Chapter 34.3

“At first, it might have been out of a sense of responsibility, or maybe it was the deep-seated feeling that I couldn’t bear to see you humiliated. But slowly, I began to realize that my feelings for you were more complicated than that.”

“I’ve asked myself countless times during the night why I stayed with you. Was it because you were the projection of my hopes for this world?”

“But later, when you asked me if I loved you, I suddenly realized at that moment that since I started accepting your weaknesses, getting to know you, living with you, hearing you shout loudly while sitting on my motorcycle, watching the city lights with you — you weren’t just my faith anymore. You were a living, breathing person. Someone I had given all my feelings to, whether it was love or something else.”

“I want you to be happy. I want you to enjoy everything I never had, to attain all the happiness I never experienced. I don’t know when it started, but I began to hope for a future with you. Yet, deep down, I know that someone like me shouldn’t have a future with you.”

“Sibei, many people think you are the weak one, but in reality, the truly weak one is me.”

“I have surrendered to fate countless times, accepted the future it gave me, but you, whether in the past or the present, have never surrendered to it deep in your soul.”

“That’s what I admire most about you, what I love about you the most. I hope that for the rest of your life, you can hold onto the world I could never have, and live a happy life.”

“This belated love letter, I wrote it to you because I wanted to tell you.”

“Ye Sibei, no matter when, no matter whether you know it or not, please always believe that in this world, someone will always love you.”

“Like Qin Nan.”

Ye Sibei stared at the letter. Although there were many things she couldn’t quite understand, she couldn’t help but cry.

The train entered the station, and outside the window, the sign with the words “Huai Shui” came into view. Through her tear-filled eyes, Ye Sibei glanced outside.

As the train slowed to a stop, people around her stood up, pushing toward the door even before it opened. A woman grabbed Ye Sibei, pulled down her mask, and revealed Lin Feng’s face.

“Captain Zhang is looking for you.”

Lin Feng quickly shoved an earphone into her ear, and Ye Sibei heard Zhang Yong’s anxious voice: “Are you planning to kill Fan Jiancheng today?”

Ye Sibei froze, and Zhang Yong quickly continued, “Qin Nan went instead of you. Tell me, what’s your plan? Where did he go?!”

Ye Sibei couldn’t speak.

The train arrived, and people crowded toward the exit. Outside, the conductor’s voice boomed over the speaker, “Huai Shui station has arrived. Passengers getting off, please disembark quickly. Let those off first before boarding!”

“Huai Shui station has arrived. Passengers getting off, please disembark quickly. Let those off first before boarding!”

Zhang Yong, hearing her silence, grew frustrated, “Are you afraid of getting caught up in this now?! Ye Sibei, do you even know that the 20,000 yuan you got in your third year of high school was from Qin Nan? It was his father’s compensation money, meant for his own education! He’s already given you the first half of his life, do you want him to give up the rest of it for you too?!”

Ye Sibei stood there, eyes wide open, tears falling uncontrollably.

“The outskirts, at the foot of Mount Su Ming.”

She tried to keep her emotions in check and spoke as calmly as possible, “I’ll send you the location. Go find Fan Jiancheng, and make sure he doesn’t go to the casino tonight.”

After speaking, Ye Sibei snapped back to reality. She grabbed her bag and squeezed her way through the crowd off the train while sending Zhang Yong the location.

As soon as the message was sent, she and Lin Feng got off the train. Once outside, she clutched her bag tightly and sprinted toward the spot where she had arranged for a driver. She ran as fast as she could, but when she reached the meeting point, the driver was nowhere to be found.

She frantically called the driver, but the line was busy. Lin Feng, panting, caught up with her, “What are you doing?”

“The driver I booked disappeared.”

Ye Sibei was anxious, “I need to get back and stop him.”

“He told me to come follow you. The driver you booked, he probably found a way to cancel it.”

Lin Feng thought for a moment, “Let’s catch a taxi, hurry.”

Ye Sibei nodded. After a while, they managed to find a taxi, paying a high fare, and rushed to the casino.

Once in the car, Lin Feng asked nervously, “Do you think he’ll follow your plan?”

“I don’t know.”

Ye Sibei clenched her fists, trying to calm herself down. After a moment, she sent Ye Nianwen her location and called him.

Ye Nianwen exchanged a calm look with Zhao Chuchu. When his phone suddenly rang, he saw Ye Sibei’s name. Both he and Zhao Chuchu were surprised. Zhao Chuchu sat back down, gesturing for him to answer, “Go ahead, answer it.”

Ye Nianwen composed himself and answered the call, hearing Ye Sibei’s hoarse voice, “I sent you a location. Go there quickly and find Qin Nan.”

“What happened?”

Ye Nianwen had a bad feeling. After a pause, Ye Sibei spoke again, trying to steady her voice, “He went to kill Fan Jiancheng for me.”

Ye Nianwen’s eyes widened, and he shot up from his seat, “I… I’ll go right now.”

He hung up the phone and rushed out, with Zhao Chuchu following quickly behind, “What happened? What’s going on?”

“My brother-in-law…” Ye Nianwen’s voice trembled, “My brother-in-law… is going to kill Fan Jiancheng.”

Hearing this, Zhao Chuchu was completely stunned, but she quickly regained her composure. “Don’t be afraid, I’ll go with you.”

