Counterattack
Li Qingqing eventually agreed to perform, and also brought Zhu Qinghe along.
Perhaps because they shared the same name, Li Qingqing took good care of Zhu Qinghe, treating her like her own little sister.
Zhu Qinghe was happy to play the role of a naive and innocent little sister. Since there was a powerful figure to rely on, she might as well take advantage of it.
Sister Zhang's idea for the program was very simple: a group of female prisoners would line up, say some auspicious words in unison, and that would be it.
As a result, she was scorned by Li Qingqing, the leading actress of the opera troupe and a senior performing artist.
"This is so boring and unoriginal, it's bound to be unremarkable."
Sister Zhang knew her capabilities, so she wasn't angry: "Then tell me, what should we do?"
So for the next few days, in addition to their daily work, Li Qingqing took them to practice dancing.
Li Qingqing is demanding and has a fiery temper, which makes everyone suffer.
"Look at you all, your backs are stiffer than stone pillars, bending over is harder than getting out of bed, are you even capable of doing anything?!" Li Qingqing used a broken tree branch she had picked up from somewhere as a small pointer.
Her gaze fell on Zhu Qinghe, who stood out from the group of oddballs, holding her head high and maintaining perfect posture.
As expected of a young lady from a wealthy family, her demeanor is truly extraordinary.
She went over and helped her adjust her posture, casually asking, "You have a good foundation, have you studied before?"
Zhu Qinghe smiled shyly: "When Miss was learning to dance before, I watched from the side and, out of curiosity, I secretly learned for a while."
"Hmm, not bad. You have a good figure and good flexibility. I'll leave the center position to you. You'd better hold on tight."
Zhu Qinghe nodded obediently.
To avoid upsetting Sister Zhang, Zhu Qinghe suggested that when the dance ended, everyone should pick the best auspicious phrase and say it together.
This also reflects their spirit of reform and self-improvement; they have both a good reputation and a good character, so there should be no fault to be found in them.
Sister Zhang readily agreed, and that's how the matter was settled.
However, during the past few days of dance practice, Zhu Qinghe noticed that the jailer with the whip was always sneaking around and looking in their direction.
Not only that, Zhu Qinghe also caught him talking to Sister Zhang, his greedy and greasy eyes lingering on Li Qingqing.
Zhu Qinghe didn't tell anyone about this, but she kept a close eye on it secretly.
The day before the inspection, during lunch, Zhu Qinghe discovered that Li Qingqing was missing, so she went to ask Sister Zhang.
"Sister Zhang, have you seen Sister Li?"
Sister Zhang looked slightly awkward for a moment. "Ah, I didn't notice. They probably went back to their cells."
“Oh, I see,” Zhu Qinghe said. “Then I’ll bring her a steamed bun; she probably hasn’t eaten enough.”
She turned around, then turned back and said, "By the way, Sister Zhang, could I borrow your fork for a moment?"
Sister Zhang handed her the wooden fork in her hand.
The heavy door slammed shut, and the man slowly turned around.
Li Qingqing frowned warily: "Didn't you call me here to discuss tomorrow's performance? Why are you closing the door?"
The jailer's gaze lingered brazenly on her face, neck, and then down her chest.
"Qingqing, you used to be in an opera troupe, right? So why are you pretending to be stupid? You've come all this way with me, you must know what I mean."
Li Qingqing immediately flew into a rage: "I know your grandpa's legs! Get me out of here right now, or I'll cripple you."
The jailer wasn't annoyed. He chuckled wickedly as he approached her: "I love your fiery personality, you're really something!"
He reached out and grabbed Li Qingqing's wrist. Li Qingqing struggled in disgust, but he pushed her onto the table. This was the prison office, and the desk was cluttered with books, papers, and pens.
Li Qingqing's elbow hit the corner of the table, and her back was poked by a pen, causing her to curl up in pain.
As the jailer unbuckled her belt, Li Qingqing felt as if she were back on that night that changed her life forever. Hatred, shame, and anger flared up from the depths of her heart. She said bitterly, "Do you know what happened to the last person who tried to do this to me?"
The jailer said nonchalantly, "I know, you killed him with a candlestick. But look around, there's nothing here for you to use."
He grabbed her hair with his large hand and pulled her head up. "I'm doing you a favor by coming to see you. Look at all these people in this prison, I only took a liking to you. That's a huge affirmation of you."
He slapped her cheek hard, again and again, his tone laced with a fierce threat, "Don't push your luck."
A fierce glint flashed in Li Qingqing's eyes, but her tone softened considerably: "So, you truly like me."
Seeing that things were looking promising, the jailer hurriedly came over, nuzzling her neck and ear, panting as he said, "Of course I like you. You're so attractive, much prettier than my old hag."
Li Qingqing let him do as he pleased and continued to ask, "Wasn't the new girl who came yesterday pretty?"
The jailer paused, stepped back slightly, and his cloudy, alcohol-filled eyes held a scrutinizing look: "You mean that delicate-skinned young woman?"
Li Qingqing nodded, "She's also called Qingqing, and she's really stupid. Why don't I help you trick her into coming here?"
The jailer was somewhat tempted. The new girl, Qingqing, who arrived yesterday, was indeed more beautiful, and she had a kind of temperament that didn't belong here, which was hard to describe.
