Chapter 17

blatantly force you to drink

The night sky was as thick as ink, connecting with the dark, oppressive sea, resembling a gigantic maw that devours people without spitting out bones.

The dilapidated state of Seventeen Port was enveloped in the sea breeze, and the air was filled with the musty smell of rust.

Cheng Sangluo walked alone through the narrow container alley.

She wore a high ponytail and a clean, crisp black outfit, blending into the pitch-black environment and becoming extremely difficult to spot.

She acted cautiously, and without knowing the number of people on the other side, she could only check for danger as she walked toward the meeting place.

As she approached the alleyway's exit, she slipped close to the wall and silently observed.

In front of an abandoned office building not far away, the dim yellow light illuminated the figures of a group of thugs.

The leader sat in a camping chair, one foot on Cheng Xing's head, and was having his men light cigarettes.

Cheng Sangluo estimated that there were more than twenty thugs on the scene, and after looking around the terrain several times, he slowly walked out of the darkness.

In an instant, a group of menacing-looking people cast wary glances at her, seriously fiddling with the weapons in their hands, as if this could demonstrate their so-called intimidation.

When they discovered that the newcomer was alone and unarmed, they let out contemptuous laughter and even whistled a few times in a provocative manner.

This wasn't the first time Cheng Sangluo had witnessed such a tense scene. Compared to her current terrible experience, she had faced countless life-or-death moments, each one a gamble with her life. Over time, she became accustomed to it.

Clearly, these thugs, who were pretending to be tough, couldn't intimidate her and looked rather ridiculous.

She laughed, saying that those who don't know their place always like to bluff, and their lack of understanding will inevitably lead to them suffering.

"Sangluo—save me—"

Cheng Xing was beaten black and blue, but when he saw his sister appear, it was like seeing a savior. He shouted urgently and forgot the pain from the injury on his mouth.

Cheng Sangluo approached but kept a safe distance, ignoring the desperate pleas for help, and directly confessed to the creditor: "I have no money."

"No money?" The creditor was dissatisfied with this answer, his face trembling with anger. He then used his foot to grind Cheng Xing's head hard. "Then what are you doing here?"

With the air of someone going alone to a meeting, Cheng Sangluo succinctly stated: "To save people."

She had estimated her chances of winning. If she could finish the battle quickly, she had a high chance of taking Cheng Xing away. Her only fear was that if she encountered a difficult situation, she would run out of energy if the battle dragged on for too long.

“I know you’re quite skilled, but…” The creditor confidently exhaled a smoke ring and tapped his temple, “solving problems requires brains.”

After saying that, the two figures, bound hand and foot, were shoved heavily to the ground.

Cheng Yongqiang and Zuo Lan's mouths were taped shut, and daggers were held to their necks.

They whimpered in pain, but dared not move, and could only plead for help from their daughter with pitiful eyes.

"Dad? Mom?" Cheng Sangluo asked in confusion, not expecting her parents to be held hostage as well. She could only grit her teeth and whisper, "The person who owes you money is Cheng Xing, it has nothing to do with them!"

"How can it be unrelated? You're family. If you can't pay back the money, just harvest organs to pay off the debt. After all, it's only right to pay back debts." The creditor's self-righteous manner was disgusting. He casually stubbed out his cigarette on Cheng Xing's face, eliciting a series of miserable cries.

Despite being blatantly threatened, Cheng Sangluo remained calm and composed. "Using my family to manipulate me, it seems Xu Songheng has put in quite a bit of effort."

Upon hearing the familiar name, the creditor paused in his act of relighting his cigarette and said bluntly, "To be honest, Boss Xu has said in the underworld that he'll buy half your life for five million. You're worth more than your brother."

Cheng Sangluo understood perfectly. Today's meeting was indeed a trap set by that bastard. She couldn't help but laugh and said, "That Xu guy is really generous. He made such a big fuss just to take half my life. He really thinks highly of me."

"That's why I say, if it's such easy money, why not take it?" The creditor's joke suddenly turned serious, and he ordered his men, "What are you standing there for? Get to work!"

Following their leader's orders, a group of burly men carrying baseball bats quickly surrounded Cheng Sangluo.

"Five million, do you think this money is easy to earn?" Cheng Sangluo said jokingly, putting his hands in front of his chest and making a standard blocking posture.

Two men leading the charge swung sticks at her side, but she retreated, somersaulted, and kicked them both away.

Finding a suitable weapon, she snatched the stick and swiftly knocked out the person at her feet.

In an instant, the remaining thugs swarmed forward.

These people had no fighting experience and only knew how to swing their sticks wildly with brute force, but they were too timid to get too close.

Cheng Sangluo was agile, able to dodge while also pulling people along to act as human shields for defense.

She easily defeated several people without even breaking a sweat, but these tough guys were really resilient, and it quickly turned into a battle of attrition.

The creditor had hoped to see a group of people bully the weak, but his own men didn't gain any advantage. Enraged, he spat out, "You can't even handle one woman? What a waste of money raising you bunch of useless trash!"

