Chapter 14: A Grand Celebration

“Sir, we’ve arrived.”

The man in sunglasses got out of the car and walked into the secluded park without looking back.

“Hey, you haven’t paid yet! Are you trying to cheat us?” Gu Congli immediately protested, opening the car door to get out.

The man in sunglasses sneered, “So what if I want a free ride?”

Gu Congli was furious. The twenty-kilometer ride had cost a lot in fuel. He grabbed the man’s shirt.

“Do you think I’m a pushover? Pay up!”

The man smirked, removing his sunglasses. Gu Congli felt a sense of familiarity.

“Kid, you’re still in middle school, trying to act tough.”

“Cut the crap. You have to pay for the ride. If you don’t, I’ll take your wallet…” Gu Congli threatened, but the man punched him hard in the eye.

Tears welled up in Gu Congli’s eyes. His head was blank, his vision blurry.

“I’m Liu Guoqiang. Don’t you recognize me?” Liu Guoqiang finally revealed his name.

My ex-brother-in-law.

No, my sister never married him. He must be seeking revenge for the broken engagement.

Gu Congshuang realized it was the abusive ex-boyfriend. No wonder he seemed familiar.

“Congli, get in the car. Let’s go!”

Liu Guoqiang sneered, “You think you can run away?”

“Guys, come out!” Over a dozen men emerged from the park, looking like thugs Liu Guoqiang had gathered.

Gu Congshuang remembered the book’s ending and felt fear. She couldn’t fall into their hands.

“What do you want? This is a crime. You’ll go to jail.” Gu Congshuang warned.

“I won’t hurt you. Since my friend wants to have a baby, someone has to get her pregnant. You’re perfect. Even if we get caught, it’s just a minor offense. Get her, guys!”

Gu Congshuang understood his intentions, “Congli, get in the car! Let’s go!”

She turned the car sharply, flooring the gas pedal.

Gu Congli ran towards the car.

“Not so fast.”

Liu Guoqiang picked up a stone and threw it at the car.

“Ah!” Gu Congli watched as the car was about to be hit. It was the factory’s car; damaging it meant serious consequences.

He ran, but Gu Congshuang skillfully turned the car, avoiding the stone.

She floored the gas pedal, the car speeding away, kicking up dust.

Gu Congli was stunned, the thugs chasing after them.

“Sister!”

“Sister! Don’t leave me!” Gu Congli, desperate to survive, ran like a champion.

“Sister! Stop the car! I’ll die!”

Liu Guoqiang, in his thirties, couldn’t keep up with Gu Congli. Gu Congshuang disappeared in the car.

That woman was ruthless! She even abandoned her brother.

His men, breathless, asked, “Boss, should we keep chasing?”

“Chase? Can you even catch her?”

“What do we do?” They had been called to vent Liu Guoqiang’s anger. He regretted not making Gu Congshuang get out of the car.

“Go to her house tomorrow! I don’t believe she can escape.” Liu Guoqiang smirked.

Gu Congshuang, seeing them disappear, turned around and found Gu Congli, exhausted and almost collapsing.

Seeing her, he burst into tears, “Sister, I’ll always listen to you. Please don’t leave me.” He cried like a four-year-old.

“Be a man! Stop crying!”

Gu Congli’s back was bruised from the stones. Even sitting down was painful.

Safe now, Gu Congli complained, “Sister, you just drove off. What if they had killed me?”

“A grand celebration? I’ll invite all your classmates to a feast.”

Gu Congli was speechless.

“Sister, you’re heartless. I wasn’t going to die.”

“If I waited, the car would’ve been damaged, and we would’ve been beaten. They were after me. I had to run to protect you. See? You’re safe now.”

“And the car is safe, or the whole family would suffer. So, wasn’t it right for me to run?”

Gu Congli felt something was wrong but couldn’t articulate it.

Gu Congli cried to Li Yuqin upon returning home.

“You abandoned your brother! Don’t you care about this family?” Li Yuqin raged.

“I want to know why Liu Guoqiang is relentlessly seeking revenge after the engagement was broken off.”

Gu Congshuang avoided the question, instead asking about Liu Guoqiang.

“It was broken off. The dowry… needs time to be returned. I told him that…”

Li Yuqin’s face turned pale.

She hadn’t expected him to be so ruthless.

The family, anticipating Ye Bei’s proposal, was now worried about Liu Guoqiang’s revenge, staying indoors, fearful.

They spent a sleepless night, exhausted, while Grandma Yi Yun slept soundly, waking up as usual, her memory lost, following her routine.

A commotion erupted outside. Gu Congshuang looked down from the sixth-floor window. The usually quiet street was crowded. People carried red luggage, setting off firecrackers.

A sleek red car drove through the smoke, attracting everyone’s attention.

Gu Congshuang’s heart leaped—Ye Bei had arrived.

The firecrackers stopped, but the noise continued, even louder.

Gu Congshuang, feeling like a Disney princess escaping, ran downstairs. She couldn’t tell if she was in the book or not.

“Sister, Liu Guoqiang and his men broke down the door!” Gu Congli cried.