Chapter 34 Warehouse: It turns out, he didn't have to live such a pathetic life.
Even if Zhao Hongxia wanted to stop Chen Anping from associating with the three policemen, Li Zhenliang, she was powerless to do so.
Li Zhenliang and his group completely ignored Zhao Hongxia's hints, maintaining a high and mighty attitude, which successfully made the cowardly Zhao Hongxia grit her teeth and give in, watching helplessly as Li Zhenliang and his group sat in the shop waiting for Chen Anping, and then dragged him out for drinks.
Of course, the place to drink should not be the Red Glow Restaurant.
There are several late-night snack shops opposite the Jinwu Road Police Station, perfect for enjoying some beer and barbecue in the evening.
Li Zhenliang successfully lured Chen Anping to a barbecue restaurant across from the police station, and Jiang Ling joined their group.
However, Jiang Ling didn't drink alcohol. Instead, she ordered a can of Coke, which she paired with the barbecue sprinkled with plenty of cumin, chili powder, and scallions, creating a unique flavor.
Following the agreed-upon plan, Chen Anping, an honest man, was so flattered by the praise that he lost all sense of direction.
Fueled by alcohol, Chen Anping was so eager to become sworn brothers with everyone on the spot.
Later, Chen Anping hugged the wine bottle, crying and drinking at the same time, pouring out all the grievances in his heart.
"Brother Chen, why is life so bitter?"
"Brother Liu, don't flatter me. I know my own limitations. So what if I can cook? I'm bad with words and can't talk well. I won't be liked anywhere."
“Brother Zhou, Meina’s heart is cold; you can’t warm it! If she hadn’t been pregnant with my child, she would never have married me. I’m poor, ugly, and nobody wants me…”
The more he talked, the sadder he became. Chen Anping raised his tearful eyes and stared intently at Jiang Ling, who was sitting quietly to the side.
"Officer Jiang, you're better than me. Really, you're better than me! You're good at studying, you can get into police academy, being a policeman is so great, even bad guys are afraid of you! You've had it tough too, I know, you must have suffered a lot. We're both orphans, both abandoned by our parents."
Seeing how drunk he was, Jiang Ling couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
A starving person will consider even a hard steamed bun a delicacy.
Chen Anping, who desperately needed affirmation, was completely flattered by Li Zhenliang and his group, and drank without considering his own drinking capacity.
However, being able to get him to express his grievances is also a gain.
Life is never smooth sailing, and setbacks inevitably lead to negative emotions. Without an outlet for these emotions, they accumulate and become overwhelming.
Negative emotions, if allowed to accumulate, will eventually lead to either illness or madness.
Li Zhenliang put his arm around Chen Anping's shoulder. Although he slurred his words a little, it didn't stop him from comforting Chen Anping: "You and Xiao Jiang are both very capable. You've managed to live a decent life without your parents' support. That's really impressive."
Zhou Wei also chimed in, saying, "You say you're suffering, but who isn't? My family is poor, and I have six siblings. My parents couldn't afford to send me to school, so I joined the army. Being a soldier also means suffering."
He pulled his collar down a little, revealing a long scar on his collarbone: "See this scar? I've been on the battlefield. Shrapnel grazed me, leaving this mark. If it were just a little higher up, my carotid artery would have been ruptured, and I would have been dead."
Chen Anping was soft-hearted. As soon as he saw Zhou Wei's scars, he immediately forgot his own suffering and comforted Zhou Wei instead: "Brother Zhou, you're bound to have good fortune after surviving such a disaster. You're a soldier, you're a good man!"
Liu Haoran then began to use his bubble-popping skills: "Brother, I'm a straightforward person, so it might be a bit harsh. Please don't take offense."
Chen Anping was still quite drunk, and nodded subconsciously: "It's okay, go ahead."
Has he not heard enough harsh words?
Useless thing! Idiot! You're not even a man! Something your parents threw away like a rag!
...
It sounds awful, doesn't it? It's jarring, isn't it? If you listen to it too much, your heart will become dulled, gradually numb, and you won't feel the pain anymore.
Liu Haoran first took a sip of beer to moisten his throat.
