The father and daughter waited there, but soon, an hour passed… then two… then three… all the way until past midnight at 12:00, and Zhang Xiaofeng still hadn’t returned.
Su Yuebai had lost all hope by now. She truly believed Zhang Xiaofeng wouldn’t come back. Maybe… he really had starved to death! Oh God, she was his murderer, a cruel executioner! His money was with her, and without it, he couldn’t eat. She had killed him!
He clearly loved her so much, yet she had caused his death!
Throughout the day, the police didn’t call either. It was as if he had truly died!
Su Yuebai felt a heavy weight on her chest, like a mountain pressing down on her back. Her legs were weak, and she almost collapsed to the ground! She felt like she had taken a life!
By 2:59 AM, Su Qianghai finally lost his temper and shouted, “What kind of person is this! Acting like he’s so important! I’ve waited here this long just to see him, and he still didn’t show up? Hah!” He spat on the ground.
Su Yuebai felt pain twist inside her. She said, “Dad, don’t say that… maybe he’s already dead…”
“Hahaha! Good! Let him be dead! I’m a multimillionaire, and you expect me to keep waiting here for him? I’ve waited long enough—he’s had more than enough face! He can come or not, whatever. Let’s go home!”
Su Yuebai opened her mouth a few times, wanting to say something, but in the end, she said nothing. Why was her father so cold-hearted? Why did he treat life like it was worthless? Why was his pride so overpowering? This was a human life! They had caused his death! He was fine until they took his money and kicked him out. It was their fault. All their fault!!
But she no longer had the strength to say it. She didn’t want to plead with Su Qianghai anymore.
She could only swallow the bitterness and pain silently.
…
Su Qianghai had already left, but Su Yuebai still stood there waiting. She didn’t go back. Her heart was anxious and tormented. In this situation, even the police couldn’t find him—how could she? She could only sit there helplessly, staring blankly at that pair of worn-out leather shoes and the yellowed shirt, her expression filled with anguish.
“Does my child really have no father now?”
“Even if he’s still alive, does our child still not have a father?”
…
When the sun rose the next morning, Su Yuebai turned her pale face toward the daylight. The rays of light filtered in, and a new day began. But Zhang Xiaofeng still hadn’t come back. What about tonight? Would he come back tonight? Was he still alive?
The thought of someone starving to death by the roadside during peacetime, or collapsing in a ditch somewhere, made her heart ache unbearably! And that person had died because of her. Not just anyone—but her future husband, the father of her unborn child! She felt her hands were stained with blood—she was a butcher! She had killed her child’s father with her own hands!!
Su Yuebai suddenly remembered their university days. That day, it was sunny and warm. Zhang Xiaofeng sat on the field, playing guitar for her, singing for her.
“I love you, love you deeply, just like the sky loves the clouds. No matter how hard life gets, I will always hold you in my arms, protect you, love you…”
…
“You are the person I love most in this life. I will use my broad shoulders and body to hold up the sky for you, shielding you from all storms…”
…
…
Su Yuebai was in low spirits and deeply depressed.
She was the one he loved most… yet she had let him starve to death by the roadside.
She had murdered her own husband!
…
Meanwhile, Zhang Xiaofeng had woken up early, dressed in a brand-new suit for his interview. Before leaving, he combed his hair neatly, styled it, and looked full of energy.
He boarded a bus and quickly arrived at the interview site. On the way, a surveillance camera blinked as if it captured him on video, but he didn’t think much of it. Soon, he arrived at the game company.
The game company was located on the 42nd floor of Jiangs City’s Bomei Building, a very upscale office tower. Once inside, he quickly contacted the person he spoke to the previous day, and they met in an office.
Since it was still early, the boss hadn’t arrived yet. Zhang Xiaofeng chatted with the man for a while. The man was friendly and welcoming, even inviting him to tour the company. After about 20 minutes, the boss arrived.
Zhang Xiaofeng sat face-to-face with the boss in the office. The boss’s name was Zhang Longfa, a man in his forties with a buzz cut, who looked sharp and capable.
