Chapter 9: Neck Scratches

Looking into Su Ai’s murderous eyes, the Black Boss didn’t think she was bluffing.

She really wanted to kill him. She was a ruthless character. Seeing his men lying on the ground, bleeding, and the gun in her hand, the Black Boss felt incredibly unlucky to have encountered such a dangerous woman.

“Yes, yes, I heard you.”

His swollen face smiled grotesquely as he pushed the money towards Su Ai.

He didn’t want to be enemies with such a ruthless person. The best outcome would be for her to vent her anger, take the money, and the matter would be over.

Su Ai saw the fifty-yuan bills in his hand; there were about twenty of them.

She hadn’t lost five hundred yuan gambling, but Ji Yang’s leg was injured, and five hundred yuan wouldn’t be enough for treatment.

Su Ai sneered at the money: “Li Jianbing broke my husband’s leg. Should I give you this five hundred yuan to buy one of your legs?”

“Or should I give you five thousand to buy your life?”

A quick-witted underling of the Black Boss immediately ran inside and brought out another five hundred yuan.

The Black Boss felt a pang in his heart seeing the stack of money.  A regular worker’s salary was only around fifty yuan.

It would take a year or two of hard work to earn a thousand yuan.

It wasn’t a small sum for him, yet he was giving it to Su Ai.

But life was more important than money.

He slapped the quick-witted underling on the head, kneeling and berating him:

“I told you to bring a thousand yuan directly! You can’t even count money properly!  Useless!”

Muttering curses while hitting the underling, he then smiled at Su Ai:

“Sister Su, this is extra for nutrition and lost wages.  Get your husband properly treated.”

Su Ai took the thousand yuan and put it in her pocket, putting away the gun and the knife.

Without saying a word, she walked out of the courtyard.

“See you off, Sister Su!”

The fallen bicycle lay on the ground. Su Ai got on it and rode home.

The night’s cold wind gradually calmed her anger.

In her past life, Su Ai had also clashed with these people. Because she had broken the Black Boss’s leg and fled in disgrace, he had then killed Ji Yang and Ji Lele out of revenge.

Because she was weak and ran away, appearing cowardly and reckless, the Black Boss naturally wouldn’t miss the opportunity to make an example of her.

This time, she came to the Black Boss again, but the outcome was vastly different.

This time, Su Ai was the stronger one, ruthless and imposing, with a gun in her hand.

Even if the Black Boss wanted revenge, he would have to think twice. At the very least, he wouldn’t dare to act rashly for now. He would investigate Su Ai first, giving her time to maneuver.

Su Ai touched the money in her pocket. With this money, she could treat Ji Yang’s leg.

Nothing else mattered.  The leg injury must be treated as soon as possible to prevent permanent disability.

That’s why she risked this trip tonight.  She got the money, and tomorrow she could take Ji Yang to a major hospital in the city.

February was still cold.  Riding her bicycle on the road, the wind blew fiercely, numbing Su Ai’s face and hands.

But her heart grew warmer.  Every change she made meant her family was further away from the tragic fate of their past life.

Feeling incredibly relieved, Su Ai rode her bicycle with her arms outstretched, speeding along: “Ah!”

Her joyful shout echoed through the empty street.

It’s good to be young.

It’s good to have a second chance.

Quietly opening the door, Su Ai boiled some water in the kitchen and went to the utility room to wash herself.

Her other wounds were fine, but her head had been hit with a club, leaving many bloodstains on her clothes. Su Ai changed and washed her clothes to avoid scaring Lele tomorrow.

She thought Ji Yang and Ji Lele were already asleep; it was the middle of the night.

But when she opened the door, Ji Yang heard the noise.  He wouldn’t have heard it during the day.

But in the dead of night, even the slightest sound was piercing. He heard Su Ai washing up clearly.

Ji Yang couldn’t sleep.

What had she been doing out there?

Why did she need to shower and wash clothes after returning in the middle of the night?

Normally, Ji Yang would get up to see what was going on, but now he couldn’t move his leg. Lying in bed, he felt even more restless.

It had been a long and tiring night.  After washing up, Su Ai fell asleep on the small bed in the utility room.

When they first got married, Su Ai and Ji Yang slept in the same bed.

But now that their relationship was strained, Su Ai had made a small bed in the utility room and slept there.

Over time, they got used to sleeping separately.

Although she had stayed up late last night, Su Ai woke up early the next morning.  Getting out of bed, she once again marveled at the vitality of her young body.

In a few decades, she wouldn’t be able to stay up late; even a little late sleep would make her heart race the next day.

But her young body was fine.

She first took the chamber pot to the bedroom.

The bedroom was dark, but there was some light from the window.

Su Ai tiptoed in and met Ji Yang’s wide-open eyes.

She almost jumped.

“Awake so early?”

Su Ai lowered her voice, afraid of waking Lele.

Ji Yang wasn’t awake early; he hadn’t slept all night.  His gaze fell on Su Ai’s loose hair after washing.

Her hair partially covered her neck, but not completely.  There were several scratch marks on her neck, red and swollen.

At that moment, Ji Yang’s eyes turned red.