But this is practically in front of me, wouldn't it be a waste not to eat it?
"Neither you nor she can escape. Even if I don't need you, she can't escape my grasp."
"Now serve me well, and I promise you'll live a very comfortable life from now on."
The jailer reached his hand down her neck and inside her clothes, then leaned in to kiss her. Suddenly, Li Qingqing swung the pen in her right hand fiercely at his eyes.
Unexpectedly, the jailer was no pushover either; he had been on guard against her all along and swiftly grabbed her wrist, stopping her attack.
He sneered, "It's just a small pen. Do you think someone as high-ranking as a jailer wouldn't see through your little tricks?"
"You were just stalling for time, weren't you? Good thing I didn't believe you."
Li Qingqing spat in his face: "You stinking dog shit, you dare to covet Xiaoqing? Take a piss and look at your own dog face!"
Enraged, the jailer slapped her across the face, knocking her head to the side. Her disheveled hair covered her swollen cheek, giving her an air of fragility and vulnerability.
A strong desire to conquer and a thrill gripped the jailer's heart. He forcefully ripped open Li Qingqing's clothes, revealing half of her snow-white shoulder.
"Hmph, today I'll show you what I'm made of."
Li Qingqing was in a lot of pain, both physically and in her face, but she stubbornly kept her eyes wide open and didn't shed a single tear.
She won't cry, because tears are the most useless thing in the world.
No one will come to save her, but she will remember all the humiliation and pain. As long as she lives, one day she will make the murderer pay a thousand times over!
The prison warden, still in a state of excitement, suddenly stopped moving. Before the excruciating pain traveled through his carotid artery to his brain, he clearly heard the sound of a sharp object piercing his flesh.
Then, excruciating pain overwhelmed him, and he collapsed before he could even make a sound.
Li Qingqing felt the person on top of her loosen their grip. She opened her eyes in a daze. The fat, pig-like body fell down, revealing Zhu Qinghe holding a wooden fork behind her.
She still had that innocent and naive look, yet she seemed as holy and beautiful as a savior.
Zhu Qinghe showed no sign of panic or fear; she looked at Li Qingqing with a slightly apologetic expression.
"Sister, I'm sorry I'm late. Sister Zhang's fork was so dull that I spent ages sharpening it outside. I'm sorry you had to suffer."
"Since this is your first time doing something like this, you're not very skilled. Why don't you get up first and we can discuss what to do next?"
It was my first time, so I wasn't very skilled.
This is murder! How much more skilled do you want to be?!
Li Qingqing tucked her collar in as she thought to herself, somewhat speechless.
What kind of naive and innocent person would casually say something like that?
I really misjudged it.
The two of them worked together to press the jailer into a chair. Li Qingqing checked his breathing; it was very weak. Although he wasn't dead, he probably wouldn't survive if left unattended.
Serves him right, who cares! He'd be better off dead.
Li Qingqing examined the wound on the side of his neck, then took the wooden fork from Zhu Qinghe's hand, looked at it carefully, and exclaimed, "You're quite strong!"
Although the wooden fork was sharpened quite a bit, it was still made of wood. For it to be able to push so far, this girl must be quite strong.
"Please excuse me, sister. After all, I've done manual labor before, so I'm naturally stronger."
"We need to destroy this thing as soon as we get out, otherwise it will be traced back to us very quickly."
Li Qingqing asked in a serious tone, with a hint of doubt, "But where did you get this fork?"
"Sister Zhang lent it to me," Zhu Qinghe said.
Li Qingqing was taken aback, her eyes brightening slightly.
Although it's not very ethical to think this way, since the murder weapon belongs to Sister Zhang, it's like dragging her into this mess as well. Sister Zhang has to help them, otherwise, if the truth comes out, no one will be happy.
Li Qingqing glanced at Zhu Qinghe beside her, whose expression remained unchanged, and a question crossed her mind: Was she deliberately trying to drag Sister Zhang into this?
With such meticulous thinking and intricate calculations, who exactly is she?
Just as I was thinking about it, the door was suddenly pushed hard, and the latch made a dull thud.
The person outside muttered in confusion, "Why is the door locked?"
Zhu Qinghe stiffened and looked at Li Qingqing, who then gestured for her to be quiet.
The man outside the door is the deputy jailer, who usually swaggers around with the jailer and is no good either.
The higher-ups are coming to inspect tomorrow, and I have so much to do. What's this guy doing? He even locked the door!
He had just raised his arm to knock when he heard a woman's shout from inside.
It was as if something was trapped in the palm of my hand, the sound was hazy and indistinct, mixed with the creaking sound of the table shaking violently.
After listening intently for a while, he rolled his eyes. What kind of time is this to be messing around? He's busy running around here while the other person is having fun inside. It's really unfair!
"What the hell is this?" the deputy warden muttered under his breath, his footsteps fading into the distance.
Zhu Qinghe loosened the table leg and looked at Li Qingqing with even greater reverence.
"Sister, you truly deserve to be called a star; your voice is wonderful."
Li Qingqing coughed lightly, looking a little embarrassed, which was unusual for her.
"Life is tough, we're all forced into it. Let's hurry up and leave, or more people will come soon."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
