In a small courtyard in town.

Feng Qiushi leaned against Zhang Qiang's chest, her fingertips gently tracing the old scars on his arm.

It was a scratch he had in his early years, with a rough texture, but it made her feel at ease.

The sun outside the window gradually set in the west, and golden light streamed in through the window.

"It's getting late, I should go back." Feng Qiushi gently nudged Zhang Qiang. "What if... he throws another tantrum?"

Although she knew that Xu Mingli was now just a paper tiger, her years of habit still made her a little more apprehensive.

Zhang Qiang tightened his arms around her and hugged her for a while before letting go. "Don't worry, I'll go back with you."

He rolled out of bed, quickly put on his clothes, and then pulled out a cloth bag from the back of the wardrobe, handing it to Feng Qiushi. "This is some fine cotton cloth I've saved up. The colors are simple and clean. Take it back and make yourself a dress. It'll be perfect for spring."

Feng Qiushi took the cloth bag, and as his fingertips touched the soft cotton fabric, a warmth suddenly filled his heart.

The cloth bag was folded neatly, showing that it had been carefully stored. It was likely that Zhang Qiang was reluctant to use it and had kept it on purpose.

She looked up, and her eyes welled up with tears.

Since coming to Heilongjiang Province with Xu Mingli, she has never received anything so sincere. She has only received perfunctory or ulterior motives in her attempts to appease him.

"Why are you crying?" Zhang Qiang saw this and quickly reached out to wipe away her tears. "Don't you like it? If you don't like it, we'll go buy other fabrics tomorrow."

"No, I like it very much." Feng Qiushi shook his head and hugged the cloth bag tightly to his chest. "Thank you, Zhang Qiang."

"Why are you being so polite with me? From now on, whatever I have, you'll have too."

The two stayed for a while longer before walking side by side into the village.

As he passed by the military headquarters, Feng Qiushi subconsciously quickened his pace, afraid of running into Xu Xinghe again. Fortunately, he made it through without encountering any acquaintances.

The two returned to the village.

As soon as Feng Qiushi entered the room, he instinctively looked for Xu Mingli, but couldn't find him.

The person has disappeared!

Her heart skipped a beat, and she quickly went into the house, searching it thoroughly inside and out, even the woodshed, but she still couldn't find Xu Mingli.

She was so frightened that she almost dropped the cloth bag in her hand, her voice trembling with panic, "Where...where could he go? His arm is injured, and he's afraid to go out and see anyone..."

Zhang Qiang's face also darkened. He walked to the gate of the courtyard and looked around. Occasionally, villagers would pass by on the village roads, but he did not see Xu Mingli.

"Don't panic." He reached out and put his hand on Feng Qiushi's shoulder, trying to calm her down. "He definitely wouldn't dare to show his face unless he wanted to die! Let's just wait at home. If he hasn't come back by dark, we'll think of something else."

Feng Qiushi could only nod, but his unease grew stronger.

Xu Mingli isn't the type to wander off randomly. What could he be doing when he suddenly disappeared?

Could it be... that they're going to find someone to deal with Xu Xinghe again?

But now the military is suspicious of them. If they still take action, wouldn't that be like throwing lambs to the slaughter?

The best way is to do nothing!

Feng Qiushi no longer wants to deal with Xu Xinghe; she just wants to live a peaceful life now!

The light in the courtyard grew dimmer and dimmer. She stood in front of the door, looking towards the village entrance, clutching the cloth bag tightly in her hand, her palms covered in cold sweat.

At this moment, Xu Mingli appeared in the town.

He wrapped himself up tightly in his clothes, covering his face as well. When someone looked at him, he would cough a few times, pretending to be sick.

In this way, naturally no one would suspect him.

With his half-crippled right arm tucked in, Xu Mingli lowered his head and lifted the curtain of the bathhouse.

Inside, a group of people were playing cards, smoking cigarettes, their swearing mingling with the sounds of shuffling cards.

Hearing the noise, everyone turned around.

Xu Mingli was so frightened that he stopped in his tracks and dared not go any further.

"Who are you looking for?" A shirtless man glanced at him, his tone impatient.

Xu Mingli gripped the money in his pocket tightly, his voice strained, "I'm looking for Scarface... I have business to discuss."

"Scarface is busy, wait a minute." The man ignored him and continued to stare at the cards in his hand.

