Chapter 2194

"This..." Zhao Desan intentionally pondered for a moment, then said, "It seems you did drink quite a bit that day, but when Deputy Director He and I left that night, you seemed quite sober!" Zhao Desan deliberately played a little trick.

"How could that be? I really don't know anything at all," Hu Tao explained.

"Hmm, I believe you on that. However, even if your mind isn't under your own control for a moment, your actions can still lead to things even you can't control." As Zhao Desan said this, he nodded, implying that this should be the truth.

"Fine, fine, let's not dwell on this issue. The thing is, this Young Lady Zheng Ru is really not someone to be trifled with. Even if I did do something to her after I got drunk, she isn't exactly a young maiden anymore, is she? But, but she—damn it—is pestering me endlessly, wanting to settle scores! I'm so scared of her I've even thought about dying," Hu Tao said in utter helplessness.

"Good grief, you Hu Tao, so you're that kind of person. That day, Sister He specifically brought Zheng Ru along to break the ice, but I never expected you, you bastard, to harbor evil intentions toward her, and what's more, you actually took the opportunity to do that with her. Are you, are you even human?" Zhao Desan was astonished by what happened that night and, for a moment, couldn't contain his rage as he cursed at Hu Tao. He truly hadn't expected that Zheng Ru, such a beautiful, untouched maiden, had been taken by this bastard Hu Tao. This guy was truly bold enough to touch even Zheng Zheng Tulu's daughter. Although he thought this, Zhao Desan still felt deeply suspicious. He thought to himself, even if Hu Tao had the guts of a lion, he wouldn't dare to actively provoke Zheng Zheng Tulu's daughter, would he? Could it be that he really was dead drunk that night? But if he was that wasted, where would he have the energy to do that? Besides, he and Zheng Ru weren't staying in the same room. The more Zhao Desan thought about it, the more wrong it felt.

"No, no, I really didn't know what I was doing that day." Hu Tao looked like he was about to cry from being wronged. To him, even if he had the guts of a lion, he wouldn't provoke Zheng Zheng Tulu's daughter, let alone have that kind of thing happen with her. In his heart, he only wished that he had drunk a bit too much that night, and after getting drunk, he had seemingly lost his mind and rushed into Zheng Ru's room. And after he climbed onto Zheng Ru's body, she didn't resist much; instead, she became increasingly receptive. It wasn't until he woke up the next morning that Zheng Ru found herself lying in bed with Hu Tao, stark naked. Seeing the wet patches on the bedsheets, she suddenly realized she had lost her virginity that night. Her emotions spiraled out of control, and she began to beat the sleeping, dead-to-the-world Hu Tao like a madwoman.

"Then since you didn't do anything to her, why is she pestering you and wanting to settle scores?" Zhao Desan asked, pursuing the matter. Hu Tao's explanation had left him a bit confused; he couldn't figure out if this guy had actually done it with Zheng Ru or not.

"Sigh, actually, actually it probably happened. It's my fault for having a weak will..." Hu Tao's expression looked very remorseful.

Zhao Desan felt there was more to his words and immediately interrupted him, asking, "What? It seems you two have been in contact ever since that night?" When Zhao Desan asked this, his face showed an extremely angry expression. At this very moment, he hoped more than anything that what happened that night wasn't true. If Zheng Ru had fallen into the hands of Hu Tao, the enemy who had cuckolded him, then to a certain extent, this guy had given him two green hats. How could Zhao Desan be willing to accept that?

Perhaps it was because Hu Tao felt guilty, or perhaps he still needed Zhao Desan's help for things to come, so he nodded honestly.

Zhao Desan was shocked and asked urgently, "It seems you two really did get together?"

Hu Tao grimaced and continued, "It's all my fault for being greedy. I thought, what's the big deal about playing with a woman? I've had so many women before, and it was always just for fun. But it just had to be this time—this time I fell right into Zheng Ru's hands." As Hu Tao spoke, he shook his head vigorously. After he finished, he saw Zhao Desan staring at him with a fierce, predatory gaze, and only then did he realize that what he had said didn't sound very pleasant. After all, he had pried Zheng Jie, that young married woman, away from Zhao Desan. If Zhao Desan knew he was just playing with Zheng Jie, wouldn't he hate him even more? Forget about helping him with the Zheng Ru matter; not causing him trouble would already be a blessing. Seeing Zhao Desan's hateful expression, Hu Tao tactfully lowered his head.

