Chapter 112 A Fight to the Death: "Li Leshan's life is mine."...
After that, Jiang Yueming often had nightmares. She couldn't remember the details of the nightmares, only the people in them, and the thin, trembling back of the boy. She would wake up with her pillow wet with tears. On nights when nightmares woke her, she would instinctively turn on her phone; the lock screen wallpaper was a picture of Li Leshan's smiling face when he was sixteen.
Although Jiang Yueming wished she could press the pause button on time, to freeze back to the most beautiful days, the wind continued to blow, relentlessly and unreasonably, pushing people forward relentlessly.
"Hey, Yueming." The voice came from the other end of the phone. "I found out about the person you wanted to inquire about. It's Li Yong, over in the development zone, you know Tiedong, right? He's a drunkard, always wandering around at night. You'll run into him if you go there..."
Jiang Yueming hung up the phone, leaned against the wall, and coldly stared at the sent photo before putting his phone in his pocket. He then took a call while taking out the trash.
Sitting idly by and waiting for death, enduring again and again—that's not Jiang Yueming's style.
"What are you going to do?" Cao Fan asked, seeing that he hadn't spoken. "You're not going to run away again, are you?"
"No way, this is the umpteenth time this month. We can keep it from Lao Liu once or twice, how can we keep it from him again..." He kept rambling on, and anyone who didn't know better would think that this guy was some kind of discipline committee member who had nothing better to do than meddle in other people's affairs.
“No wonder you always get 28 points on physics tests,” Jiang Yueming said. “With my skill, you could solve a single problem.”
“What’s going on?” Cao Fan raised an eyebrow, displeased. “It’s escalated into a personal attack.”
"Then I was wrong." Jiang Yueming admitted his mistake with lightning speed, throwing down the trash can. "Old Liu is here to cover for me. If anything goes wrong, I'll hold you accountable."
After he finished speaking, he hurriedly slipped away through the back door. Of course, he didn't leave by the proper route either. If he had gone out through the main gate, he would have been stopped after a few steps; it wasn't that simple. A leave slip, the homeroom teacher's signature, and the gatekeeper's inspection—it was all very troublesome. Jiang Yueming's usual trick was to climb over the wall.
Climbing over the wall is a skill; one wrong move and you'll get into trouble. That area is remote, without surveillance cameras, and no school officials patrolling around, so many young couples like to come here.
He'd practically grown attached to the wall from all the climbing. Jiang Yueming first threw his schoolbag against the wall, then took a step back, ran up, braced himself, grabbed the schoolbag, and jumped down. The whole process was swift and efficient, without even getting a speck of dust on him.
This is much simpler than going out through the main gate. Jiang Yueming's car was parked outside the school. He hurriedly took off his school uniform jacket and stuffed it into his backpack. Underneath, he was wearing a black short-sleeved shirt. But judging from this outfit, he really didn't look like a student.
After all, they don't do the things students should do every day.
He hadn't been to Tiedong much, only knowing that it was near a dilapidated train station. Despite its run-down exterior, the inside was just as shabby. The first time Jiang Yueming came, he couldn't find the entrance for ages, and only after asking around did he realize that the tin-roofed building in front of him was it.
What era is this? In the 21st century, how can there still be such an ancient place, like it's from the last century? Besides being dilapidated, this place is full of delinquent youths and hooligans. There's a vocational high school nearby, and the pregnancy rate is higher than the college entrance rate.
Jiang Yueming found a place to settle down and glanced at the passing crowd. Occasionally, a few older women would pass by and wink at him, but Jiang Yueming would wave them away casually.
Around 10 o'clock, a person strolled out of the train station. Jiang Yueming immediately recognized the person; the clothes matched those in the photo, and it was definitely Li Yong.
The moment Jiang Yueming saw Li Yong with his own eyes, he admitted that all his emotions paled in comparison to hatred. His hands involuntarily clenched into fists, and if he hadn't been trying so hard to restrain himself, Jiang Yueming really wouldn't have been able to resist rushing up and punching him, grabbing his collar and asking him what he was up to.
