Chapter 491: Human Trafficker
Qin Shanshan was already at her breaking point, and seeing Su Li and Tang Mo—the two people she hated most—acting so warm and happy together was the last straw.
She already loathed Su Li and Tang Mo. Now, old wounds and new resentments came flooding back, leaving only a single thought in her mind.
’Destroy it. I have to destroy it all.’
’What right do they have to be so happy!’
’And Tang Mo... that little bastard. He’s done nothing but cross me his entire life, and now...’
Qin Shanshan thought of her own lost child, and a frantic darkness surged in her eyes.
Like a ghost, Qin Shanshan followed Su Li and the others.
She watched Su Li laugh, watched their cheerful commotion, watched them enveloped in happiness...
Qin Shanshan didn’t know how long she had been following, how long she had been watching, until Su Li and the others were about to leave.
As Su Li and Wu Qihua were leaving with the victorious Little Tang Mo, making modest goodbyes, Qin Shanshan, who had been following them all this time, suddenly strode off in another direction.
She hurried along, bumping into a man who was hunched over with his hands drawn in, his collar flipped up, and the hood of his jacket pulled over his head.
The man cursed impatiently, "In a hurry to get yourself killed?!"
"Watch where you’re going! You looking to die?!" he snarled. His voice was coarse, and he was clearly in a foul mood. As he cursed, he raised a hand as if to strike her.
Qin Shanshan kept her head down and didn’t say a word.
"What, are you mute?" The man seemed to be having a bad day and was extremely agitated.
He would have cursed her if she spoke, but her silence only seemed to irritate him more.
While cursing, his gaze swept over a spot in the distance, and the irritation on his face deepened.
Just then, Qin Shanshan suddenly lifted her head. She looked straight at the man, her gaze sweeping over his face and his thick beard before she suddenly spoke.
"Need some help?"
Her voice wasn’t loud, but it was terrifyingly calm.
Beard whipped his head toward Qin Shanshan, a look of confusion on his face.
Qin Shanshan stared straight at Beard. "I know what you are."
Beard’s eyes narrowed dangerously. He lunged, grabbed Qin Shanshan by the throat, and dragged her behind a pillar.
A dangerous glint lit up his eyes. One hand locked around Qin Shanshan’s throat, while the other was already pressed against her back.
Qin Shanshan could feel its shape and sharpness. It was impossible for her not to be nervous and scared, but alongside the fear, she also felt an indescribable excitement.
"You think I won’t gut you right now?"
Beard’s voice was chillingly calm, yet thick with killing intent.
Qin Shanshan could feel his calm, feel his killing intent, and she had no doubt he would do it.
Beard held her from behind, leaning in close. From a distance, they looked like a couple sharing secrets.
Beard’s eyes were ice-cold, the knife ready to plunge into her at any moment.
For someone who lived and breathed danger, who was always on a knife’s edge, he was decisive and ruthless. He’d do what he said.
Her face pale, Qin Shanshan fought to control her trembling. She forced herself not to feel fear or regret, swallowed hard, and replied, trying to keep her voice steady.
"You’re looking for an opening, aren’t you? I can help you."
Beard’s pupils shrank. He jabbed the knife forward.
Qin Shanshan grunted, gasping for air as she endured the pain and quickly stated her intentions.
"I’m not here to mess things up. I just happened to notice. Rest assured, I really just want to help you."
Qin Shanshan had been following Su Li’s group the whole time, and in the process, she had inadvertently noticed Beard.
At first, Beard wasn’t watching Su Li and Tang Mo; he was watching someone else.
It was a grandmother and grandson, out to play in the park. The grandmother was elderly and easily distracted. During a moment of inattention, her grandson was silently carried away.
Qin Shanshan’s first instinct was to cry out a warning, but in the end, for some reason, she didn’t make a sound.
She watched, wide-eyed, as a seemingly harmless and kind woman picked up the child. Somehow, the scene transformed into what looked like a mother carrying away her groggy child.
When the grandmother started looking for the boy, a man who had come with the woman even pointed her in the opposite direction, sending her off on a wild goose chase.
He then calmly left, meeting up with the woman before they both vanished from sight.
It was only after they left that Qin Shanshan noticed Beard.
Beard looked like he was just idly strolling by, but his attention was fixed on the pair of kidnappers. Only after they left did his focus shift.
Qin Shanshan had inadvertently witnessed this secret, realizing that Beard was part of the kidnapping ring—not one of the snatchers, but a lookout.
Then, Qin Shanshan clearly saw it. Beard, who had been in a good mood, was about to leave, but he froze after happening to spot Su Li and Tang Mo.
He watched from the shadows, then gave an order to another man.
Qin Shanshan could clearly sense that Beard’s target was either Su Li or Tang Mo.
But Su Li and Tang Mo were always with Wu Qihua and a group of people, so there was simply no opportunity to strike.
The opportunity never came, not even when Su Li’s group was about to leave. Qin Shanshan clearly saw the flash of frustration and bitterness on Beard’s face.
Having seen everything and knowing who Beard was, Qin Shanshan looked at Su Li and Tang Mo’s smiling faces and, on an impulse, orchestrated the encounter.
In her haste, she didn’t—or wouldn’t—consider the danger of making a deal with the devil. She was just desperate to do *something*, no matter the cost.
Only when she felt the knife against her did a wave of belated fear wash over Qin Shanshan, but by then, there was no turning back.
"I know them. They’re my enemies. We can work together. I can help you."
After she finished speaking, Qin Shanshan held her breath, waiting for the man behind her to react.
"Why should I trust you? And why are you doing this?"
Beard’s questions cut straight to the heart of the matter.
"My life is in your hands. What more proof do you need?"
Qin Shanshan took a deep breath before replying. After a pause, she answered the next question in a desolate voice.
"My child is dead. I can’t have children anymore. So no child in this world... deserves to exist!"
’I can’t stand to see children smile. I only want to see them cry.’
As she thought this, Qin Shanshan felt a surge of catharsis she hadn’t experienced in a long time.
Beard looked at Qin Shanshan’s profile, and a bloodthirsty smile spread across his face.
"Interesting... Very interesting."
Qin Shanshan breathed a sigh of relief, feeling the pressure of the knife against her lessen slightly.
"I don’t have any experience, but if you teach me, I’ll do my best."
She made her position clear. At the thought of Tang Mo and Su Li being separated forever, plunged into the same miserable state as her, an irrepressible excitement surged within her.
A faint blush crept onto her pale, lifeless face, and her once-dead eyes finally lit up.
Beard looked at her fair, smooth face and suddenly ran his tongue over his lips.
"Nice... very nice..."
Qin Shanshan tensed for a moment, then forced herself to relax again. "I..."
"Wait." Beard had already let her go.
Her legs gave out, and she nearly collapsed. She felt her lower back and saw blood on her hand. Thankfully, it wasn’t much.
When she looked again, Beard was already gone.