Chapter 113 Flea

Chapter 113: The Flea

"It's nothing." Cheng Ge raised his hand and patted Lü Rou's back reassuringly.

Turning to look at Zhang Qinghang, who resembled a wild dog, dirty and reeking of filth.

This appearance bore no trace of the former glory of the Zhang family's legitimate son.

Cheng Ge crouched down slightly, his smile unwavering as he reached out and gently lifted the other's chin.

"Zhang Qinghang..." he said softly, his eyes narrowing with a hint of sharpness.

Hearing his voice, Zhang Qinghang stared wide-eyed, greedily devouring the sight of him.

His hands eagerly clutched Cheng Ge's hand, smearing the skin with blood and grime inch by inch.

"Muyu... Muyu..." Zhang Qinghang's voice was hoarse, calling out Cheng Ge's name in low whispers.

The smile on Cheng Ge's lips deepened, his thumb brushing across Zhang Qinghang's cheek. "Seeing you in such a state now is truly... satisfying."

The moment the words fell, Zhang Qinghang's eyes instantly lit with a flash of malice, his fingers tightening involuntarily.

"Isn't this all thanks to you? I've thought long and hard in here before realizing you were using me all along."

Cheng Ge let out a light laugh and patted his face. "Then you must be pretty stupid, huh? It took you that long to figure it out?

Besides, you deserve every bit of this. Look inward when things go wrong.

Fortunately, your flesh and bones here will serve as an offering to them."

Zhang Qinghang suddenly let out a low, bitter laugh. "Aren't they just worthless scraps of meat? You actually care about that?"

Cheng Ge's gaze turned icy. When the Zhang family was raided, over a hundred female corpses of various ages were found in the backyard courtyard.

Some had rotted down to mere bones, while others had only been discarded recently.

Each body bore varying degrees of mutilation, almost certainly indicating death by torture.

Zhang Qinghang was a pervert who took pleasure in watching the weak struggle, fear, and helplessness.

This easily excited him, the thrill from the depths of his soul almost addictive.

The reason he had initially targeted Cheng Ge was largely due to this.

"So what are you now? A maggot? Or a stinking rat?" Cheng Ge retorted sarcastically.

"Cheng Muyu... you've changed." Zhang Qinghang stared at Cheng Ge, unwilling to accept it, his grip tightening.

"You've never treated me like this before. You... hah... you must have liked me too, right? Am I wrong?"

"No." Cheng Ge's gaze was cold, his answer blunt.

Hearing this, Zhang Qinghang grew agitated, shouting in rebuttal, "Impossible! During our school days, you clearly—"

"Zhang Qinghang, how dare you mention our school days? Do I even need to explain how you got your spot at the Imperial Academy?"

Zhang Qinghang jerked his head up, his pupils contracting, eyes bloodshot.

This was something Cheng Ge had only learned later: the original owner had a close friend named Gu Qingyan.

They came from similar backgrounds, but Gu Qingyan's talent far surpassed Zhang Qinghang's.

If not for Zhang Qinghang's scheme to frame him, Gu Qingyan likely would have contended for a top-three spot in the exams.

But human greed knew no bounds. Zhang Qinghang, desperate for the Imperial Academy seat, had colluded with Zhang Hong to accuse Gu Qingyan of exam fraud.

Zhang Qinghang's expression shifted to panic, pressing his face against Cheng Ge's fingertips. "But my feelings for you were real!"

Cheng Ge stared at him for two seconds, then his tone turned harsh, sharp as thorns.

He suddenly twisted his wrist, clamping down and grabbing Zhang Qinghang's hair, forcing his face up.

"When I returned to the capital, you knew Zhang Hong plotted to kill me, didn't you?"

Zhang Qinghang winced as his scalp was pulled painfully, but he forced calm. "I... I had no choice at the time."

Cheng Ge let out a cold laugh, tightening his grip. "No choice? Screw your 'no choice'!"

With that, he slammed Zhang Qinghang's forehead into the ground. A dull thud echoed as blood immediately streamed from the wound.

Zhang Qinghang grunted in pain, yet still glared stubbornly at Cheng Ge. "Cheng Muyu, do you think you'll be smug forever?"

Cheng Ge was a man of few words and harsh actions. He grabbed Zhang Qinghang's head and smashed it against the ground several more times.

The black scabs fell off, fresh blood gushed out, quickly blinding his eyes.

Zhang Qinghang was beaten to the brink of death, half his face buried in blood. He struggled to lift his eyes toward Cheng Ge.

A sinister, wild laugh escaped him. "Hah... I should have gone easy on you back then.

I should have... played you to death, thrown you in with those rotting carcasses to fester and breed maggots."

His gaze shifted to Lü Rou behind Cheng Ge, his smile growing even more manic.

"Cheng Muyu... you're so pathetic. A cheap whore who's been ridden by a thousand men, and you treat her like treasure.

Does she serve you well in bed? Haha... well, with all her experience, she's naturally loose."

"Stop it..." Lü Rou's eyes were full of terror, her body pressed tightly against the wall.

"Cheng Muyu, let me tell you in secret—she once carried my child, but someone else fucked it out of her... tch... so filthy."

At this, Zhang Qinghang seemed to find a sliver of pleasure in revenge, laughing so hard tears nearly spilled.

Cheng Ge's temples throbbed with rage. Without a word, he yanked off his thick-soled cloth shoe, layered tenfold.

"You motherfucker!!!"

He raised his hand and brought the shoe down hard onto Zhang Qinghang's face. The slap of sole against cheek rang out clearly.

Zhang Qinghang's face instantly swelled, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, but he kept laughing—a deranged, piercing sound.

Cheng Ge hit him again and again, each strike with full force.

Zhang Qinghang's laughter gradually faded, his body ceasing to struggle, leaving only a bloodied face and swollen, unrecognizable features.

"You... bitch... you'll die a horrible death... mmph—" Cheng Ge shoved the shoe straight into his mouth.

"Enjoying the beating? Don't thank me—consider it a payment from my Sister Lü Rou for your pitiful patronage."

"You rotten prick—and you dare call my sister dirty? Pah! In your next life, you wouldn't even qualify to eat shit as an animal! Fucking asshole!"

Cheng Ge stood up, still cursing under his breath, hopping over to Lü Rou.

But then, out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of two figures. He turned his head instinctively.

Lin Nanshu, holding a fruit basket, stood with a prison guard not far away, watching him from a distance.

Silence hung in the air for a moment...

After a good ten seconds or so, the prison guard swallowed and stepped forward cautiously.

In a low voice, he asked, "Mr. Cheng, what are you... doing?"

Cheng Ge reached out to help Lü Rou up, blocking her view.

"Oh... it's like this: this guy saw me passing by and wouldn't let go of my leg, shouting that his body itched.

You know, I'm a warm-hearted person. How could I just ignore it?

I happened to notice he had fleas on him, so I helped him slap them off.

Just a moment ago, he kowtowed to me several times in gratitude. Now he's passed out from comfort, nice and snug."

The prison guard: "..." Should I say something?