The Xi family had been living in frustration these past few days, especially Zhang Jingui. Losing forty-eight thousand yuan hurt more than having her flesh carved out. With her son now useless and unable to rely on him for anything, money had become her lifeblood.
But now, her lifeblood had been snatched away by that bitch Shen Jiaojiao. She couldn’t swallow this anger.
Zhang Jingui desperately wanted to go to the hotel to settle the score with Shen Jiaojiao, but she was afraid the bitch would make a scene. If word got out that her son was a “teapot handle,” the whole city would know, and she couldn’t bear the shame.
Xi Yuhua also couldn’t swallow her anger, because she believed that the forty-eight thousand yuan rightfully belonged to her. With her brother now useless, her son was the only heir to the Xi family, and all the family’s assets should go to him.
Why should that bitch Shen Jiaojiao get it?
“Mom, hire a few people to corner that bitch. If she doesn’t hand over the money, we’ll deal with her—take nude photos of her. Hmph, it’s not like she’s the only one who knows how to take pictures.”
Xi Yuhua and her husband had thought about it for several days and finally came up with a plan: imitate Shen Jiaojiao’s methods.
“Where can we find people?”
“Your son-in-law knows some. You’ll have to pay for their services, Mom.”
Zhang Jingui was unhappy, feeling her daughter was too shrewd, but for the sake of the forty-eight thousand yuan, she held back and agreed to pay.
Shen Jiaojiao had already bought train tickets to Shanghai, departing at nine in the evening and arriving in the middle of the night.
The mother and daughter didn’t have much luggage—just a few sets of clothes, Xiao Yueyue’s summer homework, and their identification documents.
After dinner, Shen Jiaojiao asked Xiao Yueyue to return to the hotel first, as she still had something to take care of.
She had developed too many photos last time. Aside from the ones she gave to the Xi family and the ones she mailed out, there were still dozens of eye-catching ones. Shen Jiaojiao took a taxi to a nearby park. It was evening, and many people were strolling in the park.
Shen Jiaojiao scattered the photos in several conspicuous spots, then ran to the street and sprinkled some more. This street was the busiest, and by tomorrow at the latest, Xi Zihua and Wang Jianjun’s scandal would be known throughout the city.
Moreover, on the back of each photo, she had written Xi Zihua and Wang Jianjun’s names and workplaces. She wanted these two to be despised and shunned by everyone.
After finishing these tasks, Shen Jiaojiao clapped her hands and prepared to return to the hotel. The distance wasn’t far, so she decided to walk back.
As she neared the hotel, four shady-looking men suddenly appeared and blocked her way, uttering obscenities. Clearly, they were up to no good.
Shen Jiaojiao initially wanted to scream, but she felt something hard pressed against her waist. A man stood behind her, obviously holding a knife.
“Come with us over there for a chat. Don’t worry, as long as you cooperate, we won’t make things difficult for you.”
“Who sent you? How much did they pay?”
Shen Jiaojiao’s first thought was Zhang Jingui, because that old witch hated her the most. Losing forty-eight thousand yuan was like taking half her life.
“Don’t try anything funny. Get in there now!”
The man pressed the knife forward slightly, and Shen Jiaojiao felt a faint sting. She didn’t dare say anything more and obediently followed them into the alley across from the hotel.
The alley was pitch black, the streetlights long broken. Few people came here during the day, and at night, it was deserted—perfect for shady business.
“Calm down. Let’s make a deal. No matter how much the person who hired you paid, I’ll double it. You’ll earn three times the money without breaking the law. How about it?”Shen Jiaojiao spoke while observing the expressions of these men, and indeed their eyes lit up. She felt a bit more at ease and continued to tempt them: “I keep my word. How much did that person offer? Five hundred? Six hundred? A thousand?”
Judging by their clothing and appearance, these four thugs were not wealthy people. Clearly, the amount offered wasn’t high—a thousand yuan at most.
“How about this: I’ll give you two thousand yuan, and you let me go. What do you say?”
