A street urchin turned academic genius, starting by saving the blind school beauty.

Chapter 108: A Masterful Explosion of Acting Skills

Lu Zhaoye stood in the crowd, crying and begging everywhere for news of Xu Feng, acting just like a helpless child.

Despite Lu Zhaoye's hard work, he still didn't get any useful information, and the number of workers eating was decreasing.

An auntie selling braised pork rice stood there, looking puzzled, and muttered something.

"Why is everyone eating so fast today? There's almost no one left."

After saying that, the auntie, seeing that there wasn't much business, simply covered the rice bucket and left.

Lu Zhaoye stopped and observed carefully. Sure enough, there were far fewer workers. Before he could think further, a figure suddenly bumped into him.

Then, Lu Zhaoye suddenly felt something appear in his hand.

His eyes sharpened, and he reacted swiftly, quietly slipping the note into his pocket before leaving in the opposite direction of the departing figure.

After a while, most of the people at the factory gate had left. Lu Zhaoye then stopped crying, thanked the old lady who had helped them, and left with Xu Ziqing.

The two arrived at a blind spot in the surveillance footage. Lu Zhaoye looked around, then took out the note he was holding.

"Your father was beaten by the factory foreman, but his life is not in danger."

The handwriting was crooked and messy, and it looked like it was written on the spot. There was not a single extra message.

Lu Zhaoye's tightly furrowed brows instantly relaxed. Just as he thought, how could Xu Ziqing's father so easily find connections in a godforsaken, desolate place?

If I'm not mistaken, Xu Ziqing's father was most likely scammed, and the scammer was the factory director.

Lu Zhaoye didn't hide anything and told Xu Ziqing the news.

Xu Ziqing felt a little anxious upon hearing this, but thankfully she finally knew news about her father. However, what should she do next...?

"Brother, let's call the police."

"No," Lu Zhaoye immediately refused. In the society of later generations, calling the police might actually be useful.

But now there are no cameras covering the entire area, so even if the police come, they probably won't find anything.

Moreover, judging from the workers' reactions, this factory foreman wields considerable power, and calling the police without evidence would be useless.

"Xu Ziqing, your father is not in any life-threatening danger. He was just injured and taken to his dormitory."

"I want to climb over the wall first and take a look. We'll talk about it after I find your father," Lu Zhaoye said.

If Lu Zhaoye only wanted Uncle Xu to get out safely, that would be easy, but Uncle Xu must have spent a lot of money to pull strings, and Lu Zhaoye wasn't willing to give that money away for nothing.

Xu Ziqing's family was already in dire straits, and now they were being bullied just for wanting to get their eyes treated. Lu Zhaoye couldn't swallow this insult.

"No, brother, don't be impulsive. We are outnumbered and definitely can't do it," Xu Ziqing said hurriedly, grabbing Lu Zhaoye's hand.

However, Lu Zhaoye was determined to get rid of this director; he had to meet him first.

"Xu Ziqing, have you forgotten who your older brother is?"

"I'm the school bully of No. 2 High School, you think I'm just all talk? I've been around for years!"

Lu Zhaoye resumed his cheerful demeanor and joked with Xu Ziqing.

Then he continued,

"Don't worry, I'll just go in and take a look. If something really happens, your older brother isn't short-legged."

Without waiting for Xu Ziqing's reply, Lu Zhaoye picked up his schoolbag and stood by the roadside to hail a taxi.

He needed to take Xu Ziqing to a hotel room first. He definitely couldn't bring Xu Ziqing along for this; the room was the safest place.

However, it seems unlikely that I will be able to return to the port city today.

Lu Zhaoye didn't think much of it and took Xu Ziqing back to the hotel next to the shopping mall. They checked in and the hotel receptionist verified their identities without any trouble.

After comforting Xu Ziqing in the room, Lu Zhaoye left the hotel and returned to the vicinity of the factory.

Lu Zhaoye found the blind spot in the surveillance footage. By this time, the sky had completely darkened. He was hiding in the darkness, preparing to jump into the factory, when he suddenly noticed several people walking out of the factory gate.

He looked closely and, judging from her clothes, realized she was an auntie who cooked in the cafeteria. Lu Zhaoye instantly changed his mind, smeared some ash on his face from the wall, and blocked their way home.

"..."

"Aunties, do you know my dad?"

Lu Zhaoye sat by the roadside, hugging his knees, looking utterly hopeless, and shouted weakly at the few people around him.

A kind-hearted auntie immediately ran over, first placing her hand on Lu Zhaoye's forehead, and then anxiously saying,

"Oh, whose child are you? What are you doing here all alone?"

Seeing this, Lu Zhaoye sensed an opportunity and quickly pretended to be very pitiful again, saying...

"My father's name is Xu Feng, and I've been waiting for him here all day."

Upon hearing this, the other women's expressions changed as well, but their faces showed great hesitation, as if they were pondering something.

"I brought my sister to find my father. We don't have much money. My sister is blind. She was so hungry that she went to buy something to eat. She'll come back later and wait for my father with me."

The aunt supporting Lu Zhaoye froze for a moment, then, seeing Lu Zhaoye's pitiful state, her eyes reddened. She hardened her heart, no longer hesitating, and told the truth.

"Son, your father... was beaten up at the factory. He probably won't make it today. Go home quickly."

Lu Zhaoye's acting skills exploded instantly; two lines of tears slowly streamed down his cheeks. He raised his hand to cover his mouth and sobbed softly.

"Why, why didn't everyone tell me sooner?"

The kind-hearted aunt didn't want to hide it either. She wiped away Lu Zhaoye's tears with her rough hands and comforted him, saying...

"Child, it's too dark in here. Everyone's been put on a gag order, and nobody wants to offend anyone."

As soon as the aunt finished speaking, a man behind her gently kicked her and glared at her, signaling her to stop talking.

"Auntie, can you tell me who it is?" Lu Zhaoye continued, his voice filled with anguish, tears still streaming down his face.

The aunt hesitated for a moment, feeling a little worried that she might be implicated.

But Lu Zhaoye spoke again, completely softening the aunt's heart.

"I only need one surname."

Looking at Lu Zhaoye's teary eyes, the aunt suddenly thought of her son in a distant province. Without hesitation,

"His surname is Cao."

"Young man, hurry home. Your father probably won't be able to get out today. He's been sent back to his dorm. Go find your sister and then go home."

After saying that, the aunt took out a few loose ten-yuan bills from her pocket and stuffed them into Lu Zhaoye's hand. She patted his hand and was about to leave.

Having gathered the information, Lu Zhaoye no longer needed to pretend. He wiped his face, immediately stood up, stuffed the money back into the aunt's hand, bowed, and said earnestly,

"Thank you, Auntie. I'm already so happy to have heard from my father. I can't take any more of your money."

"Also, you don't need to worry about my father's affairs; they definitely won't involve you."

After saying that, Lu Zhaoye turned around and ran away without looking back.

"Oh, this child..."