Xu Nianchu let out a wronged little hum. “Then… what do we do now?”
“Depends. Do you just want to vent your anger, or do you want to send him behind bars?”
“Huh?”
“Adults don’t make choices. We want both. I have his address. He should still be there tonight and probably hasn’t gone home yet.”
She hadn’t dared hope for much. His background was far too powerful. Even if she reported him, the case could easily be suppressed.
She hadn’t expected things to take such a turn.
As expected, Lu Beichen hadn’t disappointed her.
He said in a low voice,
“Wait here for me. I’ll get the car.”
Lu Beichen rubbed the bridge of his nose. The icy touch of her fingers seemed to linger on his skin.
Feeling inexplicably restless, he pulled on his clothes, downed a large glass of cold water, and only then walked out.
The military jeep sped through the darkness. The bumpy ride soon made Xu Nianchu drowsy.
Tapping the steering wheel lightly, Lu Beichen asked,
“You trust me that much? Aren’t you afraid I’ll sell you off somewhere?”
Rolling over, Xu Nianchu yawned.
“You wouldn’t.”
Somehow, being beside him really did make her feel safe.
His deep voice sounded again.
“We’re getting out. We’ll walk the rest of the way.”
Vehicles could leave tracks on the road. He was used to making sure his enemies never found him.
Xu Nianchu asked cautiously,
“So… I can hit him however I want later? You’ll cover for me?”
“Hmm. A few hits are enough. Men have thick skin. You’ll only hurt your hands. But… you can confiscate the weapon he used to commit the crime.”
Xu Nianchu swallowed.
“You’re ruthless. Way more ruthless than I am.”
That idea had never even crossed her mind.
When they arrived at the courtyard Xu Nianchu had mentioned, she found it in quite a nice location—peaceful despite being close to the busy streets, with water nearby.
It should have been a time when everyone was asleep.
Instead, indecent sounds drifted from inside.
“Please… don’t… you can’t…”
“Little beauty, following me means living a life of luxury. Plenty of women want me, and I don’t even give them the chance.”
Lu Beichen narrowed his eyes.
There was someone else inside.
He pulled a small tube from his pocket and blew smoke through the crack in the door.
Within moments, the voices inside fell silent.
Just as Xu Nianchu was about to enter, he caught her.
His large hand was warm and dry as it gripped her shoulders. With his other hand, he handed her a strip of black cloth.
“Cover your face.”
He didn’t want Xu Nianchu getting into unnecessary trouble.
In this day and age, provoking someone like Wu Chi could become either a minor inconvenience—or a disaster.
Offending an honorable man wasn’t frightening.
Offending a petty villain meant constantly worrying about being stabbed in the back.
“Oh… okay.”
Originally, Xu Nianchu had wanted to kick him until his face resembled a pig’s head.
Now she realized that plan had been too childish.
Bruises healed.
A few slaps weren’t satisfying enough.
The best method was to strike where it hurt him most.
She kicked him twice to make sure Wu Chi was completely unconscious before secretly taking several silver needles out of her space, pretending they had come from her pocket.
One after another, she drove them into several acupuncture points.
Watching from the side, Lu Beichen’s eyes widened.
A moment ago, he’d been wondering whether he should stop her and do it himself.
After all, Xu Nianchu was still an unmarried woman.
Instead…
He watched her calmly pull out silver needles.
“You normally carry silver needles in your pocket?”
“Mm. Ever since what happened last time.”
This set of needles had come from one of the many things she’d collected into her space.
She had accumulated so much by now that she couldn’t even remember when she’d obtained them.
As the long needles sank into Wu Chi’s body, Lu Beichen asked curiously,
“What do they do?”
“Castration is too barbaric. A gentle blade works better. He won’t be needing that thing ever again.”
While inserting the needles, she glanced at the sleeping girl nearby.
She looked very young.
“What about this girl?”
“What else? If you drag her outside, she’ll either freeze to death or get picked up by someone else.”
Taking her to the police station wasn’t any better.
It would only expose the two of them.
He chuckled teasingly.