“You can come up with two thousand?” one of the thugs asked suspiciously.
Shen Jiaojiao breathed a sigh of relief. As long as they were willing to negotiate, things would be easier. She took out all the money from her pocket, roughly a thousand yuan.
“I only have a thousand on me, but I can withdraw money from an ATM. You’re all so young—there’s no need to ruin your futures over such a small amount by breaking the law. With two thousand yuan, I’ll treat you to drinks, and we can consider it making friends.”
Shen Jiaojiao had been observing the reactions of the four men. They were young, in their early twenties, with hair dyed in various colors, each sporting a “shamate” style.
Moreover, they hadn’t resorted to violence yet, clearly indicating they didn’t want to escalate the situation. Such people could still be reasoned with.
Sure enough, the four thugs were tempted. Xi Yuhua had only offered five hundred yuan for them to take nude photos of Shen Jiaojiao. If they weren’t short on cash and unable to afford game credits, they wouldn’t have taken on such a task.
The four agreed and followed Shen Jiaojiao to the bank to withdraw money. ATMs operated at night, so Shen Jiaojiao withdrew another thousand yuan, giving them a total of two thousand.
“You’re quite generous. Let’s call it even.”
The four thugs were overjoyed. Two thousand yuan would keep them gaming for a long time—this deal was definitely worth it.
Shen Jiaojiao smiled and glanced up at the top of the ATM. She had just withdrawn the money with one of the thugs, so the camera should have captured it. Her money wasn’t so easy to take.
The sky had darkened, but the streets were even more crowded. The four thugs happily headed off to play games, completely ignoring Shen Jiaojiao. Suddenly, she started running.
“Robbery! They robbed me of my money—two thousand yuan in total! Someone, help!”
Shen Jiaojiao shouted as she ran, even taking off her shoes and throwing them at the thugs. Passersby on the street were startled, and people back then were quite helpful, gathering around to assist.
“They have knives! Be careful!” Shen Jiaojiao loudly warned.
The helpful bystanders hesitated, and the four thugs realized they had been tricked by Shen Jiaojiao.
The thugs had no time to settle scores with Shen Jiaojiao and desperately tried to flee, but they were stopped by a young man wielding a long stick. The man appeared to be a martial artist, swinging the stick with such force that he subdued the four thugs in just a few moves.
Others gathered around and searched the thugs, finding knives and the two thousand yuan.
“Young people like you should be learning to do good, not this! Your parents might as well have raised pigs instead of you!”
“They learned this bad behavior from those Hong Kong movies, like Young and Dangerous—all about fighting and killing, such immoral films!”
“Take them to the police station! Armed robbery—they should be sentenced to a few years in prison!”
The crowd was enthusiastic and escorted the four thugs to the nearby police station. Shen Jiaojiao followed to give her statement.
“They forced me at knifepoint to withdraw money from the bank. I was scared, so I did it. But this money was hard-earned and carefully saved. Thanks to these kind people, otherwise, my money would have been gone.”Shen Jiaojiao repeatedly bowed to the kind-hearted onlookers, her gratitude completely sincere. In the coming years, such public warmth would gradually fade, and society would grow increasingly indifferent.
With both eyewitnesses and physical evidence, the case was straightforward. The police detained the four troublemakers, and Shen Jiaojiao smoothly returned to her hotel.
If time hadn’t been so tight, she certainly wouldn’t have let it go so easily—she would have made sure to teach Zhang Jingui a proper lesson. Those four men were undoubtedly sent by that old witch.
At nine in the evening, Shen Jiaojiao boarded the train with Xiao Yueyue. She had purchased sleeper tickets, with Shanghai as their final destination. The mother and daughter fell asleep shortly after boarding and arrived in Shanghai at two in the morning.
She found an upscale hotel near the train station, checked into a room, and went back to sleep.
As dawn gradually broke, the mother and daughter were still sound asleep, but Yangcheng was already buzzing with activity. The first to discover those photographs were the sanitation workers.