“Well, well… this old hag was hiding such a heavenly beauty?”
The moment the red-haired man saw Su Linyi’s stunning face, his lust flared instantly. His eyes glinted with greed, and a string of wicked ideas immediately popped into his mind.
Leering at Su Linyi, he turned to look at her mother, a perverse grin spreading across his face. He said, “Old hag, you owe us a ton of money. Here’s a deal—let your daughter spend a night with a few of my boys, and maybe I’ll consider waiving the interest.”
As he spoke, he licked his lips, his gaze growing more unrestrained. Then he looked Su Linyi’s mother up and down, continuing crudely, “And you, old thing… you still have some charm left. If both mother and daughter serve us together, a mother-daughter combo…”
“As long as you satisfy my brothers, maybe we’ll even shave off some of your debt.”
His expression was utterly repulsive.
While speaking, his eyes wandered around Su Linyi’s room. There were no shoes beside the bed, and countless pill bottles and medicine containers were scattered everywhere. It was obvious this girl was bedridden and seriously ill.
“Don’t you dare!”
Su Linyi’s mother’s eyes burned with fury. She yanked open the bedside drawer and pulled out a pair of scissors she usually used to trim her daughter’s hair.
Without hesitation, she lunged at the red-haired man with the scissors, eyes full of desperation and rage, as if determined to cut this villain into pieces.
But how could a desperate strike from a sickly mother injure a man who lived his life collecting debts and fighting in the streets?
With sharp instincts, the red-haired man caught her wrist mid-swing with uncanny precision.
The sharp scissors froze just centimeters from his body, unable to move an inch.
Then, with a sneer, he raised his other hand and viciously slapped her hand.
Smack! The scissors flew out of her grasp, clattering to the ground with a sharp, hopeless ring.
Her resistance had failed, and the red-haired man was completely enraged.
“You old hag, I was doing you a favor!”
His eyes bulged in fury, his chest heaving, his face contorted in rage. He snarled, “If not for your decent looks, you really think I’d let you off by waiving interest? Don’t mistake kindness for weakness!”
With that, he delivered a fierce slap across Su Linyi’s mother’s face. Her left cheek immediately swelled red.
“Thanks to you, opening this shop in such a remote place… there’s not a police station for miles.”
“No one’s coming to save you tonight. Obey us, and maybe you’ll suffer a little less.”
He glanced at Su Linyi again, grinning viciously, “Your daughter’s so fresh and clean—definitely untouched. What a rare treat.”
He turned toward his lackeys, and they all burst into vile, knowing laughter.
Seeing her mother struck, Su Linyi’s eyes widened in horror. She cried out in anguish, “Mom! Are you okay?!”
Her voice echoed through the room, filled with fear and worry.
“I’m fine,” Su Linyi’s mother replied through gritted teeth, forcing herself to stay strong, though her voice trembled.
But right after those words left her mouth, despair washed over her completely.
She blamed herself endlessly—why had she brought her daughter to live on the second floor? Now they were cornered. These monsters were about to violate her child!
The guilt clawed at her heart like a demon, ready to devour her whole.
Su Linyi looked at the group of thugs in front of her, her legs trembling, her heart sinking into an abyss.
She knew this time, there was no escape. Despair and helplessness filled her soul. Her purity… was about to be stolen by these animals.
The air around them seemed to freeze in this suffocating hopelessness. Every breath carried the heavy scent of fear.
“Who said no one would step in?”
A calm, clear voice suddenly rang out from the doorway, shattering the suffocating silence.
Shen Che stood there in a perfectly tailored black leisure suit, his figure tall and straight, entering everyone’s view.
Everyone turned toward the voice on instinct. The red-haired man reacted first, spotting Shen Che standing alone. He sneered with amusement, mocking,
“Are you stupid or just desperate to be a knight in shining armor? Think you can save a damsel like this without knowing your own weight?”
As he spoke, he tilted his head, his face dripping with disdain.
His dozen lackeys burst into laughter behind him.
In his eyes, he had over a dozen men—all hardened fighters—and this pampered pretty boy dared show up alone? The outcome was clear. Victory was in their hands.
When Su Linyi and her mother heard someone had come, a spark of hope flickered in their hearts, like seeing a ray of light in a dark tunnel.
But when they saw Shen Che was alone, that hope was doused like a flame under cold water.
One man against more than a dozen gangsters—there was no way he could win. Their brief glimmer of hope dimmed again, replaced by worry.
Su Linyi’s mother remembered the poor customer from earlier, and her heart clenched.
His face had been burned beyond recognition. That scene had chilled her to the core.
She turned toward Shen Che and said anxiously, “Sir, please leave quickly. I know you mean well and want to help us, but look at the situation—it’s far too dangerous.”
“They’re gangsters. You’re alone—how could you possibly stop them? Please don’t risk your life for us!”
“You damn hag! Shut your mouth!”
The red-haired man’s triangle-shaped eyes glared fiercely at her.
Then, lifting his chin arrogantly, he turned to Shen Che, his expression full of disdain, nostrils flared.
“Boy, you must be tired of living, huh? Daring to interfere with my business? Today I’ll show you exactly what happens when you stick your nose where it doesn’t belong!”
As he finished, he shot a look at his men.
One by one, the gangsters cracked their knuckles and smirked coldly, slowly closing in on Shen Che.
The air turned tense, thick with the smell of violence.