“Oh?”
“Then I’ll be watching closely.”
Jiang Ning smiled and clapped her hands.
In an instant, Zhang Hu and Zhao Long appeared with iron rods in front of Zhou Xue and the four thugs.
Seeing the two burly men with unfriendly expressions, Zhou Xue’s eye twitched as she took a step back.
“You actually brought helpers?”
“Good sister, this is called the mantis hunts the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. You should read more books.”
Jiang Ning rolled her eyes in disdain.
“Let’s start. Let’s see whether your hired thugs are stronger, or mine are better.”
Zhang Hu tightened his grip on the iron rod. Before the others could even react, he smashed it down on the shortest man’s head.
“Spit! You think you’re qualified to touch our young miss? I’ll beat you to death, you filthy scumbag!”
Zhao Long wasn’t any gentler. He attacked from both sides, showing no mercy. The four men were beaten until they fled in panic, begging for mercy.
When they finally collapsed on the ground, Zhang Hu and Zhao Long stopped and asked for instructions.
“Young miss, what do we do with this ugly woman?”
Zhou Xue roared in anger.
“I’m not ugly! Don’t call me ugly!”
Why did everyone say she was ugly?
She had heard it for nearly twenty years—she felt like she was going insane.
Zhang Hu sneered coldly.
“Compared to our young miss, you are ugly. Can’t even let people tell the truth?”
Zhao Long added, “Ugly and still unaware of it.”
Zhou Xue’s face twisted with rage.
“I’m going to kill you!”
She lunged at Jiang Ning, trying to scratch her face.
But before she could reach her, Zhang Hu struck the back of her head hard with the iron rod. She staggered and fell straight to the ground.
The four beaten thugs lay trembling, too scared to even breathe.
Jiang Ning looked at them coldly.
“Speak. What did Zhou Xue tell you to do?”
After exchanging glances, they quickly confessed everything.
Money was important—but life was more important.
“So… do you know who my husband is?” Jiang Ning asked lightly.
“We… we don’t know!” the short man hurriedly replied.
“We didn’t ask! We just took the money and did the job!”
Jiang Ning laughed coldly.
“My husband is a soldier. Harming a soldier’s family is a crime punishable by death. You didn’t even check your target before taking the job?”
“Do you really want to die?”
The four men turned pale.
“We were wrong! Please spare us! We won’t dare again!”
They knelt and begged, crying and snotting everywhere.
Jiang Ning smiled faintly.
“There’s actually a chance for you to make up for it. Depends on whether you want it.”
“We do! We do!” they shouted immediately.
“Good.” Jiang Ning nodded.
“Since you already took Zhou Xue’s money, finish the job.”
“Fi-finish the job?” the short man stammered.
“Oh… you mean… Miss, you want us to handle Zhou Xue?”
Jiang Ning smiled sweetly.
“I didn’t say anything. You said it yourselves.”
“Right, right! We said it! We never saw you!”
Without hesitation, they stuffed Zhou Xue into a dirty sack, lifted her up, and ran off quickly.
Jiang Ning tilted her chin.
“Zhao Long, follow them. Make sure everything is done properly. Then send these thugs to the authorities.”
“Understood.”
At the same time, Liu Jiabao was drinking in his office when he heard a knock.
“Who is it?”
The short man smiled obsequiously.
“Brother Liu, we’ve brought you a good gift!”
Liu Jiabao frowned when he saw the dirty sack.
“What the hell is this trash?”
But curiosity won over. He let them carry it inside.
“Alright, you’ve got guts. I’ll take care of you in the future!”
After they left, he opened the sack.
He paused.
“Not bad… young and pretty…”
Then, outside the door, Zhao Long silently observed until he heard disgusting, muffled sounds from inside. Only then did he leave and head toward the police station.
Meanwhile, Liu Jiabao’s wife Zhu Xia was at home when she heard rumors from neighbors.
Without hesitation, she grabbed a pair of scissors and rushed toward the Revolutionary Committee like a madwoman.
Infidelity in this era was a crime that could get you executed.
But she arrived too late.
Police had already caught Liu Jiabao and Zhou Xue together in the office.
A crowd surrounded them tightly. The four thugs were beaten bloody and kneeling at the entrance, pelted with rotten eggs.
Zhou Xue, disheveled and humiliated, screamed hysterically the moment she saw Liu Jiabao.
“It’s impossible! It can’t be me!”
“I’ll kill you, you bastard! I’ll kill you!”
“Help! Help!”
She shoved Liu Jiabao away and slapped him repeatedly across the face.
Police pushed through the crowd, stern-faced.
“Enough! Stop looking! Disperse!”
But the crowd only grew larger.
People who had suffered under Liu Jiabao before were especially excited to see his downfall.
“Bitch!”
“How dare you seduce my man—I’ll skin you alive!”