Lin Qingxue was still shaken. Her fair, delicate face was full of alarm, and a thin sheen of tears clouded her almond-shaped eyes beneath her willow-leaf brows. She looked like a frightened little white rabbit.
Seeing her like that, Li Feng wanted to slap himself.
Li Feng, you’re no kind of man!
How could you let your wife suffer such humiliation?!
His eyes reddened. Regret and remorse knotted together inside him, and his heart ached so badly that, for a moment, he couldn’t breathe.
Holding back a sob, he softened his voice. “It’s all right now. It’s all right. Don’t be afraid…”
Lin Qingxue stiffened. The next moment, she resisted and tried to push Li Feng away.
Li Feng was built like a tank. Even when she pushed him with all her slight strength, he didn’t budge.
“Let go of me!” Lin Qingxue snapped.
Li Feng didn’t dare cling to that warmth. He hurriedly released her, but instinctively stepped in front of her.
“I didn’t break your arms and legs, you coward, and now you dare hit me?” Brother Hu, the loan shark, spat on the ground. “If you know what’s good for you, send your wife over so I can have some fun with her. Otherwise, you’re going home lying down today!”
Li Feng’s expression darkened.
In his previous life, these two scumbags had raped his wife, but he’d been too cowardly to stand up for Qingxue.
He had been given another life to make amends. Even if it killed him, he wouldn’t let these men lay a finger on Qingxue again!
“You can’t touch my wife!” A flash of ferocity crossed Li Feng’s face.
Lin Qingxue stiffened all over and stared at Li Feng’s broad back in disbelief.
Was he protecting her?
The next moment, she forced herself to calm down.
How could that be? Li Feng only cared about himself. Why would he care whether she lived or died?
Whenever the debt collectors came, he hid and left her to deal with the mess.
To trick money out of her, he would sometimes treat her a little better. Once he’d gotten the money, he could turn on her in an instant.
How much money was he trying to swindle out of her this time?
Lin Qingxue gave a bitter smile.
Brother Hu picked at his ear. “What was that? I can’t touch your wife? Then pay up. With principal and interest, you owe me 150,000 yuan. If you’ve got no money, get out of the way and let me have a taste of your wife first.”
Brother Hu ordered his underling, “Beat this coward half to death.”
The underling answered obsequiously and charged over, swinging a fist at Li Feng’s face.
There was no time to grab his fist.
Li Feng charged at the underling like a cannonball. The man couldn’t withstand the impact and slammed hard into the ground, sending up a cloud of dust.
Stars swam before the underling’s eyes.
You bastard!
You’re crushing me!
Brother Hu cursed, “Shit!” and rushed over, punching Li Feng in the back.
Li Feng took the punch without flinching. He wrapped both fat arms around Li Feng’s legs and heaved upward. Brother Hu lost his balance and crashed to the ground.
Li Feng stood up. With the weight on top of him suddenly gone, the underling finally breathed a sigh of relief—only to see, in horror, Brother Hu being grabbed by Li Feng and tossed onto him.
Crushed beneath him again, the underling nearly spat blood.
Li Feng took a step forward and sat on Brother Hu. He pulled the steel pen he kept in his pocket to look cool, removed the cap, and pressed its sharp point against Brother Hu’s eyeball.
If he pushed the pen just half an inch farther, that eye would be ruined!
A wave of terror swept through Brother Hu. He swallowed with difficulty. “W-we can talk this out…”
A chilling murderous aura radiated from Li Feng. “Give me half a month. I’ll pay the whole 150,000 back at once.”
The sharp pen tip was right before his eye. Overawed, Brother Hu didn’t dare refuse. “Fine. I’ll give you another half month. If you can’t pay me back then, neither you, your wife, nor your kids are getting away!”
Li Feng pulled his hand back and stood.
Brother Hu and his underling clutched their stomachs as they struggled to their feet. Brother Hu glared at Li Feng, then they left, supporting each other.
Li Feng moved his clumsy body over to Lin Qingxue. His feelings churned in his chest, but in the end, all he managed to say was, “Wife…”
Lin Qingxue looked at him in anguish. “One hundred and fifty thousand! How are you going to pay that back? Are you going to steal my ID card again and take out online loans in my name? Li Feng, start acting like a human being! Xiaoze and An’an are still little. I have to raise them!”
“I’ve been a bastard—drinking, whoring, gambling, and leaving our family so poor even beggars wouldn’t look twice at us.” Li Feng rubbed his hands together nervously, utterly humble. “Wife, I’ll never do those awful things again. I’ll work hard and pay off the debt, and give you and the kids a good life!”
Lin Qingxue shook her head. “I’m tired of hearing that.”
Li Feng panicked. “You can’t leave! Both kids are registered in Jiangcheng. If they go to school somewhere else, we’ll have to pay extra tuition. Qingxue, you can’t afford that. You can’t let the kids drop out, can you?”
The children were Lin Qingxue’s weak spot.
She fell silent.
Li Feng pressed on. “Stay in Jiangcheng for another half a month and save up a little more. Then you’ll have enough to rent a place and cover food when you move somewhere else.”
Lin Qingxue was tempted.
She couldn’t let the children end up sleeping on the street with her.
Lin Qingxue gritted her teeth. “I’ll stay for half a month, and if you ask me for even a cent, I’m leaving immediately.”