C8

You're no good, are you?

Chiang Le towered over Wu Neng, his mouth curving into a faint smile.

The sensation was exhilarating—standing up for what's right, winning people over with kindness, and having the freedom to act as he pleased felt incredible!

Across from him, Lin Yu watched Chiang Le with a complex look in her eyes, her thoughts inscrutable.

"I'm a man of my word. You'll still get your medical expenses," Chiang Le said with a smile. "My guys will take you to the hospital soon. Once you're healed, I'll make sure you have enough to cover your needs. Then, leave Jiang City for good. If I catch you here again, I guarantee you'll be adding to the body count at the bottom of the Yellow River."

"Okay, okay," Wu Neng agreed, nodding repeatedly.

"Now, you can disappear..."

Chiang Le's henchmen grabbed Wu Neng by the legs and dragged him away like a dead dog, utterly indifferent to his agonizing screams.

The screams grew fainter and fainter until they vanished altogether.

The air of dominance and ruthlessness that had clung to Chiang Le dissipated. He turned to Lin Yu with a grin, the bashful, innocent college student once again. "Sis, he's gone. He won't ever bother you again."

Lin Yu had remained silent throughout, merely observing Chiang Le's one-man show. But at his words, she could no longer contain herself and burst into tears.

It was as if she were releasing years of pent-up anguish, crying with a heart-wrenching intensity.

Chiang Le stood before Lin Yu, watching her. He extended a hand to offer comfort but, after a moment's hesitation, withdrew it.

As Lin Yu wept, Chiang Le silently began tidying the room.

He cleared away the broken furniture.

He swept up the scattered debris.

He even meticulously cleaned up Wu Neng's bloodstains. For Chiang Le, this place was home, and Lin Yu and Little Guoer were his family.

By the time Lin Yu's tears had ceased, Chiang Le had restored the house to spotless order.

"Chiang Le, thank you."

"It's me who should be thankful."

"How did you come by so much money?"

"I... I've actually always been pretty amazing; I just never realized it," Chiang Le said with a smile. "Life is full of surprises, isn't it?"

"Absolutely," Lin Yu agreed, her voice tinged with genuine wonder. Just a couple of days ago, she was a struggling student, up at dawn lugging bags of cement, and now, in the blink of an eye, she had transformed into someone enigmatic and incredibly capable. Such a turn of events was astonishingly unexpected.

Their conversation trailed off, leaving a heavy silence in its wake.

"Sis, where's Little Guoer?"

"Her grandpa picked her up."

"Oh." Chiang Le chuckled. "Look, I didn't come over today for any particular reason. I've been intruding for quite some time and haven't gotten around to paying the rent. I'm really sorry about that."

With those words, Chiang Le slid two boxes across to Lin Yu. Their contents were self-explanatory.

"Please, take these. They're for this month's rent."

Lin Yu was taken aback.

Chiang Le's rent was supposed to be 800 yuan a month.

Could it be that in less than a month, Chiang Le was offering her so much more?

"No, no, this is too much... I can't accept it," Lin Yu said firmly, refusing outright.

"It's what you're owed," Chiang Le insisted with a smile. "I've mooched enough meals off you to never forget the debt of gratitude."

"Chiang Le, I really can't take this. I just can't."

"Sis, please, give me a chance to help you," Chiang Le pleaded earnestly. "I'm telling you, I'm really capable now. What I've done today, it's nothing to me."

Lin Yu remained steadfast in her refusal, prompting Chiang Le to grow more desperate. "Sis, if you won't consider it for yourself, at least think about Little Guoer. She loves playing the piano and she's got talent. You can't hold her back. Do you know how costly a piano is? A daughter should be raised in comfort. She deserves the best education, to dress like a lovely little princess, to enjoy the finest foods..."

Lin Yu's resolve wavered as she looked into Chiang Le's earnest eyes.

She was poor, life was tough, and Little Guoer had been through so much. With this money, her daughter could have access to a better education and a brighter future.

It was an offer that tugged at the heartstrings of any mother.