His knuckles cracked from Jiang Yueming's grip. He stood up and slowly followed behind Li Yong. Although it was chaotic here, there were too many people around. They'd wait until they found a quieter place…
He deliberately kept his distance from Li Yong, but the next second, Li Yong suddenly seemed to realize something and ran forward like a madman.
Jiang Yueming cursed under his breath, not caring about anything else. He followed closely behind Li Yong until they finally left the station square. Once there was no one around, Jiang Yueming shouted, "Stop right there!"
He lunged forward and grabbed Li Yong's shoulder, pinning him against the wall behind him. Li Yong looked at him suspiciously, sizing him up and down, and finally realized that he wasn't there to collect a debt.
"Who the hell are you?!" Upon seeing this, Li Yong hurriedly struggled, his breath reeking of alcohol.
“Li Yong, right?” Jiang Yueming gritted her teeth, “Shall we… have a talk?”
The more Li Yong looked at the person in front of him, the more familiar he became. He had seen this face before; he recognized it. A fierce light flashed in his eyes, and his voice was hoarse, carrying an unsettling smile, "I recognize you..."
Jiang Yueming was taken aback. He didn't have time to wonder why Li Yong knew him. He then chuckled softly, "That makes things easier."
"I recognize you!" Li Yong said, "You've come to my doorstep, huh? That little bastard's got some nerve, sending you to ambush me..."
Before he could finish speaking, Jiang Yueming's fist had already slammed into Li Yong's face. He simply couldn't hold back any longer; this punch was the culmination of too much pent-up anger. His body reacted before his brain could, carrying all his rage, heartache, and resentment.
"Say that again! Are you even human?!" Jiang Yueming had never seen anyone like this before. Why was he so arrogant? Why was he so shameless...? Why did he leave all the suffering to Li Leshan while he himself lived a carefree life?!
Li Yong staggered a few steps after being hit, then lunged forward in a rage, yelling, "You little brat! You dare hit me?! It's only right for a father to discipline his son, and let me tell you! Li Leshan's life belongs to me for the rest of his life!"
“A lesson…?” Jiang Yueming trembled with anger at his words. “You beat him to death, you drove him to…”
Jiang Yueming couldn't bring himself to say the second half of the sentence; he simply couldn't bring himself to say it. He was driving Li Leshan to his death!
“He eats my food and wears my clothes. Without me, would he even survive?! Shouldn’t he give me the money he earns?” Li Yong cursed. “Damn it, he’s really got too big for his britches now, daring to play tricks on me.”
money?
Jiang Yueming froze on the spot.
What did Li Yong say? He said...money?
His mind flashed with Li Leshan's tired and pale face, his increasingly silent and thin figure, the "extended services" he hadn't gone to, and the "places" he refused to mention no matter what... All of these things were connected at this moment because of the word "money".
"Fuck your grandpa!!"
Jiang Yueming punched Li Yong in the stomach, his eyes red-rimmed. "So, he works from dawn till dusk every day... just to give money to a beast like you?!"
Only now did he realize what Li Leshan was carrying. Because of Li Yong, he had to earn money, his days completely packed with tasks. That's why he was always so tired, and that's why he always told them to stay away...
The dull thuds of fists landing on his body echoed in the alley. Jiang Yueming felt no pain at all, only venting his anger with punch after punch.
Jiang Yueming only stopped when Li Yong collapsed to the ground like a lump of mud, panting heavily. He stood there, his hands stained with blood seeping from his broken knuckles, his whole body trembling.
“Li Yong,” Jiang Yueming’s tone suddenly changed, carrying an almost resolute calm, “Isn’t all you want money?”
He bent down and pulled an envelope from the bag he had thrown on the ground. Inside was a portion of the money he had saved over the years to give to Li Leshan. He carried it with him so he could give it to him whenever he wanted. It was as if this way he could shield Li Leshan from some of the storms of life.
Jiang Yueming tossed the envelope to Li Yong, then squatted down, grabbed Li Yong's collar tightly, and said in a hoarse voice, "The money. I'll give it to you."
