Part 3
Every storefront was a small house built of brick and tile. There weren’t many lights. Vaguely, one could see several women sitting inside—wearing slip dresses, hair down, hunched over chairs smoking and chatting laughingly.
Business was bad on a rainy day. Only a few rooms contained out-of-shape middle-aged men.
Shi Ye found a room hidden in the corner with only a young girl inside. There was no strange smell at the door.
When they entered, the girl didn’t seem to care about their drenched state. Without even looking, she pulled a plastic chain near her hand.
Clatter, clatter. The roller shutter behind them slowly descended.
It could hardly be called a shutter; it was just a dirty piece of cloth that shrank inward on both sides.
“10 bucks for 10 minutes. 5 extra for drunks. Which one of you is first?”
Shi Ye froze. His reaction was slow for the first time—so slow that he hurriedly turned his face away only when the girl turned her back and bent over, preparing to lift her skirt.
“We don’t do that. We need a place to sleep.”
Only then did the girl turn back to size Shi Ye up.
Her hollow eyes changed instantly. “You’re from the Inner District?”
Not just the car, even their attire was completely out of place.
Shi Ye considered whether to admit it.
“You…” The girl instantly rushed cautiously to the cabinet and pulled out a kitchen knife. “I have an alarm here. If I press it, everyone will know. Don’t try anything.”
Shi Ye was just about to explain when a warm breath faintly blew past his ear.
“We…”
Shi Ye was pleasantly surprised. “Wen Rong?”
Wen Rong barely managed to prop his chin on Shi Ye’s shoulder. “Little sister, we just want to stay for one night. Whatever amount you want, we can give it to you.”
“You are Wen Rong?!”
Wen Rong hummed a difficult “Mn” from his throat.
The vigilance in the girl instantly diminished by half. Presumably, as a celebrity who went from the Outer District to the Inner District, Wen Rong had a very good reputation here.
“H-hello.” The girl greeted awkwardly, then nervously said, “One night is 100… no, 1000. You Inner District people are rich, you can afford it, right?”
Shi Ye: “Can we use mobile transfer here?”
The girl put away the knife. “Transactions in the Outer District are all done by transfer.”
“I’ll give you ten thousand. You help find a doctor.”
“Pfft.”
The girl sneered. “Where are there doctors in the Outer District?”
Shi Ye: “Not even one?”
The girl: “Will you really give me ten thousand?”
“Mn.”
“I know someone. I can call her over. But you have to give her ten thousand too.”
Twenty thousand was not a big number for Shi Ye; he didn’t care. Right now, he just needed to get Wen Rong’s wound treated.
“Fine, but don’t tell a third person about us being here. Otherwise, if everyone asks for money like you, then you’ll just have to split the twenty thousand among yourselves.”
“Mn-hm.”
Ten thousand!
Immersed in the joy of a windfall, the girl quickly pulled open the curtain behind her. “You sleep here. I’ll go call her.”
Behind the curtain was just a floor mattress a meter wide, with pink floral sheets, a quilt curled into a ball, and a piece of cloth for a pillow placed over two or three folded clothes.
One could imagine that the girl ate and slept in this brick room of less than ten square meters.
He and Wen Rong were soaked through. If they got the bed wet, he didn’t know when she would be able to change to new bedding.
Moreover, that was a girl’s bed.
Shi Ye turned his head to look at Wen Rong, his eyes asking a question.
Wen Rong nodded his head slightly.
Receiving permission, Shi Ye asked, “Does the doctor live far?”
“Not far, a ten-minute walk.”
“Then take me to… her now.”
“I still have to work…” The girl glanced at the roller shutter. “Forget it, forget it. No one will come in this heavy rain anyway. Better to earn your ten thousand.”
Having settled the agreement, the girl took out an umbrella and led Shi Ye through the back of the street.
The umbrella was small; two of its eight ribs were broken, and the surface collapsed, blocking very little rain.
Fortunately, ten minutes later, they finally arrived at the “doctor’s” house the girl mentioned.
It was some distance from the town center, isolated. In the darkness, only a house with three connected rooms had lights on.
Bang bang bang.
The girl knocked on the middle door. It was wooden, relying on a padlock to ward off thieves.
