This chapter contains some language that may not be suitable for younger readers. Please disregard!
“Uncle, would you like a bowl of hot seaweed soup on a cold day like this?” Li Wanru sent a picture of the soup she had just cooked to Chen Jiansheng.
“You cooked it yourself?”
“That’s right, how did you know?”
“That bowl looks like the one from yesterday.”
Even though Chen Jiansheng’s reply was casual, she was very happy. They had been talking like this for the past few days.
Just talking about everyday things, they even looked like an old couple in love.
“Do you want to eat it with me?” Li Wanru asked.
“Someday, perhaps.”
Wanru beamed with delight. She had also discovered that this ‘uncle’ was very polite; he wouldn’t tease her relentlessly, nor would he flat-out reject her.
They only chatted for a little while because she knew he was busy. Rich people were usually busy, after all.
Today, she didn’t have to work her part-time job because she had evening classes.
Classes didn’t end until around eight o’clock. She stayed at the library to borrow some books, so she left later than everyone else.
It was past nine when Wanru finally left school. She waited for the bus at a nearby stop.
Saigon’s streets were still quite bustling around nine o’clock, but she was the only one waiting for the bus.
At this hour, there were only a few bus routes left.
“Not going with the young miss anymore, huh?” A teenager’s voice cut through Wanru’s lonely atmosphere.
She looked up at the teenager in front of her.
A cigarette dangled from his lips. He was tall and seemed handsome, but with a rebellious air.
But more importantly, she had no idea who this teenager was.
The teenager smirked, his tone teasing.
“Or has Jin ditched you? You must be really short on cash now, huh? Are you going to consider my offer?” The teenager tapped the ash from the cigarette in his hand.
“What offer?” Wanru asked vaguely.
“Sleep with me.”
“Are you crazy?” Li Wanru stood up, frowning.
The teenager in front of her laughed loudly.
“Don’t pretend to be virtuous. For girls like you, I wouldn’t even need to ask for your consent; I’d just take you.”
Wanru listened in silence as he continued.
“Without Jin backing you up anymore, come with me. Sleep with me, and I’ll give you money.”
“Are you crazy?” Wanru repeated her earlier question, exasperated.
The teenager exhaled a puff of white smoke, his eyes fierce as he spoke.
“Before, I respected Jin, so I let you off. But now, do you really think you can escape me?”
At this point, Li Wanru vaguely recognized this character.
This was the crazy guy in the novel who was obsessed with possessing Li Wanru. However, Li Wanru only had eyes for the male lead, doing everything to seduce him and completely ignoring this guy.
Near the end of the story, Li Wanru, having lost her standing due to pressure from the male lead’s and Chen Jiansheng’s influence, was taken advantage of by him, who forcibly assaulted her, making her character’s fate even more tragic.
Reading the novel, she had sensed the extent of this guy’s madness. His family was wealthy, which gave him the power to oppress others.
Now, facing the real person, she felt a bit unnerved.
The teenager stepped closer to Wanru. She recoiled, but he quickly grabbed her arm. His grip was so strong that her arm quickly turned red.
“Let go!”
She practically screamed.
Strangely, there was no one else around now. The teenager turned his tall back towards the street, completely obscuring her.
She tried to push him away to maintain distance, but his strength was too great. His right hand gripped both her arms, while his left wrapped around her waist.
Wan Ru struggled, then took a desperate gamble.
“Do you know why I followed Mei Jin?”
The young man's grip slackened as he asked,
“Why?”
“Because I know Mei Jin’s uncle. You must know who Mei Jin’s uncle is, right? If you lay a hand on me, you won’t get away with it. Let me go!”
Li Wan Ru pushed harder, trying to shove the young man away from her.
The young man laughed loudly, grabbed her arm, and dragged her into a dark alley nearby. Wan Ru panicked and struggled, but it was no use.
He pulled her deeper into the alley, shoving her hard against the wall. Her back slammed into the brick, causing her intense pain, and tears welled up in her eyes.
She could only hear the madman in front of her laughing wildly, a truly deranged sound. He grabbed her, grinding his teeth, and spoke.
“Right now, you call Chen Jianqing and tell him to get his ass over here.
You think I’m stupid, don’t you?
If you call Chen Jianqing here today, I won’t bother you again. But if you don’t, then today I’m going to rape you right here.”
His voice, losing all patience, roared.
“Hurry up! Don’t try to play the crying game with me!”
Her tears streamed down, partly from the pain in her back, partly from fear that this madman would carry out his threat.
Wan Ru tremblingly took out her phone, hesitating to call Chen Jianqing.
She knew he was busy at this hour and likely wouldn’t be able to answer.
The phone rang for a moment, and the young man’s smile widened.
“Hello?” Chen Jianqing’s deep voice came through the phone speaker, cutting through the frantic atmosphere.
Wan Ru was so overwhelmed with emotion she could barely speak.
“Uncle, can you come pick me up?” She held her breath, waiting for Chen Jianqing’s answer.
Chen Jianqing had been reviewing documents when he answered. The moment Wan Ru spoke, he immediately sensed something was wrong with her tone.
He paused in thought for a few seconds before replying.
“Where are you? At school or at the restaurant?”
“I’m at school. Can you come a little faster?”
“Send me your location.”
Chen Jianqing hung up after he finished speaking.
He changed his clothes and drove off, following the location she sent.
The young man, listening to her conversation, let out a scornful laugh.
“You’d better bring the real Chen Jianqing here. If you’re trying to trick me, you’re dead.”
With that, the young man took out another cigarette and lit it, leisurely standing to block the alley entrance.
Wan Ru knew she had made the right choice. The fact that he was still calmly waiting for confirmation meant he was genuinely afraid of getting involved with Chen Jianqing.
Now she just hoped that when Chen Jianqing arrived, he wouldn’t just play the part of a concerned uncle, but truly help her.
About ten minutes later, her phone rang. She saw the young man immediately extinguish his cigarette. She answered and heard Chen Jianqing’s voice.
“Where are you?”