“Brother, I’m standing up for you! You’re such a good cook, why doesn’t Zhao Hongxia pay you? Isn’t she just treating you like free labor? Don’t listen to her always saying you’re useless, she’s just trying to appease you. Didn’t you see how she looked at us like we were thieves when we dragged you out today? She was afraid we’d persuade you to run away. If you run away, her restaurant will definitely go out of business.”
Chen Anping was somewhat stunned: "Really? Really?"
Liu Haoran expressed his extreme indignation: "Of course it's true! The most important thing for a restaurant to last and make money is the chef's skill. The three of us have all eaten your cooking, and it's absolutely amazing! I never lie; if I say it's delicious, then it's delicious. It's good that Zhao Hongxia adopted you, but you've worked for her for free for so many years, which is enough to repay that kindness, isn't it?"
Li Zhenliang chimed in from the side: "Even if Zhao Hongxia didn't support you, you were only ten years old at the time. You could have gone directly to the neighborhood committee, the police station, the shelter, or the welfare home, explained your situation, and someone would have helped you arrange your future. You would have been able to survive."
A wave of alcohol washed over him, and Chen Anping felt as if the scenery before his eyes was constantly spinning.
Although he felt deeply aggrieved, Chen Anping still tried to defend Zhao Hongxia: "I was young then and didn't know anything about going to the neighborhood committee or the police station. Aunt Zhao was willing to take care of me, which is a great kindness that I must repay. Besides, I wasn't working for nothing. Aunt Zhao said she's saving all the money for me and will give it to me when I get married."
"whispering sound--"
Liu Haoran rolled his eyes dismissively: "Forget it, only you would believe such childish tricks. Let me ask you, how much does she deposit for you each month? Which bank does she keep it in? How much has she deposited so far?"
Chen Anping couldn't answer a single question.
The fortress that had once deceived itself has now developed cracks.
Is Aunt Zhao really lying to me?
Liu Haoran pressed on, saying, "Brother, let me tell you, a good horse is ridden and a kind person is bullied. You can't be too honest, or you'll be manipulated by others. You're not young anymore, you're 27. Look at Liangzi, he got married at 23 and became a father at 25."
Before Chen Anping could speak, Liu Haoran continued, "I know you're an orphan. Since you feel like an orphan who has never experienced the warmth of a family, then hurry up and get married and have children, and enjoy the joys of family life as soon as possible. Are you stupid? You're Zhao Hongxia's free labor all day long, what about yourself? You need to think about yourself."
You know what, Liu Haoran really does have a good speaking style; every word he said hit the nail on the head for Chen Anping.
He really wants to get married, have children, and build his own little family. He wants a gentle wife and a lovely child, a boy or a girl, who will be his precious treasure.
But what about now? He Meina is clearly pregnant, so why is she still testing him?
He lived in Zhao Hongxia's house for so long, carrying the sick He Meina to school every day and carefully playing with her. Doesn't He Meina know what kind of person he is? What's the point of continuing to test him?
Could it be that Zhao Hongxia and He Meina were both lying to him?
"No, no, no—"
Chen Anping clutched his hair and wailed in anguish: "They didn't lie to me. It's all because I'm useless. I can't make money like others. I have no backbone. I'm a coward!"
Liu Haoran had never seen such a stubborn person before, and rolled his eyes in exasperation.
Jiang Ling raised her right hand and slammed it heavily on the table.
With a loud "smash!", the barbecue plate and beer bottle on the table jumped.
Li Zhenliang hurriedly reached out to steady the wine bottle.
Jiang Ling raised her voice and shouted sternly, "What are you crying for!"
Chen Anping has a somewhat shameless nature. Upon hearing Jiang Ling's cold rebuke, he immediately stopped wailing and stared at her dumbly.
Jiang Ling stared into his eyes: "I was abducted when I was six years old. The trafficker poured a pot of boiling water over my head, and my scalp festered in patches, but I didn't cry. Why are you crying?!"
Everyone stared wide-eyed at Jiang Ling.
Pouring boiling water over your head?
What a human tragedy!
Chen Anping didn't dare to cry anymore. He just stared at Jiang Ling with his mouth open and stammered, "I, I won't, I won't cry."
Li Zhenliang and the other two felt as if their hearts were being ripped out, and they wanted to say a few words of comfort, but Jiang Ling raised her hand to stop them.
Jiang Ling had been observing for a while and found that Chen Anping was like a rubber ball—he wouldn't budge unless bounced.
