Chapter 117 Meddling in Others' Business
"So that's why Huang Cheng got arrested!"
She suddenly stood up.
"You've made this public knowledge, are you deliberately trying to make me lose face in front of others?"
"You're up to no good!"
She pointed at Zhou Shufen, her fingertips trembling slightly.
"I can handle my own affairs; you don't need to interfere!"
Zhou Shufen was completely unprepared for the fact that her first words were to blame herself.
Looking at Zhou Lijuan's self-righteous demeanor, she was so angry that her chest heaved.
"Are you crazy?"
She finally snapped.
"Look at the state you've been in! Your face is covered in bruises, and your body is covered in purple welts. And you're still worrying about saving face?"
She pointed to the bloodstains on the ground.
"This is your blood! And you're still protecting him? You even wrote him a letter of forgiveness?"
"Do you even consider yourself a human being?"
"So what? It's not as scary as you make it out to be. You're just being nosy and meddling in other people's business."
Zhou Lijuan suddenly raised her voice.
As she spoke, she reached out and shoved Zhou Shufen, who was standing in front of her, away.
But this movement aggravated the wounds left from yesterday's beating.
Caught off guard, she hissed and gasped.
Even so, she still refused to admit defeat.
"I'm not in pain! I'm perfectly fine! Don't try to scare me!"
Look in the mirror, and listen to what you're saying!
Zhou Shufen was so angry she almost laughed.
Her gaze was like a knife as she stared at Zhou Lijuan, her tone filled with disbelief and deep disappointment.
"What did I say? Mind your own business!"
Zhou Lijuan retorted, her neck stiff with arrogance.
"He only pushed me twice, he didn't really do anything to me! Hitting someone is a sign of affection, if he really didn't care about me, he wouldn't even bother with me!"
She spoke with absolute certainty.
In her view, being beaten was not a disgrace, but rather solid proof that the other party cared about her.
Zhou Shufen shook her head, a chill running through her heart.
She finally understood that Zhou Lijuan was deeply in love, so deeply that her reason had been completely swallowed up by her emotions.
Zhou Lijuan is not being controlled by anyone; she is willingly succumbing to depravity.
Her thinking was already chaotic, and she had turned right and wrong upside down.
"Alright, since that's what you think, I won't say any more."
She raised her hand and waved it weakly.
After saying that, she turned around and didn't look back even once.
If a person doesn't even think about escaping, no matter how hard others pull, they can't be dragged out of that quagmire.
Strangely enough, Zhou Lijuan, who had said she was willing to suffer, went to see Zhou Hairong again that night.
She squatted at the door of Zhou Hairong's rented room, trembling.
Zhou Hairong had just packed up his stall.
That day, he was busy from 4 a.m. to 8 p.m., without even having a proper drink of water.
All he wanted to do was take a hot shower and lie down to sleep.
But as soon as he reached the door, he saw Zhou Lijuan huddled in the corner.
He instinctively wanted to turn around and leave, but couldn't bring himself to do it.
Hearing the noise, Zhou Lijuan immediately looked up.
"Second brother..."
Her face was covered in tears.
"He hit me again... really, this time it was especially bad... I... I can't take it anymore... I really can't go on living..."
She was incoherent, her face covered in tears and snot.
But wasn't that letter of understanding signed by her?
Zhou Haiqing advised her to take the opportunity to leave that man.
But she absolutely refused to report the crime, saying, "Hitting someone is a sign of affection, scolding someone is a sign of love."
During the day, he was still speaking eloquently in front of Zhou Shufen.
Why is she crying and begging for help from her second brother again after only one day?
Zhou Hairong had already heard a general outline of these matters from Zhou Haiqing today.
He was seething with anger, mixed with an indescribable sense of helplessness.
He knew that Zhou Lijuan had always been this way since she was a child.
Now she's here crying and wailing, completely different from her attitude during the day. What is she trying to do?
Is it genuine regret?
Or is she playing some kind of self-inflicted injury ploy to get him to help her settle scores with that man?
He really couldn't understand it, and he didn't want to guess anymore.
He sighed, and in the end, his heart softened.
He opened the door and stepped aside.
"Come in."
The room was cramped, containing only a bed, a small table, and a few chairs.
He pointed to the chair.
"Sit down and talk."
Zhou Lijuan stumbled in.
Zhou Hairong closed the door, turned around, and stared at her.
"You said you were beaten, so why didn't you leave? If you really felt it was dangerous, why didn't you call the police? Why didn't you stay far away from him? Do you want to be tortured to death by him?"
Zhou Lijuan's eyes instantly reddened.
"I had no choice... I really tried my best... but he said I couldn't come up with the money, so he blamed me, scolded me, and said I was useless... Second brother, you have to save me, I really have nowhere else to turn..."
She simply stopped hiding it and revealed her true purpose for tonight.
How can I save you?
Zhou Hairong frowned, already suspicious.
"Second brother...please lend me some...it's just a few thousand yuan, really not much...I have to go back and deal with this...otherwise he'll beat me again...he kicked me several times last night, my ribs hurt terribly...I'm really scared, I'm so scared I can't sleep...please..."
Hearing this, Zhou Hairong understood everything.
The last shred of pity in my heart vanished.
She's here to play the victim and scam money.
Those tears, those wounds, those fears—it was all an act.
"I cannot agree to that."
Zhou Hairong slowly shook his head.
His gaze was cold and stern, and his voice was deep yet brooked no argument.
“If you really want to get out of your current situation, you have to stand on your own two feet. I can’t help you deceive yourself, much less encourage this weakness.”
Zhou Lijuan's face immediately fell, and her eyes changed from pleading to resentment.
She raised her voice, her tone full of accusation.
"What do you mean by that? I'm your own sister, your own flesh and blood! Blood is thicker than water! You won't even help me with this little thing? Can't you see what kind of life I'm living? I'm starving and cold, I live in constant fear, like a criminal! Are you just going to watch me suffer like this?"
"You chose this path to live your life this way."
Zhou Hairong coldly interrupted her.
“If you want to leave that man and start a new life, I can give you a hand and a chance. But if you try to use underhanded tactics, make up stories, or act pitiful for money, then don’t blame me for being ruthless. I won’t be your ATM.”
Once her secret was exposed, Zhou Lijuan immediately wiped away her tears.
She sneered, her eyes revealing a hint of ruthlessness and disdain.
"So what? What are you pretending to be so high and mighty for? You're doing great, your career is stable, what's wrong with helping me out? I just can't stand your condescending attitude! Always lecturing people, as if you're so innocent! You're just a gambling addict, aren't you? That Er Gou, I called him here on purpose!"
Zhou Hairong's body tensed instantly, a chill running down his spine.
He stared at her in disbelief.
"What did you say? Er Gou...you're the one who called him?"
No wonder Er Gou still came knocking on my door even though I had long since distanced myself from that group.
It turned out that it was his own sister who pushed him into the fire.
He couldn't believe it, his voice trembling.
"Why would you do this? What do you get out of it? Just for a few thousand dollars? Just to see me suffer?"
"I don't want anything in return!"
A near-mad pleasure contorted on Zhou Lijuan's face.
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