Chapter 106 : Snatching the Child

“Boss, help me pack these,” Fang Xiaoluo said, reaching into her pocket to pay.

She had just handed over the money and hadn’t even taken the toys when she suddenly heard Shen Haiping scream, “Ah!”

Turning around, she saw a familiar figure holding Shen Haiping and running away, with his hand covering the boy’s mouth.

Fang Xiaoluo didn’t even bother with the food or toys in her hands. She immediately stood up and ran, shouting, “Someone, someone is snatching the child!”

People on the street, hearing her cries, quickly followed after her.

Fang Xiaoluo had never imagined she could run so fast. She chased the man all the way to the river behind the grove opposite the zoo before he finally stopped.

The person holding Shen Haiping was none other than Xu Zhigang.

At this moment, Shen Haiping’s eyes were full of fear, and the light that had been there earlier had completely disappeared. This sight caused Fang Xiaoluo a deep sense of distress and guilt.

Xu Zhigang saw the people chasing after him and shouted, “This is my daughter and my grandson. This is a family matter. Don’t interfere!”

Fang Xiaoluo noticed that Zhao Lihong appeared from behind Xu Zhigang.

Her eyes narrowed as she faced them. “Xu Zhigang, let my son go!”

Zhao Lihong raised a stick and said, “Don’t blame us. You forced us into this. We tried talking to you at noon, but you wouldn’t listen. Now, we have no choice.”

“As long as you agree to drop the lawsuit and promise to teach Yaqiu embroidery, we’ll return the child to you.”

Fang Xiaoluo couldn’t understand how these two people could be so shameless.

Since traveling to this world, she had no emotional attachment to the original owner’s adoptive parents. In the original owner’s memories, her feelings for them were neutral at best. To put it bluntly, the adoptive parents had often taken advantage of their eldest daughter.

Fang Xiaoluo ignored Zhao Lihong’s words and stepped forward slowly, calling to Shen Haiping gently, “Haiping, sister is here. Can you hear me? Don’t worry, they won’t hurt you. Sister will come and hug you right away.”

Shen Haiping was restrained by Xu Zhigang and couldn’t move. At first, he struggled, but after hearing Fang Xiaoluo’s calming words, he slowly began to calm down.

His eyes began to focus, and eventually, they were filled with Fang Xiaoluo.

Tears started flowing from Shen Haiping’s eyes, dripping onto the back of Xu Zhigang’s hand, and into Fang Xiaoluo’s heart.

Zhao Lihong, holding a stick, shouted, “Fang Xiaoluo, if you come any closer, I… we will throw the child into the river!”

Fang Xiaoluo continued speaking softly to Shen Haiping, “Haiping, I love you the most and will never leave you. I’ve bought you delicious food and fun toys. Let’s go home and eat good food and play with your toys, okay?”

Seeing that Fang Xiaoluo was unmoved, Zhao Lihong and Xu Zhigang stepped back.

Zhao Lihong shouted again, “Fang Xiaoluo, did you hear me?”

From the corner of her eye, Fang Xiaoluo saw Shen Zheng running towards them with Shen Jinxia in his arms. She continued to divert their attention, “I didn’t hear you speak. I only heard a beast farting.”

Xu Zhigang snorted coldly, “Fang Xiaoluo, we raised you for 19 years, and this is how you repay us? You learned embroidery skills in the Xu family, not in your hometown. Didn’t you say that you would keep everything you took from our Xu family? Why don’t you keep this!”

“For all these years, we’ve worked hard without any recognition, and now you sue us in court. Don’t you have a conscience?”

“As long as you agree to these two conditions, we will make sure your son comes back to you safely!”

Just as Xu Zhigang finished speaking, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his shoulder.

He cried out, and the child in his arms slipped from his grasp.

Shen Zheng then kicked Xu Zhigang in the back and caught Shen Haiping in his arms.

Fang Xiaoluo quickly pulled Shen Haiping over and shielded Shen Jinxia with her body, blocking her view.

Shen Zheng began punching and kicking Xu Zhigang mercilessly, leaving him unable to defend himself. Xu Zhigang could only lie there, wailing in pain.

Zhao Lihong and her companions had waited at the zoo gate for the entire afternoon until Fang Xiaoluo came out. They had hoped to force Fang Xiaoluo into agreeing to their demands, but now, it was obviously backfiring.

When Zhao Lihong saw Xu Zhigang’s bruised face, she couldn’t tell how badly he was injured after all, Shen Zheng had shown no restraint at all.

“Stop fighting, stop fighting!”

Zhao Lihong rushed forward, attempting to pull Shen Zheng away, but she lacked the strength to do so.

She feared that Shen Zheng might beat Xu Zhigang to death.

Shen Zheng, after landing one last blow, turned back to Fang Xiaoluo.

“How are you?”

“I’m fine. Haiping must be scared,” she replied.

“I just called someone to notify the police. They’ll be here soon,” Shen Zheng said.

Fang Xiaoluo was still angry. “Hold Haiping for a bit longer, don’t let Xiaxia see this.”

Shen Haiping appeared dazed and listless, lying obediently on Shen Zheng’s shoulder. Shen Jinxia held onto the corner of Shen Zheng’s clothes, resting her head on him as well.

Zhao Lihong knelt beside Xu Zhigang, checking his injuries. He felt pain all over his body, as if every part of him had been broken.

Fang Xiaoluo strode over and kicked Zhao Lihong.

Caught off guard, Zhao Lihong stumbled and fell to the ground.

Fang Xiaoluo kicked her twice more, then pushed her into the river.

Zhao Lihong, terrified, scrambled up the riverbank, yelling, “Fang Xiaoluo, you… you’re committing murder!”

As Zhao Lihong tried to climb up, Fang Xiaoluo grabbed her by the hair and shoved her head back into the water. “You want to throw my son into the river? Let me show you what it feels like to be in the water first!”

When Zhao Lihong felt she was about to suffocate, Fang Xiaoluo pulled her head up, only to push it back down again. Zhao Lihong truly felt that Fang Xiaoluo wanted her to die.

Finally, Fang Xiaoluo released Zhao Lihong’s hair and returned to Shen Zheng.

When Shen Haiping saw Fang Xiaoluo returning, he rushed over and laid his head back on her shoulder.

Fang Xiaoluo gently stroked his back. “Be good, Haiping, it’s okay.”

Shen Haiping clung tightly to Fang Xiaoluo’s clothes, his body trembling.

She heard him softly mumbling in her ear, his voice barely audible to anyone else.

“I’ll be good, don’t hit me, don’t hit me.”

“I don’t eat much, and I won’t go to the woodshed. Please, don’t lock me there.”

“Please, let me out, let me out, please, please…”

“It’s so dark, so dark…”