Zhao Desan lowered his hateful gaze, pointed a finger at Hu Tao, and said fiercely, "Damn it, I think you deserve it. You already have so many women around you, why couldn't you even spare an untouched maiden!"

"Sigh, maybe I really drank too much that night. It was like I was possessed; I didn't know anything, I just wanted... just wanted to do that thing. But you have to admit, this girl Zheng Ru is really different from other women. I can't say exactly how, but I always feel there's something special about her. Maybe it's because I was looking for that special something that I... I ended up on this pirate ship..." Hu Tao reminisced about the scene of him and Zheng Ru lingering in bed, fueled by the alcohol, and appeared somewhat intoxicated.

A fire of rage was already burning in Zhao Desan's heart, but he forced himself to endure it, furrowing his brows. Ignoring the surroundings, he shouted at Hu Tao, "I think you, you bastard, are getting off easy and still complaining! Since you say it sounds like Zheng Ru has taken a liking to you, why are you still looking for trouble?"

"Sigh, I originally thought I'd hit the jackpot, but I didn't expect this woman to be a tigress. Aside from that night and that morning in bed where she let a man enjoy himself to the fullest, these two days she's suddenly become a different person. It's simply unbearable. She... she wants to settle scores with me!" Hu Tao said with a pained expression.

"What exactly did she do to you to make you like this?" Zhao Desan asked impatiently. Then, remembering something, he reached out to block Hu Tao, who was about to speak, and continued, "I think you, you bastard, are just tired of the old and craving the new, aren't you?"

"This... this, I never really distinguish between new and old. You know that. I'm used to being casual; how could I endure exhausting all my energy on just one woman!" Hu Tao revealed the truth.

Hu Tao's words were undoubtedly rubbing salt into Zhao Desan's wounds. He had clearly pried Zheng Jie away from Zhao Desan's side, and now, to Zhao Desan's face, he was saying things like, "How could I endure exhausting all my energy on just one woman!" This kind of getting off easy while still complaining was like a needle piercing Zhao Desan's heart, and it was like adding fuel to the fire, causing the rage in Zhao Desan's heart to flare up. Looking at Hu Tao's miserable face, Zhao Desan suddenly realized a question he had overlooked: why would this guy come to him for help? He could lower himself to come to him, so he must have something he needed. If he came to him for help because he had forced himself on Zheng Ru while drunk, why come to him? Therefore, Zhao Desan didn't continue to ask for the specific facts, but instead glared at him fiercely and asked, "Hu Tao, you bastard, you're getting off easy and still complaining. Even if you're looking for someone to help solve this, why the hell did you come to me? Can I solve your problem?"

Seeing Zhao Desan's gloomy face and his furious appearance, Hu Tao quickly furrowed his brows, made a bitter face, and nodded repeatedly in a subservient manner, saying, "I can, Brother Liu, only you... only you can help me. You must help me."

Zhao Desan tilted his head and continued to ask fiercely, "How could I possibly help you?"

Hu Tao then began to explain why he had come to Zhao Desan today to help him solve this difficulty. It turned out that yesterday morning, when he had just comforted the crying and fussing Zheng Ru and personally driven her home to rest, after dropping her off and just getting into the car, He Liping's call came through, asking if Zheng Ru had woken up yet. He Liping seemed to know what had happened last night. Under her relentless questioning, the guilty Hu Tao finally couldn't take He Liping's aggressive interrogation and arranged to meet her at a teahouse at noon.

Before noon, Hu Tao, with an extremely uneasy heart, found a teahouse not far from the Construction Committee, sat down, and sent He Liping

a text message with the location. He sat in the teahouse drinking tea, recalling the "strange things" that happened that night, while waiting for He Liping to arrive. On one hand, he wanted to confess to He Liping about last night, because in his view, he had already made a mistake. If he didn't take the initiative to confess to He Liping, a leader he had collaborated with many times, the emotionally unstable Zheng Ru would sooner or later spill the beans. Once this matter spread and was known by He Liping and Zheng Zheng Tulu, neither of them would spare him, so it was better to confess to He Liping first. On the other hand, if Zheng Ru really insisted on holding onto this matter and caused a huge scene, his reputation being ruined would be a minor issue, but he feared he wouldn't be able to land any more projects from the Construction Committee in the future. He was not yet forty; cutting off his livelihood was a major issue. Moreover, the one who tied the bell must be the one to untie it; that dinner was organized by He Liping. Hu Tao felt that only He Liping could step forward to help him plead with Zheng Ru and soothe her emotions, and perhaps then a big issue could be reduced to a small one.