Instead of gently comforting him, it's better to directly scold him to wake him up.
"Everyone has their own life to live. If you want to continue living such a pathetic life, no one can persuade you otherwise."
"We're treating you to drinks today because we're police officers, and we don't want you to continue being bullied."
"I've explained the reasons to you in detail. Believe it or not, it's up to you!"
After saying that, Jiang Ling stood up, glanced at Li Zhenliang and the others, and said, "Let's go."
Li Zhenliang made a move to get up, but Chen Anping grabbed him and said, "Brother, Brother Li, don't go! I'll listen to you, I'll listen to you!"
Li Zhenliang looked at Jiang Ling.
Jiang Ling nodded slightly.
Li Zhenliang sat down and said, "Brother, listen to my advice: be careful in everything you do, and plan for your future."
After being scolded, Chen Anping became much more obedient, nodding repeatedly: "Yes, yes, yes."
Liu Haoran had tried everything to persuade Chen Anping, but Chen Anping was still deceiving himself. He lost his temper and said, "If you don't believe me, go ask Zhao Hongxia for the money and see if she gives it to you or not."
This time, Chen Anping listened and said, "Okay, okay."
Zhou Wei chimed in, "If He Meina doesn't like the food you send, then don't send it anymore. You're just asking for trouble. You might not mind the mess, but I certainly can't stand it."
Chen Anping didn't nod immediately, but hesitated for a moment: "She, she's pregnant, she needs to pay attention to nutrition."
Jiang Ling suddenly blurted out, "The child may not necessarily be yours."
Chen Anping felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over his head; his face turned deathly pale. He abruptly stood up, looking down at Jiang Ling with an almost ferocious gaze: "What did you say?!"
Jiang Ling showed no fear and looked up to meet his gaze: "Tomorrow at four o'clock in the afternoon, in the warehouse on the second floor of the mall. Go and see for yourself."
Countless thoughts flashed through Chen Anping's mind.
Having deceived himself for so long, he had completely forgotten that He Meina had disliked him since childhood, complaining that he smelled bad, that he was too short, that he was bad at speaking and couldn't say nice things, and that his grades were bad...
He also forgot that after He Meina's successful surgery, she almost never spoke to him. She dressed up every day, applying makeup, lipstick, and perfume, but not for him.
How could she genuinely want to marry him?
He was confused during that accident. He had only drunk a sip of beer, so how did he become so drunk that he passed out? When he woke up, he didn't notice anything unusual about his body; there wasn't a single stain on his clothes or bedding.
Chen Anping slumped down, his fierce expression turning into confusion and bitterness.
"It's fake, it's fake!"
"Was it all a lie?"
"I've already picked out a name for the baby."
Jiang Ling sneered: "It seems you know what's going on."
Chen Anping was speechless.
Li Zhenliang asked, "Are you going tomorrow?"
After a long silence, Chen Anping raised his head and said with difficulty, "Go!"
Whether it's true or false, we'll have to see it with our own eyes.
Whether we live or die, we have to face it.
Before looking for Chen Anping, Li Zhenliang and his colleagues had already conducted an investigation. He Meina changed shifts and rested every afternoon at four o'clock, which was the time when she met privately with Wang Zhirong, the mall manager.
In fact, many people in Dongcheng Department Store knew about their affair, but because of Wang Zhirong's position, they all kept quiet.
Wang Zhirong has a domineering wife, and his father-in-law works in the district government office and has some influence. Therefore, Wang Zhirong's status in the family is not high. Although he is having an affair with He Meina, he dares not divorce his wife and remarry.
After He Meina became pregnant, she pressured Wang Zhirong to get married. Wang Zhirong could only analyze the pros and cons with her and coax her to find someone else to marry first, and then divorce his father and marry her when his father-in-law retired.
Li Zhenliang only conducted a brief visit and followed He Meina for two days before figuring everything out.
As Jiang Ling had guessed, Chen Anping was indeed He Meina's scapegoat.
Now that Jiang Ling has decided to intervene, she must expose the improper relationship between He Meina and Wang Zhirong, so that Chen Anping can completely escape his tragic fate.
The next day was a bright and sunny day.
The sun was shining brightly, high in the sky, its warmth comforting people.
