Xia Baozhu ate only one dry, coarse, and throat-scratching cornbread. That night, she tossed and turned, unable to sleep, her stomach rumbling with hunger.
"Stop turning things over! It's a complete mess! Can't a person get any sleep?" a woman shouted impatiently.
"You're hungry, aren't you? Even if you eat all the food here, you'll still be hungry at night," another woman chimed in softly.
"They still think this is outside, refusing to eat this or that. They won't grow smarter if they don't suffer losses here."
Xia Baozhu was annoyed by what she heard, so she slammed her fist on the bed, making a loud noise that startled everyone, who immediately fell silent.
"What's that sound?" The policewoman on duty quickly ran over and shone her flashlight inside.
"The bed wasn't sturdy enough, it collapsed," Xia Baozhu whispered in the darkness.
"Then move to the next room, sleep quietly, and don't cause any trouble."
The next day, Chen Shanlou stepped into this place again. His gaze fell directly on Xia Baozhu's face, which looked haggard after just one night, and the smile on his lips grew even wider.
"Well? Now you should know where you went wrong, right?"
Chen Shanlou's voice was filled with obvious sarcasm and smugness, as if he was very certain that Xia Baozhu would bow down to him.
However, Xia Baozhu remained unmoved. She didn't even bother to glance at Chen Shanlou, as if he didn't exist.
"No wonder your ex-husband found another woman and couldn't wait to divorce you. You treated him the same way before, didn't you? You had no tenderness or consideration like a woman, you were all stiff and unyielding, not even a tenth as good as his current woman."
Shen Shanlou recalled the scene when he met Xia Baozhu and Leng Minghui at the police station to handle their household registration.
Xia Baozhu ignored Leng Minghui completely, and at that time he even mocked Leng Minghui for being a coward.
Now his retribution has come; Xia Baozhu definitely has the ability to infuriate anyone.
"It seems you like it here. Have a great time here."
Chen Shanlou's gaze turned cold, and he angrily got up and left.
On the fourth day, Chen Shanlou came to Xia Baozhu again. Seeing that she was still silent, his anger grew even stronger.
Ten minutes later, he said angrily, "Go ahead and be stubborn like this. Let's see how long you can hold out."
After saying that, he turned and left again, leaving Xia Baozhu behind with a composed expression.
Day 7.
"Xia Baozhu, you really enjoy suffering for nothing. Just beg me and I'll find a way to get you out."
"No need, I like to suffer the consequences of my own actions." Xia Baozhu's voice was hoarse, but even so, she still refused to bow down to Chenshanlou.
Xia Baozhu wasn't fat to begin with, but she's lost even more weight here, making her clothes, which used to fit her perfectly, look baggy.
Her fair face was smaller than the palm of a hand, and her peach blossom eyes were even larger and more aloof, giving her a touch of the sickly beauty Xi Shi.
With a long sigh, Chen Shanlou looked at Xia Baozhu helplessly, feeling both anger and a sense of helplessness.
From initial certainty to current helplessness, Chen Shanlou has gone from hope to despair.
He wasn't without options, but he simply had no way to deal with Xia Baozhu.
He must have truly fallen in love with her, no longer treating her with a casual attitude as before, and completely disregarding her perfunctory attitude.
What's this all about? Did Xia Baozhu really develop genuine feelings for him after tormenting him?
Chen Shanlou gave in, fearing that Xia Baozhu's body wouldn't be able to withstand it if things continued like this.
"Xia Baozhu, you're something else. Now you can go."
Xia Baozhu was released soon after Shen Shanlou left. She looked back at the detention center behind her and laughed loudly.
Those seven days felt like an eternity to her; she was almost about to agree to Chen Shanlou's proposal.
Thankfully, she held on.
Xia Baozhu hailed a tricycle and went directly to the nearest restaurant. She ate a meal to fill her stomach before taking the tricycle to the restaurant.
"Xia Baozhu! You're out?!" Sun Xingyan, who was sitting behind the counter, jumped up as he saw Xia Baozhu appear in the store, his expression a mixture of surprise and delight.
"Yes, I'm back. I'm going upstairs to book a hotel room and unpack. Could you please buy me some clothes?" Xia Baozhu greeted him as she came over.
"Okay, I'll go buy it right away." Sun Xingyan shouted to the kitchen and ran out.
"Where is she? I can hear Sister Xia's voice." Zheng Zhenhao had good hearing, but he couldn't hear anything outside even with the buzzing of the range hood.
"Who's there? Sister Xia is out!" San Gou also ran out. "Where's Brother Sun? Where did he go?"
"I heard Sister Xia go upstairs and ask Brother Sun to help her buy clothes," Zheng Zhenhao said.
"Xiao Jia, go upstairs to the hotel and see if Sister Xia has arrived?" San Gou excitedly called Jia Hongying over.
"Okay, Brother Feng, I'm going right now." Jia Hongying ran off and then ran back.
"It's Sister Xia who's back. The hotel owner told me himself."
Ever since Jia Hongying learned that Xia Baozhu had beaten more than a dozen thugs to a pulp and rendered them unconscious, she has been particularly enamored with her.
While waiting for Sun Xingyan to buy the clothes, Xia Baozhu took eight showers. She carefully checked her long hair, afraid that lice and fleas might remain on her body.
She threw away all the clothes she brought back, and wore the new clothes she bought without washing them.
No wonder it's called "turning over a new leaf" or "starting anew"—you're covered in bugs, how can you not wash yourself clean?
Sun Xingyan bought Xia Baozhu everything from head to toe, inside and out. I don't know what kind of courage he had to buy underwear.
He wore a bright red thermal underwear set, a black turtleneck sweater, blue jeans, a dark blue denim jacket, and black leather shoes.
Sun Xingyan didn't know Xia Baozhu's size, so the jeans he bought were too loose. Xia Baozhu tied the waistband of the jeans with two straps to prevent them from sagging.
The coat is too big, and the sleeves are too long, so I need to roll them up.
Xia Baozhu finished tidying up and went downstairs back to the shop.
"Didn't you get any sleep?"
Sun Xingyan looked at Xia Baozhu as she entered. She had only taken a bath and changed her clothes, yet she was as radiant as a pearl again, still so beautiful.
"You've lost a lot of weight."
Sun Xingyan was also busy this week, and he went to the detention center several times but was not allowed to enter.
He went to his classmate's father, only to be told, "Everyone is fine, just wait patiently."
The lack of a definite answer is causing anxiety.
Left with no other choice, Sun Xingyan went to Chenshanlou, who gave him fifteen days, but told him to ask the other party to withdraw the lawsuit.
Sun Xingyan then found the thug who had been beaten and hospitalized, and finally got 20,000 yuan from him before the thug agreed not to sue Xia Baozhu.
"I can't sleep." Although she was out, Xia Baozhu was too excited to calm down.
"How was it inside?" Sun Xingyan's words made Xia Baozhu think that she had just returned from a trip.
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