Xu Mingli could only stand at the door and wait, sweat streaming down his back, half from the heat and half from fear.

He was fed up with being manipulated by Zhang Qiang, fed up with Feng Qiushi's indifference, and hated Xu Xinghe for ruining his plans.

Only by finding a way to get Xu Xinghe under his control and obtain his assets can he have any chance of turning the tables.

Once he gets the money and goes abroad, there will be no more worries, and his hand will be healed.

About half an hour later, the scarred man emerged, a cigarette dangling from his lips, his eyes so sinister they were almost blinding. "You were looking for me?"

He looked Xu Mingli up and down and immediately concluded that he was definitely not a good person.

It's already May, and he's still covering his face. He's obviously up to no good.

"Scarface," Xu Mingli hurriedly greeted him, lowering his voice, "I have a job I'd like to ask you for help with, the price is negotiable."

The scarred man raised an eyebrow and walked towards the door. "Let's talk outside."

The two walked into the alley, where the wind was still a bit chilly.

Xu Mingli took out a photo from his pocket and handed it over. "Scarface, I'd like to ask you to help me tie up this woman and hide her. Just don't kill her."

The scarred man took the photo, squinted at it, and his face instantly darkened.

The girl in the photo is stunningly beautiful; isn't that Xu Xinghe?

This is his elder brother's honored guest!

There are actually people who want to harm her!

The scarred man gripped the photo, his tone turning colder. "You want to kidnap her? Then tell me, what's your relationship with her? I need to figure that out before I make a move, right? What if you're not a good person and want to hurt a nice girl?"

Xu Mingli panicked and quickly made up a lie, "She's my fiancée. We were going to get married, but she got together with a military officer, dumped me, and almost crippled me. I was so angry that I wanted to tie her up and make her apologize to me!"

As he spoke, he deliberately shook his crippled right arm, feigning a wronged expression.

The scarred man stared into his eyes, spat out his cigarette butt, and crushed it on the ground. "Kidnapping is fine, how much?"

Xu Mingli quickly pulled out a wad of cash from his pocket, counted out ten bills, and handed them over. "This is the deposit. I'll give you another ninety after it's done, making it a total of one hundred yuan! Don't worry, as long as you hide her well and don't let the military find her, I'll definitely pay the rest of the money!"

One hundred dollars is no small amount.

The scarred man sneered, but still took the money. "She's getting involved with an officer; that's going to be difficult."

Xu Mingli thought he had agreed and was overjoyed. "Brother Scarface, don't worry. Although that officer is formidable, as long as we do it discreetly, he definitely won't be able to find us! Besides, this is a private matter between her and me. Even if it blows up, it has nothing to do with you!"

The scarred man was silent for a few seconds, then suddenly asked, "What's this girl's name?"

Without thinking twice, Xu Mingli blurted out, "Xu Xinghe."

"Do you know what she does in the military?" The scarred man's tone grew colder, his fingers unconsciously tracing the edge of the photograph.

"I haven't done anything. I'm just an ordinary military dependent, staying at home. I have no special background, so please don't worry."

"Ordinary military dependents?" The scarred man scoffed, then suddenly held out his hand. "Give me the remaining ninety yuan. This job is too risky. If I fail to kidnap anyone and get targeted by the military, I need to keep some money for my family or for my own escape. Pay the full amount first, then I'll proceed."

Xu Mingli's expression changed instantly. He only had fifty yuan left in his pocket, which he had originally intended to keep for emergencies, but he did not expect the other party to suddenly ask for the full amount.

He clutched his pocket tightly, stammering, "Scarface, I've already given you the deposit. I'll definitely pay the rest after it's done. You go ahead and get started..."

"Enough with the nonsense!" The scarred man's eyes flashed, and he grabbed Xu Mingli by the collar, while reaching into his pocket with his other hand. His fingertips touched a few crumpled banknotes, which he ripped out and counted—only fifty yuan.

"Is that all?" The scarred man stared at the money in his hand, his face turning completely dark. He suddenly released Xu Mingli and kicked him in the stomach.

Xu Mingli screamed and fell to the ground. His half-crippled right arm slammed heavily against the cobblestone road, causing him to tremble with pain.

"You bastard, don't you even know your place? How dare you lay a hand on Miss Xu?"