Chapter 71: Reaping What He Sowed

As soon as Sheng Jie entered the room, he saw it was a complete wreck—even the paper on the windows was torn. He cursed, “What the hell is this sh*tty place?”

“A shtty place suits a shtty person, don’t you think?” came a little girl’s voice from inside.

Sheng Jie’s tone turned nervous. “Who—who’s there?”

Shi Jian walked out from behind the window, hugging a filthy rag doll. She looked pitiful, scaring him enough that his heart nearly jumped out of his chest. He charged forward to slap her.

“Fcking btch!”

But just as he swung, the girl giggled and darted away. His slap missed, and out from the dark backroom emerged five or six filthy beggars, reeking worse than anything he’d ever smelled. Compared to the man he had previously hired, these guys were ten times worse.

When they saw Sheng Jie, their eyes lit up like wolves spotting fresh meat. These fringe members of society, most of them of ambiguous gender and unspeakable habits, rarely got opportunities like this—to “feast” on someone as pale and clean-looking as him. Grinning lecherously, they rushed toward him.

Screams and cries followed. The sound of clothes tearing and the thick dust rising in the air filled the room. Outside, just as Xu Jiaojiao reached the door, she heard a familiar scream from inside.

She looked at the man beside her. “Oh, so he wanted to sleep with you and told me to lure you over. But our boss? He’s spent his life doing shady things, but even he wouldn’t tolerate trash like that who abuses women. So he gave him to our brothers as a little treat.”

“Don’t worry, we’ve got rules. He’ll be enjoying his life from now on.”

Xu Jiaojiao and Xu Ze exchanged glances. That was a lot of information to process. As they stood there trying to make sense of it, the door suddenly creaked open.

Inside, Sheng Jie had passed out. Five or six men surrounded him. His clothes were in tatters, and the scene was overwhelming. As soon as they saw inside, Xu Ze slammed the door shut and pulled his sister away from the place.

“Jiaojiao, everything that just happened—he brought it on himself. If he hadn’t plotted to hurt someone, he wouldn’t have ended up like this.”

Xu Jiaojiao saw the shock on her brother’s face and thought of Sheng Jie’s miserable state. For a second, she felt a twinge of sympathy. But then she pinched herself hard. Was she that much of a saint? She had almost been the victim. She should feel relieved.

Trying to push those feelings aside, she let Xu Ze tell a few jokes to lighten the mood. Eventually, her spirits lifted, and the two waited quietly for Boss Hu to return.

When he did, Boss Hu said he’d keep an eye out for shop spaces and asked Xu Jiaojiao to come back in three days.

He glanced toward the alley and kindly warned her, “Jiaojiao, don’t go back in there again. People go in, and they come out missing pieces—if they come out at all. It’s chaos.”

“I understand. Thank you, really,” she replied sincerely. Then she and her brother went to wait for their mother at the state-run restaurant.

Soon after, Yan Fenglian arrived and shared her updates before rushing off—she didn’t want to disturb her son at work. They all agreed to come back in three days.

The three entered the restaurant to wait. There were only two buses each day, and the next one wouldn’t arrive until four in the afternoon.

…

That evening, around 5 p.m., Xu Jiaojiao and her family finally returned to the village. They brought ready-made food, paid for by the girl, who said it was her treat for earning her first income.

Yan Fenglian rushed to the kitchen to heat the food. Meanwhile, Xu Jiaojiao slipped into her little courtyard and saw Xie Zhi reading at the table. An odd sense of safety washed over her.

“What’s wrong, little wildcat? Did someone bully you?” Xie Zhi smiled, getting up to lift her onto his lap.

Xu Jiaojiao cupped his face in her hands, her dark, bright eyes locking onto his long, narrow ones, and suddenly pressed her lips against his. She kissed him recklessly, with abandon.

Though Xie Zhi didn’t know what had happened, he instinctively responded, asking no questions. As long as she came to him, that was enough—more than enough. He kissed her back with intense warmth.

He loved being her harbor, the person she could rely on. As their lips met again and again, he didn’t hesitate—even when her bite drew blood from his tongue.

When they finally parted, both their eyes shimmered with tears. Especially Xu Jiaojiao—her eyes were misty, the corners tinged red, so breathtakingly beautiful it made his blood surge.

Xie Zhi held her close, nuzzling into her neck, comforting her with gentle touches.

“What happened, Jiaojiao? Did someone try to hurt you?”

She looked up at him and recounted everything that had happened that day. Xie Zhi listened attentively, but when she got to Sheng Jie’s plot, his brows furrowed darkly.

He let out a cold laugh. “That bastard just never learns. Well, good. Saves the world from more trouble.”

Seeing how angry he looked on her behalf, Xu Jiaojiao’s lingering unease began to melt. She suddenly giggled, then gave his waist a playful squeeze—hard muscle met her fingers.

Xie Zhi’s pale cheeks tinged red. He murmured softly, “Don’t let people like him get to you. If he hadn’t meant harm, he wouldn’t have ended up like that.”

“Mm, I know.”

One thing led to another, and they tumbled into bed, sweetly entangled in each other’s arms—unaware that far away in the county, Sheng Jie was still suffering.

He awoke in agony. The pain in his backside was like fire, his insides burning with rage and humiliation. In that moment, he wished he could die.

“Oh, you’re awake? Thanks to you, our brothers are having a great time,” one voice said.

“What do you mean?” Sheng Jie croaked. His voice was hoarse and dry, his throat coated with something sticky and disgusting. He felt like it had been forcibly sealed shut.

“If you keep our brothers happy, we’ll let you go. Otherwise, we’ll just head to your village and let everyone see how much fun you’re having with men.”

The beggars roared with laughter. The stench of the room, the decay of flesh, was enough to repel anyone.

Sheng Jie’s heart plummeted. Yet even now, he showed no remorse. He blamed everything on Xu Jiaojiao. Why hadn’t she come? If she had, he wouldn’t be in this hell, wouldn’t be humiliated by these filthy beggars.

One of the slightly stronger beggars came over and slapped him hard, then began gently caressing his soft, smooth cheek with obsession.

“So tender… like a girl. We’re really lucky to have you.”

Sheng Jie saw the man’s disgusting yellow teeth and realized what might have been in his throat. He almost vomited from the revulsion. With a roar, he threw a punch at him.

“Go to hell, you filthy beggars!”

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Sia- Hi Everyone! I’m busy with my work and studies, so basically I just take a day and translate and schedules as many chapters as possible. so in case you find any problem with names ✍️(◔◡◔) or sentences please do let me know. Happy Reading.