The matter the Young Master had assigned was something he might forget, but Ah Hua couldn’t.

He had indeed been keeping an eye on Xia Ziyu’s situation:

“The doctor brought from Japan has completed her surgery. Plastic surgery requires a recovery period – the doctor said it would take three to five months to look natural. At first, Xia Ziyu was resistant but later became very proactive, eagerly discussing surgical plans with the doctor. Now she’s recovering while learning to dance.”

Xia Ziyu’s mindset was fairly predictable.

Penniless and placed in the Kowloon Walled City as an illegal immigrant. Unlike other mainland illegal immigrants who would simply be deported if caught, Xia Ziyu had pending cases in mainland China – deportation would mean imprisonment.

Under such constraints, she could only rely on Young Master Du to have any chance of climbing back up.

Young Master Du had no use for worthless people. Xia Ziyu’s transition from resistance to active cooperation with the surgery must have involved significant inner struggle, but these minor concerns weren’t something Young Master Du would care about.

Indeed, Du Zhaohui showed no interest in how much Xia Ziyu suffered from the surgery – he only needed to know she hadn’t died on the operating table and had survived the post-operative infection period.

If it weren’t for Xia Xiaolan, he might not have even remembered Xia Ziyu.

He had wanted to buy the Golden Sand Pool property – whether to give it to his father Du Chengrong or develop it into apartments to sell to Hong Kong people would have been fine. But that piece of land happened to belong to Xia Xiaolan.

He hadn’t done anything excessive, yet Xia Xiaolan still despised him so much.

“Do I need to fire Xia Dajun and hand Xia Ziyu over to her? Heh, I, Du Zhaohui, would never deliberately curry favor with a woman!”

If he were to hand over Xia Ziyu, it would only be after confirming she was useless.

He had already arranged Japanese doctors for Xia Ziyu’s surgery. The divide-and-conquer strategy Xia Ziyu came up with – he had to at least let her try it herself!

Though Du Zhaohui looked down on Xia Ziyu, he admitted there was something strange about that woman. If he didn’t fall for it, perhaps his second brother would fancy her. He hoped that the Japanese doctor wouldn’t disappoint him and would make Xia Ziyu look properly attractive!

“By the way, how is Xia Dajun lately?”

Ah Hua bowed and answered, “Does Young Master wish to see him? He took leave from the company a few days ago, seemingly returning to his hometown with that female fellow villager of his.”

Du Zhaohui impatiently waved his hand, “What a worthless man!”

Ah Hua thought the same – Xia Dajun lacked luck.

Twice now Young Master Du had thought of him. The last time, Young Master Du had called for him in the middle of the night but didn’t see him.

This time Young Master Du remembered him again, but Xia Dajun happened to be on leave back in his hometown.

It seemed Xia Dajun was indeed with that female fellow villager… The man was incredibly foolish. When he had sent Xia Dajun’s brothers and niece to Ke Yixiong’s construction site, it had practically saved Xia Dajun’s life.

The whole family was able-bodied, yet they refused to work hard themselves, preferring to leech off Xia Dajun.

Xia Dajun could still provide for them now, as Young Master Du hadn’t reduced his high salary.

But Ah Hua knew that while Young Master Du called Manager Tang a fool, he paid excessive attention to Xia Xiaolan. If Xia Xiaolan showed even slight interest in Young Master Du, could Xia Dajun’s job be secure?

At that point, Xia Dajun would have no blood left to give, only bone marrow to feed his family.

Ah Hua would never give up his position by Young Master Du’s side to Xia Dajun – the extent of kindness he could show only went so far!

Hong Kong, Kowloon Walled City.

When first thrown into this place, Xia Ziyu was terrified.

The neighboring man Xi Gui gave her a dagger for self-defense. It was with this dagger that Xia Ziyu escaped several times from hormone-driven thugs. Even walking on the stairs wasn’t safe – one could be knocked unconscious from behind at any time.

Using the toilet was even more life-threatening. Each floor had only one toilet, shared by men and women. When one removed their pants, who knew who might be peeping through holes in the broken walls?

It was even more disgusting than the environment in River Village.

She constantly thought about escaping this place.

That Du Zhaohui would throw her into such a place – Xia Ziyu cursed day and night.

She cursed Xia Xiaolan who had caused her such misery, cursed Du Zhaohui… cursed the heavens for being unfair.

In a place like Kowloon Walled City, even normal people’s mindsets would become warped, let alone someone as extreme as Xia Ziyu. Initially, she acted like a chaste woman, but later, in her desperation to leave Kowloon Walled City, she set her sights on the neighboring Xi Gui.

That man was crude, but he was Xia Ziyu’s only support.

Yet despite her various attempts at seduction, Xi Gui wouldn’t touch her, as if she carried some contagious disease.

Xia Ziyu didn’t want to sleep with a crude lower-class man either, but being rejected by such a man severely wounded her pride.

The prostitute who was with Xi Gui grabbed her hair and smashed her head against the doorframe:

“You slut, trying to steal my meal ticket! Take a look at yourself – you look like such a village girl!”

Xi Gui rescued Xia Ziyu from his lover’s grasp. Looking at Xia Ziyu’s swollen forehead, he expressed his disgust: “Stop trying to get with me. If you want to leave Kowloon Walled City, begging me won’t help – you’ll have to count on Young Master Du!”

Xia Ziyu’s lip was split, her forehead swollen, and her face bruised from the prostitute’s beating, making her look particularly wretched.

In such a sorry state, she indeed looked worse than even Xi Gui’s prostitute companion.

Hearing Xi Gui’s words, Xia Ziyu’s face turned pale:

“Young Master Du? If I could see Young Master Du, would I be in such a miserable state?”

Xi Gui grabbed her collar, “Stop playing pitiful in front of me, save your strength for future performances. I’ve received news that Young Master Du will let you leave Kowloon Walled City, but only if you cooperate with the Japanese doctor for plastic surgery!”

Plastic surgery?

When Xia Ziyu learned the surgery would be performed in Kowloon Walled City, she initially refused absolutely.

This place had no proper surgical conditions. Having plastic surgery here could mean death from a single infection. Her life was too precious – as long as she stayed alive and left Kowloon Walled City, there was hope. How could she take such a risk?

But what choice did she have?

From the moment she sought Du Zhaohui’s help to escape, the control was no longer in Xia Ziyu’s hands. In the end, she had to agree to the surgery.

In a makeshift operating room, Xia Ziyu underwent plastic surgery.

A month after the surgery, though the signs of surgery hadn’t completely faded, one could already see significant changes in Xia Ziyu’s features… At least she hadn’t died on the operating table or from post-operative infection – heaven still favored her somewhat.

Xia Ziyu sat before the mirror.

Sunlight filtered through the nailed-shut window cracks. Her face was still swollen, but the basic shape had changed.

From an oval face to a small pointed face.

Even though an oval face was supposed to bring good fortune and benefit one’s husband, those men didn’t like it.

Didn’t they all love Xia Xiaolan’s foxy charm?

Then she would have a small pointed face too!

Xia Ziyu touched her renewed face. The Japanese doctor had shaved down her jawbone. While appearance could be artificially created, she had paid an extreme price – after having her jawbone thinned, she would never be able to eat hard foods again.

“Xia Xiaolan, all of this is your gift to me. I shouldn’t have had to suffer like this!”