"I'll give you the same amount as Li Leshan gave me."
He took a deep breath and said, "You're not allowed to hit Li Leshan again, and you're not allowed to ask Li Leshan for a single penny, or I'll kill you."
Jiang Yueming's eyes were particularly firm. "I'm capable of anything. Even if it means death, I'll stay with you."
He finally understood what Li Leshan meant by "I will harm you." But it didn't matter; he wasn't afraid. He could do what Li Leshan couldn't, and Jiang Yueming would accept whatever the outcome.
“Why should I believe you?” Li Yong gripped the wad of money tightly. “What if you run away with that brat? Who am I supposed to turn to?! Ha, even if you run away, to the ends of the earth, I won’t let him get away!”
Jiang Yueming scoffed, a cold and hollow laugh that sounded particularly eerie in the narrow alley. He didn't look at Li Yong's repulsive face anymore, but instead bent down to put on a pair of gloves, then pulled an ordinary folding knife from his pocket.
Jiang Yueming didn't speak, but snapped the blade away. He stepped forward and, before Li Yong could react, his left hand gripped Li Yong's dirty right wrist, stained with wine and grime. Li Yong instinctively tried to struggle, but the strength Jiang Yueming displayed was astonishing, making it impossible for him to break free.
"What the hell are you doing?!" Li Yong shouted.
Jiang Yueming remained silent, his eyes like two bottomless, icy pools. He forcefully pried open Li Yong's fingers, shoving the hilt of the cold knife firmly into Li Yong's palm, making him hold it tightly. Then, he used his left hand to tightly grasp the back of Li Yong's hand.
Immediately afterwards, Jiang Yueming forcefully pointed the knife at his abdomen.
"Are you crazy! Let go of me, you fucking idiot!" After realizing what he was about to do, Li Yong was terrified and desperately tried to pull the knife out.
“This stab,” Jiang Yueming finally spoke, his voice low and steady, “was done by you. Either take the money and get out, or you go to jail. You choose one.”
The next second, a dull, wet sound of a sharp blade piercing flesh clearly reached their ears.
Blood gushed out almost spurting out, instantly soaking his black T-shirt and quickly spreading a larger, deeper, warm, sticky wet patch on the fabric.
Li Yong was completely stunned. He watched helplessly as his hand, gripping the knife, plunged into the madman's body. He could feel the terrifying resistance as the blade cut in, and the warm blood splattering onto the back of his hand. His mind went blank, filled only with boundless terror.
Cold sweat covered Jiang Yueming's forehead, and his lips were bloodless from blood loss and excruciating pain. But as he looked at Li Yong's eyes, which were almost bulging out of their sockets from extreme fear, he actually managed to twitch the corners of his mouth and reveal an unusually cold smile.
“Li Yong, from today onwards, I will repay Li Leshan’s debts.”
"Li Leshan's life is mine."
-----------------------
Author's Note: The first time I edited it, the author's note was gone TT I wrote a whole long paragraph! I'm so annoyed...
Part Two:
The title of this chapter is "Fish Die, Net Breaks," which is also a metaphor for "mutual destruction." I feel that no other word could be more suitable for the content of this chapter. How can Yueming's actions not be considered a form of "mutual destruction"?
Call it impulsive or whatever, he couldn't bear to watch Li Leshan continue to suffer. At that time, he was single-mindedly focused on getting Li Yong away from Lele, and he was willing to pay any price, even his own life.
As for what he said to Li Yong afterward, and what threats he made, you can use your imagination to fill in the blanks (actually, he had prepared blood packs, intending to use them to deceive Li Yong and achieve his goal. Unfortunately, in his haste, he messed things up...).
-
Thank you so much for your long comments, everyone! A huge thank you, you have no idea how excited I was! Everyone's comments were so wonderful and sincere [starry eyes]
I had some super delicious boiled pork slices and braised skewers today. The auntie who sold the skewers was so nice; she wanted to give me a lot of them for free. I'm so happy!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com