Return of the King, Dominating the City-Chapter 1546 - 1531: Gossipmongers

On the way to Xiao Hua’s house, Song Yun unexpectedly closed a business deal. Although it seemed to help the sect out of its predicament, the real beneficiary was none other than Song Yun himself.

If the business really takes off, the annual net profit of several hundred million would be entirely additional. Furthermore, by doing this business, Song Yun could also gain international exposure, which was extremely thrilling.

Song Yun was driving while thinking about the plans for tomorrow, and soon, the car arrived at Xiao Hua’s house.

By that time, some people had already arrived at Xiao Hua’s house. They were relatives and friends of Xiao Hua, and many from the nearby slum area were also gathered around. They watched as Xiao Hua’s belongings were moved out one by one and were discussing something.

Song Yun parked the car and walked to the entrance of Xiao Hua’s house, just in time to see Xiao Hua coming out of the room with a bedside table.

"Brother." Seeing Song Yun, Xiao Hua exclaimed happily. She was about to walk toward him when she suddenly seemed to remember something and stood still, her face slightly reddening.

Song Yun stayed more composed than Xiao Hua, walked up to her with Qingluan, and said with a smile, "You can even move such a big bedside table!"

"Yeah, I used to do a lot of physical work when I was little!"

Xiao Hua took a deep breath and said, "Brother, you guys wait for a bit; the stuff will be moved out soon!"

"Let’s move together," Song Yun suggested. "That way, it’ll be quicker!"

"Don’t get your clothes dirty," Xiao Hua replied.

"It’s fine, Xiao Hua, you handle the small items. Qingluan, you and I will take the bigger stuff, alright?" asked Song Yun.

"Letting Sister Qingluan carry the heavy items... not good, not good... I’ll do it instead."

"Alright, enough dilly-dallying, we need to hurry and move. I’ve arranged for a few vans to come and help transport the luggage. We just need to move everything to the open space outside first," Song Yun said.

"Got it, brother." Xiao Hua nodded, then glanced at the crowd gathered around her house, her expression subtly uneasy, but Song Yun didn’t notice.

Song Yun entered the house and immediately spotted a large wardrobe, approximately two meters tall, the largest item in the room. Beside the wardrobe stood two men, attempting to move it but failing.

"Let me do it," Song Yun offered, walking over to the wardrobe and grabbing its sides, applying slight force.

Creek, creek.

With a soft sound, to the astonishment of everyone around, Song Yun lifted the entire wardrobe effortlessly and walked out the door with it.

"Scary strength," someone exclaimed in shock, and then they witnessed an even more surprising scene: the woman, as beautiful as a fairy, grabbed the second-largest item in the room, a desk, and walked out with it with ease.

"What’s going on, are we really that weak?" the people around were stunned.

Song Yun moved the wardrobe outside the door and was about to turn back when he heard people behind him whispering.

"Look, look, what did I say, Xiao Hua must have snagged a rich man, and in such a short time she can move to a place inside the city. The new house is supposedly in a prime location in a high-end community; the cost per square meter there is close to ten thousand yuan," a middle-aged woman said.

"I heard she’s working as a hostess!"

Another middle-aged woman chimed in, "My son seems to have seen her at a bar. You think, what kind of girls work in bars? They must be hostesses, and at best, they’re just serving drinks. I never thought Xiao Hua, who always seemed so pure, would do such things!"

"Exactly!"

Another middle-aged woman added, "Haven’t you noticed? Sometimes Xiao Hua comes home at night smelling like alcohol and dressed up extravagantly, with jewelry and other things we’ve never seen at her house before. I reckon someone must be supporting her and sending her gifts. Sigh, such a young girl, doing such things, sigh!"

"And sometimes she doesn’t come home at all. She used to walk past my house on the way home, but lately I’ve noticed there are nights when she doesn’t come back and only returns the next day, often getting dropped off by a private car. Tell me, what’s a young girl doing overnight?" Another middle-aged woman remarked.

"Sigh, I’ll have to warn my daughter about such women. They might enjoy a few good years, but when they get old and their looks fade, those supporting them will surely move on to someone younger. Women who live off their youth never have lasting good days!"

"What are you all talking about!"

As the gossiping women chatted, a reprimanding voice came from the side. Xiao Hua, face full of anger, glared at the onlookers and said, "How can you spread such rumors!"

"Oh my, you heard us, huh?" one of them said, "Whether we’re spreading rumors or not, you know best, don’t you?"

"You... you can’t just talk nonsense about me," Xiao Hua’s face turned bright red. "The money I earn is all legitimate. Don’t say otherwise!"

"We’re not talking nonsense, we’re just speculating. Xiao Hua, we’re just curious about what kind of business you’re in that earns so well. In just a few months, you could afford a house in the city center. If it’s such good work, could you introduce us to it too? I heard you work at a bar," a woman said.

"I’m... I’m a manager there," Xiao Hua stated.

"A manager, wow, Xiao Hua, how old are you this year? I remember you’re nineteen, right? Just graduated high school, correct? Not even twenty, and you’re already a manager at a bar? Xiao Hua, you’re amazing. Plus, I heard that bar is the best in Sunan, to become a manager there before turning 20 is indeed impressive," another woman sneered.

"I’m... I’m really a manager. I worked hard for it," by this time, Xiao Hua was extremely upset. Her brother was right next to her, and these people were gossiping behind her back, saying unpleasant things, which the gentle-natured Xiao Hua couldn’t tolerate.

"You must be close with the boss," a middle-aged woman asked.

"Yes, yes, we’re very close; he’s like a brother to me," Xiao Hua quickly said.

"Oh, like a brother, huh. Nowadays, it’s trendy to have immediate family-like relations, like godparents, god siblings," the middle-aged woman laughed, covering her mouth. "All just ’like family’, huh!"

"You... you..." Xiao Hua was becoming genuinely angry with the sarcastic remarks. The gossip began shortly after she started working for the Shura Alliance, and as her family’s life improved, the gossip only intensified. In these times, there are always those who can’t stand to see others succeed, and in a slum area, such attitudes were even more prevalent. When everyone’s life was hard, they could live harmoniously, but once someone suddenly improved their life, many would feel unbalanced, thinking why are we all from the slum, all poor, yet their life can change suddenly.