Zhang Xiaofeng handed over his diploma and carefully prepared resume. Zhang Longfa glanced at the documents and was immediately surprised, thinking, “Qingbei graduate—impressive!” He’d already made up his mind to keep Zhang Xiaofeng. He was just worried that the salary might not meet his expectations, but everything was negotiable.
“What kind of work did you do before?” Zhang Longfa asked.
Zhang Xiaofeng replied, “I worked at PD Software Park, responsible for front-end development and maintenance. I handled PC, mobile, and tablet platforms, and have extensive experience in development.”
Zhang Longfa glanced at the resume and inwardly exclaimed again, “Impressive, just as expected of a Qingbei graduate.” PD Software Park was the top software zone in Jiang City. Many large companies were incubated there, making it a gathering place for elite talent.
He smiled and said, “We recently started developing a new fast-paced game—a xianxia fantasy title called Divine Dragon 3—but something came up and the project was halted halfway. We’re currently lacking front-end developers. I’m planning to build a 10-person team just for this project. What salary are you expecting?”
“How much are you planning to pay each of the 10 team members?” Zhang Xiaofeng changed the topic.
Zhang Longfa was taken aback. “Why do you ask?”
“You answer first.”
Zhang Longfa raised a few fingers. “8,000 per person, 10,000 after probation.”
“If 10 people can handle the workload, it shouldn’t be a massive project—likely a shell-type trial game for soft launch. I’ve developed many of those before and have plenty of experience. Since the project is already halfway done, I’ll take the position of project lead. As for salary, I want 15,000,” Zhang Xiaofeng said calmly.
At PD Software Park, he had worked tirelessly for Su Yuebai’s parents, developing countless large-scale programs, some as big as 20 GB. His development skills were top-notch. Moreover, for a lightweight fast application game—which needed to load quickly—this was child’s play for him. You are reading on novelping dot com, the official source.
Zhang Longfa was stunned, not because of the salary, but because he didn’t expect to directly recruit a project lead. Low-level talent was easy to find, but a capable team lead was hard to come by. You usually had to poach them from big corporations, and even offering a high salary didn’t guarantee they’d come!
“Alright! Go complete the onboarding process. I’ll personally take you there. Once that’s done, take today to rest. Start officially tomorrow!” Zhang Longfa didn’t want to risk losing him to another company. This was a rare, unaffiliated talent!
He shook Zhang Xiaofeng’s hand tightly.
…
The onboarding process was quick, and not long after, Zhang Xiaofeng was officially hired. As he walked back home, he felt incredibly relaxed and satisfied. His monthly salary had jumped from 6,000 to 15,000—what a huge raise!
He soon returned to his place, lay down, and fell asleep, feeling extremely comfortable.
…
Under the bridge, Su Yuebai’s phone suddenly rang. It was a call from the police. She quickly answered. The officer said, “Hello, we found him. A surveillance camera spotted him…”
Su Yuebai was overjoyed. “Where is he?! I want to see him!”
“We don’t know that, but he’s not missing. He’s alive and working normally…”
After ending the call, Su Yuebai hurried out to the street and flagged down a passerby. She quickly borrowed their phone and called Zhang Xiaofeng.
Ring… ring… She anxiously listened to the ringing tone, feeling both nervous and excited. He wasn’t dead after all. She hadn’t lost her conscience. Her child still had a father!
After a moment, the call connected. Zhang Xiaofeng’s voice came from the other end, “Hello? Who is this?”
After so many days, hearing his voice again made Su Yuebai’s heart race. A wave of joy and relief overwhelmed her. She took a deep breath and quickly said, “Honey, it’s me. I borrowed a stranger’s phone to call you. Where are you? I want to see you…”
Beep—beep—beep!!!
He hung up on her.
Su Yuebai froze on the spot in shock!
She remembered how he never used to hang up on her. But now…!
In that moment, her heart was filled with loss and pain. She felt like she’d been abandoned.
She stood dazed and motionless for a long time before pulling herself together and quickly called again. But this time, the response was cold and mechanical: “The number you dialed is currently powered off.”
She had been blocked!