Duan Zhuang drove the small three-wheeled cart into a neighborhood that was clearly affluent. The security guard at the entrance, upon seeing the shabby little vehicle, regarded the two of them with disapproving eyes.
However, Duan Zhuang was always indifferent to the gazes of others, and Ji Mian, facing away from the guard, didn’t see the change in his expression.
After Duan Zhuang made a call to the client, obtained the pass, and registered at the gate, the guard reluctantly opened the security door for them.
The dilapidated three-wheeler, out of place with the upscale apartment buildings, slowly entered.
The client lived on a high floor, on the twenty-first floor, and had warned Duan Zhuang beforehand that the elevator in their building was out of order and currently under repair.
Carrying two heavy wooden sculptures upstairs was certainly not an easy task.
The two paintings weighed nearly fifty pounds, and they had to be careful not to bump or damage them.
Duan Zhuang shouldered one of the wooden sculptures, and Ji Mian wanted to help carry one, but was unceremoniously refused. He could only carefully support the ends of both paintings, both to help lighten Duan Zhuang's load and to prevent the paintings from getting scratched or damaged.
When they finally reached the twenty-first floor, both Ji Mian and Duan Zhuang were panting, with their backs soaked from the cotton wrapping of the wooden sculptures.
Ji Mian was still catching his breath when he quickly took the paintings from Duan Zhuang’s hands, allowing his brother to relax a bit.
Once their breathing calmed down, Duan Zhuang knocked on the homeowner’s door with his knuckles.
They waited a minute, but no one answered.
He frowned and knocked again.
Still, there was no response.
“Brother?”
Duan Zhuang temporarily ignored Ji Mian, took out his phone, and called the client, but it didn’t go through.
“Are we being played?” Even Ji Mian could see that something was off now.
“The other party paid a thirty percent deposit, so it shouldn’t be like this.” Duan Zhuang’s expression darkened as he felt unsure about the situation.
Moreover, just a few minutes ago, that person had answered his call and instructed the guard to let them in.
He raised his hand and continued to knock on the door.
This time, the door opened from the inside.
The first thing Ji Mian noticed was a strong scent of perfume. He didn’t know much about perfumes, but he could tell this one was likely expensive; it had just been sprayed excessively.
He turned to see who had opened the door.
The person who greeted them was a woman in her forties, clearly well-maintained.
However, there was a deep-seated resentment in her eyes, adding an unsettling edge to her appearance.
Ji Mian didn’t notice that from the moment the woman opened the door, the person beside him had stiffened abruptly.
He looked at her and said cheerfully, “You must be Ms. Qian, right? These two wooden sculptures are finished. Please take a look and see if you’re satisfied!”
“No need to look.” The woman smirked derisively. “I’m not satisfied.”
“……Huh? But you haven’t even glanced at them yet.” Ji Mian said in confusion, helplessly looking at Duan Zhuang for support.
“Leave.” Duan Zhuang coldly uttered a single word.
“But…”
Just as Ji Mian was about to say something, his head was firmly pushed down by Duan Zhuang.
“Go back.”
At that moment, the woman said, “How does it feel to climb up twenty-one floors? Just a friendly reminder, you can take the elevator down.”
Upon hearing this, Ji Mian couldn’t help but turn back, a thin layer of sweat forming on his forehead.
“But didn’t you say on the phone that the elevator was…?”
“It seems you’re just as stupid as the son of a cheap woman.”
“……”
Ji Mian was stunned, looking at Duan Zhuang, only to realize that his brother’s expression was frighteningly dark.
He suddenly understood. This was Duan Zhuang’s biological father’s house, the place where Duan Zhuang’s mother, Yi Zhang, had an affair and gave birth to him.
The woman speaking in front of him should be He Haimin, Yi Zhang's wife.
For a moment, he didn’t know how to react and could only stare blankly at the two of them.
Ji Mian felt very uncomfortable. He might have just been played with, but He Haimin’s target wasn’t him; she wanted to insult Duan Zhuang, to demean this illegitimate son who had never provoked them.
