A Good-for-Nothing

157. Trouble Knocking at the Door (1)

Translator: Dragon Rider

In the residential district called Century Town.

What with the ongoing winding up of the previous infiltration of the bureau by a demon, all trainees, who originally had been supposed to have another training session, were having a day off. He Zheng had intended to stay in the Supernaturalism Management Bureau (SMB), but Li Zong was working overtime, and it was very unlikely that they’d get any chances of seeing each other in the bureau this day, so He Zheng had returned to the Century Town.

He Zheng was having a good time playing video games when suddenly there was a knock at the door.

He Yu and He Changchun were standing in the doorway, the latter having a darkened face, seeming to be in transports of anger. He Yu was giving embellishment to the situation, adding fuel to the flames of her father’s rage. “So He Zheng has been living in a place like this. Dad, you said that Li Zong cares much about He Zheng. If that’s true, how come he hasn’t even got He Zheng a decent house? Maybe it’s all just pretence, and their marriage is actually being an unbearable torture to them.”

He Changchun’s face went even sulkier.

He’d been nicer to He Zheng recently solely because Li Zong appeared to be very good to He Zheng. Taking Li Zong’s respectability into consideration and also in an attempt to cotton up to Li Zong, He Changchun had even ordered that nobody of the He family make another unfavorable comment on He Zheng.

At the sight of the small apartment that He Zheng had been living in, He Changchun’s countenance grew sullener. Li Zong clearly thought little of He Zheng, which was why he had He Zheng live in a small apartment like this!

God knew how He Changchun had come to misunderstand Li Zong, who had been treating He Zheng as the apple of his eye all along.

But this kind of things were always unknown to outsiders. Due to He Yu’s incitement, He Changchun’s anger rose higher.

He Zheng was playing video games and didn’t hear the knock at all. He Changchun, after waiting for quite a while, mistakenly believed that He Zheng was deliberately keeping him waiting, lost his temper and started to hammer the door harder.

He Yu took advantage of this opportunity to fan the flames of her father’s fury. “Dad, He Zheng is going beyond the pale! I checked with someone and I’m sure He Zheng is in here. He’s doing this on purpose!”

He Changchun’s face was as dark as the bottom of a wok.

“Call him.”

He Yu was sent into embarrassment. On no account would she keep that good-for-nothing’s number on her cellphone.

“Maybe it’s better if you make the call, Dad.”

Finally, the continual sound of hammering caught He Zheng’s attention.

He walked up to the monitor and took a look. The sight of He Changchun standing outside briefly stupefied him and with that he furrowed his brows.

What had this old fart come here for?

“Open up, He Zheng! I know you’re in there.” He Changchun sounded very sulky.

He Zheng thought for a moment and then pulled the door open. He Yu squeezed in without thinking or changing shoes, her high-heels staining the floor.

“Tut-tut, look how small this apartment is. It’s so inconsiderate of Brother Li to have you live in a place like this,” commented He Yu instantly in a very haughty tone, chuckling. “He Zheng, you might as well go back home if you have nowhere else to live in. At least our house is bigger than this.”

He Zheng wouldn’t have opened the door had he noticed He Yu was with his father.

He Zheng’s face quickly went icy at He Yu’s conduct.

“Get the hell out of my apartment.”

He Yu almost snapped back “What if I don’t?”, but she had learned her lesson and knew better than to play hardball and quarrel with this good-for-nothing. Standing behind He Changchun, she said loftily, “You’re still so cocky. I don’t know how you have the nerve to put on airs in front of us after doing such a shameful thing, He Zheng. You’re an absolute disgrace to our family.”

“You’re not leaving, huh?” He Zheng, ignoring her nonsense, fished out his smartphone and started calling the police.

“Hey, what are you doing?” He Yu’s heart jolted when she saw him poke the phone screen with his finger.

“Pooh!” He Zheng didn’t even glance at her.

“Dad! Look what he’s doing!”

“You ungrateful creature! Put your phone down! You think you haven’t brought enough shame on our family?!” thundered He Changchun immediately as he saw He Zheng was really dialing 110.

Staring at He Changchun with an icy look on his face, inwardly cursing himself for having opened the door, He Zheng sneered, “Leave my house first if you’re going to lose it.”

“Thi–This is how you talk to your father?!”

“You may leave if you don’t like the way I talk. I don’t remember inviting you.” He Zheng’s last bit of filial affection was gone. He was still standing at the partition board, arms crossed on his chest, having no intention of letting them go any deeper into the apartment.

He Changchun was consumed with rage.

“He Zheng! How dare you still act so arrogantly! Tell me! Did you participate in STTP?!” He Changchun, having run out of patience, went straight to the point.

He Zheng knitted his brows, wondering since when this old fart had begun to care about him so much.

He made no reply, and He Changchun took it as a yes.

He Changchun’s heart sank deeper. He knew better than anybody what He Zheng could and could not do, and believed that Li Zong definitely had abused his position as vice-superintendent to help He Zheng pass the interview, which was why he’d got removed from office.

A chuckle escaped He Yu’s lips, but she didn’t dare go too far and hurriedly said, “Like I said, Dad, it’s definitely because of him. If it weren’t for him, how come Brother Li couldn’t even keep his post as vice-superintendent? I wonder what kind of filthy artifice he used to coerce Brother Li!”

He Zheng was running out of patience. He Changchun and He Yu were acting like mad dogs, giving He Zheng headaches with their wild accusations.

Feeling rather impatient, He Zheng intended to chuck them out.

What with He Yu’s instigation, He Changchun’s eyes gradually went frosty. “I really regret not having strangled you when you were incapable of cultivating. There wouldn’t have been so much trouble had I done that.”

He Zheng was sent into an astounded trance, feeling a bucketful of ice cascade into his stomach.

“What do you mean?”

He Changchun let out a ghoulish laugh. In a fit of ire, He Changchun disclosed a secret that he had never told anybody before. “You think I’d let a good-for-nothing ruin the He family’s reputation? Had Zhu Ning not begged me on her knees… Ha-ha, during all these years, the only stupid thing I did was spare your life!”

A flicker of astonishment crossed He Yu’s eyes. Wouldn’t this good-for-nothing explode with wrath at these words?

Unexpectedly, He Zheng’s countenance went vacant at He Changchun’s remarks, fists clenched by his sides, but he didn’t go berserk.