Ye Nianwen nodded and quickly paid the bill. Zhao Chuchu went outside to hail a cab, and the two rushed toward the location.

While Ye Nianwen and Ye Sibei were heading toward the area near the casino, Zhang Yong said his goodbyes to Yang Qiyu, then ran outside while making a call to the police. After explaining the situation, he began trying to call Fan Jiancheng.

Fan Jiancheng was already driving with his friends, loud music blaring in the car. His friends were excitedly discussing how they would gamble once they arrived at the casino.

This was Fan Jiancheng’s ultimate leisure time, and he had no intention of answering the phone, so he set it to silent. His phone kept lighting up, but he didn’t notice at all.

He waved his hands in rhythm with the music, singing along in broken Cantonese: “The years turn possession into loss, the weary eyes filled with hope~”

Zhang Yong, unable to reach him after several calls, got into his car and drove toward the casino, calling everyone associated with Fan Jiancheng.

He called the company, and they said Fan had gone home. He called Zhao Shuhui, and she said Fan was at work. Frustrated, Zhang Yong hit the steering wheel several times and sped toward the casino.

As everyone raced against time, Qin Nan crouched in an abandoned building, biting into a piece of bread he’d brought with him.

A dagger was tucked in his waistband, and he held an iron rod in his hand. By his side was a can of pepper spray he’d recently bought.

It was close to 7 PM, and the sky had completely darkened. Light rain began to fall. Fan Jiancheng’s car illuminated the night as it rolled over the uneven ground, stopping not far from the abandoned building.

The driver stopped the engine and turned off the music. Fan Jiancheng, sitting in the passenger seat, stretched lazily. The driver chuckled, “Let’s go, Brother Fan.”

As he spoke, he opened the car door, stepped out with an umbrella, and immediately, an iron rod swung straight at him!

The rod gleamed in the dim light, and the driver reacted quickly, dodging to the side, but still got hit hard, falling to the ground.

“Brother Fan!” the driver cried out in pain, rolling in the mud. In that instant, Fan Jiancheng quickly reacted, flinging the door open and running for it.

“Call for help!” Fan Jiancheng shouted, “Call for help!”

Qin Nan ignored the man behind him and chased Fan Jiancheng into the abandoned building.

Fan Jiancheng seemed to know the area well, throwing things at Qin Nan as he ran. Qin Nan blocked the debris and lost sight of him momentarily. By the time he reached the third floor, it was empty except for a few walls. Qin Nan scanned the area and knew Fan Jiancheng was hiding behind one of them. He dragged the steel pipe as he walked over.

Huddled behind the wall, Fan Jiancheng was trembling, too scared to make a sound. He grabbed a handful of nearby cement dust, listening to Qin Nan’s footsteps growing closer.

The moment Qin Nan’s steps reached him, Fan Jiancheng threw the dust at him. Prepared for this, Qin Nan held his breath and closed his eyes, then swung the rod violently, hearing a pained scream from Fan Jiancheng.

Qin Nan took a step back, shook his head, and opened his eyes to see Fan Jiancheng stumbling upstairs.

Qin Nan continued his pursuit, his grip tightening on the rod. Fan Jiancheng, breathing heavily, was on the verge of tears.

He knew all too well—Qin Nan wasn’t here to just beat him or seek simple revenge.

Qin Nan was here to kill him.

The darkness swallowed the wilderness, and the surrounding area was desolate. Inside the abandoned building, Fan Jiancheng’s heart was filled with fear and regret.

He shouldn’t have messed with Ye Sibei.

He had chosen the wrong target. He should’ve found someone more submissive, a woman who was easier to control.

Maybe Zhao Chuchu would’ve been easier than Ye Sibei?

Qin Nan closed in on him, three steps at a time, as voices could be heard in the distance. This encouraged Fan Jiancheng, and he yelled, “Over here! I’m over here!”

Hearing him shout, Qin Nan quickened his pace. Fan Jiancheng started throwing things at him from above. Qin Nan slowed down, and by then, the others had caught up. Fan Jiancheng fled toward the rooftop, but just as he reached it, Qin Nan grabbed him by the hair.

Fan Jiancheng screamed, and at that moment, an iron rod came crashing down on Qin Nan’s back!

The blow pushed Qin Nan forward, and Fan Jiancheng kicked him. Qin Nan retaliated with a swing of the rod, sending Fan Jiancheng flying. By the time Qin Nan steadied himself, a dozen men had surrounded him. The leader, a bald man wearing a thick gold chain, held a steel pipe and sneered at Qin Nan. “Causing trouble in my territory, kid? You’ve got a death wish.”

“I’m only here for Fan Jiancheng,” Qin Nan said calmly, his eyes fixed on the man being helped to his feet behind the bald leader. “Do me a favor and let me through.”

“I think I know you,” the bald man said, squinting at Qin Nan. After a moment, he laughed, speaking in a local dialect. “You’re the guy whose wife got screwed, right?”

Hearing this, the group burst into laughter. Qin Nan remained silent, putting his left hand in his pocket as he stepped forward. The group immediately tensed, and their pipes came swinging down. Qin Nan pulled out his pepper spray and started spraying wildly while swinging his steel pipe at the crowd.

“Move!” Qin Nan roared, swinging the pipe like a madman, hitting anyone in his way as he charged toward Fan Jiancheng.

His ferocity stunned those around him. The bald man cursed angrily, “Damn it!”