Mu Wan only felt a sharp pain in her chest. Just from hearing Kuang Daqiang’s description, she could tell how much suffering Kuang Ye had endured in the past. Looking at Kuang Ye, whose eyes were bloodshot from being pushed too far, she said coldly, “What are you trying to tell me with all this?”

“Do you think I didn’t know about his past before being with him?”

“Since I’m engaged to him, I’ve already prepared to stay with him for life. Stop trying to sow discord between us.”

“And those difficult times he’s been through, one after another—weren’t they all caused by you? What right do you have to condemn him?”

Kuang Daqiang’s expression darkened as he looked at Mu Wan, seemingly not expecting her to be so stubborn. Realizing he couldn’t waste much more time, he turned to Kuang Ye.

“Step back. I’ll let her go once I confirm the money is fine.”

Kuang Ye looked at Mu Wan with concern and followed his instructions.

Kuang Daqiang opened the snake-skin bag, looked at the stack of cash inside, and smiled.

“At least you know how to be reasonable.”

Holding the bag with one hand, he grabbed the rope that bound Mu Wan, pulling until the rope was fully extended, then released it and quickly fled.

Kuang Ye rushed over and started untying Mu Wan. His hands were trembling from the aftershocks of fear.

“Wan wan, are you okay?”

“Are you hurt?”

“Are you scared? I’m sorry, it’s all my fault…”

“Ah Ye! I’m fine!” Mu Wan held his trembling hand and gently comforted him, then looked in the direction where Kuang Daqiang had left. “Let’s report this to the police quickly, so Kuang Daqiang doesn’t escape.”

Just as she finished speaking, sirens blared outside. Looking down, Mu Wan saw that the abandoned building was surrounded by police cars, with fully equipped SWAT teams.

Kuang Ye said, “I notified Uncle right away.” How could he, driven by his own selfishness, ignore Mu Wan’s safety?

“Kuang Ye! You bastard, you actually called the police!”

Kuang Daqiang, who had just run down the stairs, heard the sirens and rushed back up, still clutching the snake-skin bag filled with money.

As soon as Kuang Ye saw him, his anger flared up, and he charged toward him, his face twisted in fury.

“Kuang Daqiang, you bastard!”

The two immediately clashed. Despite Kuang Daqiang’s age, he was no match for Kuang Ye, who soon had him beaten to the ground, unable to retaliate. Brutal punches landed on Kuang Daqiang’s revolting face.

Every time Kuang Ye thought about how, just moments ago, Mu Wan might have fallen from the sixth floor, his heart would race in fear, and he could barely breathe. The person responsible for all of this—the one who ruined his life—was this piece of scum.

Sometimes Kuang Ye would think to himself: If he hadn’t swapped places with Kuang Shuyu back then, he wouldn’t be wallowing in this filth. No one would call him a thug, and no one would compare him to Kuang Shuyu. He would have treated Mu Wan so well, like a flower in bloom, never making her sad like that bastard Kuang Shuyu.

“If you hadn’t taken the money I had for school to gamble, I wouldn’t have been forced to drop out of high school.”

“If you hadn’t sold me to the gambling den, I wouldn’t have nearly lost my life to those people.”

“I should have killed you.”

“I should have killed you five years ago.”

“In that deserted alley, when you told me you sold my foster mother to the mountains.”

“Kuang Daqiang, scum like you doesn’t deserve to live. Go to hell!”

Mu Wan, who had been trying to stop Kuang Ye, froze in her tracks.

In that split second, the words he just said overlapped with a memory from her past.

Her pupils suddenly contracted, and she stared at him in shock. Could it be that their second meeting was back then…?

Five Years Ago, Hu City No. 1 High School.

The sky was overcast with continuous rain, and Mu Wan’s mood wasn’t great. Not waiting for the driver to pick her up, she left the school on her own. That bastard Kuang Shuyu, even though he knew that the girl in their class liked her, he still didn’t avoid suspicion. Instead, he came and went together with her, causing others to gossip, which was incredibly annoying. Did he even take their engagement seriously?

Bang! Suddenly, a dull sound echoed from an alley next to the school. Mu Wan vaguely heard a few words like “I’ll kill you, you little bastard.” The sky was dim, and there was no one around. Mu Wan felt a sudden chill. Her hand gripped the strap of her bag tighter, and she quickly walked away.

In the dark alley, Kuang Daqiang, with his malnourished build from years of neglect, slammed Kuang Ye into the wall.

“You little bastard, do you think if you escape to S City, you’ll be safe? I’m telling you, as long as I’m your father, you’ll never get away.”

“We’ll report you as a missing minor, and it won’t take long before they find you.”

“You’ve been doing well in S City these three years, huh? I heard you play that game and win hundreds every time.”

“They probably even pay you at the internet cafe, right? How much do you make? Hand it over.”

Kuang Ye, his head covered in blood, stared at him with eyes that were as fierce as a wolf’s, without an ounce of submission. He spat a mouthful of blood onto Kuang Daqiang’s face.

“If you have the guts, kill me. I won’t give you a single penny.”

Kuang Daqiang immediately slapped him across the face, making Kuang Ye’s ears ring.

“I’ve had people look into it. You’ve been living frugally, trying to save money to go back to high school, right?”

“You even want to attend Hu City No. 1 High School. Do you think you’re worthy of that?”

“You’re my son. This life is destined for you to end up like me, useless.”

“Quick, where’s the money? I don’t have all day.”

He started rummaging through Kuang Ye’s clothes. Since Kuang Ye had no place to live, all the money he had saved up was sewn into the hood of his sweatshirt. He struggled desperately, but still, Kuang Daqiang found it. It was a stack of crumpled, worn-out bills—money that Kuang Ye had saved over three years, bit by bit, living on scraps. There was a total of 20,000 yuan.

“Well, looks like you’re pretty capable, huh? Twenty thousand. When I sold your mother, I only got a little over fifty thousand.”

Kuang Ye’s violent struggle suddenly paused after hearing those words.