He could understand He Haimin’s hatred toward Duan Zhuang and Duan Jinyan, but he couldn’t comprehend why, after so many years without Duan Zhuang appearing before them, she still wanted to take revenge in this way?
In Ji Mian’s view, the root of He Haimin's suffering should be her cheating husband, Yi Zhang.
[Why doesn’t she divorce Yi Zhang?]
[Who knows? Humans are, you know, always strange in some way.] The system said, then nonsensically added, [They have a TV, so that makes it easy.]
[What?]
[I just connected to their electrical system; by midnight tonight, all the screens in their house will play horror movies, continuously for an entire week.]
[…Thank you.] Ji Mian knew that the system was venting its anger for He Haimin’s actions against them.
“Where’s Yi Zhang?” Duan Zhuang asked coldly. “Let him come out.”
He Haimin frowned. “He’s not here.”
“Oh?” Duan Zhuang smiled, but the smile didn’t reach his eyes. “You placed an order with me two months ago and specifically chose today for us to deliver. Was it not to let him watch, to serve as a warning?”
“You—”
“Yi Zhang has another woman outside, right? It seems that without my mother, the ‘cheap woman,’ you still can’t keep your man.”
He Haimin’s expression changed in an instant, her beautiful face becoming hideously twisted. She raised her hand, as if to slap Duan Zhuang, but it was intercepted in midair.
Duan Zhuang shook off her wrist, stepped inside, and directly bypassed He Haimin to enter the house.
“What are you doing?! Who let you in?!” He Haimin shouted.
Seeing this, Ji Mian felt a sudden panic and hurriedly put down the wooden sculpture in his hands, saying “Sorry” to He Haimin before quickly following Duan Zhuang inside.
“You!” He Haimin was so angry she couldn’t find words, stammering but failing to produce anything useful.
Earlier at the doorway, a wooden screen had obstructed their view, leaving a visual blind spot in the left corner of the living room. Duan Zhuang walked into the left side of the living room, and then they heard a strange, high-pitched voice cry out in pain—
In just two seconds, Duan Zhuang dragged a middle-aged man out from the corner.
Ji Mian recognized the culprit who had harmed Duan Zhuang and the two women. Yi Zhang wore a black bathrobe, and his appearance was just as Ji Mian had imagined—a tall, thin, pale-faced man.
However, he was nearly fifty years old, and the wrinkles of time on such a face made him look extremely greasy and lewd.
Duan Zhuang grabbed Yi Zhang by the neck, his knee slamming into Yi Zhang's loose belly. He didn’t hold back at all, delivering a blow with the intent to smash his internal organs.
Yi Zhang couldn’t even scream, his mouth open wide as his stomach twisted in spasms.
Duan Zhuang released his grip just in time, and Yi Zhang's body crumpled to the ground, immediately vomiting.
He collapsed onto his own vomit, creating a filthy scene.
[Stop Duan Zhuang.] The system warned. [He’s lost his rationality; don’t kill him.]
Ji Mian snapped back to reality.
Duan Zhuang was still smiling, not planning to let Yi Zhang off the hook. He raised his leg, preparing to strike again.
“Brother!” Ji Mian grabbed his arm. “That’s enough, brother!”
Realizing he might not be strong enough to stop Duan Zhuang, he tightly clutched the fabric at his waist, pulling him back and refusing to let go.
“Let go.” Duan Zhuang’s gaze swept over, dark and frightening. “Or I’ll beat you too.”
“I…” Ji Mian’s voice trembled, but he didn’t release his grip on Duan Zhuang’s wrist and clothing.
Duan Zhuang stared at him for a few seconds.
In the next moment, Ji Mian’s collar was roughly yanked up, the force at the neck cruelly tossing him aside.
With a thud, Ji Mian’s head hit the wall, and a pained whimper escaped his throat. He still clung tightly to Duan Zhuang’s wrist.
Duan Zhuang hesitated for a moment, but his tone remained harsh. “Let go.”
[If you need it, his TV will also be showing horror movies tonight.] The system said lightly to Ji Mian.
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