The moment the words left her mouth, Qiao Rongkang’s breath caught in his throat, his face turning purple.
Qiao Dehai’s legs gave way, and he dropped straight to his knees with a loud thud against the floor. Tears welled up instantly, his voice trembling and choked with sobs.
“Yanyan! Your father is kneeling for you! I’m useless—just have pity on your brother’s life!”
Qiao Qingyan stepped aside to avoid him, not even glancing his way. “Don’t do this. I can’t accept it. He can’t go blind, but I can? He’s my biological brother, so I have to help? When I was his biological sister, who ever thought about how hard things were for me?”
She turned and walked away, her steps brisk, not leaving even a glimpse of her back for a single extra second before she disappeared completely through the door.
From this point on, whether the Qiao family lived or died had nothing to do with her.
All the grudges and entanglements of the past were severed from this moment.
Her life truly began now.
…
Qiao Qingyan walked all the way to the town’s guesthouse, stopped before the agreed-upon door, and raised her hand to knock twice.
The door opened. Qin Shuyan stood inside, his gaze landing on the cloth bundle in her arms. His expression showed no change—he simply nodded.
“Tickets are bought. The bus leaves at eight tomorrow morning. You’ll stay here tonight. Here’s the key.”
He pulled a set of keys from his pocket and held them out, but his hand lingered, refusing to let go. He gripped the keys and looked her over from head to toe.
“Once you reach Shanghai and step into my house, I’ll lay it out plainly. My family has many rules—no forming factions, no scheming, no taking advantage. If you’re going to live there, you need to set aside any stray thoughts, behave yourself, and don’t cause my mother any worry.”
Qiao Qingyan’s brow twitched slightly at that. “That sounds a bit harsh, doesn’t it?”
Her hand paused mid-reach for the keys, then she lifted her eyes to look at him.
“You’ll understand in time.”
Qin Shuyan finally let go, and the keys clattered into her palm.
“I only trust what I see with my own eyes. Remember that—don’t disappoint me.”
With that, the door slammed shut with a bang.
Qiao Qingyan clutched the keys, walked over to the adjacent room, inserted the key, turned the lock, pushed the door open, stepped inside, and closed it behind her.
The next morning, just as dawn was breaking.
Qin Shuyan appeared at the door right on time and knocked three times.
“Let’s go. Time for the station.”
Qiao Qingyan was already dressed and ready, swiftly shouldering her bundle.
The two walked one behind the other. The streets were quiet in the early morning, with only a few early risers passing in the distance.
Neither of them spoke the whole way. The atmosphere was heavy but not tense. As they neared the station, the outline of the bus shelter came into view at the intersection ahead.
Just then, the sound of sputtering engine roared up from behind.
The man on the back of the motorcycle wore a black jacket and sunglasses. Without slowing down, he lunged forward, grabbed the strap of Qiao Qingyan’s bundle, and yanked hard!
Qiao Qingyan’s body lurched backward, her feet nearly losing balance.
Her eyes sharpened. Without panic, she followed the force of the pull, dropping her shoulders and sinking low. She swung her arms back, and both hands shot out like lightning to clamp onto the metal rack at the rear of the motorcycle, her fingers digging deep into the gaps between the metal.
“Screech—!”
The rear of the bike veered sharply under the sudden force, and the handlebars immediately went out of control.
The motorcycle wobbled like a drunkard, its front wheel swinging violently.
The two men on the bike crashed down in a heap, helmets rolling away, bodies skidding several feet across the ground.
Qin Shuyan was still frozen in shock when he saw the girl clinging to the bike and flipping it over. His eyes went wide.
Qiao Qingyan didn’t look back. She charged forward.
The would-be thief had barely pushed himself halfway up from the ground, palms pressed against the asphalt, heels not yet steady, when Qiao Qingyan was already on him.
She kicked out, landing a blow squarely on the back of his knee.
The angle was precise, the force substantial. He let out a yelp, his leg buckling, and he dropped to his knees on the spot, his forehead smacking the ground.
The next second, her elbow came down hard, slamming solidly into the back of his neck!
The man’s eyelids rolled back, and not a sound escaped his throat.
The other accomplice, who had fallen nearby, saw the situation going south. Cursing under his breath, he struggled to his feet.
He pulled a gleaming short blade from his jacket, arm extended, pointing it at Qiao Qingyan, his face twisted in fury.
“You looking to die, bitch?!”
Qiao Qingyan sidestepped, the blade tip grazing past her clothes, slicing a thin gash in the fabric.
Before he could react, she raised her hand, palm like a blade, and chopped down hard on his wrist!
Clatter—the dagger hit the ground.
She gave him no chance to catch his breath. She brought her knee up and drove it viciously into his kidney.
The man let out a muffled groan, his face turning pale, and collapsed to his knees clutching his stomach.
Qin Shuyan looked down at the two men sprawled on the ground, then turned to stare at Qiao Qingyan, who wasn’t even breathing hard.
He had imagined countless scenarios, but never once had he pictured this slender country girl moving with more ruthless efficiency than the veterans in the recruit training camp.
Qiao Qingyan ignored his stunned expression. She walked over, snatched her bundle back from the unconscious man’s grip, dusted it off, and checked it over front and back to make sure nothing was missing. Only then did she finally let out a relieved breath.
Qin Shuyan finally snapped back to his senses. He stepped forward and first checked both of their breathing and pulses.
After confirming no one had been killed, he swiftly bound the two of them up like dumplings with rope.
Once he confirmed they were merely unconscious and not in mortal danger, he pulled a length of nylon binding cord from his satchel, quickly crisscrossed it around their wrists and ankles, and locked them tight.
“How did you—”
“Life in the village isn’t easy. There are plenty of people who steal chickens and dogs.”
Qiao Qingyan hugged her bundle close, then stood up, brushed the dust off her pants, and looked perfectly calm.
Qin Shuyan didn’t ask any more questions. He escorted the two to the nearby police station.
He pulled out his credentials, and the officer on duty immediately snapped to attention and saluted.
Qiao Qingyan gave her statement as the victim, only describing what had happened. As for how she’d taken the men down, she didn’t mention a word.
When they walked out of the police station, the sky was already bright with morning light.
Qin Shuyan walked ahead. He didn’t speak the whole way, but he kept stealing glances back at her.
They bought new tickets and boarded the train to Shanghai.
After passing through the ticket gate, they crossed the platform and found the door to their carriage.
Qiao Qingyan leaned against the window, watching the fields and villages recede one after another outside.
Wheat sprouts had just broken through the soil. Neatly arranged vegetable plots swept past her view. Cooking smoke rose from distant rooftops. Cattle and sheep grazed along the field ridges, and occasionally she could see farmers carrying water back home.
She was about to see her mother.
At that thought, the tension in her spine finally loosened a notch.
The train ran for two days and one night before finally pulling into Shanghai Station.
Qiao Qingyan spotted the woman in the blue dress in the crowd of greeters at a glance.
The woman’s hair was combed immaculately, and she was standing on her tiptoes, craning her neck to peer toward the exit.
It was her mother, Xu Qingqing.
“Mom!”
Xu Qingqing froze, then whipped her head around.
The moment her eyes landed on Qiao Qingyan’s face, her eyes turned red in an instant.
“Yanyan!”