There was a small door within the main door. A few seconds later, the small door slid open, revealing a middle-aged woman’s face and an impatient voice. “The power’s about to cut. Can’t do it. If you’re giving birth, wait until tomorrow.”
The girl: “No, Auntie, there’s ten thousand bucks here!”
Hearing this, the middle-aged woman quickly opened the door.
The girl led Shi Ye inside.
Shi Ye was tall and burly, almost blocking the entire doorway, which gave the middle-aged woman the creeps. She vigilantly pulled open a drawer by the door.
But as Shi Ye walked past her, a pale, ghastly face met hers. The softly closed eyes were soaked, eyelashes twisted into clumps sticking to the eyelids, looking like a porcelain doll so damaged it was about to fade, ready to shatter at a touch.
The woman pushed the drawer back.
“Xiaochun, is this Wen Rong?” the middle-aged woman asked.
Xiaochun nodded eagerly. “Mn-hm.”
“What happened to him?”
“This…” Xiaochun looked at Shi Ye.
Shi Ye explained, “There was a car accident on the way here. He has a deep cut on his lower abdomen that needs immediate treatment.”
“Quick, put him down. Xiaochun, go get the box from that cabinet over there.”
Only when Shi Ye placed Wen Rong on the bed indicated by the middle-aged woman did he finally see the miserable state Wen Rong was in.
Rain had soaked his shirt, turning the white fabric transparent, tightly clinging to his deeply recessed collarbones.
His chest, flattened by the fabric, rose slowly with his breathing. A patch of pink mixed with blood-red formed a chaotic stain.
Shi Ye lifted the hem of the shirt with trembling hands. The wound on the lower abdomen had already started to turn white, blood streaks flowing onto the bed along with the water stains.
“Ah!” Xiaochun slumped to the floor, mouth wide open, speechless.
“Shh—” The middle-aged woman signaled Xiaochun to stop making noise. She turned back to check Wen Rong’s condition, her brow furrowing tighter and tighter. “This isn’t a wound from a crash impact. It’s a knife wound.”
Shi Ye gave a “Mn.”
Fortunately, the car’s material was hard enough that none of the three were injured after rolling down the hill.
Shi Ye and the bodyguard dragged Wen Rong out. Just as they were about to help the driver, they suddenly heard a bang, and a heavy object fell behind them.
A strange man, who had appeared out of nowhere, lay on the ground, a bloody hole blown through his back.
Immediately after, four men with machetes ran down the hill.
The bodyguard quickly took out his gun to deal with the four men, while Wen Rong went to help him save the driver.
The bodyguard, the driver, the car—all were arranged by Zhou Xie. None of them were particularly on guard, so when the driver pulled out a knife and stabbed Wen Rong, no one could stop it in time.
Shi Ye explained to the middle-aged woman, “We were attacked on the way here. Although I don’t know who the other party is, you don’t need to be afraid. I am the heir to the Shi family of the Federal Military Affairs Department. My grandfather is the Federation’s sole arms supplier. Even if these people find us, they won’t dare do anything to you. If you want to enter the Inner District, I can also…”
“No need.” The middle-aged woman refused without hesitation.
“As if no one has been to the Inner District before. That crappy place full of nepotism is no different from the Outer District.” She turned to ask Xiaochun, “Xiaochun, do you want to enter the Inner District?”
“No no no.” Xiaochun shook her head hurriedly. “I’m not going.”
“Just give us ten thousand each, and guarantee our safety.”
Although Shi Ye didn’t understand why the two were so resistant to entering the Inner District, the current situation didn’t allow him to think too much. He quickly nodded and agreed to the woman’s request.
Woman: “He needs disinfection and stitches. I don’t have anesthesia. You help me hold him down later.”
She added, “Xiaochun, get something to stuff Wen Rong’s mouth. He can’t make any noise. If the Town Mayor’s people hear it, we’re finished.”
Xiaochun was bewildered. “Why?”
“Who else dares to use knives in this area besides the Mayor?”
📖 Advance Access: Complete Novel
- Option 1: Note your email on PayPal/Ko-fi.
- Option 2: Email proof to beezzzreads@gmail.com.
- Option 3: Comment below.
Recommended Reads