Without further discussion, Chiang Le placed the boxes inside Lin Yu's cabinet. "Please, keep it without worry. Good people deserve good fortune."

Chiang Le, worried that Lin Yu would turn him down again, spun on his heel to leave. To his surprise, Lin Yu called out to him.

"Chiang Le..."

"Look, if you say no one more time, you're really making me feel like an outsider," Chiang Le feigned displeasure. "Whenever I've had no food, I've come over to mooch meals and drinks without a second thought..."

"Chiang Le, thank you," Lin Yu said, her eyes brimming with tears. "Have you eaten yet? Let me cook something for you."

"Sure," Chiang Le replied, his face lighting up with a smile.

Lin Yu set to work in the kitchen with earnest focus, each movement imbued with heartfelt emotion. As she cooked, tears silently streamed down her face.

She prepared a spread of dishes: scrambled eggs with tomatoes, vinegar-flavored shredded potatoes, white-cut meat, shrimp with winter melon, and a hearty pot of pork rib soup.

With tender care, Lin Yu served Chiang Le his meal and quietly brought out a bottle of white wine.

"This is the bottle I bought when Little Guoer was born. I was saving it for her wedding day. It's a fine wine." Lin Yu's expression softened as she poured the wine for Chiang Le.

Gazing at Lin Yu's poignant beauty, Chiang Le felt a sense of reverie wash over him, as if the wine itself was not needed to be intoxicated.

They began their meal, and Lin Yu was unusually talkative that day.

She reminisced about her childhood, shared memories of her times with Wu Neng, and opened up about her life. She alternated between laughter and tears as the conversation flowed.

They drank glass after glass.

The bottle of white wine was soon empty, and despite Chiang Le's protests, Lin Yu stubbornly opened another.

Chiang Le listened in silence, his heart aching with each sip.

By the end of the meal, both Lin Yu and Chiang Le were thoroughly intoxicated.

Having downed two bottles of strong white wine, it was inevitable.

In that moment, Lin Yu's cheeks were flushed, and her youthful, motherly charm shone through, her skin glowing like polished jade under the light.

As Chiang Le looked at Lin Yu, an absurd thought crossed his mind.

No sooner had it surfaced than he bowed his head, feeling a deep sense of shame.

Lin Yu, inebriated, her face flushed and tears glistening at the corners of her eyes, resembled a dew-kissed blossom, radiantly beautiful.

"Chiang Le... thank you... I really don't know how to express my gratitude..."

"Don't worry about it, sis. It's nothing, really."

"Did you know, Wu Neng once tried to force me to sleep with a man over two thousand yuan?" Lin Yu reflected on her past with a heavy sigh. "If I hadn't been driven to threaten him with my life, if I had given in, what would I have become?"

"You're not to blame for any of this. It's all your ex-husband's doing. Sis, things will look up. You'll find someone who truly cherishes you one day."

Lin Yu gazed at Chiang Le, shaking her head faintly, her words slurred, "No more searching. No hope means no disappointment. Chiang Le, I just don't know how to thank you enough..."

Stumbling to her feet in a drunken haze, Lin Yu lost her balance. Chiang Le quickly reached out to steady her, but they both tumbled onto the sofa.

Lin Yu collapsed right beside Chiang Le.

The subtle scent of her perfume wafted into Chiang Le's nostrils, tickling them, as he felt the warmth and sensation from her body. Heat crept up to Chiang Le's ears...

"Do you like me?" Lin Yu whispered seductively into Chiang Le's ear. "If you want, stay with me tonight..."

She couldn't stand it! Such an incredible opportunity lay before her. To refuse it, would she still be considered a man?

She had to resist! Despite Lin Yu's beauty and his feelings for her, could he really exploit her gratitude?

Chiang Le was caught in a profound internal struggle. In that moment, a fierce battle raged within his mind.

His conscience was clear on one side, telling him this was wrong. Yet, the allure of the moment was making his blood surge, pushing him to the brink of losing control...

"You want to live without regrets, to seize the moment and revel in it..." Xu Fu's advice resonated in Chiang Le's mind, his gaze growing increasingly unfocused.