He stood up, pulled out a pistol from his back waist, cocked it, and aimed it at Cheng Sangluo. "I know you're hard to deal with, but what good is your ability if this thing doesn't have eyes?"

When Cheng Sangluo saw the gun, she was startled and immediately grabbed the person closest to her to shield her.

'Bang--'

The creditor was also a ruthless person, who didn't care about the lives of his men at all, and shot Cheng Sangluo.

The aim was off, and the bullet hit the person in front of him, passing through his ear and grazing Cheng Sangluo's brow bone.

In an instant, a torrent of blood gushed out along the three-dimensional contours, carving out several streams of blood that also stained the eagle's sharp eyes.

Cheng Sangluo had no time to wipe the blood from her eyes; she could only squint and be wary of the crowd around her who were waiting for an opportunity to strike.

The pistols became the thugs' confidence, and they swarmed in while Cheng Sangluo was injured.

The clubs that swung around left afterimages mercilessly pounded on her back, even mixed with punches and kicks.

If it weren't for the fear of being shot at any moment, Cheng Sangluo wouldn't have ended up in such a helpless situation.

At this moment, all she could do was bite her lower lip tightly, enduring the pain without uttering a sound. All she could do was curl up into a ball to protect her head.

"stop!"

A deep, stern rebuke cut through the noise and quickly brought order to the chaotic scene.

The man in the suit had slicked-back hair and a very unpleasant expression. His eyes looked like he wanted to devour someone as he walked through the crowd.

Upon seeing him approach, the creditor immediately hid his gun behind his back and asked politely, "Mr. Xu, what brings you here?"

Xu Songheng was very thin, and his pale face was always bloodless. At this moment, he tightened his jaw and did not respond.

That intense reluctance was filled with the helplessness of being forced by circumstances, but there was no way to vent it at the moment, so he could only rely on silence to suppress all his resentment.

"If he doesn't come, how are you going to explain this to me?"

A sarcastic question answered Xu Songheng's doubts.

That cold yet clear voice still has the amazing effect of stirring up one's heart.

Cheng Sangluo's consciousness was scattered. Suddenly, she remembered that the rice balls in the convenience store were not tasty. They were cold and hard to chew.

She lay sprawled on the ground, trying to lift her eyes to see the two most hateful villains in her life.

She had to remember, to remember just how despicable these people's faces were, and even if it meant excruciating pain from the wound on her brow bone, she had to see them clearly.

Bloodstained eyes see everything clearly as red, thus these people are all enveloped in a bloody atmosphere.

Lin Jin's long hair was tied back, and she wore a simple outfit of a white shirt and black trousers. Her pose with one hand in her pocket was both cool and disdainful.

Ignoring everyone's surprised looks, she walked straight to Cheng Sangluo's side.

Seeing the blood flowing continuously and pooling on the puppy's face, a murderous intent instantly flashed in his cold, sharp eyes.

She suppressed her anger, squatted down, took out a tissue from her handbag, and gently wiped the puppy's face.

"Clothes can be dirty, but your face must be clean; it's the least you can do to respect yourself."

Even if the initial gentleness was an illusion, the familiar scene was subtly eroding Cheng Sangluo's vigilance.

"Does it hurt?" Lin Jin asked cautiously, her heart aching.

Cheng Sangluo struggled to raise her arm, brushed her hand away, and rubbed her blurry eyes. "What are you doing here?"

"Didn't you ask me how to resolve this? It's a three-way choice of happiness, and I know you won't choose any of them, so I'll take the liberty of choosing for you." Lin Jin smiled and shushed, "Since I've blatantly forced you to drink, of course I have to keep my word."

This should be the first time Lin Jin has shown her shrewdness in front of Cheng Sangluo.

Doing business is like playing chess; every move must have a reason for its existence. Unexpectedly, even amidst those bizarre and bewildering choices, she had hidden a way out for Cheng Sangluo.

There is a fairly reasonable explanation for this decision to come to the rescue; it both convinces him as a businessman and makes the best of the worst possible choice for the puppy.

Beneath that brutal violence lay a heart filled with deep affection, just like the words spoken at the convenience store entrance—'I'm here to help you.'

But this genuine tenderness was fleeting.

Lin Jin quickly concealed her hidden concern, her tone becoming slightly flippant: "It's not a coincidence, I've been waiting for today. It's time to see who wins our seven-day bet."

[Author's Note]

1. I'll be live streaming at 9 PM on Children's Day (June 1st). Feel free to come chat with me on Douyin (TikTok).

2. So, now you know why Lin Jin got the puppy drunk back then, right? Yao Yao, I always use foreshadowing and logical inconsistencies.

3. Because I felt chapters 14-16 weren't well-written, I rewrote these three chapters with added content. You can go back and take a look.

I know that describing Lin Jin's emotions will be visually impactful, but she's just crazy, and I'm afraid some readers won't be able to accept it. That's why I've been particularly anxious lately and have reduced the frequency of my writing.

4. Pre-order novels: "The Detective's Lover" [criminal investigation], "Becoming the Scandalous Lover of a Hong Kong Film Queen" (please add to your collection).