Rotting Land: Survive

Chapter 825: Chapter 810: Wang Qiang’s Disappointment

A string of water droplets trickled down from the spout of the bathroom faucet. Tang Xiaoquan cupped his hands underneath, splashing the icy cold water onto his face, sending a shiver through him, yet also sweeping away his fatigue.

He repeated this action a few times, splashing his face until he felt his mind was refreshed, then finally stopped.

Turning off the faucet, he stepped out of the bathroom, pacing back and forth with small steps in his room. He moved slowly, as if every step he took was a decision made after deep contemplation.

But it was evident that the matter causing Tang Xiaoquan such mental anguish was certainly not something as trivial and tedious as taking steps. What he was still pondering was related to the factory.

He needed to find more valid evidence to support his recent deductions. After all, Liu Fugui and his group remained an indispensable force, a rare asset in resolving the villa’s current crisis.

Therefore, before thoroughly proving his deductions, Tang Xiaoquan did not want to make a big deal by reporting to Old Xu and the others.

Because once this was spoken, it would mean a complete break with Liu Fugui’s group.

In that case, if the final result was inconsistent with his hypothesis, what they might lose could be more than just a usable force, perhaps even turning temporary friends into permanent enemies. That was absolutely not what Tang Xiaoquan wanted to see.

Fortunately, his sense of crisis prevented him from acting rashly, thus avoiding a major misunderstanding that shouldn’t have happened.

After spending nearly another hour reflecting and analyzing recent events in his mind, Tang Xiaoquan finally abandoned his earth-shattering hypothesis.

Even if Liu Fugui knew he wanted to visit his parents’ hometown, how could he arrange to send someone there so quickly?

Moreover, Tang Xiaoquan had personally been to JZ; the existence of the sanctuary was not fabricated.

If Liu Fugui intended to use Niu Lizhan and Yao Ruyi to tell the story of the HA sanctuary, thereby luring the villa to send people there to weaken its defenses and create an opportunity for Spring Xiu and others to attack, why hadn’t the villa suffered even a single attack during all this time?

Furthermore, today, during the time Huang Yong captured them, he kept cursing about He Lei concerning Yao Ruyi and others, proving they were indeed tricked by He Lei.

From a series of analyses, Tang Xiaoquan not only negated his previous theories but also increasingly affirmed that Liu Fugui, Huang Yong and their group’s words were true.

They indeed were betrayed and framed by He Lei, and the factory indeed had changed hands.

The gradual clarity of the situation brightened Tang Xiaoquan’s previously gloomy mood. Eliminating the potential threat posed by Liu Fugui and others was undoubtedly the best news for the current villa.

Yet, even if Tang Xiaoquan could determine that Liu Fugui had no connection with Spring Xiu and others, allowing the villa to potentially cooperate with them, he could not eliminate some inherent and unavoidable potential conflicts.

For instance, the angry face-off currently playing out in the villa hallway was a true reflection of this statement.

Wang Qiang returned to the villa feeling disappointed because he couldn’t find Yang Xue. Their relationship was finally patched up, and Wang Qiang once believed that Yang Xue had changed. However, Liu Yunpeng’s presence seemed to have undone everything.

Although Wang Qiang was reluctant to admit that things had changed, the truth was harsh. Since this rich man with the surname Liu moved into the villa, he hadn’t received Yan Xue’s playful check-in calls.

Even though he had been back to the villa for a long time, he hadn’t seen her welcoming figure.

This made Wang Qiang feel somewhat downhearted, so not long after eating, he hurried back to his room to take a shower, now quickly heading upstairs to investigate Yang Xue’s room.

It seemed as though fate was deliberately playing tricks on this young man. Hardly had Wang Qiang set foot in the corridor when he coincidentally bumped into Liu Yunpeng coming out with a thermos.

The scene when these two met truly sparked tension, with Wang Qiang’s eyes bulging like hard-boiled eggs, seeming like a volcano about to erupt. If not for Old Xu and the others’ admonitions, he would’ve probably unleashed his fists to avenge the insults he suffered during the factory incident with no hesitation.

Compared to Wang Qiang’s fury, even though Liu Yunpeng’s eyes were also fiery, his demeanor was noticeably less expressive.

Understandably so. On one hand, Liu Fugui had just admonished him not to cause trouble in the villa; on the other, he was aware that this was someone else’s territory, and getting into trouble might be life-threatening.

Thus, with one side enraged and the other subdued, the fight simply didn’t commence.

Watching Liu Yunpeng’s departing figure, Wang Qiang gritted his teeth in frustration.

Little did he know, Liu Yunpeng also felt unsatisfied inside. He clearly understood the other’s intentions, yet precisely that goal was something he could not tolerate, as if someone was attempting to take away his toy.

Though he might not necessarily cherish this toy, he absolutely could not allow anyone to snatch it away.

Yang Xue was sleeping sweetly, unaware that at that moment, two men were vying for her attention until someone knocked on her door.

"Knock! Knock! Knock!"

"Ah Xue, it’s me, Wang Qiang!" Wang Qiang’s affectionate voice seemed a bit cheesy, but thankfully there was no one else in the corridor, otherwise, goosebumps might have riddled the floor.

"Knock! Knock! Knock!"

"Lazybones, what time is it, still sleeping? I’m back, open the door!" Wang Qiang teased, assuming she was sleeping at this hour, though he evidently overestimated her patience.

"Ugh, so annoying, you’re back, fine, but why disturb my sleep? Are you crazy? Don’t you know I nap at this time? You woke me up from a good dream. So annoying!!"

Immediately, the fire burning in Wang Qiang’s heart was completely extinguished by a bucket of cold water, leaving him speechless, his words lost.

Flustered, all he could do was stammer an apology: "Oh, I’m... I’m sorry, Ah Xue, I... I thought you were awake by now, so... so you go back to sleep, I... I won’t disturb you this time, I’ll... I’ll see you tonight then. Bye..."

Disappointed, deeply disappointed, Wang Qiang stood outside Yang Xue’s door for three minutes, but received no response.

More awkwardly, as he turned to leave and make his way down the stairs to his room, he happened to cross paths again with Liu Yunpeng returning with the water thermos.

This time, both men’s attitudes had completely reversed. The desolate Wang Qiang merely glanced at Liu Yunpeng before quickly leaving, unwilling to show his dejected face.

As for Liu Yunpeng, upon seeing Wang Qiang’s despondent departure, his previous annoyance vanished, and even his initially gloomy mood suddenly lifted, causing him to hum a little tune with excitement. (To be continued. If you like this work, please visit qidian.com to cast votes of recommendation and monthly tickets. Your support is the biggest motivation for me. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)