Chapter 32: This Step… Is Pretty Ruthless

“Auntie, please don’t hurt my mom! She knows she was wrong! She really knows she was wrong! She won’t do it again! Waaaahhh!”

Song Xiaofei, holding tightly onto one of Jiang Yan’s legs, tears and snot streaming down his face, cried his heart out, tilting his little face up at her.

He looked about five or six years old. His chubby round face was flushed red from the heat and a slight fever.

He didn’t understand adult quarrels.

But whenever he got in trouble at home and was about to be spanked, he would plead exactly like this.

And when his mom’s heart softened, the punishment would be much lighter.

He believed that the auntie in front of him would be the same as his mom.

“I-I won’t dare again, please spare me this once,” Zhang Qiqi stammered, pale and trembling, mimicking her son’s words.

She no longer dared to call Jiang Yan “sister,” afraid of accidentally provoking her again.

Angering a lunatic wouldn’t end well.

It was just like how the whole mess started because of He Chunmei, yet the one who got caught in the crossfire was herself.

Even though Jiang Yan wore sunglasses, Zhang Qiqi could still sense endless rage and hatred from her tone and aura.

She couldn’t understand it.

It felt like something was lurking just out of reach, and she was hot, scared, and utterly dazed, her brain feeling like it was filled with thick, sticky paste.

Jiang Yan ignored their desperate pleas.

Her hands gripped the chainsaw tightly, her gaze lingering on Zhang Qiqi, her thumb rubbing back and forth over the power switch.

She glanced at a few security cameras installed diagonally above by the property office, then suddenly lifted the chainsaw from Zhang Qiqi’s shoulder.

Just as Zhang Qiqi and He Chunmei breathed a simultaneous sigh of relief, the chainsaw roared to life again, deafeningly loud.

Under the three of them’s shocked and terrified eyes, Jiang Yan raised the saw, whipping up a fierce gust of wind, and slashed swiftly toward the side of Zhang Qiqi’s ear.

“Heavens!!” He Chunmei widened her eyes and covered her mouth tightly with both hands.

Though terrified, she didn’t run back inside.

This was a society governed by law.

She trusted that no matter how enraged Jiang Yan was, she wouldn’t casually kill someone in broad daylight.

Killing a thousand, losing eight hundred—only a fool would do that.

The girl’s behavior was a little unhinged, but she should know right from wrong.

“Ahhhhhh!!” On the other side, Zhang Qiqi squeezed her eyes shut, biting her lip and shrieking, sweat beading down her forehead.

She was so scared she couldn’t move, her legs trembling uncontrollably.

“Mom!!” Song Xiaofei released Jiang Yan’s leg, tears and snot flying, and dashed toward his mother.

To his surprise, her head remained intact.

The chainsaw stopped less than 0.01 centimeters from her ear.

But the right side of her maroon hair was neatly cut in half by the rapidly spinning blade, falling slowly to the ground in the scorching air.

“Snap!”

Jiang Yan turned off the chainsaw, glanced at Song Xiaofei, her murderous gaze finally resting on Zhang Qiqi’s face, and said coldly, word by word:

“Consider this a lesson. Next time we meet, you won’t be so lucky!!”

Then, through clenched teeth, she spat out a deafening word:

“Get out!!”

Whether it was personal revenge or a warning to others, her goal for today was temporarily achieved.

As for Zhang Qiqi’s life, she would let that slide… for now.

If Jiang Yan guessed correctly, within ten to fifteen days, with the extreme heat, social order would collapse.

By then, how Zhang Qiqi met her end would be entirely up to Jiang Yan.

Zhang Qiqi didn’t dare to reply.

Weak-legged and limp, she hunched over, grabbing Song Xiaofei’s hand, and bolted toward the stairwell.

At such high temperatures, running even a few steps left people breathless, but she gritted her teeth and endured.

After dealing with Zhang Qiqi, Jiang Yan’s gaze flicked sharply to the instigator behind it all—He Chunmei.

He Chunmei hadn’t expected it to end so quickly.

She trembled, looking at the pile of cut hair on the ground, her heart pounding wildly.

Just as Jiang Yan was about to lift the chainsaw again, the door of 3203 creaked open, and Zhou Guangfu stepped out, frowning, panicked:

“Wife, come back quickly! Dad’s condition is worsening!!!”

Hearing this, He Chunmei awkwardly smiled at Jiang Yan: “Sister, I’ll apologize another day,” then bolted.

The old man was the family’s breadwinner; they couldn’t lose him carelessly.

He Chunmei slipped inside, while Zhou Guangfu remained at the door.

He glanced at Jiang Yan solemnly and awkwardly said: “Little sister, sorry… my wife—”

He couldn’t finish; the words stuck in his throat.

Jiang Yan’s expression stayed calm as she gave him a cold glance, said nothing, and carried the chainsaw back to her 3201 apartment.

Clearly, Zhou Guangfu had only given He Chunmei a way to save face.

But this step… was pretty ruthless.

After all, it involved using her own father as leverage.

Zhou Guangfu watched her back, shook his head, and sighed heavily before returning inside.

As soon as he entered, He Chunmei glared at him with folded arms:
“Zhou Guangfu, you’re really something! You can lie to me without batting an eye!!”

Zhou Guangfu’s father was bent over, taking bottles of ice water from the fridge for his little grandson.

“Wife, you should be thankful I saved you. Do you know how heavy that chainsaw was? At least eight kilograms! She lifted it effortlessly with one hand and held it for a long time.

Just now it almost hit someone, but she controlled it like it was nothing.

What does that mean? It means we can’t mess with her! From now on, we stay out of her way!” Zhou Guangfu said, furious yet serious.

Looking at her husband’s uncharacteristic firmness, He Chunmei was momentarily stunned.

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3201.

Jiang Yan entered her apartment and activated the smart home’s anti-intrusion system.

Thanks to the heat-resistant materials, the indoor temperature was several degrees cooler than outside.

Though still stuffy, the temperature difference made her exposed face feel instantly refreshed.

She set down the chainsaw, removed her sunglasses, took off her heat suit and shoes, turned the AC to 30°C, and collapsed into the soft sofa.

Exhausted.

Not just tired—utterly spent.

After a day of battle-like errands and a solo “one against a group of bears” showdown, she had no choice but to collapse.