, "Xiao Ming, out of respect for our old classmate relationship, I can forgive your rudeness. But now we are customers, and as a service employee, if you don't provide good service, we will file a complaint against you."
Xiao Ming turned around, his gaze icy, "Are you sure you want to 'enjoy' my personal 'service'?"
Wan Xingping had never seen such a look in someone's eyes before, a flicker of fear instinctively rising within him, which immediately made him feel embarrassed and, as a result, he became furious.
"Very good! Excellent! I actually felt pity for you and didn't want to make a fuss, but since you're asking for it, there's nothing more to say.
Back then I could take every penny out of your pockets, and today I can make you lose your job.
As long as I, Wan Xingping, am in Longyin for one day, you're fucking doomed to starve!"
Xiao Ming's eyebrows quirked slightly; something felt off.
Logically, in the incident back then, he was the victim, and Wan Xingping was the victor.
It was normal for a victor to gloat in front of a victim, but Wan Xingping, grinding his teeth, looked as though he had been the one wronged by Xiao Ming.
That was the taste of hatred.
Wan Xingping hated me.
But why?
"Mr. Wan, Mrs. Wan, I'm truly sorry. I just took a call, and it distracted me,"
At that moment, a short and plump man hurried over, apologizing to the Wan couple with nods and bows.
"Cut the crap!"
Wan Xingping pointed at Xiao Ming arrogantly, "This employee of yours has a bad attitude, and he dared to insult us. I'd like to know, is this the kind of service your dealership provides?"
The short plump man turned around, looked Xiao Ming up and down, and then burst out scolding, "Are you new here? Not wearing a name tag during work and daring to be rude to customers, do you have a death wish?
Get out! Get out right now! You're fired!"
Xiao Ming was speechless.
Dammit! Do I really look that much like a salesperson? This suit was my wedding outfit!