“Miss Xu should have confidence in her own medical skills. Otherwise, if I rescue her and she insists on repaying me by marrying me, what am I supposed to do?”
…
Xu Nianchu suddenly felt like he was taking a jab at her.
“Sometimes I really want to shut that mouth of yours.”
Lu Beichen fell silent.
On their very first night, she really had shut his mouth.
As Xu Nianchu continued inserting the needles, Lu Beichen waited quietly.
The moment she stepped outside, he turned back, pulled out a throwing dart, and drove it into the inside of Wu Chi’s upper thigh.
Seeing signs that the man was about to wake up…
He promptly stuffed another dose of knockout powder into him.
By the time the drug wore off, whether Wu Chi bled to death or survived would no longer be Lu Beichen’s concern.
He simply hadn’t wanted Xu Nianchu to witness such a bloody scene.
She deserved the chance to personally take revenge and vent her anger.
As for garbage like Wu Chi…
What was the point of leaving that filthy thing attached?
Better to confiscate it completely.
The two walked back beneath the moonlight.
Xu Nianchu stepped playfully into his footprints as she said,
“We kind of feel like a pair of outlaw partners.”
Lu Beichen replied,
“Have you ever seen outlaw partners where the male and female aren’t together as a pair?”
…
The next morning, when Xu Nianchu woke up beside Xu Xinglin’s bed, she found the little fellow already staring at her with his big round eyes.
The instant he saw his sister wake up, he nervously shut them again.
Xu Nianchu couldn’t help laughing.
Pinching his nose, she teased,
“Which little sleepyhead is still pretending to sleep when the sun’s already shining on his bottom?”
Xu Xinglin hurriedly opened his eyes.
“I’m awake! I’m awake!”
He deliberately widened his round eyes to prove it.
“Good boy. Since you’re awake, let’s go downstairs and eat.”
She handed him a clean set of clothes.
“Put these on. Then we’ll go have breakfast.”
As Xu Xinglin changed clothes, he secretly peeked at her.
“Big Sister… are you not mad at me anymore?”
“What happened yesterday had nothing to do with you. It was all Xu Shanchuan’s fault. Even if you don’t believe yourself, you should believe the Public Security Bureau. They’ve already arrested them.”
Xu Nianchu ruffled his hair.
Once the hospital matters were settled today…
It would be time to make some trouble.
The original owner’s mother’s death demanded justice.
Someone had to pay.
She couldn’t have died for nothing.
Tang Jinhua’s maiden family lived in a nearby village.
Over the years, thanks to Tang Jinhua’s rise in status, her entire family had benefited as well.
One person ascended to heaven, and even the chickens and dogs followed.
Her family had profited immensely.
She wondered…
Did blood-soaked steamed buns taste especially delicious?
Back then, Tang Jinhua had only been a woman.
She couldn’t possibly have carried out everything alone.
Someone had definitely been helping her behind the scenes.
Xu Nianchu changed into a set of ragged old clothes, applied makeup to make herself look middle-aged, and disguised the rest of her appearance.
She now looked exactly like an ordinary middle-aged village woman.
Every time Tang Jinhua’s family had visited the Xu household over the years, they’d mocked and ridiculed the original owner.
Because of that, she remembered their village’s location perfectly.
After making several detours, she finally reached the village entrance.
Under the large locust tree sat several elderly women who loved nothing more than chatting.
Wiping the sweat from her forehead, she walked over.
“My sisters, do you know how to get to Tang Shangen’s house?”
One of the women pointed ahead.
“Go straight along the river. The third house. Are you visiting relatives?”
Xu Nianchu spat lightly.
“Relatives? The Tang family and I are no relatives. They’re my enemies. My sworn sister… enough, I can’t even talk about it anymore. They got her killed.”
The old women instantly lit up with curiosity.
There was no way they’d let her leave after hearing that.
“Don’t go! Once sisters, sisters for life. Tell us what happened. We’ll judge who’s right and who’s wrong.”
Xu Nianchu wiped at the corner of her eye.
“Well then… don’t blame me for saying it.”
“It was you ladies who asked.”