Chapter 103: Gratitude and Repayment (Second Update)

“Here is fine!” Hou San retreated, holding the old rifle, all the way back to the black car he had previously seized. He gave Zhu Dachang, who was also armed and standing protectively in front of Sun Tiantian, a meaningful look, signaling him to get in quickly. Then, facing the group of men in black uniforms and sunglasses encircling them, he put on an air of calmness and said, “A journey of a thousand miles must come to an end.”

“You two can leave. I don’t even need the money—consider it a salute to the local power,” the man in sunglasses said coldly, pointing to Sun Tiantian behind Zhu Dachang. “But she can’t go. If she leaves, neither of you will.”

Sun Tiantian hid behind Zhu Dachang, pretending to tremble, clutching the back of his shirt, tears welling in her eyes. “Brother Fat, please don’t hand me over to them… They’re all big bad guys…”

A surge of unprecedented manliness suddenly welled up in Zhu Dachang’s heart, as if he were in a cornfield where Cuihua was softly pounding his chest with her little fists. He no longer cared about Hou San’s intentions. Standing tall, he pulled the bolt back with a sharp *click*, baring his teeth like a fierce dog, glaring fiercely. “Anyone who wants to touch her has to step over me first!”

Hou San twitched at the corner of his eye, feeling as if he was meeting Zhu Dachang for the first time. He sighed deeply and spoke calmly to the man in sunglasses, “My brother’s straightforward—his words are harsh, but a man’s reason is a man’s reason. But you… so many men bullying one girl, that’s not playing by the code of the underworld.”

“Code of the underworld?” The man removed his sunglasses, pointing to the red mark on his forehead. “Your code is to sneak-attack everyone you meet? Here’s the deal: either hand her over, or there’ll be corpses.”

“Competing over who’s more ruthless?” Hou San spat on the ground, thumb pointing at Zhu Dachang, voice rough and menacing. “Honestly, my brother is so ruthless no one can stop him. He’s responsible for hundreds of deaths. A few years back in our village, because of some words, he grabbed two big machetes and slashed from one end of the village to the other. They called him Fat Butcher.”

Sun Tiantian glanced at Zhu Dachang in surprise and whispered, “Is what he said true?”

Zhu Dachang blushed, nodding shyly, “More or less.”

The man in sunglasses looked at Zhu Dachang intently, his expression unreadable, narrowing his eyes. “So what? Does he have a knife now? It’s just an old rifle, takes at least five seconds to reload after firing once. I’ve got a dozen men here; within ten seconds, we’ll have you on the ground.”

“Your math’s not bad,” Hou San snorted coldly, pulled the bolt back with a *click*, aiming at the man, voice icy. “But two things you got wrong: one, I’m a famous quick-draw; reloading takes me just two seconds. Two, I can shoot you dead first, and the rest will scatter like crabs. How about a bet? Let’s see how loyal your men really are—who would take a bullet for you, and whether anyone would avenge you if you die.”

Zhu Dachang widened his eyes fiercely, grinding out three words between his teeth, “Bet on it?”

The man in sunglasses lowered his eyelids, his face dark as iron. “You two really want to wade into this mess? Don’t say I didn’t warn you; these waters run deep…”

“So you think I’m joking here?” Hou San took half a step back, raising the rifle higher, yelling, “I don’t care if it’s murky or clear water, I’ll empty this gun on you! If you want to take this girl, you’ve got to ask me first!”

The man’s face flushed repeatedly, staring at Hou San, grinding his teeth in silence.

Elbowing Zhu Dachang gently, Hou San stepped into the black car’s driver seat, lowering his voice, “Still not leaving? Waiting to fight?”

Zhu Dachang softly said “Oh,” then pushed Sun Tiantian, “You go first, I’ll cover the rear.”

Sun Tiantian mischievously stuck out her tongue at the man in sunglasses, then slowly climbed into the car, smiling and giving Zhu Dachang a thumbs-up. “Brother Fat, you’re so manly!”

“Not too slow, not too slow,” Zhu Dachang squeezed into the back seat, quickly shutting the door, head bowed, muttering, “Just a bit too fast…”

Once Sun Tiantian and Zhu Dachang were inside, Hou San started the engine, raised his middle finger out the window, hit the gas, and sped away.

More than ten minutes later, Hou San glanced in the rearview mirror and, seeing no pursuit from the man in sunglasses, exhaled in relief. He glanced at Sun Tiantian in the back seat, who was resting her face in her hands, admiring the night view, and casually asked, “Girl, was that truck really your friend’s?”

“Yeah, I wasn’t lying!” Sun Tiantian blinked in response.

“Then why do you seem so unconcerned?” Hou San pursed his lips. “A truck is worth quite a bit, just left like that?”

“Not lost, and even if it were, there’s insurance…” Sun Tiantian laughed carelessly. “Besides, my friend’s rich. He doesn’t care about losing a truck.”

“Rich?” Hou San’s eyes brightened. “How rich?”

“I don’t really know how much he has,” Sun Tiantian shrugged. “But I heard he owns a whole mountain and eats bear heart and leopard gall daily…”

Zhu Dachang suddenly interjected, “Eating those things is illegal. Tell your friend to stop.”

Hou San shot Zhu Dachang a sharp look. “Dummy, the whole mountain belongs to someone else, so the animals there are domestic, no law broken!” He paused, then turned to Sun Tiantian. “Girl, I guess you realized by now we’re not real cops, right?”

“I figured from the start,” Sun Tiantian giggled, pointing at Zhu Dachang’s exposed navel. “Who wears a crop top as a cop?”

Zhu Dachang blushed deeply, scratching his head. “We bought these from a truck transporting movie props. It’s not a crop top—just ill-fitting…”

Hou San coughed heavily, disappointedly glancing at Zhu Dachang, then gently asked Sun Tiantian, “Girl, one more thing—I have to ask. What’s your grudge with that man in sunglasses? It’s come to life or death.”

“Ah,” Sun Tiantian’s eyes darted, and she sighed deeply, putting on a pitiful face. “To be honest, that man in sunglasses is my fiancé’s subordinate…”

Zhu Dachang gasped in surprise. “Then why is he chasing you?”

“Because this marriage was arranged before birth. When I was just an embryo, how could I know who I’d like, or that my fiancé would be a scoundrel…” Sun Tiantian pressed her eye corner, swallowing hard. “My dad died young, and my mom’s a miser. Even knowing I had someone I loved, she forced me to marry that scoundrel who changes girlfriends every week. So I had my friend help me, and I escaped alone in the truck. But that bastard sent his men after me…”

Hou San frowned. “So all this was forced by your mom?”

Sun Tiantian nodded, sobbing softly. “It was my mom… forcing me.”

Zhu Dachang patted Sun Tiantian’s back, shaking his head with a sigh. “All mom’s fault…”

“That’s your family business,” Hou San clicked his tongue. “We don’t want to get involved too deep. You saw, tonight we risked a lot fighting over you. Your fiancé will probably come after us too. High risk, high reward—that’s how it goes…”

“I understand! I’ll repay your kindness,” Sun Tiantian interrupted, pounding her chest. “You and Brother Fat helped me so much. Once we get to A City, I’ll thank you properly! You’ll never want for food or drink again!”