But Chen Anping's heart was ice-cold; even the warmest sunshine couldn't penetrate it.
He followed behind Li Zhenliang and witnessed He Meina embracing Manager Wang in the warehouse, pouring out their hearts to each other. Their words were full of contempt and mockery towards him, which made him tremble with anger. If Li Zhenliang hadn't held him back, he would have rushed in and torn Wang Zhirong's mouth apart.
"With his short and ugly appearance, it's his good fortune that I was able to marry him. How could I dare to be unhappy?"
"That idiot Chen Anping really thought the baby in my belly was his. He called my belly 'baby' all day long and brought me food every day, afraid that the baby would go hungry. It's hilarious."
“Darling, you’re the best. You’ll marry me after your shrew’s father dies, you hear me? If you dare to back out, I’ll take your son and jump off a building.”
Before Chen Anping could rush out, a figure let out a "whoosh" and pounced into the warehouse.
"Smack!"
"Slap! Slap!"
"Clap clap clap—"
After being slapped a few times, Wang Zhirong's face was swollen.
He Meina, held in his arms, screamed in fright, "Ahhh, who are you? Why are you hitting me?"
The figure was a tall, strong woman. She swung her plump arm and slapped him hard across the face: "I'll beat you to death, you shameless slut! You shameless homewrecker, daring to steal my man, I spit on you!"
He Meina only realized what was happening at that moment.
It's happened!
The fat woman in front of me is Tu Ying, the shrew from Wang Zhirong's family.
He Meina was a ruthless woman. She stood in front of Tu Ying, her pregnant belly protruding, and said, "Come on, kill me! I'm pregnant with your husband's child. Go ahead and try. If you dare lay a hand on me, I'll sue you for accidental injury and see if the police arrest you!"
Tu Ying glanced at her slightly protruding belly, then sneered at Wang Zhirong: "What? Want a divorce? I'll grant your wish!"
Wang Zhirong's face flushed red and then paled. He suddenly knelt down and grabbed Tu Ying's leg, tears and snot streaming down his face: "Wife, wife, please forgive me, I don't want a divorce..."
Tu Ying looked at He Meina with a mocking expression: "What? Aren't you two truly in love?"
He Meina stared blankly at Wang Zhirong, who was kneeling on the ground begging for mercy, completely losing his composure.
Wang Zhirong suddenly got up and slapped He Meina across the face. With a loud "smack!", Wang Zhirong smiled ingratiatingly at Tu Ying: "Wife, I'm cutting ties with her. She's a slut who tried to seduce me, but I'm ignoring her."
The scene before him was so surreal that Li Zhenliang, who was watching the spectacle from outside the warehouse, gaped in astonishment.
Chen Anping's hands and feet were trembling.
It turns out, he's always been a clown.
He's like a dog, only fit to eat scraps.
In He Meina's eyes, Chen Anping was a useless person.
In Wang Zhirong's eyes, He Meina was a despicable person.
In Tu Ying's eyes, Wang Zhirong was the dog that wagged its tail and begged for mercy!
Why is this happening?
Why?
Overwhelmed by negative emotions, Chen Anping's eyes turned bloodshot, and he made a hoarse sound in his throat, but he couldn't utter a single word.
Li Zhenliang noticed that Chen Anping's behavior was a bit off, and hurriedly shook his body: "Hey, hey! Don't be anxious, the scoundrel will be punished by heaven, this has nothing to do with you."
Originally, the intention was simply to let Chen Anping see He Meina and Wang Zhirong meeting in secret. Unexpectedly, by some coincidence, Tu Ying received the news from somewhere and rushed up, causing Li Zhenliang to witness a dramatic scene of catching someone in the act.
I didn't expect Chen Anping to react so strongly; his bloodshot eyes were really quite creepy.
Jiang Ling's analysis was correct; Chen Anping, under intense stress, would be prone to violent crimes. He was already so agitated just knowing that He Meina's child wasn't his; if he were to learn the truth after investing so much and raising the child with great difficulty, he would likely go completely insane.
Chen Anping suddenly broke free from Li Zhenliang's grasp and rushed into the warehouse.
When He Meina saw him arrive, her eyes lit up. She habitually adopted a bossy attitude, pointing at Wang Zhirong and Tu Ying and shouting, "Chen Anping! They bullied me! Help me beat them to death!"
Chen Anping's facial muscles contorted, and he finally roared with all his might, "Why? Why?"
His roar echoed through the warehouse, making everyone's ears ring.
He Meina panicked for a moment, but was quickly filled with anger and shouted back, "Are you crazy? Can't you see I've been hit? Aren't you going to help me hit back?"
Chen Anping pounded his chest frantically.
Too much pent-up resentment surged up at this moment, making him feel suffocated.
"Who am I? Tell me, who am I—" Chen Anping's roar was so loud that his saliva splattered onto He Meina's face. Having never witnessed an honest man lose his temper before, He Meina was truly terrified this time.
She stared blankly at Chen Anping, not daring to reply to him.
Besides, He Meina couldn't understand Chen Anping's words at all. What did he mean by "Who am I?"? Wasn't he just Chen Anping? What was the point of asking that?
Seeing Chen Anping's violent appearance, Tu Ying knew she couldn't afford to offend him, so she grabbed Wang Zhirong by the ear and dragged him out of the warehouse.
In the warehouse filled with goods, only Chen Anping and He Meina remained, facing off.
Li Zhenliang was unsure whether he should step forward.
"Let him ask." When Jiang Ling's calm words rang in his ears, Li Zhenliang relaxed considerably. He turned around and looked at Jiang Ling, overjoyed, "Little Jiang, you're here!"
Jiang Ling nodded, reassuring Li Zhenliang: "He won't hurt anyone."
The matter was exposed early, so Chen Anping's cost of silence wasn't too high. Although he was angry and aggrieved, it was still under control. Chen Anping was kind-hearted by nature, and he wouldn't harm the pregnant He Meina.
Inside the warehouse, He Meina panicked. She wanted to leave, but Chen Anping blocked her way, making it impossible for her to escape.
Chen Anping stared at her like a madman, repeatedly asking, "Who am I?" He Meina retreated repeatedly, screaming.
Her screams irritated Chen Anping.
Like a crazed leopard, Chen Anping reached out and grabbed He Meina's arms: "Tell me, who am I? Who am I really?"
Jiang Ling picked up a blue and white megaphone and shouted at He Meina, "He Meina, answer his question."
He Meina looked toward the warehouse door following the sound and immediately screamed for help: "I need to call the police! I need to call the police! Officers, please help me! He's gone mad! He's gone mad..."
Jiang Ling calmly continued speaking into the loudspeaker: "Don't provoke him, answer his questions seriously."
He Meina had no choice but to turn to face Chen Anping and say in a trembling voice, "You, you are Chen Anping."
Chen Anping's hands were still trembling as he shook He Meina's arms: "No, no, no, in your eyes, I'm just a useless thing, a fool who can be bullied at will!"
He Meina was truly frightened.
She shook her head frantically: "No, no, you are my brother, the Anping brother who carried me to school and helped me with my homework."
Chen Anping's emotions calmed down for a moment, but quickly turned fierce again: "No! If I were your brother, why would you lie to me?"
At this moment, He Meina just wanted to end this terrifying scene as soon as possible.
Chen Anping, who is usually as docile as a dog in front of her, actually dared to yell at her?
Chen Anping, who would cook soup and dishes for her and eagerly deliver them, and who would even coax her after being scolded and beaten by her, has gone mad?
He Meina's tears flowed down her cheeks; they were tears of regret and fear.
“I was cheated on by Wang Zhirong and I’m pregnant. He refuses to marry me, so I have no choice but to marry someone else. You’re my brother, you’ll help me, right?”
Chen Anping was not satisfied with this answer: "I want a child of my own, you can't lie to me like this!"
He Meina felt a sharp pain in her lower abdomen and was unsteady on her feet. She had no choice but to swallow her pride and coax Chen Anping, "I didn't want to either, but there was nothing I could do. I'm sorry, Brother Anping, I'm sorry, it was my fault, please forgive me."
When Chen Anping first heard He Meina's apology, he felt that the world was absurd.
When he tried to please the world, he was met with disdain and ridicule.
But when he treats the world ruthlessly, everyone becomes gentle and reasonable.
Chen Anping released He Meina, plopped down on the ground, looked up at the ceiling, and burst into laughter.
It turns out that He Meina would also apologize to him.
So, he didn't have to live such a pathetic life after all.
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